I celebrated my boyfriends birthday at the restaurant and the service is amazing! I ordered the special of the day which is filet mignon drizzled with a olive oil truffle sauce and I have to say it is absolutely amazing!! The beef was cook to perfect and the truffle sauce melts in my mouth~ my boyfriend ordered the homemade spinach stuffed ravioli served with grilled shrimp and tomato sauce. He grew up getting spoiled with homemade traditional Italian food but he still likes the ravioli and even finish the whole plate! Our server was always there for us and it was absolutely an amazing experience. Our check comes out to be a lot pricier than what I expect but it's worth it! Would recommend this 100%! read more

If you want a nice dining experience Toscano is the place to be. This was my first time there and I have worked in the area for 8 years! The atmosphere, food and service were top notch. The price is a value for what you get. It is not the least expensive restaurant you will eat at but considering the experience I consider it quite a value. The caprese salad was excellent (use bufalo mozzarella) and the calamari was one of the best I have had. read more

Probably the best service I've seen in a while. The food was great, the service was probably even better. The staff are super professional, my girlfriend and I went in without reservations and they were able to fit us in without a problem. Highly recommend this place read more

I went with my boyfriend for his birthday. The atmosphere is great, love the decoration and the feel of the restaurant. It was packed on a Thursday night so I would recommend making a reservation. Our server was great, there when we needed him and not when we didn't. The wine by the glass is very reasonable priced and they give you a generous amount. I had the butternut squash soup special which was very good, not heavy/creamy but light and satisfying. My boyfriend had the beet salad, which was also very good. For dinner I had the 4 cheese pizza, seemed simple but was exceptional, the crust and quality of cheese was so good. He had the seafood risotto, it was cooked perfectly and very flavorful. For dessert we had the tirimisu (which they actually comped b/c it was his birthday which was nice). Our server explained to us that it's not the traditional tirimisu so some people don't like it. However, we both enjoyed it a lot and I usually don't like tirimisu. Overall, I would definitely go back, slightly pricey but worth it! read more

Great space. Great service. Great cocktails. Very creative. Friendly staff. The food was yummers. The time spent flew by, making a return trip a definite. A keeper. read more

Couldn't find parking in the north end so went to Harvard square and stumbled here based on recommendation from the nearby (lovely) flowershop. Excellent lunch, best pizza crust, fresh tasty ingredients, attentive service, Just a delightful time. Worth the visit and going back Cappuccino was really good - unfortunately no room for dessert. read more

Wow. You can get fantastic food in a lot of restaurants. Toscano is one of them. You cannot get overwhelmingly good service at alot of restaurants. I was there last night for my birthday and i'm in the business of customer service. Their customer service was tremendous...from the host staff...to the wait staff...to the kitchen staff. Bravo...we'll be back for sure. read more

I've gone to this place a few times now and it's my favorite Italian restaurant in Harvard square by a long shot. I always order the sirloin medium done. Each bite is juicy and satisfying. I've also dabbled in the rigatoni toscano and it is another favorite of mine. The orange sauce is rich and creamy reminding me of the cream sauce one would find in chicken tikka masala. It's topped with chopped bits of bacon too! My favorite is always the dessert as I have a sweet tooth. The star of the dessert menu is the white chocolate and blueberry tart. A dessert that I recommend everyone!! There's an option to sit near the entrance which is basically has a very open view (No windows pretty much) and is great during a summer night or for a sunny day when you're grabbing lunch. read more

