OMG. This is where we had dinner our first night in Boston and it set the bar sky high for the rest of our trip. Every meal after this one was compared back to the amazing food and service that we had here. They were extremely welcoming and accommodating having just arrived from the airport and casually dressed. Pasta is excellent!!! Caution to not get filled up on delicious bread :) read more

The restaurant itself is beautiful, ... a great location, clean and classy. They have windows that open to the street and just has a nice vibe. 5 stars for ambience. The food was just Ok. The best dish we had was the grilled squid, although we had a much better version in the North End the previous day. Oysters were a bit small, but fresh. Risotto was just Ok, and the pizza was pretty bad as other people have said. Overall, maybe 3 stars for the food. Our waiter looked like Stanley Tucci from the Devil wears Prada. He was a bit overbearing and just didn't make us feel welcome, which I almost never complain about. In general, if they are polite and do their job, I'm OK with it. At one point, the busboy cleaned our appetizer plates and asked if we wanted to keep our unfinished bread. I said we did. The waiter came by a few minutes later and snatched it away saying "you don't need that". What?! Just weird. I've never had a waiter ever do that ... even at the French Laundry, they ask you what you want, not make the decision for you and take away your food. Towards the end of our meal, but not at the end, he looked at my wife's pizza and said "I can pack that up when you're ready to go". WTF? We are still eating here, and the waiter is basically telling us to get out ... absolutely weird. The dude absolutely had a weird attitude. So overall, just based on the service , I should probably give it 1 star, but the ambiance and food pulled it up (although mostly the ambiance). read more

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What a pleasure to find this restaurant. We celebrated our son's Birthday a few days ego and it was such a wonderful evening. The food was exceptional, service beyond amazing and a lovely ambience. We will be returning often! read more

The food here never seems to rise above the ordinary! When I order something and I can make it as well as the restaurant it is a poor sign of the quality of cooking here! If you love food Toscano in Cambridge is not for you!! read more

We celebrated a very beautiful family occasion in the private room at Toscano's and it was absolutely wonderful. We worked with Toscano staff to design a menu that provided plenty of options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The food was delicious from start to finish, and the service was terrific - very attentive and welcoming but never felt rushed. Highly recommend for a special occasion. read more

The service was impeccable. Finally a server with the finesse and grace to answer the questions you ask with helpful information catered to what you asked. The food was prepared perfectly. My wife's salmon was tender, juicy, and fully cooked without being dry. My pasta and risotto were also great. The bacon flavor was fantastic. And the seafood risotto was so creamy and mellow. This restaurant is a great place for a date or a good time with friends. My wife suggested going here because we walked by and the aroma was as so fantastic. I can see why this place is tops on people's lists. read more

Toscano - Salmon with asparagus - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Tried this place for the first time via takeout! We were craving Italian food and figured we'd try this place out since we've literally never been! I was pleasantly surprised with how much we enjoyed our meal. My goal is to try it in person next time! Would recommend if you're craving Italian on a weekday night. read more

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Amazing service but terrible food. The bruschetta was fine but not worth the price at all. The mushroom pasta left a nauseating aftertaste in my mouth. Gave two stars instead of one due to the attentive waitstaff. read more

I'd been wanting to try this place for a while, having walked past often. The ambience was nice -- we had a corner high top table and it was easy to talk to one another. Our waitress was pleasant and attentive. What was disappointing was the food. We ordered the Barbine Rosse (red beet salad). It was just as described - beets, arugula, gorgonzola dolce, and lemon - but was merely those four items arranged on a plate. Having had delicious beet salads at other restaurants, this was quite disappointing. Bland and boring. On the bright side, the Acqua Cotto Zuppe was quite flavorful and delicious. We also ordered the four cheese tasting, and found this to be disappointing. The cheeses were good, and the tiny single fig in the middle of the platter was delicious, but the slices of pear were hard and unripe and the apple slices, apparently from a red delicious apple, were mealy. Although we did not order it with the truffle honey, they served it that way anyway (and charged the extra $). Again, disappointing -- aside from my general feeling that I don't like truffle flavor (hence not ordering it with that), it really did detract and get in the way of the flavors of the cheeses. My husband ordered the seafood special of the day, which you would think would be prepared well, but each seafood item on it was very over cooked -- rubbery scallops and shrimp, crisp well-done salmon, which a few charred vegetables. My Pappardelle Bolognese "Bianco" did have nice flavor, but as another reviewer said it was a bit on the oily side. Over all, a disappointing experience. When I go to a restaurant that is seemingly holding itself out as a fine dining experience, I really do expect the food to be exquisite -- this food was meh. read more

