According to an email sent from The Daily Lunch blog, Joshua Smith of the Moody's Deli and The Backroom is taking over the now-closed Santa Banta on Moody Street, while a phone called placed to Smith indicates that he is planning to open an oyster/ceviche bar within the Santa Banta space that will be accessed by an archway leading from The Backroom, while a taco and BBQ spot will open in a separate space next to the oyster bar that is accessed from Moody Street--and one which had been home to a Haitian market. This jibes with earlier information we had that stated Smith was planning to open a spot featuring smoked meats and more in the former Haitian market space, while also indicating he was looking to open an oyster bar somewhere on Moody Street as well. (Smith is also behind New England Charcuterie, a meat-processing plant that is near the Waltham/Belmont line.)
Santa Banta first opened in the fall of 2014, taking over the space where Bombay Mahal had been since the late 1980s.
The oyster bar from Moody's will be at 458 Moody Street while the taco and BBQ spot will be at 454 Moody Street. (Smith indicates that both should be opening in the fall.)
[February 21, 2018 update: Boston Magazine states that Moody's Backroom has now officially expanded into the former Santa Banta space (which will add 70 seats to the place), and with it, the menu has expanded as well to include raw seafood, flatbreads, fresh pastas, and more. (The article also says that the separate taqueria could be opening in approximately five weeks.)]
[May 7, 2018 update: A new article from Boston Magazine indicates that the taqueria and BBQ spot will be called El Rincon de Moody's, and that it quietly had a one-day preview opening over the weekend, with its actual opening coming up sometime this month.]
[May 23, 2018 update: An update from Boston Magazine mentions that El Rincon de Moody's is now open.]
[Earlier Article]
Joshua Smith of Moody's Deli in Waltham to Open Shop Featuring Smoked Meats, Baked Goods
Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
