The Boston Licensing Board approved 37 new liquor licenses throughout the city Thursday as part of an initiative to promote economic growth across all Boston neighborhoods.
“Each of these 37 local businesses brings vitality, jobs, and community to our neighborhoods,” Mayor Michelle Wu said. “I’m thankful to these entrepreneurs for investing in Boston, to the Licensing Board for their diligent efforts stewarding a smooth and thorough process, and to our partners at the state and local levels who advanced the legislation making this possible.”
The latest round of liquor license approvals include a few businesses each in Charlestown, Hyde Park Mattapan, Oak Square, South End, Roslindale, and Roxbury, along with longer lists in Dorchester, East Boston, and Jamaica Plain, according to city officials. Four community organizations were also awarded non-zip code restricted all alcohol licenses.
The Licensing Board approved 26 licenses Thursday, adding to nine approved earlier. The liquor licenses will now go to the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission for review.
The new license awardees are the first round included within a Home Rule petition passed by the Boston City Council and signed off on by Gov. Maura Healey on Sept. 11, 2024. The petition approved 225 new liquor licenses to be awarded in Boston, the City said, the largest new batch in Boston since the end of Prohibition.
Of the 225, 195 were slated for businesses in the neighborhoods included in Thursday’s release and West Roxbury over the next three years, with three more for Oak Square in Brighton. An additional 15 licenses were slated for community spaces like non-profits, small theaters, or outdoor spaces, and 12 allotted for transferrable licenses.
Boston Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Segun Idowu said the licenses will be coupled with “wrap-around support services” for the awardees to “ensure the stability of these small businesses, the growth of the local economy, and the vibrancy of our communities for generations to come.”
The city will take the applications for the second round of licenses through Friday, May 23.
License application were approved for Crystal Spoons in Roxbury; El Centro in the South End; Blue Mountain Jamaican Restaurant in Mattapan; Peruvian Taste Restaurant in Charlestown; Harry’s All American and Mi Finca Mexican Restaurant & Pizzeria in Roslindale; From Scratch and SubRosa and Humaari in Oak Square; Las Delicias Colombianas and Little Haiti International Cuisine in Hyde Park.
In Dorchester, licenses were approved for justBook-ish, Minina Cafe, One Family Diner, Fresh Food Generation, Murl’s Kitchen, and Mofongo Factory. In Jamaica Plain, awardees include La Parada Dominican Kitchen, bb.q Chicken, Don Tequeño y Doña Arepa, Jadu, Mangú Dominican Bistro, Momo Masala, and Stoked Pizza.
In East Boston, awardees include Angela’s Cafe Orient Heights, Cabana Grill, Cafe Dello Sport, Con Sabor A Colombia, El Jardin, Florenza, Los Alebrijes, Mi Pueblito, Taqueria Jalisco Orient Heights, and The Smoke Shop BBQ.
Huntington Theatre Company in Fenway, Zoo New England in Dorchester, Jeffries Yacht Club and Roslindale Substation are set to receive community space all alcohol licenses.