Enjoy a meal alfresco for Boston’s first outdoor dining weekend

BOSTON — It’s the first weekend of the 2023 outdoor dining season in Boston, and after back-to-back weekends of wet weather, the forecast is shaping up to be a nice one for alfresco dining!

There are more than 300 outdoor dining locations mapped out on the city’s website. More could pop up as the season continues, as the city will be accepting applications on a rolling basis.

This year, Mayor Michelle Wu has laid out some permanent plans for outdoor dining that include requiring restaurants to submit detailed engineering plans of their patios.

They are also offering dining consultations, accessible design templates, real-time application tracking and annual license renewal abilities. Restaurants that set up seating on public property will also be charged a fee this year. Restaurants with a liquor license will be charged a monthly fee of $399 from June through October, and restaurants without a liquor license will be charged $199 monthly.

Earlier this month, the city announced it would not be reviewing or permitting outdoor dining applications in the North End for the 2023 outdoor dining season.

Last year, restaurants in the North End were the only ones that had to pay a $7,500 fee. They also had a shorter outdoor dining season compared to the rest of the city.

A group of North End five restaurant owners is now suing the city, claiming anti-Italian discrimination.

This year, the mayor has established a North End On-Street Outdoor Dining Task Force to help address issues, including trash and traffic, that she says impact the ability to offer outdoor dining in this neighborhood.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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