Galeria To Open Two New Eateries

The Crimson Galeria—a complex of restaurants located at 57 JFK Street—is currently undergoing renovations to facilitate the addition of two new establishments: an Indian restaurant called Maharaja and a Korean steakhouse called Bull.

After recent closings in the Galeria, restauranteurs said they are eager to open new ventures in Harvard Square.

The new establishments will fill the spaces recently vacated by the Indian restaurant Bombay Club and the Japanese eatery Shilla. They are slated to open in late spring or early summer, according to Raj K. Dhanda, the owner of the Crimson Galeria.

“[The Galeria] is one of the extremely rare buildings in Cambridge,” Dhanda said, “It has five sit-down restaurants of very diverse cuisine. I think it’s a great destination.”

Bull—the Korean restaurant slated to open in the basement of the building—will feature grills at every table, where patrons’ orders will be cooked directly before them. The restaurant is the brainchild of Henry Kim, who said he believes the unusual format of his restaurant will appeal to local diners.

“Harvard Square people always want to try something new,” Kim said, “Our concept will fit really well in Harvard Square.”

The other restaurant scheduled to open this spring is an upscale Indian eatery called Maharaja. It will be on the second floor of the Galeria—the location which, for the last 18 years, was home to Bombay Club, a restaurant which moved to Boston’s South End district in October 2009.

Dhanda said he believes the fare served at Maharaja will improve upon Bombay Club’s food in both variety and quality.

This series of  turnovers began last year, when Kwanghyun Yoon moved his restaurant Shilla from the basement of the Galeria to the second floor.

Yoon—who managed Shilla for 13 years—opted to open a new restaurant called Shabu-Ya when space on the second floor became available.

Yoon said he moved to create a restaurant with more light and a modern design, as well as an expanded menu.

Shabu-Ya, a Japanese and Korean eatery which opened in November 2008, is now the only restaurant in Harvard Square to serve shabu-shabu—or “hot pot”—style cuisine.

Yoon said he was frustrated that another Korean restaurant would be coming to the Galeria, but remained confident in Shabu-Ya’s business prospects.

“Luckily, we have a good clientele here in Harvard Square,” Yoon said.