Where to Eat Excellent Italian Food Around Boston (2024)

Erika Adams/Eater Boston

It’s not all about the North End

by Nathan Tavares, Tommy Ranucci, and Eater Staff Updated Mar 19, 2024, 3:37pm EDT

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| Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Giulia is serving some of the best fresh pasta in the city. If available, get the pappardelle with wild boar, but a diner can’t go wrong with any of the options, from beef neck tortelli to squid ink linguine with cuttlefish. Plan out dinner here well in advance; reservations are difficult to snag.

• Open in Google Maps

Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Rino’s Place in East Boston has the hard-to-find lovability of locals and tourists alike. This is no-frills, classic Italian American checker-tablecloth dining. The ravioli are made to order, and no meal is complete without a plate of crispy calamari for the table. Come hungry; portions tend toward gigantic. (No reservations; walk-ins only.)

• Open in Google Maps

This Cambridge neo-trattoria takes everything that is fantastic about classic Italian fare, but with an eclectic modern spin. Veteran chef Tony Susi’s Bar Enza has a focus on plates meant to be shared, like fried zucchini flowers stuffed with lobster mascarpone mousse and fluffy tomato foccacia. There’s lots of pasta to go around — try the tender ricotta gnocchi and sweet corn-filled tortelli for a good introduction to Susi’s show.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Pammy’s is not quite Italian — the restaurant describes itself as “a New American restaurant inspired by the feel of an Italian neighborhood trattoria” — but it pulls from Italian cuisine enough (and is good enough) that it’s worth including here. Negronis are served on draft, and the pasta is made from scratch, down to the flour being milled in-house. Don’t ignore the lumache, served with a Bolognese sauce that’s kicked up with spicy Korean gochujang.

• Open in Google Maps

Natasha Moustache/Pammy’s

Where classic red-sauce dining meets Boston’s historic old charm, Mamma Maria defines what great Italian food in the North End should look like. Overlooking the cobblestones of Boston’s oldest city square on North Street, Mamma Maria’s gorgeous storefront reels you in, and the food will surely make you stay. As is done in Italy, expect a seasonal menu — Mamma Maria focuses on taking the best from what the local markets have available. The bar is not to be missed, featuring artisanal co*cktails with local liqueurs, including Boston’s own Black Infusions Vodka.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Italian at heart, Viale emphasizes the beautiful Mediterranean coast at their Central Square restaurant. The menu is multifaceted — boar ragu gnocchi, saffron arancini, halibut crudo, and pizzas with whipped ricotta, calabrian hot honey, and sausage. The co*cktails are meticulously curated, and there’s negroni on draft.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Reagan Byrne/Bar Mezzana

While Ken Oringer and longtime business partner Jamie Bissonnette recently parted ways, lucky for diners that this South End enoteca is still standing strong. Oringer has taken over sole ownership of the spot, which does a particularly good job with cheese and cured meats; definitely get the beef heart pastrami when available. But don’t forget the pastas: The cavatelli is a must.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

SRV (which stands for Serene Republic of Venice) is a bacaro and wine bar serving cuisine inspired by the Adriatic right in Boston’s South End. Go with friends and get at least one of each cicchetti option (Venetian small plates), but also try some of the creative pasta dishes, such as stuffed paccheri with octopus, fennel, and tomato, or the agnolotti in brodo with beet, orange, and poppy seeds.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Unlike its northern Italian predecessor, the Fox & the Knife, chef Karen Akunowicz’s Bar Volpe places emphasis on the phenomenal flavors of southern Italy. The South Boston restaurant serves as both a dining room and a store where fresh pasta can be bought by the pound to take home. Make sure to try the hand-crafted Sardinian culurgiones stuffed with goat cheese and potato served over a tomato basil sauce.

