We had dinner here during restaurant week and it was amazing! The surf and turf appetizer is to die for! I can't wait to go back and get that as my meal! The salmon was also fantastic although I wasn't asked how I'd like it cooked and a section was a bit too raw. My boyfriend enjoyed his steak as well. The restaurant was full of waitstaff and they were very quick, at times we did feel a bit rushed but overall the experience was great. read more

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Food was great! Standard Italian fare - we tried raw oysters, lobster cocktail, table side cacio e pepe, and the squid ink pasta. Our waiter was attentive and we always got what we needed. Came a little early and sat at the bar with delicious drinks. Seating is super important for the vibe here! We were seated in the rooms upstairs, so it was much more intimate and quiet. Downstairs definitely had more party vibes. Valet parking is available are Bricco down the block. read more

I went to Mare during dine out Boston week, I loved everything about it. Food was amazing,service great!atmosphere beautiful,can't wait to go back.!! read more

Came in Sunday evening looking for a lighter fare after reservations elsewhere didn't work out. Found a spot in the lounge area and got situated, got menus, got left alone a little bit too long... Waitress eventually showed up to get our order: blush, cabernet, and coffee, and three apps. Took a while for beverages to find us, we had to ask about breads, and water was almost an afterthought. Crab cakes with bitter greens were good but nothing to write home about, same for the scallops, clams had to go back so an octopus stood in. Nice take on the brussels sprouts; cranberries and bacon cut the sharpness and served in it's own juices. Fire pits got lit with too much effort shortly before we left. The dancing flames don't quite make up for the cramped quarters in the lounge area but shallower seating would. read more

Mare - Scallops on bacon wrapped asparageese - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Mare is located in the heart of Boston's north end neighborhood down a small alleyway from the street making it a quaint dinner spot. The restaurant isn't large and mainly has outdoor patio seating. We arrived for a Saturday night reservation a little after 7pm and were promptly seated. I did feel a little too close to our neighbors on either side of us. It was almost as if we were eating dinner with them. Very European style but I would have preferred a little more space. The food lived up to the upscale hype! We had a stuff calamari appetizer, lobster roll (when in Boston you have to try at least one!) and I splurged and got the fruitti de mare which encompasses a variety of different seafood including a large portion of lobster, giant shrimp, clams and mussels in a soup like sauce. It's one of my favorite meals and it didn't disappoint. It's almost a given that you have to have bread to dunk in the sauce. I was a happy bread dipper. We had a great meal here. Extra bonus was that you received limoncello samples at the end of your meal. read more

Mare - Frutti de mare - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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We just stopped in for some cocktails on a hot Friday early evening before going elsewhere in the North End for dinner. I guess there aren't many place in the North End with outdoor seating but Mare is the exception. They have a very nice space in back for a relaxing drink. The cocktails were tasty. And you have to like a place with an adjacent meat market - hanging meat and cocktails. What a combo! read more

Mare - Meat market next door - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Restaurant was very crowded when we arrived on a Saturday evening, and we waited about 35 minutes to be seated despite having a reservation. The restaurant was very, very cramped and I found myself having to pull my chair in or lean left or right often to allow servers and other patrons to get by, which was not ideal. We had a selection of a dozen oysters, which were great. No complaints there. Lobster cocktail was wonderful. My husband also had a lobster roll, which was very greasy. I had spaghetti with mushrooms, spinach, and "black truffle," but unfortunately the restaurant doesn't use shaved truffle, but oil. Granted, they are using a good amount, and aromatically, the dish was on point. However, too much truffle oil leaves an artificial finish and it made the dish hard to eat. We did not have dessert, so I can't comment there. I don't know that we'd rush back, but it was okay. read more

This place was amazing! Incredibly friendly service and professional. Food was delicious and very well done. read more

Mare - Calamari - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Great service and the food was absolutely delicious! We had the Tagliatelle Con Aragosta and the Mare Lobster Roll. The pasta was perfectly cooked and had large chunks of lobster in it. The lobster roll was great too; perfectly seasoned and was full of lobster. It came with a side of crispy fries and a tiny glass bottle of ketchup. It was on the pricier side but each dish came with so much food that I think it's worth the price. The servers were super nice too; not too pushy but attentive. read more

