Food was not good at all. Dipping oil for the bread was tasteless not a good quality- waited 15 minutes to get a beer in spite of the place, being 100% empty other than us. The soup came out, lukewarm and bland. The appetizer artichokes were just soaked in grease. All you could taste is the grease -- the main dishes chicken Parm and chicken cacciatore would be average at best. As far as ambience goes, there is none and the bathroom was not very clean and the area smelled like mothballs. Would not go back even for free meal. read more

Food -was a 10 Service-was a 10 Management- was a 0 Had 5:00 reservation sat at 5:05 Food was out immediately piping hot. 6:00 we asked for coffee and desert and was told it was unavailable by a downstairs manager. Then asked if we had our check yet !!! Obviously wanted us to leave . Our waitress was beside herself. We gulped our drinks and left 6:05 Got to be kidding ! read more

Host Bruno did a wonderful job of setting the mood for our dinner tonight. Bianca was a wonderful server. The food was delicious! Thank you Bianca and Bruno for a wonderful evening ! Will be back to see you! read more

What a disappointment. Was charged $18.95 for a small bowl of angel hair pasta with unseasoned sauce, $39 for a small piece of salmon and what was supposed to be a lobster ravioli, a couple of asparagus cut up and a bitter sauce. It was a ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and something red. They even cut corners with the bread oil...we thought it was too clear to be olive oil. Come to find out it was canola oil mixed with garlic, pepper and parsley. This restaurant is sadly making money from those like myself and friends who didn't read the reviews first! You are now aware, proceed at your own will Date of visit: October 2023 read more

Had a 6pm reservation with friends. Checked in 5 minutes early and they said hour+ until a table would be ready. Two other parties with 5pm reservations had been waiting an hour and the hostess didn't have any estimate for them either. Seems fishy they were over an hour backed up on a Monday night. read more

We ducked into this hole in the wall to have a drink and get out of the rain. Wanted to grab a drink but the food menu looked great. I ordered a limoncello martini and my husband had a beer. We reluctantly ordered food as we were the only people in the place (but us was 3:30)! I had the best lobster ravioli I've ever had! The sauce was spectacular. Not sweet like out of a jar. This was genuinely handmade sauce with fresh ingredients that delights the pallet with savory flavors of tomatoes, basil, garlic, oregano and the right amount of cayenne pepper with shrimp!! My husband had the seafood fra Diavlo. Fresh mussels, clams, shrimp, and langostino on a bed of linguine in an equally delicious yet different Italian tomato sauce which suggests everything is fresh, fresh, fresh. read more

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We had reservations for 9pm on NYE but had to wait 30 minutes to get sat. Inconvenient but understandable. The host then brought us downstairs and gave us menus but after 5 minutes, we were told we got seated by mistake as there was another group in front of us and had to get up. Then the gentleman rudely started to collect the menus from us and had us wait at the small bar downstairs. We were confused and didn't know when we were going to get seated so we got shots at the bar. After getting seated the second time, we wanted to order drinks but our waitress told us her manager said we could only order drinks 'maybe later' after getting food. We weren't rowdy to get cut off, and we only got the shots because we were forced to go to the bar. Ridiculous. Food was decent but not worth the service. read more

Massimino's - exterior - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The restaurant is tiny and the majority of tables is in a basement that is also tiny and smells like a mixture of febreeze and cat urine. Seating is elbow to elbow with other guests. Ambiance was rustic basement like. The glasses and utensils were dirty. Menus were filthy. Service was nice but their rear ends were constantly in your face because lack of space. Food came quickly but chicken was like rubber as well as the seafood. Overpriced for overall poor quality. read more

Excellent Lobster Ravioli with shrimp fra-diavlo. Calamari very good. St. Anthony's feast is when we came and they were able to seat us right away. A gem! Prices were reasonable. Service excellent except they took our drinks before we were done. Usually I notice but was absorbed in the menu. read more

