By Kiran Rajamani
Ninety-two years after a Yankee-dominated state government limited the sale of liquor licenses to prevent Irish American politicians in Boston from gaining more influence, city and state politicians are finally taking steps to fix the issue.
Earlier this year, state lawmakers approved a law allowing cities to upgrade restaurants’ beer-and-wine licenses to all-alcohol. The Boston City Council adopted the resolution in September. Now, the city’s licensing board will set rules for granting the license, and final approval from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission is expected early 2026.
“A lot of the restaurants affected by this [were] concentrated in the North End, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, the South End,” said North End Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, the bill’s sponsor, at a hearing last month. “This provides an opportunity for them to share in the economic prosperity [of liquor sales]. Restaurants really do operate on thin margins.”
Zapata added that the old fears surrounding all-alcohol licenses relating to an increase in public disturbance reflected “an outdated narrative” that no longer fits Boston’s restaurant scene. “These are really places centered around food and the culinary experience,” she said.
Like many political conflicts, Boston’s battle over liquor licenses tracks to two quintessential issues – power and money.
After Prohibition ended in 1933, the Massachusetts Legislature refused to let Boston issue its own liquor licenses. At the time, City Hall was run largely by Irish American politicians under Mayor James Michael Curley, whose working-class base clashed with the Yankee establishment at the statehouse. By keeping licensing power at the state level, lawmakers could control who was allowed to sell alcohol in Boston, limiting a major source of money and influence from Curley’s allies. Historians say the decision reflected deep political and ethnic divisions that many people believe still shape Boston’s liquor laws today.
For Kevin Flemming, president of the North End Neighborhood Council, the reform is long overdue. He said the restrictions were “really a ploy by the old Yankee legislators at the State House to control the Irish politicians in Boston.”
The number of North End restaurants allowed to sell liquor could more than double under the new law, according to data published by the city. Currently, only 32 of 87 restaurants with alcohol licenses are allowed to sell spirits.
Flemming said the change could be a boom for businesses.
“Clearly they feel like they can increase their revenues by having full alcohol,” he said. “So, I don’t really see any downside in it because at least in the North End, everyone applying for these are pretty much established restaurants. No one’s trying to open a nightclub or change their hours.”
Testimony ran strongly in favor of allowing beer-and-wine license holders to convert to full alcohol service at a city hearing last month. Mimi Chan, co-owner of Dynasty Restaurant in Chinatown, told councilors the change would let her serve traditional Chinese spirits such as baijiu or rice wine, which are not permitted under her current license.
“It would allow a more authentic dining experience for our customers,” she said.
City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune also voiced support for the new bill. “By creating opportunities for these businesses to grow,” she said, “we’re investing in the future of our neighborhoods – raising the bar for equity and opportunity.”
The Boston Licensing Board is drafting regulations for converting beer-and-wine licenses into full alcohol licenses. The city will sponsor outreach events and workshops to help eligible restaurateurs understand the process. To qualify, business owners must file a petition with the licensing board and submit required forms to the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. The first wave of upgrades could be approved within months, city officials say, meaning some restaurants may begin serving cocktails by early 2026.
Applicants will be required to pay a $200 state fee, $100 to the licensing board and $170 to cover the cost of publishing a legal notice in the local newspaper. The board will hold a public hearing, send certified mail to neighbors, and evaluate whether there is a “public need” in the location. After local approval, the application will be forwarded to the state for final consideration.
The new law does not sanction an unlimited pool of new liquor licenses. Under Massachusetts law, the number of full-alcohol and beer-and-wine licenses Boston can issue is still capped by the state Legislature. The reform simply allows existing beer-and-wine license holders to apply to upgrade to full-alcohol service, creating a new class of nontransferable licenses that cannot be sold on the private market. Boston’s older transferable licenses, established under the state quota decades ago, still exist and can be bought and sold with state approval. Supporters say the new non-transferable licenses make the system more equitable, even as the overall cap on liquor licenses remains in place.
Full liquor licenses have sold for $200,000 to $600,000 on Boston’s private market in recent years, according to city records. Beer-and-wine licenses have cost about $50,000. By contrast, the new nontransferable licenses will only cost standard filing fees. The wide gap illustrates why many small business owners say they were locked out of the system until the recent changes.
Councilor Coletta said the new policy marks a turning point for a neighborhood long known for its restaurants but has been hemmed in by outdated liquor rules. “It’s an opportunity for them to share in the economic prosperity,” she said, adding that full licenses can help businesses stay competitive and expand their profit margins. “These are places centered around food and the culinary experience. This reform just lets them serve what their customers are already asking for.”
Kiran Rajamani is a student in the Boston University Journalism program. This story is a partnership between Charlestown Patriot-Bridge and the Boston University Journalism program.