Noodle Restaurant Appears To Be Coming To Vacant Downtown Melrose Space

The site was formerly home to an Italian takeout restaurant until this spring.

By Benjamin Pierce, Patch Staff

Jul 30, 2026 3:14 PM EDT

The sign for the new business is posted in the front window of the former Comella's location. (Ben Pierce/Patch)

MELROSE, MA — A former Italian takeout space in downtown appears to be the home of a new eatery.

A sign for a restaurant called Slurp Noodle is now hanging in the front window of the former Comella's storefront at 478 Main St. The storefront has remained vacant since Comella's permanently closed in March after more than a decade in business. The Melrose location opened in the summer of 2014 and was the 11th restaurant for the Massachusetts-based Italian chain at the time. Company leadership cited operational and financial challenges specific to the location as the reason for the closure while thanking the Melrose community for its support over the years.

Comella's was founded by Gene Comella in Wellesley in 1988 with a focus on homemade Italian food. Over the years, the company expanded to multiple communities throughout eastern Massachusetts, including Newton, Belmont, Concord, Natick, Hingham, West Roxbury and Marblehead.

No opening date for Slurp Noodle has been announced, and the business does not have a webpage or social media sites. City Hall and The Chamber of Commerce told Patch they did not yet have a formal update on the new business.