Publico Opens in South Boston Early 2017

Publico Street Bistro Renderings by Sousa Design Architects provided

Residents who move into one of the new luxury developments in South Boston will have a local watering hole to call their own, with a menu from chef Keenan Langlois (the Sinclair). Publico is on track to open in January just north of Broadway, on the ground level of Allure at 11 Dorchester.

The restaurant, at one point called Republic, has been in the works for more than a year, with developers initially vying for a larger eatery with sidewalk seating, in addition to a back courtyard. Per a note from a restaurant representative, Publico will have capacity for 150 guests total, in a main dining room, bar, and an atrium, which also has its own bar and seating area.

Langlois is the culinary director of the new venture from a trio of restaurant industry veterans and first-time owners, Theo Bougas, Jairo Dominguez, and Teodora Bakardzhieva, the rep says. Bakardzhieva, who is Dominguez’s wife, is the first woman to ever tend bar at Locke-Ober, and she was formerly beverage director at Emerald Lounge, and general manager of Rooftop @ Revere. Most recently executive chef at the Sinclair, Langlois also cooked at Aquitaine Group restaurants Gaslight Brasserie and Union Bar & Grille.

Publico gets its name from the Latin phrase pro bono publico, “for the public good,” and the menu will aim for moderately priced comfort food with mass appeal, with European and Latin American traditions and beyond, the rep says. The “bold-flavored foods with global influence,” per fledgling social media pages, will feature local ingredients, as well as culturally authentic purveyors, the rep says. The kitchen is being outfitted with Marsal deck ovens for pizzas and roasts.

A few dishes in the works include corn crêpes with avocado, radish, grape tomato salsa, and achiote oil; chicken asado with potato purée, mushrooms, escarole, and natural jus; and pizzetta funghi, with porcini mushrooms, roasted corn, and Taleggio cheese.

Publico will be a neighborhood spot, with a mid century modern aesthetic by Sousa Design Architects. In the dining room, there will be a chef’s table, and the partially open kitchen will be visible from both the dining room and bar area. The atrium, dubbed the Publico Garden, will have a vine-covered canopy over open air seating.

Construction is underway. Publico will be open Tuesday-Sunday, 5 p.m.-midnight, with dinner served until 10 p.m.

Publico, coming January 2017 to 11 Dorchester St., South Boston, publicoboston.com.

Publico Street Bistro Renderings by Sousa Design Architects provided

Publico Street Bistro Renderings by Sousa Design Architects provided