Excellent food and space. The $35 special with a glass of red wine was awesome. Used to go to this place when it was in the smaller space. Much bigger now and great service. read more

Ingredients (and seafood) were fresh and delicious! We had the arancini (wonderfully cheesy) and clams (a tad salty but definitely high quality clams) as appetizers, the osso bucco (5 stars), short ribs (5 stars), chicken saltimbocca (5 stars), and linguini vongole (same idea with the clams). Complimentary garlic bread also had me going for seconds. Servers were friendly and ambiance was great, would come here again! read more

This is my first time at Sam's Kitchen and I had a great experience. We had a group of 6 people and made reservations ahead of time, of which I think was the right move. The restaurant was near empty when we arrived, but it filled up right after we placed our order so it is definitely a popular place. Vibe: Sam's has a warm feel that is hard to describe but you will know it when you are there. The signs on the wall and corks in the large jars were nice touches too. I am not sure why there were plastic drapes that I had to walk through at the entrance, but I am guessing it is because we are technically still in a pandemic, and it is winter in Boston. It did not change my opinion about the ambiance, though. I just thought it was strange. The staff was pleasant and accommodating so it made the experience even better. Food: Arancini: The riceballs and cheese melt in your mouth! This was my first time eating this item and it did not disappoint. Frutti di Mare: I had this dish at other places before so it was easier to make the comparison. There are places that make this right, and Sam's Kitchen is one of them. The mussels were cooked well and did not have a strong smell. The red sauce was on point and did not overwhelm the pasta. Some places just oversauce their dish for some reason. Lobster Ravioli: I can taste the lobster in the ravioli! Yeah, that sounds silly but some places can be stingy with it. The cheese and sauce were balanced and the ravioli was slightly firm, just the way I like it. Tiramisu: This was just delicious! The coffee and cream flavors mixed well and I could not make out the ladyfinger, which is a good thing. FYI - You can bring your own wine! I do not think there is a cork fee, and that is just awesome in my book. I recommend giving Sam's Kitchen a shot if you are a visitor in the area like me, or if you are a native who just wants good Italian food. Do not forget to call ahead to reserve a table because it seems like it is packed every night. read more

See all

We went there for my birthday. The food was ok - the intention was good, but the hand of the expert chef was missing. I ordered the risotto w osso bucco. My hubby ordered the pasta bolognese. Not bad, but just ok. The focaccia was fresh but bland. We shared a chocolate cake. It was really good. Good service. Reasonably priced. The wine was excellent. I have ordered pickup here in the past and found it good. We will try again but not for a birthday. read more

Delicious food indeed! It's been a few years since we last dined in here and it's great to see them in a larger space with more room. The place is still BYOB and everyone was definitely making use of that! House salad was delicious and a great size for splitting Chicken piccata was excellent and a huge portion size! May be my new favorite place for chicken piccata in Boston now! And the Lobster Ravioli dish was so delicious and creamy with a perfect cook on the scallops as well. A bit on the small side, but that's expected given the price point of seafood these days. The cheesecake was just okay for me personally. I miss the slices they used to do pre-covid. The jar format (no bake?) wasn't as much to my liking this time since every spoonful kept getting different proportions of the crust/cheesecake/topping, so it kept tasting different. Though I do want to try the keylime pie next time which I suspect could work well in a jar format. Also, as of 11/19/22, the menu on their website is either just the current take out menu or is an old menu from COVID lock-down times maybe. The prices in the restaurant are quite a bit higher than those take out prices are. I posted images of the current menu. The service was nice as well. They were packed that night so it took a bit to initially get to us, but once they did it was smooth sailing from there. We will be back to explore more of the menu! read more

See all

Fantastic! The did, the service the ambience, all of it so good. Can't wait to go back.

