Conditions were cool and wet but restaurants in Boston's North End still took their business outside Thursday evening for the first time in months. City officials allowed restaurants in other neighborhoods to begin serving customers in makeshift patios created on sidewalks and in parking spaces on March 22, bringing back a program that was born last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the return to the North End was held until April 1 citing the density of restaurants in the neighborhood, as well as the impacts the outdoor dining setup would have on residents. Restaurant owners said that outdoor dining was a huge hit last year and that being able to offer it again gives them an opportunity to get back the business they lost during the winter months."It's so funny that it took a pandemic to get us outdoor dining. I tried for 35 years that I'd been here in the North End," said Frank DePasquale, owner of Bricco. "We're so happy to have it and we understand that it's a privilege to us and we will follow the rules.""It was great last year, going to be great this year," said Massimo Tiberi, owner of Arya Trattoria. "It's a good step in the right direction.""We invite everyone to come down. It is safe," said Adrian Federico, owner of Caffè Paradiso. "We are taking all the precautionary measures. I have been fully vaccinated. All of my staff is fully vaccinated."