Restaurant planned for historic Weston tavern will be the first in town serving drinks

WESTON — Construction is underway in the town's historic center for what will be Weston's first restaurant that will serve alcohol since Prohibition.

Brian Piccini, owner and CEO of Boston Urban Hospitality, is developing The Woods, which will be housed in the barn of the Josiah Smith Tavern, a 1757 home on Boston Post Road. The building is also home to a pair of nonprofits, Weston Community League and Weston Forest and Trail, and will soon welcome back the Weston Historical Society.

Piccini, who lives in town, told the Daily News that he fell in love with Weston several years ago, when he was looking to move out of the city.

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"Weston stood out to me because it looked like a green patch of oasis," he said.

Upon arrival, Piccini realized he lived in what was essentially a dry town — it wasn't until 2008 that Weston voters approved wine sales at the Omni Foods supermarket, and two country clubs also hold club licenses.

But the Josiah Smith Tavern was granted the town's first, and only, public pouring liquor license. And besides, Piccini simply thought the tavern building would make a great restaurant.

Preserving a 1757 building's charm, adding modern updates

According to a press release from Boston Urban Hospitality, developers seek to preserve the building's original charm, but add updates to create a modern dining experience. Construction will be inspired by the nature surrounding Weston, and the restaurant is expected to offer distinct areas that "bring the woods indoors," while still celebrating its building's historical elements.

Piccini said the Woods will have bar space and a more traditional restaurant dining space that is airy and bright, with three additional private dining rooms seating 10-49, as well as two outdoor dining options.

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The Woods will mark the first Boston Urban Hospitality restaurant outside Boston. It operates four restaurants in the city — Boston Chops, in both Downtown Crossing and in Boston's South End; dbar in Dorchester; and Deuxave on Commonwealth Avenue.

Piccini said the restaurant's focus will be on sustainability and the local community.

"It's going to be a farm-to-table restaurant," he said. "Land's Sake Farm is to be our primary vegetable producer, and we plan on using a wood-fire grill. But we're committed to planting a tree for every one used."

Josiah Smith Tavern was used as meeting place, stagecoach stop

The Josiah Smith Tavern is within the Boston Post Road Historic District. It served as a meeting place and stagecoach stop in the 1700s. The building was acquired by Historic New England in 1951, but ownership was transferred to the town in 1983. In 2019, Weston voters approved the renovation and reuse of the Josiah Smith Tavern as a restaurant.

Efforts to restore the building are being led by The Friends of Josiah Smith Tavern.

"Apparently, it was the first stop for water outside of Boston," Henry Smith, a member of The Friends of Josiah Smith Tavern, told the Daily News in a Zoom interview. "It's got the classic 'George Washington was there' ...and it's also just a nice little building."

Smith said he was initially asked by the Weston Select Board to find a new use for the building almost 20 years ago, and that The Woods is a long time coming.

"When the Select Board had a public meeting to announce the restaurateur that we had chosen, 100 people showed up online," he said.

The Woods is set to open this fall. The Josiah Smith Tavern is at 358 Boston Post Road and will plan to serve lunch and dinner.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: New Weston restaurant The Woods will be town's first to serve alcohol