There is a fireplace on the wall at Heirloom, the cafe at 31 Center St. Co-owner Nadia Liu Spellman described it to the town's Finance Committee in March as an ambiance that "would really complement well to a glass of wine or a martini," according to the Weston Observer. Six months later, the state has signed off on her pitch. On Sept. 4, 2026, Massachusetts approved Chapter 203 of the Acts of 2026. That law lets Weston grant one additional on-premises, all-alcohol license to Weston Breakfast, LLC, doing business as Heirloom.
That makes Heirloom the second restaurant in town with a path to pouring. The first is The Woods, planned for the Josiah Smith Tavern at 358 Boston Post Road. Its license came years earlier, but the building still has no construction crew. The order these licenses were granted in may not be the order the town gets to use them.
The Second License Goes to a Dining Room That Is Already Open
Heirloom's owners, Nadia Liu Spellman and Kyle Spellman, are Weston natives. They also own Dumpling Daughter next door. Heirloom opened in 2022 and serves coffee, breakfast, sandwiches, salads, bowls and pastries. The license is meant to add dinner. In March, the owners described Thursday-through-Sunday dinner service with a "limited menu that is kid-friendly." Liu Spellman said she believed Heirloom would apply for a 10 p.m. closing hour.
Kyle Spellman explained the need simply. Most people have to go to Waltham or another town for a family dinner out, he told the Finance Committee. He also asked, "Why not have something in Weston, where we grew up?" Dumpling Daughter already allows BYOB. Liu Spellman said diners don't really take advantage of it.
Approval came quickly by Weston standards:
- March 12, 2026. The Finance Committee unanimously recommended the citizens' petition.
- May 4, 2026. Annual Town Meeting passed the petition 184–18, the Observer reported.
- Sept. 4, 2026. The governor approved H.5548, which took effect on passage.
The law authorizes a license. It does not issue one. At its June 23 meeting, Town Manager Leon Gaumond laid out the remaining steps, according to the Select Board minutes. Once the bill was signed, the Select Board would hold a liquor license hearing with abutter notifications and a public hearing. Approval from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission would follow. The agenda posted for the Select Board's Oct. 13 meeting does not list a Heirloom license hearing. As of this writing, we could not confirm that Heirloom is serving dinner or alcohol yet.
The law sets a few conditions. The license has to be issued within two years of the act's effective date. It can only be used in the dining room of a common victualler and in other areas the town's licensing authority approves in writing. It can never move to another address. It belongs to 31 Center Street.
The town had already estimated its share. Gaumond told the Finance Committee that a liquor license carries a $5,000 fee. He also said the restaurant could bring in $3,700 to $4,500 a month in additional sales tax revenue.
The First License Is Still Waiting on a Building Permit
The Woods holds what MassLive called the first public pouring license at a Weston restaurant since Prohibition. State law was changed to allow a license tied specifically to the tavern building. According to the Observer, the state commission awarded that license in March 2024.
The work still ahead is about the building and its site. The Woods is planned for 175 people, and town bylaws require 77 parking spaces for that capacity. The tavern lot has 43, and 12 on-street spaces were approved earlier. On Sept. 30, the Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved a variance that counts 22 more on-street spaces toward the total. It also granted the special permit for restaurant use, the Observer reported.
The reason goes back to the building's age. "The property and the tavern are both uniquely constrained due to their shape and configuration and location, all of which really stems from the fact they were established and constructed back in 1757," said Luke Legere, counsel for the restaurant's operating company, as quoted by the Observer. Rev. Jeffrey Barz-Snell of First Parish Church in Weston and Rev. Scott Euvrard of St. Julia Parish both wrote letters supporting the street parking plan. Gaumond told the board that from his own 40 hours a week in town center, "the number of available spots in town center is plentiful."
Three steps remain, according to the Observer and the Friends of Josiah Smith Tavern:
- The Select Board, the Friends and Boston Urban Hospitality need to finish an amendment to the sublease.
- The operator then needs to apply for a building permit and have it approved.
- The operator has to return to the ZBA for approval of a proposed wooden blade sign.
The Friends' Oct. 8 update says Boston Urban Hospitality has completed full construction documents and selected a contractor. The weather is now the pressure. "We're still on track, with the significant caveat that the window is closing here to get construction starting this fall," Friends president Jay Valenta told the Observer. He said the goal is still a spring opening. That target has moved before. A September 2025 report projected spring 2026, and a January 2026 Friends update set a goal of November 2026.
Two Restaurants With Different Plans
The two owners have described different restaurants. Restaurateur Brian Piccini told the ZBA that The Woods will serve lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Hours will run later on Fridays and Saturdays, and Sunday brunch will start at 10 a.m. Boston Urban Hospitality runs several Boston restaurants, including Deuxave in Back Bay.
Liu Spellman described the difference to the Finance Committee. "I think the Woods is going to have tons of steak and fish and heavy proteins," she said. "We're going to go a different direction, and have a kids' menu, too." She said Heirloom's dinner menu would likely be at a "different price point." Finance Committee member Jon Harris asked how the two would complement each other. Member Maija Cirulis-Gooch said the license would "do great stuff for the town center."
How Weston's Alcohol Rules Have Changed
Weston has loosened its alcohol rules slowly, one establishment at a time. A Weston Historical Society bulletin traces how that happened.
The Josiah Smith Tavern operated as a tavern for 80 years. It closed in 1838, the same year as the Massachusetts "Fifteen Gallon" law. The town's first formal "No License" vote came at Town Meeting in 1881 and passed 65–6, though the Society says Weston had been effectively dry for decades before that. A 2004 home-rule petition failed at Town Meeting, 67–97. In 2006, a statewide ballot question gave local authorities the power to license wine sales in grocery stores, and the Society records the vote as 2,590 to 2,302. Town Meeting then voted in May 2007 to let the Omni grocery sell wine. That vote still needed a change in state law, and sales began in 2008.
Both restaurant licenses have come through special state laws tied to a single location. The Woods' license is tied to the tavern building, and Heirloom's law bars the license from ever leaving 31 Center Street.
Tavern History on This Fall's Calendar
While both restaurants wait, Weston's older taverns have events on the calendar. The Golden Ball Tavern Museum is in the house Isaac Jones built in 1768. He ran a tavern there on the Boston Post Road. Jones was a loyalist, and the tavern was targeted in the Weston Tea Party raid of March 1774. It stayed open despite pressure to close in January 1775. Jones ran the tavern until 1793, and the house became a museum in 1964.
- Thursday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m. Historian Brooke Barbier gives a free online talk, "Cocked and Boozy," about how 18th-century tavern culture helped fuel the American Revolution.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Land's Sake Farm at 90 Wellesley St. hosts its free Halloween Fall Farm Fest. The lineup includes The Up & Covers, Juliana's Pizza Truck, Uhlman's Ice Cream, farm animals, a potting shed and the farmstand. A beer garden is new this year.
- Sunday, Oct. 25. Weston Historical Society president Pam Fox leads a tour of Weston's two oldest cemeteries for the Golden Ball.
- Friday, Nov. 13, 6 p.m. Stacy Booth presents "An Ordinary Bill of Fare," a free talk on colonial tavern food sponsored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Space is limited.
The museum is open for tours every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Weston Center's restaurant licenses affect more than dinner plans. They change what the town center offers and how buyers see a historic address in it. At Boston ONE Realty Group, we track changes like these block by block. If you own near the Town Green and want to know what your home is worth today, start with an instant home valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
