According to a press release, Sweet Basil Restaurant + Provisions is opening in Waltham, taking over the former Balani space on Moody Street--and joining the original Sweet Basil in Needham Center. The release mentions that chef/owner David Becker actually had a pop-up version of Sweet Basil in the old Balani space (which he also owned), with Becker saying the following:
I've wanted to expand the original Sweet Basil to include a provisions or market side for a long time. We're currently selling pasta and sauces at a bunch of locations, not just in the restaurant. With the changes we had to make due to COVID-19 we tried different things at different locations, just like every other restaurant in the area. I was shocked, but nobody wanted the Sweet Basil pop-up to go away and while Balani was creatively fun for me, it's always about what the people in our neighborhood want. We're fully converting the space and switching over to Sweet Basil's menu, we'll keep some Balani favorites on as special features and I'm looking forward to introducing people to our provisions menu for guests that want to make Sweet Basil classics at home.
In addition to Sweet Basil and the now-closed Balani, Becker also runs Juniper in Wellesley as well.
The address for the new location of Sweet Basil Restaurant + Provisions in Waltham is 469 Moody Street, Waltham, MA, 02453. The website for Sweet Basil can be found at https://www.sweetbasilneedham.com/
by Marc Hurwitz (Also 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]
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