Two new restaurants coming to Dedham Square

Two new restaurants are opening in Dedham Square, a development welcomed by the town’s economic development director.

“It’s great to see all these restaurant uses coming into town,” John Sisson said last week. “I think Dedham Square is getting to be a more exciting place to be. Dedham Square is going to be more fun -- and it will benefit the town financially.”

Sisson said that a pub is moving into a vacant storefront on Washington Street, next to the Dedham House of Pizza.

And he said Peter Reynolds is working on getting town permission to open a restaurant in the old Wardle’s Pharmacy building at the corner of High and Washington streets, where his Blue Bunny Bookstore is located. Reynolds, a children’s book author and Dedham Square enthusiast, bought the building earlier this year.

Just this past spring, Pancho’s Taqueria opened in another empty storefront on High Street, Sisson said.

Sixty new apartments also are going in around the corner, he said.

In addition, the neighborhood business association has started the Dedham Square Open Market, a weekly market held Sundays in the Keystone parking lot on Eastern Avenue. The outdoor market, which started in June, features vendors selling antiques, crafts, art and yard sale items, as well as live music.

“Downtowns are a great amenity, especially when they’re healthy,” Sisson said.