After a long day driving around the greater Boston area on an apartment hunt, I wanted to treat my mom to a nice dinner. We didn't have a reservation but were quickly seated on the high top tables regardless. My issues were entirely with the service. The tables were a little uncomfortably close together which wasn't a bug deal but none of the servers said excuse me every time they bumped into me to get to their other tables. We watched how the servers went to other tables speaking on antipasto recommendations, wine and cocktail recommendations, dinner recommendations etc. but my mother and I were offered none of this service. We were approached with, "what can I get you to drink." After requesting waters since we hadn't eaten all day, the server took another 10-15 minutes to come back to our area when we had to flag them down to tell them we were ready to order. Again, no suggestions at all. We ordered and they left (we had to flag them down again to request for a bread basket). Food came out and it was fine but the entire time we were eating the server came by only once to see how the food was/refill waters. They did ask if we'd like dessert which was the first time I felt we were offered the service we were paying for but declined since we were pretty over it. I've been server before so there will never be a time where I tip below 20% but I was completely disappointed with the service at Toscano. I couldn't even chalk it up to the server having a bad day because we witnessed them providing excellent service to the neighboring tables. Maybe they had preconceived ideas about us based on appearance and thought they would get a bad tip but nothing about the service we received deserved the tip we provided. read more

Was excited to try Toscano on my recent visit to the Boston area, but unfortunately was not given the option to dine. I came as a walk-in with my partner at about 7:45pm on a recent Friday night. Upon entry, we found who appeared to be a manager at the front desk. He failed to acknowledge us, but after a few moments of standing, we flagged down his attention and asked if there was room for two. He stalled, looked at his computer for a rough 20 seconds, glanced around the dining room (hopefully this allowed him to note the number of empty tables as well as a collection of servers standing around, chatting by the walls), before announcing that he was full for the evening. All the while not even making a moment's eye contact with either of us. It's my understanding that the restaurant does accept walk-ins. We would have been happy to add our name to a waitlist; surely it couldn't have taken two hours of waiting to be seated, but at 7:45, even if it were to be a two hour wait, it would have been nice to have been presented the option. I hope at least the servers at this establishment are more hospitable than its management. Perhaps I will try another location in the Boston area, but I was left with a sour taste in my mouth without even trying the food. Yikes. read more

First rate, classy, and very nice. It's refined and sophisticated. Perfect location right outside the square. Good for business, good for the rest of life. The prices are high. Service is very Harvard-Square (think France and you will not be far off). read more

Not bad food... my only complaint is the long wait for lunch. The restaurant was packed and the person who seats you had a slight attitude because we didn't make a registration. I thought the atmosphere was really cool and it was a nice setting yet not formal. :) read more

The rigatoni toscano is one of my favorite pasta dishes I have ever eaten! We went with a large group of 7 on a Friday night and they were able to accommodate us. We got a few pasta dishes, a pizza and a wonderful set of drinks. We all had more than enough to eat and left happy! read more

Best thing about the Super Bowl, is we got last minute tickets to the theater at ART and a reservation for dinner at Toscano. Also, there was NO traffic driving in or out of Cambridge. We have often tried to get pre-show reservations, but they are always booked. If you can go later, it seems like it's much easier. But finally, there we were. We were greeted by three people hanging at the host stand who seemed to be waiting for us to choose which we would talk to. Finally one stepped up and lead us to the dining room and gave us a choice of tables. From there, it was all good. Our waiter was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Service was efficient for the most part and always friendly. I am not a fan of good restaurants that start clearing plates while some of the party is still eating, which they did here. But that was a minor issue. The food was very good. Starting off with wonderful bread, served with pour-your-own olive oil and balsamic. We had the burrata to start. The burrata was excellent, but I think the dish would be better in the summer when tomatoes are in season. I had the Bologonaise Bianco - which earned me a nod of approval from the waiter. My husband ordered the veal scallopine but hadn't noticed there were two kinds and ended up with the red sauce instead of the Milanese - and was disappointed. I want to give a shout out to the bar as well. One of the best French 75's I've ever had. I want to go back just to try some more of their drinks. Their take on an old fashioned looked interesting and yummy. Their Negroni's are highly rated. If we are able to get a pre-theater reservation, I suspect it will be a bit crowded and much louder, but we'll try. Or maybe we'll just go after the show starts. In any case, we are looking forward to our return. PS As ART subscribers, we also got a discount. Win/Win. read more

Excellent Dine Out Boston Menu. The food was fresh and very tasty. Service was perfect. The waitress recommended an awesome wine. Very impressive. We'll be back to try the regular menu. Thank you! read more