• Open in Google Maps

With spots in Newton and East Boston joining chef/owner Douglass Williams’ original South End location, it might be inevitable to one day have a Mida in every neighborhood. And a wonder that would be, with crispy arancini with San Marzano tomato sauce, and braised pork tagliatelle with radicchio, chili flakes, and Grana Padano cheese from the north of Italy just a few steps away. Get the braised short rib lasagna. Ditto for the tiramisu. You won’t regret it.

• Open in Google Maps

Emily Kan/Mida

It’s easy to fall in love with Petula’s, Rachel Titcomb’s Italian-ish newcomer that opened in Southie in May 2023, from the small plates of whipped ricotta with pickled red onions and herb honey on grilled sourdough, to classic pasta with vodka sauce that topped with chili flakes and fresh parmesan. The vibe is date-night chic, too — check out the dining room’s warm blush tones and the dried blooms hanging over the bar — whether your date is a pal for martini Mondays or a partner to split the pristine prosciutto and delicata squash pizza. Or even still: A treat-yourself date of truffle cacio e pepe with confit mushrooms. That way, you can hoard the whole meal for yourself.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

This Brookline mainstay tends to lean in the direction of northern Italy, based on owners Josh and Jen Ziskin’s time in Italy’s Piedmont region. For a taste of as much of the menu as possible, try the prix fixe menu with optional wine pairings.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

This Jamaica Plain gem has garnered an enthusiastic following since it opened in October 2022. It’s hard to go wrong with anything on the menu, but look especially for the taleggio cappelletti drizzled with aged balsamic, the bowl of countneck clams, and the Roman-style pizza bianca with excellent pairings including whipped ‘nduja and stracciatella, ricotta and hot honey, and eggplant caponata.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Brian Samuels Photography/Tonino

Chef Stefano Quaresima transports customers direct to Italy at this spot on Dorchester Avenue. Roman through and through, this trattoria is a bakery by day — putting out some of Boston’s freshest and tastiest pastries thanks to their lievito madre (sourdough starter) — and a restaurant by night. Stop by on the weekend to sample their brunch, where you can taste a true maritozzo rarely found anywhere outside of Rome. Then, come back in the evening for an unforgettable dining experience that will make you question if you’re in Dorchester or Anzio, Quaresima’s hometown south of Rome.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Via Cannuccia

Giulia is serving some of the best fresh pasta in the city. If available, get the pappardelle with wild boar, but a diner can’t go wrong with any of the options, from beef neck tortelli to squid ink linguine with cuttlefish. Plan out dinner here well in advance; reservations are difficult to snag.

• Open in Google Maps

Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Rino’s Place in East Boston has the hard-to-find lovability of locals and tourists alike. This is no-frills, classic Italian American checker-tablecloth dining. The ravioli are made to order, and no meal is complete without a plate of crispy calamari for the table. Come hungry; portions tend toward gigantic. (No reservations; walk-ins only.)

• Open in Google Maps

This Cambridge neo-trattoria takes everything that is fantastic about classic Italian fare, but with an eclectic modern spin. Veteran chef Tony Susi’s Bar Enza has a focus on plates meant to be shared, like fried zucchini flowers stuffed with lobster mascarpone mousse and fluffy tomato foccacia. There’s lots of pasta to go around — try the tender ricotta gnocchi and sweet corn-filled tortelli for a good introduction to Susi’s show.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Pammy’s is not quite Italian — the restaurant describes itself as “a New American restaurant inspired by the feel of an Italian neighborhood trattoria” — but it pulls from Italian cuisine enough (and is good enough) that it’s worth including here. Negronis are served on draft, and the pasta is made from scratch, down to the flour being milled in-house. Don’t ignore the lumache, served with a Bolognese sauce that’s kicked up with spicy Korean gochujang.

