Olde Salt House Is Back on Border Street. What About the Wharf Next Door?

Two waterfront restaurants on Border Street were on the calendar for summer 2026. The Olde Salt House at 44 Border St. made it. In May, the Harbor Committee heard that it would run year-round. Next door at 46 Border St., Cohasset Wharf found utility and rot problems that forced a total rebuild of its second phase. The latest estimate puts the building's readiness for a restaurant group well into 2027, and no group has been named. So this winter, harbor dining on that stretch comes down to one address, and it's the one that's been there longest.

The old address got there first

The Salt House had its own delays. At the Harbor Committee's September 4, 2025 meeting, the meeting minutes recorded that the restaurant's banner said it would open soon, with delays tied to the sprinkler system and the kitchen hood. By the committee's May 13, 2026 meeting, Ted Lubitz reported that the Salt House was "scheduled to open in mid-June with year-round operations," according to the May minutes.

The second half of that sentence matters most heading into November. A harbor restaurant that closes for the season is a summer amenity. One that plans to stay open all year changes what a February Tuesday on Border Street looks like.

The Cohasset Anchor's August 12 review described a new kitchen, a custom indoor bar and patio seating for up to 125. The kitchen is run by Executive Chef Phil Lewis, who also oversees the sister restaurant, The Red Lion Tavern, and Jon Desai is the restaurant manager. The Mongolian Tenders survived the reopening, and the menu added crispy fish tacos and a lobster roll you can order chilled or warm. The Anchor also noted that the restaurant "hopes to stay open beyond the summer season." That's a softer word than the "year-round" the committee heard in May, so the plan is stated but not yet proven.

If you're heading over this fall:

• Hours have probably changed. The hours the Anchor printed in August were 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Call (781) 383-0900 or check the Olde Salt House website before you go.
• No reservations. It's first come, first seated, but there's an online takeout menu.
• Boaters can tie up. The restaurant has access to one public boat dock.
• Dogs are welcome outside. Leashed, well-behaved dogs can join you on the patio. There's no kids' menu, but coloring sheets are available if you ask.

What a total rebuild did to the Cohasset Wharf calendar

Next door, the former Atlantica site has been under construction as Cohasset Wharf since at least the fall of 2024. The Patriot Ledger reported in November 2024 that the plan called for a lobster pound, a fine-dining restaurant, retail space and a coffee shop. The property was sold in February 2021, for $2.5 million, to a limited liability company linked to Thomas D. Sullivan, the founder of Lumber Liquidators.

Town records show how the timeline moved:

September 4, 2025. The Harbor Committee heard that Phase 1, a small retail space and open space, would not open in 2025. The project was moving straight to Phase 2, the Cohasset-side building with a small restaurant. The hope was for both phases to be finished and open "next summer," meaning summer 2026, and the committee had "no info on the leasing."

May 13, 2026. Nino DiNunno gave the committee a different picture. According to the minutes:

"The second phase required a total rebuild due to utility and rot issues. Mr. DiNunno noted the new facility should be ready for a restaurant group in 12 to 14 months."

Counting 12 to 14 months from that May meeting lands somewhere between May and July 2027. The estimate was also for a building ready to hand to a restaurant group. Fitting out a kitchen, getting licensed and hiring staff all come after that, so a first dinner at 46 Border St. comes later than the building's readiness date.

The town's FY2025 annual financial report, transmitted in June 2026, still lists the same four pieces for the finished project: lobster pound, fine-dining restaurant, retail and coffee shop. The plan is the same. The schedule has moved.

The restaurant group question is still open

A well-known name was attached to 46 Border St. at one point. In the fall of 2024, the Ledger reported that A Street Hospitality Group had applied for town licenses under a different LLC name. The group's CEO is Eric Papachristos, who took over The Venetian in Weymouth in 2019, and its chief culinary officer is James Beard Award winner Jody Adams.

Town records show a separate thread. The license hearing for an applicant called Cohasset Harbor Restaurant LLC was continued from January 7, 2025 to March 25, 2025. On the Select Board's amended agenda for June 17, 2025, the item reads "CANCELLED-Applicant withdrew application." In May 2026, the developer's update spoke of readiness for "a restaurant group," and no operator was named.

That's why the Salt House carries the stretch this winter. No operator for 46 Border St. was named in the May update, and the building itself isn't expected to be ready for one until 2027.

The rest of Border Street runs on longer timelines

Walk a little farther along Border Street and the timelines get longer. In January 2025, the Patriot Ledger reported that the Zoning Board had unanimously approved the site plan for the Eastwick Inn, an eight-room hotel at 82 Border St. The name nods to the site's role as a filming location for the 1987 movie "The Witches of Eastwick." The same company redeveloping the Atlantica site is behind it. By September 2025, the Harbor Committee's notes on 82 Border St. said the project had town approvals and was waiting on state agencies "with uncertain timing." The member giving the commercial update, listed in the minutes as George, called it "a gain in public access."

Around the corner, at the Harbor Cohasset development on Elm Street, a tenant was still being sought for the remaining commercial space as of May 2026.

For winter dining in the Village, the Salt House's sister restaurant is the other option. The Anchor described The Red Lion Tavern in May as a winter favorite, serving lunch Wednesday through Saturday, brunch on Sunday and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Those days come from a spring article, so check before you plan a night around them.

The harbor's bigger questions moved to the Select Board

Restaurants aren't the only harbor business on a long timeline. On September 29, the Select Board opened its meeting with a Harbor Forum. As the Cohasset Anchor reported, it covered the harbor's history going back to 1853, a statement from Town Counsel on liability under the June 2025 intermunicipal agreement with Scituate, and the mooring field. The historical presentation came from Brian Host, a former resident who has researched Cohasset Harbor for more than 15 years.

The agreement followed a dispute that started when Scituate licensed commercial oyster operations in Cohasset Harbor in June 2023. Its first five-year term ends June 3, 2030. Chair David Farrag suggested renegotiating it as a long-term deal, "possibly for 99 years or so," and Harbor Committee Chair George Baumgarten, speaking as a resident, agreed a long-term agreement would help both towns, including on dredging. According to the meeting minutes, the forum was recessed without a vote.

A smaller project is closer to being useful. At the May meeting, Jeff Donze presented a GIS story map, built with the town's IT and assessing departments, that locates public access points, docks and the boat ramp. The committee discussed adding all public docks and linking the map from the town and Chamber of Commerce websites. The map's status was still on the Harbor Committee's September 23 agenda. Once it's live, finding the public dock near the Salt House should be a lot easier.

For now, the busiest address on Border Street this winter is the one that's been there the longest. If you have questions about the harbor, Border Street, or what all this construction means for the homes around it, I'm glad to talk it through over a lobster roll. Reach out to William Tierney and let's connect.