Salvatore’s to Open in Late September

Italian Restaurant Planned for Medford Square

This rendering of the proposed restaurant was released last February. Courtesy photo.

– Heidi Walsh

Salvatore’s Italian café, bar and restaurant will be opening in Medford Square in late September, offering a new dining experience to Medford residents and regulars alike.

Salvatore’s is no stranger to the Boston area. The original Boston location has been in business for three years and has been featured on the Phantom Gourmet while the Lawrence restaurant has also gained popularity.

Salvatore’s Medford location will feature a new upscale menu that will provide a broader range of food choices while still sticking to the Italian theme.

“The menu is the key difference from the other locations,” said general manager Bonnie Duharme. “It will be more upscale, yet not too pricey and [will] not astray from the other locations.”

Besides new menu choices, Salvatore’s will still include Italian favorites such as pasta dishes, pizza and an assortment of desserts including staples like gelato, cannolis, and tiramisu. In addition, a café menu of coffee and other beverages will round out the experience.

Speaking during a city press conference in February, restaurant owner Sal Lupoli said Salvatore’s will have 140-150 seats, including a bar. Lupoli said an old bank vault in the location is being converted into a private dining room that will seat around twenty people.

The restaurant’s décor will combine red brick walls, cherry wood, and classic Italian food advertisement posters. A planned circular bar area will be equipped with hanging television sets, and there will be twenty-one booths, seven tables for four, two tables for two, and a fireplace gathering with comfortable chairs and couches to sit on.

The planned lounge area will be larger than those in Salvatore’s other locations and the bar area, the largest part of the restaurant, will have its own menu.

“We expect the nightlife to be successful in Medford,” said Duharme. “There are a lot of regulars from the Medford area at other locations.”

Duharme said Salvatore’s new Medford location is expecting good business for its fall opening in late September.

Salvatore’s is located in the former spaces of Century Bank and the Medford Transcript at 55 High Street.

According to the website, Salvatore’s was founded by the Lupoli family in 2006. The Lupoli’s also established Sal’s Pizza in 1990 and have almost forty locations in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.

According to Lupoli, his company is investing upwards of $1 million into the restaurant and a 25-year agreement has been signed with the building’s owner. He expects the restaurant will generate “at least fifty” jobs.