On June 23, 2011 a smoky, two-alarm fire erupted at 58 Shrewsbury Street, home to Allgos Sweets & Drinks and next door to Victory Bar & Cigar. Thankfully there were no injuries to the occupants or the firefighters, but the damage done to the building during the rescue effort was extensive. Allgos was flooded beyond the point of remaining operational and after carefully examining the damages and weighing the options, was forced to close and evaluate how to move forward. What was once a lively venue almost every night was now forced into darkness.
Worcester has long been home to various styles of restaurants and nightlife. Allgos however seemed to fill a void offering a place to enjoy a quiet cocktail before dinner; dessert, coffee, after-dinner drinks after you eat; or lively late night drinks and entertainment all in cool, upbeat atmosphere. Allgos also quickly developed a reputation for outstanding cocktails, infusions (the practice of flavoring liquor by soaking things in it) and other delicious libations. Speaking with WorcesterScene.com back in April of 2010, owner Naat Paiva said, “Allgos has a sophisticated, upscale, coffee house sort of feel combined with cutting edge cocktails, really tasty sweets and desserts and a lively, late night crowd, so no matter what time of the evening it is, before dinner, after dinner or late night, we always have something for our guests to enjoy.”
Now, nine months after the fire almost closed the business for good, Allgos is ready to re-open “even better than before,” said Paiva. After extensive restoration, Allgos is starting to resemble itself again and will re-open on March 1st. Although the physical space and layout has not changed, everything has been completely restored. “Before we closed, we had a space that really worked – an intimate, dimly-lit room with cozy seating on one side and a more lively bar area on the other. We didn’t want to change that but we had to literally gut the space in order to make it useable again,” said Paiva. A quick, sneak peak in February revealed that not only has the space been re-done (it looks as beautiful as ever) but that Paiva has some new and exciting things up her sleeve. Look for a completely new and decadent dessert menu, new infusions and a new cocktail infusion technique never seen before in Worcester that will surely get people talking.
There is a lot planned for the re-opening, including a tribute to Worcester’s beloved firefighters, with a donation of 10% of all it’s sales on opening night with a matching donation from The Network Insurance Agency. In addition, Josh Briggs and Bongo Mike will be performing Saturday evening.
Allgos re-joins other dessert spots in the Shrewsbury Street including Sweet Pastry Shop and Dessert Bar, where Food Network-featured Chef Alina Eisenhauer creates her masterpieces. So whether you are looking forward to visiting Allgos again or looking to visit for the first time, their re-opening marks the return of a one of Worcester’s favorite spots!
