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New restaurant taking shape in former Hamersley’s space

Restaurateur Rebecca Roth Gullo will open Banyan Bar & Refuge with chef Phil Tang early this summer.

Rebecca Roth Gullo and daughter Anna in the soon-to-open restaurant in the South End.Lane Turner/Globe Staff

I've lived in the South End for 11 years. This is my neighborhood. I go to the park every day with my kids. I shop at Foodie's. I walked by the Hamersley's location every day. People always said, "What would be your dream location?" It was 553 Tremont, always. The outdoor space. The indoor space. Everything about it.

When it came up that Gordon [Hamersley] was going to retire, there was no question I would take it, even though the timing couldn't have been worse. I was pregnant. I was working on Blackbird Doughnuts. Everything was up in the air. I had to have faith. My husband and my family said: "You have to do it. Even though it'll be a stretch-thin moment, you have a lot of great people around you and supporters. You have to buckle down and do it, even if it seems impossible." It looked like an obstacle but turned out to be an opportunity. When you're an entrepreneur, you have to do it; it's in your DNA.

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We've ripped every single thing out except for the hood over the cooking line. It's a modern but natural-looking space with greens and blacks and banyan trees. It will have a raw bar. And you will be able to see the chef. Phil Tang is so unbelievably talented; we needed to show off what he's doing. I said to my husband, when we went to his restaurant [East by Northeast, now closed], "I haven't had anything like this." I was amazed. He did a whipped tofu dish, and I was like, "What is this?" I'm so lucky to have Phil.

It will definitely open by early summer, and it's great to have my three businesses — The Gallows, Blackbird, and Banyan — within walking distance of each other.

COMING SOON Banyan will serve contemporary Asian cuisine.

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Related coverage:

- Cooking with Gordon Hamersley: Greening of spring brings asparagus, peas

- Hamersley's Bistro and the birth of Boston's restaurant scene

- Devra First: Fans say goodbye to Hamersley's Bistro in South End