Osteria Posto In Waltham To Become The Painted Burro

WALTHAM, MA — The owner of Osteria Posto, the fine-dining Italian restaurant on Third Avenue known for its sizzling steaks, is closing the restaurant for good and transforming it into The Painted Burro, a Mexican restaurant with a sister restaurant in Somerville.

Owner Joe Cassinelli hopes to open some time in April, he said in a phone interview.

In the years since he opened the fine-dining restaurant on Third Avenue in 2015, the workforce in the office parks nearby has changed.

"The demographic up there changed up there a lot, from corporate to a more millennial work force. It's a younger crowd, so the Painted Burro definitely appeals to that crowd," he said. "It's a more fun vibe, a lot more energy."

Between the demographic change and then the pandemic, he said, he knew it was time for a change.

"So once the corporate clientele left, it didn't leave us much of a choice," he said of his decision to send the restaurant into hibernation. "All those office buildings are virtual empty and no one is really expected to return until June or July."

And when they do return, there will likely be fewer people as many will stay working remote. Even as the demographics in the neighborhood changed with the offices, his restaurant was a go-to for private events and functions: Everything from business dinners, weddings, celebrations.

"That whole side of the business has evaporated during the pandemic," he said.

He knows he's going out on a limb to try a new concept in the space amid the pandemic, but he's hopeful.

Cassinelli said he's looking forward to opening and hosting people out on the patio with a frozen margarita bar there during the warmer months.

Cassinelli owns eight restaurants in the area. Of those, three stayed open amid the pandemic, he's reopening his two casual tapas-style Burro Bars March 4.

The Painted Burro in Waltham will feature the 100 different types of tequila that the Somerville location is known for. It will also have a similar menu, look for the moles, and entrees and plenty of gluten free and vegan options, too.

"I'm just excited to share," he said. "It's going to be the only real upscale Mexican restaurant in the area for a good radius, at least, and we'll have outdoor events on our large patio."

The Burro Bar will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and there will be brunch — yes, including bottomless all-you-can-eat brunch — on the weekends.

Cassinelli —originally from Milford — founded the Alpine Restaurant Group in 2009 and opened Posto in Davis Square in Cambridge the following year. In 2012, he opened his second restaurant, The Painted Burro, an upscale Mexican restaurant. In 2013, he expanded with a more casual Burro Bar and eventually expanded that to Brookline in 2017. In 2014, Alpine group reopened the old Rosebud diner as Rosebud American Roadhouse in Davis Square. In 2015, he opened Osteria Posto in Waltham.