Former Black Horse Tavern Manager to Open Arlington Restaurant

A  veteran is opening a new restaurant in East Arlington.

Arlington resident William Lyons, of Scituate Street, who most recently managed the Black Horse Tavern and has more than two decades of experience in the restaurant business, proposed Menotomy Grill and Tavern at 25 Massachusetts Ave.

The roughly 150-seat restaurant received operating and all-alcohol licenses Monday from the Arlington Board of Selectmen.

Lyons, who will also serve as the restaurant’s general manager, told the board Monday that he’s in it for the long haul.

“I think it’ll be really good for the town,” he said. “We’re celebrating the town’s history. It’s a good theme, good business model.”

The restaurant could be up and running as soon as November without any setbacks, according to Lyons’ attorney, John Leone, who also attended Monday’s meeting.

Million-Dollar Project

The 4,500-square-foot space, which has been vacant for about five years, is going to be completely renovated, inside and out, Lyons told the board. The cost of renovations/construction was estimated at $900,000, with another $260,000 projected for initial start-up costs, on Lyons’ application.

Lyons took out a Small Business Administration loan from Cambridge Savings Bank for $960,000, according to the application. Lyons is listed as a 30-percent owner on the application.

A handful of 12.09-percent owners are also named, including Arlington native Paul Krepelka, an NHL player agent who gained fame for at the beginning of last year. Paul Tupa, owner of the Red Hat in Boston, is a 9.55-percent owner, according to the application.

The owners signed a 10-year lease with Waltham-based Marley Properties at $126,000 per year ($10,500 per month), according to the application. The lease also has extension options.

Menu

Lyons said Menotomy Grill and Tavern, which will have restaurant seating, including five outdoor tables on the right side of the building from Massachusetts Avenue, a bar and a lounge area, will be “upscale but reasonably priced.”

Entrees range from the Shepard’s Pie for $13, to the Herb Roasted Chicken for $17, to the Dry Aged N.Y. Strip for $22 on the sample menu included with the application. There are also sandwiches, such as the Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich, listed for about $9, salads for $7 and appetizers, like the Mediterranean Flatbreat or Cayenne and Vinegar Wings, from $7-9.

Selectmen’s Endorsement

The selectmen unanimously expressed excitement for the project.

“It’ll redo the gateway to Arlington,” Selectman Joseph Curro Jr. said.

Lyons said he had opportunities to go elsewhere but believes in this location.

“I know I can do it right,” he said.

The restaurant will have about 118 parking spaces available, according to the application, and the location has another vacant 1,500 square feet in back for possible expansion. 

The town has now granted 14 of its 15 all alcohol licenses.