Frank Mundo’s Café Bistro Set to Open in Pawtucket

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The inviting interior of Frank Mundo's Café Bistro in Pawtucket.

News Summary

Pawtucket is welcoming a new upscale dining option, Frank Mundo’s Café Bistro, which aims to offer a simple and quality-focused menu. With 40 seats and a bar area, this intimate restaurant will feature live jazz music and is expected to enhance the local dining landscape. Set in the historic Beswick Building, the café has been granted necessary licenses and is poised to attract both residents and visitors, contributing to the local economy.

Pawtucket is set to enhance its dining landscape with the opening of Frank Mundo’s Café Bistro, a new upscale restaurant anticipated to attract residents and visitors alike. Entrepreneur Sam Shorr, recognized for his successful niche restaurant Ma Ch in Los Angeles, plans to create a dining experience that focuses on simplicity and quality.

The café bistro will occupy approximately 1,000 square feet on the lower level of the historic Beswick Building located at 1 Exchange St. This part of the building has largely remained vacant aside from a couple of existing businesses, News Café and Mama Africa.

Approval has been granted for the necessary liquor and food service licenses from the Pawtucket City Council, allowing Shorr to move forward with his investment of around $250,000 into the establishment.

Frank Mundo’s Café Bistro aims to offer a small and intimate dining atmosphere, drawing comparisons to renowned restaurants such as Al Forno in Providence. The menu will feature simple, classic dishes that include grilled meats, vegetables, and salads. The restaurant will have a total of 40 seats, with a nine-seat bar for patrons who prefer to enjoy a drink while dining.

To create a comfortable environment, the café will feature live jazz and other quieter music styles, with Shorr emphasizing the importance of maintaining a subdued atmosphere. As part of this effort, construction will include a reinforced wall to reduce sound interference from neighboring businesses.

The restaurant’s hours are initially limited to 5 PM to 11 PM, operating four to five days a week. This approach is intended to ensure strong performance while avoiding overextending staffing in the early stages of operation.

Historical Significance of the Beswick Building

The Beswick Building, erected in 1891, holds a significant place in the history of Pawtucket. It has been a venue for various community functions, including dances and meetings for fraternal societies. Recent renovations and upgrades aimed at improving energy efficiency have been part of ongoing redevelopment efforts supported by the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank.

Over the years, the building has seen various uses, having previously housed a shoeshine store among other establishments. These changes reflect the evolving needs of the community and the historic importance of maintaining the building’s character.

Community Reactions

Feedback from local officials has been largely positive, with council members expressing optimism that the new restaurant will make a valuable contribution to the local economy and the surrounding community. There is hope that Frank Mundo’s Café Bistro will not only enhance dining options but also help preserve the historic character of the Beswick Building.

As Pawtucket prepares for the arrival of this new culinary destination, the community looks forward to what Frank Mundo’s Café Bistro will bring to the local dining scene.