We stopped by for a small bite today. (brushetta, fried calamari and grilled octopus) and did not disappoint. This place is one of the neighborhood's best. Been around for many years, not sure if ownership is the same, but food and service has always been excellent. I love the quiet, off the main drag vibe. Was always a go-to for clients and business lunch when I was working nearby. Don't miss the pork chops with cherry peppers. read more

Amazing!!!! Great vibe excellent waitress (Kim) Delicious food tasted like my Nona made it read more

Located on the edge of north end just off the bridge. Seated downstairs on a Sunday evening which was much quieter (except for the loud techno pop musing blaring which was a bit offsetting considering the space is small and cozy). The waitstaff was very attentive and engaged. Service was good. Most of the offs was really good. The bread and olive oil was excellent. The clams in red sauce great. The red sauce great for bread dipping. Caesar a bit overdressed and nothing special but appropriate. Chicken Parm was nicely breaded and sauce tasty. The side of pasta was ok. Nothing special. Kid has the lasagna which was good. Spouse orders the rib eye and lobster tail. This was a bone in rib eye and unfortunately cooked poorly. Asked for medium rare and it came out without any pink (my version of well done). The liver tail was under cooked. Both standard flavor nothing special ($75 - ouch). Deserts were ok tiramisu and cannoli. The capaciino was great. Overall the pastas were excellent. Once again I ALWAYS get conned by ordering steak at an Italian place in the USA. Why do I constantly fall into this self imposed trap (only in Italy have I had decent steak in an Italian place). The appetizers were great. Service great. Prices a bit spendy (only because of the poorly executed steak but I suspect it wasn't an exception but likely just not their strength) Next time would just get a lobster ravioli or the seafood pasta. read more

Best place to eat in Boston!! Debbie is a wonderful waitress, great recommendations for food and wine. The next best thing to a Little Italy. Ambiance is quaint and classy. You can dress casual or dress up. read more

Massimino's - Shrimp Scampi - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Massimino's is our go-to place for an authentic Italian meal. We usually reserve our table through OpenTable and it's never been an issue. We've visited during their busiest and their slowest, but we are always seated immediately. The Massimino's staff is always on top of their game and I must commend them for being so friendly! Without fail, our servers have always been so welcoming, hardworking, and quick (shoutout Cheyenne!). You can also expect more than one server to check on you and make sure you don't need anything. A truly great staff at Massimino's! On to the food... One of my favorite dishes at Massimino's is their Gnocchi Al Forno. Our server mentioned how she eats this dish on her lunch breaks all the time! If you enjoy a good cheese-pull, this pasta dish is for you! Everyone who has tried this dish always seem to love it so I would strongly recommend to anyone. We tend to switch it up for our appetizer but this time...we ordered the Fried Burrata. No picture was taken from eating it too fast... This dish comes with a delicious side salad and despite it being relatively small, I would still say it serves two people. My boyfriend ordered the Stuffed Rack of Lamb. He tends to order something new on the menu each time but agrees that every dish has been great. The lamb pairs nicely with the mushrooms and asparagus. He would definitely order again! read more

Massimino's - Today's Special: Stuffed Rack of Lamb - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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I have been going to Massaminos since I was a little girl. My husband and I went last night and they should be embarrassed to call themselves an Italian restaurant, especially in the North End of Boston. First, they were playing pop and hiphop music at full volume - I do not come to the north end to hear Bruno Marz and Jay Z while eating my pasta. I asked them to change it or turn it down; they said they could "try to turn it down, but they can't change it". Then the food came, I had cacio y pepe. The pasta was such a mushy mess they should be ashamed of themselves. The sauce was watery and lacked flavor. It was honestly one of the worst meals I've had out at a restaurant. I would have been happier at the Olive Garden (and would have saved some money!). I am sad to say I will not come back to this establishment. read more

