Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Servia Is Planning to Open in Downtown Boston

by Marc Hurwitz

A new restaurant may be coming to the heart of downtown Boston, and a familiar name is involved with the place.

According to a licensing board hearing page within the city's website, Servia is looking to open on State Street and is seeking the liquor license from the now-closed Vanderbilt, which was located on nearby Water Street. The manager listed is Ozcan Ozan, who had run Sultan's Kitchen, an iconic Turkish eatery that was also on State Street until it closed around the beginning of 2018 after more than 35 years in business. The hearing notice mentions that Servia would include a dining room and bar on the ground floor of the building, with a total of 5,040 square feet of space--and with some of that used for an office area and restrooms. It is not yet known what food the proposed restaurant might offer, though Sultan's Kitchen served such items as lentil soup, kebabs, humus, tabbouleh, baba ganoush, stuffed grape leaves, musakka, and rice pilaf.

Vanderbilt closed in 2018 after being in business for a bit more than a year; the dining and drinking spot resided in a former bank building and had been called The Vault until changing its name in 2015.

The address for the proposed Servia is 126 State Street, Boston, MA, 02109.

[January 31 update: The Tables section of The Boston Globe says that Servia will focus on Turkish fare (rotisserie lamb and mezze are mentioned), and that the restaurant hopes to open this spring.]

[Earlier Articles]
Sultan's Kitchen in Downtown Boston Has Closed
Vanderbilt Kitchen & Bar in Boston's Financial District Is Closing

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]