MOCO downtown

04/23/2026

Dinner Menu. 🇮🇹
New faves and MoCo classics are waiting.
Reserve online or simply walk in!

04/23/2026

Summer menu is off to a good start.
Monday-Friday
11:30-2:00
Walkins Welcome.

04/03/2026

03/18/2026

10 Stories for 10 years
The Toughest Year

Original FB Post March 16, 2020 -
4 years and the day before the world shut down

Hard to believe it's been 4 YEARS since we opened our doors to MoCo downtown. Wow! How do we even begin to say THANK YOU to all our loyal guests, fearless staff (past & present), amazing suppliers, fellow restaurateurs, rock solid friends & family who have supported us over the years? It's been a ride with so many ups, smiles, laughs, compliments and perhaps an occasional speed bump along the way ...

Example:

There was this one very stormy and windy night when the awning half detached from the building and was hanging by a shoe string - kinda like a 100lb kite waiting to launch down Regent street to seriously harm or potentially kill a passerby. Then the power went out with a completely full restaurant (mayhem) and 911 put us on hold for two hours until we just gave up, risked our lives & ripped down the awning by ourselves with the help of some random guy walking down the road. Yeah - that was an adventure.

As we stare down this pandemic with Covid-19, it kinda feels like we are back on that night ... the awning is hanging on precariously and we don't know what to do. 911 isn't answering our calls and we are scared. BUT just like we did that night, we will dig deep and figure it out. We always do. Irony is that we FINALLY put our awnings back up this week.

For now, MoCo will continue to operate at a decreased capacity to allow for more social separation. We will continue to be stringent in our sanitation and disinfecting of high contact areas. We will also continue to offer TAKE OUT if our guests would rather pick up their meals and dine in the privacy of their own homes. Dining room hours are subject to change (ie we could close) but for now ... this is what we have decided to do. THANK YOU for your understanding and support during this very difficult time.

Original FB Post March 17, 2020 -
The Very Next Day

We did not go gentle into that good night. We really, really wanted to stay open but it seems the fates feel otherwise. We hope Moco is a place where people come to be together and celebrate in each other’s company. Unfortunately, now is not the time for that. Now’s the time to step back and do what we can to keep each other safe. We will be closed until further notice, eagerly awaiting the time that we can wine and dine, drink and sing the nights away with the one’s we cherish. See you as soon as we can!

Now… Looking Back…

If opening MoCo was about courage, then surviving this year was about endurance.

By the time we reached it, we were no longer the new kids on the block. The paint had dried, the buzz had faded, and reality had settled in. The kind of reality that doesn’t show up on opening night — rising costs, shrinking margins, broken equipment, exhausted staff, and the constant weight of wondering if tomorrow would be the day something finally broke.

And then, of course, the world broke.

The pandemic didn’t just slow us down — it pulled the rug out from under everything we had built. Overnight, a restaurant designed around gathering was told people could no longer gather. Tables sat empty. Lights stayed off. The sound of laughter and clinking glasses was replaced with silence and uncertainty.

We pivoted because we had to. Takeout. Curbside. Family meals. Gift cards. Anything to keep the doors from closing for good. Some days it felt like we were running on hope and duct tape.

But what we didn’t lose — even when everything else felt shaky — was our community.

Guests kept showing up in the ways they could. Buying meals they didn’t even need. Tipping when they didn’t have to. Leaving notes that said, “We’ll see you on the other side of this.” Our team kept coming back, even when there were easier places to go. They showed up for us the way we were trying to show up for them.

There were nights Brian and I sat at the bar after closing, staring at each other and wondering if this was the end of the dream we had fought so hard to build. There were tears. There were sleepless nights. There were moments we questioned everything.

But there was also something else — resilience.

We didn’t just survive that year. We learned what MoCo really was. Not just a restaurant. Not just a business. But a place people cared about enough to fight for.

The toughest year didn’t break us.

It proved who we were.

03/16/2026

10 Stories for 10 Years
Today is the day 🥳 🥂
March 16.

The actual day 10 years ago when we opened our doors for the very first time. I’ve thought a long time about what I’ve wanted to say to commemorate this moment. It’s difficult to sum up a decade of experiences into a short post. Hence, the 10 Stories Adventure. Thank you all for taking the time to read my mini-novels.

