Two More MarketStreet Lynnfield Liquor Licenses Approved

Two of the expected restaurants at MarketStreet Lynnfield had their liquor license applications approved by selectmen at this week's meeting.

Liquor licenses were approved for the Yard House and for Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse. Attorney Joe Devlin and Stephanie Dazzo, manager of record for the Yard House, represented that company before the selectmen.

Devlin reported that the Yard House will be located in Building 300 of the MarketStreet Lynnfield development. The restaurant will be 10,000 square feet, and a 1,700 square foot covered patio is also planned. Yard House restaurants already exist at Legacy Place in Dedham, which is a comparable development to MarketStreet, and also near Fenway Park.

"This is a beer afficionado's place," said Devlin, reporting that the restaurant chain is owned by Darden Restaurants, owner of the Olive Garden and other chains. Instead of beers like Budweiser, the Yard House reportedly focuses more on craft beers that pair well with its menu items. The restaurant will not offer live entertainment - instead, flat screen TVs and radios playing classic rock are in the plan.

The restaurant will cost an estimated $5 million to construct, with a time frame of 4-5 months that could be finished by the end of July.

Davio's Already Well-Connected To Lynnfield

Selectmen also heard from Steve DiFillippo, who grew up in Lynnfield and who founded Davio's on Newbury Street in Boston as the restaurant's first chef. DiFillippo appeared as the manager of record, joined by Steve Todisco, a Lynnfield resident who is designing the new restaurant at MarketStreet.

According to DiFillippo, he hopes to open the new Davio's in Lynnfield on August 21st - which also happens to be his father's 85th birthday. He added that the tentative opening date for the overall MarketStreet complex is August 22nd.

Davio's also has a location in Foxborough. Between the upscale atmosphere of the restaurants and the company's experience navigating the liquor laws in a town that is home to an NFL team, DiFillippo was optimistic that there would be almost nothing in the way of an underage drinking issue raised by the new restaurant.


Editor's Note: This separate video clip from Monday night's Lynnfield Selectmen's meeting shows DiFillippo talking more about Northern Italian Cuisine.