This quaint Italian restaurant in Newton lives up to its reputation. Its intimate setting leaves the diner feelings of being in an old Italian family restaurant. We ordered the bruschetta for an appetizer which came with the most decadent balsamic vinegar and flavorful tomatoes and cheese on a crispy but doughy bread. The chicken Parmesan was a plentiful portion and the side of pasta with garlic and oil sauce was the hit of the night. Lastly we ordered a margarita pizza with pepperoni which was a nice size with a thin crust. Service was fantastic and we will definitely return. Worth a try if you are craving Italian. read more

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Delicious italian food served in a low key, family-style space near Boston College's campus. They have fresh gluten free noodles that were the best I have ever tasted. Everything that we ate was delicious. Can't wait to go back! read more

We had our first experience at Stella's restaurant in Newton tonite!!! Wow!!! Fantastic food and wine menu!! We highly recommend this restaurant!!!!! We will become regular customers!!! read more

Cute little Italian place in Newton Center. The good: - There is a small parking lot in front of the restaurant, but plenty of street parking is also available - Tiny place, but staff is super friendly and helpful. They checked in on us frequently during our visit. - Bolognese and Orecchiette were really delicious and would recommend! The opportunities: - We feel the prices were on the high side. For example, $26 for a small-ish plate of bolognese? - Some of the dishes were on the dry side (and bland), for example the Chicken Milanese that we ordered. - meatballs sub was mostly bread (look at my picture) read more

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WOW,WOW,WOW! This place was recommended to me as a somewhat inexpensive restaurant, and great food. 10/10 awesome , yummy and the serving size on point. It's been sooooo long since I had a chicken Marcella that tasted as I remember it to be. When you walk in, it's a small place. Just a few tables. The waiter Gio greets you with a T-shirt that says "yes, chef". The chef himself a tall gent only got a glance of him. Takeaways, the menu was different than it is online. The items that were missing were specials that they may or may not be having that day. Everything is à la cart and my only complaint is our water didn't get filled. That being said I'm still giving a 10 out of 10 thoroughly impressed. I wish this business tons of success. read more

Nice little quaint restaurant. The service was good and the food tasted good. Our waitress was Stella the owner. She was funny and helpful. Prices were a little high but I will go back next time I am in the area. read more

I've eaten here many times. I often take guests and out-of-towners. Never had a bad experience. Food great, Service great. It is small; you may need a reservation. Lunchtime has more space available. Go, you won't be disappointed. read more

Very high quality food with a somewhat diverse menu. Happy to find another gem spot in Newton. I had: Stella's Classic Bolognese (very good) Arancini (good) Salmon (great, I think lunch special?) Will be back to try more. read more

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Large portions of food that tastes like it's straight out of Costco's freezer section. Won't be back!!

We saw reviews and stopped on way to Logan Airport for dinner. My pasta was exceptional and the chicken Milanese and parmigiana got rave reviews from my family, as did the bolognese. read more

The food was delicious. The service was attentive. They were very friendly and they even gave us desserts on the house for my mom's birthday. We will definitely be back. read more

Stella - Chocolate mousse Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Newton, Massachusetts

Excellent food! The young man who served was polite, attentive, friendly. The chef stopped by the table too, great attitude, helpful and prepared a great meal. It was our first time there. It will not be our last. Thanks! read more

The zucchini pillows were very good. The the food is homie and generic. A comfortable place and quiet. What a relief to eat in a quiet restaurant with good food. The owner is very accommodating. Everything is very pleasant about Stella. My only complaint was too much salt in the salad. read more

Excellent food, tasty, hot, well flavored. Service was excellent. Ambience was nothing special, not a place for a candle-light dinner, just the basics. Lot of people doing take-out. read more

Stella Cafe opened in Newton very recently. They were formerly located in Boston's South End before they closed in 2020. The space is very cozy with very limited seating with seating for up to 16 people or 8 tables. They offer full service dining and takeout. At the time of this posting, their hours were limited to 7am to 3pm, Tuesday through Sunday and a streamlined menu with a few breakfast items, sandwiches, burgers, pasta and regular entrees. The prices are moderate, most items in the $11-$25 range. I stopped in here during the lunch rush and the place was busy with only 2 tables available. I decided to order takeout since I had an appointment in the area. I ordered the Salt Cod Cakes ($16 plus tax) and the Mac & Cheese ($15 plus tax). My order was all ready in about 12 minutes after ordering. I enjoyed my food at my appointment. The 3 Salt Cod Cakes were deep fried crisp outside and very soft filling of bread and shredded cod mix over lemon aioli and parsley. The Mac & Cheese has a mix of orecciette pasta , gooey rich cheese sauce and a crispy breaded chicken cutlet, cut in strips. The food overall was pretty good and the portions were modest for the price. The counter service was prompt and courteous. I would return again when they have more food offerings to try and have dinner hours. read more

Went here for my birthday lunch last weekend. Couldn't believe they weren't packed after eating the food. Very modest interior, and my husband and asked if I still wanted to stay after we walked in. I said yes, as I'd heard about the food and so glad we did. Food was amazing and great service. There are half price apps everyday between 3-5pm so we ordered one of everything, then we each got an entree, and then tiramisu and chocolate mousse for dessert. Delicious and highly recommend. read more

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Not sure if they were having a bad day given all the other reviews, but what a disappointment. $90 for lunch including two small glasses of wine (small pours and one glass equaled the cost of a bottle at a typical store), one appetizer, and one entree. The pasta was cold on one side like it had been chilled and not reheated, and there was hardly enough sauce. The place is cute with potential. The owner is a very kind and caring man, but he doesn't realize how loud his voice is. He was admonishing his kitchen staff for being too loud, and he was doing so at double their volume. Just play some music in the background--folks will understand laughing and banter in the kitchen. This is a cozy place not a white tablecloth kind of place, so let it be what it is. Sadly, one of our most underwhelming meals in quite some time. read more

