Last night was my first visit to this restaurant. My longtime friend had recommended Piccolo Nido two years ago, so it was about time that my husband and I dined there. As we walked around the North End neighborhood dodging the crowds, peering into several small restaurants with no A/C on a muggy July evening, we decided to find our way to this place. It was a winding stroll to a spot that we'd never seen before this night. What a pleasant surprise! Michele greeted us at the door and he said that we could sit at any table, so we chose a spot by the window. Our chianti wine and our wild mushroom crepes appetizer were a good choice. As I was in the mood for mussels, I opted for the linguini with Frutti di Mare (shellfish & seaood) in a light tomato sauce, while my husband selected veal marsala. Our dinners were delicious and the presentation most appealing especially on my seafood entree. Service by Michele was attentve, friendly - perfection. Even the owner, Pino, chatted with us. Relaxed dining without a crowd is priceless. Next time you're tired of waiting two hours for a table in the tourist spots along Hanover and Salem Streets, wind your way to this intimate place at 247 North Street. It's close to Commercial Street, easier to find a parking lot and stroll to Piccolo Nido, the little nest of the North End. Buon appetito! read more

I REALLY wanted to like this place for several reasons. My boyfriend hates crowds and it was off packed Hanover St., but not too far away. Other Yelpers praised this place and called it a "hidden gem". More like fools gold if you ask me! We were starving after being tourists all day and had a 6:00 reservation, we showed up early to get a table and did so with no problem because NO ONE WAS THERE. Not a good sign on a Saturday night. There was a party in the basement going on. The atmosphere was good, white linens, kind of old school Italian. Dingy yes, but quaint. We ordered a bottle of the house red and the bruschetta, having read that both were exceptional. I don't usually like red wine but this one went down just fine and was reasonably priced around $30. The bruschetta was decent, but it was burnt. Like I said, I was starving. My boyfriend ordered the pasta Americana and he loved it. I tasted a bite and almost threw up because, like another reviewer wrote, it tasted like Chef Boyardee. And, as the chef was so polite to comment, if this is how the dish is SUPPOSED to taste, I am certainly glad I never had the misfortune of eating it twice. I had a seafood linguine dish upon the recommendation of the waiter. It had 2 shrimp, a few scallops, and about 15-20 mussels. This was my first mussel experience, although I like oysters and other shellfish. It tasted as if the mussels came from a sand box. Long after the mussels were gone, every bite I took had sand in it. I don't know if this is a characteristic of mussels, but it was disgusting. The bill game to around $100 with a 20% tip. The service was excellent although the food was not. My boyfriend would give it 5 stars just for the fact he liked the location and that we didn't have to wait. If you are more concerned with taste, skip this place. read more

found this restaurant through the great reviews on Yelp, and I have to agree- this is a delicious, hidden gem in Boston's North End. While globs of tourists waited for tables on Hanover Street, my husband and I got a window table at this hidden gem. The owner waited on us himself, a jaunty italian guy that did a lot of laughing. I got a pasta dish with mushrooms and proscuitto, and it was really good. There was plenty of it, and it was rich and yet not heavy, and very well-flavored. My husband got the gnocchi, and loved it. I tried some and thought the sauce was a little sweet, but the pasta itself tasted fresh and delicious. We then ended our meal with tiramisu. It was delicious, a little light (I could have used a little more heavy cream in there personally), and there was sambucca in the bottom layer that gave it a little touch of licorice flavor. YUM YUM YUM. And the prices were really reasonable. This is definitely someplace we'll go back to next time we are in town. read more

Food is subpar. Service is so bad. Makes sense as to why it's always empty. Stay away from this place! Read the poor reviews before going here. Jaw-dropping how terrible the owner is. read more