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This restaurant in a great spot. It's right at the beginning of Hanover Street on the water. It has some nice atmosphere and a great seafood menu. The food and drinks are very enjoyable. However, I came here for a special Valentine's Day date and they had the restaurant so crammed with tables that it felt like i was sitting on top of the person next to me. Valentine's Day is supposed to be an intimate experience, and this certainly took away from it. Each table was only inches from the one beside it. I understand the high demand of Valentine's Day, but it shouldn't take away from your guests experience, especially on a special day like that. read more

Maybe it just how Boston people are but every staff member at this restaurant made me and my husband feel out of place yet welcomed at the same time. Let me explain: we are visiting Boston. We just happened to dine at Mare cuz it was pretty well reviewed around little Italy area. I think this may have been one of those ~ fancy ~ restaurants because we were definitely the worst dressed. The staff members were rude and also friendly at the same time lol! I don't know how to explain; but again, I'm guessing it's a Boston thing. The food was just OK. We shared oysters, I had the black squid linguine and my husband had a burger. We liked our food but it definitely wasn't worth the price. Overall, I guess if you want to enjoy a pretty fancy meal, come here and make sure you dress nice! read more

Decent food but how can you go wrong in the north end for Italian? I had the wild boar paparadelle.

We had an incredible dinner here to celebrate my fiancée's birthday and surprise engagement. We were here for a week and ate here our last night and it was a wonderful cherry on top of the trip. Food was delicious, our waitress was fun and knowledgeable, and the bartender makes a wicked espresso martini. This is a great spot for a date night, girls night, or even a solo appetizer hang. You won't be disappointed read more

My family went there for Christmas, the food was delicious, but we got charged $20 for water. Not happy

My friends and I went to Mare for some drinks and oysters last night and were not disappointed. The oysters were shucked at the bar in front of us and were so so good. We had espresso martinis and other tasty cocktails from the menu (the cocktail called sunshine was delicious.) Our waiter was sweet, attentive, and had a cute accent. I loved it here, I will definitely be back the next time I'm in Boston. read more

Great food and service in the North end. Met a co-worker for dinner and drinks ~ made great old fashioneds. Split the seafood tower and my buddy had the gnocchi and I had the lobster ravioli. Skipped dessert so we could hit up Modern next door. Service was great. Bar was solid. I got there first and had a drink. read more

I went to Mare with a friend last weekend and had a great time. The atmosphere is really fun and i'd return for that alone. I especially love the fire pit area. I would give Mare a 5 for drinks, and a 3 for food. I had two of the Tito's Doli which was perfectly mixed tito's and pineapple nectar. For an app, we started with the Fruitte Mista. It had calamari, scallops, shrimp, pickled jalapeño, fried onion strings and tartar dip. It was tasty but the portion size was very small. For my meal, I had the linguini and clams. The pasta was cooked perfectly, but the dish as a whole was incredibly salty and there was some sand left over. My friend had the Wild Mushroom Spaghetti with porcini cream, black truffles & spinach. It was super tasty but a very small portion. For dessert, we had the Deconstructed Tiramisú and that was absolutely phenomenal. It was given to us so kindly on the house for my friends birthday. We enjoyed every last bite with some delicious espresso martinis. read more

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This was probably one of our favorite dinners while staying in Boston... Located in the north end with all of the wonderful Italian restaurants. We sat outside and enjoyed the weather. Everyone really enjoyed their meals... Especially the three that got the grilled seafood platter. It was so much food that everyone got to taste. The wild mushroom spaghetti was so flavorful and would highly suggest it. Our group was meeting 2 locals from Boston and they had recommended the restaurant. Would definitely go back when we are in town. read more

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My group didn't even have a chance to try the food because we left after experiencing abysmal customer service from the General Manager. He was rude, condescending, and not at all receptive to our concerns about the safety of the restaurant's patio and surrounding space. I'd encourage diners to choose another restaurant where their patronage will be appreciated. read more