I came here for dinner last night with my company and had my husband join. Things I liked: - Parking was not too hard to find on the street, we parked out front of the restaurant. - BYOB (Always nice to be able to bring something you know you are going to like drinking with your meal.) Thinks I didn't like: - We had only one waitress for a table of 9 people seemed like it would've gone faster ordering wise with another waitress. - My husband got the Bolognese was good he said but very small portions for $25-$28 left hungry at the end of the meal. - I didn't even finish my meal either Overall food was good but not a place I'd have to come back to personally. read more

Went out of our way to get here. Bad decision. Walked in--seated promptly. My wife ordered Chicken Masala and I ordered Veal Parm which came with a side order of pasta. My dish looked luscious--it was not. The veal was terrific-- pasta sauce was reprehensible. Liked they dumped a can of tomatoes on top of the veal and pasta! No flavor, spices, character. Ruined the dish. I looked across at my wife --struggling with her dish. She asked me to taste it. Whaaat?? Completely bland--no masala flavor at all!? I was stunned when she told me her dish was $25. Whoa--that aint happening. Manager came over and without a blink--took both dishes off the check.(hmmm-suspicious?? Bad cook??) Away we went. Side note; Meatball tasting. Bland , mealy, commercial. read more

Food was delicious, service was kind and attentive. Got the short rib with ricotta gnocchi and would absolutely order it again! Cute little corner restaurant! We will be back. read more

Portions are good service is great. Their white sangria was good. I thought food was bland. 4 out of 5 of us thought it was bland. I wouldn't consider this place to be expensive.. compared to other Italian places. I don't find myself craving food from here.. but I'll try it again in a couple months read more

Great Italian restaurant. If you go here with 2 they tend to ask you to sit at a table for 2 which would make sense, except I like more room and the way i order. If you are sharing a salad and app's and each a meal then having water and a drink you need a larger table. The food here is so... Delish that it doesn't seem to be enough. The desert I was not the biggest fan of because it seemed like it was frozen and not freshly made. Most of the time you do have to have a reservation because it is that good. read more

Had a delicious dinner of Short ribs and gnocchi w spinach last night! We had mussels w red sauce for an app. Everything was perfect ! Including the waitress and the manager! Will def. Return. Easy to park also read more

I don't give five stars very often because my standards are high. Having worked in the food business, quality and taste are paramount. We are passing through town while enjoying the Fall colors and are spending a couple nights in Bedford. Was looking forward to going into the North End for an Italian meal but not up to driving into town. Probably still have baseball partyers hanging around. Relying on my yelpers to steer me in the right direction as always. Well, Sam's Kitchen is a gem! We called for a reservation at 730 with no problem. We were seated right away. The waitress left a bottle opener because this place is BYOB. Nice to not pay corkage for once Everyone the menu looked delicious. We ordered the Caesar salad and mussels with red sauce for appetizers. Entrees were the seafood pasta for the hubby and lobster ravioli for me The appetizers were outstanding! Salad is a simple vinegrette tossed with crisp romaine, anchovies and croutons. Excellent! The mussels! The mussels! Light spice with a thick marinara. Great portions and their garlic bread for dipping of course. The mussels were a healthy size. Bread was meh. I could tell that it was a roll in a prior life. My only beef. Entrees-The seafood pasta wowed us. Everything was perfectly cooked. The scallops and shrimp were not skimpy sizes. Plenty of mussels and calamari. Homemade linguine delicious. Lobster ravioli (4) with scallops (2) was just right. Sauce was made with the stock of the lobster and not heavy at all. No dessert. Too full. Sam's has been open two years. Go support them and have a fantastic meal! read more

See all

First visit to Sam's kitchen and will definitely be back. Food was amazing,service quick and responsive. Atmosphere was lovely quiet and we were able to hear each other talk which is a great benefit these days! Lovely place with excellent food. Loved the focaccia as their bread! Bar has beer and wine, no hard liquor which is just fine with me. Can't wait to return. read more

This was a very good restaurant. enjoyed all of their dishes. would absolutely return there tiramissu should not be mised read more

Love Sam's Kitchen!!! Awesome food every time and the best staff ever! Our son asks for the Sam's Kitchen every week! What a gem! read more

