The Cantab Lounge Will Reopen Under New Ownership in Cambridge | Eater Boston

"Once threatened with permanent closure after the pandemic, the Cantab Lounge—an iconic Central Square dive bar that hosted countless spoken-word nights and local bands—had been put up for sale by owner Richard “Fitzy” Fitzgerald in July 2020, who wrote on Facebook, “After 50 years of good times and good friends, I have made the decision to put the Cantab Lounge up for sale.” Local bookers and artists feared the loss; Simone Beaubien, who ran the Boston Poetry Slam series there, warned that losing any performance venue is an enormous loss and praised the Cantab as “a really open space” that didn’t engage in the gatekeeping of wealthier venues. Now the bar looks set for revival: Cambridge’s License Commission approved a liquor license for new owner Tim Dibble, a partner at Alta Equity, and Dibble says the Cantab needs updates—new floors (no longer sticky from decades of spills), renovated bathrooms, and other work to meet ADA requirements. The liquor license still requires state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission approval, and Dibble estimates renovations will take about two months, so a renewed Cantab is on the way." - Terrence Doyle