This small restaurant is tucked away on a side street of Hanover st. Upon entering, it's a very small intimate restaurant. We loved our waitress Yuri who was very attentive. The drinks are mediocre, the negroni was the most bitter I've ever had. The espresso martinis tasted slightly watered down. Decent wine list. Shellfish tower for close to $140 we got 6 JUMBO shrimps, the biggest I've ever seen. Cherry stone clams were a tad fishy for me. Oyster selection is great. Generous portion of buttery lobster and king crab. Surf and turf- amazingly delicious from the seared scallops to the truffle mashed potatoes and to the braised short rib The risotto di Mare- tasted more like a tomato based orzo seafood pasta dish to me. Nonetheless still good but don't expect a typical risotto Zuppa di Mare- can't really go wrong if you love seafood Lobster raviolis- highly recommend! 5 generously sized raviolis. I'm not typically a fan of creamy pastas but this one was delicious with the smoked bacon bits read more

We got: oysters, surf & turf, risotto di mare, sunshine (cocktail) Service is slooooow. Sunday night, 8.30pm. The space is pretty tight too. They bugged us a bunch to order within a few minutes of sitting, then disappeared for forever when we wanted to order. Oysters arrived, and we still haven't received any bread yet. Mains arrived, and still no sign of that elusive bread. Sunshine was pretty sweet, mostly just the taste of peach. The short rib in the surf and turf was excellent. The scallops (2) were very salty though, you had to eat it with the very sweet sauce to make it edible. Truffle mashed potatoes were.. Hit or miss, depending on where you bit. Parts were over buttered, parts had no truffle flavor, and vice versa. We finally found someone to flag down for the bread, after already finishing the surf and turf and halfway through the risotto. Our server gave us a confused response, as though he had no idea what bread we were referring to. It then arrived without any butter or dips, and asked if that was okay with us. Uh, why the heck would we ask for bread without any condiments? We're pretty much done with our meal - still no bread condiments. Risotto was.. Undercooked. Parts of rice were chonky and hard, and the seafood did not have the risotto flavor throughout. In fact, parts of the rice were cold. Meh. The whole shelled langostine on the top was impressive looking, but honestly, impractical to eat. We're done with our meal, and flagged down another server for our bread condiments. Oh, by the way, the bread was room temperature, and going on stale. Would not: everything except the oysters, but that's not even representative of the quality here. Would not come back. Would not recommend. Overpriced for middling quality Italian food. Come here if you're looking for a tourist trap. read more

Mare - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Made a reservation online for six on a Saturday night to celebrate a birthday requesting a table that is the coolest due to health issues in the air conditioned dining room. Called the Wednesday before and was assured the dining room is air conditioned and will get a table in the coolest part. After arrival on an unusually warm May day of 80 degrees, the restaurant door was open with no AC. We told the person who greeted us that we would do take out instead with appetizers and entrees for each person as it was too late to find a decent restaurant in the area. After ordering, he was rude and told the four of us while the other two were parking to wait outside and we were not even offered to sit down neither inside nor at one of the patio tables. Overall the service was rude. The food was not great and the portion was small. The quality of the trio crudo was particularly sub par. I used to love this restaurant and the quality of food has gone down substantially. Definitely will not go back again. read more

I am honestly surprised how high the yelp ratings are of this restaurant considering that it is in North End with much better options in the same location to choose from. We had reservations for 4 at 8p on a weekday night and still had to wait ~20 min for our table. No biggie, but it didn't really put us in a good mood once we sat down. Ambience - The restaurant was crowded and stuffy. It had recently rained, so it was very humid and the A/C did very little to make eating inside comfortable. Tables were packed together so that servers had to squeeze through just to serve us. Half the time, I had to speak over guests at the table next to us so that our waiter didn't have to squeeze through to get to my request. The music was also very loud, which made us feel like we were in a night club. Food - Portions were small and overpriced for the area. My college-aged son, who will order squid ink pasta every time he sees it on a menu, said that the squid ink pasta he had at Mare was the worst he has ever tried (and believe me, he has tried it at more places than I can count). He said that it tasted like the ocean but not in a good way. My high school aged son had the lobster roll (which he ordered at several restaurants during our weeklong Boston trip) and said it was the worst one he had on the trip. My husband's pasta was mediocre and not memorable for a 30+ dollar dish. I had the raw oysters, which were very fresh and good, but not "I must go back" good. With the humidity/heat and loud music in the place, we just wanted to quickly finish our meal and leave. We returned to our hotel still hungry and ended up ordering pizzas at our hotel restaurant which was very comfy. I would give this place 1-star, but the host at the restaurant seemed nice, and no one was rude to us (though not particularly attentive), thus the 2 star rating. read more

