Had a nice dinner on a Thursday night. Service was good and food was also solid. We had a large group and they handled it well, while also taking care of the other guests. I had the Chicken Parm, which is always my litmus test for Italian restaurants on my first visit. read more

I just had one of my worst experiences at a restaurant in a very long time. Unfortunately, we were late for our reservation, but I had called 10 minutes ahead of time and kept the restaurant up-to-date the entire time. At no point did the restaurant indicate that us being late was going to be an issue. Ever. I know how hard it is to get a reservation in Boston so I was being very conscious about making sure they knew and apologizing profusely. They could have cancelled. Or told me they had to move the time They never did. When I got there, I was told the Wait wpuld be a few minutes.. fine That makes sense. 20 minutes later, I had to ask how long it would be to get a table and that I was met with a woman named Stephanie who then told me we don't hold tables and it was nice of you to call but we can't hold a table for with that information on a Friday night in the north end of Boston. She was soooooooooooooooooo Nasty about it. I could've easily made another reservation at several other restaurants. Or walked across the street instead of standing there. Due to her unnecessary behavior and the lack of communication from the restaurant, we went to a restaurant on the corner, which we could've done at Any given point had anyone communicated with me the way I communicated with them. Line out the door and I did not see them talking to anyone in line. , shame on them for having such attitude Don't go here they're rude After 6 hours on a plane And a car ride that was supposed to be 20 minutes that turned into 40 That's not how you treat a customer that truly went out of Their way to communicate and give the restaurant courtesy. Their communication should have been up front from the beginning. This woman was so nasty. We left. Went somewhere else. Which we could had done earlier. Do better read more

First of all, we had a reservation at 5:45pm and they didn't seat us until 6:30pm. They had a big party before us, so I understand the delay, but everything after that was really disappointing. There were three tables open for four people, and we had three people. We asked the host if we could sit further inside because it was cold and extremely crowded by the entrance, but she said no just because we had three people. But she had already seated another group of three at one of those inside tables. What made it even more ridiculous was that the group she sat inside had a 6:30pm reservation, while we had arrived much earlier and our reservation was earlier too. On top of that, the way she talked to us was so rude. She literally waved me off and asked me to move when I was unintentionally standing in her way--it was packed and there was barely any room. The food was okay, but there was sand in the clams and I bit into it really hard. I let the host know, and they weren't apologetic at all. Instead, they asked why I didn't tell them earlier. I told them it was my last bite, so I obviously didn't have a chance. They still didn't apologize, just said they would let the chef know. Overall, terrible service. I will never come back. read more

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Continuing alphabet series onto the letter P representing prior to 2018, P is for Panza. I was visiting Boston around 4th of July, 2014. A friend had a conference, and I tagged along. It was a great trip where I hung with my friend, people from the conference, a friend I knew from years ago living in Boston, & time I did stuff on my own, which a good variety. On July 4th itself, during the day I was on my own. There was a tropical storm rolling through, but I managed to see some sites and tour that day. I checked out the Little Italy neighborhood and enjoyed Panza. It was a large pasta bowl and was delicious. I remember it was a cute looking place. Although I was full from my meal, I still stopped at some well known cannoli place nearby with a lot of business for dessert. read more

Cozy, came in on a not too crowded night so we had no trouble getting a table. Service was prompt, checked in on us a few times. Complimentary bread but I wish it came out warm. Portions are huge and extremely filling. The free form lasagna was very solid. The pasta wasn't in "sheets" but rather in coiled shapes that had a perfect Al dente bite to them, and tasted like whole grain rather than black pepper (no complaints there). There wasn't too much sauce yet lots of mushrooms and spinach, but the chicken felt a little rubbery. The rigatoni and sausage was alright. Goat cheese was a fantastic addition but otherwise was a fairly basic dish. read more

Panza - Baby Rigatoni and Sausage - A white round plate contains cooked pasta with tomato-based sauce, topped with crumbled white cheese. The dish is placed on a dark wooden table, and a person wearing a gray, textured sweater is seated behind it. The setting appears to be a restaurant or dining area. - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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This review is way overdue because of how great the experience was! The restaurant staff was very gracious with us because members of our party were running late. I was so thankful they didn't cancel our reservation, especially during Marathon Weekend! Now the food was another level of excellence. Food came out quickly which was a surprise because the place was absolutely packed with people. Each member in our group got a different dish and raved about how good it was! The restaurant is tiny inside which is pretty typical for the area. So we bumped chairs with a nearby table a couple of times. It didn't take away from our experience at all, but just something to be aware of. read more

Best gnocchi I've ever had. Service is fast, friendly and kind. Highly, highly recommend!