• Open in Google Maps

Natasha Moustache/Pammy’s

Where classic red-sauce dining meets Boston’s historic old charm, Mamma Maria defines what great Italian food in the North End should look like. Overlooking the cobblestones of Boston’s oldest city square on North Street, Mamma Maria’s gorgeous storefront reels you in, and the food will surely make you stay. As is done in Italy, expect a seasonal menu — Mamma Maria focuses on taking the best from what the local markets have available. The bar is not to be missed, featuring artisanal co*cktails with local liqueurs, including Boston’s own Black Infusions Vodka.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Italian at heart, Viale emphasizes the beautiful Mediterranean coast at their Central Square restaurant. The menu is multifaceted — boar ragu gnocchi, saffron arancini, halibut crudo, and pizzas with whipped ricotta, calabrian hot honey, and sausage. The co*cktails are meticulously curated, and there’s negroni on draft.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Reagan Byrne/Bar Mezzana

While Ken Oringer and longtime business partner Jamie Bissonnette recently parted ways, lucky for diners that this South End enoteca is still standing strong. Oringer has taken over sole ownership of the spot, which does a particularly good job with cheese and cured meats; definitely get the beef heart pastrami when available. But don’t forget the pastas: The cavatelli is a must.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

SRV (which stands for Serene Republic of Venice) is a bacaro and wine bar serving cuisine inspired by the Adriatic right in Boston’s South End. Go with friends and get at least one of each cicchetti option (Venetian small plates), but also try some of the creative pasta dishes, such as stuffed paccheri with octopus, fennel, and tomato, or the agnolotti in brodo with beet, orange, and poppy seeds.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Unlike its northern Italian predecessor, the Fox & the Knife, chef Karen Akunowicz’s Bar Volpe places emphasis on the phenomenal flavors of southern Italy. The South Boston restaurant serves as both a dining room and a store where fresh pasta can be bought by the pound to take home. Make sure to try the hand-crafted Sardinian culurgiones stuffed with goat cheese and potato served over a tomato basil sauce.

• Open in Google Maps

With spots in Newton and East Boston joining chef/owner Douglass Williams’ original South End location, it might be inevitable to one day have a Mida in every neighborhood. And a wonder that would be, with crispy arancini with San Marzano tomato sauce, and braised pork tagliatelle with radicchio, chili flakes, and Grana Padano cheese from the north of Italy just a few steps away. Get the braised short rib lasagna. Ditto for the tiramisu. You won’t regret it.

• Open in Google Maps

Emily Kan/Mida

It’s easy to fall in love with Petula’s, Rachel Titcomb’s Italian-ish newcomer that opened in Southie in May 2023, from the small plates of whipped ricotta with pickled red onions and herb honey on grilled sourdough, to classic pasta with vodka sauce that topped with chili flakes and fresh parmesan. The vibe is date-night chic, too — check out the dining room’s warm blush tones and the dried blooms hanging over the bar — whether your date is a pal for martini Mondays or a partner to split the pristine prosciutto and delicata squash pizza. Or even still: A treat-yourself date of truffle cacio e pepe with confit mushrooms. That way, you can hoard the whole meal for yourself.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

This Brookline mainstay tends to lean in the direction of northern Italy, based on owners Josh and Jen Ziskin’s time in Italy’s Piedmont region. For a taste of as much of the menu as possible, try the prix fixe menu with optional wine pairings.

• Book with OpenTable
• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

This Jamaica Plain gem has garnered an enthusiastic following since it opened in October 2022. It’s hard to go wrong with anything on the menu, but look especially for the taleggio cappelletti drizzled with aged balsamic, the bowl of countneck clams, and the Roman-style pizza bianca with excellent pairings including whipped ‘nduja and stracciatella, ricotta and hot honey, and eggplant caponata.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Brian Samuels Photography/Tonino

Chef Stefano Quaresima transports customers direct to Italy at this spot on Dorchester Avenue. Roman through and through, this trattoria is a bakery by day — putting out some of Boston’s freshest and tastiest pastries thanks to their lievito madre (sourdough starter) — and a restaurant by night. Stop by on the weekend to sample their brunch, where you can taste a true maritozzo rarely found anywhere outside of Rome. Then, come back in the evening for an unforgettable dining experience that will make you question if you’re in Dorchester or Anzio, Quaresima’s hometown south of Rome.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Via Cannuccia

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