Restaurants

Eva opens on Newbury Street, just in time for marathon weekend

The new restaurant takes over the former Cafeteria space.

The branzino at Eva. Handout

April 13, 2022

After delays due to construction and supply chain issues, Eva will open Friday on Newbury Street. The restaurant will temporarily serve a limited menu, owner George Aboujaoude told Boston.com, before reeling off a list of dishes: spinach and artichoke dip, street corn, salads, pizza, steak tips, and chickpea curry.

“We’ll open on April 19 with the full menu,” Aboujaoude added. “We just pulled some dishes from our lunch and dinner menus to create an all-day menu so we could open for marathon weekend.”

The preview menu is almost a throwback to the all-day menu style of Cafeteria, which previously occupied the space. Aboujaoude opened the popular restaurant in 2007 and closed it in 2020 when the pandemic shutdown hit. The closure caused him to rethink the design and the menu, nixing the all-day styled menu in favor of distinct lunch and dinner services. For instance: Lamb chops for dinner versus the lamb burger at lunch, and branzino for dinner versus a lunchtime fish and chip sandwich.

“We’ve created some signature dishes for the dinner menu,” he said. “We want to have a more defined dinner menu. It’s a completely different place to Cafeteria. The dinner service will make them quite distinct.”

The day-to-night, two-level interior was designed by Newton-based Tiffany Barqawi Design.

Aboujaoude, who also owns Committee Ouzeri & Bar in the Seaport and Bijou Nightclub & Lounge in the Theater District, added that some old favorites will be kept in place. A particular favorite, even with Aboujaoude himself, is the spinach and artichoke dip.

“It’s so creamy,” Aboujaoude said. “And the way we serve it with toasted pita chips makes it great for sharing.”

Whilst a traditional New England clam chowder is another must-keep, some dishes like the tomato soup flavored with fennel seeds, and mussels cooked with garlic, white wine, and cream for a classic treatment are a new uptick.

Consulting chef Luis Figueroa, who worked at Cafeteria before moving to Committee, developed the dishes and Aboujaoude was glad to have a familiar face in bringing Eva’s menu to life: “He’s a dream to work with — so resourceful,” he added.

As spring sunshine warms Newbury Street, one of Eva’s biggest attributes is its patio.

“It is rare to find such a large patio in front of a traditional brownstone,” Aboujaoude said. “We do have that luxury of a large private patio compared to all the smaller ones along the street.”

Not only that, but it’s on the sunny side of Newbury.

“When we open at 9 a.m., we get people right away,” Aboujaoude said. “It’s a big draw, I’m sure. Especially after we wait all winter for warm, sunny weather.”

Eva opens at 11 a.m. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. Sat. & Sun., and closes 11 p.m. Sun.-Wed., 1 a.m. Thurs.-Sat. 279a Newbury St., Boston.