Mattapoisett Mexican Restaurant Is Days Away From Opening

Major style points for Salty the Seahorse in a sombrero.

Mattapoisett townies have kept a close eye on what is known as "the old Chowder House" building for quite some time. It's a location that really hasn't garnered much success since the Mattapoisett Chowder House packed up and moved to where the current Lebanese Kitchen now sits. Believe it or not, that was 20 years ago.

Since then, the Route 6 location has seen Nick's Fish House, The Village Scoop, The Hollywood Scoop, Jack's Kitchen and a whole lot of vacancies. No one has been able to get much traction at all.

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Dave Nicolosi and Megan St. John are looking to buck that trend with What The Taco.

Which Came First? Mexican or Location?

We wondered if Nicolosi and St. John found the location first and decided that Mattapoisett needed a Mexican Street restaurant. Or, did they first decide on Mexican and then find the location?

Their story started with a food truck. The co-owners launched a taco truck in February of last year. It was operational through August 2023. On September 1, Nicolosi started prepping the building to become the restaurant.

READ MORE: Taco Truck Opens at Mahoney's Lumber in Mattapoisett

Now, as the business nears opening day, What The Taco plans to host two private soft opening events. "The first one will be a thank-you event for the people that helped build the restaurant," Nicolosi said. "Then, we'll do a family and friends-only event. We'll actually be open, serving and charging, but with a friendly clientele in case we're not perfect. We'll try to work out any additional bugs."

What The Taco Mattapoisett's Opening Day

As of March 20, the owners said the restaurant would open in the next few days.

"It'll be one day next week," St. John said.

When What The Taco officially opens, the hours will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with the kitchen closing at 9 and the bar staying open with some late-night bites.