New restaurant going in where Whiskey Priest used to be until it was torn down and replaced by luxury condos

The Boston Licensing Board yesterday approved plans for a new Seaport restaurant that will sit on the water where Whiskey Priest used to be back when the area consisted mainly of parking lots.

The new Savr (yep), a "spirited American bistro," will have room for 289 patrons on two levels, as well as a seasonal patio with 69 seats, at 150 Seaport Blvd.

The board approved David Doyle as manager. Doyle - not to be confused with the David Doyle familiar to Jamaica Plain restaurant goers - has experience at the Rebel Restaurants Group and Smith and Wollensky.

Doyle owns the restaurant along with John Cronin - who also owned Whiskey Priest and who was the developer of the the 22-story St. Regis Residences that replaced both Whiskey Priest and the Atlantic Beer Garden. Savr will use Whiskey Priest's old liquor license under the board's approval, which now goes to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission for a final OK.

The board voted in favor after receiving assurances that Savr has 500 square feet set aside on the first floor as a waiting area for ferries, along with public restrooms, and outdoor signs on the Harborwalk pointing to the facilities. The state required them for its approval of the waterside project.

Whiskey Priest and the Atlantic Beer Garden - two literal dives from which customers sometimes jumped into the harbor - closed in 2018.

Savr was one of two food-serving establishments approved yesterday without a full complement of vowels. The licensing board also approved a cookie place at the new extension to the South Bay Mall called Crumbl.