I have decided to repost from 2017. And repost another from 2020 tomorrow. They are both a good read and still very relevant. Here we go…

🍝 🍷

FB Post March 16 2017

One year ago today... we embarked on an adventure. The tables were set, the music was on, the staff were kinda trained and we unlocked the door to serve our first customers at MOCO downtown. What a year it has been... a roller coaster of emotions.. of being so busy, we could barely breathe and being so slow, we could hear the hum of the kitchen hoods (luckily there have been way more of the busy days). We have experienced a tidal wave of love and community support to rally around one of our own and also felt the despair of tragedy as she lost the love of her life. It has been a roller coaster.

But that’s ok because we have the best job in the universe. We feed people, serve people and help build memories with family, friends and sometimes even complete strangers. It's about nourishing the soul as much as the body. And we couldn't do it as awesomely as we do without our staff.

Who knew, when we hired our team of staff members we would be hiring our extended family. They call us mom and dad. 😂They truly support us in every way. Show up for work on time, most of the time with a big smile on their faces and ready for whatever the shift will bring. Like family, we share too many laughs to count and sometimes a few angry words in the heat of service, but we always come back together. Occasionally, there is even a forced hug-it-out moment. Thank you for all that you guys do. We love you.

Words cannot express how grateful we are to our all guests, our family and friends and everyone who has supported us over the last year. We appreciate how awesome our own children (Mo, Cole & Annabelle ) have been through this year. Many evenings and weekends were spent at MOCO instead of with them. They seem to understand that MOCO is more than a restaurant… it is a culmination of many people's effort and a dream and a passion of ours.

But we couldn't have done it without help. Huge thank you goes out to Krista & Frank Neves, Ryan & Bre Toner, Lila and Kyle Lennie, Brian Cloutier, Mark Dunbar, Mike Babineau, Joey Babineau, Connie Munroe, John & Diane Monkhouse, Kevin Estabrooks, Mike Jones, Neil Martin, Lisa Wood and the countless other people who helped us open the doors.

To all of guests, past, present and future...Thank you so much for all your support and we look forward to feeding you again soon here at MOCO.

Bring on year 2! 😊
Or Year 11 🤯

Happy Anniversary to all our amazing staff (past and present). You have shaped MoCo into what it is today and for that we are forever grateful 🥲

Thank you for all our beautiful guests who continue to show up and support us. We wouldn’t be able to do this without ALL of you.
❤️

03/15/2026

10 Stories for 10 Years
The OG Crew - Lindsay

Our Pasta Queen.
Ace organizer.
Label N**i.
Deep clean guru.
And so much more.

Lindsay came with the building. She was working at The Blue Door when it closed, and we were lucky enough to adopt her from the very beginning. We still tease she was part of our purchase agreement - she was part of the chattels.

Chef B took Lindsay under his wing and showed her the craft of fresh pasta. Ten years later, she has more than mastered it. Her pasta is paper thin, full of flavour, made with incredible care. Her attention to detail shows in every batch — lining up sheets perfectly, making sure each ravioli is nestled in place so nothing tears or breaks. Expertise, patience, and pride show up in every tray. How lucky are we!

Our pasta has become a big reason guests return again and again. Lindsay’s skill sits quietly behind that success — a bit of our secret weapon. She shows up early, stays late when needed, and brings loyalty and dedication every single day.

She keeps the walk-in perfectly labeled and organized, tackles the basement with pep and vigour, and somehow always knows where everything belongs.

We’re so incredibly lucky Lindsay has been part of the MoCo family since those early days and grateful for the care, commitment, and talent she brings to the kitchen every single day.

Thanks for ten amazing years, Lindsay.
MoCo wouldn’t be the same without you. ❤️

03/15/2026

10 Stories for 10 Years
The OG Crew - Nug

I first met Nug when I moved back to Fredericton to run the kitchen at Cannons Cross Pub. I had worked there years earlier before heading back to Ontario to grow my culinary career and learn a few more things along the way.

I had hired his older brother during my first time at Cannons and had heard about Nug but had never met him. When I returned, he was already working there. By this point I had worked in a lot of kitchens, alongside hundreds of cooks with every personality imaginable — from villains to saints and everything in between.

I liked Nug right away. Quiet. Thoughtful. Sharp. He knew every word to every song blasting on the kitchen radio and never forgot a thing I told him. Hard worker. Always on time. Well-liked. But could have a temper too. Every now and then I had to juggle schedules to prevent a war between him and his brother.

We worked well together. Eventually I even learned his real name was Matt… not Nug. Took a few months. Kitchen nicknames tend to stick. When I left to open MoCo Mactaquac, Nug stayed at Cannons.

Not long after, the opportunity to open MoCo Downtown appeared — fast and a little crazy, the way big dreams often are. Dreams come with risks and stepping into one like that requires people you trust.

