Moon Bar Opens This Week Below the Mooncusser Fish House

Moon Bar. / Photo by John Skibbee provided

If Mooncusser Fish House, the latest from 80 Thoreau chef Carolyn Johnson and her team, has piqued your interest, but you haven’t yet had an occasion for a multi-course seafood feast, listen up. The team debuts the more casual Moon Bar on Wednesday, August 16.

The 48-seat wine bar is located on the first floor of 304 Stuart St., below the new, third-story restaurant. (The kitchen on the second level.) The “elegant yet approachable” spot emphasizes the culinary experience, as one would expect from Johnson and 80 Thoreau co-owners Ian Calhoun and Vincent Vela. But it’s a unique experience from the upstairs restaurant, offering its own menu of casual seafood dishes, including fried scallop ravioli, mussels tartine, house-smoked bluefish fattoush, a softshell crab BLT, and grilled swordfish souvlaki.

“With Moon Bar, we hope to provide nearby workers, residents, and tourists with a lively place to enjoy fresh, local seafood paired with the perfect glass of wine or beer,” Calhoun says in a press release.

Pastry chef Katherine Hamilburg has two desserts at Moon Bar, including a frozen milk chocolate mousse. The wine list is well-curated to pair with seafood, with 25 options by-the-glass and Mooncusser’s full bottle list available. There are also craft beers on draft.

The space, designed by Dan Raih of Cambridge-based Bruner/Cott, highlights the restaurant’s triangular shape with a 30-seat bar anchoring the convivial space, and a striking chandelier above. There’s an 18-seat, soapstone bar around an open kitchen, and more seating along Stuart Street and at the back of the bar. There’s also standing bar space overlooking Columbus Avenue.

Moon Bar will be open Monday through Saturday for walk-ins only, from 5-10 p.m.

Moon Bar, opening Wednesday, August 16, 304 Stuart St., Boston, 617-917-5193, mooncusserfishhouse.com.