STAY AWAY!! I had the most unbelievable experience here. I ordered the Vitello Valdostana. I've had this dish before at multiple restaurants and know I love it. The dish that was served to me tasted like metal. My husband tried it and he agreed it tasted bad. I told the server that I never send food back, and I'm sorry, but the dish doesn't taste right (I was in the restaurant business for 8 years - serving food). He went and "tattled" on me to the chef who came to our table with an attitude and a bowl of raw meat!!! He shoved it in my face and told me its the best veal!!! I stood my ground and I said, "the DISH tasted like metal, not necessarily the meat"...he took my plate away and ate a bite in the middle of the restaurant and comes back to me and tells me, basically, I'm crazy, and what I was tasting was sage....(I'm 34 years old and have lived in the north end for 5 years...I think I know what SAGE tastes like). He offered to make me another dish but with that kind of treatment, I wasn't about to order another dish. He glares at me in disbelief and yells (in front of the whole dining room) "FORGET ABOUT THIS TABLE!!!". We finished my husband's meal (which was, at best, Olive Garden level) and asked for the check (after being blatantly ignored for 10-15 minutes). They didn't charge us for anything Thank God. I don't know who these people think they are, but that kind of service is unacceptable, even if you're an Italian chef in the North End. read more

So glad we discovered this little place on Yelp. We were looking for a really good Italian restaurant in the North End, not too touristy, cozy and one that could accommodate a reservation for a group of 16. Piccolo Nido was just right. The staff was friendly, patient and gave us some great recommendations on what to order. The restaurant was cozy. It's just a few blocks away from the bustle of Hanover. A quick walk from the Aquarium stop on the T. The food was wonderful. The waiter who made us feel like family, suggested we get a few orders of their antipasti plates along with their bruchetta. The antipasti plates were filled with little tastes of goodness, cheese, olives, prosciutto, roasted peppers. The bruchetta tasted like you hope every bruchetta should taste, but few do - good bread mounded with very fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil and good olive oil. On the recommendation of our waiter, I ordered the farfalle with mushrooms and prosciutto and a light cream sauce. It was wonderful, flavorful not to heavy. My husband got the Petti di Pollo Carolina, chicken with artichoke hearts. It was moist and tender and so good I could only get him to part with two small bites. This was really a lovely meal. And I think Piccolo Nido may become one of our regular stops in the North End in the future. read more

So hubby and I were visiting Boston and reached maximum capacity on solely eating Lobster Rolls (since there's no such thing as a good one in the Midwest). We ventured to Little Italy section. And! we went early in the evening (like 5:00) thinking we'd find somewhere to eat. There was a place I picked out on YELP to try, but OMG the line was around the corner. Maybe its my age, maybe its my attitude, maybe it was because I'd been at the Sox/Yankee's opening weekend ball game and listened to the hecklers scream in my ear all day long..... anyway, when I saw that line I just said to myself, "I'm never THAT hungry" to wait. So we walked all the way down the street until we ran out of restaurants, and saw long wait times for everything. We decided to call it a day turned the corner to start walking back to our hotel and grab something at Feneuil Market (sp?) and to go pass out before our early morning flight home the next day. We came upon Piccolo Nido. OMG! It was like a choir of angels singing. Could this be!? A real Italian restaurant with NO WAIT?! And OPEN SEATS?! So we both surmised that it must mean its a bad place to eat... if there's room for us. So, we quickly looked them up on Yelp on our smart phones and saw the rating and positive comments. We were immediately welcomed by a cheerful and friendly Pino. The people dining there were clearly regulars, as Pino knew everyone by name and talked to everyone. There was a group there for someone's birthday, and Pino did everything he could to make the birthday girl feel special. Hospitality and Service deserves 10* Bruschetta deserves 50* (I'm still thinking about that bruscetta....) So we left, and I needed my phone to use GPS to be able to walk back to our hotel. It suddenly occurred to me that I lost it! I walked back into the restaurant and Pino (and the gentleman sitting next to me when we were seated) tore the space apart to help look for it. Thank you Pino, you helped put the icing on the cake for what was a fabulous visit to Boston. I can't wait to return!!! read more

Food was awesome and the waiter was very friendly. Quick service and diverse menu. Much calmer than most italian restaurants in the north end while still having friendly and fun energy. Would recommend. read more

