South Shore restaurant's holiday extravaganza returns: Reservations filling up fast

WEYMOUTH – While pumpkin spice and apple cider season may just be getting started, the Venetian is already gearing up for another winter wonderland.

The Venetian on Aug. 1 began taking reservations for November for the restaurant's second holiday pop-up featuring nearly 6,000 red and gold ornaments, lush green garland and thousands of twinkling lights.

Reservations for December opened this month, and January bookings will be available starting Oct. 1.

Owner calls it 'something special for the holidays'

Restaurateur Eric Papachristos in 2019 purchased The Venetian , known across the South Shore for decades for its southern Italian fare. Papachristos grew up in Jackson Square and his family has for nearly four decades owned the restaurant Niko's.

Papachristos said he and his marketing team were brainstorming ideas for the restaurant last summer when someone mentioned Rolf's in New York City, which is decorated with lights, wreaths and ornaments year-round.

“The Venetian is not just a restaurant, it’s family,” Papachristos said. “So, we thought it would be a great family idea to do something special for the holidays.”

He teamed with local designer and installer J. Landry Co. to develop a concept. The result was about 6,000 ornaments, 2,700 sparkling lights and hundreds of feet of garland and other decorations.

“As we were developing it, the idea ran away from us,” Papachristos said. “But it was hard to pull back the reins. So, I said, 'let’s do it.' It’ll be a forever thing, so let’s go all in on it.”

The holiday pop-up debuted last Nov. 1. By Nov. 14, he said the restaurant was booked solid through the end of the year.

From November to January, the Venetian served more than 31,000 people, with more than 20,000 people visiting the restaurant for the first time. He said people traveled from New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine for the pop-up.

"We didn't think it was going to be as successful as it was," he said. "It was amazing to see."

Holiday pop-up to return for the second year and already selling out

Papachristos said he knew the hype was still there, but he didn't realize how quickly people would jump to make reservations. The website went live Aug. 1 for November reservations, and by the second week, he said, they were sold out. December reservations opened this month and are also almost sold out.

"We're working internally to squeeze out more reservations, whether it's opening earlier or staying open later," Papachristos said.

The Venetian will also open for lunch Monday through Friday in December as part of the pop-up. There will be two daily seatings and a special prix-fixe menu that includes three courses for $50 per seat.

Papachristos said he's already had people emailing to ask if they can make a reservation for the pop-up in 2025.

Reservations for the pop-up are exclusively available through the website Opentable.com . The reservation link is available at www.venetian-weymouth.com. All 13 bar stools are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are for people 21 and older.

'Made with a lot of love': Menu of classic Italian dishes at The Venetian in Weymouth

More: What will happen to The Venetian during – and after – square's redevelopment in Weymouth

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore restaurant's holiday extravaganza returns: Reservations filling up fast