Walking through North End I decided "I'll go where there's a line" because the food has to be good. Applying this logic, I was spot on because Panza was perfect! As I waited in line I went on Open Table & reserved a spot for 20 min after my arrival. Due to the small restaurant space I did have to wait another 10 minutes beyond this to get a table, but I found the overall wait time reasonable. I loved the quaint Italian restaurant vibe & my server was so good. I was impressed with their selection of wines & meal options on the menu. I was a bit bummed you couldn't order a side salad of the Italian salad, so I went with a Caesar & it was amazing! Get it just for their croutons: homemade, massive, and the perfect crunch. For the main dish, my waiter had mentioned they were known for their linguine alla pescatore & I was sold (see pictures, you wouldn't turn this down either!). He also advised the fra diavolo sauce option can be quite spicy, which I appreciated because it accurately steered me back to the house red sauce. And, for the price point of $22 this dish is a great deal. It's packed with seafood (clams, calamari, scallops, shrimp) and you can easily get a second meal due to the portion size. Panza is such a great spot...but I recommend planning ahead earlier in the day & make a reservation online! read more

Panza - Caesar Salad - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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All I can say is, this is it!!!! If you're looking for a cozy little spot to have a glass of wine or a bottle of wine with a loved one/ friends then Panza is just the right place! Let's not forget about how delicious and amazing the food is. My husband and I made it to the restaurant before they opened without a reservation and were immediately sat. But I highly suggest making a reservation as I did notice a lot of people coming in as walk ins were not able to get sat due to them being fully booked. read more

I've lived in the north end for 4 years and out of all the restaurants I've been to, this is by far my favorite spot. The restaurant is definitely tiny (as are all north end restaurants), so I would definitely suggest making a reservation. Portions are HUGE and super fresh. The kitchen will pretty much make anything you want so don't be shy about substitutions or requests. Service is always incredibly friendly and food always comes out quickly. Would highly recommend the mushroom and honey spring rolls and the butternut squash tortellini. My favorites! read more

I went here with a group of 6 people. We had reservations for 7:15 and weren't seated until closer to 7:45. Not a big deal to us but I wouldn't go here on a Saturday night if you have set plans for the rest of the night. The pasta everyone had was Amazing. I personally had the butternut squash pasta and it reminded me of a similar pasta I had in Italy. We also started with the bruschetta which was very good! Highly recommend! read more

Great food. If you have a reservation, forget about it they will make you wait 1 hour plus to get in.

Ate here again, and the food was probably more delicious than I remember! Grateful that they're are still kicking during Covid!

Came after work with my sisters and this place was perfect. Small inside and you can see into the kitchen in the back which is cool. Service was great and the food came out very quickly. Portions were huge (yay leftovers) and the food was delicious. We had veal panza, chicken picatta and tarragon fettuccini with grilled lobster tails and everything was rich and delicious. read more

Panza - Veal Panza (back left), Chicken Picatta (back right) and Tarragon Fettuccini & Grilled Lobster tails (front) - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

If you want simple, great food, with a McDonald's experience, Panza is a good choice. It's a tiny little restaurant in the North End, offering basic, traditional Italian food. Don't expect anything too adventurous, but what you're served will be freshly prepared and served quickly. "Quickly" being the operative word. I think the place is so small, they don't want you hanging around, spending time and taking up space. I had the best Chicken Marsala I've ever had. My daughter has awesome Chicken Parm and her Mom had a terrific Short Rib entree. The service was good, the food was served quickly and hot ... and tasted great. The bread was ok, the dipping oil wasn't. The Garlic bread was awful. The meals were as good as it gets in the North End. That's where it ended. When I asked to see the Dessert Menu, the server was very snippy and replied: "we don't have dessert or coffee ... at all". Well excuuuuuse me! If you want a quick, traditional and quality pasta meal, Panza works. If you want to enjoy an "evening of dining", you should choose one of the other 1000 Italian restaurant in the area. read more

Good food but HORRIBLE service. Our server was so dry and curt that it really took away from our experience, but I'm pretty sure it has no reflection on the business. It was clear that the fact that we had my toddler with us was really annoying to her. Maybe she thought by taking forever to get a high chair (and seating a few other tables) we'd just leave. I would not recommend this place for families or larger groups. The chopped salad for two was a great way to start. I loved the light dressing and all the ingredients. It was such a big salad I'd say three could easily split it. My dad had chicken marsala and I had chicken panza. My chicken panza was good, but was lacking that one thing to really knock it out of the park. Maybe some goat cheese? It was a good meal, just kind of ruined by our server. I hope you don't have her! read more

