Mario Batali to Open Babbo Pizzeria in Boston

Chef Mario Batali is officially opening a restaurant in Boston after first announcing his intentions in 2012. The restaurant's name has gone through many iterations: In 2012 it was going under the name Babbopizzeria and in 2013 it was dubbed Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca. According to the Boston Globe, the restaurant will be called Babbo Pizzeria and as previously hinted, it will serve wood-fired pizzas and pastas. It will be located on the ground floor of Eleven Fan Pier Boulevard, a new high rise building in Boston's Innovation District.

The restaurant won't be as formal as his well known Babbo Ristorante in New York City. The 8,700 square foot restaurant will, however, feature three bars, each one dedicated to either cocktails, pizza, or antipasti. There will also be private dining space and an "expansive" patio. Batali describes what he is aiming for the restaurant to feel like in an email to the Globe: "We're embracing the openness and brightness of the space but paying careful attention to construct beautiful, distinct, and comfortable zones within the light-filled room."

The delay on the Boston restaurant makes sense considering all that Batali has on his plate. He recently teamed up with Oglivy & Mather to form a new production company that "will create food and lifestyle programming aimed at millennials," there's also his new Hulu show called The High Road, and his column for New York Times Magazine. On top of that, Batali announced earlier this year that he has plans to open more New York City locations of his Italian megastore Eataly, as well as plans to expand to Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and LA. Construction on Babbo Pizzeria is expected to being in the next few weeks and the restaurant is slated to open "by the end of the year."

· Mario Batali to Open Restaurant at Fan Pier [Boston Globe]
· All Mario Batali Coverage on Eater [-E-]