The whole North End is trash prove me wrong! This place charges you 13$ for one shrimp and there were mice running around the dining room floor, (I know it's the north end.) They have a nice little shop connected so I go to see if they have an fresh truffles seeing as how they're on everyone's menu, the old bag at the counter couldn't have been any ruder fml. The burger and fries where the only saving grace here. Service was ok besides the bus kid winking at my gf multiple times maybe he had something in is eye at this point I had to leave before I gave him a black eye. Maybe invest in a few alley cats if the problem is that bad. read more

This was one of the best Italian restaurants we've been to since Italy. Homemade pasta, simple and excellent quality ingredients. I am definitely buying a cheese wheel and black truffles to make carbonara in for my next dinner party! read more

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Happened upon this place while strolling the streets of north end, tucked away down a side street, the twinkle lights attracted me to the place. A delightful mix of Italian and seafood fare, I enjoyed starting of my meal with a selection of 6 oysters of beach plum, moon shoal, and island creek variety. I've been working on my oyster palate in general so this was a fun way to put it to the test! I then went with the Alaskan cod loin, a fresh piece of fish that was flakey and cooked to perfection, with some vegetables and butternut squash purée. And to top it all off, a deep rich dark chocolate mousse! Can't wait to come back and try some of the other options! read more

Mare - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Worst meal iv ever had. The manager was rude from the get go and wouldn't seat my 95 year old grandfather when we arrived on time. We had to wait until the one person in the party arrived. The pasta tasted like wet mop and 3/5 guests sent their food back. Place is a waste of money and the food tasted like stale old fish and pasta. Stay away from this restaurant! So many better option in north end. read more

Recently moved to the North End neighborhood and popped in on a Sunday night for a bite to eat. Started with some oysters from their oyster bar--we got the Aunt Dotty (8.5 - buttery with a clean finish) and Chatham (7 - also buttery but very salty). For our appetizer, got the Surf & Turf, which came with two scallops and a heaping of braised short rib. The scallops were a bit too salty by themselves but went well with the truffle mash. The mash itself didn't have a very strong truffle taste, but the short rib was delicious! For our main, got the Risotto di Mare, which was hard and undercooked. The shrimp, scallops, and calamari were cooked well but lacked flavor and did not taste like they had been integrated with the risotto at all. Overall, I found this dish to be particularly lacking for the price. Would've given 3 stars for the food but unfortunately the service was horrendous. We were hounded to place our order within two minutes of being seated, and then subsequently ignored for the remainder of our meal. What I found the most mind-boggling was that every table around us was served bread with olive oil, olives, and garlic while we were not, and when we were finally able to flag someone down for bread, he served us the bread by itself and asked if it was okay that we didn't get any of the pairings. When we asked if they were supposed to come with the bread, he said yes but then never brought them to our table. We ended up getting served the pairings at the very end of our meal when we had already finished, and only because we finally managed to flag down another server. Decided to go elsewhere for dessert as a result. Overall, would not recommend. read more

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The North End has soo many wonderful Italian restaurants, but @mareoysterbar is one of our favorites now! Their homemade pasta dish with fresh lobster and black truffle shavings was so hearty and flavorful with every saucy bite. The lobster ravioli was made with a myriad of different flavors, textures, and colors. From fresh fava beans to lobster meat to melt in your mouth ravioli to smokey bacon, each bite had you wanting more. I had to try their rosemary fries because I'm such a sucker for fries. Their fries had a thick cut with a crunch exterior and soft, potato interior. Perfect taste and texture with every bite. Dessert was amazing, torn between the chocolate soufflé and the cannolis, we got both! The chocolate soufflé came with a side of delicious maraschino cherries that complimented the richness of the chocolate. The little cannolis had a super crunch exterior and mildly sweet ricotta filling with mini chocolate chip cookies. All in all it was a wonderful meal and a memorable night in the North End. Highly recommend this place read more