----- Concise Review Great food, atmosphere, crew/staff ----- Longer Review We traveled to South Tamworth, New Hampshire, by way of Boston, MA and then North Conway, NH, for the wedding of our niece to her husband. The trip was brief - Thursday evening to Sunday, but filled with family, fun, and some exploring. On Friday we explored Boston, focusing mostly on the Freedom Trail. As dinner time arose, not knowing which of the many restaurants to pick from, our daughter searched and found another place. As we walked there, she noticed a sign on he wall noting that Massimino's serves wonderful lobster ravioli, one of her favorite dishes. So we decided to dine at Massimino's instead. GOOD PICK! The table has the feel of a classic Italian restaurant, with smaller tables, smaller overall restaurant, Italian images on the walls, a statue of St. Anthony of Padua (who always spoke beautifully of the Lord), images of Venitian gondolas painted in the tables, etc. ... great Italian atmosphere! We enjoyed: - Bread and dipping oil+herbs (nicely left with us as we first sat at the table) - Lobster Ravioli - Chicken Saltamboca - Stuffed Veal Chop - a shared glass of Chianti The food was very good! The servers were friendly and attentive. Great dinner - thank you, Massimino's!---- ----- ----- read more

Best seafood fra diavo I've ever had. Ordered it extra spicy which was perfectly executed. Seafood was as fresh and delicious as good be along with fresh linguine. Bottle of house Cianti was very good. Service was friendly and outstanding. Only bad thing is I don't live in MA but have a reason to come back because that dish is worth traveling for. read more

Excellent choice for an 'off the main drag' Italian meal in Boston's North End. The portions are huge and every bite we had was delicious. Recommend Nonna's meatball (comes with a large dollop of wonderful fresh ricotta) and the gnocchi. The veal chop was also a stand out. Service was outstanding - we never had an empty carafe of water on a warm night - and the kitchen was accommodating to food preferences/allergies. read more

My friend and I made a reservation for 8:30 and we didn't get seated until an hour or so after. We didn't mind the wait but the food I ordered came out looking unappetizing. It tasted bland and I could tell it was microwaved or a boxed pasta and it was so expensive. The cheese they put on it was too much to chew let alone digest. I ended up being sick and bloated for about a week after. I probably had a stomach bug or something. I also didn't think the place was clean from what it looked like. Our waiter had an attitude- we didn't feel welcomed. The place was too loud, too crowded, and not a good place to eat authentic Italian food. I don't recommend. Suggestion- make fresh food- we can tell when it's microwaved and boxed. There needs to be major change in this restaurant. read more

Massimino's - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

We went here for a Birthday Celebration for our daughter in law. The parking is convenient, there is a parking garage one block over. Our party of six had reservations. When we got there they sat us right away at a table out front which is what we had requested. Our server was fairly new to the restaurant but did a fine job with such a big group. We all had appetizers, which ranged from calamari to eggplant and artichokes. Everyone was very pleased. Many of us had entrees that were featured as specials. Two of us got the seafood fra-diavlo which was good but the calamari was a tad over done and the lobster tail was messy to eat due to it being in the half shell and mixed in the sauce. I also had 2 of my 3 clams that weren't open, so I believe whomever plated my dish should have replaced them. Will say the scallops and mussels were awesome. 2 people got the Salmon Scampi, which was a Pan seared salmon sautéed in a white wine garlic sauce, topped with shrimp and asparagus and grilled lobster ravioli. The only compliant was that they wished it had more than 1 ravioli. Flavor was divine! 1 in the party got the Parpadella con Lemencello, which was a handmade Fettuccini pasta served with shrimp, scallops & cherry tomatoes in a lemencello cream sauce. This was delicious 1 in the party got the Swordfish Chop, which was a Bone-in swordfish, stuffed with fresh mozzarella and baby spinach. Pan seared in a white wine scampi sauce, served with grilled lobster ravioli, asparagus and shrimp. Got great reviews by the individual. Then of course we completed the meal with double Expresso and canoli, termiso, and flourless chocolate cake. All the desserts were decident. Overall the meal was very good, and we would recommend you giving this restaurant a try. Service was good and the atmosphere and food was worth the price. read more

