The Woods to Open at the Josiah Smith Tavern Site in Weston

Last summer, it was reported that plans for a restaurant to open within an historic building in the western suburbs of Boston appeared to finally be moving along, and now we have learned that a well-known figure within the local restaurant scene will be opening a dining spot there.

According to a Facebook post from Brian Piccini (Boston Chops, Deuxave, dbar), The Woods will be opening at the Josiah Smith Tavern Site in Weston, with Piccini saying the following while also referring readers to an article in the Boston Globe:

Friends have often asked how I could live in a dry town, and I am thrilled to share that I am about to change that! Welcome to The Woods! Weston will soon be home to The Woods, the town's first restaurant with a liquor license. This is a new concept offering a farm-and-sea-to-table menu and learn more in this Boston Globe article. I can't wait to have you all join me for dinner in October 2024 at The Woods!

As mentioned in an earlier article here, proposals to open a restaurant at the historic site (the tavern itself dates back to 1757) have been given since at least 2009, though in August of 2023, we were told by someone involved with Friends of the Josiah Smith Tavern that the town had given its approval for the space to be used as a restaurant.

The address for The Woods at the Josiah Smith Tavern site is 358 Boston Post Road, Weston, MA, 02493.

[Earlier Article]
Plans Still Being Looked at for a Restaurant to Open at the Josiah Smith Tavern Site in Weston

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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]

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Plans Still Being Looked at for a Restaurant to Open at the Josiah Smith Tavern Site in Weston

An historic building in the western suburbs of Boston could still become the site of a restaurant thanks in part to the efforts of a nonprofit group.

According to someone involved with Friends of the Josiah Smith Tavern, plans are in place to have a restaurant operator open a dining spot at the Josiah Smith Tavern site in Weston Center, with the proposed restaurant possibly including dining areas on the ground floor, a front and back patio, and a second-floor ballroom. We have been told that the town has given its approval for the space to be used as a restaurant (and the town actually owns the property), though any final lease is subject to approval by the town's Select Board while the buildout would be subject to final approval by Historic New England.

Proposals to open a restaurant at the site have been given since at least 2009, when we first reported on the possibility of a dining spot opening within the space; the tavern itself dates back to 1757 and was originally used as a stagecoach stop and meeting place.

The address for the Josiah Smith Tavern site is 358 Boston Post Road, Weston, MA, 02493. More on the plans for the space can be found here.

NOTE: We need your help, as Leslie Hurwitz, who is the father of Marc (the founder of this site) is dealing with health issues and some major related expenses. Please donate at https://gofund.me/76d8ba28, thanks!

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[More restaurant openings/closings from the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Weston Provisions Is Opening in Former Ye Olde Cottage Restaurant Space

Last summer, it was reported that a suburban dining spot that had been around for 70 years had shut down. Now we have learned that a brand new food shop is moving into the space.

According to a post within the jobs section of the bostonchefs.com site, Weston Provisions is opening in the old Ye Olde Cottage Restaurant space on Boston Post Road in Weston Center, with an earlier Weston Owl article mentioning that it appears to be a cheese and sandwich shop. The Instagram page for the business does say that it will indeed offer cheese and sandwiches while also mentioning that groceries will be available as well.

Ye Olde Cottage Restaurant closed in June of 2021 after being in business since 1952, with the place being known for its variety of breakfast and lunch items. 

The address for Weston Provisions is 403 Boston Post Road, Weston, MA, 02493. Its website will be at https://www.westonprovisions.com/

[August 3 update: A new Weston Owl article states that Weston Provisions is now open.]

[Earlier Article]
Ye Olde Cottage Restaurant in Weston Is Closing

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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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]

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Please help keep Boston Restaurant Talk and Boston's Hidden Restaurants going by making a one-time contribution or via a monthly subscription. Thanks! (Donations are non-deductible.)

Ye Olde Cottage Restaurant in Weston Is Closing

A suburban diner that has been around for a long time is getting ready to shut down permanently.

According to a post from Wicked Local, Ye Olde Cottage Restaurant in Weston Center is planning to close at the end of this month, with owners Steve and Dolores Allen saying that "We decided to hang up our mugs so we can spend more time with our grandkids. We want to thank all of our loyal customers and Cottage friends and family who have supported us through these difficult times. Stay safe." The post includes a picture showing that the Boston Post Road space is currently for lease/for sale, though as mentioned, it will remain open for a little while longer.

Ye Olde Cottage Restaurant, which first opened in 1952, offers a variety of breakfast and lunch items including omelets, French toast, pancakes, waffles, salads, and breakfast and lunch sandwiches.

The address for Ye Olde Cottage Restaurant is 403 Boston Post Road, Weston, MA, 02493. Its website can be found at http://www.yeoldecottage.com/

[July 4 update: It appears that Ye Olde Cottage Restaurant is now closed, as a phone call placed to the dining spot goes to a voicemail that say it indeed shut down at the end of June.]

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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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]

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Nonprofit Restaurant Proposed for Josiah Smith Tavern Site in Weston

Yet another new restaurant proposal for an historic site west of Boston has been given, and this one seems to be getting some positive feedback.

The Weston Town Crier is reporting that the Friends of the Josiah Smith Tavern have proposed opening a nonprofit restaurant at the site (which is on Boston Post Road in the center of town), with the dining spot having a capacity of 80 to 100 and being run by an unnamed educational institution, and that a Weston Arts & Innovation Center coming to the site may be part of the plans as well. The article says that the proposals were chosen after a couple of years of research including a public forum and a survey that took place in town, and that they have been unanimously supported by the Josiah Smith Tavern and Old Library Working Group, which met with the Board of Selectmen this week. The plans could be brought before town residents as early as May of 2016 at the annual town meeting, according to the post.

