By Seth Daniel
The owners of Ciao! Pizza and Pastas seemingly just opened their small take-out restaurant, but already they have scored in the top 10 of pizza places nationwide on Yelp online, have had stellar reviews from almost every publication in Greater Boston, and now they are looking to widen their reach.
And they want to do that in Chelsea – and within walking distance of their existing store on Williams Street.
The owners announced that they are ready to begin preparation for opening Ciao! Market on Broadway, and also to potentially open the Winnisimmet Lounge restaurant in the old Parrotta’s location – which is slated for redevelopment by local mover and shaker Jason Roback.
Owners Edson Coimbra and Marvin Posada are hoping to put a small plate Italian tapas bar, known as piatini in Italian, with beer and wine in the ground floor of Roback’s development, which include demolishing the old Parrotta’s place and building a new four-unit condo building on the site – which includes commercial space on the ground floor where Winnisimmet Lounge would locate. It is about two blocks from their current pizza place.
“It would be a place that serves small plate, where you could get an order of meatballs, or aroncini or other small bits,” said Coimbra. “It would have beer and wine with a bar, but it’s not going to be a place you go to drink at. It’s not going to be a sports bar. This is going to be much different. We’re thinking about something like ‘Barcelona’ in the South End…We think Chelsea needs this. We are part of the community and everyone knows who we are and what we are doing. We are looking for support right now.”
That support, he said, will be needed at a hearing of the Zoning Board on April 11. Roback has to change the hours of operation – which are restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. – and the type of use. Right now, Coimbra said they have a lot of support behind them, and hope that those who enjoy what they are trying to do in Chelsea will join in to support the plan at the hearing.
Some neighbors have had concerns about the plan, echoing the long and arduous approval process undertaken for the building two years ago. At that time, many neighbors were concerned about the residential plan for Parrotta’s put forth by Genevra Faber. After many meetings and many re-designs, an agreement was made and the project was approved. The commercial space, however, wasn’t defined.
Roback, Coimbra and Posada believe that the location is perfect for the concept they have – a relaxed dining atmosphere in a new building that attracts Chelsea residents who are new to town and who have been around for years.
“This area is changing,” he said. “I see it every day because I spend 12 hours a day in Ciao!” he said. “There’s a huge interest in Chelsea right now. We want to do something positive.”
Meanwhile, at 212 Broadway in Chelsea Square, Ciao! Market is already under construction and slated to open in mid-June.
The market is going to have Italian products with gelato, pastries and a pasta factory inside – naturally working up homemade pastas to be sold there.
“It’s very cool and we’re very excited about it,” he said. “It’s going to be wonderful.”
Coimbra, a Chelsea resident for several years, said he believes that with the approvals for Winnisimmet Lounge, having the three operations going will contribute to being able to provide amenities for residents.
“We have bigger plans for the neighborhood and we want to provide more amenities so people who come to Chelsea will stay here,” he said. “They come and then they go right now because there are few amenities here. We do well because of our proximity to Boston and that’s great, but you don’t want to have to go over the Bridge every time you want a good coffee or a dinner.”
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