Don't waste your money. Service non existent (even thought there were tons of empty tables). Food not as described My wife's meal was not as advertised on the menu. The $28 Angus steak was pure fat and gristle. We were just going to pay and leave. We did not complain. We did not confront them. They asked why we did not eat our meals. As we were leaving the waitress asked what was wrong with my steak, I told her, she said to her fellow waitress, "another one", implying that this has happened before. Back at our table waiting for the bill, we were surrounded by the owner, his nephew or son, and the waitress, basically yelling at us that we were wrong. No discount on the bill. As we were leaving the son or nephew exited the restaurant after us shouting Italian expletives, and unique finger and arm gestures. I thought he was coming out to apologize. After the young mouthpiece was through, papa mouthpiece came out to further insult out intelligence with additional Italian colloquialisms. The fact that they did this in front of what little customers they had, will surely further cull their herd of patronage. All in all it was worth the $100 to now have the ultimate WTF restaurant story. read more

Dinner on NYE was fantastic. Special menu with a couple of additions. The only downside was the hostess was nowhere to be found for over 20 min. read more

This is a wonderful Italian restaurant with easy from Rt.1 and hwy95. My son really like the fried calamari and the specialty fish is really nice too. It is a little expensive but we'll worth the price. read more

BTW....this is one of the few Italian restaurants that does NOT offer Gluten Free Pasta.....but their risotto is great......so until they update and get with the program, that's a good substitute. read more

As good as it gets! The REAL DEAL on italian food. Luigi knows his goals and objectives and knows what he is doing with Ponte vecchio.Especially good things are the appetizers as long as the specials. Come here with a group of peaople or a romantic date. Other notable dishes are the Brick oven pizzas - Bertucchi Che?!. Ponte Vecchio ingriedients are also high quality and of high value. This place- is for people who only know good food. The menu is divided into courses. You can expect to spend $100 between two people with drinks and desserts. Service is professional like any other restaurant they pull tips so different people do approach the table ( But it is NOT overbearing!) Their staff also hosts international servers from the Real place ( ITALIA ! ) Though it was very loud and noisy because there was good business - the ambiance remained dark and romantic feel. The food itself was beautifully cooked and presented, each course immaculately timed and smoothly dished up by superior serving staff. All of the flavors came together perfect. ----maybe there are real italians in the kitchen as opposed to your mexican/brazilians/guatemalens/ you get it what i'm saying. We left our wine selection to our knowledgeable waiter, who offered really good choices. His selection complemented both of our selections perfectly ( Gavi );. We highly reccomment Ponte Vecchio. DELICIOUS FOOD. CLEAN RESTAURANT. GOOD SERVICE. FULL BAR. read more

Ponte Vecchio serves pretty basic American Italian fare. A very solid good option. The establishment has also been very consistent over the past 10 years or so; I went to high school right around the corner. read more

Absolutely and no question BEST and the only authentic Italian food in Boston! Owners are 2 brothers. One is the chef and one is the host. True and real enthusiasts of the traditional Italian gourmet culture. You just can't compare it with North End. North End is for tourists, high traffic, production, production, production. Ponte Vecchio is exactly how all is done the right way! It includes decor, friendly and professional service, food is delicious. You can try anything on the menu and all is exceptionally and uniquely flavorful or you may even ask for something special to be prepared just for you (same way you do it in Italy). Luigi, the owner who hosts is always friendly and fun! I go there for past 10 years with my family, with my friends and my overseas guests and business partners and all love it!! Try it if you in gourmet authentic Italian food. You will be happy you did! read more

Can't say enough good things. The good was exceptional. The waitress was great. We had young kids and they went out of their way to take great care of us. We will be back. read more

Authentic, authentic, authentic. Some of the best Italian food without having to go all the way to the North End. They have a wonderful menu and everything is home made with fresh ingredients. My DH loves their salt encrusted bass, which they offer as a dinner special most times we've been there. I love their prime rib and also the Mediterranean salad. My only criticism is that since it's so popular and everything is made fresh, service can be sometimes slow, but the staff is very attentive. Some Saturday nights, they have a DJ and dancing. The last time we went,, they graciously moved us to a table next to the dance area where we could finish our wine and enjoy dessert and coffee plus dance. read more

