Local News

North End restaurant owner, outspoken Wu critic reportedly plans to run for Boston mayor

Jorge Mendoza-Iturralde, owner of restaurant Vinoteca di Monica, is part of several lawsuits alleging the city is discriminating against restaurant owners in the North End due to outdoor dining restrictions.

Jorge Mendoza-Iturralde Stuart Cahill

May 29, 2024

A North End restaurateur who is among those suing the city over outdoor dining policies said he plans to challenge Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in 2025, according to several outlets.

Jorge Mendoza-Iturralde, an outspoken critic of the city’s permit policy for outdoor seating in the North End, is the first to publicly announce plans to run against Wu. His potential candidacy was first reported by the Boston Herald.

Mendoza-Iturralde, 56, immigrated from Argentina in 1984. He is the owner of Italian restaurant Vinoteca di Monica in the North End. He is politically independent and previously ran as an unsuccessful write-in candidate for the City Council in 2022, The Boston Globe reported.

“I love Boston, I grew up in Boston, I grew up in the North End,” Mendoza-Iturralde told the Globe. “But I also believe that Boston deserves better. Boston deserves somebody who is going to work for the people of Boston, not for their political career.”

Mendoza-Inurralde was not immediately able to be reached for comment by Boston.com Wednesday afternoon.

Mendoza-Iturralde disagrees with Wu on issues beyond outdoor dining

Mendoza-Iturralde is part of several groups of restaurateurs who have filed lawsuits against the city for restricting permits for on-street outdoor dining in the North End. The groups allege the city is discriminating against them because of their Italian heritage, while the city maintains the decision is due to a lack of parking and sidewalk space in the neighborhood.

Mendoza-Iturralde told the Globe he also disagrees with Wu’s policies on traffic management, affordability, crime, and the city’s schools.

“…I am appalled at what’s happening to our city,” Mendoza-Iturralde told the Herald. “The attack that [Mayor Wu has] placed on the North End is not the only trouble she has with neighborhoods.”

Mendoza-Iturralde and his brother Patrick, a fellow North End restaurant owner, were included on a list of Wu critics sent to the Boston Police Department last year.

Patrick Mendoza was also charged last year for multiple felonies after allegedly firing several shots outside of Modern Pastry during an ongoing dispute with a local man.

Restaurateur plans to file official paperwork soon

Though he hadn’t filed campaign paperwork with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance as of Wednesday afternoon, Mendoza-Iturralde told the Globe he plans to do so soon.

The restaurateur is the first to announce his plans to run for Boston mayor in 2025. Though Wu hasn’t formally announced her campaign, she is expected to run again.

Josh Kraft, son of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and City Councilor Ed Flynn have both been floated as potential challengers for the incumbent.

“I’m sure that others will step up to the challenge, but I am confident that I can have an argument with her about what Boston needs and what will make Boston the city it’s always been — not the city it is becoming under [Wu’s] rule,” Mendoza-Iturralde told the Herald.