Later this year, Boston will be home to Time Out Market—a food and cultural market bringing the best of the city together under one roof: its best food, drinks and cultural experiences, based on editorial curation.
Located in the historic 401 Park Drive building—formerly The Landmark Center—in the heart of the vibrant Fenway neighborhood, Time Out Market Boston is set to open in the second quarter of 2019.
Following in the footsteps of the wildly popular Time Out Market Lisbon—which opened in 2014 and is now Portugal’s most visited attraction with 3.6 million visitors in 2017—Time Out Market Boston will feature a curated mix of 15 eateries, two bars, a demo kitchen, a retail shop and local culture, all in one iconic site.
Today, the inaugural line-up of the city’s top culinary talent joining Time Out Market Boston has been revealed. It is a curated mix of award-winning chefs, celebrated restaurateurs and much-loved local gems—promising exciting menus and an incredible range of high-quality food which Time Out Market will make affordable and accessible for all.
- Chef Tim and Nancy Cushman: James Beard Award-winning Chef Tim Cushman and Advanced Sake Professional Nancy Cushman will join Time Out Market Boston, taking over not just one but two kitchens with a pair of Asian concepts. Having spent four decades living in places like Chicago and Los Angeles and cooking around the world in Asia, Europe and North America, Chef Tim and Nancy opened o ya in Boston in 2007 to numerous awards and accolades, not least ‘One of the ten best new restaurants in the world’ (Food & Wine magazine); these two also delight guests with their celebrated Boston izakaya Hojoko Japanese Tavern as well as o ya, Covina and Roof at Park South in New York City. At Time Out Market Boston, the Cushmans’ two new concepts will represent the quality of o ya and the fun and casual experience of Hojoko which was picked as the ‘Best Neighbourhood Restaurant in Fenway’ by Boston magazine in 2018. Rob Wong, chef de cuisine of Hojoko Japanese Tavern will be overseeing the two Time Out Market kitchens with Chef Tim.
- Tony Maws: Craigie on Main is known as a culinary hot spot where James Beard Award-winning Chef Tony Maws serves his Franco-American creations based on cutting-edge techniques and the best local, seasonal and organic ingredients. It is also known as home to the iconic and renowned Craigie on Main Burger. Dedicated to delivering the ultimate burger experience and using only the most exquisite ingredients, Tony spent months perfecting its recipe and each night only 18 are being served exclusively at Craigie on Main—it is the stuff of legend people queue up for. Now this highly coveted signature burger will inspire juicy Craigie Burger variations at Time Out Market Boston for a wider audience to enjoy.
- Peter Ungár: At Time Out Market Boston, Chef Peter Ungár will serve up beautifully handcrafted dishes such as Lettuce Brined Black Sea Bass with Macadamia and Lemon Verbena, Rice Smoked Duck with Fermented Red Chili and Black Lime, and Elderflower Peaches with Preserved Lemon Shortbread and Fermented Blueberry Sorbet. Previously, he has held positions in kitchens from Boston to Paris, including Michelin-starred restaurants. Together with his wife, Ginhee Ungár, he opened Tasting Counter in 2015 in Somerville to critical acclaim such as the Boston Globe’s ‘Restaurant of the Year’, plus Boston magazine’s coveted ‘Best of Boston award’ for three consecutive years. Peter and Ginhee are dedicated to creating tasting menus utilizing New England ingredients, influenced by culinary techniques and traditions from around the world. Tasting Counter is decidedly modern, fluidly moving between old-world and new-world, classicism and innovation, formal and casual, all while creating revelatory culinary experiences. Bringing their ‘0% carbon, 50% local, 100% natural’ ethos to Time Out Market, guests will be able to enjoy Tasting Counter’s locally-sourced dishes and creativity.