Not to bother. High prices, mediocre food and no service at all until you complain. Finally got bread and water after 25 minutes while host and hostess are hovering over a table of obvious friends. Avoid the bolognese sauce -- pure salt and canned tomatoes. . read more

We only went to this place because we had a $100 gift certificate. We walked in, not one person greeted us. The dining room was empty. Finally, the what looked like the bartender said to us come on in and pick a table, Ill be right there. He came to our table and asked what we wanted. Didnt go over any specials. Fine. We placed our order. Then a party of 6 came in and it was like we didn't exist. Fried Calamari - gross! Fried rubber bands is more like it not to mention they battered and deep fried part of the octopus that we have never seen and placed it on top. Yuck! Eggplant Parm - Its pretty hard to screw up Eggplant Parm so it was ok. Pasta was under cooked, didn't even eat it. Linguine with White Clam Sauce - This dish was SO salty, my husband could barely eat it. Dessert Canolli - Not good. Made with vanilla pudding or something, not a true cannoli. Chocolate Mouse cake which clearly looked frozen and something you would buy at the supermarket. Overall, service was awful and food was anything but good. We just handed him the gift certificate and told him to keep it - even though there was $20 left after our bill, we will NEVER go back. read more

We went to Ponte Vecchio with another couple with whom we're always looking to support a good local restaurant, as we go out together regularly. This first visit will be our last. While the food was really good, the customer service was beyond bad. We saw unhappy, rushed waitstaff, and an owner who ordered them around in front of customers. At the beginning, the waiter encouraged us to order one of the three most expensive specials. Larger groups at tables on both sides of us, who ordered more expensive dishes and drinks, were lavished with attention by the owner. Three times the owner and waitstaff pushed a cart past our table, making us pull our chairs in or just bumping us, without so much as an 'excuse me' or any acknowledgement of what they were doing. The owner never greeted us, even though he probably walked (or pushed) past our table a dozen times. The clincher was at the very end, when the normal practice in any restaurant would be for waitstaff to ask "is anyone interested in coffee or dessert?" Instead, the waiter said to us, from a distance away from our table, "anything else?" One of our party asked to see the dessert menu. He responded with a rushed list of three desserts, and when the person who asked shook her head, he just walked away without asking the other three of us if we wanted anything. Afterward, given what we saw and experienced, we wondered if the waiter's treatment of us was a reflection of how he and other staff are treated. read more

The food was delicious and the restaurant had a nice and mellow atmosphere!! The staff was friendly and hospitable especially to my little brother! Definitely would come here again. read more

Won't be going back. $12.00 for ONE meatball and it wasn't such a great meatball. It was a app special, not on the menu so we had no idea what it would cost. The pizza was dried out too when it arrived. Very disappointing! read more

We had reservations for 4 - 10/31 @ 7:30 pm. Our waiter was less than stellar, barely came back to check to see if we needed anything. He seemed a bit overwhelmed, possibly preoccupied. 3 of meals arrived together. The fourth meal was a considerable delay . We waited for the fourth meal to arrive, and had to eventually ask our waiter for it. A side of spinach was to accompany some of the entree's which we had to ask the waiter for as well, after being served. We received only one order . The bottle of Chanti we ordered was perfect. The Grouper special arrived beautifully presented- however tasted like it was bathed in oil. 3 guests ordered dessert- and I ordered a Bailey's Irish Cream. This arrived in a Brandy Snifter glass- which had approximately 1 oz. of Bailey's Irish Cream in it- and was charged $10.00 for this. Outrageous. read more

