Wild Willy's Closes

Needham burger shop shut its doors on Friday, May 25.

As Needham residents prepared for their holiday weekend cookouts last weekend, one local burger shop closed its doors for good—or at least for now. Wild Willy’s Burgers officially closed on Friday evening, May 25. The local restaurant celebrated its third anniversary in Needham last July (it opened in July 2008) and is one of six Wild Willy’s locations in New England, each owned by a separate licensee. An e-mail distributed by the Wild Willy's owners on Saturday morning announced the closure: "We just wanted to let you know that we have closed our doors last night. It has been a GREAT 4 years and we wanted to thank you for all of your support and patronage. We will be in touch when we find our new location." The message does not detail why…

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Best Of Needham - Readers' Choice

You Voted: Needham's Best Sandwich Shop Is...

Find out who won our first Best Of weekly poll

Readers have spoken, and the winner of Needham Patch’s first weekly Best Of Needham contest is … Blue on Highland! The restaurant, located at 882 Highland Ave., received 36 percent of the 95 votes cast in our “Best Sandwich” poll, with most of the remaining 60 votes spread out among several of Needham’s other great eateries. Wild Willy’s, 1257 Highland Ave., came in second with 11 percent of the votes, while Kosta’s Pizza and Seafood, 315 Chestnut St., came in third, with 9 percent. Though voters didn’t say which of Blue’s sandwiches was their favorite, restaurant owner Catherine Walkey shared her picks after hearing about Blue’s win. “My favorite sandwich is the burger! Is that considered sandwich? [Judges say: It is.],” Walkey said. “The…

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Patch Chats with Lesley Seder

Wild Willy's owner celebrating restaurant's third year in Needham.

Wild Willy’s Burgers marked its third year in Needham this summer. The Highland Avenue restaurant opened on July 31, 2008 and is one of six Wild Willy’s locations in New England, each owned by a separate licensee. In Needham, the restaurant is owned and operated by Lesley Seder, whose daughters Robin Isenberg and Lynn Bean also work there. Needham Patch sat down with Seder recently to talk about how it all began. How did you get started in the business? It was my husband’s idea. He financed restaurants for many years and decided he wanted a restaurant of his own. We heard about Willy’s. It was started in Maine, so we went up there and we thought it would be good for down here. What about Willy’s appealed to you? The family atmosphere and …

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Patch Picks

Find a Delicious Burger in Needham

This week's Patch Picks looks at the best bites around town.

A good burger isn’t hard to find in Needham, at least according to Patch readers. More than a dozen people had a suggestion for our Patch Picks this week, which asked, “Who makes the best burgers in town?” So without further ado, here are three great burger “joints” in Needham: 1. Wild Willy’s   2. Blue on Highland   3. Not Your Average Joe’s What do you think? Did you miss a good one? Do you disagree with any of our choices? Tell us about it in the comments below. And be sure to rate any restaurant you visit around Needham in our Places listings. Your advice could help a neighbor find the perfect place for a meal.

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