A new concept is coming to one of Beacon Hill‘s most well-known restaurant spaces.
The former Beacon Hill Pub at 149 Charles Street is set to become Harry Hare’s, a new English-inspired restaurant from veteran restaurateur Patrick Lyons. Earlier this week, the Boston Licensing Board approved the transfer of the space’s liquor license, clearing the way for the new concept.
According to Universal Hub, Harry Hare’s will trade the pub’s longtime dive-bar reputation for a quieter fine-dining experience inspired by traditional English ale houses, with subtle Indian influences woven into the menu.
Conor Newman of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Affairs said neighbors were initially concerned that the former Beacon Hill Pub would simply reopen in its previous form. Those concerns eased, however, after Lyons presented his vision for the new restaurant.
“It will turn what has historically been—close to 50 years—a bucket of blood, from the nightmare it’s been to the dream we envision it to be,” Lyons told the licensing board during Wednesday’s hearing.
The restaurant is named after Lyons’ late father-in-law, who loved English ale houses. “It will have an English feeling and vibe and energy,” explained Lyons.
Lyons brings more than four decades of experience to the project. Through his Lyons Group, he has helped develop more than 20 restaurants and hospitality concepts across Greater Boston and beyond, including the nearby Harvard Gardens, Alibi Bar & Lounge and Scampo at The Liberty Hotel, Back Bay Social, and Bar Enza in Cambridge.
Lyons plans to purchase the property’s liquor license from developer Ty Gupta, who acquired both the license and the building in a deal valued at $8.3 million in 2021. The property had previously been purchased by a City Realty-affiliated group in 2018 as part of a broader acquisition of several historic Boston dive bars before the Beacon Hill Pub ultimately closed during the pandemic.