Piccolo Nido - Dinner - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

In our continued efforts to branch out of our typical North End haunts, we decided to try Piccolo Nido for our pre-Valentine's Day/Anniversary dinner. Since we have a little one at home, we don't get out to enjoy nice dinners all that often, so when we do, we want to make sure we really make the most of it and find a restaurant that is new to us and can be counted on to make delicious food. And so, Yelp led us to Piccolo Nido. I went to the website a couple of weeks ago, and I saw that they did have a spot for 'online reservations.' But it was weird. It asked for my name and the date I wanted to come, but that was it - it didn't even ask what time I wanted the reservation for. The next day, I called them to confirm that it had actually worked, but they said that their reservation feature on the site was down. I was glad I called to double-check, or that could have been quite a problem in the end! We took the ghetto-ass bus into town and walked down all the side streets on our journey to the restaurant. I love that about picking a restaurant off Hanover Street. And when we found Piccolo Nido - in the midst of a mostly-residential neighborhood - we were very relieved. It was cold, and we needed a respite from the wind! And we got it - as soon as I walked in, my glasses fogged up like crazy! Nice and toasty-like. The owner came over, I gave him our name, and he acted like he had known us for years! "Ah, yes!! Your table is all ready! Right this way!" And he led us to what I considered to be the best table in the place, right in the corner, by the window. It was roomy and comfortable, much unlike our last North End dining quarters (courtesy of Trattoria di Monica). We each ordered a glass of the house Montepulciano (they only have two wines available by the glass - one red and one white - but their bottles are fairly priced) to enjoy while we perused the menu. They also gave us some bread that, while not unusual in any way, was great. We decided to go all out since it was a really special dinner, so we started with the wild mushroom crepes in madeira wine sauce. They were really terrific. The sauce was nice and light, and the filling of the crepes was great - very 'meaty' and satisfying. For our main dishes, the mister went with the porcini ravioli and I opted for the gnocchi. The gnocchi made me very happy. It was not overcooked, it was neither too light or too heavy, and it was dressed very nicely with a light tomato sauce and chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese. The mister wasn't over the moon about his ravioli, but he enjoyed them enough. We each ordered a decaf cappuccino and we split the tiramisu for dessert. The tiramisu was a little wetter than I like it, and it was pretty heavy on the alcohol, but it wasn't bad. It wasn't great either. But after seeing the crazy lines at Mike's and Modern on our way back to Haymarket, we were fine with our decision to enjoy the so-so tiramisu at Piccolo Nido! In the end, this was a really great meal. It was also a really expensive meal - perhaps our most expensive meal ever stateside - but it was so enjoyable that I can't complain about that too much. We will likely be returning to Piccolo Nido in the future! read more

The North End seems like a great place to get an authentic Italian dinner, but nearly every restaurant has a 2 hour wait on a weekend night. I can't afford to waste time like that when I'm vacationing in a new city, so we found this hidden gem just two blocks off Hanover Street. We had the bresaola to start, which was cured beef with lemon, arugla, and olive oil. This really tasted like home. For my entree, I ordered the farfalle with mushrooms and prosciutto. Sooo good and filling, and made my whole tummy warm. The service was extremely professional. You know the place is authentic when everyone is screaming loudly in Italian around you. read more

What an awesome restaurant. My son just moved to the north end today. We were looking for a place to eat and since we moved up two flights of narrow stairs we were exhausted. We found this restaurant 20 feet from him apartment. WOW!!! I am 100% Italian and this restaurant was authentic and so relaxed and inviting. Pino was our server and he could not have been more charming. We started with the grilled calamari. Amazing. I really don't like when they fry this. Grilled is the way to go. Simply delicious. I had the fruit de mare with homemade linguini. It was perfect. I loved dipping my bread with the amazing crust in the sauce. The mushroom pasta was so good. Probably the best dish of the table. We felt at home when we were welcomed to the neighborhood with a tiramisu. You will not regret this hidden gem. read more