So. My wife and I decided we would check out all the restaurants from Danvers to Boston on Rt. 1 South and then North. This was our second of what must be 50 restaurants on the route. Knowing that most of the restaurnants on Rt. 1 are chain restaurants we expected more from Ponte Vechicco. We arrived about 7:30 on a Friday night and were greeted promptly by a neat, pleasant young woman and were brought to one of the few available tables. The Italian decor was clean but a bit tired looking, yet the atmosphere was not bad, with an active bar off to the right and the feel of the place not bad. It was fairly full, but not too loud to carry on a normal conversation. Unlike the few other empty tables, we had no water glasses which was no big deal and the waitress quickly offered us not only glasses, but two types of bottled water or "Danvers finest" which, in fact, was just fine. The wine list was not extensive, but satisfactory except for the significantly inflated prices with few moderate to low priced options. The same was true of the menu - fairly overpriced fare for pretty basic food and not a wide selection. For all of the possible Italian options, the menu was pretty boring and not much appealed to us or stood out. Warm bread arrived quickly with oil on the side, but was just okay. The waitress took our order quickly and when my wife ordered a Caesar salad, she asked if we wanted to split it and brought us two plates. It arrived promptly but was unremarkable, No grated cheese, no fresh pepper, but it was not bad, just basic. Here's where it turned downhill. From the point when we finishied our salad, it was well over thirty minutes before our food arrived -- and it was quite basic Italian food, chicken parm and a grouper plate. Our water glasses were always kept full, yet only half of the finished bread and salad plates were removed. And, we waited. And, waited. The place had filled up, but it seemed that everyone waited a long time for their entrees. My wife's grouper was a thin filet, the size of a piece of filet of sole, with two undeveined shrimp and a glob of spinach which had a burned taste to it. Both the fish and two medium size shrimp had a rubbery/processed feel to them. The chicken parm had a bright orange sauce that was not untasty but the pasta that accompanied it was clearly heated by microwave and well above normal boiled pasta temperature. Finally, it took a very long time to get our check even after putting our credit card on the table. The waitress repeatedly said, "No hurry, no hurry" which could have been the motto for the restaurant. We appreciate not being rushed but had already spent too much time and money there and couldn't wait to leave. In summary: overpriced, unoriginal, boring, food was fair at best, polite but very slow service. We understand that the food is cooked to order but we didn't think it included catching the fish and plucking the chicken. read more

This was by far the WORST experience I've had at a restaurant! I would never ever recommend this place to ANYONE Reasons: 1) Took over an HOUR to get our food. -but teased us by bringing the wrong food to our table 3 separate times 2) Food came out every 5 minutes so one of us would have our food but the other 3 would be waiting, then 2 had food 2 waiting (you get the idea) 3) When the food did come out, a filet that was ordered came out COLD 4) The owner who was catering to a nearby table asked the problem, and offered to take it back to fix "in just a second" (microwave a filet?) with the worst attitude ever like how do we dare complain about frozen food. 5) Waiter only offered an apology, but nothing more. Most servers take at least a drink round off for good favor. Here is our lovely experience below: We had a reservation at 6:30 for 4 for Saturday night and sat in the back next to the wine rack. We ended up needed to move our table in as the servers walking by would occasionally bump or elbow our friend on the outside. It's helped slightly but maybe the table location doesn't make sense for the layout. We ordered drinks and the grilled octopus / calamari. The app was descent, but the calamari wasn't as fresh and very tough to cut. Once we had the app and ordered, our waiter disappeared and we didn't see him for at least a good half an hour. The bread came 10 mins after our appetizer and we had to request it. When a long time had passed, our server came over said "hopefully" we'll get our food soon. He never came to check on us, check on the food, or give us an update until that incredibly helpful one. Another server came over 3 times (i counted) with the wrong food. By this time we are starving and getting slightly angry. The waiter came back to let us know the bass we ordered takes 30 minutes and holds up the kitchen since they only have 3 people back there. None of us had ordered the bass. We did notice a large table next to us, which the owner gave his full attention, was getting their food on time and excellent service. The owner would completely ignore us as he walked by and must have had an idea something was wrong but didn't seem concerned one bit. Finally I was served my salmon, without the veggies of course. 5 minutes later, we received a pizza, then our filet. We made a joke about Hell's Kitchen and imagine if our food came out like this. Our friend with the filet just checked the food in case, and lo and behold, it was ice cold! Again, completely being ignored and our chicken parm comes out, without the pasta, and we ask the server to find our waiter. He mentions this to the owner and the owner comes over, and says "what's the problem" with this unapologetic face. Our friend explains his $32 filet is cold and he goes, i'll fix it in one second. Now we all know that means throwing it in the microwave and have no desire to deal with that, and ask to take it back and take it off the bill. He NEVER ONCE says sorry, and goes - yeh we'll take it off, and runs back to the kitchen. We then get our pasta and finally my veggies then our server magically appears again. He apologizes but at this point we just want to eat and get out. He brings us the wrong beer round and we sit and laugh about how we will never come back. Another 10 minutes and he appears again with the full check (minus the filet). Nothing for our troubles, not a big deal we've been there 2 hours and just barely got our food. It was the worst most overpriced restaurant I've ever been to and will NEVER go again. Please do not go to this restaurant. read more

Sorry. Didn't like the food or the service both times I went. Pretty expensive place for so-so foo.