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4 stars I have been here a couple times. Once just for drinks, twice for food. The couches they have in the back with fire pits in the middle are very cool and romantic. I loved sitting there! BUT there are TVs there, too. I get if you want to watch a game while eating but it really is a damper on the ambiance when the game is playing in a fancy, romantic Italian restaurant. Maybe it's just me. It is a little expensive here, but the food won't disappoint. I've tried the lobster pasta, lobster ravioli, and some kind of fra diavolo dish - all were excellent. read more

10/10 would recommend. has something for everyone. incredible vibe. JUST GO!! p.s judy is the best server :) read more

Mare - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Well, if you're gonna change the lobster ravioli, guess i gotta change my review. My finances parents were excited about this place and I really hyped up the lobster ravioli. Last time I had it - they were fat ravioli stuffed with lobster, lobster chunks surrounding the pasta (huge bonus for me), and the sauce was impeccably delicious. Literally to die for. This time, well, I'm gonna save myself the time of laying it all out... What a bummer. Maybe it's pandemic related. I went to town with the makers manhattan from the bar though. Kudos to the bartender for making that delicious. read more

Really good seafood, everything was fresh. Not the best oyster in the city but definitely one of the better ones. Love the king crab on the tower. Really cool spot to have dinner read more

Mare - HALF Mare 1/2 Shellfish Tower - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Hmmmm. We've had great experiences at sister restaurants Bricco and Asiago. Kinda fell into a crack here. Dining twilight zone. Server took long enough to appear that we considered leaving. He then explained the specials to my wife with his back nearly turned to me- could barely hear him. Didn't realize lobster spring rolls were fried ( more like an egg roll). Not bad though. We ordered a special. Lobster and scallop fra diavlo. Barely any lobster or scallops- tiny bites. Small amount of pasta. Tons of peppers ( jalapeños or something similar). Spice was mildly overpowering. Noticed guy at next table with supe de mare with half lobster, shrimp, clams, etc so not sure why the seafood rationing on our " special" item. Restaurant tucked down a tiny alley just off Hanover. Patio overlooks tunnel entrance but noise not a factor. Maybe we just made all the wrong choices and maybe our server could have been more helpful/ attentive. He never checked on us until we were done. We said the dish was too spicy. He mumbled something and did nothing. Too many great places in the north end to have a sub par dinner. We won't be back. read more

Some favorite seafood bites, crab and lobster salad are generous and fresh, has large oyster selection, pasta dishes are well done, linguine with clams, risotto mare are terrific. The 12oz filet will satisfy any steak lover at a seafood restaurant. The hit are the zuppa mare, baked lobster. Always a great meal. read more

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Mare was amazing, the food, the service and ambiance were all good! We come here from TX once a year and we love everything.

Outstanding restaurant and great vibe. Espresso Martinis and Stuffed Lobster were both amazing. Highly recommend. read more

Mare - Stuffed Lobster - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Atmosphere was good but loud. Good wine and cocktails. Food menu was good. My wife really liked her lobster ravioli and our app was good. My Tagliatelle Con Aragosta was very bland and the lobster was way overcooked. Very disappointing for a highly rated North-end Italian restaurant specializing in seafood. I don't think I would return for dinner, but it seems like a fun place for appetizers and cocktails. read more

The cutest spot for a romantic dinner. Make reservations to sit by the fire, you'll regret it if you don't. The drinks were decent, similar to the rest of north end. Food was also mediocre. I had the lobster ravioli and brick chicken. The crab cakes though were exceptional. I would recommend Mare specifically for the ambiance and vibe for date nights. read more

Mare - Lobster Ravioli - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Came here for a anniversary dinner with my boyfriend. It was rainy so we couldn't enjoy the upstairs view so we sat downstairs close to the fire place which made it quite cozy. We started off with half a dozen of oysters(2 aunt dotty, 2 john river and 2 scorton creek) and I thought the scorton creek was the sweetest one out of the three. I got the lobster ravioli which was interesting since it had bacon bits in it. I like it but I wish the was a little more creamy. My boyfriend got the linguine and clams macchiato which he really liked. I also enjoyed the linguine and clams, it was a simple dish but done well. read more

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