Thomas John's Piperi Slated to Open in Downtown Boston

Piperi's Gozi flatbread sandwich

By Naomi Kooker

Thomas John, former executive chef of Au Bon Pain and long-closed Mantra, is behind a new Mediterranean restaurant, Piperi, opening at One Beacon Street in Government Center in Downtown Boston on December 3, 2012.

Piperi (pronounced pip-AIR-ee), which means peppercorns in Greek, will be a 20-seat, fast-casual concept offering freshly prepared Mediterranean-inspired dishes that include sandwiches made out of Gozi, a signature flatbread, salads and mezze, the latter served with rice. Ordering will be a one-two-three step, where you select what you want, like a Gozi or salad, then choose one “featured” ingredient, like grilled chicken, steak or falafel, and add up to four toppings - hummus, feta cheese, yogurt cucumber sauce and marinated olives, for example.

Piperi will be open 7 AM-6 PM weekdays, Saturday 11 AM-3 PM and closed Sundays. The telephone number, 617-227-7471, does not connect to the restaurant yet, but the website is operational.