Delicious food Service is very good The ambiance is very cozy The Malbec from Argentina is amazing read more

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The food here was absolutely amazing! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! I wanted to go back a second time on our trip I loved it so much. I got the seafood pasta with white wine garlic sauce. Everything from the homemade sauce to the juicy fresh seafood to the perfectly cooked pasta was amazing. My wife got the butternut squash ravioli which she also said was delicious. read more

Such friendly service and super cute vibe. A lot less touristy than the places on the same block. Good food huge portions and decent prices. A solid choice in a super busy neighborhood. read more

Overall excellent! We got bruschetta to start, which had slightly thicker tomato chunks, a soft bread, and was to die for! I got salmon, and the restaurant was extremely accommodating with swapping out the risotto for a garden salad underneath. The table also got chicken parm, butternut squash ravioli, and the chicken broccoli penne, which all got excellent reviews. The portions are huge and you get a bang for your buck! The place is a bit of a tight squeeze and it's definitely a quick turnaround setting, so if you want a place that's more intimate, this may not be for you. read more

Had a reservation for 6. Arrived and waited 10 minutes until we were greeted. Told it would be another 10 minutes. 10 minutes later still being ignored. Finally they set a table for 6 at a 4 top. No end seats. There was no way we were fitting there. I asked if there was something else and the hostess said that we could sit near a woman whose daughter is extremely sick. What? Hostess was so rude. If you cannot sit 6 do not take the reservation. Told her we were going to go somewhere else and she said "whatever, i don't care". Never again Went across the street to giacomos and had an awesome dinner and treated like royalty. Hope panza did not miss my $600. read more

Great location and PRICE. If you look around as we walked there is an Italian restaurant every 50 ft. Shocked at how many there are and the price fluctuates from one place to the next. This location was very well priced and great food as well. FYI, a block next door was a place that had the same food and was double the price. Enjoy!!! read more

Panza - Baked Ziti. Worth every penny! - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Delicious Italian restaurant! Once you order, food comes right up, wont take much time. This place is very popular so you need to make a reservation and have all parties ready together to be seated. Linguini with little neck clam is so delicious. read more

Panza - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

To anyone expecting the reservation system at Panza to work: forget it. Your reservation means nothing--they'll seat walk-ins first because the waitress doesn't check reservations at all. I booked a table three weeks in advance since I was visiting from California and didn't want to waste time waiting for dinner. When I arrived, I gave my name and reservation to the waitress, but she didn't follow up or let me know how long I'd need to wait. I understand they get busy on Friday nights, so I waited patiently, but after 20 minutes with no updates, I asked the waitress how much longer it would be--and she asked for my name again. Turns out, she never checked my reservation in the first place. Her attitude was also off, almost like discrimination. I don't understand why Panza even takes reservations if they don't honor them. Why not just go first come, first served like other North End restaurants, so people who want a guaranteed table can go elsewhere? read more

Came here for reservations with 3 of my friends. I came a little later than the rest so they were already seated by the windows as well as a handful of other tables. For appetizers we shared their bruschetta, mussels, and fried calamari. The tomato and basil mixture was light and bright on the well toasted hearty bread. Mussels were plump and flavorful in the white wine sauce. Pretty standard fried calamari with slices of banana peppers too. Since we ordered so many appetizers for 4 people, we opted for only 3 entrees to share including the seafood risotto, linguine carbonara, and braised beef short rib dinner. The seafood risotto had a considerable portion of clams, shrimp, and veggies. It was perfectly cooked with an ideal texture. The carbonara was creamy and decadent. Even the short rib was jam packed with flavor with the soft wedges of polenta. Overall, my friends and I had a wonderful time from the delicious food to the wonderful service. We walked out super full and incredibly happy. Would love to come again and recommend others to check them out too! read more

