Banyan Bar + Refuge, the South End gastropub known for its raw bar and treelike sculptures, has permanently closed and will not reopen following a kitchen fire that struck the restaurant last year. The closure ends a 10-year run at 553 Tremont St. for a South End restaurant.
The decision was confirmed by MassLive, which reported that Banyan is owned by The Gallows Group, the same company behind Blackbird Doughnuts. The fire that ultimately doomed Banyan broke out in the early morning hours of June 30, 2025, according to Boston.com, which reported that owner Rebecca Roth Gullo said no one was inside the building when the blaze occurred.
Banyan opened in July 2015, carving out a niche in the South End with Asian fusion plates, a raw bar, bao buns, noodle dishes and salads, all served beneath the restaurant's signature treelike sculptures and on its patio. For 10 years, it stood alongside Sally's Sandwiches and Blackbird Doughnuts as part of The Gallows Group's local footprint, the same company that is now behind the news that the South End institution will not return.
A Reopening That Kept Slipping
The timeline for Banyan's return had shifted more than once. As of June 2026, the restaurant had been closed for nearly a year, even though The Gallows Group had initially hoped the shutdown would be brief, the news outlet's dining team noted in its roundup of restaurant openings. At that point, a reopening was tentatively slated for that same month, with an official announcement expected to arrive via Banyan's Instagram account.
That reopening never materialized. Instead, the company announced the permanent closure, telling MassLive it would now shift all of its time and energy toward Blackbird Doughnuts' growth, including a new location opening in East Boston very soon.
Owners Point to Interest in the Space
The Gallows Group said Banyan's space had drawn tremendous interest from other restaurateurs, adding that it feels confident the future of the storefront is in good hands. The company also said that level of interest reinforces its confidence in the strength of Boston's dining scene, even as one of its own longtime restaurants closes its doors for good.
In a statement, the Gallows Group struck an optimistic note about the city's restaurant industry going forward, even while acknowledging the loss of a decade-old neighborhood fixture. The fire's aftermath was not without additional setbacks: in July 2025, the shuttered restaurant was burglarized while closed for repairs, according to a separate Boston.com report.
For now, Banyan Bar + Refuge joins the list of South End restaurants whose runs have ended, leaving its longtime space at 553 Tremont St. awaiting its next chapter, with The Gallows Group saying other restaurateurs have expressed interest.
