New restaurant to replace Onyx

Date: 3/22/2011

March 23,2011

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD — If approved by city and state officials, there will be a new restaurant replacing the Onyx Fusion restaurant and bar near the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Board of License Commission Chairman Peter Sgynator confirmed there has been an application submitted to transfer the alcohol license from Peter Pappas and Michael Spagnoli, the owners of Onyx, to Claudio Guerra, president of Mama Iguana's, a Mexican restaurant in Northampton.

Guerra is the head of a restaurant group that also includes Spoleto's in Northampton and East Longmeadow and Paradise City Tavern and Pizzeria Paradiso, also both in Northampton.

The application reported the price Guerra will pay for the license is $100,000 and $150,000 has been allocated to renovation. The ownership of the building is not part of the transaction.

Sgynator said the Board may hear the application at its meeting on March 24. If approved locally, it would then be forwarded to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission in Boston for final approval.

Efforts to reach Pappas for comment by deadline were not successful.