Telmo Faria Snags Former Incanto Space for Uma Casa

After months of pop-ups, Telmo Faria has found a home for his Portugese restaurant Uma Casa in the former location of Incanto.

As any restaurateur knows, a good relationship with the landlord is key to a long, successful run. In this case, former Incanto owner Mark Pastore was looking for just the right tenant to come along. "The space is personal to him," Faria told Eater. "He didn't want to stick just anyone in there." And in turn, Uma Casa is a very personal project for Faria, whose inspiration is his family in Portugal.

The dining room will hold 75 seats, in addition to 12 at the bar and plus a private dining room, which Faria is calling "Mesa d'Avô" (translation: Grandmother's table). The room will be a very personal space for Faria, filled with knick knacks from his grandparents' kitchens and old photos lining the walls. "Most private dining rooms are designed to keep people separate," said Faria. "I want Uma Casa to represent my story and journey, and this is part of it." Food will be served family-style at a large communal table, that can hold up to 20 people. Faria also plans to redesign the bar, adding a raw bar display where diners can check out the whole fresh seafood that they'll be ordering in the dining room, plus items like oysters on the half shell and marinated octopus salad.

Right now Faria is planning an opening in early summer if all goes according to plan, offering dinner and eventually weekend brunch. Stay tuned for more details, including a few more pre-opening pop-ups in the new year.