After 30 years, Cambridge Common and Lizard Lounge are closing

The owners of Cambridge Common plan to close the Massachusetts Avenue restaurant and the Lizard Lounge music venue in its basement at the end of May 2027, according to a WBUR report.

Owners Holly Heslop and Charlie Christopher told WBUR the decision was not an easy one. Heslop cited the planned return to Colombia of the restaurant’s chef of 28 years, Arcesio Suarez, as well as Christopher’s ongoing health problems. Christopher is 82.

Heslop said she would have preferred to keep the restaurant and club going indefinitely but felt she had to be realistic. The couple opened Cambridge Common in 1996 and added the Lizard Lounge the following year.

“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. “Change is inevitable in a lot of ways, but this is a loss that we’ll be reckoning with for a while.”

The restaurant’s revenue effectively subsidized the music venue, covering expenses such as its liquor license and insurance, Heslop told WBUR.

Staff were informed about a month before the announcement, she said, and the three managers decided to focus on the remaining months as good as possible. 

A public farewell is planned for the spring, according to WBUR.

Boston.com could not reach Heslop or Christopher in time for publication.

Annie Jonas is a Community writer at Boston.com. She was previously a local editor at Patch and a freelancer at the Financial Times.