Boston’s forever war on fun
North End restaurant owners are famous for their gusto, and their approach to cumbersome city policies turns out to be no exception. Threatening to go all the way to the Supreme Court, the angry restaurateurs are suing the city for treating it differently than other Boston neighborhoods by peeling back COVID-era exceptions for al fresco dining on city streets. And for allegedly discriminating against their Italian heritage.
I’ll leave the latter allegation for the courtroom. But I’d suggest that the owners might have an easier time making the case that the city is discriminating against a good time. The battle over eating spaghetti outside is just part of Boston’s forever war on fun.
The conflict represents a stubbornly stuffy attitude toward entertainment, dining, and nightlife in the city. The lively North End brings an increasingly rare authentic charm that achieves the feat of being a magnet for tourists and locals alike. Part of that has always come from its chaotic congestion on summer festival nights and the tantalizing aroma of a chicken saltimbocca wafting from Antico Forno. Pandemic-era policies made the North End even better, bringing the vibrant restaurant culture out onto the streets. What’s better than a pitcher of Aperol spritz with friends in a cozy Italian joint? A pitcher of Aperol spritz with friends outside.
That the city would even think about going after the neighborhood’s atmosphere shows its dire misunderstanding of Boston’s entertainment scene. Or it’s just willful ignorance. After all, there’s been plenty of ink spilled on the issue — including a 2013 Pulitzer Prize-finalist Globe Opinion series — and yet many of the root problems remain the same. From antiquated liquor license laws, to the dearth of happy hours, to tragically early calls for last round, the city isn’t exactly known for a roaring going-out scene, making the North End all the more valuable to young (and bored) Bostonians.
The sparsity of fun options has always come down to overregulation. The city has expansive entertainment licensing rules. Boston is legally required to put baby in a corner — if the bar lacks the proper dancing license, that is. The lack of variety in affordable dive bars — and the abundance of stuffy, expensive ones — could be related to licensing, too. It’s tough for aspiring dive bar owners or local restaurateurs to pay for expensive liquor licenses.
Aside from being bad for our Saturday nights, the lack of late-night revelry is bad for the city’s brain drain. While Boston is home to some of the best schools, startups, and sports teams in the country, our best and brightest are running for the door. In a 2023 survey by the Great Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a quarter of 20- to30 year-olds are planning to leave the city in five years. The survey cites cost of rent, job availability, ability to buy a home, and public transportation as leading factors.
So yes, Boston is too expensive. But it’s also too expensive for what you’re getting. Other expensive cities include New York, Miami, and Chicago. But step onto any block in the East Village, one of Manhattan’s youngest neighborhoods, and you have your pick of outdoor restaurants, comedy shows, boutiques, and of course, plenty of bars and nightclubs that are open all hours of the night. Step outside in Allston and prepare to dish out big money for one of the few available Ubers to Tavern in the Square, where you’re going to wait outside in a line that rounds the block, only to pay a cash cover at the door. Fingers crossed you get in within a couple hours of closing time. And don’t hold your breath for a late-night bite after you (legally) danced (some) of the night away.
And while affordability in the survey was among the “very important” considerations factoring into “their decision to reside in Greater Boston,” the leading “somewhat important” category was “entertainment options,” including nightlife. Next on the list of secondary concerns is “being a part of a community.”
Difficulty building community was the top complaint among young people planning on leaving Boston in the next five years. This group listed their leading solution as “more entertainment options (e.g., nightlife, festivals, cultural events).” This isn’t a new complaint. In 2013 this board wrote that “tomorrow’s John Hancock or Ralph Lowell or Ned Johnson or Bob Kraft is probably sitting over in Brighton or Cambridge right now, in jeans and flip-flops, dreaming of ways to shape the future.” But they might pack up for Silicon Valley or Manhattan unless they feel there’s a community that will support that dream here.
Boston’s nightlife is so abysmal that we now have a bureaucrat dedicated to the issue. Corean Reynolds was appointed the city’s new director of nightlife economy, a.k.a. “the night czar.”
“The-pleasant-evening-out czar” might be more appropriate. Reynolds gets points for expressing a need for more late-night eats in the city, but her idea of a night out — though perfectly lovely — might not resonate with the 20-something crowd that Boston so desperately needs to keep. Last year she told WBUR that the perfect night might consist of catching a show at the Boch Center, then getting a nightcap at Hue, which according to its website, requests “casual elegant” attire, has $35 valet parking, and advertises a cocktail menu without the prices. You get the idea.
The city also recently announced “The Wake Up the Night Grant” program, which is meant to “revitalize Boston’s nightlife economy and foster safe, inclusive social spaces.” But it doesn’t sound like it: Grant applicants must plan events in one of the following categories: “Accessible Programming, Cultural Expression, Intergenerational, Spirit-Free Programming, Weekday Activations, or Youth Programing.” Again, that all sounds lovely, but it’s missing the point.
The solution is much simpler than that. Loosen up. Let the people dance! Let them slurp spaghetti outside! Work with state legislators to toss the antiquated liquor license laws and allow more dives and late-night spots to open — and to stay open past 2 a.m. Keep public transportation open late enough to get the party people home.
And take the wins we already have. Outdoor dining in the North End was one of the first steps in the right direction for a city that has otherwise been regulating the life out of the party.