Confirmed: Mario Batali's Babbo Pizzeria and Enoteca Will Not Be Coming to Boston's Fort Point

Last fall we reported that New York-based celebrity chef, restaurateur, writer, and TV personality Mario Batali was planning to open Babbo Pizzeria and Enoteca on Summer Street in the Fort Point section of Boston. Earlier today, however, the opening of the eatery appeared to be in question after Batali posted a note on his Twitter page saying that things were "not looking good right now," and now we have confirmed that the plans have indeed fallen through.

According to a post on the chef's Tumblr page, Babbo "will not come to fruition," though Boston may apparently still in Batali's sights, as his restaurant group "will continue to look for the perfect location to serve the exciting and vibrant Boston community." For now, though, there will be no Babbo--or any other dining spot from Batali--in the area for the foreseeable future.

[August 28 update: The Boston Globe is reporting that Babbo in Boston's Fort Point neighborhood may have fallen through because of Mario Batali and the landlord (Lincoln Property) not being able to agree on a lease. The disagreement was apparently due to Batali's plan to have a wood-burning oven in the restaurant, with a "potentially costly system" that would be required to vent the smoke from it. (The article says that Lincoln Property did not wish to comment on the issue and Batali was unable to be reached.]

[September 12 update: A quick followup to this--a new article in The Boston Globe mentions that the landlord is now looking for another tenant to open a restaurant in the space where Mario Batali's dining spot had planned to be.]

Thanks to Eater Boston for bringing this to our attention.

[Earlier Article]
Mario Batali to Open Babbo Pizzeria in Boston

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