OK, so this was the first place my wife and I visited on our trip to Boston (beginning of November 2020). The other couple we were with really wanted to kick things off with "Italian" and this was just across the bridge from were we were staying (Charlestowns Residence Inn). The cool thing is that there were so many cool places that were all within walking distance from each other and not far from the bridge. We walked up on this place and thought it was "quirky" with the outside seating, night time and just different. We sat outside just off the street and it felt pretty cool. Different you know...? Like "we are back in a real city"! It had that "mom and pop" feel to it and a bit...."hole in the wall-ish" with the construction across the narrow streets. That actually is what made it cool to me as those are my favorite type places to where normally the food is outstanding! I loved the vibe and was waiting to get that great Italian food. Unfortunately that really didn't live up to what I thought it would be and starting off the trip. They had some great sounding specials which I was sold on one of them. When it got to me to order, they didn't have what I wanted and it was a SPECIAL! It wasn't very busy at all which made it a bit more of a "bummer". My wife decided to get a traditional lasagna but it wasn't on the menu? How do you not have that on the menu? So we both had to settle for something we really didn't' want. They did tell her they could make the lasagna and I went with her second choice so we could split it. Our food finally came and man.. was it a letdown. I am not trying to talk down to the place but our chicken parm and (thrown together) lasagna was as bland, flavorless and basic as you could get. In comparison to the other dishes (that looked fantastic and my pics of), ours wasn't even worth the picture. The other issue we felt was the price. I get Italian can be on the pricey side but this really seemed on the high side for what we got. Drinks were WAY over priced at 12 dollars for a basic SMALL rum and diet to which was way less everywhere else we went in Boston.... So, I am not saying the experience was terrible as we enjoyed the rustic vibe of the city life at night and all of that but the food was a let down and a classic "you get what you pay for". Now the speciality food was absolutely fantastic looking. I think that is where it's at with this place and if you want basic Italian, go somewhere more commercial and "basic". That was the impression we got. I would have loved to get the special I wanted but unfortunately they were out so I can't really speak on that. I am not sure its a place I would revisit because of the price to try the other items and oh....not to mention if it was cold out, the inside would have been very cramped for covid. I am sure its great and the time was decent but you will have to decide this one on your own. read more

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Came here on a recommendation. The customer service was here was stellar! From the host to the wait staff everyone was very friendly and helpful. The appetizers and drinks were great. The main entree's sadly fell short. Maybe it was an off night? Because the house was packed and we managed to get squeezed in without a reservation. We may return for their delicious appetizer but not sure about ordering entree's next time. read more

Some of the best food I've honestly ever eaten. Service was fast and so friendly. I got the Pollo Paradiso and the blood orange Martini, 10/10! read more

Massimino's - Pollo Paradiso - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Not the best lunch I've ever had. I wish they had a separate lunch and dinner menu. My boyfriend got the chicken Marsala and it was average. For $26 it wasn't that great. The pasta isn't homemade and it comes on the side with red sauce rather than in the Marsala. The caprese with prosciutto was good but it's hard to get that wrong. The aperol spritz was okay. It was an $80 lunch and wasn't worth that. read more

Massimino's - Caprese with Prosciutto - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Stopped in for dinner with the kids. Great vibe and service! The server was very informative and the food was fresh. read more

Massimino's - Cheese plate - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Food and service was good but very little ambiance. Not sure if I would go back anytime soon! Better choices around town.