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Meh... I liked the food but it wasn't anything extra special. The fresh pasta was great, but my sauce was salty and overpowered the dish. If you're near by and all the other places have huge waits, go for it. But if you've got some time, just go somewhere on the main drag. read more

What a wonderful place out of the noisy section! Recommended by a friend, it was all he said. Owner welcomed us and tended to our every need. Unrushed, we were not constantly barraged with questions like "is it good/how you doing?" every time we put a fork in our mouths. He knew when to approach and when to observe. We had an awesome DINING experience we haven't had in a long time. The food, especially the gnocchi , was scrumptious!! Next business trip will find us there, again. read more

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A hidden gem. I found this restaurant through Yelp. However the address was wrong on Yelp. So if you are looking for this hidden gem, look up the restaurant on Google. First it was a Friday evening, I was able to get a reservation for 6 people by calling 2 hrs ahead. Impressive for a restaurant in the North End. Second, they were super nice and very accommodating. One of our friends in our party was a vegetarian and couldn't eat anything made with eggs. They made an awesome dish for her! For me I asked for a shrimp scampi that wasn't on the menu. Loved it! My 8 yr old daughter loved the mushroom bow tie pasta. She almost ate the whole serving, which was huge! This gem is off the beaten path but loved that they were very personable, accommodating, food was amazing, and very quaint. Definitely my go to restaurant when I visit Boston!!!! Thanks! read more

My mom is from Italy so I grew up on homemade Italian cooking. Needless to say, I have high expectations when I go out to eat at Italian restaurants. When friends ask me where to go eat great Italian food, the North End was never top-of-mind...until a colleague introduced me to Piccolo Nido. Tucked away on North Street, away from the tourist traps of Hanover St. and Salem, this place is truly a hidden gem. While the restaurant is unassuming upon walk-in, it is cozy and inviting. Whether you are a party of two or twenty, this place can accommodate. Also, there are several parking lots/garages nearby which makes parking a non-issue. Reasons why this place gets serious stars from me... - The homemade gnocchi and ravioli are cooked to perfection. To me, if pasta is not al dente, it's just tragic. I've been to Piccolo Nido a handful of times now and the pasta is always outstanding. - The Vitello Valdostana (veal with prosciutto and cheese) entree is also a favorite. I like this dish so much that I haven't even tried their other meat entrees! - A solid wine selection. The owner recommends Aglianico wine (year 2007, I believe) and it's just delicious. - The cost is very reasonable for getting high quality, fresh food. - Last, but not least, the owner is fantastic. He is very personable, friendly and accommodating. Get to know him, he'll take care of you. read more

I heard about this place from a guy I used to rent cars from and he said that his family owns this place. I decided to try it with a friend from out of town who is a very fussy eater. First I loved the out of the way-off Hanover St. location. The owner greeted us in a friendly and comical way and showed us right to a table without having a reservation. I always judge a place by the freshness of their seafood and I ordered the fruitt di mare. It was an excellent choice with the fresh seafood and tasty tomatoes. My friend order the veal parmigiana that was so tender he was able to cut it with a fork. Even he ate the whole thing. I went back with the wife and had another wonderful experience. The only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars was their limited dessert menu. read more

First timer, visiting Boston. Awesome homemade Italian food!!! Never enjoyed spaghetti that much!! Attempted to order new thing, called crepes mushroom. It was delicious!!! The flavor is distinct and unique! read more

Great food and great atmosphere!! Veal Parma was great. Chef/owner comes out and will have a drink with you. He cares about his customer experiences. read more

This place amazes me. The pasta and the bread is a great combo. If I have a chance to go again i would

