Downtown eateries share limelight with newly refurbished Zeiterion

The Zeiterion reopened in January to great fanfare in downtown New Bedford after a $37 million restoration that closed the establishment for 19 months of construction. The idea was that the new and improved Z would situate the theater as a “community living room” and draw crowds downtown to boost neighboring businesses. 

And it worked. Seven months into the Z’s post-renovation phase, restaurants are feeling a surge.

With a central downtown location, the Z stands within walking distance or a short ride of dozens of restaurants, listing 25 on its website. As a result, Z patrons can experience the local dining scene — as long as they can make it in time for their show. Restaurant owners and managers say they have noticed a boost in people enjoying a pre-theater meal across downtown. 

No Problemo, a Mexican taqueria that opened in New Bedford in 2002, is listed as a five-minute walk on Google Maps. Owner Craig Paiva said he has noticed an uptick in nattily dressed customers on Z nights, who confirm to staff that they are headed to the theater after their meal. As a result, Paiva makes sure to remind staff of the Z’s scheduled performances during weekly meetings. He said some show nights require him to text for extra staff to cover a larger anticipated crowd, though they are “always ready for a busy night.”

No Problemo, which celebrates its 24th anniversary next month, generally draws a certain type of crowd, Paiva said, with loud music and a high energy dining room. When a show at the Z draws an audience that appreciates that energy, more people tend to flood in to No Problemo, Paiva said. He remembered a Taj Mahal show at the Z before the renovation — likely referring to the one in 2006 — being one of the first times he realized just how many customers the theater generates. The restaurant was slammed with customers before the show, donning merchandise and buzzing with anticipation. The ABBA cover band that performed in February 2026 — post renovation — drew a particularly large crowd to the restaurant as well. 

Paiva said No Problemo “definitely felt the loss” when the Z closed, losing the rush from pre-theater diners as well as the cast and crew coming in during lunch hours. Since the reopening, Paiva said the theater has shown itself to be “an institution we desperately need around here.” 

Jessica Arruda, owner of Tia Maria’s European Cafe — also listed as a five- minute walk from the Z on Google Maps — said that during the Z’s closure, she felt as though her restaurant established itself as “more of a staple downtown.” She said she makes it a point to keep in touch with customers via social media and in person. Her patrons span the gamut from regulars to out-of-town tourists. 

“Would I be able to duplicate this somewhere else?” Arruda said of her restaurant’s downtown location. “Probably not.” 

The reopening of the Z is just another good reason to draw people downtown, Arruda said, noting that her restaurant did not feel much of a negative impact when the theater closed, but certainly felt the positive effect of increased customers upon the reopening. 

She emphasized that this increase indicated people’s inherent desire to come downtown, noting that people want to be in the heart of the city. Tia Maria’s offers expanded hours on Fridays and Saturdays and gains an extra 20 guests for dinner service on show nights, Arruda estimated.

For Tia Maria’s, however, the partial closure of North Water Street for nine weeks due to the ongoing expansion of the Whaling Museum eclipsed the number of customers brought in by the reopening of the Z. Arruda said that while the street was closed, it was difficult for customers to access the restaurant and therefore canceled out some of the foot traffic on show nights. On June 27, the restaurant celebrated the reopening of the street. 

The National Club — another five-minute walk from the Z — opened in fall 2025, and General Manager Michele O’Brien said that because of the somewhat similar opening timelines of the restaurant and the theater, it is difficult to parse out what attention came from the buzz of a new restaurant versus the proximity to the reopened Z. Regardless, O’Brien estimated that three-fourths of the dining room is filled with guests going to a show on the nights the Z has programming, and that the biggest boost in customers was observed in the winter months when both the restaurant and the Z were newly opened.

Nearby, Candela Cucina experienced a similar boost of customers during the winter. 

Normally, there is a lull in business in the deep winter months between January and March, said Pete Biondi, general manager. This year, the restaurant did not experience that lull, largely thanks to the reopening of the Z. 

“It was one of those things where you never forget about the Z again,” Biondi said. 

Will Silverstein, vice president of downtown operations at Servedwell Hospitality, the hospitality company that operates both National Club and Candela Cucina, said that Thursday night shows yield the biggest changes in customer influx, and that the results of the reopening of the Z stretch far beyond the tangible economic increase for businesses downtown. 

“Whenever we can bring people out, celebrate community, celebrate the city,” Silverstein said, “we want to do that.” 

Candela Cucina and National Club offer discount promotions for people who bring their “day-of” Zeiterion ticket into the restaurant.

“We always knew there was a symbiotic relationship between the Z and the restaurants downtown,” said Nicole Merusi, vice president of strategic advancement at the Zeiterion. She said that she’s heard from surrounding restaurant owners that they are happy with the results of the Z reopening, and she applauded the expanding ecosystem of downtown New Bedford that bolsters each business. 

“It’s really not one entity that builds the vibrancy of downtown,” Merusi said. “It’s all of us.” 

Email Anna Albrecht at aalbrecht@newbedfordlight.org.