New Thai Restaurant in Wakefield and More Nearby Bites

We know Stoneham residents don't only stay in town when they want a night out and a break from cooking. 

Restaurant coming and goings, new businesses and the best dishes and recipes are among the items that have appeared on Patch sites around the region over the past month.

Below is a look at the restaurant and food stories covered in the past month.

Wakefield

New Thai Restaurant Opening Soon in Wakefield

Wakefield's newest restaurant is set to open up in the next couple of weeks at the 21 Princess St. location just off Main Street in downtown that was occupied by Zalek's until last summer.

Na Dongparteep and White Chanin are two of the entrepreneurs opening the restaurant. This will be the second location of Phuket (pronounced Pu-ket and named after the popular resort area in Southern Thailand), with the first one on Centre Street in West Roxbury. The West Roxbury location has been open since 2006. 

Reading

D’Amici’s Bakery Opening in M.F. Charles Building

D'Amici's Bakery will soon open in the M.F. Charles Building on Main Street. Owners and Wakefield residents Sarah and Joe Torretta are planning to apply for building permits in the next couple of weeks and hope to open the bakery early this summer.

D’Amici’s originally opened in Lynn in 1993. They have two other locations in Wakefield and Melrose. The bakery features pastries, cakes, cookies, pies, tortes, panninis, sandwiches, cappucino and more.

Woburn

Firehouse Subs Set to Open in Woburn

A casual dining restaurant that was founded by former firefighters and that does much to support fire and police is set to open in Woburn. Emily Oliver of The Zimmerman Agency, the public relations company for Firehouse Subs, said the restaurant will be opening at 103 Commerce Way, Suite C1, sometime in late March.

This will be the third Firehouse Subs in Massachusetts. Currently the company has locations in Danvers and in Copley Square in Boston. According to the restaurant, Firehouse Subs is a fast casual restaurant chain that has a "passion for hearty and flavorful food, heartfelt service and public safety."

Malden

New High-End Walgreens To Offer Gourmet Groceries - Even Fresh Sushi

Walgreens will invest over $3 million into its Centre Street location this year, with plans to re-open the site as one of the chain's new "gourmet"-style stores, offering Whole Foods-style groceries and other amenities. 

The new store will include some items that would seem out of place in a traditional Walgreens, including the sale of fresh produce, fine cheeses and even fresh sushi prepared on-site.

PHOTOS: New Cuban Restaurant Opens in Malden Center

Maybe you've walked past Oyá Cuban Cafe, a new Cuban restaurant in Malden Center that quietly held a soft opening last week – but there's a lot worth gawking at inside, too.

Chef/Owner Roberto Niubo left his native Havana for the United States when he was 26, and studied the cuisine both in his homeland and at Boston's Le Cordon Bleu. After graduating from the latter, Niubo decided to bring some Cuban flair to the Boston area, finally settling on opening a business in Malden after 12 years in the business.

Leaders Welcome "Amira Market" to Pleasant Street

The Benlaatmania family opened the doors to a new Pleasant Street Middle Eastern market this week, offering groceries and meats from the region. 

Amira Market offers both halal and deli meats, among other Mideast culinary curiosities.