One of the South End's most influential restaurant groups is setting a hard stop on three of its biggest hits. On July 24, 2026, Colin Lynch's Traveler Street Hospitality announced that Bar Mezzana, No Relation, and Shore Leave will all close on New Year's Day, January 1, 2027. The move takes out three neighborhood staples in one shot: coastal Italian favorite Bar Mezzana at Ink Block, the nine-seat omakase hideaway No Relation tucked inside Shore Leave, and Shore Leave itself, the tiki-leaning cocktail bar. Lynch said the decision ultimately came down to lease terms, and that he circled the date months in advance so staff would have time to land new gigs.
Lease pressure and owners' reasoning
Speaking with The Boston Globe, Lynch framed the call as a straight-up business decision. "It's a decision based on resigning the lease and whether we thought it was prudent," he said. He told the paper that his relationship with landlord National Development remains strong, but that a new lease would have "entailed a strain on the business." Lynch said announcing the closures now - roughly six months before the last service - was meant to give employees a real runway to find work elsewhere.
How long they ran and who runs them
Bar Mezzana opened in June 2016 and quickly established itself as an Ink Block anchor. Shore Leave and its sibling No Relation followed in late 2018. The Bar Mezzana site spotlights its coastal Italian menu and a standing New Year's Day brunch tradition, while No Relation bills itself as a nine-seat omakase counter nested inside Shore Leave. All three concepts are run by chef-partner Colin Lynch alongside partners Heather Kennaway Lynch and Jefferson Macklin, as outlined on the Traveler Street Hospitality about page.
Recent moves and what's staying
The New Year's shutdown comes on the heels of another closure for the group. Its Allston pizzeria FiDO shut down in June, as reported by Boston.com. Not everything is going dark, though. Traveler Street's South End brasserie Black Lamb is still listed among the team’s active restaurants, according to an OpenTable profile of the group's venues.
Staff, partners and next steps
Ryan Lotz, beverage director and a managing partner for Shore Leave and No Relation, said he plans to use the coming months to weigh his "personal next steps." In The Boston Globe, Lotz called eight years of Shore Leave "nuts for a weird little rum bar with occasional drag shows." The ownership team said the extended lead-up to January 1 is designed to ease the transition for staff and regulars rather than spring a last-minute surprise.
Where this fits in a larger trend
The Bar Mezzana trio is not the first Boston restaurant lineup to run into the blunt force of lease math. In recent years, lease expirations and renegotiations have helped drive a steady churn of closings, as operators weigh whether it makes sense to re-up under higher terms. Eater Boston has tracked a series of lease-related wind-downs, covering everything from old neighborhood standbys to destination dining rooms. For many owners, rising rent and operating costs make renewal a much tougher sell than it was only a few years ago.
For now, at least, the set New Year's Day closing gives the South End several months to soak up final meals, drinks, and omakase courses, and to speculate about what might eventually replace three well-known spaces. Black Lamb will remain open while the partners decide whether to regroup in a new location or pivot in a different direction beyond the heart of the South End.
