Aceituna Grill in the Seaport District

Boston, MA Siena Construction completed a restaurant buildout for Aceituna Grill in the city’s Seaport District. Owners Gina, Andrew, AJ, Kurban and Samer Malak are building on the success of their restaurant’s first location, which has been in Kendall Sq. for over a decade.

Aceituna’s new location occupies a 2,375 s/f street level storefront in the new 17-story PwC Building at 101 Seaport Blvd. Siena implemented designs by McMahon Architects which called for the complete transformation of a previously empty space into the restaurant’s dining room, counter space, kitchen, office, and restrooms.

Siena’s project team project manager Nick Durkee and APM Becca Patnode worked closely with Neli Lalamov from McMahon Architects, Aceituna ownership, building landlords WS Development, and building managers CBRE to address project challenges. Material deliveries and installation were carefully scheduled so as not to disrupt the occupied building’s tenants or adjacent active construction projects. Additionally, careful planning was needed to ensure the project plans, materials, and signage adhered to exact building specifications, the Boston Inspectional Services Department, and the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

Durkee believes the team’s positive collaboration led to the ultimate success of the project.

“It was a pleasure to work with the creative design team at McMahon Architects and WS Development to realize the space for the owners,” Durkee said. “The complementary design and finishes create a comfortable and inviting dining atmosphere. I’m sure Aceituna will quickly become a new neighborhood favorite as a go-to place for great cuisine. I hope Aceituna Grill enjoys their new space.”

The restaurant’s dining area and counter space feature custom millwork, accent painting, pendant lighting fixtures, custom built partitions with glass, glazing, and finish carpentry, LVT flooring, café tables, chairs and banquettes, stone countertops, and custom branding. Creating the restaurant’s kitchen involved installation of high-end restaurant kitchen accessories and cooking equipment including seven shawarma rotisseries, front and back of house hoods, large walk in cooler and freezer, as well as security and A/V systems. The overall back of house and kitchen footprint more than doubles their existing location. The buildout also included plumbing from the active parking garage below, distribution of fire protection systems, installation of new Ansul systems, HVAC and kitchen exhaust with specialty pollution control unit, and electrical trades.

The Aceituna Grill’s new Seaport location opened in December 2016.

Siena Construction is a Cambridge-based construction management firm celebrating its 25th year in operation, specializing in projects for retail/hospitality, life sciences, educational, and commercial industries.