Bar Toscana Opens Just in Time for an Italian Summer

Bar Toscana is located on the ground floor of its older sibling Tuscan Kitchen in Boston’s Seaport. / Courtesy photo

Want to live your Italian summer dreams without the long flight? Head to the Seaport District’s newest venue, Bar Toscana, now open on the ground floor of its big sibling Tuscan Kitchen. A delightful aperitivo awaits, not to mention small plates of caviar-topped pasta, braised duck arancini, fried calamari, and more.

Bar Toscana’s mozzarella en carrozza, caviar pasta (lemon capellini with herb breadcrumbs), and arancini d’anatara (Sicilian rice balls with braised duck and mozzarella). / Courtesy photo

Decorated with lush greenery and eye-catching Italian murals, even the indoor portion of Bar Toscana feels like you’re on a sunny piazza, in part thanks to the large sliding doors that connect the inside with a 16-seat patio. (And yes, the intention is to allow dogs on the patio, once approved.) The vibes and the menu are a fit for a variety of occasions, whether you’re out with a group or on a summery date. Choose among cocktails like the Tuscan Tini (limoncello, citrus vodka, and basil) and the Beehive in Seaport Blvd. (grapefruit gin, bergamot liqueur, raw honey water, lemon, and mint), or dive into a large-format Aperol spritz with friends.

Bar Toscana’s absinthe drip, with chilled water and a sugar cube. / Courtesy photo

The absinthe, too, is group-friendly, with an elegant fountain dripping cold water into each person’s glass of the strong, herbal liquor, passing through (and slowly dissolving) a sugar cube perched on a spoon atop the glass. Cocktails get top billing at Bar Toscana, but there are a handful of beer, wine, and zero-proof cocktail options too. (The wines are largely Italian, and the beers are mostly local, particularly a few incarnations of the ubiquitous Sam Adams.)

Bar Toscana’s tuna tartare (ahi tuna, scallions, lemon), Sicilian crudo (olive oil, lemon, sea salt), and baccala crostini with caviar. / Courtesy photo

The food menu is a concise collection of snacks that pair well with drinks: Think a Sicilian-style crudo of the day, a simple preparation with olive oil, salt, and lemon; an Italian cheese plate with truffle-infused honey; or eggplant caponata over crispy polenta. It all comes together to make Bar Toscana the perfect appetizer for a larger meal at Tuscan Kitchen upstairs—fancy steaks, hearty pastas, giant seafood towers—or one of the neighborhood’s increasing entertainment options. Just steps away, for example, there’s live jazz and soul music at the brand new Grace by Nia; high-tech darts at Flight Club; and, soon, movies at popular Austin-based cinema chain Alamo Drafthouse.

Bar Toscana. / Courtesy photo

Bar Toscana is the newest venue under the 13-year-old Tuscan Brands umbrella, which includes several Italian restaurants, markets, and other venues in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The Seaport location of Tuscan Kitchen opened in 2017, a sprawling 300-seat dining destination. Keep an eye on Tuscan Kitchen’s Instagram account for Bar Toscana updates and other company news, and peek at the opening menu below.

64 Seaport Blvd., Seaport District, Boston.