Municipal licensing authority
Appears in 24 stories · Last updated Nov 10, 2026
Was scheduled to vote on Old Friend Pizza's request to serve noon to 9 p.m. daily; outcome not reported as of Nov. 7.
Old Friend Pizza opened its first permanent shop at 5272 Washington St. in West Roxbury on Oct. 28 and now lists regular hours there: Wednesday through Sunday, 5 to 8 p.m. The 10-seat room serves Detroit-style square pizza made with three-day fermented dough, Jersey tomatoes and cheese spread to the pan edge.
Updated Yesterday
Approved the liquor license
The Boston Licensing Board voted on Oct. 29 to grant Stefano Quaresima and Tsedenia Kiros an all-alcohol license for Bottega Cannuccia at 1448 Dorchester Ave. The new spot is about three-quarters of a mile from their Via Cannuccia trattoria and takes the former Home.stead Cafe space in Fields Corner.
Updated Nov 2
Approved Cisco Brewers capacity expansion
Cisco Brewers Seaport, the seasonal beer garden at 85 Northern Ave., can now host up to 1,200 people, up from 996. The Boston Licensing Board approved the increase on October 29, 2026. Cisco had asked for 1,425, and board members said the company showed good faith by reducing its request.
Held a virtual hearing on October 14 on El Patron's alcohol license application; outcome not yet reported
El Patron De Los Tacos has received two Boston licenses for 50 Maverick: a Common Victualler license on July 17 and a food establishment license for eating and drinking with takeout on October 5. It also applied for a Common Victualler 7 Day Wines and Malt Beverages License on October 2.
Updated Nov 1
Grants food, liquor, and hotel licenses; recently got a new chair
A new restaurant in Boston could open in two weeks instead of four months. Mayor Michelle Wu announced October 27 that the city will drop the zoning-board approval currently required for takeout service, cutting a major step from the permitting process.
Updated Oct 28
Decided the closing-time dispute
A New York burger chain wanted its no-seats South Boston takeout to stay open until 2 a.m. Residents on West Broadway wanted 11 p.m., and the Boston Licensing Board split the difference: 1 a.m., plus a one-year freeze on asking for more.
Updated Oct 20
Issued common victualler license to Kohinoor Flames on October 16, 2026
Boston's Licensing Board issued a common victualler license to Kohinoor Flames, a restaurant at 23 South Huntington Avenue, on October 16. The record describes the site as 'Temporarily Closed Under Renovations.'
Updated Oct 18
Issued the Common Victualler license to Chop Chop Rice Thai Cuisine
Chop Chop Rice Thai Cuisine, licensed in August to serve food at 248 Newbury Street, failed an October 7 health inspection. The inspection recorded four violations, in plumbing and water, personal hygiene and handwashing, cross-contamination, and facility maintenance, per Rat Radar, which compiles records from public health department data.
Updated Oct 17
Active regulator of Boston liquor licenses
Commonwealth Cellars, a liquor store on Commonwealth Avenue in Allston, wanted to add single-serve liquor bottles to its shelves. The Boston Licensing Board said no on October 15, a day after a hearing on the request from owner Wondimu Abeje.
Updated Oct 15
As of October 2026: Issued the Common Victualler license for 700 Albany St
Boston's Licensing Board issued Citra Cafe a Common Victualler license (a city food-service license) at 700 Albany Street on August 28, and the city approved a signage permit there on October 2. The sign plan: a lit wall sign reading 'Citra Cafe' and a hanging sign, with $15,000 in declared work.
Updated Oct 3
As of September 2026: Approved the new store's food-service license
The nation's newest Starbucks has six seats and opens at 6 a.m. inside the InterContinental Hotel on Atlantic Avenue. The Boston Licensing Board approved its food-service license the same week the company said it would close 250 locations, including one a few blocks away at 125 Summer St.
