The Boston Licensing Board voted Thursday to let Levi's Restaurant, 323 Washington St., add cocktails and hard liquor to the beer and wine it was already allowed to serve.

The move means residents who want to unwind with something stronger than a glass of wine after work will no longer have to make the long trek down to the Ashmont Grill, the Ledge (now ester) or the Banshee, one Four Corners resident said at a hearing on Wednesday.

The license upgrade, which still has to be approved by the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, is to one of the restricted neighborhood licenses intended for places such as Levi's, which could not afford the six-figure prices full-liquor licenses now command on the open market. Should Levi's close, the license would revert back to the city.

Owner Levi George "doesn't have the $200,000, $300,000, the outrageous numbers for these transactions," his attorney, Danilo Avalon, said.

Several residents traveled downtown on a weekday morning to praise George, not just for his food, but for the jazz nights he hosts as well as his donations to local community programs.