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I'll start by saying the food is really good here. I got bolognese with baby rigatoni instead of gnocchi and it was a great portion and delicious bites. However, the reason for the 3 star rating is because 1) the host was incredible rude and 2) the restaurant is incredibly cramped. Starting with 1, we had a 5:30 reservation for 5 people. Two of us got there early and our table was ready but they made the 2 wait outside until the other 3 were present. Once we were all together, we asked to be seated and the host said "I only see 3 of you" to which I told him the other 2 were outside because there's nowhere to stand. He looked at me like I was crazy. After 45 minutes he came back and told us "I don't want to rush you but we need the table" while my cousin was still drinking her wine. I understand wanting to move tables quickly but it's inappropriate to ask people to leave while they're still finishing the meal. About #2- the restaurant is really cramped and even though we sat near the back, it was still uncomfortably close to everyone else. read more

Panza - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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This looks like a nice Italian restaurant in the North End, it was busy, crowded as all the other places were on the nice cool summer evening we were there. I can't comment on the food. this is more of a warning about where NOT to sit in the restaurant. The food that I saw when being shown to our table looked delicious. I had 2 issues with the restaurant: they wouldn't seat us until everyone in the party had arrived, which is not an uncommon policy, so ok. When we got our table, we were taken to the way back of the restaurant, where they have squeezed in an extra 3-top. It's like you've been teleported to the Land of Lost with the Marshalls, Cha-Ka and Sleestak's. That table is half in the restaurant and half in the kitchen, so it very loud, waiters are running around you, chefs are yelling and other diners are standing directly behind you waiting for the bathroom. It was too over stimulating, loud with bathroom smells ... so we left to try a different place. read more

I'd go 4 1/2, but I can't. Good was really good. The service was adequate (reason for a 1/2 star off). The waitress did everything right and the food came out quickly and she checked on us, she was just very very quiet and soft spoken and far from exuberant. Like most of the North End, it's small with the best seat being in the window, especially on nice days. Again, great food as you would expect. One note, Yelp said they opened early, but their website said 4pm. It wasn't busy, which was surprising and maybe that's why. Good job Yelp. read more

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DO NOT COME HERE IF A POS!!! I arrive a couple of minutes before my reservation, the hostess greeting me nicely at first and said my table would be ready soon. Happily, I turn around and speak to my mother in spanish! The hostess gives a dirty look and a while to seat us. When she finally sat us, she sat us in the back of the restaurant. Not only by the kitchen, but right next to the bathroom as this place is cramped. There were other tables mind you, and they sat my family and I in the back. So while the slow service was already annoying, people were constantly brushing against our backs and we kept hearing the kitchens yelling. Typically, I wouldn't complain. However, the hostess was nice to my family at first UNTIL we start speaking another language. This felt extremely racist and rude. We were the only hispanics in the establishment and they put us in the back. The restaurant is not only racist, but the food was just ok. Would not come here again and would like to warn for other folks of color. read more

Fried Calamari 4/5 Lobster Ravioli 5/5 Linguine Alla Pescatore 4/5 Came on a weekend night. Glad I came with a reservation, the place was packed and the atmosphere was bustling with excitement. The food~ The fired calamari was soft and tender with a creamy aioli sauce that had a slight kick. But I wished it was more crispy, started to feel slightly chewy and soft rather than crispy. The lobster ravioli was a great deal with large real lobster chunks. Sauce was creamy and had tomato that helped bring a little bit of lightness to the sauce. The Linguine Alla Pescatore had a good amount of seafood, but felt a little tough and overcooked. The sauce was really good and when sharing with a friend, helped cut through some of the lobster ravioli. The logistics~ The service felt really hectic, but can't blame them. The restaurant is small, packed, dark, and bustling. Not enough room for waiters and customers to really walk around comfortably, but the staff tries their best. It's right in little Italy, so parking is almost impossible. I parked closer to the government center area and walked. read more

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Food is good, place is small, very noisy. Service was fine for a busy North End restaurant on the weekend. Definitely need reservations. There are many restaurants in the area. It would take a lot to wow me. I've been coming to Boston each year for 22 years and we always eat in Little Italy. This place was nice, but lacking the WOW factor. read more

