Jimmy’s Story
In 1915, a 15-year old Greek immigrant named Demetrious Christodoulos traveled to Boston, Massachusetts with nothing but $13 in his pocket. After changing his name to Jimmy Doulos, he and his brother John found work at the Bromfield St. Greek cafeteria. Before long Jimmy had become Boston’s youngest “chef de cuisine.”
With his success as a chef, Jimmy felt a strong desire to start his own restaurant. In early the 1920’s Jimmy and his brothers purchased an old lunchroom by the South Boston Fish pier and named it the “Liberty Café.” It was a small space occupying just two bays of the Northern Avenue Fish Market located across the street from where Liberty Wharf sits today. Throughout the 1920’s the Liberty Café flourished while selling Boston’s best seafood, fresh off the boats from the pier.
In 1929 Jimmy moved the Liberty Café across the street to where Liberty Wharf stands today. The café’s pioneering waterfront location and exceptional seafood brought Jimmy much success. The Liberty Café grew to occupy entire the building across from its original location and Jimmy’s Harborside Restaurant “home of the chowder king” was born. “Jimmy’s” became an iconic destination frequented by the rich and famous including Bostonians such as Ted Williams and the Kennedy’s.