Three Traveler Street Hospitality restaurants on the Harrison Avenue side of the South End are in their final months. Bar Mezzana, the sushi bar No Relation, and the tiki lounge Shore Leave plan to close at the end of 2026 after the group decided not to renew its lease. In August, The Boston Globe repeated that year-end timeline. The Globe's fall restaurant roundup, published Sept. 23, still describes Shore Leave closing when the year ends.
The closings are only one of the schedules on this stretch. Between now and Dec. 31, the same few blocks hold a pop-up residency with fixed nights, the last Sundays of SoWa Open Market, a holiday market that starts five days after the Sunday market ends, and a city road crew working its way down Harrison Avenue one block at a time. Taken together, those four calendars set the plan for anyone hoping to get a last dinner at Bar Mezzana or a last drink at Shore Leave.
What Is Closing, and What Stays
Bar Mezzana is at 360 Harrison Ave. No Relation operates inside Shore Leave at 11 William E. Mullins Way. The Globe's July report gave New Year's Day as the timing for the closure. So far, none of the coverage we found names a final service night for any of the three. If you want a specific night in late December, call each restaurant directly.
Chef and co-owner Colin Lynch explained the decision to Boston Magazine as a matter of math. He cited an expected rent increase that would have made margins tight going forward. Lynch told the magazine he has no plans yet for his next step and is focused on finishing the three restaurants' run strong.
"In general across the restaurant industry, you're seeing that the highs are still very high, but the lows are getting lower." — Colin Lynch, speaking to Boston Magazine in August 2026
Black Lamb, the group's brasserie and oyster bar, will stay open. It's at 571 Tremont Street. That means that after New Year's, the group keeps its South End presence on the Tremont side and leaves the Ink Block side. Black Lamb's weekly routine already gives regulars a fixed rhythm. Its site lists $2 oysters before 5 p.m. and all day Monday, an Oklahoma smash burger on Tuesdays from 5 p.m. until it sells out, and a rotating four-course Two Little Lambs dinner on Wednesdays from 5 p.m.
The Residency Inside the Farewell
The most unusual thing on the Ink Block this fall is happening inside one of the closing restaurants. Phaeng & Phiu, chef-owner Veo Robert's Laotian pop-up, is in residence at Shore Leave from Sept. 15 through Dec. 31, 2026. It serves Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. Robert worked for Traveler Street Hospitality from 2021 to 2024. The Globe lists Bar Mezzana among his past kitchens, along with Radius, Menton, Myers + Chang, and Foxglove Terrace. The space's final months belong to someone who came up in the group's own kitchens.
Before this run, eating Robert's food meant catching the pop-up at the right restaurant on the right night, at places like Merai, Rubato, and Vee Vee. The Globe noted that the residency makes it much easier to find. The menu is à la carte. BostonChefs described it as Lao cooking through a New England lens, served alongside Shore Leave's tropical cocktails, which continue during the residency. A few dishes from the published menu and coverage:
- Goi pa, a kingfish crudo with galanga and kaffir lime
- Krapow gai dumplings
- Crispy pork belly and green papaya salad
- New England seafood noodles
- Whole fried black bass
- Mango cheesecake
Because of the residency hours, Sundays and Mondays at 11 William E. Mullins Way are not Phaeng & Phiu nights. That matters once you add the next calendar.
Sundays Belong to SoWa Until Mid-November
SoWa Open Market runs free on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 500 Harrison Ave. and Thayer Street. Its dedicated page lists the season as running through Nov. 15. Counting today, Oct. 4, that leaves seven market Sundays. The FAQ on SoWa's Christmas Market page describes the Open Market as running May through October, so check SoWa's live calendar before planning around either November Sunday.
Next weekend adds a second draw a block away. Markets for Makers brings more than 90 makers to SoWa Power Station, 550 Harrison Ave., on Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online admission starts at $6. On Oct. 11, the Open Market and Markets for Makers will run on the same afternoon within a short walk of each other.
The handoff after Nov. 15 is quick. SoWa's 11th annual Christmas Market opens Nov. 20 at 550 Harrison Ave. and runs through Dec. 27, with more than 100 regional makers, artists, designers, and food vendors. Admission is $10. SoWa's page also describes the Winter Festival as 15 days spread over four weekends, so the market is not open every day of that range. Confirm the specific dates on the live calendar.
The SoWa Artists Guild adds one more fixed evening. Studios at 450 Harrison Ave. open free on First Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m., with Sunday open studios from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The two First Fridays left in 2026 fall on Nov. 6 and Dec. 4.
The Street Itself Is Being Rebuilt
All of this happens on a street under active construction. The city's Harrison Avenue reconstruction covers Herald Street to East Berkeley Street. It adds separated bike lanes in both directions and safer crossings, and completion is currently projected for 2027.
The Oct. 2 project update says ramp work is mostly complete and resurfacing has started on the southbound side from Herald to Traveler Street. That's the stretch right in front of the Ink Block. Pedestrian crossing islands are going in, and the next two weeks bring excavation, crews removing advertising boards from the median, and foundations for new signal mast arms. Work moves block by block. The city notes the street has sometimes been fully closed to protect crews, that it should reopen every day after work ends, and that any additional parking restrictions or road closures will be posted 48 hours ahead. The project team can be reached at [email protected].
For a Saturday afternoon errand or a Sunday market trip, the posted signs are the thing to check. For a weeknight dinner at Shore Leave, the daily reopening after crews finish matters more.
The Calendar, Laid Flat
| Date | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| Sundays through Nov. 15 | 500 Harrison Ave. and Thayer Street | SoWa Open Market, free, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| Oct. 10–11 | SoWa Power Station, 550 Harrison Ave. | Markets for Makers, from $6 online |
| Nov. 6 and Dec. 4 | 450 Harrison Ave. | SoWa Artists Guild First Fridays, 5–9 p.m. |
| Nov. 20–Dec. 27, select days | 550 Harrison Ave. | SoWa Christmas Market, $10 |
| Tuesday–Saturday through Dec. 31 | 11 William E. Mullins Way | Phaeng & Phiu at Shore Leave, 5–10 p.m. |
| Year-end | 360 Harrison Ave. and 11 William E. Mullins Way | Bar Mezzana, Shore Leave, and No Relation close |
Laid out this way, the last stretch of the year stands out. The Christmas Market's listed range ends Dec. 27, and the residency and the three restaurants keep going until the year closes. That leaves a few late-December nights on this side of Harrison Avenue with no market running and the last services of all three rooms still on.
What Is Arriving While Others Leave
The corridor is gaining places too. C'Yool, a Yemeni coffeehouse and bakery, is now open at 600 Harrison Ave., serving Yemeni breads, pastries, and specialty coffee. It sits on the same avenue as the SoWa buildings and the construction zone. A morning coffee there pairs naturally with a Sunday at the market.
Nothing published so far names who will take over the Ink Block spaces after the closings. Until that news arrives, the reliable plan is the one above: Tuesday through Saturday nights at Shore Leave, Sundays at SoWa, and a late-December reservation at Bar Mezzana booked well before the holidays.
If you live near the Ink Block and want to know how a changing block affects a home's value, the team at Pacella & Co. follows the South End one storefront at a time. Let's connect. Get your free home valuation and a straightforward read on what Harrison Avenue's next chapter could mean for your address.