Located in the North End on Hanover Street, this authentic Italian eatery offers something for everyone. The restaurant is cozy but was able to accommodate our party of 7 as walk-ins. We were seated close to the front windows which were open as it was a very warm day. We started with a platter of calamari which was delicious and fried to crunchy perfection. I opted for linguini carbonara and was pleased with the balance of flavors and portion size (who doesn't enjoy leftovers?). The gnocchi bolognese was also fresh and delicious. My only regret was that I found the fresh bread and dipping oil irresistible before our meals arrived. (I actually could have made a meal out of that alone). Overall, our experience was very good. read more

Night before Boston Marathon...you know what that means...carbo-load! The place was understandably packed full of other runners with the same idea - to eat as much pasta as possible before race day. We made a reservation a few months in advance, figuring this would be the case, and I'm very glad we did. Even with our reservation we had to wait a bit before we got our table! But once we were seated, the staff were quick to get our orders and make sure we were good to go. I ordered the carbonara and, for awareness, I am a big carbonara snob. So all in all this wasn't my favorite carbonara I've ever had. It was good but like I said...I'm a snob. I wish I had gotten their pesto ravioli instead. I saw a dish of it after I ordered and that looked soooo good. Next time... My friends also ordered a variety of pastas and all thought they were fantastic. So I'm thinking I may just need to try a different dish. The inside is very quaint and cozy. Feels super authentic, small space, tightly packed tables... I loved it. Very Italian. So if you're looking for a spot to try some Boston Italian food in little Italy, give this place a go! Also...they give you some really, really good bread as an appetizer, so there's a little extra perk to go (in case you needed one). read more

Panza - Linguine Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Should have read reviews before coming here. There is absolutely no point in making a reservation here. We made a reservation at 7pm and even arrived 5 minutes early. This was for a group of 4 and we were all came together. It was completely full inside the restaurant and they told us to wait in line, even with the people who did not have reservations! Ridiculous!! They don't save tables or try to seat you first if you make a reservation. We waited for 35 minutes past our reservation time before we had enough and went to eat at Giacomo's across the street. Highly recommend going there instead. Even though they don't take reservations at Giacomo's, you'll be seated earlier there without a reservation than here at Panza WITH a reservation. I would never try dining here again. read more

4 star - Ambiance - quaint, little restaurant that's clean and relatively quiet during a weekday lunch Food - the lobster ravioli was quite good. I could find lobster chunks in the filling and though there was nothing especially spectacular about the dish, it was well balanced and I was able to finish the entire plate. I'd love to try some of their other dishes next time. read more

Panza - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Amazing food & it comes out so quick. Been here twice already, and I love how fresh the food is. The service is always efficient so I will be back!! read more

The food is exquisite at a great price. The ambiance is picturesque. The service is wonderful. You have to try it! Get the pasta. read more

Panza - Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I love the Italian food in Boston! Panza is a comfort Italian dining. It's small, packed so make sure you make reservations. I mean they won't seat you on time so you'll still have to wait 30 minutes or so, but with reservations they don't turn you away. Saturday nights are crazy busy. We got their spicy mussels, Caesar salad, seafood pasta and I think my husband got rigatoni and sausage. We also ordered a bottle of the wine, which was extremely affordable. The food portions huge! So tasty too. I love their spicy marinara. Everything was fresh and tasty! read more

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The mussels are fire the lobster ravioli is fire squash, ravioli fire mushroom, ravioli amazing everything was great honestly thank you for putting up with my entire family. We kept dropping everything and spilling water all over the place. My nieces kept going through the open window and you guys were great thank you again. We will definitely come back. I love the North End. This is one of my favorite spots. Highly recommend it foods amazing. It's a very small place but it's very worth it in my opinion. read more

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We had the Chicken Parm, squid ink pasta special and garlic bread. All were delicious. The restaurant was loud and cramped, but it added to the experience. The wait staff were pleasant and attentive. We were seated without reservations immediately and the place was packed. read more

