Last month, Eataly executives signed a fifteen year lease with Boston Properties to build a $20 million Italian food emporium at the Prudential Center. With construction starting later this month, the Boston Globe is now reporting that the marketplace is aiming to open in September 2016.

The 45,000 square foot space, designed to match the feel of a marketplace in Italy, will feature quick and full-service eateries, a cafe, wine bar, and gourmet marketplace selling handmade pastas, wine, and other imported Italian products. In addition to New York and Chicago locations, Eataly Boston will become the third in the United States.

The market will replace the existing food court at The Shops at the Prudential Center. The three-story attraction will include a 300-seat rooftop grill above the market, as well as six other restaurants, a brewery with a retractable ceiling, and a cafe. Also, a new street-level entrance will be built on Boylston Street. Details of the layout are still being finalized, but the market is expected to sell about 15,000 products.

“With approximately 500 employees needed at the Prudential Center location, Eataly is committed to Boston and will be a welcome addition to the city’s culinary job growth projections,” said John Barros, Boston’s chief of economic development, in a release. 

Nicola Farinetti, son of businessman Oscar Farinetti who partnered with Mario Batali and others to bring the megastore to the states in 2010, added he hopes the facility will attract five million visitors each year.

The market is sure to be a success, as its unique shopping and dining concepts will appeal to customers throughout New England. Tourists and locals alike will visit Back Bay’s Prudential Center to further Boston’s reputation as a world-class dining destination and to support the local economy.

Plus, a brewery? Color us intrigued.

Image provided.