This review focuses mainly on the presentation of the appetizers that are given pre-meal. The bread comes out in a small wooden bowl and looks quite nice, especially because there is a napkin underneath to keep the bread warm. Although our bread wasn't warm it didn't matter because the texture and taste was great! The bread also comes with olive oil which came in an artistic looking tea kettle style container. Everything about this restraunt is great! Even down to the simple things. Such as the ginger ale which has a nice popping taste in your mouth which tastes great! read more

Toscano - The bread as well as the olive oil - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Absolutely great service, delicious food. Lots of gluten-free options to choose from. Loved it! read more

I'm picky about Italian - but this place was great. Ate at the bar; super friendly and friendly bartenders. Great wine and food choices

Dear Toscano at Harvard Square, I originally wrote this review for OpenTable but it was too long. However I think you may want to know what a customer thought about your food and service.. I had made a reservation for 4 for Father's day, we were 30 minutes early as we weren't sure about parking at Harvard Square. I didn't expect to be seated but just wanted to check in then walk around Harvard Square. However the host was very rude and loudly told us that we will have to wait till 6:30 for our table. We returned at 6:30 and got seated at a table that should seat 3, i was forced to sit at the end with people/waitstaff constantly walking behind me, I can understand if we were a walk in party but find it unacceptable when I had a reservation. But since it's Father's day, i didn't want us to have to wait more so we settled for the table. Our waiter was Marco and he was a breath of fresh air, the only positive thing about the restaurant. We shared 3 appetizers, bruschetta, grilled calamari & beef capriccio...all were excellent! However Marco brought us a knife for the appetizer and we were confused as to what it was for....then realized the Bruchetta came on 2 pieces of bread.. most established dining places will have the kitchen cut it for the customers before it arrives to the table. We had 4 entrees, sausage risotto, papadelle with duck confit, veal milanese and gnocchi. The sausage risotto was the best dish but still nothing exceptional, the papadelle was also OK, the veal milanese was horrible in both taste and presentation. One big flat piece of veal, pan fried with bread crumbs with a side of what looked like Dole packaged salad greens and quartered tomatoes? really? this is fine dining? looked like something from a diner!!! The potato gnocchi was the worst, it was pasty looking in a white sauce, it was the most unappetizing plate I've ever seen in a sit down dining establishment. I'm truly disappointed as your Beacon Hill restaurant was highly recommended by friends and that was the reason I booked Father's day Dinner with your establishment. read more

If I had one meal to eat I would eat it here. Outstanding service and outstanding food. The Toscana rigatoni is hard for me not to order. He Lamb shank is awesome. Have to get the cheese plate with truffle oil also. The wine is a bit on the expensive side but it is nice wine. Wish I were in Cambridge more frequently... read more

Zero stars. Do not eat here. We went as a group from work for lunch yesterday. There were 14 of us. The lead server Rick was obnoxious and rude. He appeared to be scolding us throughout our time there. He messed up my order, splitting a salad when I didn't ask him too. And brought me the wrong entree, and then blamed ME for not correcting him when he repeated it back to me, huh? He also appeared to be put upon when we requested that the kitchen split a dish, and plate it accordingly. I was so upset by him, as were my colleagues. He should not be in the service industry. Awful man. The food was mediocre, if not, downright terrible. Salad was a heap of barely dressed arugula, a dot of parmesan, and cold, flavorless, giant tomatoes. The gnocci was tasteless and lumpy, and the eggplant parmesan tasted like it has been dumped in a can of tomato sauce and then overcooked in the oven with burnt cheese. Save your money, your appetite, and your special occasion, and go somewhere else. What a disappointment and what an unpleasant experience. read more