We were a party of six. Food was ok. Veal was good but burrata was bland as was the Caesar salad . The service was awful. Server sat and watched loud videos during our entire dinner, and paid little to no attention to our table. At the end he threw us the bill - didn't even ask if we wanted dessert or coffee. Then included the tip without making us aware it was included . The bill was over $250, so the tip was substantial. I don't mind having tip included at all, just let the patron know! I guess that why service was so terrible - tip was a given! read more

Another fantastic North End restaurant. You can pretty much walk into any Italian restaurant in North End and end up with amazing food. The only difference is that Panza has distinctly large portion sizes! Spare Ribs: Super tender, falling off the bone. Grilled to a crisp on the outside. Nice marinade, too! Baked Ziti: This was my favorite, but all of the dishes were close. For some reason, they used penne instead of ziti. The meatballs were delicious, the pasta had a nice chew (although these weren't the best pasta noodles I've had in North End). The sauce was excellent. Linguine Alla Pescatore: We got this in a fra diavolo sauce and it was delicious. The seafood was all very tender, and they did NOT skimp out at all. Linguine & Littleneck Clams: We got this in a white sauce, just so we could try all their sauces. We have concluded that ALL of their sauces are equally good! We had 3 dishes and an appetizer between 4 of us and it was too much food. 3 entrees are definitely enough for 4 people! I liked their huge serving sizes. They are definitely fairly priced, and their food is great. Their pasta noodles themselves weren't the best, but they are still really tasty nonetheless. Service was friendly and fast. read more

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I ordered a rissoto and it was pretty much a wet rice with shrimp on top. They should be embarrassed to serve that in the heart of Little Italy. read more

June 2022. My friend and I had just gotten off of a cruise. I've been to Boston and in all honesty, had some of the best Italian food there ever! I'm from the NY/NJ area. We were in the hotel room and wanted to get Italian delivered. I ordered from Panza based on the reviews and little did I realize, I'd been there and left a review years ago. Ironically, I ordered the very same meal that I'd had before. The veal parmigiana was amazing! Hands down one of the best I've ever had. Got the meatballs. Still not a fan. Not a lot of taste to them. Despite that, the sauce was great!!! read more

Panza - Meatballs. Look great but bland. - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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There were huge portions (you'll have enough leftovers for a full meal) and service was fairly quick. As with most north end places, you barely have room to breathe in the space between chairs of you and your neighboring table. The fried calamari was very good, and the carbonara was alright, but felt a little heavy if that makes sense? I think a little more acid would have broken through that. read more

Solid spot in the busy North End. They accept credit cards and reservations, so that was nice. The serving sizes are huge. We dude a few apps and 3 entrees for four men. Service is a bit rushed and keeps things moving, but this feels natural. Overall a good experience and would recommend. I would go back! read more

My favorite Italian in the North End. The restaurant is very small, like many others in the area, but it fills up and can sometimes have a wait time even with a reservation. My favorite dish is the butternut squash ravioli, also loved the bruschetta read more

Great food. Excellent service on a Saturday evening. Christina was attentive and made wonderful recommendations for our party of three. The evening special, veal, eggplant, and calamari were generous and tasty. Our family will return to Panza. read more

Overall: I don't often eat at Italian restaurants because it's so expensive for something I can usually make at home, but I would come back to Boston just to eat at Panza. It is unassuming and wasn't very busy when we stopped by for dinner, but the food and price point were both fantastic. Food: 5 Linguine Carbonara: This was one of the best versions of this simple dish that I've had. Although a very rich dish, it didn't feel overly heavy. The thick cuts of pancetta were perfectly fried to a crisp, and the onions still had a little bit of a bite to them but they were sweet and added the right touch of lightness to this rich dish. Linguine & Clams in White Sauce: This is also a very simple dish but it was executed so well. They were very generous with the amount of clams. The dish came with clams in shell and clam meat mixed into the pasta. The sauce was amazing. It had a strong seafood flavor and was very rich without being overwhelming. Their portions are quite large, and these 2 pastas was more than enough for 3 people. Service: 5 We came early on a weekday so there was no wait and we were the only customers aside from 1 other table. The waiter was very attentive and refilled our waters promptly. They were also nice enough to split our bill three ways. Ambiance: 4 Panza is a small unassuming shop in the Italian north end with only a handful of tables, but it has its own charm and it was clean. read more