"I've never taken the high road home The old low road seems to get me there fast" (John Mellancamp) Alta Strada translates into English as "High Road", and as I enjoyed a dinner there with our party of six, I'm very thankful that our road led us there. It's located on Wellesley's bustling Central Avenue, where you'll need to be lucky to grab a parking spot. You'll find a big parking lot behind Central Street to be much more convenient. It's an elegant higher end Italian restaurant with locations also in Fairfax, VA, Washington D.C., Logan Airport, and in Connecticut at Foxwoods Casino. Service was impeccable with numerous checkbacks and beverage refills. Our table started off with an excellent Garlic Bread appetizer with Spicy Tomato Basil Dipping Sauce ($12) and Nonna's Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Sauce, Ricotta, and Parmesan ($16). I really loved the meatballs! My wife and I split an Arugula Salad with Shaved Mushrooms, Truffles, and Parmesan cheese ($15). It was a large lightly dressed portion that was refreshing and very tasty. Believe me when I say that half a portion was plenty. I ordered an Allagash White and was surprised when it came out as a 16-ounce can and one of the coldest frosted Pilsner glasses I ever ran into ! My wife's entrée was Mama Zecca's Eggplant with San Marzano Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Parmesan, and a ton of Broccoli Aglio Olio ($29). I ordered the Fedelini Vongole with Manilla Clams, Cherry Tomatoes, Lemon and Parsley over pasta ($29), but a few minutes after I ordered it our server told us it has been sold out. That was the only demerit I saw with the service, I wish I'd have been told when I ordered. Instead, I pivoted to the Rigatoni alla Buttera with Italian Fennel Sausage, Fresh Peas, and Creamy Tomato Sauce over pasta ($29). Fantastic! The two children in our party went with an Individual 6 Slice 12" Cheese Pizza 12" ($17) and side orders of Grilled Chicken Breast ($12) and Grilled Shrimp ($13). When we walked in for our early dinner, Alta Strada wasn't too crowded. By the time we left, it was pretty much jam packed. We had an excellent experience. read more

See all

Ambiance Inviting, a bit upscale for a college town and very comfortable Service Friendly, attentive Food Delicious read more

I really liked this restaurant. Good Italian option in Wellesley. I appreciated that the menu was very vegetable heavy and had a large variety of options other than just pasta. The eggplant parm was great and my boyfriend really liked his pasta with peas and sausage. Service was great as well. Employees very accommodating and friendly. Nice ambiance too. Great for any occasion and would be a nice family or date night spot. read more

See all

Alta Strada is a delight! Yummy food, nice relaxed atmosphere, and delish garlic bread. No complaints! read more

Alta Strada - Wellesley - Alla Vodka - Italian Near Me - Wellesley, Massachusetts

A few days after Christmas, my husband and I met a friend here for dinner. She lives a bit far away, so Wellesley was a good meeting point. We wanted Italian, so this appeared to be a good option. My experience here is mixed, but overall it wasn't amazing so I don't think we'd recommend it. The food was okay... nothing was bad, but nothing was a dish I couldn't live without. My husband had a weird experience with the waiter and the options for his dish. He wanted the dish without shrimp, which the waitstaff said they could easily accommodate. The waiter said they'd put in some extra pieces of the other seafood in the dish. Instead, without asking, they added lobster. The waiter came back to the table and said "I was able to get them to add lobster for you, and since it was $3 extra, I will pay for that." He slid $3 onto the table. I've never been to a place where another option wasn't discussed with someone first. What if my husband didn't like/want the lobster? I feel like the waiter was trying to be nice and go out of his way to make up for removing the shrimp, but the whole situation was odd. Not a reason to not eat here, but maybe noteworthy in case other diners try out any substitutions. We all tried food from each other's dishes, and again, everything was fine... but there wasn't anything that stood out to us here. read more

Sad, disappointing, expensive, processed. Can't believe anyone would go here. Your better off at olive garden. read more

