Edson Coimbra and Marvin Posada, who own Ciao! Pizza and Pastas, have already made a mark with their small take-out restaurant on Williams Street. The establishment has cracked Yelp’s top 10 pizza places nationwide and earned glowing reviews from Greater Boston publications. Now the owners are preparing to expand their presence in Chelsea.
Their expansion plans include launching Ciao! Market on Broadway and potentially opening the Winnisimmet Lounge restaurant in the former Parrotta’s location. Developer Jason Roback is overseeing the redevelopment of that site.
The Winnisimmet Lounge concept calls for a small plate Italian tapas bar—known as piatini in Italian—featuring beer and wine on the ground floor of Roback’s planned four-unit condo building with commercial space. Located approximately two blocks from their current pizza shop, the venue would occupy the spot where Parrotta’s once stood. “It would be a place that serves small plate, where you could get an order of meatballs, or aroncini or other small bits,” said Coimbra. “It would have beer and wine with a bar, but it’s not going to be a place you go to drink at. It’s not going to be a sports bar. This is going to be much different. We’re thinking about something like ‘Barcelona’ in the South End…We think Chelsea needs this. We are part of the community and everyone knows who we are and what we are doing. We are looking for support right now.”
According to Coimbra, community backing will prove essential at an April 11 Zoning Board hearing. Roback must secure approval to modify the hours of operation—currently restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.—and change the use designation. Coimbra noted they have generated considerable support and are encouraging Chelsea residents who appreciate their work to attend the hearing.
Some neighbors have voiced concerns, recalling the lengthy approval process two years prior. When Genevra Faber previously proposed a residential plan for the Parrotta’s site, community members raised objections. After multiple meetings and redesigns, an agreement was reached and the project received approval, though the commercial space use remained undefined.
Roback, Coimbra, and Posada see the location as ideal for their concept—a relaxed dining environment in a new building that will appeal to both longtime Chelsea residents and newcomers. “This area is changing,” he said. “I see it every day because I spend 12 hours a day in Ciao!” he said. “There’s a huge interest in Chelsea right now. We want to do something positive.”
Construction is underway at 212 Broadway in Chelsea Square for Ciao! Market, which is expected to open in mid-June. The market will feature Italian products, gelato, pastries, and an in-house pasta factory producing fresh homemade pasta for sale. “It’s very cool and we’re very excited about it,” he said. “It’s going to be wonderful.”
Coimbra, a Chelsea resident for several years, expressed confidence that obtaining approval for Winnisimmet Lounge will allow the three operations to enhance amenities available to residents. “We have bigger plans for the neighborhood and we want to provide more amenities so people who come to Chelsea will stay here,” he said. “They come and then they go right now because there are few amenities here. We do well because of our proximity to Boston and that’s great, but you don’t want to have to go over the Bridge every time you want a good coffee or a dinner.”
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