Midway Cafe

History

The Midway Cafe at 3496 Washington Street in Jamaica Plain opened as a bar in 1937, and brothers Leo and Joe Gaquin ran it for about 50 years. Jay and David Balerna bought it in 1987 and, with an open jam around 1988, turned the room into a live-music dive. Jay bought out his brother in 2011 and still runs the club, whose capacity grew from about 60 to just under 100 after an expansion around 2010. Blues jams, rockabilly, residencies, and the long-running Queeraoke night have filled the calendar. It remains a small independent room for local bands seven nights a week.