Those 4 star reviews are wrong- The service was excellent, from the host to wait staff. Food was also excellent, the garlic bread is a must. Super cute place! read more

Fine service and incredibly delicious food. I enjoyed sage pumpkin tortellini and the absolute best most fantastic salad I have ever eaten in my life: some kind of shaved mushroom with truffle oil, arugula, and back pepper and Parmesan. Just perfectly seasoned. I have dreamt about this salad since eating it, which is troubling since normally my dreams involve Brie Larson, Zoe Saldana, or such similar. The young lady who served us was definitely a foodie, whose knowledge was extremely impressive. Please build one of these restaurants in Vegas, or expand your Door Dash delivery radius by about 2,800 miles. read more

See all

I was definitely underwhelmed by the food. chicken Milanese had no seasoning or flavor and was not crispy . I've had better eggplant parm almost anywhere. Beet carpaccio was bland. Also one appetizer, two entrées , and one glass of wine cost us $100 before tip -which just seems outrageous. I know food is expensive when eating out now, but I don't know. Even for Wellesley this seems excessive. The space is beautiful and the staff was incredible, but I don't see myself going back . read more

See all

Staff was awesome and very patient. I asked my girlfriend's parents the other night if I could have their blessing in marrying her and they said yes. It was a fun celebration and we accidentally stayed a bit late and nobody on the staff gave us a hard time. If you're part of the staff that night and are reading this, thank you very much for making it such a fun night! Sorry if you got out late because of us lol. Food and drinks also amazing. read more

The food is consistently good and the staff is friendly and welcoming. A neighborhood gem.

Had an amazing birthday dinner experience tonight! Not only was the food delicious, the ambiance delightful, but the service was incredible, and they even brought me a birthday card signed by all the staff! What a lovely & special touch. Would highly recommend. read more

Food excellent. Service excellent. Ambiance not so excellent. Noisy. Especially when a table of 12 thinks it is necessary to overtake the room and shout loudly during their meal. The scene was chaotic to say the least. read more

Alta Strada - Wellesley - Italian Near Me - Wellesley, Massachusetts

Came back here for an anniversary dinner after many years and this spot is the same great food and service it always has been. Although very crowded on a Friday night, the service here is impeccable and the food is always really good. I told them ahead of time it was an anniversary dinner and they could not of made it more special. Very attentive and complimentary with even a glass of limoncello at the end. The menu here has not changed much from over ten years ago, same selections pretty much, pasta, steaks, seafood and of course chicken etc. The meatballs here are delicious and so is the chicken parm. The dessert again of my favorite mascarpone and wafers was also a nice treat. Prices are very reasonable here and this is a definite treat...highly recommended. read more

Went to Alta Strada and it's really gone downhill. I have always ordered the salmon, and it was lukewarm and flavorless this evening. Ordered it medium, and it was cooked pretty well, and was dry. The service was poor. We had appetizers and our app plates, which sat until the dinner entrees arrived. They tried to fit the entrees on the table by shoving the app plates around. The table had spills and food from us trying to serve/share the apps until we asked for serving utensils. Never once did they wipe the table. When the check came, they placed the folio on the spilled food. I've been home 2 hours and my hair and clothes still smell like rotten food. I will need to shower to get the smell off of me before bed. A real disappointment :( read more

Waitstaff was extremely attentive, alert, and efficient. Food was delicious. Atmosphere was lively but you could still have a conversation.

