The operators of Bar Mezzana in the New York Streets will take over the Stephi’s on Tremont space in June, with the landmark Stephi’s closing up in the next few months.
Stephi’s owner Stephanie Sokolove said she has been spending more time out of Boston after 25 years of operating her location on Tremont Street and on Newbury Street. She said selling the business to the collaboration company with her restaurateur sister, Kathy Sidell, made sense.
A third Stephi’s location in the Seaport closed up last summer.
“The last twenty-five years of running Stephanie’s has been an incredible journey and I feel like it has truly become an iconic Boston brand,” said Stephanie Sokolove, former owner of the Stephanie’s Restaurant Group. “I have nothing but the utmost appreciation and gratitude to our landlords, employees and loyal clientele over the years. I’m spending more time with my family in both Los Angeles and Florida and it was the right time for me to sell the business.”
Sidell said the decision was tough, but it was about keeping two locations on Tremont.
“The goal since we began collaborating at the top of 2018 was to make the most prudent decisions for all the restaurants,” said Kathy Sidell, Partner, Sidell Hospitality and CEO of Met Restaurant Group. “Sidell Hospitality is excited to operate two iconic restaurants on Newbury Street in the Boston’s Back Bay. Stephanie’s which will be celebrating 25 years and The Met Back Bay, which opened almost a decade ago. We look forward to serving our customers and bringing new and exciting offerings to both locations.”
That said, the key retail space on Tremont will not remain empty long.
Jefferson Macklin of Bar Mezzana and Shore Leave – both in New York Streets – said he and his partners, including Chef Collin Lynch, will make a move on the space.
So far, they don’t even have a name for the new concept.
However, he said they won’t change much, and will include the same kinds of American comfort food with their own twists. He said the price point would be a bit different than Bar Mezzana, and that they would be doing a build out of the space this summer.
They will take over on June 1, and it is expected that Stephi’s will close this spring.
One change that is being made is to request a later closing time seven days a week, at 1 a.m. At the moment, Stephi’s has a closing hour of midnight Sunday through Wednesday, and a 1 a.m. closing Thursday through Saturday. A meeting of the Union Park Neighborhood Association will take place at 5:45 p.m. at the South End Library on Feb. 26.
Later that same night, the new owners will meet with the Ellis South End Neighborhood Association at 6:30 p.m.