There is a great ambiance in this intimate Italian restaurant. The pasta tastes fresh made and they have many fine selections. I had the veal saltimbocca and my wife had the chicken piccata. Both selections were great and the cheesecake topped off the meal. Note they have a beer and wine menu - no spirits. read more

I ate at Sam's Kitchen last evening. Chicken Florentines is supposed to have a creamy sauce, but my dish was bone dry. Not one bit of sauce. It was horrible and I couldn't eat it. Other folks said the veal piccata was good. This is my 3rd time eating here and I find their food to be mediocre. read more

Delicious food and amazing desserts! We tried the cannoli, tiramisu & limoncello cake. To our surprise it was unanimous that the limoncello cake was the table favorite!!! read more

Enjoyed a nice date night here. Food was good, it was a bit loud, but overall good atmosphere. Would go back. read more

Sam's Kitchen - Italian Near Me - Woburn, Massachusetts

Great food and service. I ordered the cheese and ravioli. It was delicious and amazing! The fish of the day was striped bass - tasty! Seriously, give these guys a shot if you haven't been. read more

I think the goal of the place is to be more upscale than average. However, beside some menu items on point like the Arancini appetizer, almost everything else is off. The building looks fine from outside, but inside, the decor is bare, only small attempts to look good have been made. The tap water is so gross that I worry they use it to cook. The staff try to be nice and helpful, but cannot help it, just no charisma and elegance. We ordered a special of day for appetizer, the stuffed clam, was not warm or cold, just a lot of dry sandy stuffing. I will not return back. read more

Veal Parmigiana Veal Parmigiana as all the food here is consistent and delicious. I think it's the best restaurant in Woburn read more

So I've known about this place for a while, have never been. Went twice in the past week, including tonight. Hands down best Italian food in the area. Period. Better than any Italian food in any surrounding town or Woburn. Not even close. As good as any I've had in the North End but won't say better. Had the chicken parm and chicken Marsala myself. Fantastic. Always loved the Marsala at Venetian Moon - this is better. Wife had the chicken Florentine both times, loved it that much. Friends had the salmon, said it was great. Will be back. No competition in Woburn for sure, don't listen to anyone who says differently. Food isn't cheap but is worth it and with it being BYOB the total bill is half of what it usually is. Another plus. read more

Our food was all amazing. We especially enjoyed the arancini. Service was lovely. We were shocked there weren't more people! Highly recommend. read more

I LOVE SAM'S KITCHEN. Let's not bury the lead, damn the food is as good as any in the North End in Boston or Federal Hill in Providence. The service each time we have been there has been exceptional... wishing I knew my server's name tonight to give a shout out to. But the BYOB policy there turns Sam's into a bargain. Bring a $20 bottle of wine that you buy in a liquor store saves you $40. Bottom line, our meal with apps, main course cappuccino, and dessert plus our bottle of wine was $125, a whole lot less than a similar north end experience. The only thing missing was a walk to Mike's. Bottom line, you will not be disappointed. read more

Came here with a party of 8 for dinner and when we arrived it seemed like they thought it was a hassle to serve us even though only a couple of tables were occupied and we had called ahead. We tried the Bolognese, Chicken Carbonara, Chicken Marsala, Lobster Ravioli, Veal Parm, and the veggie pasta. I ordered the veggie pasta and enjoyed it--it wasn't unique, but still tasted good. Literally everyone else disliked their dish. There was too much salt on some or overpowering flavor. The service was also bad, with the waiter not checking in or seeing if we needed anything throughout the meal. The dishes seem overpriced for what they are, especially since many in our party disliked their meals. read more