So yummy and so bummed that they were completely empty on a Saturday night when they should be packed! Family owned restaurant that moved here a few months ago after shutting down in the South End during COVID after over a decade of business. Owner's kids are the servers, so sweet. Very casual Italian kitchen vibe. Great Caesar, bolognese is a must, loved the orecchiette too. Will be back for the tiramisu! read more

Zero atmosphere,pricey entrees,terrible service and lots of overly salty dishes. The owner/chef never replied to my many emails about my dining experience. read more

Stopped in for lunch and was welcomed by the nicest man, who turned out to be the owner, Evan. The menu includes many Italian favorites, I got the chicken Milanese with mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe as a side. He asked me if I wanted the rabe spicy, I did, and it was perfect! The chicken was perfectly cooked and topped with roasted tomatoes, that were pleasantly sweet, and the potatoes had the buttery creaminess I love. Dessert was chocolate mousse, which was a recipe Evan picked up in cooking school in France. Not sure it could get better! The place is bright, cozy and impeccably clean. Evan, really makes you feel special from the second you enter. I can't wait to go back! read more

Stella - Chicken Milanese - Italian Near Me - Newton, Massachusetts

Food was very average and very expensive. There are much better italian restaurants in Boston where you can eat for half the price. The staff are very nice, but that cannot make up for the food. read more

One of the best restaurants that I've been to in a while. My husband loved the bolognese and I loved the salmon dish. The tiramisu was amazing as well. We will be back soon! Highly recommend read more

One of the best italian food I've had in a very long time. Everything we ordered tasted homemade and was simply delicious. Definitely a must try! read more

We dined outside for lunch. Service was great, food was great! We got the classic bolognese and the potato gnocchi. Was too excited to take photos but pasta was Al Dente and sauce was flavorful, gnocchi in the tomato basil tasted fresh! Would go again! read more

Very much enjoyed our first visit; solid menu, Italian favorites w an occasional flourish. I had a very well prepared salmon w spaghetti squash, my table mates were likewise very happy. One complaint: the tile walls really reverberate the sound ... wish they would work a bit on noise damping. But GOOD FOOD. read more

Delicious food and excellent service. A little gem in Newton. Be sure to try it out read more

Stella - Orecchiette, meatballs, zucchini pillows - Italian Near Me - Newton, Massachusetts

A hidden gem in Newton! Went here for lunch and highly recommend the enormous chicken parm sandwich. Absolutely delicious and great value- enough food for two! Owner was very nice and accommodating to our toddler. Can't wait to come for dinner to try their bolognese and apps. read more

We just ate at Stella for the first time. The food was absolutely delicious and the service by Max was the most incredible service ever! He's a one-man show! Phenomenal read more

Excellent meatball parmigiana Excellent chicken parmigiana Loved the bread and sauce Well worth the stop off the pike read more

food was not Italian no sauce on chicken parm only two stewed tomatoes from a can no taste chicken just fair everything we had was poor.would never go back here even if the food was free. I find it hard to believe that it is the same chef as Stellas in the south end. read more

Nice food. Not the wine. The service can be fine depending on which waiter during the day of the week. Small and cozy. Family friendly. Worth trying. read more

What a total treat this delightful neighborhood restaurant is! The food was truly delicious. Beet salad, gnocchi, lemon picatta chicken and a yummy chocolate mousse. The service was excellent. This little restaurant accommodated both adults and children seamlessly. I'll definitely be back! read more

Got takeout here for the first time recently and it was excellent. Good customer service as well. The classic bolognese did not disappoint.

Top notch food, very nice clean and light ambiance, friendly staff, quiet, parking in front read more

Stella - chocolate mousse - Italian Near Me - Newton, Massachusetts

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I've had a number of sandwiches from Stella for lunch over the past few months and they have all been great, but the Steak and Cheese special might be the best Steak and Cheese I have ever had, hands down. They clearly care about the food they serve, everything has been impeccably well prepared. read more

I like to support local businesses and decided to try Stella's celebrating a special occasion.I was very disappointed with the quality of the food, portions and service.There was one waitress who was completely overwhelmed covering all the tables by the time we received soup spoons the soup was lukewarm with hardly any chicken and heavily salted as was all the food we ordered.I emailed the owner several times with feedback but he never responded read more

This is more a cafe than a full service restaurant. Diner ambiance. Inexperienced waitress didn't bring soup until entrees were brought. Matzo ball soup is good, as is the bolognese. Salmon was a little dry. Chicken parm was very good - ordered with pappardelle. Sauce was good. We prefer Sweet Basil - better food, service. read more

Wonderful place, smaller spot but packs a big punch because the food is clearly worthy of large restaurant fanfare but they've deliberately kept it small - that is a breath of fresh air for a behind the curve restaurant scene like the Boston area. Coupled with great music is feels a bit like you're In a Manhattan restaurant. The service was great, food was excellent had the bolognese and burger, burger was grilled wonderfully came with a very nice salad. Bolognese is excellent and the pasta cooked perfect. They may do wine soon, I do hope they don't overprice the wine because it would be nice to have wine with this meal but everything's getting so expensive now it will be hard to justify adding on $18-20 glass. A range of options would be nice. read more

Excellent food and a hard working family staff. We enjoyed our early dinner in this small storefront, neighborhood eatery.

Excellent food and some of the nicest people!! Strongly recommend all their appetizers. I also love that it's quiet and cozy! Great place!