Significant group dinner of about 16 people. We shared several appetizers. Garlic Bread and Meatballs appetizers, great, but the prosciutto with Fig Jam, fantastic. I tried the chicken parmigiana, probably ended up being the heartiest of all the dishes selected at the table , sans the lamp chops. Done very well, odd coupling with Roasted Broccoli, but that was so good it worked. A little conservative of the drink service, would have been open to additional offers, however not overly concerning, had room for desert calories. Table shared two of everything of the desserts menu.Tried several, the standout was the Tiramisu. Really, really, enjoyed this meal. read more

Alta strada is good and an easy option. Food won't dazzle you and there aren't many options if you aren't a huge fan of typical steak/chicken dishes. But it also won't disappoint. Easy dinner outing for a couple, but it's a place I can only get excited about every few months or so. read more

We were a large party. Many seemed ok with their food - my eggplant parm was pretty bad. It is always my go-to when I see it on a menu and others in my party raved about ordering it in the past, so of course I had to have it. The eggplant was stringy and difficult to cut through - undercooked in my opinion. And I was told it was a stacked presentation, like a lasagna - but in my opinion the poorest lasagna look alike that I have ever seen. I sent it back as being undercooked and barely warm and the server brought me a new one - same as the prior - undercooked, difficult to cut with my knife and the smallest portion for the price I paid. My fellow diner who was famliar with this entree commented to me as to how small a portion I received - almost like the appetizer portion. But, so as not to waste food, (and not send it back another time while my fellow diners were almost finished eating) I picked at it and asked for a take home container for the leftovers. The server didn't even have the decency to include the large pile of tomato sauce that the small portion was sitting in. I was thinking I could have used all the sauce tonight with some pasta to try to salvage a bit of my entree. Not impressed. Worst meal ever. Won't go back. read more

I love Italian food. Food was good but for the prices I would have expected a larger portion or for the spaghetti to be handmade. Kinda wish that the tables weren't so close together. Not a very private experience. That being said the sauce on the eggplant and the spaghetti was incredible. Lots of garlic, very flavorful. Service was 10/10. Arabella was sweet and attentive, extremely friendly. Made the experience for sure. It was my partners birthday and the whole staff signed him a birthday card and brought a lit candle with his dessert. read more

Best clam pasta I had since I left Italy 12 years ago. This is my second time and the place is consistently superb, really don't understand the average review score. Totally recommend it!! read more

Always dependable-- food is great, service excellent. Is a bit loud so if that bothers you, might not be the best choice but other than that, I love it! read more

We got take out Delivered. Everything was dry, poor quality and generally horrible. Nothing tasted good. And we were hungry but not dead

Excellent spot for a great meal! Have been coming to Alta Strada for several years now. Recent renovations are a fantastic improvement on a very solid restaurant. Most significantly, lovely blue cushion chairs, modest area rugs and overhead noise abatement treatment bring down the noise level at this usually pretty loud spot. Food is always spot on. This night I had the seared salmon over some quinoa and veggies. Well seasoned and perfectly cooked. My fellow diners had the Halibut and Chicken Milanese. They all raved about their dishes. From my seat I could see long table of extended families & friends having a great time. This is the kind of place where people come to enjoy themselves and the restaurant staff are perfect guides. Not sure what is keeping me from awarding the 5th star actually. Maybe it is just because I've come to expect this level of food and service from Alta Strada that it almost comes off as ordinary. That's probably not fair. Great job by everyone. Go here. Enjoy the drinks. Enjoy the food. Enjoy your friends. You'll be pleased. You decide if they get the 5th star!! read more