Service was slightly dismissive and rushed, obviously this guy had worked in restaurants a long time. Martini was serviceable, wine selection was decent. The real failing was the entrees. Nothing was made with care. The pizza had too much sauce and cheese. The dough was tasteless. The shrimp dish was WAY over cooked, the potatoes were under cooked. And, everything lacked enough salt. Save your money, go elsewhere. read more

What a great local place! I travel for business up to Cambridge every few months and Toscanini is a must for dinner. Food is excellent, service is super friendly and it is always a great experience! A must try! read more

Classy Italian spot in Harvard Square with high quality dishes - perfect for a nice lunch out or date night. We came for restaurant week lunch ($25 for three courses) and tried a variety of items - Barbine Rosse (beet and gorgonzola appetizer), Scaloppini Pizzaiola (Veal with tomato sauce), Rigatoni Norcini (sausage and truffle pasta), and Tiramisu for dessert. Portions were delicate but filling. Everything was delicious, fresh, beautifully presented, and wonderfully flavored. Polite Service. Definitely Recommend :) read more

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Stopped in for lunch before attending a show at Loeb Theater. Greeted and seated promptly. Server came by a few minutes later and took our drink order. The menu offers plenty to choose from including various s pasta s, seafood choices, meat entrees, salads and appetizers. Trying to keep it quick we ordered the spaghetti pomodoro. (Classics fresh tomato sauce with basil). Bread with olive oil was delivered to the table and they were soft and delicious. The spaghetti arrived minutes later piping hot with a nice amount of sauce nicely presented topped with fresh basil. Spaghetti was cooked perfectly and the sauce had great flavor and the added touch of the basil made for a very tasty dish. Service was great and next time we are back in Cambridge we'll allow more time to try other items on the menu. read more

We came for Dine Out Boston. I think it would have been a different experience ordering from the regular menu. We got a recommended Chardonnay that paired really well with the meal and had fun. Enjoyed the risotto, but my favorite was the dessert: the panna cotta. Next time I want to get the beautiful looking berry tart. read more

Toscano - Panna Cotta - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Honestly the gluten free pasta was meh. Someone else had written a review that it was the best gluten free pasta they ever had. I've had better and made better. Additionally, the caprese had no seasonings and was so bland. We added salt and pepper and made it better but when we first tried it, it wasn't great. I'll be honest, I was really disappointed with the food. My date enjoyed her fish dish, I think it was a special and she loved it. I was less than impressed with my food. read more

Loved everything about it. A short walk from the Harvard train station. Nice calm setting. We were seated right away. Started with a red Sangria. I loved it. Just what I was craving. Then ordered the Bruschetta. Very flavorful and fresh. We ordered Pappa al Pododoro. It was thicker than my daughter is use to. She didn't eat it all. Still took it home for the next day. Out main entrées were the Tutto Pepe and Rigatoni Toscano. My friend was happy with the Rigatoni. I absolutely loved the Tutto Pepe. I ordered it medium. It was perfect. Full of flavor. It felt like it melt in my mouth. I would order it 100 times again. read more

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Would like to change my earlier review. Have since been back three more times and each time has been great. I'm guessing I just hit 'em on a bad night. We love the white bolognese. Sitting at the bar is great. Good wine list and some real good buys if you know your wines. read more

The staff was friendly and professional, but also may have been the highlight of our time there. The food wasn't bad by any stretch, but the menu seemed like it was in need of a refresh. With restaurants like Giulia and Benedetto, as well as the enclave of high-quality joints in the North End and all the suburban red sauce places providing steady pressure, I feel like Italian restaurants in Boston are constantly being pushed to do better. Toscano seems like it has avoided that pressure to iterate and change. The pappardelle I had boasted well-cooked pasta but a sauce that needed some fresh flavors in it to cut through the richness. The chicken dish I also tried a bit of tasted like it would've been a head-turner in the 90s but not today. The ambiance was white tablecloth, which honestly can take away from the experience in an Italian place unless the food is killer. And I think that's what happened here. I'm probably going to go back, and soon, since I'm nearby and I walked out full the first time. But this isn't the Italian place I'd take folks if I could chose between all of them. read more

Toscano - Pappardelle Bolognese Bianco - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

We love this place! Close to home and damned consistent. Delicious food and top notch bar service!

