Boston restaurants can offer outdoor dining starting March 22, but diners will have to wait a little longer to eat and drink along the streets of the North End.
North End restaurants will be able to offer outdoor seating beginning on April 1, said Lesley Delaney Hawkins, Boston’s Licensing Board executive secretary.
“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 1,” Hawkins said.
This was the original start date for outdoor dining at all approved restaurants in the city, but Mayor Marty Walsh announced Friday that good weather allowed the date to be bumped up 10 days earlier.
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Outdoor dining in the North End got off to a bumpy start last spring, with residents of the historic neighborhood concerned about crowded sidewalks, loud music and other disturbances. The licensing board held a hearing to address the issues and warned restaurants and bars to follow social distancing and other public health requirements.
Boston’s outdoor dining season is expected to run until Dec. 1, according to the statement. All restaurants looking to offer outdoor seating must apply for a license through the city’s website.
Caroline Enos can be reached at caroline.enos@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @CarolineEnos.