How Niche Hospitality Built Worcester’s Modern Dining Scene

Photo Courtesy of Niche Hospitality Group

Driven by growth in medicine, education and insurance, and accelerated by the rise of remote and hybrid work, Worcester is drawing new residents and businesses at a pace that’s reshaping the city’s identity. Where people go, amenities follow – places to live, shop, work and, increasingly, eat well.

Niche Hospitality Group has had a front-row seat to this culinary growth. Over the past two decades, the Worcester-based restaurant group has helped build a dining scene that now extends into the surrounding suburbs.

Leading the charge is President Mike Covino, a physical therapist turned restaurateur who came up as a bartender and never left the industry behind. For Covino, running restaurants is a reflection of a deep-seated love for the hospitality industry and for the city he calls home. Niche now operates five restaurants, and each place brings something fresh and specific to Worcester’s tables.

Bocado Tapas Bar

Photo Courtesy of Niche Hospitality Group

When Bocado opened in 2006, it fulfilled a very specific need in Worcester. In an area typically known for classic seafood and steakhouses that mostly served California wine, a Spanish tapas and wine bar was a welcome departure.

“People drive from all over the region to have a Spanish experience,” Covino says.

At Bocado, guests can enjoy more than 40 small plates meant for sharing, as well as imported meats and cheeses and classic paella.

Mezcal Tequila Kitchen

When the tequila craze began to take hold, Covino and his team saw an opening. Mezcal Tequila Kitchen debuted in 2007 and quickly became a statement piece on a street dominated by Italian restaurants. Mezcal highlights vibrant, flavorful Southwestern and Mexican cuisine built around fresh ingredients and bold color.

The menu is entirely gluten-free and features crowd favorites done well: fresh tableside guacamole, tacos, burritos, carne asada. The bar program matches the kitchen’s ambition with an extensive tequila list, rotating house cocktails, zero-proof options and, of course, margaritas anchored by 100% blue agave tequila and mezcal.

The Fix Burger Bar

When Mezcal outgrew its original location, Covino and his team built something new in its place. Opened in 2014, The Fix Burger Bar was an immediate hit, created around towering, craveable burgers that guests can order “fixed up” or customized from scratch, alongside bowls, beer, cocktails and milkshakes.

This concept, too, outgrew its first home almost as quickly as it arrived, moving in 2016 into a larger, warehouse-style space that has since become a Worcester institution. A second location followed in Marlborough in January 2020, bringing the feel-good burger bar to an even broader audience.

Green Island Oyster

Not everyone can escape to the coast every summer weekend, but Green Island makes a compelling case that you don’t have to. The restaurant opened in July 2025 and brings the spirit of the New England coast to the heart of Central Massachusetts.

The concept is what Covino calls “shanty chic” – elevated but casual, with the relaxed feel of a coastal seafood house without the drive. Fresh oysters, lobster rolls and seafood favorites anchor the menu, giving diners a place to fulfill the coastal craving any day of the week.

Vivienne Coastal Mediterranean

Photo Courtesy of Niche Hospitality Group

The group’s newest and most ambitious project yet, Vivienne Coastal Mediterranean, makes its home in one of Worcester’s most iconic buildings: a former bank with soaring glass walls and a mezzanine born to hold a restaurant.

The concept is built around the culinary traditions of the Mediterranean coastline with mezze small plates, fresh seafood and a robust wine collection drawing from the region. Flavors roam freely across Greece, Italy, France, Lebanon, Morocco and North Africa. The idea is to linger, try a little of everything and let the meal unfold.

The journey to get here wasn’t without turbulence. An equipment fire in Vivienne’s early days caused enough damage to temporarily shutter the restaurant, accelerating plans to open VUE, a lounge and event venue on the building’s 24th floor in the former Plaza Club space.

VUE opened in December 2025, and Vivienne itself welcomed guests back in March 2026, restored and ready to take guests on a culinary adventure.