Food News

Ivory Pearl in Brookline to close at the end of the month: ‘The need for adaptation is clear’

The restaurant in Washington Square, owned by Ran Duan of Baldwin Bar and Blossom Bar, served seafood and wine-inspired cocktails.

Ivory Pearl, the seafood restaurant in Brookline's Washington Square, will close at the end of March. Josh Reynolds/Boston Globe

By Katelyn Umholtz

March 18, 2024

Ivory Pearl, the seafood addition to the Baldwin Bar family, is set to close at the end of the month, according to a social media post.

Ran Duan’s Brookline restaurant and oyster bar, which opened in August 2020 in the Washington Square neighborhood, will serve its last meals and cocktails March 31.

“We want to express our heartfelt thanks to our loyal guests, incredible staff, and the welcoming community for their unwavering support of our 42-seat restaurant,” Ivory Pearl said on social media Saturday. “In an ever-changing restaurant landscape, facing challenges such as rising costs, the need for adaptation is clear.”

Sibling to cocktail favorites Baldwin Bar in Woburn and Brookline Village’s Blossom Bar, Ivory Pearl had taken a different approach to its drink menu, concocting wine-inspired cocktails that paired with its creative seafood-centered menu.

“Ivory Pearl is my baby. It’s my first concept that’s not Chinese or Sichuan-driven, that’s not part of my dad’s lineage,” Duan said in an interview with The Boston Globe, referring to the menus at Baldwin and Blossom Bar. “I really have a passion for seafood.”

A platter of oysters from the raw bar at Ivory Pearl. Josh Reynolds/Boston Globe

And in its nearly four years of service, the seafood restaurant was recognized by local outlets — like Boston Magazine, which put Ivory Pearl in its top 50 restaurants of 2023 list — for its menu.

“We are truly proud of the space we’ve created here in Washington Square,” Ivory Pearl said Saturday. “As we approach March 31, the final service day for Ivory Pearl, we invite you to join us in the coming two weeks to celebrate everything that Ivory Pearl has represented. Let’s enjoy these moments together as we prepare for the exciting journey that lies ahead.”