We were their first guests for lunch. Neither of us had ever been there before, but when driving through Wellesley, we've both noticed it in the past, and so we took the opportunity of a $20 for $40 voucher deal to make our first visit. A 2 hour parking lot is available out back for patrons of this block of businesses, which was really nice. The entrance to the lot is available from Cross Street, and it exits conveniently onto Weston Road. From here, the entrance to Alta Strada takes you past their small patio of three tables and into their take-out market in the basement where they have a case of prepared foods or will make a sandwich or pizza for you, amongst other things. They're open down there from 11am-9pm daily, so they're an option for either lunch or dinner, or anything else inbetween. The bathrooms are located on the same floor, a long stairwell from the rather sizeable dining room at street level. Service here was a pleasure. I love it when specific options are made when we've made it evident that we are are interested in it, and we ended up with a most enjoyable meal. My water glass never went empty, although I'm not sure when or how often it was refilled. She also offered to pace out our dishes for a more leisurely meal, if we were interested, and to make better use of the real estate of our two top table. Throughout our meal, we were probably serviced by at least 3 individuals. Sour dough in the form of a generous chunk arrived shortly to tame the edge of our hunger along with a nice pour of olive oil. For starters, from the antipasti table at 3 for $15 we went with her highly touted Summer Corn with Smokey Bacon, and added the Chilled Calamari with Cucumber and Citrus, and the Roasted Beets with Grana Padano. With them arrived a gift from the kitchen of fat sliced tomato and fresh mozzarella along with a pair of beautifully grilled toast. All were yummy, yet we had plenty of leftovers since we knew we still had two courses yet to go. The Fingerling Potato, Spring Onion and Taleggio pizza $15 was thin crust sliced in four, sans tomato sauce (which was considerately pointed out to us). With it we were served fresh plates and utensils. Not quite cracker thin or crisp, the pizza had a light crisp chew, and was quite good. My only suggestion would be a slightly longer visit in the oven to brown it a tad more. The Mushroom Filled Lune with More Mushrooms, Truffle Oil and Parmigiano $21 that was our server's top choice from the menu even though she herself is not a mushroom lover (hey, me neither!), was helpfully served in two dishes for us, with fresh ground pepper or Parmesan offered separately (Cheese, please!). Four pockets of fungus apiece enrobed in creamy cheesy sauce and lots of the thinly sliced mushrooms which I extrapolated to be a bit light as an entree on its own. This was good too, but I restrained myself in order to save room for dessert. Reminding ourselves that there is a second stomach for sweets, we decided to order two whole desserts: Millefoglie; chocolate cream, sweet cherries, crunchy pastry $11 and House Made Gelati and Sorbetti $6. That day's options were Hazelnut, Vanilla, Chocolate and Peach, Watermelon, and we could have two scoops. We went with Hazelnut and Peach, and asked if they could be served in separate dishes so that the flavors wouldn't meld. Our taste buds were truly delighted! The flavors were so intense and so good, the coolness of the treat melting easily and gloriously on our tongues. Sure, the scoops were on the small side, but the flavors made up for the portions. I don't normally order such a simple dessert in restaurants, but I was so glad that my DC had suggested it. The Millefoglie was good too, but while we thought it was nice that they had put in the effort to punch out the pit from the cherries, it didn't make quite the same impact on us as the frozen scoops had. Even after the voucher, it cost us each $33+ out of pocket. Sure, we each took home a doggie bag, but still, it is a bit pricey for lunch since the prices and menu are about the same as for dinner except for the swap of luncheon sandwiches for dinner time entrees, a buck extra for some of the pastas, and a few additional options on both sides. 4 stars for lunch, 4.5 for dinner, rounded up to 5. I'll base my rating on dinner even though we actually came for lunch. Reminder to self for future reference: (other recommendations made by our server) Salads Grilled Scottish Salmon and Spinach Salad with Pancetta Vinaigrette, Almond Pesto $18 Sicilian Tuna Salad "Italian Riveria Style"...like Nicoise but better $15 Pasta Fedellini with Tiny Clams, Smashed Cherry Tomatoes and Parsley $22 Dolci Mascarpone Cheesecake; Lemon Curd and Vanialla Tuille $10 Butterscotch Budino; Brown Sugar Cookie $8 read more

See all

The food was fantastic and the service was great! Our server, Chris was delightful. Highly recommend.