Updated Sep 26
As of September 2026: Approved Session House licenses
Boston's Licensing Board approved plans for Session House, a new Irish pub and live music venue in Adams Village, on Sept. 24. It will replace Scobie's Cafe & Bar, which closed in February after just 17 months in the space.
Updated Sep 24
As of September 2026: Approving body for liquor licenses and operating hours
89 Charles, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar on Beacon Hill, won approval to push its weekend closing time from midnight to 1 a.m. The Boston Licensing Board granted the extension after owner Gennaro Riccio agreed to change how staff handle empty bottles, cutting the back-of-house noise neighbors hear at close.
As of September 2026: Maintains the active food establishment license list
Rome Pizza, a neighborhood staple at 416 Tremont Street in Boston's South End, no longer appears on the city's list of active food establishment licenses. It was last on the list on September 15; two consecutive readings since then have missed it.
Updated Sep 17
As of September 2026: Granted the license transfer and issued the new common victualler license
L Street Diner & Pizzeria, a South Boston fixture since 1986, closed months ago and sold its liquor license to a Seaport fitness venue. In the last two weeks, Boston issued two new food licenses for the 108 L Street address.
Updated Sep 15
As of September 2026: Issued Common Victualler license to byChae on July 2, 2026
Boston has issued byChae two licenses it needs to operate a restaurant at 222 Newbury Street, a prime Back Bay address. The city's food establishment license, dated August 4, permits eating and take-out service. It follows the Licensing Board's Common Victualler approval from July 2.
Updated Sep 14
As of September 2026: Issued Common Victualler permit July 23, 2026
Saloniki Greek picked up its second municipal license in a week for a new Allston outpost. The Boston Licensing Board issued a Common Victualler permit on July 23, six days after the city approved the food establishment license for 180 Brighton Avenue.
As of September 2026: Issued common victualler license to Dumpling Center
Dumpling Center received two city licenses in July 2026 to open at 179 Massachusetts Avenue, the Back Bay address that housed Dumpling Palace for more than a decade. The Boston Licensing Board issued a common victualler license on July 2, and the city issued a food establishment license on July 22.
As of September 2026: Issued the common victualler license
A Japanese matcha chain has cleared an important permitting step on Boston's Newbury Street. Nana's Green Tea received a common victualler license for 175 Newbury on July 2, about a year after its building permit was approved.
As of September 2026: Approving upgrades since Jan. 2026
Boston's Licensing Board approved a Beacon Hill market's request to sell scotch and aged tequila alongside its beer and wine, brushing aside neighbors' warnings that BuzzBallz-maddened teenagers would swarm the State House area. Owner Barznab Khan said he would swap some wines and beers for the spirits, and agreed not to sell micro bottles or singles.
Updated Sep 6
As of September 2026: Ruled against Wendy's; holds authority over its hours
A Roslindale Wendy's has been serving burgers until 3 a.m. despite a city license that says close at 11 p.m. The Boston Licensing Board this week called the late hours an 'attractive nuisance' fueling street parties near American Legion Highway and Walk Hill Street.
As of September 2026: Granted Klin Thai its license on September 3, 2026
Klin Thai, a 16-seat restaurant on Centre Street in West Roxbury, won a beer, wine, and cordials license from the Boston Licensing Board on September 3, 2026. It becomes the second Thai place on that block to serve alcohol, a reflection of Boston's effort to spread liquor licenses beyond the Seaport, downtown, and other core districts.
As of August 2026: Issued the Common Victualler license
A Sal's Pizza is cleared to open at 1 Court Street in Boston, a block from the State House. The licenses list Aramark, a nationwide food service contractor, as the operator, not the Lupoli family that built the chain. As of late August, neither the chain nor any news outlet has confirmed the shop is serving customers.
Updated Aug 27
As of August 2026: Issued the cafe's food-service license
Ruthie's Juice Cafe is cleared to open its first storefront in the Charlestown Navy Yard. The family-run juice bar received a certificate of occupancy in July and a city food-service license in August 2026.
Updated Aug 26
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