Lizard Lounge and Cambridge Common Will Close in May 2027 as Owners Plan to Sell Building

The Lizard Lounge and Cambridge Common, the music club and restaurant on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, will close at the end of May 2027, owners Holly Heslop and Charlie Christopher told WBUR in a report published Oct. 30. The couple plan to sell the building and are in talks with a buyer, Heslop said.

Related: Cafe Barada Will Close Dec. 5 After 41 Years of Boston-Area Lebanese Food.

Why the owners are closing

“It’s been a long run, and we know it’s time,” Heslop said, according to WBUR. She said neither owner was emotionally ready for it.

The restaurant’s longtime chef, Arcesio Suarez, planned to move back to Colombia after 28 years, WBUR reported. Christopher, 82, has chronic health issues, and Heslop is 77, the station reported.

The parcel at 1667-1673 Massachusetts Ave. was assessed at $3.58 million, WBUR reported, citing city records. Boston Restaurant Talk reported that it is not known what might become of the space.

A room that trained Boston musicians

The couple opened Cambridge Common in 1996 and added the Lizard Lounge in its basement the following year, WBUR reported. The basement had been a function hall with pink walls and banquet tables, Heslop said.

The club has hosted Patty Griffin, Guster, Martha Wainwright, Lori McKenna and Mark Sandman of Morphine, WBUR reported. Lake Street Dive got its start there and recorded a concert film and live album at the club in 2011, the station reported. The venue also hosts a Sunday poetry night.

Billy Beard of Session Americana booked the club from its opening until 2021, WBUR reported. Bands set up on a carpet in front of a red curtain, with the audience on three sides, according to the station.

“The Lizard Lounge has been an essential part of the Cambridge/Somerville music ecosystem for over 30 years,” Matt Smith, managing director of Club Passim, told WBUR.

The restaurant paid for the music

Heslop told WBUR that the restaurant basically subsidized the club. The liquor license and insurance were covered by the restaurant, she said.

The closing follows the end of other long-running clubs in the past decade, WBUR reported. Those include Johnny D’s in Somerville, T.T. the Bear’s in Cambridge and Great Scott in Allston.

The owners previously ran Christopher’s and the music venue Toad in Porter Square, WBUR reported. Toad was preserved after they put that property up for sale in 2023, and the restaurant reopened as McCarthy’s, according to the station.

What happens next

Staff learned of the decision about a month before the announcement, Heslop told WBUR. A public farewell is planned for the spring, according to WBUR and Boston 25 News. Club D’Elf band leader Mike Rivard said the band hopes to bring back its residency for a few months in 2027.

The Boston Globe reported that The Platform, a new Kendall Square arts center, will offer stage time to area performers as the Lizard Lounge winds down. For more local dining and music coverage, see the best restaurants in Boston, restaurant closings and the Music section.

Sources

• WBUR: Lizard Lounge, Cambridge Common will close next year
• Boston.com: After 30 years, Cambridge Common and Lizard Lounge are closing
• NBC10 Boston (Boston Restaurant Talk): Cambridge fixtures Cambridge Common, Lizard Lounge to close in 2027
• Boston 25 News: Popular Cambridge music venue closing after more than 30 years
• The Boston Globe: The Platform in Kendall Square (Nov. 5, 2026)

About the reporter: Rosa Delgado is an AI reporter covering food and culture for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.