A terrific Italian restaurant with a very eclectic menu. Great service and selection. The only downside is the noise level that makes it hard to hear your partner at the table. read more

Had dinner first time at Wellesley location. Was a very good experience. Everyone enjoyed their meals. We had fedelini vongole, bolognese, mama Zeccas eggplant, and rigatoni alla buttera. All came out piping hot and delicious. The sauces were all very tasty. Tiramisu was fabulous for dessert. The service was excellent and all was reasonably priced for the quality we received. A definite place you should try. read more

Had dinner here in the service was great. I'm happy. But I'm trying to eat gluten-free and the only type of pasta they had was gluten-free but it had corn in it and I can't eat corn.. I did order the salad I think it had brussels sprouts, and it was absolutely small in terrible for the price. My friend had the pasta dish and it wasn't all that great again the staff was excellent but the food does not match up for the prices so I probably won't be back here. read more

Casual Italian restaurant with a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere. It's an easy spot for Wellesley students to take their parents for a nicer dinner off campus. It can be loud during dinner so it's not the best choice for intimate dinners. I loved the mushroom lune which was cooked perfectly with truffles. The blanca pizza was decent but I wouldn't get it again. There are a couple good vegetarian options as well. I've had a couple great experiences here but each time I've come with a group larger than four I've gotten stuck waiting for a long time for my reserved table. The most recent time one of my friends was there early and checked-in they said it would be ready shortly. When we checked again it was over 20 minute wait! Luckily they were able to turn this around quickly. Good for smaller groups but not big ones. read more

Alta Strada - Wellesley - 1/2 portion of the mushroom lune - Italian Near Me - Wellesley, Massachusetts

See all

The best chicken parm in suburban Massachusett. Nice vibe, and fun waiters. Great choice of your looking for quality Italian food.

All around amazing food, service and ambience. A must visit restaurant for a fabulous night!

We visited this place for dinner. Loved the service, food and ambience. Kids menu is good as well but a bit expensive.

Amazing food, great service, seating was too close to other tables. overall great experience!

Definitely a solid go-to for well done Italian I honestly miss their lunches because of how on point their steak tip and chicken parm sandwiches were. That said, I totally understand why they only serve dinner now and I respect it Overall, the quality of food is on point, if you're looking for a classic, make sure you go for the bolognese or the chicken parm. I've heard that they 've got a new bianca pizza and I can't wait to try it when i'm back home Really hope they bring that parm back.. read more

The food was good. I had the filet, which was very good; however, you'll want to err on the lighter side. I'm from Texas, so "rare" means wave it over the grill. I ordered medium, and it was a little overdone. Certainly not their fault, but it's noteworthy. Service was a little slow at times, but overall a good dining experience. You should definitely check it out! read more

Hands down the best bolognese sauce with pasta ever. It's worth coming just for that dish. The Manila clam pasta with garlic was delicious too. Great service. read more

It's lively here and our waitress Jess was a gem. The food is ok. I had the spinach fettuccine with pancetta, corn and peas. But the pancetta was not cooked so what it was was fatty and ham like. Rookie move for a restaurant that specializes in Italian. Nothing food wise was a "wow". read more

We had a wonderful meal at Alta Strada on our recent visit to the Boston area. We've been there on numerous occasions on past visits but haven't been for a while. The food was excellent and the staff was outstanding. The staff, manager and waitstaff couldn't have been more accommodating and helpful. We would go back just for the bread but everything we ate was very well prepared and fresh. read more

As the closest restaurant to campus, the location itself is very convenient for Wellesley College students and visitors. Service was okay and our water glasses were always full even though it was busy. The Cinque Terre style grilled octopus had a smoky char flavor and the texture was surprisingly smooth, not rubbery at all. It came topped with some sliced red peppers that added a little heat but it didn't overwhelm this starter dish. I've yet to travel to Cinque Terre but thought this was a decent dish. We also ordered the mushroom lune and the tagliatelle bolognese for the mains. The lune was mushroom heaven...the creamy sauce, mushroom filling, and truffles can satisfy most fungi fanatics. That said, I did find the pasta a little too al dente for my taste. The tagliatelle was well spiced and accompanied with beef. I didn't love the sauce but thought it was enough to interest the palate more than a regular red sauce. An okay experience, but for what we paid, I wasn't wowed and would probably would choose a different place next time. read more