The South End Scores More Tacos and Tequila at the Soon-to-Open Cósmica Mexican Eatery & Bar
The taqueria opens in November at the Revolution Hotel, with a new menu from chef Colton Coburn-Wood.
Photos courtesy of Cósmica Mexican Eatery & Bar
UPDATE, February 5: At long last, Cósmica opens for its first night of service on Thursday Feb. 6. To start, it will serve dinner beginning at 4:30 p.m. nightly, with lunch and brunch to follow.
UPDATE, December 6: Cósmica is landing soon in the South End, but first, check out the opening menu, added at the end of this post. Stay tuned for an opening date.
PREVIOUSLY:
A young chef helping to lead a taco revolution in Boston continues the uprising at a new restaurant opening next month in the South End. Cósmica Mexican Eatery & Bar lands in November at the still-new Revolution Hotel, with inventive Mexican street food from the mind of chef Colton Coburn-Wood.
Coburn-Wood, a New England native who’s spent a lot of time Arizona, California, and Mexico, was the opening chef at Dorchester’s distinctive Yellow Door Taqueria. Coburn-Wood moved on earlier this year in anticipation of opening Cósmica, but his tortilla recipe and “extra” flavor combinations left a legacy that helped YDT earn a 2019 Best of Boston award. The chef is also an alum of YDT sibling spot Lower Mills Tavern, the bygone Hamersley’s Bistro, and chef Ken Oringer’s now-closed taqueria, La Verdad.
At Cósmica, expect playful twists on Mexican fare, such as chorizo-queso jalapeño poppers with chipotle crema; and almejas fritas (fried clams) with hominy dust, cilantro, and pickled onions; along with interpretations of classics like tamale Colorado with red chili-braised pork and charred verde. There will be fresh ceviches, such as ahi tuna with passionfruit habanero curd, grilled corn, and sweet pepper; and large-format entrees, like traditional cochinita pibil (braised pork served in a banana leaf), and tomahawk asada, both designed to be shared with an array of tortillas and other accoutrements.
And of course, the Revolution will be taco-fied. Signature tacos anchor Coburn-Wood’s menu, with options like duck carnitas with mole verde, pollo chorizo verde with cheesy ancho-yucca mash, and cauliflower al pastor with chipotle pineapple yogurt. Cósmica will have a 30-seat bar, with a beverage program focused on “vacation cocktails:” Think seasonal sangrias and “sangrita,” made with tequila; a signature mezcal-spiked “mezgarita,” boozy slushies, and more.
Cósmica is the third venture for Jack Bardy, Jennifer Epstein, and Bill Keravuori, the trio behind the Beehive, and Harvard Square’s Beat Brew Hall, where Coburn-Wood has been workshopping Southwestern fare since March of this year. The ownership group recently incorporated as Wildlife Hospitality.
Spanning 5,000 square feet on the ground floor of the Revolution—which opened late last year and just recently topped Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice list of the top hotels in Boston—Cósmica will be casual and vibrant, with a mix of industrial, mid-century, and bohemian style elements. Boston firm Sousa Design, with help from local creative Dave “Dave-O” Olson, are envisioning the space with details that jive with the hotel’s overall vibe of local innovation and a rebellious spirit; as well as elements that nod to Mexican culture and “cosmic spirituality.” In warmer months, it will have an expansive outdoor patio, complete with a stationary trailer dishing up select menu items.
Stay tuned for more details about the soon-to-open South End taqueria, and give it a follow on Instagram and Facebook. In the meantime, Coburn-Wood’s Instagram offers mouthwatering glimpses at his latest menu. Cósmica is on track to launch dinner service in November, with daily lunch and weekend brunch in the cards, too.
Cósmica, coming November 2019 to the Revolution Hotel, 40 Berkeley St., South End, Boston, 617-313-7878, cosmicaboston.com.