Staying in the North End, Piccolo Nido started out as a convenience for us being so close to where we were staying. As it turns out, it was a wonderful surprise. The food was wonderful but what truly got me was the owner. We were with my 19 month old son and it was close to his bedtime so we were expecting to have a difficult time getting a meal in without some crying and screaming. Any normal parent would have just skipped dinner under these circumstances, but it had been a long day and we were starving. Gene (the owner) seemed to realize this right away because as our dinner was served he came right over and offered to take my son on a tour of the restaurant. He literally walked him around the whole kitchen showing him everything in sight. Even when new customers walked in, he greeted them and seated them with my son on one arm! We were so thankful for such thoughtful service and our meal at that point could have been anything and yet it was simply amazing. Both the food and service deserve future visits and get 5 stars in my book! read more

Ok, so the owner of this place is a friend of my family, so maybe I am biased, as we would probably go there anyway, even if it sucked... but Piccolo Nido is an amazing restaurant that you would never even know was there if you didn't go there on purpose. If you take a cab here, be careful, because the driver honestly might not know where it is. The owner is the world's nicest man who takes his restaurant very seriously. As well as his Patriots and his Red Sox : ) Agreeing with Adrienne H... what have we done?? : P read more

My wife: "Do you have grappa?" Our waiter: [pauses a moment, then enthusiastically shakes her hand before getting the bottle]. We found this place after an afternoon of sailing when we spontaneously decided to get dinner in the North End. After finding out the wait at Bricco was three hours, we walked back down to Piccolo Nido, which we'd passed on the way up to Hanover from the water. All of us really enjoyed our food--it was generally simple but extremely well prepared. The service was incredibly friendly (see description of the grappa exchange, supra)--it was our first time there, but they treated us like long-time regular customers. read more

We had tried to go here once before but couldn't get in. We didn't realize it was the same restaurant but this time we had a reservation which I strongly recommend. The restaurant is small and intimate. The owner has a bit of a temper so don't piss him off. The waiter was outstanding- obviously from Italy so it felt very authentic. We started off with the bruschetta which was the best ever. The tomatos were so fresh. The sphagetti bolognese was really good and fresh. The house wine which I am always weary of was excellent. This is a good first date place and good for a family dinner. read more

I also found this place through the reviews on Yelp, looking for an Italian restaurant for dinner with my family, and this was a good choice indeed. Had the risotto and panna cotta for desert. The food was unbelievably good, the service was friendly, and it wasn't at all crowded on a weekday evening. If you're in the North End, check it out. If you're never in the North End, this is a good reason to go. (My only nitpick was them playing some rather silly children's music that didn't really fit the feel of the place. But that was more a matter of my mood than anything else.) read more

The food was very good and the service was excellent. We came with a party of 7. Three members of the group arrived about 10-15 minutes early and were seated and waiting for us when I arrived. They had already built up a good rapport with the server. They were very accommodating while we sat and chatted while slowly enjoying our meal. There was nothing overly memorable about much of the food, but all of it was good. I would consider going back again, particularly with a large group. read more

Went for my son's 14 th birthday celebration and they did a wonderful job of making feel special. Warmly greeted by the owner as soon as we arrived and it just got better from there. The food was outstanding. Authentic and freshly prepared. I would highly recommend this restaurant and the next time I'm back in Boston, I know where I am going to eat! read more

My husband and I went here on Saturday it was quaint- The food was authentic Italian, its not fancy but the waitstaff food and overall experience was so fabulous, my husband had veal- ( FRESH) i had chicken with artichokes. Delish. We will be back, and the prices are very reasonable too- read more

Came to Piccolo Nido on the recommendation of a local Bostonian. Ordered the bruschetta (delicious), the risotto with shrimp and asparagus (good flavor but could've had more asparagus) and the tiramisu (delicious). The owner Pino was very gracious and the waiter was very attentive and friendly. I'd definitely go back read more

Piccolo Nido - Dining room - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The pasta was great but all seafood was over cooked. The sauce was mediocre. The decor is outdated. They had one waiter running the whole room so his attention was overly divided. The best part was that there was no wait on a Saturday evening however the location is a few blocks from the main North End drag. read more

