Mooncusser Fish House’s Casual Bar Debuts This Week

Mooncusser Fish House opened in late July in Back Bay, the first Boston restaurant from the team behind Concord’s acclaimed 80 Thoreau (Ian Calhoun, Vincent Vela, and chef Carolyn Johnson). The upscale seafood restaurant is on the third floor of the triangular building at 304 Stuart St., and the team had previously announced that they’d soon open a more casual Mooncusser companion called Moon Bar on the first floor, which used to house Viga, a takeout restaurant.

Now, the Viga space has been entirely transformed into Moon Bar, which officially opens this Wednesday, August 16. It features a bar that nearly follows the triangular shape of the building and is embellished by a triangular chandelier decorated with New England-inspired glass lanterns. The space, which was designed by Dan Raih of Bruner/Cott in Cambridge, also includes an open kitchen area and lots of stone and steel. There’s also a bit of non-bar seating, plus a standing bar along the Columbus Avenue side.

While the vibe is more casual than that of its big sibling upstairs, Moon Bar shares Mooncusser’s seafood focus, serving dishes such as a lobster roll; fried scallop ravioli; soft-shell crab BLT; smoked bluefish fattoush; grilled swordfish souvlaki; and a skate, clam, and smoked scallop chowder.

To drink, there’s a focus on seafood-friendly wines, and the restaurant is aiming to offer a number of by-the-glass options that are more typically served only by the bottle. There’s also plenty of beer on draft.

Starting Wednesday, Moon Bar is open for dinner and drinks from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly, except for Sunday, when it’s closed. No reservations.

• Thank Your Lucky Stars: Mooncusser Fish House Arrives in Back Bay July 22 [EBOS]
• Mooncusser Fish House [Official Site]