I was amazed to read a very similar review on Open Table to what follows, and on the same night. So maybe it was a one-night fluke. We had a table of four, 5:30 on a Saturday night, with theater tickets for the nearby ART, about a block away. The waiter knew our plans, but nonetheless took FOREVER to serve our wine and drinks and our first course. Since it was only about 6:30 at that point, we figured that we'd easily manage our main course. However, despite reminders, our main course didn't show up till 7:10, meaning that we had to wolf it down. As I told the waiter, "This was AWFUL!" What disappointed me even more was finding the maitre d as we left, telling him what happened, and having him acknowledge that he ALREADY KNEW our service was late, at which point he offered, "Is there anything I can do to make this up to you?" I was incredulous. First, if he knew, then why did he make me come by to tell him? Why didn't he head this off by coming to our table first? And second, we were literally running out the door; what exactly did he think he could do at this point? You may wonder why three stars? Because the food really was outstanding. The caprese and misto salads, the seafood and spaghetti and especially the proscuito-stuffed veal chop were all terrific. I'll likely go back to give them a second chance. But the service was outstandingly poor, and that memory will stay with me. read more

Sat at the bar, had a couple glasses of pinot noir, the caesar and the veal milanese. Service was quick and friendly but the food was overall just ok. The veal was kind of bland and the caesar was a bit wilted - didn't taste very fresh. Nothing to write home about, but it was not bad either. The guys next to me were having a pizza and it looked much better than what I had ordered. read more

Every day after work I meet my fiancee in Harvard sq and we drive home together. Each day we drive by Toscano and admire how picturesque a scene it makes sitting on the corner of Brattle and Story, the warm lighting bathing diners in a romantic glow before spilling out onto the sidewalk. The traditional decor marries with the historic location in a way that makes it difficult to envision a time before Toscano existed in this location, visually, it is an immediate and beautiful fixture in Harvard Sq. We ate at Toscano for the second time on Tuesday, the first being a few months back. Both visits were fantastic but, the was more noteworthy. From the moment we walked in we not only felt welcome but felt like we were wanted. It's a little thing but, to me it's extremely important that this dynamic be maintained. Few things can sully a dining experience as thoroughly as a server or host/hostess who fails to appreciate their guests appropriately. This was not the case during either trip to Toscano, in fact as I mentioned, we were treated most graciously. After being seated we were treated to a list of incredible sounding specials and it was in this experience that I felt I missed out the most, I simply could not keep the specials straight as they were being described. A blackboard or leaflet in the menu would have been ideal but, this is nitpicking and barely worth noting, just a warning to be prepared when the server tells you they have a lot of specials. Lastly, the food. I got a 10oz filet, my better half had Sea scallops(which I got to finish). The food was delicious. The steak was cooked to medium rare perfection, a nice little wobble and incredibly juicy. The scallops were also cooked perfectly with a fantastic compliment of spinach. The portions were more than ample and the price was more than fair. It was a really satisfying way to spend the evening and even more satisfying still to consider how nicely Toscano fits into historic Harvard Sq. My fiancee and I got engaged just before this most recent visit and I am really thrilled at the experience we had, this memory will stick with us forever. Every day we drive by and imagine these romantic encounters playing out between the couples that are visible through the windows. Now we can be reminded of when we were one of those couples with our own romantic tale. I'll be back. read more

Restaurant location and ambiance seemed extremely welcoming, but the takeout was very bland. Will definitely update when I eat here because from what I here from almost everyone this place has a very nice dinner. read more

I've been to Toscano several times now (both Harvard Square and Beacon Hill) and have never been disappointed. Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff, great food! I really like that they are always willing to accommodate something if you ask. The gnocchi are like fluffy pillows! Can't wait to come back in the summertime. read more

We walked in tired and starving after seeing a play at the ART. Our server was Cesar, and he was wonderful! He gave us fantastic wine and food recommendations, and was very attentive throughout the course of the meal. He was friendly, funny, and helpful, and his recommendations were spot on. As for the food itself, it was DELICIOUS! We had the pappardelle bolognese, the tagliatelle porcini, and the spada alla griglia (grilled swordfish). Everything was delicious, with really generous portions, especially for fine dining. And the best part is, though the quality of the food and service were both exceptional, the environment was not at all stuffy. I walked in exhausted and a bit cranky, and walked out full of delicious food and very, very happy. We will be back again... and again and again! read more