I knew I needed Nug. I asked him to come be my sous chef. He said yes. My friends at Cannons let me poach him — a generous move, considering what they were giving up. We hit the ground running, and honestly, we haven’t stopped.

These days I’m not in the kitchen nearly as much. Nug is. He runs the kitchen at MoCo now. Over the years I’ve watched him grow from part-time cook to full-fledged chef. Some things can’t be taught — loyalty, integrity, dependability, quiet leadership. Nug has all of them.

He cares deeply about what he does and who he does it with. He’s a great cook, a great teammate, and he makes the best gnocchi I’ve ever had. It’s not even close.

There have been countless moments over the years — long prep days, busy services, arguments, laughs, victories, and quiet conversations. Those memories are mine to keep, and Nug knows exactly what they mean.

I couldn’t be prouder of him.

Thanks Nug — for everything, and for giving everything. I know you know.
-B

03/15/2026

10 Stories for 10 Years.
The Funniest Review.

October 17, 2020

“Actually I was trying to send you a message. We ate there last night and it was the worst spaghetti and meatballs we’ve ever had and as well. The escargot were disgusting. I am an excellent cook and am enclosing my recipe for escargot and spaghetti sauce. Escargot should be put in an escargot dish (you can get them at the DollOrama. Heat crushed garlic and butter, then add a1/2 tsp of brandy. Put one large escargot in each section then bake in oven until bubbling

Spaghetti sauce (which tasted like tomato sauce) should have onions and two loves of crushed garlic, heated, then add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste. Then add some spices. I add cumin, oregano, fennel seeds (a must) and cayenne pepper for heat (your choice of how much)

Sorry, but we were very disappointed in our dinner. Maybe this will be helpful”

😆

03/12/2026

10 Stories for 10 Years
The Story Behind Nonna C’s Tomato Sauce

Growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, I was one of the few non-Italians in my friend group. So, as it goes with Italian families, I was brought into the fold as the token “mangia-cake” (ie Italian slang for Non-Italian) and shown the true way. 🍝

Enter Tara(my forever friend), circa 1992. Tara’s Nonna and Nonno (Cesira & Bruno) own Cesira’s, a quaint Italian restaurant nestled into downtown, a SSM landmark. Tara’s entire family are working here… Her dad Frank, mom Janice, big sister Lina and
little brother Frankie. It is (was) truly a family run business and I was lucky enough to be included!

My first time drinking wine was at a family dinner at Cesiras on NYE. Little did I know it was homemade Nonno wine and well… let’s leave the rest of that story out. 🤪

I've been blessed to have so many family meals at Nonnas house and when I say meals, I mean feasts, with countless courses of beautifully prepared, delicious dishes. Handmade fresh pasta was an “aha” moment for me.

Memories are made over food. I’ve learned this and so much more from Tara and her family over the years.

Fast forward a few years circa 2016. MoCo was finally becoming a dream come true and I reached out to Tara and her dad to see if they would consider sharing the recipe for Nonna’s tomato sauce. They said yes. 😊

Nonna C’s tomato sauce is a testament to hard work, to taking the time to do things right, to family values, to tradition and so much more. The love of Tara and her family are an inspiration and have had a lifelong impression on me.

I’m proud to try to continue on what they started… A family business rooted in supporting each other to create a place where family and friends gather to celebrate life while indulging in delicious food.

Thank you to Nonna C, Tara and her entire family for being a big part of what makes MoCo, well… MoCo and me… me.

03/10/2026

10 Stories for 10 Years.
The Most Mispronounced Menu Item

If there is one thing we’ve learned in ten years, it’s this:
You can put anything on a menu… but you can’t make people pronounce it.

From the very beginning, one little word has caused more confusion, creativity, and accidental comedy than any other.

Gnocchi.

Or as it has been lovingly called over the years:
Ga-know-chee. No-key. Knock-ee. Guh-no-chee. No-chee. Goo-nock-ey.

We’ve heard them all.

Guests will point at it on the menu, lower their voices, and say,
“I’ll have… uh… this one?”
Some take a brave run at it. Some look to the server for rescue. Some spell it with their finger like they’re afraid it might bite.

But here’s the thing — no matter how you say it, once it hits the table, everyone gets it.

Soft, pillowy pasta. Rich, comforting sauce. A dish that has quietly become one of MoCo’s most beloved plates.

It’s been ordered on first dates and family dinners, during celebrations and after hard days. It’s brought smiles, silence (the good kind), and more than a few “Okay, wow” moments.

So say it however you like.

Ga-know-chee.
No-key.
Gnocchi.

We’ll know what you mean.
And we’ll be happy to bring it to you.