A local delicatessen that’s slowly building a meat empire in Waltham is now officially open for business in Boston.

Moody’s Delicatessen & Provisions opened its doors for regular business on Monday after a soft opening on Friday, Dec. 8. Along with the deli’s signature smoked meats and giant sandwiches, award-winning chef/owner Joshua Smith said the Boylston Street location would offer a bit of menu variety catered to the Back Bay neighborhood.

“We’re right next to SoulCycle, and they’re not necessarily going to want to leave a workout and get a huge pastrami sandwich,” Smith said in a phone interview last month. “They’ll want something a little healthier. We’ll bring in rotisserie chicken. We’ll have more salads. We’ll have grain bowls. We’ll do more fermented vegetables.”


Grain bowls may sound like a odd choice to Moody’s customers who regularly order sandwiches like The Beast (slow roasted 7X Beef, onion marmalade, horseradish cream, and fontina cheese on French bread), but recently Moody’s has started to spread its wings — both in terms of menu and location. In the next month or so, Smith plans to open a crudo and raw bar spot in Waltham alongside the existing full-service restaurant and wine bar Moody’s Backroom. In early 2018, he plans to open a tapas and barbecue spot nearby, as well. In the fall of 2018, he’ll head to the West Coast and open a restaurant and wine bar in Napa, California, after years of building relationships with winemakers.

“I know it sounds like we have million irons in the fire,” Smith said. “But we absolutely would not continue to grow if we didn’t have the ability to do it well.”

Meat from Moody’s Deli. —Nina Gallant for Moody's Deli

In terms of the Back Bay location, Smith said that there will be a focus on breakfast fare, specifically mentioning a $6 breakfast sandwich made with the company’s own sausage and cheddar and a pepper jelly. He also shouted out Moody’s “dope coffee program” from La Colombe, a Philadelphia coffee roaster.


Businesspeople stuck working late who want a hearty meal can opt for take-home dinner options like rotisserie chicken, meatloaf, and spareribs.

“We’ve got the city customer in mind with our menu,” Smith said, noting that Moody’s Back Bay location will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., to best reflect the business consumer.

The Beast, a sandwich from Moody’s Delicatessen. —Nina Gallant for Moody's Deli

Boston-specific menu items aside, it wouldn’t be Moody’s without smoked meat from the company’s 10,000-square-foot facility in Waltham. Most of the “piled high” sandwiches you can find in Waltham will be available, which Smith said he hopes will draw the lunch crowd. Aside from The Beast, other choices for customers include The Katz (pastrami, Mama Lil’s pickle mustard, and Swiss cheese on rye), Chef Charles (smoked ham, Gruyere cheese, Dijon, and a fried egg on white bread), and Dave’s Grilled Cheese (provolone, fontina and Parmesan cheeses, caramelized onions, and spicy red pepper jam on sourdough bread).

It’s not just the regular lunch crowd that Smith wants to entice with his meat, though. Smith said he hopes Boston chefs will stop by for a taste and enter into wholesale agreements with the deli.

“We process 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of product a day in Waltham for about 70 wholesale clients nationwide,” Smith said. “Local chefs have been very kind to us and put us on their menu. We’re hoping that an outpost downtown will help us gain the attention of local chefs and help that grow.”

500 Boylston St., moodysboston.com