Passed by this place thinking it is a tourist trap, only to find out that they truly offer the best ice cream I have ever tasted. They offer dozens of flavours which makes it hard to decide on the best one. The best deal is to get a pint with a few different scoops. We had their chocolate #3 and pistachio flavours and we were not disappointed. A must go to place! Highly recommend it. read more

Amazing place. Service is awesome, ambience is really nice and the food is perfect. Hard to find a space for parking. Their Spaghetti Allo Scoglio was perfect. Favorite dish there. Gnocchi was not bad. Margherita and Sasiccia with homemade sausage were so yum! Bruschetta was plain, though..Rigatoni Norcina was good too because of sausage. Salad was not that special, so we skipped it. Overall, perfect spot to go back again and again and again~~~~ read more

Love both this location and the one on Beacon Hill. Some of the best Italian food in Boston. I especially love their rigatoni with tomato cream sauce and pancetta. The spicy kick along with the savory tomato cream is just amazing. A great place for special occasions and family-style meals. read more

A piece of veal that costs over $20 should not taste like rubber. The meatballs were non-descript, with a bland tomato sauce. The mushroom "special" was completely greasy and left me feeling queasy. The Nero D'Avola wine by the glass had no character--unoffensive but boring. The maitre d' who seated us wore a lot of make up and slurred her words. I couldn't understand what she was saying. The waitress was all fake smiles and her blurred speech made 1/2 the specials impossible to understand. Her creepy smiles and fakeness continued to disturb us, I have never met a more disingenuous waiter. It was really passive-aggressive. We felt uncomfortable. Only the manager, who we had to call over, fixed the veal problem by listening and then refunding the dish. We didn't mention the waitress because by then we knew we were never coming back. You guys have a long way to go. Maybe we ordered the wrong thing... but maybe not. At these prices, you can train your waitstaff better, you can get a few more spices into your sauce--basil, garlic, oregano! You can fire insipid people. You can greet customers with real personability and without fakeness. And you can stop serving concrete foccacia... read the other reviews. Your bread is rubbery and hard as as rock. Having enjoyed Italian restaurants in Venice, Florence, NYC, and San Francisco, I was excited to try this place in my home town of Cambridge. What a disappointment. I give this restaurant 6 months tops. Too bad the Indian place that used to be there is gone. No matter how weird it was, they always seemed happy to welcome you home to their kitchen. read more

Fine Italian food. They adapted very well, making substitutions, for some members of our party with very specific and limited dietary restrictions. The dishes seemed traditional, but tasty--and the menu is huge. We enjoyed our wine, which was one of the less pricy ones. This restaurant is half a block from the American Repertory Theater, and offers a discount to people attending the theater. We plan to make more combined ART/Toscano trips part of our future. read more

Great service and even better food. I sat at the bar on a busy Saturday night while on business in Boston. Great bartender (I wish I got his name) and delicious food. I started with a half dozen oysters, which was one of their specials of the night. I have eaten tons of oysters in my day, but these were some of the best. Wellfleets and they were super fresh. I had the mussel appetizer and a half order of a pasta special for my meal. I love that you can order a half order of pasta so you can try other things. I used to live in the Boston area and wish I would have checked these guys out when I lived nearby. Highly recommend. read more

The food was good, and the wine recommendation was also good... no complaints about those. The service/wait time was just awful... legitimately 45 minutes to receive entree after appetizer came out lol. We literally watched all the tables around us that came in behind us get their food, finished, and cleaned up BEFORE we even got our entree. We contemplated asking if we could just pay for what we got and leave but then the waitress did say that if the appetizer is still out then they like to give more time... but I think she should have stated that was restaurant protocol because that entire time we were waiting to get our food. After we told her we were waiting she said it would come out in about 2 minutes.... which took about 10 minutes. We weren't even hungry by the time we got it because there was so much wait time in between. With that being said, i had high expectations, was disappointed... seems as though most people had a good experience... but will not return unless there is some type of correction. read more

