A pizza restaurant that has been serving fresh pies and ice cream in Boston for 20 years is expanding westward.
Picco, which has been in the South End since 2004, is planning to open its second location in Marlborough this spring, chef and owner Tony Lawrence told MassLive.
The new restaurant will be located in downtown Marlborough in a space formerly occupied by a bank at 179 Main St. and across the street from Main Street Cafe.
Lawrence — who lives in Marlborough — expects the current construction in the building to be completed by mid-April, with the restaurant opening either by the end of the month or in May.
Lawrence is hoping to cater to the many families who are familiar with Picco, but moved out of Boston and settled down in the suburbs.
“There is definitely an expanding food scene in MetroWest,” Lawrence said. “Certainly the population is booming in Marlborough. They’re building housing all over the place.”
Lawrence has been working at Picco for 17 years. He and his partner, Rachelle Cando, who’s the restaurant’s general manager, bought Picco from its original owner in 2019.
As a Marlborough resident, Lawerence has been commuting to Boston for the past 12 years. Therefore, he’s looking forward to bringing the restaurant to his hometown and living closer to work.
“I live 10 minutes from there, so [it’s a] much easier commute there than it is to the city,” Lawrence said. “Marlborough turns out to be the perfect space for me specifically.”
The new Picco will be bigger than its flagship restaurant. Lawrence said the Marlborough location will seat about 100 people as opposed to the 48 seats at the Boston restaurant.
The Marlborough location will also have a full bar, as opposed to the South End spot solely offering beer and wine.
But what’s not changing is the food menu. The new Picco will continue to serve the restaurant’s popular pizzas that are “made with a cold-ferment sourdough and charred to maximize flavor,” according to the restaurant’s website.
“ We make everything from scratch and that involves a lot of labor. So it’s nice to have that beer and wine or cocktails to sell to kind of help patch your bottom line a little bit,” Lawrence said.
The Marlborough Picco will also house the restaurant’s signature ice cream and dairy-free sorbets that are also made from scratch.
“We source our milk from local farms, and all our toppings, chips and sweets are made right here in our kitchen,” Picco’s website reads. “We don’t use high fructose corn syrup, eggs, artificial colors or flavors. Along with our classic flavors, we feature several seasonal flavors throughout the year.”
Lawrence is also hoping to offer catering to businesses in the area.
He expects the Marlborough Picco to have the same hours as the Boston restaurant, with the possibility of staying open later.
Picco Boston is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
