Six Jamaica Plain restaurants were among 37 new liquor licenses that the city’s Licensing Board approved including a Dominican restaurant, a wine bar, and a fried chicken spot.
The six restaurants included five that are currently operating, and one on the horizon, Stoked Pizza, which will open in the old Doyle’s site on Washington Street. The restaurants awarded licenses included:
- bb.q Chicken (Beer and Wine)
- Don Tequeño y Doña Arepa (Beer and Wine)
- Jadu (Beer and Wine)
- Mangú Dominican Bistro (Beer and Wine)
- Momo Masala (All Alcohol)
- Stoked Pizza (All Alcohol)
There is at least one more hurdle for the restaurants, as the city’s Licensing Board will send applications approved to the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) for further review.
“Jadu’s concept is to be a coffee shop by day, wine bar by night and a neighborhood gathering spot, always,” said Jadu’s owner Maya Mukhopadhaya via press release. “We love coffee and we love wine, but really, we believe good food and beverages are conducive to conversation and connection. Obtaining a liquor license was essential for our concept to work. While coffee shops are such vibrant community spaces, they are grueling businesses. A coffee shop of our size does not make a lot of profit. Being able to operate in the evenings as a wine bar gives our business a chance to really flourish, while giving Jamaica Plain residents a casual-yet-elevated evening meeting spot.”
“As these new liquor licenses start pouring into our communities, let us not only raise a glass to these businesses, but also toast to the economic growth across all our neighborhoods. We’ve heard from so many restaurateurs who are excited for this opportunity, and we could not be more happy for them,” said City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune.
“I am grateful to Mayor Wu and the Licensing Board for their outreach work in communities who’ve historically been excluded from accessing liquor licenses,” said State Senator Liz Miranda. “They are making these licenses and new small businesses come to life in our communities. Although many barriers remain, enabling our current and prospective small business owners to secure neighborhood-restricted liquor licenses will help us tackle the racial wealth gap and support generational wealth building in our neighborhoods.”
