QUINCY – At the end of June, an era in Quincy’s restaurant scene will come to an end as two well-known establishments that served South Shore diners for a combined 117 years are closing for good. La Paloma Mexican Restaurant on Newport Ave and The Wheelhouse Diner on Hancock Street will both bid a final farewell to patrons and staff on Sunday, June 30.
A final reunion planned at the Wheelhouse
The Wheelhouse Diner, modeled after an old-fashioned dining car, was built in 1947. When the underlying property changed ownership in February 2023, the new landlord and Wheelhouse owner LeeAnn Vieira McDonough clashed over rent and other issues, leading to eviction proceedings in Quincy District Court.
In May, the two parties reached a pre-trial agreement, with McDonough agreeing to complete the contract on the last day of June and move out in July.
This week, McDonough announced on Facebook that The Wheelhouse will host a party at the restaurant on Sunday afternoon:
“On Sunday from 2 to 6 we’re celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Wheelhouse Diner,” the post reads. “I’d love for anyone who has ever worked here to come by. I’d love a Wheelhouse reunion!”
Crowds line up at La Paloma for a final taste
Earlier this month, La Paloma co-owners Michael Welch and Stephen Dwyer announced that the popular Tex-Mex restaurant would close on June 30 after 40 years in business.
The announcement received a huge response from loyal customers on social media and long queues formed outside the restaurant.
“They’re all our repeat customers,” Welch said. “They come back not just once, but twice, sometimes three times a week, and they all say, ‘We’ll be back next week, too.'”
A restructuring of the restaurant scene in Quincy in the last 6 months
There has been a lot of movement in Quincy’s restaurant scene this year, with established favorites closing or rebranding, and new restaurants opening and growing.
In June, the IHOP restaurant on Parkingway closed after the city expropriated the property to make way for a massive mixed-use development with residential towers and a Trader Joe’s grocery store. Pancake lovers will be happy to hear that IHOP plans to move across the street from its old location.
In early January, The Fat Cat closed its doors on Hancock Street in Quincy Center because it could not cover rising business costs. It had opened on Chestnut Street in 2007 before moving to a new, larger location in 2019.
Nearby, at 1250 Hancock Street, Townshend temporarily closed at the end of 2023. It then reopened in February under the same ownership, but now called Dotty’s Kitchen and Raw Bar.
In North Quincy, just up the street from The Wheelhouse, a popular Vietnamese restaurant known for its noodle soup underwent a dramatic transformation: It brought in a new chef, a new manager and an exciting dinner and drink menu when Pho Linh reopened in February as Le Madeline on the corner of Hancock Street and Billings Road.
The following March, well-known Quincy restaurant owner Jimmy Liang announced his plans to open Mason’s Steak House in the old Masonic Temple, the interior of which was destroyed in a devastating fire in 2013. Liang said he expected a fall opening.
Other new openings include three Asian restaurants: Cloud Fusion, Bonchon and Omori Izakaya.
Peter Blandino covers Quincy for The Patriot Ledger. Reach him at [email protected].
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This article originally appeared in the Patriot Ledger: Quincy’s La Paloma and Wheelhouse Diner to close on the same day
