It’s official – the Lebanese Kitchen is coming to Mattapoisett, and owner Nabih Moujabber hopes to be open by Memorial Day or soon thereafter.

“It will be a place that I will consider to be here for a long, long time,” said Moujabber, who recently signed the papers on the restaurant located at 70 Fairhaven Road.

Based in New Bedford, Moujabber and his wife Nouhad lost both their home and their popular restaurant in 2014 to a fire, but they promised to come back. Moujabber, a Lebanese native who has owned his own restaurant since 1982, said many of his customers were from Mattapoisett and they suggested he reopen there.

“The people are wonderful here, friendly, nice,” Moujabber said.

The Lebanese Kitchen will be moving into the former Mattapoisett Chowder House, which has been for sale since 2014.

Building Commissioner Andy Bobola said having a new restaurant move into the space is a positive for the town.

“That’s a really well-established business… and [it] will be good for the community,” he said.

Moujabber hasn’t pulled any permits yet from the town, but that will be coming soon as he works to renovate the space.

“We have some work ahead of us,” he said. “We’re updating quite a few things.”

In addition to freshening up the interior, Moujabber said the kitchen will get an overhaul.

“We’re not going to open up on a messy kitchen. The kitchen is the center of the whole operation,” he said.

Moujabber is already hard at work so he can reopen as soon as possible. He also said he and his wife might move to Mattapoisett.

“I’m hoping this will be our home.”