In 2009, a proposal to bring an upscale restaurant, bar, and function space to the property was voted down, while in 2013, a new proposal was presented to have Dante de Magistris (Restaurant Dante, Il Casale) open a dining spot there.

According to a page within the Weston Historical Society site, the tavern dates all the way back to 1757; currently, two structures reside at the site--the Josiah Smith Tavern and the Old Library.

[Earlier Articles]
Plans for a New Restaurant and Bar in Weston Center Voted Down
Restaurant Proposed (Again) for Historic Structure in Weston

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

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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]

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Owner of Dumpling Daughter in Weston Sues Former Workers; Cites Stealing of Concept, Recipes

The person behind a Chinese restaurant in the western suburbs of Boston has sued two former employees, saying that they stole her concept and some of her recipes.

Universal Hub is reporting that Nadia Liu Spellman of Dumpling Daughter in Weston filed a trademark and trade-secrets lawsuit this week in U.S. District Court, with the charges stating that two workers at the Center Street dining spot allegedly stayed "just long enough to make note of some of her recipes" before opening their own eatery in Millbury called Dumpling Girl. (A third person at the new spot is also mentioned in the suit, according to UH.) Spellman explains that in addition to stealing her recipes, the workers actually copied the exact wording from her menu, including that of the popular three-day pork ramen that she offers--and she claims the Millbury restaurant isn't up to the standards of Dumpling Daughter, which could potentially hurt the reputation of her eatery. Spellman wants the judge to force Dumpling Girl to "stop using the name and recipes and to pay damages," according to Universal Hub.

Nadia Liu Spellman opened Dumpling Daughter in December of 2014, offering items that carry on the tradition of her mother Sally Ling's dishes. (The family once ran a restaurant called Sally Ling's on the Boston waterfront in the mid-1980s that eventually moved to Cambridge, then New Jersey before closing.) Ling was Spellman's "number one consultant" during the process of opening Dumpling Daughter, as reported in an earlier article here.

Dumpling Daughter is a dining spot that our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) has featured as an under-the-radar place for dumplings, ramen, and more. The review can be found below:

http://hiddenboston.com/DumplingDaughter.html

The address for Dumpling Daughter is 37 Center Street, Weston, MA, 02493. Its website is at http://www.dumplingdaughter.com/

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Twelve Food Items from Asian Restaurants in the Boston Area]

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Dumpling Daughter Is Opening in Weston Center

A new Chinese restaurant is coming to a western suburb of Boston that currently has very few dining options, and the person behind it has a connection to a well-known eatery from years ago.

Eater Boston is reporting (via the Weston Town Crier) that Nadia Spellman is planning to open Dumpling Daughter in Weston, with the self-serve and takeout restaurant moving into a space in the center of town where Campo de Fiori had been. Spellman's mother is Sally Ling, who opened Sally Ling's on the Boston waterfront with her family in the mid-1980s, then moving the place to Cambridge a few years later and finally moving it again to New Jersey before it closed for good a few years ago. (There had also been a branch of the restaurant in Newton.) Both EB and the Town Crier indicate that the menu at Dumpling Daughter will carry on the tradition of Sally Ling's dishes (and that Ling is Spellman's "number one consultant").

It is not yet known when Dumpling Daughter might open; as soon as we get more information on a possible opening date, we will post an update here.

[December 15 update: The Wayland Town Crier mentions that Dumpling Daughter is now open and that it features dumplings, soups, and sandwiches.]

The address for this new Chinese restaurant in Weston is: Dumpling Daughter, 37 Center Street, Weston, MA, 02493. Its Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/dumplingdaughter

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Restaurant Proposed (Again) for Historic Structure in Weston

More than three years after reporting on a failed plan to bring a restaurant to an historic structure in Weston, it looks like plans may be back on track, and this time a well-known restaurateur is involved.

The Weston Town Crier is reporting that Dante de Magistris of Restaurant Dante in Cambridge and  Il Casale in Belmont is part of a development team (and he would be the potential operator of the restaurant) that is looking to open a dining spot at the site of the Josiah Smith Tavern and Barn on Boston Post Road in the center of town. The article says that the eatery, which would be located within the barn, would have 80 seats, and a small bed and breakfast would be built within the tavern while the adjacent Old Library would be turned into condos.

A public meeting on the proposal will be held at 10:00 AM tomorrow at the Weston Library.

In 2009, a proposal to bring an upscale restaurant, bar, and function space to the space was voted down at a Town Meeting session.

Thanks to Eater Boston for bringing this to our attention.

[Earlier Article]
Plans for a New Restaurant and Bar in Weston Center Voted Down

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Plans for a New Restaurant and Bar in Weston Center Voted Down

A plan to bring a restaurant to an historic building in Weston Center looks like it is not going to happen, at least for now. According to the Boston Globe, the proposal to bring an upscale restaurant, bar, and function space to the Josiah Smith Tavern and Barn on Boston Post Road (near where School Street and Church Street meet) was voted down at a Town Meeting session last Monday. (The vote was centered around getting additional funds to help build the restaurant.) The Globe article states that the Old Library, which is next door to the Josiah Smith Tavern and Barn had also been included as part of the proposed renovation project, with office space being added to the building. The vote was 545-to-435.

There is no word at the present time as to what might happen with the space, which is about a block north of Route 20 and across from Larson Park in the center of town.

For more information on the defeat of a proposed plan to bring a restaurant to Weston, please go to the Boston Globe link below.

Weston restaurant plan appears defeated

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