Panza was the perfect Italian restaurant for my wife and I during our first trip to Boston. We were looking for some delicious food, but did not want to wait in line or want to dress up. Panza was a homerun for us, we waited less than 10 minutes for a cozy little table and the casual ambiance was just what we were looking for after a busy day in the city. But the best part was the food, just incredible. I had clams and linguine with the fra diavolo sauce and it did not disappoint. Pasta was perfectly cooked, clams were fresh and the sauce had the perfect heat for me. I practically licked the plate clean. I can't wait for a return trip to Boston to stop by and try some additional offerings. read more

Make a reservation using the OpenTable app and request to sit by the window. It gives you a great opportunity to people watch. The food hear was delicious and reasonably priced. I came on a Saturday afternoon around 4:15 and was seated right away thanks to my reservation. I ordered the penne with chicken and broccoli. The serving was much larger than expected and the taste of this meal exceeded my expectations. My husband ordered the lobster ravioli and raved about it as well. I highly recommend Panza especially to tourists visiting North End. read more

Great meal, we were looking around and found this place on yelp. We stated with grilled greens which were delicious and a different spin.

Got to enjoy a table for two near Panza's open window on a perfect summer night. Appetizers: burrata with tomatoes in olive oil was light and full of flavor. Grilled Italian greens (baby arugula, radicchio) over polenta in a Gorgonzola sauce with truffle oil drizzle was fantastic, a really unusual (and successful) mix of bitter from the greens with creamy/savory from polenta and cheese. Mains were the "free form" lasagna with handmade black pepper pasta and mushrooms (normally would have chicken but we skipped ) and a summer special of lobster in saffron pasta and tomatoes. The lasagna had a deep and rich mix of tastes that was memorable, also served piping hot. Lobster special was tasty but not as bursting with flavor. All in all a great North End Italian meal served with expertise and a smile. Some commenters say it's too loud, this could have been true had we not been near the front with the window open but for us it worked out. Would definitely return. read more

YUM! This was my second time dining at Panza but the first time I can really give a review, because I had a few too many drinks the first time I was there :) Really cozy dinner spot in the heart of the North End. I took my mom here for dinner while we were visiting in Boston and we both absolutely loved it! Being from New Jersey/New York, we're spoiled with really great Italian food, and this place really exceeded our expectations. We originally had a reservation for 6:30 on Friday but ended up arriving about 40 minutes early and they sat us with no problem. The place is small and tables are packed together, so don't plan on this being a quiet dinner! Panza has a bar with beer and wine only, so we started off with some red wine and the bruschetta which was amazing! You get a really large portion - two big thick slices of bruschetta topped with red onions, goat cheese and balsamic. For entrees, my mom got the eggplant parmesan and I got the penne with chicken and broccoli with garlic cream sauce. My mom and I are both super picky about eggplant, but this was amazing! And my penne dish was awesome - super flavorful and the cream sauce wasn't too heavy. The service was attentive even though it was really busy. Very glad we had a reservation though, because by the time we left, the line was out the door! The prices were also very affordable here - for two glasses of wine, an appetizer and two entrees, the bill was just over $50. read more

We were in Boston for the weekend and of course had to visit the North End for dinner. We were able to make a reservation at Panza's for a very early dinner at 4:30pm...only time available which speaks volumes to us. We had a great meal. Carbonara was probably the best we've had out. Only complaint is it could have been hotter. There was a huge party while we were there so I'm sure the kitchen was overwhelmed as it's a small restaurant. So I don't hold that one little thing against them. We also had chicken Marsala, the bruschetta, mushroom and goat cheese spring rolls and all were delicious! Our server was extremely attentive and we didn't feel rushed even though the place was hoping with people waiting outside. Overall a great experience! read more

I have been going to Panza for years and have never been treated so badly or rudely as I did tonight. My son was visiting us from California and he loves eating there so we made a 6:30 reservation. We arrived promptly at 6:30 and checked in with the person seating people. I saw a table near the open window that appeared to be wrapping up, so I asked if we could be seated there. He replied "First of all, that's a table for four, and second of all, they haven't gotten their meals yet". Then he said, "let me show the tables for three". They were tables for two, with an extra chair. I have NEVER seen that in any restaurant I've ever been to. Parties of three always get seated at tables for four. He then told us 5 minutes later that our table was ready. He led us to a table for two with an extra chair added that was right outside the kitchen and bathroom. We looked appalled, and he then said "If you don't like it, you can go somewhere else". So we did. I don't think I'll ever be back either. read more

