Copyright MassLive
One of the best Middle Eastern restaurants in the Boston area is expanding to a second location that is three times the size of its current spot. Moona in Cambridge’s Inman Square is expanding with a new location in Central Square inside the MIT Engine Building later this year. The new iteration will be much larger than Moona’s current, 30-person restaurant. It will feature 97 seats comprised of a 57-seat dining room, 10-seat bar and 30-seat café. The new Moona will function as fast-casual café by day, called Sawa Café, serving breakfast and lunch in a laid-back environment. Customers can chat, work and feast on a rotating selection of sweet and savory Viennoiserie. In addition to Lebanese-influenced pastries, breakfast, and lunch, Sawa Café will introduce Boston’s first Lebanese soft-serve program. This will allow diners to savor seasonally rotating flavors such as preserved lemon and salted tahini. Lunch offerings will include classic Lebanese sandwiches with a modern twist along with salads, dips, mezze and pastries. Moona will then transform into a lounge by night with dinner service featuring a bread and dip section, mezze and large-format dishes for groups such as whole fish and lamb. The cocktail menu will include Lebanese, Greek and Georgian wines as well as Levantine-inspired cocktails and mocktails. “Moona has always been about the pantry, which preserves fresh local ingredients for use year-round” owner Mohamad El Zein said in a press release. “We’re continuing to dive deeper into sourcing spices, olives, molasses, oils, tweaking spice blends, pickling, nuts, honeys, and so much more. It’s not just the food at the table that’s enjoyable, it’s also everything else at the table.” Debuting in Inman Square in October 2016, Moona has received high praise for the establishment’s Eastern Mediterranean and Arabic bites presented in an intimate, mosaic-tiled setting. In 2017, Moona was named one of Boston’s 47 best new restaurants by the Boston Globe and received a Readers’ Choice Award from Eater Boston. Boston Magazine also named Moona the best Middle Eastern Restaurant in 2018. Moona’s current location at 243 Hampshire St. will continue to operate with eventual plans for the Central Square location to be the sole flagship location. The new Moona is expected to open in December and will be located at 750 Main St., Cambridge. The projected opening hours are Tuesday through Thursday 5-9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 5-10 p.m. Additional hours will be announced at a later date.
