"We made real friendships, learned a lot from the other businesses, and made some core memories." Tanya and Chin wrote that in the Instagram post announcing that Saus at Bow Market will close this December, as Boston Restaurant Talk reported on October 23. The final day hasn't been set. The owners have promised "a giant last-day-of-service party" once it is.
Bow Market's best-known days are produced by its tenants, working in pairs and small groups. Saus spent eight years as one of those partners. When it leaves, the courtyard loses a regular collaborator along with a vegetarian counter, and this Saturday's Renaissance Faire shows how much of the market's calendar depends on that kind of partnership.
What Saus put into the courtyard besides food
Saus started in downtown Boston in 2011. That shop served burgers, hot dogs, fries, chicken nuggets and chicken sandwiches until it closed in 2024. The Somerville location has served vegetarian food since it opened in 2018. According to the owners' announcement, the two shops add up to 15 years of Saus, and the Bow Market stall is the only one left.
What Now Boston's coverage lists what the owners chose to look back on. Saus ran a St. Patrick's Day collaboration with Remnant and a SoupFest collaboration with Buenas, and it took part in the Vintage Market and FluffFest. All of those were events held with the neighbors. The owners gave no reason for closing beyond "moving on to new goals," and they haven't announced any other changes to the business.
For now, Bow Market's food and drink directory still lists Saus, Remnant Brewing and Buenas. There's still time for a few more meals there before the date is announced.
Saturday, November 7: two tenants, one long day
The clearest current example of tenants making the calendar is the Bow Market Renaissance Faire, The Second. It runs this Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. The organizers are Side Quest Books & Games and Remnant Brewing.
Side Quest is Caroline Sheridan's woman-owned shop on Bow Market's second floor. It opened in August 2024 and stocks fantasy books, indie role-playing games and nerdy merchandise, with a focus on underrepresented creators, according to its Union Square Main Streets profile. The same profile says the shop already hosts book clubs and game nights. The faire is that same programming on a much bigger scale.
Here's how the day is set up, per the Eventbrite listing:
- Admission: Free. Organizers ask guests to RSVP.
- Paid add-ons: Workshops run by the Society for Creative Anachronism in Upstairs at Bow. They require tickets bought through the event page.
- One example: "Painting the Medieval Way" with Lady Aaradyn Ghyoot, 12 to 1 p.m. Participants leave with a brush, paints and their finished piece.
- Food: Turkey legs from the Scott Brothers, available by pre-order.
- Night: A dance party at Remnant Brewing to close out the day.
If you're picking a class, check which add-ons are still open on the event page before Saturday morning. The workshops are the only part of the day that needs a ticket.
What the first year looked like
The first faire took place on November 8, 2025. Bow Market's own listing for it included children's story and craft time, a Goblin Market with cosplay, armored-combat demos, a stein-holding contest, Celtic music, courtly dancing and a fantasy ball. WBZ NewsRadio reported that hundreds of attendees came in medieval costume, and that the Goblin Market drew dozens of vendors. The station also covered the evening Enchanted Forest Ball.
The billing has changed slightly. Last year's event was the inaugural urban Ren Faire. This year's page calls it "Somerville's Renaissance Faire" and says it "returns for a second year." Side Quest and Remnant are behind it again this year, just as they were in 2025.
Around the corner, a licensed café on Bow Street
Out on Bow Street, the next new name on the block is Kima Café. At the June 16, 2026 meeting of Somerville's Licensing Commission, the commission approved common victualler and entertainment-by-devices licenses for Glasser Coffee LLC, doing business as Kima Café, at 75 Bow St. That's the former Fortissimo Coffeehouse space. The meeting minutes show the application listed hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and eight indoor seats.
The café comes from Alex Kim, who founded Glasser Coffee Co. and co-owns Coreanos in Allston, according to Somerville Patch. In a hiring post quoted by What Now Boston, Kim described a "Korean/Asian inspired menu." He said he was looking for "experienced baristas (third-wave specialty) to create fun drinks and bring good vibes." Patch's August report gave a mid-September opening target. Before you make the walk, check the café's own channels for its current hours.
Kima is set up for daytime visits, with an early start, a small room and specialty drinks. That's a different role from a courtyard food stall, so it doesn't replace Saus. It does give the Bow Street side of the block a morning stop at about the same time the market loses a lunch counter.
The square takes over on December 6
As December goes on, the calendar moves from the market's tenants to the wider square. Union Square Main Streets has scheduled the Union Square Jingle for Sunday, December 6, 2026, from noon to 5 p.m. The organizers' page says details for this year's event are coming soon. The activities currently posted there are from 2025, so don't use them to plan this year's afternoon.
That puts two December dates on the calendar, one fixed and one still floating:
- Sunday, December 6, noon to 5 p.m.: The Union Square Jingle, with this year's details still to come.
- A December date to be announced: Saus's last day of service and farewell party.
If Saus picks a day near the Jingle, the square's holiday stroll and the market's farewell could fall in the same week. Watch the Saus Instagram account for the date.
Why the November calendar looks the way it does
Somerville has examples of both kinds of event. Some are run by a citywide organization, like the festival weekend we covered in our HONK post. Others exist because a couple of neighboring businesses decided to put one on. At Bow Market, much of the calendar comes from the second group. A games shop and a brewery are producing a 13-hour free festival. Saus and Buenas built SoupFest together. A brewery and that same vegetarian counter shared St. Patrick's Day.
That's why a single stall closing carries some weight here. When Saus closes, Bow Market loses one of the businesses that helped plan events, along with its counter. Who fills the stall, and whether that tenant starts its own collaborations, will help decide what the market's next year of events looks like.
For now, the dates are set. Ren Faire is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., the Jingle is December 6, and Saus is open until a last day it hasn't announced yet. For more on Somerville's squares and blocks, see our Somerville community page.
At The Encompass Group, we follow which businesses open, close and run events on blocks like Bow Street, because that turnover shapes how a neighborhood feels to live in. If you own near Union Square and want to know how those changes connect to your home's value, schedule a consultation with John or Jenny Raposo.