I had a great night at toscano. We arrived a bit early to our reservations but we didn't had to wait long. I was expecting a long wait looking for parking but we found one pretty quick. I'm a picky eater so I tend to stay away from Italian restaurants but I love pasta and they had several meals that I could choose from. We started with bruschetta, good; penne with meat sauce, delish and the hubby had a margherita pizza. We ordered the tiramisu dessert. It was more like tiramisu mousse but it was really good. If I come back to Boston I will be coming back here. read more

We found the food to be very good...not oh my gosh I want to go back ASAP good. Just a good meal. I have the wood fired grilled lobster, the wood grill gave it an interesting taste, it really adds character, I wish I had more of it. Despite being 1 1/2 pounds there was very little meat on it, even in the tail. The meal comes with asparagus and Roasted rosemary potatoes. I don't like asparagus so I asked for more potatoes instead. I don't think I got "more" potatoes, I just didn't get asparagus. The potatoes I was really looking forward to, but they were dry, somewhat hard and over done and under seasoned, which was a disappointment to me. At $30 I think I should have gotten a generous portion of potatoes when the lobster was small. My hubby has the spaghetti, which was good, but not your Italian grandmothers good. We had dessert. I had chocolate gelato, which was average. Hubby had the vanilla custard with carmel-not unlike crime brûlée. Well, this was the STAR of the night-even if you are not into crime brûlée, per se, you must try this-it was phenomenal. As we were driving back to the hotel I commented to my hubby, it was good, but not I can't wait to go back good-hubby said, well, maybe for dessert ;) read more

Tuscany is beautiful. The scenery, the food, the hospitality. Tuscano is a touch of Italy in Harvard Square. The decorations feel authentic. The staff is attentive and gracious. But, most of all, the food is outstanding. Suki started with the classic Caesar while I opted for the Tuscan Vegetable soup. Rich broth with perfectly cooked carrots, beans and celery. Delicious! Suki went on to the Linguini Vangole with a red chili sauce. Wow. I "settled" for the Veal Osso Bucco with saffron risotto. I loved the rich flavors and perfect veal. I ended with Pistacio Gilato whose sweetness rivaled that of the best Green Tea ice cream I ever had. All in all, a wonderful meal. As a minor but fun note, the bathrooms were terrific. Heavy, carved wooden doors, patterned tile walls and a wondrous blue tile sink with dark brass faucets. It was a treat. read more

Salmon with asparagus was good. Brocoli rabe was chewy. And funghi pasta was slimy and mushrooms seemed like basic button mushrooms not porcini. There were no visible herbs but there was a hair in the pasta. We asked for spaghetti pomodoro instead which was also poorly prepared. In Boston, the pasta should be good. We do not recommend this restaurant at all read more

Very underwhelmed. An "Italian' restaurant where the bartender does not know how to make an Aperol Spritz? He came to the table to ask us. Secondly the menu had many misspelled items...Gorgonzola Dolci? a singular with a plural? What is Salmone Asparagi....salmon asparagus...or Salmon with asparagus? Beets are barbabietola not whatever was stated on the menu. The wait staff while nice...were not trained correctly...while putting down the plates one was misplaced and the waitperson said Oh My bad...thats okay when elsewhere but I don't want to hear while paying 60 or 70 dollars for dinner. The waiter told one of us to be careful with the glass as it breaks easy....really? then maybe you shouldn't be using it...but you don't tell a customer that...did she look like a bull in a china shop? Food was okay...not great...just ok. Not sure I would head back there so fast...or at all. read more

One of the few Italian restaurants in Harvard Square. The food is pretty pricey and it does not taste that great in my opinion. Plus, the service was quite slow. I ordered the Speck pizza which has smoked prosciutto, tomatoes, mozzarella, and arugula. The pizza was extremely salty and pretty dry. My sister ordered the pappardelle bolognese which was a bit better. read more