BOSTON — Outdoor dining in Boston begins on March 22, but restaurants in the city’s North End will have to wait a week and a half longer than everyone else.
According to the Licensing Board, “Given the number and density of restaurants and the impacts to residents, the final plan for outdoor dining in the North End will begin on April 1st.”
The 2021 Outdoor Dining Pilot Program allows patio spaces to be set up on sidewalks and on streets.
“We get calls all the time asking us if we’re going to have the outdoor dining,” explained Richard Ansara, owner and executive chef of the restaurant Tresca on Hanover Street.
Ansara told Boston 25 News on Sunday that the delay doesn’t bother him and that he will use the extra time to set up his new and improved $15,000 customized patio space.
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“I’ve got new barriers being built. They’re going to be black metal with latticework and the Tresca logo carved out. It’s going to be really classy,” he said. “Last year we kind of had to do everything on the fly because we were told last minute, it was all up in the air, we were told last minute what to do. So, everybody in the North End was scrambling for tables and chairs and umbrellas. But we made it look really nice, and this year we’re going to do it all differently.”
Ansara also said he is purchasing new tables, chairs and umbrellas this year. Some customers said they couldn’t wait, even with colder temperatures still in the mix.
“It’s just nice to be outside eating; you sort of get to experience the culture a little bit more, a lot of different people,” said Kimberly Wadsworth of Carver.
“It can snow in May right? So, it’s really dependent on what the weather is like. But of course I would,” said North End diner Bob Colarossi.
Monday, March 15 is the soft deadline for North End restaurants to submit their applications for outdoor dining, according to the city website. For an outdoor dining application, click here.
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