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The dispute highlights a broader debate over how Boston should use its limited public space.

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“No Bike Racks, Only Pasta.”

That’s what the signs read, held up by a family outside a North End restaurant, in an image posted to the eatery’s Instagram page last week.

Carla Agrippino-Gomes, owner of Terramia Ristorante at 98 Salem St., is pushing back against plans she says would remove part of the restaurant’s outdoor seating area and restore bike racks to the public space. 

The dispute has become the latest flashpoint in a broader debate over how to use the limited public space in one of Boston’s busiest neighborhoods.

Agrippino-Gomes argues the patio has transformed what was once an unattractive corner into a cleaner, more welcoming space that supports local jobs and provides additional seating for customers during the busy summer season.

“To what point? Why put it back?” she said, questioning the need for the bike racks.

Before the patio was installed, Agrippino-Gomes said the area was often used for trash disposal, attracting rats, and included a damaged bike rack. She said bicycles left there were frequently vandalized, and the space had become an eyesore.

Terramia is one of about 20 restaurants that sued the city over the North End’s outdoor dining rules. In December, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, but it remains in the appellate court. 

For now, Terramia has won a reprieve as Agrippino-Gomes awaits the city’s next steps. 

“Won the battle today, but the war is still raging,” she said.

In response, the city said it offered Terramia outdoor dining space on city-owned land, but it included a small area for bike racks. 

The plans were able to preserve the same number of outdoor dining seats and accommodate bike racks “within the limited space available,” a city spokesperson said. The patio in place today does not allow room for a bike rack. 

What happened?

In 2014, Boston Public Works reconstructed what had been a paved parking area into a pedestrian plaza with planters and six specialty bike racks in the shapes of forks, knives, and spoons. The bike racks were intended to celebrate the North End’s culinary notoriety. 

The space is part of the Barlett Place public right-of-way. 

At some point, the bike racks got damaged, and the city removed them. 

In 2025, the city granted Terramia a permit to use a portion of public off-street space for outdoor dining. In 2026, the city issued the same permit. 

The prior plan included the bike racks, which Terramia included in their outdoor dining site plan. However, the owner sought to expand the outdoor seating permit to include additional off-street space, but the city said it did not approve the expansion. 

This year, the patio covers the entire off-street area, exceeding the permit limit and making it impossible for the city to install bike racks at the back edge of the patio. 

Terramia has refused to make changes. 

Agrippino-Gomes argues that the city did not act on the revised application for over six months and never gave her a clear answer on the installation of the bike racks. 

If she has to make the changes, Agrippino-Gomes said she will have to let go of three wait staff members and remove the handicap-accessible table for her outdoor customers. 

Agrippino-Gomes doesn’t understand why the city continues to limit outdoor patio space in the North End, saying neighborhood restaurants lose customers to other parts of the city that allow it. 

“It affects everybody,” she said. “It affects my business. It affects every business.”