This is my new favorite restaurant. The family and I went on a Friday night. We got there around 5ish because I hate to wait to eat. It makes me cranky. I guess this admission makes me officially old. We were seated right away after getting a friendly greeting and welcome. We sat on the left which is a bit fancier. The seating on the right is the bar side with bar seating and bar tables and stools, but you can get the same food. (I'm not sure if there is a price difference or not.) The ambiance is nice and homey. It is nicely lit, not too dark like some restaurants. The bread was delicious-o. We had ours with olive oil, but they bring butter too. (Wish they flavored their oil, but....I flavored it myself with salt, pepper, and grated cheese so....) I'm betting they make the bread there. It had a great flavor and had a crispy crust. My husband had Chicken Broccoli Ziti--ate it all, loved it. My daughter and I shared a pizza which we both proclaimed to be one of, if not the best, pizza we had ever had, and we eat a lot of pizza. I had an Arugula salad which I can't stop thinking about. It had shaved Parmesan cheese and Juliet tomatoes with a sweet, but not too sweet, Balsamic dressing. They brought us some complimentary bread sticks (mm, mm, mm, good..) and an appetizer anchovy dish which my husband enjoyed because the owner remembered him. We went back for lunch a few days later and I had the salad again. It was still my favorite salad. My husband got swordfish and loved it. We will be going back again! read more

Nice people, nice ambiance, nice menu. So what's the problem? Bland Italian food and high prices = NOT WORTH THE TRIP! They're going for upscale cuisine but don't have the chops to pull it off. read more

We had a reservation for 7pm on Saturday night for 4 people. We were seated at a tiny little table --like the size of an IHOP table where you can barely fit your flapjacks. We requested to be moved to one of the many empty larger tables (geesh). All 4 of us enjoyed our meals here so I give it 4 stars. The food would have to really knock my socks off to earn a 5 star rating. The only negative experience was the service. We had no less than 4 different people working our table of 4. It was a constant game of who's on first. We would ask one person for water and another person brings it. Ask for a glass of wine and yet another person brings it. Where's my pasta? Luigi comes from the kitchen and brings it. Two people in our party did not receive the side pasta dishes until they were 3/4 of the way done with their main entree but Luigi was so nice about it we said FUGGEEDABOUT it, no problemo Luigi. We waited FOREVER for our coffee and no one ever came back to take a dessert order so we nixed the dessert order and began to go into a carb and wine induced coma waiting for our check. The place was chaotic and a glass was broken at two different tables by two different waitpersons. Mamamia! I still give it 4 stars even though I should have deducted for the poor service. read more

I keep trying this place and keep being disappointed with the service. The food is fine. Nothing wrong with the food at all. The service is horrendous. I keep trying to go for lunch and each time, you just wait and wait. Then you sit and wait and no one acknowledges you. Then after that, the waitress complains how she's working too much. Then gives snippy little remarks about where we sit, how we talk too much, etc. (mind you, the owner sat us since she didn't!) It's just disappointing and so irritating getting such bad service. read more

Best Italian on the North Shore. True Italian pizza and recipes. I have eaten here for over 20 years and never had a bad meal. My wife is from Naples Italy and was the heir apparent for the family recipes, it's here favorite Italian on the NS too. This is the real deal. read more

THIS PLACE NEEDS TO STEP IT UP BIG TIME!!! The prices were outrageous given the preparation, quality, and flavors (I had a gin drink, salad, plate of pasta with clams, and a glass of wine for a whopping $80 including tip). The service was ok but very slow catering to a local crowd and not very welcoming to those who do not frequent the place. The wine list was quite limited with more California and S. American selections than Italian. Overall, this was quite a disappointment and given the high end choices in the area (Pellana, Daniella's, Ciea, Brine, to name a few), this place needs to up their game or face the same fate as Donatellos. I do not recommend this place. read more

