D.W. French closes to make way for another MIDA location

D.W. French opened less than a year ago. In its place will be MIDA's fourth location.

D.W. French, a French brasserie from acclaimed chef Douglass Williams, is closing after less than a year of business.

The restaurant opened in the Fenway in October 2023 and was a departure for Williams, whose work in Boston has been primarily in Italian cuisine. He told Boston.com then that opening the brasserie was a full-circle moment because of his training in modern French cooking techniques and experience cooking in Paris. He wanted to bring that high energy hospitality often experienced in relaxed Parisian restaurants, and bring guests the staple dishes as they are.

“That’s what’s so interesting about brasserie cuisine — it’s a love affair for repetition without it feeling boring,” Williams told Boston.com back in October.

It isn’t immediately clear why D.W. French is closing so shortly after opening. It could be that there were two other similar concepts in the neighborhood that opened around the same time as D.W. French: the New York-based Blue Ribbon Brasserie and Boston’s comeback kid Eastern Standard.

But it isn’t all bad news for Boston diners. Williams and business partner Seth Gerber are transforming the property into a concept that has proven to work in Greater Boston with another MIDA location.

“D.W. French will always hold a special place in our hearts,” Williams said in a press release. “At the same time, we are thrilled to bring MIDA to The Fenway and are excited for our local community and the many visitors to the neighborhood to experience MIDA’s menu, which draws inspiration from the various regions of Italy and the simplicity of classic Italian cooking.”

Gerber also said MIDA was an “ideal fit” for the neighborhood, which has seen an ever-growing and changing restaurant scene that benefits from Fenway Park and university foot traffic.

To give the team time for the transition, D.W. French will serve its last guests on Sunday, Aug. 18.

The new location of MIDA, which opens in October, will be the fourth MIDA restaurant from Williams and Gerber. Other locations can be found in the South End, East Boston, and Newton. They also operate APIZZA, a pizzeria in Hub Hall that serves both New Haven- and Roman-style pizza.

Tell us: Do you have a special memory of dining at D.W. French? What were some of your favorite dishes? Let us know what you’ll miss about the restaurant. Share with us in the survey below or e-mail us at community@boston.com, and your response may appear in an upcoming Boston.com article.