Whenever you are on an awkward tinder date, there's not much you can do to salvage the situation, aside from maybe, leave? Nonetheless, Sam's Kitchen was a lovely and cozy little restaurant. Despite that, on a weekday evening around 7pm there was hardly anyone there. Love that they have BYOB. In case you were wondering if you should bring wine, BRING WINE! One bottle per couple is the limit. The garlic bread was really yummy and I love how they just bring you a bottle of water so you don't have to wait for or ask for refills. Loved the seafood pasta, though the portion was not big. I had dinner earlier and was still able to finish the entire entree, with garlic bread. Two issues: One. Our server rushed us through the meal. He cleared the other person's plate within 10 seconds of it being finished, while I was still halfway through the meal. Within a nanosecond of me putting the fork down, he rushed over to take my plate. Chill a second will you? The restaurant only had two other tables occupied and there was no one waiting for a table. It was only about 8:15pm at this point and one couple had just arrived and hadn't ordered yet. What is the rush to get us out the door? Without asking us if we wanted the check, he came over with the check and set it on the table, as if asking us to leave. After a bit, he returned to collect the check, even though we hadn't paid yet and there was no credit card or cash sticking out. WTF??? What is he trying to do? So we paid and left and I was glad to leave because I didn't enjoy the company but that sort of rushing patrons is uncalled for and made an awkward situation even more awkward. Two. I recommend coming here on a weekend when it might be more crowded. During the weekday the place was empty and it was super awkward. I felt like the table near us was listening to our conversation since there was no one else there. Maybe this is contributed in part to how awkward the whole tinder date was in general. But if you don't want to be scrutinized, I'd go somewhere livelier or come here on a weekend when there might be more people for you to sink into anonymity. Or better yet, come with people you actually like. read more

This is the most authentic restaurant. Small, quiet but so well known. Every meal i have had is perfection. I just keep forgetting I need to call for a reservation. Selfishly, I really don't want people to learn about Woburn's hidden gem. read more

The food was delicious, more than I could eat in one serving! The waitress was very attentive, but allowed us to enjoy a leisurely dinner.

Visiting from Dallas and came here because of the proximity to our hotel. No reservation but they managed to squeeze us in, fed us and we devoured it all within 20 minutes. My boyfriend and I both got the lobster ravioli and it was to die for. Scallops were perfect, huge chunks of lobster... Great staff and even better food. Highly recommend. read more

Sam's Kitchen - Italian Near Me - Woburn, Massachusetts

Sam's came highly recommended to me. I finally paid a visit and was not disappointed!!! Started with the Arancini-SO GOOD. One order is enough for 2-4 people tasty & filling. For main course I went with read more

Cozy place with amazing homemade pasta -- as good if not better than any pasta dishes I have had in Italy! BYOB was kind of fun we brought a great bottle and it was very inexpensive since we only paid for food. Great service too. I'd go back for sure. read more

A hidden gem in Woburn. Even better quality than lots of restaurants in North End! Veal Parm

My colleague & I found this place on Yelp & it was better than expected! The food was fantastic. The atmosphere was nice. I would definitely recommend this for a date night. Make sure you call a head because seating can be limited. I highly recommend the Lobster Ravioli. So good! Also the Shrimp & Scallops special with squid ink pasta. Yum! The Tiramisu was amazing. I wanted a bigger slice! My colleague said the Cheesecake was delicious too. If we are ever in the area again we will definitely come back. read more

Sam's Kitchen - Italian Near Me - Woburn, Massachusetts

Everything was outstanding. Bring your own wine, FYI. The food was prepared perfectly. I had veal over homemade gnocchi with piccata sauce, and the made it to order and took out the garlic for me. My daughter loved the chicken parm and raved about the fresh basil flair in the marinara. The hubby had Sam's veal special with risotto and asparagus. Outstanding. read more

See all

This place is great. My parents used to go very often when they first opened up. This is the first time we've dined in their new location and it was lovely. We got calamari to share which was delicious. I got chicken francese that came a little on the small side but tasted amazing. The same was for my moms dish of chicken carbonara. My dad and friend got the frutti de mare and they both loved it. The place is BYOB which saves your bill but they are a little pricey. The service is great though so I recommend as a solid, local, Italian joint read more

Ordered takeout. Food was hot, delicious, and ready on time. Just as great as when I dined inside. We'll be back.

I think the food is great. It this is not a child friendly restaurant. The staff were great but there are limitations with children!

Why is this the first time I've had scallops served with my lobsta ravs?!?!? Very impressed with the care and detail taken with each dish. read more

Sam's Kitchen - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Woburn, Massachusetts