In the six weeks from late August to the end of September, Teele Square went through more change than it usually sees in years. Liars opened at 1153 Broadway. Then on Sept. 30, a five-alarm fire went through the brick building at 1137–1147 Broadway, steps from the new restaurant. That same evening, the Zoning Board of Appeals was due to take up a new hotel plan for the empty lot across the street. Through all of it, city crews were tearing out and pouring Broadway's sidewalks block by block, heading toward the square.

Only one of those projects is done. Liars came in finished, with its staff, menu and hours already set. Everything else on this stretch of Broadway now runs on a longer clock: the burned building, the long-empty lot and the street itself. The square that results will be decided over the next several seasons, not this one.

Liars Opened Fully Formed

Boston Magazine reported that the restaurant comes from the people behind Spoke Wine Bar in Davis Square, a James Beard Award semifinalist. It took over the former True Bistro space, which closed in 2023, and is roughly double Spoke's size. Owner Mary Kurth, chef Paul Butler and bar manager Katie Weismann all came over from Spoke.

The extra space changes what the kitchen can cook. In the same Boston Magazine piece, Butler said he wanted a place that pays "homage to great taverns, izakayas, and bistros," a spot that would draw neighbors to "come in and linger." Spoke's kitchen is under 100 square feet, too small for large cuts of game. Liars serves elk steak wraps and a beef-tongue version of the Massachusetts steak bomb, served on a sizzling platter. The bar serves spirits in one-ounce pours, and some come with a small squirt gun of water so you can dilute them yourself.

The reviews arrived quickly. Eater Boston put Liars on its September 2026 Heatmap and called out the steamed oysters, the steak-and-cheese and the house-infused spirits. The Boston Globe described two rooms with two bars and praised dishes such as tomato-broth somen and tuna meatballs.

According to the restaurant's site, Liars is open Tuesday through Saturday with the kitchen running 5 to 10 p.m. The bar stays open until 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and until midnight on weekends.

Sept. 30: One Building, Two Different Outcomes

The fire began shortly before 5 p.m. at 1137–1147 Broadway, a three-story brick building with 32 apartments over a row of ground-floor businesses. Cambridge Day reported that everyone got out safely and that 43 residents were displaced. The Teele Square fire station sits directly across the street. Its crew had just come back from another call when they heard the alarm and saw smoke at 4:50 p.m. By 5:42 p.m. the response had reached a fifth alarm, with departments from a dozen nearby communities helping. Fire Chief Charles Breen told Cambridge Day that investigators suspect an electrical cause. The fire spread through the cockloft, the open space between the third-floor ceilings and the roof.

The building came through in two very different conditions. Ward 7 City Councilor Emily Hardt told The Tufts Daily that the right side had only smoke damage. Ground-floor businesses there reopened and residents were able to move back in. The left side, she said, will need "a big construction project, rebuilding or gutting and renovating from the inside."

Here's how the ground floor stood as of the most recent reporting:

The laundromat's ceiling came down under the water used to fight the fire, and its machines were soaked, The Tufts Daily reported. So the fix there is a rebuild, not a cleanup. Masala has been in the square for more than 15 years, and PJ Ryan's, which wasn't in the damaged building, for more than 25, CBS Boston noted in its coverage. Openings may have changed since those reports, so call ahead before you go.

For anyone who wants to help the displaced residents, the City activated its Emergency Displacement Fund. It's run with the Somerville Homeless Coalition, and the City's announcement links to the donation page.

The Pit Across the Street Turns Fifteen

The fire hit almost 15 years after another one, directly across Broadway. On Oct. 29, 2011, during an October snowstorm, a three-alarm fire started at Hawk Cleaners. It damaged neighboring businesses, and the building was later torn down. The lot has stood empty ever since. Cambridge Day reported that the two properties have the same owners. That means one ownership group now holds both of Teele Square's largest unfinished projects.

The current proposal for 1154 Broadway is larger than the one approved before. Here's how it compares:

• Earlier plan: a six-story hotel, approved in 2018 and extended in 2020. That approval has expired. Cambridge Day put the approved plan at 75 rooms.
• Current plan: an eight-story, 93-foot hotel, according to the application narrative. The Cambridge/Somerville Independent reported it at 99 rooms.
• Street level: commercial space facing Broadway. The Somerville Times described it as a 2,000-square-foot ground-floor restaurant, plus a restaurant and bar on the top floor.
• Parking: 35 below-grade valet spaces using car lifts.

In their application, the owners give suspected soil contamination from the former dry cleaner, along with redevelopment costs, as reasons for asking to build bigger. The ZBA heard the case on Sept. 30 while firefighters were still working across the street. The Cambridge/Somerville Independent reported that the board continued the hearing to Nov. 5. The city staff memo had recommended Nov. 4. Either way the next session is in early November, and the City's Sept. 30 meeting page posts agendas and recordings.

The Sidewalk Is the Last Piece to Reach the Square

The longest of these timelines covers the ground you walk on. Since August, crews have been rebuilding the south side of Broadway, the even-numbered side, starting at Alewife Brook Parkway. By the City's Oct. 1 update they had reached Endicott Avenue. They'll keep heading east to Teele Square, then switch to the north side and work back west. Once it's too cold to pour concrete, work stops until spring. Raised crossings and final paving are expected to be finished by summer 2027. Crews generally work weekdays from about 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and homes and businesses get a flyer before work reaches their stretch of sidewalk.

The finalized design covers Broadway from Clarendon Avenue to Alewife Brook Parkway. It will look noticeably different from today's street:

A floating bus stop is a sidewalk extension that lets the bus stop in the travel lane instead of pulling over to the curb, the City explains. At Clarendon Hill Towers, a raised, shortened crossing will come with a push-button flashing beacon that has audible messaging. Routes 87, 88 and 89 all run on Broadway. The City says MBTA service may be modified temporarily during some phases and will post notice at affected stops.

What's Scheduled Next

Teele Square's schedule now runs well past this season:

1. Early November: the ZBA picks up the 1154 Broadway hotel case again.
2. First hard cold: sidewalk work stops for the winter, wherever the crews have reached.
3. Spring 2027: sidewalk work resumes on the north side, moving west.
4. Summer 2027: raised crossings and final paving are expected to be done.

No date has been announced for rebuilding the left side of 1137–1147 Broadway. Councilor Hardt told The Tufts Daily the timeline is still unclear.

If you own near Teele Square and want to talk through what the 1154 Broadway hotel decision or the rebuilt West Broadway could mean for your plans, Cohen Properties keeps track of this stretch block by block and is glad to go through it with you. Schedule your free home consultation.