Cunard Tavern, the East Boston gastropub at 24 Orleans Street, set Sunday, September 27, as its last day, NBC Boston reports. After nearly a decade in Jeffries Point, the neighborhood tavern is saying goodbye.

The tavern shared the news in a farewell post, describing itself as a neighborhood bar and gathering place where the staff got to know the neighbors and plenty of customers became friends. It closed with a line for the community: “It has been an honor to be your neighborhood tavern.”

A tavern with a waterfront story

Cunard opened in the spring of 2017 on the site of an old woodworking shop and became known for globally inspired dishes and cocktails. The Boston Globe adds that owner Phil Frattaroli, who grew up in the restaurant business and whose father opened Lucia in the North End in 1977, also owns the space, which once housed his grandfather’s woodworking shop.

The tavern draws its inspiration from East Boston’s maritime past. Cunard Tavern’s website says many immigrants began their American journeys in the East Boston shipyard, often landing at Cunard Wharf, and calls the neighborhood a port of entry second only to Ellis Island. It says the tavern celebrates the shipbuilders, carpenters, welders and longshoremen who helped shape the neighborhood.

When it opened, the restaurant specialized in global pub food: chipotle mac and cheese, clam-topped burgers, octopus dumplings and plenty of craft beer. In 2024, James Beard Award winner Tony Messina joined as chef-partner and introduced a gastropub menu; he won Best Chef: Northeast in 2019 while at Uni.

Why Cunard is closing

Frattaroli said “Eastie has changed a lot in 10 years.” In his view, the concept that launched a decade ago no longer fits, and closing now made more sense than pushing on through winter and hoping for a turnaround. He also believes dining habits have shifted, with fewer people heading out for craft beer, and says the Jeffries Point location can feel cut off from the rest of the city.

What comes next

The Orleans Street space could get a second act. Frattaroli said he might open a new restaurant there in the spring, though he isn’t ruling out an Italian menu. Nothing is confirmed. His immediate focus is a Winchester outpost of the North End’s Caffe Ducali, which he plans to open this fall, and he said Cunard employees could be moved there.

For Chelsea readers, the loss is a neighborly one. East Boston sits across Chelsea Creek, and the Chelsea Street Bridge links the two communities.