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Mayor doesn't want later-night Boston to start at one Allston taco shop

City officials and the Allston Civic Association won't back a Brighton Avenue taco shop's efforts to stay open an hour later on weekend nights.

Representatives of the mayor's office - which just this week announced a task force to look at how to wake the City that Always Sleeps - and city councilors Mark Ciommo and Steve Murphy opposed Amelia's Taqueria's bid to be allowed to stay open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

At a Boston Licensing Board hearing this morning, they noted opposition from both the civic association and the Brighton Allston Improvement Association. There's just no need for a taco place open at 3 a.m., even with new late-night weekend hours on the T and the mayor's new task force, they said.

Allston Civic Association President Paul Berkeley said letting Amelia open that extra hour would break open a logjam of "a hundred other people" with food-serving licenses who would demand the same hours.

Berkeley said 2 to 3 a.m. on weekends is when hell breaks loose in Allston as all the bars let out and the crowds mix, grow angry with each other and begin to brawl. "There's a lot of drunks on the street between 2 and 3 in the morning in Allston" and the last thing the neighborhood needs is another place for them to mix, he said.

Amelia's owner Amir Shiranian, however, said his place has only two tables, so it's not going to be a place for people to hang out. He said he has had no problems with police since he opened last year.

And he noted two other establishments in the area, including Redneck's, already have 3 a.m. licenses. After Berkeley pointed to problems at Redneck's, Shiranian said it's unfair to punish him for Redneck's problems, and if that place is really so troublesome, maybe it should have its license changed.

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Comments

Congrats to Mayor Walsh for paying lip service to this issue for a full 5 months before caving. The leadership we need!

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"There's just no need for a taco place open at 3 a.m., even with new late-night weekend hours on the T and the mayor's new task force, they said."

If there wasn't a need, the owner wouldn't be asking for it, and if allowed, they'd closer earlier after losing money for a few months.

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And he noted two other establishments in the area, including Redneck's, already have 3 a.m. licenses.

What's the other one?

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I think Azama has a later license, which they got in part because they serve halal food, and have many service industry customers.

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that's awful random, a taqueria is the perfect place to stay open later especially in that area. the drunks get some greasy food in their guts and the place makes some good money!

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The reason there are so many issues between 2 and 3am is SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE there are only two places for food open that late. If there were more, the crowds would evenly distribute and there would be less problems.

Sincerely,

Common Sense

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Not getting the "Common Sense" you espouse.

I guess the problem isn't an abundance of over-served, self indulgent drunks, but rather the fact that they have no late-night place to eat??

I guess all the fighting, littering, pissing on people's lawns, etc is really about who got the last taco, or roast beef sandwich.

or MAYBE at 2:00 the "crowds" should just go home and then there would less problems.

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My experience has been that putting food into drunks tends to temper bad behavior. (though clearly it doesn't not prevent all bad behavior)

Also, Amelia's does very good work.

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Nothing open but everything closing at 2 = everyone on the street at the same time (current problem).

More things open between 2-3 and some people sobering up while eating tacos while taco-haters go home = not everyone on the street at the same time (no more problem).

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If theres no need, then why are hundreds of business owners demanding those later hours?

And if the problem is crowds of angry people forming when theyre all kicked out of bars simultaneously, the solution is not force the bars to do that.

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This is the perfect logical test of night life viability. Make sure the drunks can eat and chill a bit.

An interesting element of New Hampshire pouring regs is the role of food.

If you have food available with the booze they make getting a beverage license much easier.

If you insist on serving only booze, you have to create a private club and buy booze retail from the state liquor store.

So what are they thinking, let the hapless slapped up slobs mill and brawl in all night 7/11 parking lots?

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when was the last time Paul Berkeley was on the streets of Allston between 2 and 3 am on a Saturday night? North Allston and Brighton really need to stop trying to kill Allston Village.

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You suck as a person. Why don't you do the community a favor and get in the car with that piece of crap from yesterday with the 7 DUI's? Hopefully, there's no airbags on the passenger side.

As for the board, "we don't think there's a need for a 3 A.M. closing time?" Are you kidding me? What a ridiculous thing to say on the record in front of other people in your community. What do you care, board members? You're not going to lose your pretend jobs for granting them the closing time.

Walsh, I liked you, man. I really did. Fix this.

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It's possible to disagree with somebody's position, even vehemently, without calling for their death in a ball of fire. Please try it.

The board itself didn't say anything. The comments about there being no need for tacos at 2;30 a.m. were by the reps from the mayor's office and Ciommo's office. We'll find out tomorrow how the board voted.

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He could just snap his neck hitting the dashboard.

Also, I misread your original post. That comment does come across as far less condescending when uttered by a private citizen.

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