Saus, the Belgian-style fry and sauce shop that built a following in Boston before planting a second, all-vegetarian flag in Somerville, will close its remaining Bow Market location in December. The closure ends a run that began in a tiny Haymarket-area storefront in 2011 and, including the original Boston shop, spans 15 years in business.
The owners have not announced a specific reason for shutting down, describing the move only as owners moving on to new goals, according to whatnow.com. A last day of service has not yet been shared, the outlet reports, and the same source notes Saus traces its roots back to 2008, when three university graduates who had lost their jobs during the recession decided to start a food business together.
Co-founder Tanya Walker and business partner Chin Kuo opened the original Saus at 33 Union St. in Boston's Haymarket area in March 2011, according to the Boston Globe. That downtown location closed in 2024, before Walker and Kuo expanded into Somerville. As MassLive reported, Walker attributed that earlier Boston closure to long-term effects from the COVID-19 pandemic and the expansion of the Seaport.
A Vegetarian Spinoff Finds a Home at Bow Market
Saus opened its second location, an entirely vegetarian shop, at Bow Market in Somerville in 2018. Per the company's own account on sausboston.com, the Union Square outpost served the same core menu as the original restaurant but was 100% vegetarian. Walker has described opening the Somerville location as the most fun part of the business, according to MassLive's reporting.
The menu built its reputation on made-from-scratch fries, beer, burgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, chicken sandwiches and salad bowls, a lineup NBC Boston says is known in part for its hand-cut fries and beer. MassLive's reporting adds that the sauce lineup alone includes 16 options split into three categories: the mayos, the vegans and the misfits.
Fifteen Years, One Last Stretch of Events
Walker told MassLive that she and Kuo had operated Saus for 15 years between the Boston and Bow Market locations, and that while she feels sadness about the closing, it was time to move on and pursue new dreams. Saus announced the closure in an Instagram post that MassLive reported on Tuesday, and the post indicated the shop will announce a final day of service along with a last-day party once those plans are set.
Before then, Saus has a handful of events left on its calendar. The shop has collaborated with Remnant for St. Patrick's Day and Buenas for Soupfest in the past, and has taken part in Bow Market's Ren Faire, Vintage Market and Flufffest. MassLive notes a Ren Faire is scheduled for November 7. Walker has invited patrons to visit Saus one last time before the doors close for good.
Bow Market's Staying Power
Saus's exit comes even as Bow Market itself has been on an upswing. The Union Square development has grown from six stores in 2018 to around 30 today and recently purchased an adjacent property with six more storefronts, according to Cambridge Day. Foot traffic has returned to its pre-pandemic high and then some, Bow Market partner Zachary Baum told the outlet, and Saus has been counted among the development's long-term tenants alongside Remnant Brewery, Rebel Rebel wine bar, Mike & Patty's and the Eaves.
Affordable rents, small storefronts and lease terms as short as one year have helped keep the market full, with most spaces running from roughly $1,300 to $5,000 a month, per Boston.com. Baum told the outlet that Bow Market hasn't seen a vacancy longer than a month in over two years, and the property expanded by about 6,000 square feet under a plan announced in 2023. None of that explains why Saus is closing, but it underscores that the shop's departure isn't a reflection of trouble at Bow Market itself, which continues to describe itself as something between a small-business incubator, a food court and a European-style piazza.
