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How's Your Meat drops off Boston's active food license list

How's Your Meat drops off Boston's active food license list

Money Moves Boston, MA local

Old Friend Pizza opens at the same West Roxbury address

October 27th, 2026: Old Friend Pizza opens at 5272 Washington St

Overview

Updated Nov 3

Old Friend Pizza opened at 5272 Washington St in West Roxbury the week of Oct. 27, 2026, taking over the address where How's Your Meat had held a food license. The Detroit-style pizza place comes from Alden Caldwell, who has cooked at pop-ups in Roslindale, according to Universal Hub.

How's Your Meat, run by Stephen Goldberg, got its Boston license in May 2024 after operating as a barbecue food truck. Its license disappeared from the city's active list in October, and the new pizza shop confirms the barbecue spot is no longer there.

Why it matters

West Roxbury's barbecue spot is gone, and the address now serves Detroit-style pizza.

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Key Indicators

Oct 27
Old Friend Pizza opening reported
Universal Hub reported the Detroit-style pizza place opened at 5272 Washington St the week of Oct. 27, 2026
39
Birdeye reviews (5-star average)
Reviews praise the brisket, ribs, and owner Steve
May 2024
How's Your Meat license date
Boston's records date the barbecue spot's license to May 14, 2024

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People Involved

SG
Stephen Goldberg
Owner and operator of How's Your Meat
Owner; restaurant closed and address now occupied by Old Friend Pizza

Organizations Involved

HY
How's Your Meat
Restaurant
Closed; Old Friend Pizza now occupies 5272 Washington St

Barbecue restaurant at 5272 Washington St in West Roxbury; closed and replaced by Old Friend Pizza in October 2026.
City of Boston
City of Boston
Municipal open-data publisher
Maintains the active food establishment license dataset

Boston's licensing department publishes the active food establishment license dataset used to track this closure.

Timeline

May 2024 October 2026

5 events Latest: October 27th, 2026 · 2 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Old Friend Pizza opens at 5272 Washington St

    Latest Business

    The Detroit-style pizza place opened this week at the West Roxbury address, according to Universal Hub.

  2. Missing from 2 consecutive readings

    Licensing

    The restaurant is absent from two consecutive readings of the city's active license list, indicating a possible closure.

  3. Last seen on active license list

    Licensing

    How's Your Meat appears on Boston's active food establishment license list for the last time.

  4. Boston Licensing Board approves How's Your Meat license

    Licensing

    The board gave Stephen Goldberg's barbecue food truck a license for a permanent storefront at 5272 Washington St.

  5. License dated in Boston's records

    Licensing

    The city's active food establishment license for How's Your Meat is dated May 14, 2024.

Scenarios

1

How's Your Meat confirmed closed

Likely Resolves by Jan 31, 2027

Discussed by: The city's license list is the primary signal; no public statement from the restaurant has been found.

The restaurant does not reappear on Boston's active food establishment license list, and no new license is issued for 5272 Washington St. The space is listed for lease or the business is formally dissolved, confirming the closure.

2

License lapse was administrative

Possible Resolves by Jan 31, 2027

Discussed by: The city notes a license can lapse for reasons other than closing

The license lapsed due to a paperwork issue, renewal delay, or address change. How's Your Meat reappears on the active list or continues operating under a corrected license.

3

Reopens under new ownership

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Common pattern for small restaurants; no specific buyer has been identified

A new owner takes over the space at 5272 Washington St and obtains a new food establishment license, reopening the barbecue spot under a different operator.

Historical Context

One moment from history that rhymes with this story — and how it unfolded.

2020-2021

COVID-era restaurant closures (2020-2021)

The pandemic forced thousands of small restaurants across the U.S. to close, many quietly and without public announcement. City license and permit records were often the first public signal of a closure.

Then

Many neighborhoods lost long-standing local eateries with little notice.

Now

License and permit data became a common way for journalists and residents to track business closures.

Why this matters now

Shows how a license lapse can be the first public sign a small restaurant has closed, even before any announcement.

Sources

(7)
+1
City of Boston How's Your Meat Birdeye Open in Cambridge Commonwealth Standard Universal Hub Universal Hub