The options for both food and ambience at the forthcoming Coppersmith in South Boston are numerous. But before you can even begin to explore the scope of the restaurant—the 60-seat outdoor patio, the 80-seat roof deck, the 138-foot bar, the two food trailers parked inside and the 37-foot Airstream trailer housing a raw bar parked on the roof—let this nugget from co-owner Travis Talbot sink in: “In the daytime, we’re actually going to be operating as one of the largest coffee shops on the East Coast.”

Coppersmith’s cafe will operate from 6 am to 4 pm, with grab-and-go snacks like a beet salad, sandwiches and the requisite coffee and pastries. There will also be dozens of electrical outlets and a Wi-Fi signal with enough juice to fuel those who need to boot up for business.

The enormity of the space—and the ambitions of those behind the project—has led to a few delays and concept tweaks since Talbot teamed up with co-owners John Childs and Franklin Ferguson. “It was originally supposed to be about a 40- to 50-seat restaurant, and the next thing you know—two and a half years later—we’re building out 15,000 square feet,” Talbot says.

All that square footage, with 22-foot ceilings, atrium skylights and long communal tables, will give Coppersmith a beer hall feel—complemented by a selection of 12 drafts and numerous bottle and can beers from nano- and microbreweries. As for the food, Chris Henry (Barbara Lynch Gruppo) has been tasked with running the four kitchens that will feed the restaurant, which has a capacity of 350. The primary kitchen will prepare a menu of snacks, shareable plates and entrees such as lobster fritters with pimento aioli, grilled asparagus with a poached farm egg and pecorino, and a fig- and pomegranate-glazed Moroccan lamb dinner. That menu will be offered 4 pm to 1 am, but beforehand, customers will be able to grab food from the cafe or from the two food trailers operating from 11 am to 11 pm. Unless there’s a pop-up or a chef challenge, those trailers will run under the supervision of Henry, dishing out a variety of globally influenced street food.

“The nice thing about the trucks is it gives us a lot of latitude without having to be worried about an identity crisis,” Talbot says. “And they essentially can be two competition kitchens.”

The competition kitchen vibe will be readily apparent when Coppersmith hosts community events; Talbot says at least 15 events with proceeds benefiting charity are already in the works. It’s an aspect of the business that he hopes will help Coppersmith feel like a neighborhood restaurant.

“The space lends itself to stuff like that,” says Talbot, who hopes to open Coppersmith before July Fourth. “That area is just booming. There’s not enough seats to entertain the palates in the area.”

Coppersmith 40 W. Third St., Boston coppersmithboston.com

Coppersmith


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