Just got back from my birthday dinner at Piccolo Nido! After reviewing Yelp for DAYS, we chose to try Piccolo over crowded places like Giacomo's and cramped places like Pomodoro. The food is wonderful! Bruschetta--fresh basil and meaty tomatoes, tasty oil. The bread was toasted perfectly. Ravioli di Porcini--wonderful cream sauce, not too thick, not too thin. The ravioli's were cooked to a perfect al dente. The porcini mushroom filling was to die for! Seasoned perfectly. Farfalle de Cardinale--another wonderful cream sauce with savory mushrooms. A little more nutty and sweet than the ravioli dish. Again, the pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente. (My boyfriend, not a huge mushroom fan, was in love with this dish!) 2 glasses of the house red wine ----------------------------------------------- $80 including tip (We opted out of coffee/dessert.. We headed over to Mike's, of course..) The service was great. Our waiter was prompt and attentive, informed us of the specials and always returned to fill our water glasses. The location is great if you're not into the hustle and bustle of Hanover Street, and the restaurant itself is a comfortable size, very quaint. Delicious! read more

I decided to try this place since all the reviews were raving it, but I have to agree with all the average reviewers that nothing sets this restaurant apart. It is a restaurant where they would much rather serve people and faces they rather than all the people that just come here to dine. Our waiter was having fun at the table next to us with some couple he was familiar with, and completely ignoring our table. As for the food, I ate there a while ago and I do not remember anything spectacular. I know it was good, just not extraordinary. read more

Awful! Owner is a terrible person with no manners. Sad! He literally yells at guests. The place is was empty. Food was expired. Shouldn't be considered a restaurant read more

This restaurant was one of the best Italian food restaurants instate and that's hard to say after living in Florence for the year. I got the vongle and we also got chicken Marcela. The owners are very nice, and although the food takes a little then most places to cook, it is cooked to perfection. In my seafood dish I actually found a little pearl nothing but great for this Italian restaurant ! Molto benne! read more

Piccolo Nido - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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All I can say is Tatisimo - too bad for this location because if it were on Hanover, you would not get in!! Maybe that is a blessing - but the food is great (I wish we had a place like this in Phx) and the owner, Pino is all the entertainment you ever need in a single night. I had the veal chop and it was cooked perfectly while my friend had Risotto, shrimp and asparagras....again to perfection. The wine served is unique and then the stories by Pino are amazing. We will go there every time we visit Boston - guaranteed!!! read more

This place is a hidden gem. The haddock special is great. Owner serves you and provides great service.

A very nice and authentic Italian place. Feels like you are in a family restaurant. Crew speaking Italian between themselves. Pastas and cheese based dishes are great with a lot of tomatoes. Fish is also cooked nicely. read more

Piccolo Nido is a neighborhood gem in the North End. This is a perfect spot for a quiet dinner with good Italian food. Most of their pasta is homemade and both the Regina pasta dish and the spaghetti were very good. We appreciated that they provided freshly grated parmesan for us to add on our own and left it at the table. The service was attentive but never intrusive. And we were able to have a nice conversation since the place has good acoustics and isn't noisy (sometimes difficult to find in Boston.) Great place for a date. read more

Really delicious food and the owner, Pino is incredibly charming and funny. I can't wait to go back!

Worst place I ever been in my life, we went with a group, service was bad, food was ok, when time came to pay the owner was un respectful and we let him know, he was drunk and went of the rails, crazy, calling names and being racist. Don't waste your time or your money. read more

Never in my life have I been treated so horribly by someone. We made a reservation to have dinner here, when we arrived the owner - yes, owner - told us it would just be a minute. 15 minutes later we were looking for an update on our table due to the 4 empty tables in the dining room. The man chased us out of his restaurant yelling and screaming at us that it was not a fast food joint. He verbally attacked all three women and pin pointed my boyfriend, calling him names. We were all literally forced and swept out the door onto the street with an overly mad Italian man yelling and waving his arms at us "good luck finding dinner somewhere else". I have been in some rude situations but this takes the cake. We did have dinner somewhere else, and it was lovely. And we were treated with kindness and respect. Not something you will find at Picollo Nido. read more