With a reservation at 7PM on a Tuesday night, we were promptly seated after a few minutes. The restaurant is extremely busy and a little loud from the activity going on inside, just as well as outside, due to the large front windows being open. The ambiance and decorations are elegant, and the stone walls and wall lamps adds a lot to the feeling of being transported to an intimate restaurant in Italy. I ordered the Fettuccine with Little-neck clam. Within several sauce options, I was suggested by the waiter to get the white sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, the texture and flavors of the clams seemed fresh, and the white, buttery sauce was very good. For some, it may be just a hair on the blander end, but adding a little parmesan cheese helps a lot. I enjoyed it with and without any extra parmesan cheese. The service and food was great! A solid 4/5. read more

Really good rustic Italian place in the North End. I visited with a colleague during a major meeting for my company. I dined at a number of high end places during my stay in Boston and I have to say the food here was way better than any of the other places at half or less of the price. It's a bit cramped but worth it! I had the penne de amatriciana...I don't typically for eggplant but on the advice of a random woman I met who said she used to be a waitress here I ordered it and was very pleased...perfectly cooked pasta in a flavorful sauce that was not overbearing or overdone. Just right. Service was quick and friendly. Definitely a place to which I would return! read more

Terrible service and sub par food. Woman server is incredibly rude... I cannot believe she is in this industry especially with her people skills. We would ask her about the menu and it didn't seem like she didn't know much about it but that she was just too lazy to go over it. Asked her about the special and she just pointed at the board and told me to read it. Are you kidding me?! My table even reached out to other waiters because she would never stop by to check on us (getting us more bread while we wait, asking us how the food is, refilling our waters...). Food was OK. The cheese they had us use to sprinkle over our entrees tasted like Kraft grated Parmesan cheese. What kind of "fancy" Italian restaurant uses that?! I'm not paying for a dollar slice pizza, I'm paying for a $15-20 entree. So disappointing.... At the end, I had to leave early for dinner and needed her to split the check for me. She told me, "can't do that, it's all one check". I asked her how much was my meal? "Your food will be $17.12". She never came back to grab my card and I had to walk over to the register to give her my card. She EASILY could've split the check. What a waste of my time. Either tell this woman to fix her attitude or please do yourself a favor and get rid of her. Seems like you have a recurring problem with her. I say that because ALL the other servers seem like their doing a good job. read more

I stopped by the old north church and the guide, Kate. Recommended me to this place and that her favorite dish was the butter squash tottorieni. My philosophy is to trust the local on food. I did not regret it. Europe had a saying, "sauce the bread". I suggest you save the bread for the sauce on this dish. It was amazing. read more

Great Italian food. Classic and fresh Italian Bread brought to the table within seconds of arriving served with great olive oil. They have very reasonably priced bottles of wine, Chianti and Sangiovese for $23. Menu has your classic pasta and meat dishes. The bruschetta is very tasty With a different spin on the classic: a smoked flavor with goat cheese. I have ordered the linguine with clams and the baked ziti which have both been fantastic. Pretty easy to get reservations here, which I would recommend because on a busy night there is usually a line out the door, pretty standard for the north end. I have yet to try their desserts as I am usually headed to modern for a classic cannoli, so Stay tuned as I will be returning soon and would love to comment on their desserts. Definitely a good choice for the North end. read more

