Russian restaurant and lounge in Allston on verge of doubling in size

The Boston Licensing Board votes Thursday whether to let the Russian Benevolent Society on Linden Street more than double its seating capacity, stay open an hour later at night and add bottle service and a patio.

The society, once a social club that mainly rented its space out for functions, has already won approval from city inspectors to increase its capacity from 214 to 440 patrons.

The mayor's office and city councilors Mark Ciommo, Steve Murphy, Ayanna Pressley and Felix Arroyo all supported the request for a license change, saying the society has been very responsive to requests from the community and police.

Society lawyer Curt Bletzer said that even with bottle service, the place would never turn into the sort of student-heavy nightclub that demands extra vigilence. For one thing, he said, it doesn't serve beer and has no plans to. For another, the clientele consists mainly of members of the local Russian community, who see it as a place to bring the family and spend the night, he said.

Bottle service, in which a server would be stationed with a bottle of vodka or other liquor at a table "is very important" in the Russian dining tradition, he said.

Although half the seats would be in a lounge area, rather than a more traditional restaurant space with tables, the society says they will meet a license requirement that they only serve drinks with food.

The Allston Civic Association, acknowledging that younger residents had few problems with the concept, asked the board to approve the license change with a probationary period.

The patio would be behind the society's building, next to turnpike and Cambridge Street ramps, and away from nearby residents.