Celebrating Valentine’s Day on Beacon Hill: Antonio’s Reopens Following Extensive Renovation

Following an extensive, nearly five-week renovation, Antonio’s Cucina Italiano reopened on Monday, Feb. 5.

The newly revitalized space at 288 Cambridge St. now boasts a fresh paint job; new ceilings and floors; new furniture, including tables, chairs, and the rear booth; a new surround-sound system; new lighting; and a new service bar. Five framed images of Boston locales, including a shot of Beacon Hill, by award-winning photographer Matt Conti, now adorn the walls, each measuring approximately 3-by-5 feet. (Steven Colarusso, the restaurant’s owner and a North End native, said he plans to hang another of Conti’s photos  in the restaurant – this one, a  shot of revelers at the annual Saint Anthony’s Feast in the North End.)

Since the project got underway in the first week of January, Steven and his son and right-hand man at the restaurant, Michael Colarusso, together with Bob Lachapelle and Robert D’Amore, the general contractor and interior designer for the project, respectively, worked straight through from 5:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day in preparation of the reopening. Planning for the project, meanwhile, initially got underway around last May or June. “It was well organized,” Steven said of the project’s quick turnaround time.

Despite its new and refreshed look, Antonio’s will continue to offer its signature Italian cuisine, with no major changes planned for the menu, which will continue to feature a rotating selection of lunch and dinner specials each day, along with some newer additions, like the calamari and arancini appetizers.

And although Antonio’s will celebrate its 30th anniversary this May, this imminent milestone wasn’t the impetus for the restaurant’s thorough makeover, said Steven, and instead, the changes signal the ushering in of a new era for the longstanding dining establishment, with the younger Colarusso expected to take the reins from his father sometime in the not-so-distant future.

Visit Antonio’s Cucina Italiano online at antoniosbeaconhill.com, or call the restaurant at 617-367-3310.