Would give zero stars if I could. This is actually my second time at Panza, the first time was alright which is why I came back again, this time as a party of four. To be fair, the food itself was fine, but the SERVICE WAS TERRIBLE. We had such a bad experience tonight I literally thought I was secretly being filmed for a What Would You Do episode. All went well until the bill came - the four dishes added together came to $80. The receipts are all hand-written, so theres no description as to what numbers are what, but somehow the total came to $100.60 although the subtotal was $80, and the tax was only about $5.50. We were confused as to how the total was over 100, so we asked our waiter and he changed his story multiple times - first saying that "the restaurant is charging EVERYONE a mandatory 18% tip (it was more like 20% btw) because IT'S SUCH A BUSY WEEKEND and its a HOLIDAY." The guy is literally nuts! What holiday??? It was becoming more and more clear to us that he assumed we were the typical tourists who didn't know a thing and would just pay whatever was given to us, but we're actually locals so this shocked us all. Then he proceeded to say that "it's a Massachusetts state law, that it's a law to charge a tip AFTER tax." First of all, this was the first time in my life that a waiter had added HIS OWN TIP (of over 20%, mind you), for a party of four. Now, it's one thing if you are a large party and they charge a mandatory minimum for a tip, but those are usually for parties of six or more and would be written on the menu. We then checked with the table sitting behind us, a table of six. They said their waiter (they had a lady as their waiter, supposedly the manager), DID NOT WRITE A PRE-CALCULATED TIP ON THEIR CHECK. So, our waiter then said that "I decide the tip, the waiter decides the tip." Umm wtf??? Since when does the waiter ever decide the tip?? Tips are based off of the customer's experience of how the service was. Long story short, this place is a money-grubbing, discriminatory restaurant with just mediocre food. Please, take your hard-earned money elsewhere, ANYWHERE, so that you don't risk getting your day ruined by such a horrible experience. The manager herself was also unkind and unprofessional, telling us to "leave however much [tip] we want." How is she servicing customers at a restaurant? She needed to apologize for her employee's attitude and discriminatory treatment, at the very least. But no, her own attitude left us believing that the entire establishment is discriminatory. The waiter then came back and said our new total is $99.50. Basically, he took off 50 cents. Oh, and he had the AUDACITY to say WE WERE BEING CHEAP. That was the final straw. IS THIS HOW YOU, AS A PAYING CUSTOMER, WANT TO BE TREATED??? Go somewhere else. This place was so bad service-wise that I made an account just to write this warning to other customers. read more

So many places to choose from in this area. We made the perfect choice. Started with fresh bread and a Sangria. Then we ordered the Chopped Salad for two. The crispy pancetta gave it a great crunch and the dressing was not overpowering. Then we had the Fried Tomato Caprese Salad. Interesting blend of flavor and textures with the pesto and the crunch of the tomato. Would definitely go back. read more

Panza - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Poor seating setup. 1 and a half hours to not even know where in line. Very rude, not hostess. Never go on a weekend.

It was okay. Food tasted normal nothing crazy good or anything. One of the waitresses (dark hair w/blonde highlights) was rude. When people are paying you for a service please do it with a smile. Don't want to pay for rudeness when your out trying to create an experience with family and friends. It's not hard to be nice. read more

Menu was extensive authentic Italian dishes and Everyone loved their choices - lobster ravioli, tarragon & lobster tail pasta, beef & veal tortellini, chicken piccata - served with flavorful Argentina Malbec ! Service was swift an straight-forward. If we were locals, we'd be coming back regularly ! read more

It was edible. I must be spoiled by my Italian heritage but I make better food than this. Ordered the gnocchi bolognese, chicken panza, and the chicken piccata at the table. Nothing special. The fra diavolo which we heard was divine was not that great. All in all it wasn't a waste of money, because the prices are reasonable, but I would be happier with my own cooking by far. read more

I have been to the North End many times but never to Panza. We went closer to closing time but the service was prompt and food quality was great! I got the Linguine alla Pescatore and it was DELICIOUS! The portions are sizable so I had plenty to take home after. The only reason I docked one star is because we were seated close to the kitchen which wasn't really closed off and could hear someone in the kitchen talking smack about some of the customers. It was really loud in the restaurant itself so you wouldn't be able to tell unless you were seated close by...but the restaurant isn't that big. read more

Went here for Mother's Day with my Mom/Sister/Niece - and had a great time with them all. The place is extremely cozy, maybe a little too much - although had great staff with personality and made the experience over the top (bumped the overall score up from a ***) The issues were with the food. It was pretty good, with most dishes, however some of the appetizers were less than great. Nothing dramatic, but it didn't provide a consistent level of quality, in where there was a massive gap between the lesser appetizers and the much better entrees. Nothing was amazing, however it was tasty enough to make it memorable. I also had a limited experience with the wine selection, as there was a menu with little information, and no real recommendations from the staff besides a standard go to, which they seemed to know little about. But for me, that's just fine, because it went well with the food - and was filled to the brim. read more

This place is jam packed. Seriously so packed that I couldn't move my chair because the table behind me was so close. But that's supposed to be a good sign in this part of town. Staff is friendly and food comes out fast. I was super excited to dine here, but just found that the butternut squash tortellini was too sweet and too buttery. The pasta was absolutely fresh, and the high quality of ingredients was obvious. But the pasta was swimming in so much butter that I couldn't eat more than half my dish. My fellow diners seemed to really enjoy what they all had, but this dish was a miss for me. There are a few other vegetarian options on the menu I'd try if I end up here again. read more

