Grasshopper's new TV screen menu and its old sign at its new location. Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Allston's beloved, decades-old vegan eatery, Grasshopper, was presumed dead and buried. A litany of loving obituaries in the local headlines declared it so back in the spring. But that trip beyond the grave turned out to not be so final after all: the 'Hopper is back at a new location, returned after a brief summer hiatus.
The eatery closed on May 29 this year after a leasing dispute. Since then, owner Hoai Nguyen took a little time off and was struggling to find a new location for the restaurant. The new spot that Nguyen found is only about a half-mile away from the old location, inside the Super 88 supermarket on Brighton Avenue.
“I’m really happy, very happy,” said Nguyen.
On the restaurant’s opening day, Nguyen told WBZ NewsRadio that he was nervous, as he waited for diners for the typically busy dinner service to start. The online response to the reopening of Grasshopper was huge.
"People walk by and they say, "Wow! Grasshopper is open again!"' he said.
More than a hundred people commented on the restaurant's Facebook page that they were glad to see the Grasshopper return, with hundreds of likes and shares.
As for the changes: Grasshopper functioned as a sit-down restaurant with table service for almost 30 years at its North Beacon Street location. It looks radically different now, with diners getting food from a counter and sitting at food court tables. Prices do seem to have been raised slightly, perhaps a dollar or so from the old menu. The things on the menu, however, remain the same – including the spot's beloved "No Name" mishmash of battered wheat gluten in a sweet and sour sauce.
WBZ NewsRadio asked Nguyen if he was changing the offerings, and he said some things might change a little.
"Not yet for now, we will do it later on," he said.
Some other things also remain the same. The venue's old wood sign is hung near more modern, TV screen menus. And framed in plexiglass on the wall for everyone to see is an enormous thank you card, signed by dozens of loyal customers from the old restaurant before it closed up shop. That, Hoai Nguyen seemed particularly proud of.
WBZ NewsRadio's Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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