A fixture on Stuart Street for more than a decade, Post 390 is the latest Back Bay restaurant to close amid the pandemic.
“With the current pandemic causing unprecedented uncertainty and change in our industry, we are sorry to share with you that Post 390 will not reopen its doors,” Chris Himmel, president and owner of the Himmel Hospitality Group, posted on the erstwhile restaurant’s website. “We want to thank our entire team, many of whom have been with us since day one, for making Post 390 such an incredible place for over 10 years.”
Post 390 opened at 406 Stuart St. in September of 2009, serving farm-to-table fare, and with its spacious 25-seat ground-level tavern, replete with a four-sided, glass-enclosed fireplace, the contemporary and stylish restaurant soon became a favorite destination for not only diners, but also for the after-work crowd and those looking to enjoy a night out on the town.
Ania Wieckowski, who has sung in the church choir at the nearby Trinity Church for the past seven years, said Post 390 was where she and the other choir members would retreat to after Wednesday-night rehearsals, and where a table and a warm welcome from staff always awaited them.
“It was always so friendly and cozy that it was a good place for everyone to unwind, talk to each other and socialize,” she said.
When she and others from the choir last visited Post 390 on Wednesday, March 11 – just four days before restaurants statewide were shuttered due to Gov. Charlie Baker’s mandate in response to the pandemic – Wieckowski, said she had an ominous – and ultimately prescient – inkling that they wouldn’t be returning there anytime in the foreseeable future.
“I remember looking around, and it didn’t feel like we were going to be back there anytime soon,” she said.
State Rep. Jay Livingstone is another former patron lamenting the closure of Post 390.
“It was a great location in Back Bay, where I enjoyed several important celebrations, and it’s disappointing to see another restaurant in the area not be able to continue,” Rep. Livingstone said. “I look forward to the end of this pandemic when we can return to normal times.”
Despite Post 390 closing, its two sister restaurants, Grill 23 & Bar and Harvest, located in Back Bay and Harvard Square in Cambridge, respectively, will carry on, while the company is now exploring other options for the Stuart Street space, according to Himmel.