Restaurants across Boston awarded first batch of new alcohol licenses

From an Asian-Peruvian fusion restaurant in Charlestown to a Colombian eatery in Hyde Park, the Boston Licensing Board today awarded 28 new beer-and-wine and all-alcohol licenses to restaurants across the city, as part of the 225 new licenses granted Boston by the state legislature last year.

This is in addition to nine licenses issued earlier under the new program.

The law limits most of the licenses in perpetuity to the specific Zip codes in which they are awarded over a three-year period. Unlike traditional licenses, which now sell for around $600,000 on the open market, the new licenses cannot be resold but have to be given back to the city for re-use should the restaurants close. 

The board also awarded three of its 15 "community spaces" licenses, to the Franklin Park Zoo, the Huntington Theatre and the Jeffries Yacht Club in East Boston. It had earlier awarded one of these licenses to the Substation in Roslindale.

As it had announced earlier, the board took no action on the 15 "golden ticket" unrestricted licenses - which can be resold, used as loan collateral and used anywhere in the city - in an attempt to broaden an applicant pool that now consists of 14 applications, most from neighborhoods that already have significant numbers of liquor licenses, in particular, the North End. 

The board set a May 23 deadline for new applications and said its staff would hold regular office hours to assist potential applicants who might not have the money to hire expensive lawyers and consultants.

Aside from East Boston, the board had little trouble awarding the new Zip code licenses because it received fewer applicants than it had licenses to award. The licenses will go into a pool from which the board can now grant new licenses; East Boston restaurants that did not receive a license this round will remain eligible for the next round of approvals.

Licenses awarded today and earlier:

02118

Crystal Spoons, 1950 Washington St., all alcohol.
El Centro, 474 Shawmut Ave., all alcohol.

02119

La Parada Dominican Kitchen, 3094 Washington St., beer, wine and liqueurs.

02121

No applications from this Zip code, save from the Franklin Park Zoo, which got a citywide "community spaces" license.

02122

One Family Diner, 260 Bowdoin St., beer and wine.
Minina Cafe, 432 Geneva Ave., beer and wine.
justBook-ish, 1463 Dorchester Ave., beer and wine (awarded earlier).

02124

Murl’s Kitchen, 10-18 Bowdoin St., all alcohol.
Fresh Food Generation, 191 Talbot Ave., all alcohol.

02125

Mofongo Factory, 299 Hancock St. (awarded earlier). Beer and wine.

02126

Blue Mountain Jamaican Restaurant, 1301 Blue Hill Ave., all alcohol.

02128

Florenza, 164-170 Sumner St., beer, wine and liqueurs.
Con Sabor a Colombia, 244 Meridian St., beer, wine and liqueurs.
Caffe Dello Sport Eastie, 973 Saratoga St., all alcohol.
Angela’s Cafe, 1012 Bennington St.
Mi Pueblito Restaurant, 333 Border St., all alcohol - on condition it give up its current beer and wine license.
Cabana Grill, 254 Bennington St., all alcohol.
El Jardin, 15 Central Sq. beer and wine (awarded earlier).
Los Alebrijes, 192 Sumner St., beer and wine (awarded earlier).
Taqueria Jalisco Orient Heights, 291 Bennington St., all alcohol (awarded earlier).
The Smoke Shop BBQ, 45 Lewis St., all alcohol (awarded earlier).

Not awarded this round: Mi Pueblito Orient Heights, Cafe Gigu, La Abundancia Restaurant.

02129

Peruvian Taste Restaurant, 78 Arlington Ave., beer and wine.

02130

Don Tequeno y Dona Arepa, 403A Centre St., beer and wine.
BB.Q Chicken, 654 Centre St., beer and wine.
Stoked Pizza, 3484 Washington St., all alcohol.
Mangu Dominican Bistro, 264 Hyde Park Ave., beer and wine.
Momo Masala, 2 Perkins St., all alcohol.
Jadu, 767 Centre St., beer and wine (awarded earlier).

02131

Mi Finca Mexican Restaurant and Pizzeria, 4249 Washington St., beer and wine.
Harry’s All American, 1410-1420 Centre St., all alcohol.

02132

No applicants.

02136

Little Haiti International Cuisine, 1184 Hyde Park Ave., all alcohol.
Las Delicias Colombianas 2, 1231 River St., all alcohol, on condition it give up its current beer and wine license.

Oak Square

SubRosa and Humaari, 567 Washington St., all alcohol.
From Scratch, 2 Tremont St., all alcohol (awarded earlier).