The fire at 129–131 Broadway on October 12 shows up in the news as a story about one restaurant. It reached further than that. Rei Da Picanha and DaMata Barbershop were total losses, the Total Wireless store at #133 was heavily damaged, Santander had smoke damage, and Los Toritos Meat Market a few doors up had to throw out everything it had on its shelves. Help since then has gone mostly to the business with the best-known name. The block's recovery will depend on everything else on this stretch of Broadway, and on whether the people who live here keep coming to it.
Over the next ten days, East Somerville's calendar gives residents three good reasons to do that.
What happened on the night of October 12
The Somerville Times published the fire department's account. Crews were called at 9:58 p.m. on Monday, October 12, for smoke coming from the one-story commercial building at 129–131 Broadway. They found heavy smoke and heat in the basement. Conditions got worse, firefighters were ordered out, and the fight moved outside, with three aerial ladders on the building. The first floor and the roof collapsed, and the fire took more than eight hours to put out.
Five alarms brought in crews from Belmont, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Lexington, Malden, Medford, Revere, and Stoneham. Two Somerville firefighters were shocked by electricity at the scene. Both went to the hospital and were later released. The fire department lists the cause as undetermined.
The Cambridge | Somerville Independent reported it was Somerville's second five-alarm fire in two weeks. The first, on Broadway at 1137–1147 in Teele Square, displaced 43 residents and several businesses at the other end of the city.
Three businesses, three very different totals
Rei Da Picanha is the Nonato family's Brazilian restaurant. Its name means "King of Sirloin," and it had been on Broadway for 15 years. In the Independent's story, family friend Chadi Salamoun, who started the family's fundraiser, wrote that "If you've been to their family-owned restaurant, Rei Da Picanha, you've been showered by their love."
People responded quickly. On October 13 the Independent reported the campaign at about $5,300 toward a $35,000 goal. A week after the fire, the page showed $34,743 from 395 donors, and the goal had gone up to $40,000.
The other two campaigns had a different week. Here is where all three stood a week after the fire:
| Business | What the fire did | Raised one week after the fire | Goal | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rei Da Picanha | Total loss | $34,743 | $40,000 | 395 |
| DaMata Barbershop | Total loss | $3,120 | $20,000 | 52 |
| Los Toritos Meat Market | Inventory discarded, basement flooded | $1,440 | $45,000 | 36 |
East Somerville Main Streets set up the DaMata Barbershop campaign. Lindsay Allen, the group's executive director, told the Independent the shop has been in the neighborhood for at least seven years and called it "a great community partner." According to the Los Toritos campaign page, smoke exposure meant every bit of food and merchandise had to be thrown out, and flooding damaged the basement, equipment, and day-to-day operations. CBS Boston put the lost inventory at about $50,000.
The Somerville Times appeal of October 15 asked readers to support all three businesses. For anyone who can't give, it suggested sharing the campaign pages instead. Allen's statement for the barbershop campaign covers the whole block:
"For a small business, an unexpected event like this can change everything overnight. Beyond the physical damage, it can mean uncertainty, interrupted work, and the challenge of figuring out how to move forward."
She said it in fundraising text that the Independent quoted, and she added that small businesses "are an important part of what makes East Somerville feel like home."
The block around 129 Broadway is still open
Los Toritos lost its entire stock in one night, and the way to restock is through sales. The restaurants on either side of the damaged building are open for business, and many of them sit within a few dozen street numbers of it. Going by address from Sullivan Square toward Winter Hill, these are local food businesses East Somerville Main Streets named on its page for the June 14, 2026 Carnaval:
- Los Paisanos, 62 Broadway
- Sister's Caribbean Restaurant, 83B Broadway
- Rincón Mexicano, 99 Broadway
- Gauchão Brazilian Cuisine, 102 Broadway
- Taqueria Montecristo, 146 Broadway
- Michette, 164 Broadway
The fire sits right in the middle of that list. Gauchão is at 102 and Montecristo is at 146, so the burned building at 129–131 and Los Toritos at 139 are between them. A walk from one end of the list to the other takes you past the damage.
The street's best-known name nationally is at the top of the hill. In May, Boston.com reported that Michette made Tasting Table's list of the 14 best French bakeries in the country, pointing to its twice-baked croissants, laminated pastries, cookies, and seasonal items. A lot of people come to Broadway just for that bakery. When you go, stop at the places below it on the way.
East Somerville Main Streets' Eat Out in East page still lists a Wednesday dining night from 4 to 8 p.m. The Somerville Times reported in December 2025 that the program launched that September and covered 24 restaurants in the business district, and that the free Wednesday Community Meal at Connexion United Methodist Church, 149 Broadway, ran on the same evenings. The most recent reporting on either one is from late 2025, so check with the organizers before you plan a Wednesday around them.
Ten days of reasons to be on this end of town
The neighborhood calendar keeps bringing people back to the same few blocks. On the morning of November 7, a cleanup starts at a library on Broadway, a pumpkin smash follows at a nearby park, and the winter farmers market opens a few minutes up the hill.
Thursday, October 29, 5–7 p.m. The city's Truck O' Treat is outside City Hall at 93 Highland Avenue. The rain date is November 5.
Saturday, October 31, 1–4 p.m. The Halloween Block Party & Pet Spooktacular from East Somerville Main Streets is at Chuckie Harris Park. The rain date is Sunday, November 1. It ends at 4 p.m., which leaves plenty of the afternoon for a late lunch or early dinner on Broadway.
Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m.–noon. The Fall Clean Up meets at the East Branch Library, 115 Broadway, and organizers are providing coffee. The library is a short walk down Broadway from the fire site.
Saturday, November 7, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. The city's Pumpkin Smash! is at Chuckie Harris Park, 17 Cross St East. The rain date is November 8. It overlaps the cleanup, so you can go from one to the other.
Saturday, November 7, onward. The Somerville Winter Farmers Market opens its season at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., near the Magoun Square Green Line stop. It runs through April 17, 2027, and lists more than 65 local food vendors.
Taken together, November 7 fills a whole morning in East Somerville. You can start with coffee at the library cleanup, bring the jack-o'-lanterns to Cross Street, and finish at the Armory. Lunch can be at any of the Broadway kitchens in between.
What the next few weeks will show
So far nobody has reported that the damaged businesses have reopened or found temporary spaces, and the cause of the fire hasn't been determined. The rest of the block is open. Taqueria Montecristo is a few doors past Los Toritos, and Rincón Mexicano and Gauchão are across the street from each other a little further down. Every one of them is close enough that a trip to the block party or the cleanup can turn into a meal at one of their tables.
Prime Realty works with homeowners, landlords, and small investors across Somerville, and we keep a close eye on what happens along corridors like Broadway. If you own property in East Somerville and want a clear read on the neighborhood this fall, schedule a free market consultation with our team.
