New Italian Restaurant Opens In Brothers Space In Brookline

BROOKLINE, MA — There's a new fine-dining restaurant in JFK Crossing that opened in the space left empty when Brothers Restaurant closed on Harvard Street amid the pandemic.

The chef behind the new restaurant is Simon Restrepo, the executive chef of Boston's award-winning Scampo (working alongside Brookline native chef Lydia Shire).

Vello Restaurant and Bar quietly opened Feb. 25, according to the restaurant's website, which shows images of tables with white table cloths.

The website indicates the restaurant specializes in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine and will be open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for brunch (it opens at 7 a.m. on the weekends) and then again from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner.

The brunch menu includes blueberry pancakes with maple creme fraiche with fresh fruit for $12 or eggs Benedict with sauteed spinach, bacon and home fries for $13. You can find a classic fried fish sandwich for $16 or miso glazed salmon for $22. There's also a lobster omelette for $17. The dinner menu has everything from clams casino, mushroom arinchini both $13, to grilled ribeye for $32 or seared scallops for $25, or wild mushroom agnolotti for $18.

Brothers, known for its breakfast and brunch menu, opened in 2015 and closed amid the pandemic in 2020.