Stopped by here on my trip to Boston. Was recommended by a local and I don't regret coming. Food was amazing! Super small homey place. Workers were so sweet. It was crazy packed and we were late for our reservation but was still seated very quickly! read more

Panza - Yum! - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Got the chicken parm. Nothing special. Friend got carbonara, which was also not mind-blowing. I'm sure there are much better options in the North End. Service was in the weeds - pretty slow. Outdoor dining is available. read more

Risotto was watery Salmon literally tasted like dirt bruschetta was burnt Honestly I had higher expectations because of the yelp reviews. But I am extremely disappointed. This restaurant does not stand out from all the Italian restaurant in Boston read more

Great little Italian place. They have the creamiest tastiest goat cheese I've ever had. They don't have lunch portions, the entrees are definitely big enough to share. Very pretty little place, good ambiance. read more

Panza - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Went to Panza on 9/2 for my wife's birthday as we are here to bring our daughter back to college. We luckily had reservations for 6:30pm as there was a long line outside for dinner tonight. When we were called to our table our waiter took our drink order and we had the white sangria which was excellent. He then asked if we would like any appetizers and we asked for the fried calamari and mussels marinara which were both excellent. Our waiter allowed us to enjoy our apps before coming back to ask what we would like to order for dinner. We decided on an array of meals for the 5 of us and I had the Linguini Alla Pescatore which was absolute heaven! As we were about halfway through with our meal he came to ask us how our meal was which is something that were are not used too as most come within the first two bites of our meal when they ask. Thank you to the staff and our amazing waiter, Carlos?, as we had an excellent meal and enjoyed the whole experience. I advise you to make reservations and enjoy this establishment. It is a great place located in the amazing North End. read more

Fast friendly service; a bit noisy and small which is to be expected in the north end but the food was excellent and the ambiance was charming. A musician even came to the open window and played live music. They take reservations on open table which is a huge plus. I had the tarragon lobster pasta and it didn't disappoint. It's a heavy cream sauce with great flavor and a plentiful serving of lobster. read more

I really did not like this restaurant very much, especially considering how many great Italian restaurants there are in the North End. I honestly would not recommend it, especially to anyone who is in town as a tourist and wants a special evening. We started with a small order of the calamari, which was excellent. Crispy, and the cherry pepper aioli was very good. I ordered the Chicken Panza for my entree, and that was a mistake. I thought that a dish named after the restaurant would be their signature, and I hope that was a bad assumption. The Chicken Panza was way too sweet, and sort of rubbery. I don't even think I was able to eat half of it. My husband ordered a veal dish, and was similarly disappointed. Diners around us, however, seemed to be pleased with their meals. The lasagna, in particular, looked good. The biggest disappointment was the staff, and that is the main reason I would not recommend this place. Our waiter was downright unpleasant, probably because the restaurant was crowded and seemed understaffed. Other waiters bumped our table in their hurry to get their food served. It was uncomfortable and I felt more like a bother than a guest. read more

My girlfriend and I were on holiday in Boston from NY when we visited Panza. We actually went here because Giacomo's had a line out the door and around the corner, but boy are we glad we did. The pasta was fantastic, and the seafood was fresh. For an appetizer we had fried calamari with hot peppers, cherry peppers I believe. It also came with fried onions and a garlic mayo sauce. The calamari was tender and fried well, and the peppers were an excellent complement. I had the Linguine alla Pescatore with diavolo sauce (highly reccomended). The shrimp, scallops, clams and oysters were delicious, though not as generously given as I had hoped. Nonetheless I greatly enjoyed my meal and experience overall. Will return when we are back in Boston! read more

Panza - Fried Calamari with onions, hot peppers and a garlic mayo sauce. - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Panza has wonderful, authentic Italian food that definitely wow'ed me on my first trip to the North End of Boston. We got a reservation for a Sunday night (though it was not necessary) and started off with what else but a bottle of pinot grigio from the source. The wine prices were very reasonable and the entrees were 10-25 dollars ranging from plain ole' spaghetti to lobster alfredo. After much debate, I decided to order the pasta carbonara as I had never had it from a legitimate Italian restaurant but only made it myself. I should pretty much just stop cooking-- it was THAT good! Ham, peas, delicious cheese egg sauce... out of this world! The service was prompt and the atmosphere was friendly-- I have no complaints! read more

I wanted to go here to try the lobster ravioli I saw on their reviews. It was everything I imagined! So delicious, maybe my new favorite place in the north end! We walked in and were able to get a table right away, very cute and small inside. Felt like a hidden gem read more