The proprietors of The James Pub & Provisions have plans for a new restaurant in Needham Center. Taberna, a Mediterranean small plates tavern, will take over the former Rice Barn location at 1037 Great Plain Ave.
“We’re keeping it the kind of tavern that we know, the concept that we know,” said Stuart Henry, who owns and operates The James along with partners Cormac and Inga Dowling and Mary Kiely. They opened a second location of The James last year in Essex.
Henry said the concept is something they’ve been working on for years and have always wanted to do. “We grew up going to Spain and Portugal and I still go there all the time. We just love that concept, we love that food,” he said, referring to the small, shareable-plates tradition of tapas in Spain. “We think there’s a need for it in the area and we’re keeping it the kind of tavern that we know – that welcoming kind of atmosphere and putting our twist on it with some really good Mediterranean small plates.”
The team is working on menus for Taberna that will bring in the flavors of many Mediterranean countries, including Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Portugal.
The opportunity to realize their longtime plan came when the Rice Barn restaurant next door closed in 2022. “We’ve always been eyeing the Rice Barn,” said Henry. “Triantos Thanos is the landlord of The James and the Rice Barn building, so I’ve been asking him for years if it ever came up could I give it a shot. It finally came up so he gave me first dibs on it.”
They started talking in February and the partners took over the lease in March. They’ve been clearing out the space and construction has not yet begun. They are in the design process, working with Souza Design Architects of Brookline, and expect to have just over 100 seats in the restaurant and about 20 at the bar.
Henry said much work remains to be done and approvals must be obtained from the town. “We have a floor plan which is going to the planning office and we’re about to start the process of the liquor license.” The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the project Nov. 12.
“There’s still a ton of hurdles to get over. It’s taken a while but we’re getting there,” said Henry. “We’re so excited.”
If all goes well they hope Taberna will open in early 2026.
Related
Click here to go Home
Dining and Cooking