Francesca’s Cafe is closing, after serving the South End for nearly 20 years from their cozy home on the corner of Union Park and Tremont Street. Earlier this afternoon I spoke to the staff and they confirmed Francesca’s closing. There is no word if the owner plans to reopen in another location.
In March I reported rumors about a pending close in my post Francesca’s Cafe South End. I speculated Francesca’s days may be numbered after South End resident, Fredmond Kiley IV, quietly purchased the building in what was rumored to be a cash deal.
Time will tell if this is the final chapter for Francesca’s or if the owners will look for another space to reopen. I’d love to suggest they look at the 7-Eleven space that will be closing at 1306 Washington Street in SoWa later this year. Time will also tell what the landlord will do with this prime real estate – rumor has it he’d like a high end restaurant or cafe.
BosGuy 
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Bummer!
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I’m bummed. I go there several times a week for coffee, lunch, or just a midday pick-me-up. So sad that they are getting squeezed out. Those of us who work in the area would much prefer a reasonably priced place for coffee and lunch.
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Hmm. On one hand, I always found the service to be a bit lacking (they tried, just weren’t that good). The food ok, the prices a bit high, and the hours lacking for an early-morning, before work fix.
All that said, on the other hand, I agree with Joe that I long for some less-high-end places in the area. I did like that F’s was local, not a chain, and stopped in now and then for just that reason.
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High end restaurant? Don’t we have enough of these already? When did the South End demographic become another Wellesley? I’d like to see more low-end restaurants, thank you.
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Restaurants thrive on good food, not nostalgia. Francesca’s lacked the former. I stopped patronizing this place three years ago after purchasing a $4 mediocre brownie. The owners should consider revamping their menu and business model (what business doesn’t take credit cards) before deciding to relocate. I hope an establishment with better food that matches the prices moves in.
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I do agree that the 7-Eleven spot on Washington St would be good location, or anywhere even in the Harrison Ave corridor, but (ugh) sowa? Really? I think I can speak for many of us (who live east of Washington St) that it’s as grating to many a South Ender’s ears as calling the Boston Common “the Commons” is to any native Bostonian. It’s such a stupid sounding and unimaginative sounding real estate marketing term, probably made up by people who never stepped foot in the South End (not to mention, probably never looked at a map, since it’s being marketed as an area that lies EAST of Washington St -that’s why all the street names change cardinal directions at Washington St. IE: West Newton becomes East Newton, West Brookline becomes East Brookline and so forth). Neighborhood designations should come more naturally than out of some marketing firm’s meeting room.
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Reblogged this on Teaching Thomas and commented:
This was the spot in Boston where it all began. I came out as a gay man while sipping a coffee at Francesca’s on a hot August night just before my third year of college was going to begin.
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I will not forget sitting at Francesca’s, reading my first copy of Bay Windows, and finding an 18+ gay night at Axis. This was over fifteen years ago, and precisely the night I came out.
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hopefully they’ll take over the 7-11 spot or perhaps even the Lekker location?
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sad – this stinks
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So sad! So many good memories of hanging out at that place. It will surely be missed. I’d like to know why a SE resident would purchase the building and then get rid of a long standing neighborhood fixture? Kind of makes it worse than if it was a stranger to the area or a faceless corporation closing it…
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the world as we know it has come to an end….
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Breaking (sad) news!!!
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