By Dan Murphy
Willie’s – the sit-down neighborhood pizza and pasta restaurant opening Monday, March 16, in the erstwhile Upper Crust space at 20 Charles St. – intends to fill a current void in Beacon Hill’s restaurant landscape.
“We were going back and forth on what to do with the space when Upper Crust was vacating and decided the neighborhood was missing a really great neighborhood pizza-and-pasta joint,” said restauranteur Babak Bina of the impetus behind the latest venture from BCB3 Hospitality – a team led by him, together with longtime business partner Andrew Cartin and Chef Jamie Bissonnette. “At this point in our careers, we wanted to do something fun for ourselves and for our team, and that really translates into creating a fun place for our guests.”
Members of BCB3 Hospitality, the team behind Willie’s, including (left
to right) Chef Jamie Bissonnette, Andrew Cartin, and Babak Bina.
Willie’s, which will accommodate 28 seated patrons at seven tables, including both standard tables and higher bar tables, won’t be a typical ‘slice shop,’ said Bina.
The restaurant will instead sell individual thin-crust pizzas (slightly thinner than New Haven style), each measuring around 10½ inches and cooked in a top-of-the-line Wood Stone pizza oven, which uses fire internally to crisp each pie to perfection.
In choosing the restaurant name, Bina said the BCB3 Hospitality Team opted for Willie’s as something American sounding, rather than an Italian name, in a deliberate effort not to pigeonhole themselves into one type of cuisine.
(BCB3 Hospitality Team also owns and operates Zurito, the Basque pintxo bar and restaurant located at 26 Charles St., directly next door to Willie’s; and three other Downtown Crossing establishments – the Korean restaurant, Somaek; the neighboring Temple Records, a cocktail lounge inspired by Japan’s ‘listening bars’ of the 1950s; and Sushi @ Temple Records, its downstairs sushi bar.)
At Willie’s, along with standard offerings like peperoni, toppings for pizzas might include Jamón (a type of dry-cured ham produced in Spain), or even some Korean food items. Seasonal toppings and seasonal ingredients will also be used in both pizza and pasta dishes, with pasta all “ostensibly” made in house, according to Bina.
One highlight of the pizza menu is Margherita 5J, made with fresh tomato, mozzarella, basil and nutty Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, while specialty pasta plates include Rigatoni Amatricianan- a twist on the classic dish with a Korean influence comprising extruded pasta, pancetta, yak gochujang, and pecorino.
Willie’s will also offer a number of small plates for sharing, such as the Caesar comprising napa cabbage, celery, classic Caesar dressing, anchovy miga, and parmesan cheese; Willie’s Little Meatballs, tender beef-and-pork meatballs prepared using pâté techniques and served with salumi ragu and parmesan; and The Grinder, a loaded ciabatta sub roll with mortadella, prosciutto, Iberico coppa, provolone, cherry pepper, and oil and vinegar.
Willie’s menu will be somewhat limited in scope to start, however, allowing for offerings to be expanded over time in response to the demands of diners.
“We don’t want to put too much up front. We want to go easy at first as you can always make adjustments to the concept over time,” said Bina, who in addition to his ownership interest in Willie’s and the other BCB3 establishments, also separately owns and operates The Wig Shop, a speakeasy cocktail lounge at 27 Temple Place, along with jm Curley at 21 Temple Place and its steakhouse, Bogie’s Place.
Willie’s will offer two bars – the first, seating four or five patrons at stools, offer a clear view of the pizza oven, along with a second bar, which can accommodate an additional four or five seated patrons.
The cocktail list, led by Spirits Director Oscar Simoza, will focus on drinks made with vermouth, wine-based elements, and low-ABV compositions. Signature cocktails will include the Real Housewives of Beacon Hill with fino sherry, midori, St-Germain and bubbles; and Wall Banger with vodka, Italicus, Galliano, passionfruit and orange, among other libations.
Moreover, Wine Director Nader Asgari-Tari has curated an imaginative wine list, which alongside Northern Italian whites, like Friulano from Venica Venica and high-altitude Petit Arvine from Valle d’Aosta, features a ‘new wave’ of domestic wines from regions including the Finger Lakes, Santa Barbara County, and the Willamette Valley, as well as wines from sometimes-overlooked countries, such as Japan and Mexico.
Willie’s will be open Monday through Sunday for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Reservations, which are available via Resy, will be requested for up to two weeks in advance. Takeout will also be available via the Toast app, the link for which can be found on the restaurant’s website. For more information, visit williesboston.com and @williesboston, or call 617-982-6613.