Very crowded, and food is very average. Tasted like Olive Garden. So not Terrible but just plain

Chicken parm is one of my favorite meals and I order it everywhere. This is the best chicken parm and freshly made pasta I have ever had. Price, location, service or anything else does not matter. This is the whole review because that is all that matters, PERIOD. read more

Massimino's - The best Chicken Parmigiana I have ever had! - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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The food is outstanding, the service great, and the atmosphere comfortable and homey. We'd recommend this little gem to anyone seeking authentic Italian cuisine. read more

Visited on Saturday 8/24. In the middle is St Anthony festival in North End. Being from out of town we made reservations two months ago, not knowing about the festival. Although there were thousands of people on the street. And restaurant could not have been more crowded. Staff was extremely friendly, food was fantastic. Authentic Italian food at its best. read more

Maybe we were there on an off day but this was one of the worst meals we've had in the North End. You can get much better food at a much better price at many other places in the North End or around Boston. - Bruschetta - greasy bread with chopped tomatoes on top (no real seasonings / no other ingredients... can only get away with this if you have the best tomatoes in the world, these were not) - Calamari - chewy and undersalted, more banana peppers than squid - Cacio e Pepe - overcooked mushy pasta with grainy sauce (in fairness, cacio e pepe is hard to make well, but don't put it on a menu if you can't cook it!) - Lobster ravioli - cheese ravioli at double the price. It was fine, but there was hardly any lobster to be found - Seafood fra diavolo - overcooked seafood that was otherwise meh. At least pasta wasn't overcooked on this one. - Carbonara - fine, but bacon flavor was overwhelming Pasta dishes cost between $25-$30 - you'd be better off going to a food court and getting the same quality for $10. read more

This place is incredible! The service is phenomenal, staff is so fun and friendly, and the Italian food is so on point. We got the Nona's meatball and it was fantastic! So juicy and delicious. The caprese salad was light and tasty, and the penne was well cooked. The restaurant is small, but very cute and welcoming. Plus the owner is very friendly and made sure we had a great experience! read more

I want to give a review, specifically for Debbie the manager. I am from out of town and had a misunderstanding regarding dessert in house vs to go. She was very understanding in her explanation to me and still managed to sooth my frustrations. Thank you so much! read more

This was a GREAT spot for Italian in the North end of Boston. It's a small and the tables are close providing an intimate feel. The food is fantastic and Sal is one of the best in the business. VERY FRIENDLY! Looking for good Italian at a hole in the wall spot? Go here. Sebastian also gets good marks at customer service. read more

This has to be one of the best Italian restaurants in the North End. We had a party of 10, we had different dishes and everyone loved their food. Service was excellent, sorry I don't remember our server's name. Nothing but praise for this restaurant. Can't wait to return, I live in Florida, so unfortunately it might be awhile. read more

The food here is exquisite. My wife and I shared the delicious fried burrata appetizer. My spouse had an amazing swordfish scampi special, and I enjoyed my tasty chicken, broccoli, shrimp over ziti. Our drinks were superb, and our server Brenton was extraordinary. Portions were large; food quality was superb and the prices were fair. We both loved our meals and the experience and look forward to coming back again soon! read more

Massimino's - Chicken Broccoli Shrimp over Ziti - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

We are not from here so we wanted to check out a spot in north end... we had a reservation so we got sat rather quickly as far as service we were switched around waitresses but they were both amazing and definitely really sweet. I got the Lucy drink and it was really strong for me I want another but I knew I would want to go home after that and I have things to do LOL The carbonara was delicious my friend had the chicken and brócoli ziti? I think and my other friend got the penne vodka. Both delicious and the bruschetta was a fresh starter. Love carbs and this place fulfilled by happiness! read more

Massimino's - Linguine Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Wow!!!! Enjoyed an amazing Mother's Day here! Food and drinks were amazing! Everyone was accommodating and our waitress Jenny was just the best! We ate downstairs and really loved the vibe. We will be back!!! read more

Massimino's - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Great food and service. Reasonable prices. I had a seafood linguini plate with red sauce. The sauce was the perfect amount of sweetness. Free bread and oil came with it. read more

Massimino's - The pasta dish my fiancé ordered - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Made a reservation for 9:30 on open table. Got to restaurant at 9:25 and they said they close at 10:00 and didn't seat or serve us. Disappointing when most authentic Italian restaurants stay open late. Very disappointing. Greeters were very rude. read more