When Mike Shaw — the restaurateur behind the South Boston restaurant mini-empire that includes Lincoln Tavern, Loco Taqueria, Fat Baby, and Hunter’s — first viewed the Lot on the Dot, a 30,000-square-foot outdoor space that was hosting one-off events like movie screenings and a Taylor Swift fan night, he saw an opportunity. The Seaport’s outdoor space includes a beer garden, daily fitness programs, and, more recently, a raw bar from Island Creek Oysters. Similar venues dot other corners of the city. Why not South Boston?
“As a resident, a parent, and a business owner, it was frustrating that we would have to leave our neighborhood to go and access something like this,” Shaw says. As of mid-June, those days are over. Park City is now open at 411 Dorchester Avenue.
No, it’s not an offshoot of the Utah resort town, although squint and you may forget you’re in Boston. Picture outdoor swings, cabanas, and plenty of spots on the lawn to sprawl out. There’s an outdoor stage — “We’re going to have as much live music as we possibly can,” Shaw says — and the team is already booking local acts.
Crucially, there’s real-deal food and cocktail programs. Unlike other outdoor venues that have rotating casts of food trucks, Park City operates a permanent restaurant and bar on the premises. The food is led by the group’s culinary director, Mike Sanchez, and executive chef, Nosh & Grog alum Chelven Randolph, who paired up for a menu that mixes New England summer classics like lobster rolls and fried whole-belly clams with globe-trotting favorites that catch their attention, from Peruvian lomo saltado to yogurt-marinated grilled chicken gyros…