Boston-based real estate developer Berkeley Investments has confirmed that two new popular restaurants with solid footing in the Northeast - 110 Grill and Evviva Trattoria - will occupy two ground-floor retail spaces at Exchange 200, a four-story, 300,000+ square-foot mixed-use building being redeveloped for lab/life-sciences, R&D, and creative office uses.  Both establishments are expected to open in mid-2021 at this transit-oriented property located in the heart of Malden Center. 110 Grill and Evviva Trattoria join Caffè Nero, the premium European coffee house, which has also leased space on the building’s ground floor.

110 Grill, which offers upscale casual American cuisine, is expected to occupy 6,470 square feet of space across five main seating areas: main dining room with open kitchen, a large horseshoe-shaped bar, lounge with high-top seating, a private dining room and an outdoor patio with fire pit. Evviva Trattoria will occupy 5,830 square feet including an outdoor patio as well and features modern Italian food served in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. 

110 Grill’s new Malden location will add to the restaurant’s growing presence across the Northeast. Based in Westford, Massachusetts with locations throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York, the group also plans to expand to Rhode Island and Connecticut this year and will soon reach 40 locations.

Ryan Dion, Chief Operating Officer for 110 Grill, says “the menu in Malden will be similar to other locations and will feature our twist modern American cuisine.” He adds, “100% of our core menu is either naturally gluten free or can be modified to be gluten free and we have a very strong commitment to allergy awareness, including a recent award from AllergyEats as the 2nd most allergy-friendly restaurant brand in the United States.”

Some of the dishes featured on a 110 Grill dinner menu include Chimichurri Steak, Sesame Ginger Salmon, Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese, Steak Tips, and Chicken Caprese. Appetizers include Crab Rangoon Dip, Spinach Dip Bread Bowl, Firecracker Shrimp, and BBQ Chicken Nachos.

Evviva Trattoria, with locations presently in Wrentham, Westford, Marlborough and Maynard, features modern Italian food served in a casual setting.  Evviva is known to take beloved Italian and American classics like Parmigiana, Picatta, Lasagna, Bolognese, and more, and add their own culinary personal touches.  Evviva’s core menu, designed by its Director of Culinary and Operations, Anthony DePalma, includes gluten-free options and offers primi / zuppa (appetizers), insalatas, paninis, secondi (entrees) and pizzas / build your own pizzas. Evviva’s Montanara pizzas made with fried crust are a popular option with guests.  Catering will also be available for tenants of Exchange 200 and nearby companies.

Marcie Day, Chief Operating Officer for Evviva Trattoria adds, “We are looking forward to bringing the Evviva brand with its Italian inspired, locally made cuisine, to the Malden area. Guests will enjoy our comfortable, family-style atmosphere, friendly service and delicious food, as well as our great loyalty program.” 

Malden Mayor Gary Christenson is also excited by the news, saying, ”I am very happy that we will be able to add these two highly-regarded destinations to our diverse dining scene in Malden. With upscale American cuisine and now a modern Italian kitchen in Malden Center, this only underscores one of my favorite sayings: Dine in Malden, Taste the World!"

“Offering both 110 Grill and Evviva Trattoria to prospective tenants and local residents is a real draw for Exchange 200,” says Young Park, President of  Berkeley Investments. “Both restaurants perfectly complement the new breweries, other eateries, and exciting entertainment and gaming options that have emerged in Malden Center over the last several years. With the imminent completion of the Exchange 200 project, along with recent large-scale investments such as the new J Malden Apartments and new City Hall, Malden Center is in the midst of an exciting transformation that cements the city as one of the most dynamic, diverse city centers in Greater Boston. These new restaurants will add two exciting new destinations for the local workforce, visitors, and residents who call Malden Center home.

Ryan Dion says they chose Exchange 200 because Malden Center will offer them the perfect customer demographic. “You can come in in a business suit and enjoy a rib-eye steak and a nice bottle of Cabernet. Or you can also come in with jeans and sneakers and have a burger and fries and a beer at the bar. Either way, you’re guaranteed to fit in at both locations. We’re confident our restaurants will be highly successful here in Malden Center.”

Exchange 200 offers large, flexible floorplates, high-capacity power infrastructure, high ceilings, heavy floor loads, and six loading docks, all features that are unique in the market for a building with such immediate public transit access and a travel time of under 15 minutes to downtown Boston. Berkeley expects these features to be attractive to life-science and other creative economy tenants who may have R&D requirements that often can only be accommodated in more suburban locations.  Park adds that Exchange 200 will also appeal to a wide assortment of prospective tenants beyond R&D and life science, including tech-start-ups, robotics, health-care and non-profit office tenants who are looking to tap into a talented, transit-oriented workforce but who may be looking for space at a significant discount to rents in places like Boston and Cambridge. Exchange 200 expects to open in Fall 2020.

Pat Paladino, Senior Managing Director of Newmark Knight Frank, represented Berkeley Investments in these transactions while Jeff White of Aries Commercial Real Estate, LLC, represented the restaurant tenants.