- Michael Schlow: With restaurants spanning the country, Michael Schlow—a past winner of the James Beard Award and the Culinary Award of Excellence—is one of the most influential and respected restaurateurs in the region today. At Time Out Market Boston, he will focus on a menu full of simple, honest Italian ingredients that best celebrate the country’s superb cuisine—from the pure simplicity of Marinated Baby Artichokes with Mint, Chilli and Garlic, to beautifully cooked al dente pasta such as Cavatelli with Spicy Italian Sausage Ragu.
- Union Square Donuts: The award-winning team behind Union Square Donuts, led by co-founder Josh Danoff, has been serving up mouth-watering treats to Boston, Brookline and Somerville for more than six years. The bakery with a cult-like following will join Time Out Market to make even more people happy with their delicious, artisan donuts. Made from scratch daily with extraordinary attention to detail, the donuts feature only high-quality and wholesome ingredients. Known for their inventive flavor combinations like Sea Salt Bourbon Caramel, Brown Butter Hazelnut Crunch and Maple Bacon, Union Square Donuts has been recognized as a three-time ‘Best of Boston’ winner from Boston magazine and received national accolades from Zagat, People magazine and USA Today.
- anoush’ella: Nina and Raffi Festekjian have a passion for Eastern Mediterranean flavors, and inspiration from their Armenian-Lebanese heritage is reflected in their cuisine. At their South End restaurant anoush’ella, everything is prepared with passion and love, with the menu based on traditional recipes using fresh, authentic ingredients. It is this experience of dining at home with friends and family that the Festekjians will bring to Time Out Market Boston, typified by Mezze of Hummus, Baba-Ganoush and Walnut Harissa, or the warm spices of Chicken Za’atar and Red Lentil Kofta Wraps.
Closer to the opening, Time Out Market Boston will announce the next additions to this curated mix as well as how local culture will be part of the unique experience.
Didier Souillat, CEO of Time Out Market, said:
“Time Out Market isn’t just a food hall—it is the world’s first food and cultural market based wholly on editorial curation. At the heart of everything we do is our dedication to curating the best the city—its best food, drinks and cultural experiences. It is all about making fine dining casual, and casual extraordinary. We call it the democratization of fine dining.
“Time Out critics tested, tasted and reviewed the best food Boston has to offer and we are very proud to reveal such an impressive first line-up of incredible chefs and restaurateurs who will join Time Out Market. We can’t wait to soon announce the next additions to our curated mix. When Time Out Market Boston opens this year, it will not just be a place where you go to eat but where you get to know and experience the best of the city.”
For fifty years, Time Out editors have been writing about the best food, drink and cultural experiences to help people make the most of the city; today, a global team of local expert journalists is curating the best things to do in 315 cities in 58 countries across websites, magazines, social media, live events and now Time Out Market is taking that to the next level.
In 2014, the editorial team behind Time Out Lisbon turned a historic market building in the city into Time Out Market Lisbon, the world’s first food and cultural market based wholly on editorial curation. Today, it is the most popular attraction in the country with 3.6 million visitors in 2017. This hugely successful culinary phenomenon will now expand globally with new Time Out Markets set to open in Miami, New York, Boston, Chicago and Montreal in 2019; and in London-Waterloo and Prague in 2021.
Time Out Market Boston will call an Art Deco gem its home: 401 Park is a 1920s era Sears Roebuck mail order store and historical landmark which is currently being reimagined by Samuels & Associates, bringing the building back to its roots with Time Out Market as the anchor. Respecting the history of the iconic building, the site will get a modern design, perfectly reflective of Boston and the iconic Time Out brand.
After exploring and sampling a variety of dishes—served on china with flatware—from the surrounding kitchens, family and friends come together to enjoy their meals at big communal tables in the center of Time Out Market.
With its focus on supporting local businesses and suppliers, a close connection with the city and community is at the heart of the Time Out Market philosophy; as with its existing location in Lisbon, it is expected that the market in Boston will bring further employment across a wide range of skills, broader benefits and attract a food- and culture-loving audience.