Two North Shore restaurants close after 78 years

Food News

Hawthorne by the Sea and Anthony’s Pier 4 Café in Swampscott closed on Saturday.

After eight decades, two Swampscott staples renowned for their fresh seafood and waterfront location, closed its doors.

The owners announced on Facebook that Hawthorne by the Sea and Anthony’s Pier 4 Café closed Saturday.

“It is with mixed emotions that we announce the closing of Hawthorne by the Sea and Anthony’s Pier 4 Café. For 80 years, we have had the immense privilege of being part of your lives and the fabric of the Swampscott community,” brothers, Anthony Jr. Athanas, Michael Athanas, and Paul Athanas, wrote in a Satur Facebook postday.

The announcement comes three years after the property was sold to the Town of Swampscott, according to the post. “As the town prepares to move forward with its plans, we are ready to move on,” the post read.

The brothers inherited the restaurant from their father, Anthony Athanas, an Armenian immigrant who opened several restaurants around Massachusetts, two of which were in Swampscott. He also lived and raised his four children in the North Shore town before his death at age 93 in 2005, The Boston Globe reported.

“We have been fortunate to serve a ‘who’s who’ of notable figures over the decades, but the heart of our business has always been you—our repeat, regular customers. Serving several generations of families has been our greatest honor,” the owners wrote.

An online auction for the hundreds of items in the restaurant — that included dough mixers and wall-mounted cod fish — started earlier this month and ends this Tuesdays, according to the Globe.

The post also thanked the restaurant staff. “Their dedication and hard work have been the backbone of our restaurants,” the owners wrote. “We are immensely proud that some members of our team have been with us for four decades, contributing to the family atmosphere that made our establishments so special.”

As of Monday, the post had over 800 likes, and 200 comments from customers and former employees who recounted favorite memories and well wishes.

“So bittersweet as we consider you all family. We spent many Mother’s Days, Christmas Eve’s and New Year’s Eve’s and other special moments there!” one commenter wrote.