Great spot if you like paying too much for only decent Italian food. Our table wobbled badly, portions were just a little on the smaller side, and service was only decent. Our experience could have been better. read more

We have been to Ponte Vecchio at least 7 times now, we make it a mainstay when we drive down from Maine to go to Costco. Their food is authentic northern Italian cooking that I know having been to Italy 3x. Their bread is perfection! Their meatballs and potatoes are to die for great and spicy!!! You want a great calamari??? go here. Their lunch menu is more limited than their dinner menu and while I wish they would change up the lunch menu they do always have several specials.. they are always in need of more servers also.. perhaps a sign of good times in Danvers?? Their pizza was exactly the same as what I have had in Rome.. If you wish a real Italian meal, go here. Prices aren't bad either. read more

Overall the food is exceptional. The bar can be very busy with one bar tender not really sufficient. There seems to be an HVAC issue as they insist on propping the entry doors open to cool the place off which makes those near the door uncomfortable. In addition to my request as well as others the hostess continued to reopen the doors. I have experienced as many others have where the staff is warm so this or an AC set at 68 is the solution verses customer comfort. Cold weather is coming. Hopefully they will find a more customer friendly solution. read more

I rarely leave a five review. This place exceeded my expectations. The Calamari I had was the best I've ever had. The muscles were excellent from what I hear. The food was very authentic and made in the kitchen i.e. It didn't come from a bag. The meatballs were great. The pasta seems to be made in their kitchen. Place is well worth the trip. I believe the owner took our order and made sure everything was good at our table. read more

I dined here last night having not been able to for quite some time. It's the same as eating in Italy as they prepare some very traditional italian meals. read more

This restaurant is exquisite. The food is great, the wait staff are gracious and the ambience is great, too.

I can only comment on the Pizza which is fabulous. The service is always spot on and the owner Luigi is friendly to all. You can't ask for anything more in my opinion. read more

I live close by and eat here often. I have been cooking professionally for 20 years and love eating and love great food. The food at Ponte Vecchio is the best you will find within 15 miles of the restaurant. Consistently delicious. Would stand up against any Italian food I've eaten in Boston, New York, or Europe. It is very neighborhoody and the decor is a little suburban/unsophisticated but I can live with that. The food is always outstanding. read more

The service here is very poor but the food is impeccable!!! "Best fish ever", quoted one happy customer, a.k.a. my father who ordered the grouper, which we would highly recommend. Very satisfied with the meal but the service quality has room for improvement. read more

Great service in a clean fresh setting. We just had simple salad with grilled chicken. The Caesar dressing was excellent and perfectly mixed. read more

Ate there on Saturday night, The food was horrible. My daughter ordered ravioli parmesan and was give raviolis with a cream sauce and peas. I had Linguine with Clam Sauce and got terribly ill after I ate it. I spent the entire night vomiting. I called the restaurant to complain and they told me that no one else had complained and that the owner said he ate the clams and did not get sick. I will not return to this restaurant. C. Devitto read more

Great food and great service. Went in on Thursday night 1-29-15. Ordered salad appetizer which they brought out and then split on to t I had the Orata which was great and plated in front of me. My wife had the chicken florentine which was also very good. The desserts were also good. read more

Always have a great time - Luigi will make a special meal for you every time - for me, I love the calamari but want it customized - of course Luigi comes out and says - perfect. read more

I"ve just came back from a most memorable meal at Ponte Vecchio in Danvers.. The grouper was fantastic, side of spinach, out of this world, and the app was to write home about (Octapus and squid) Service was great high tables were so nice. I have seen some bad reviews on this restaurant but have never had a bad meal there in 10 years. I highly recomend this restaurant as the finest Italian food North of Boston (including the North End) Denny (retired chef) Lynnfield, Mass. read more

The North End in Danvers? Who would've thought! Not a quick meal, but the food is absolutely worth the wait. The "specials" are the way to go- amazing food! read more

Can't determine what is my favorite meal...probably the linguini and little neck clams! Service, food and wine all wonderful. And by the way, they DO serve gluten free pasta! read more