With the wife! We decided to have an impromptu date night. The ambiance is warm, intimate and welcome. The service is attentive, kind and knowledgeable. We didn't think the food was that great. The meatballs were the star of the show and the tomato sauce was excellent! The Caesar salad was just okay, as was the cheese plate however the truffle honey was a phenomenal quality. The wine choices were great as well. A moscato d'asti and a Lambrusco. The veal special was not very tender, and the sliced carrots on the plate weren't the greatest addition. My wife's filet mignon special was just okay as well. The sauce made the dish. The filet was under seasoned however as was the potatoes. Still a lovely restaurant overall. read more

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Had a nice dinner here again last night been a few years since we have been back. The food was delicious and fresh, perfectly made classic cocktails. Service was friendly but a little overwhelmed, they tried their best though. Star off because we were on a romantic date and were sat next to a large and pretty loud group, would have enjoyed our meal more if we didn't have to shout. read more

The ambience is very nice here. Parking is limited to meter parking which can be tricky depending on the time of day. The prices were standard for the location and setting. I didn't feel like the food was anything special. While it was good, it wasn't the best pasta sauce or bruschetta in Cambridge. The service was pretty good. There was an interesting card given to us at tipping time. I felt like that was unusual and rather odd. What made it more odd was that it was reminding us to tip in 11+ languages. I feel like anyone who is dining in Cambridge at a nice Italian restaurant like this will already know to leave a standard tip. Then again, times are tough and I appreciate them not adding a bunch of kitchen/staff extra charges to the bill. I don't think it's necessary for them to remind us... in 11+ languages. While I admire that Cambridge attracts visitors from all over the world, I'm not certain that a tipping reminder in one's native language would make them anymore inclined to tip more. read more

Toscano - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Excellent Italian food. Service is excellent. Wine selection very good. My daughter is Vegan and made her a very good ziti aglio olio with spinach and garlic. Pasta is delicious. Great desserts. Best Italian food in the area. read more

Perfect for a quiet dinner. The ambiance is perfect for conversation complimented by the food and service. The grilled calamari was excellent, followed by the Caesar salad which was fresh with the right amount of dressing enhanced by the fresh black pepper and very good grated parmesan cheese. The main course comprised two entrees the chicken with prosciutto and then the peppercorn-encrusted beef tenderloin. Great flavor profiles for both through the sauce for the beef was a tad rich. Limited beer selection but a large wine offering. All in all highly recommended. read more

Nice ambience for a Friday night catch-up dinner with girlfriends. Beet salad was not memorable. Orecchiette dish also not memorable. Service was excellent. read more

Great place, love the pasta here! We get grilled calamari, share the pasta for the table, raffia Tagliatelle, pappardelle, risotto and usually spilt the steaks. read more

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Awesome ambiance and delicious food. Our waiter was just awesome and had great recommendations. We ate so much & took home even more. If I'm ever in Boston again I'll be back! read more

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3 to almost 4. Service slow. Management was friendly. Food was ok- tasty. The back room dining area had a closed in feeling. We had fish. The vino blanco was just okay. It seems that most businesses today struggle w good solid services. I may go back.(; D patnod Lic Ac Camb. read more

Food was not good. They put a lot of vinegar to salad and I can't eat it. Stake was also very dry and overhited. One good thing, they removed stake and salad from the bill. read more

The food was excellent but the service was mediocre for a not too busy night so I decided to leave a 15% tip of $25 . The server elected to bring it up to $35 after I paid the bill so watch out for that. Parking here is difficult as is every place in Cambridge. I would definitely go here again but hopefully get a different server. Very nice ambiance and the food is excellent!! read more

A road trip to Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA brings back some fond memories. Love love Harvard Square and the food scene is quite interesting. A little bit of everything for everyone. Here's a couple of dishes that I'm gonna review at Toscano. Roasted eggplant appetizer - it was a great start to this dining experience. The eggplant was yummy and the cheese was super gooey as it melted on the eggplant. Thumbs up! My entree was a missed unfortunately. I ordered the tagliatelle porcini. It was lackluster and had no flavors whatsoever. I was kind of disappointed to say the least. My fiancé ordered the spaghetti pomodoro and that was a bust too. The pasta was fresh but the red sauce was basic. Pretty much nothing to rave about. For dessert, I ordered the tiramisu. I wasn't a fan of that as well. Flavor was off putting and it was my least favorite dish. read more

So good. Have to get the white rigatoni. Every bite was amazing. Caesar Salad was good. Absolutely reccomend read more

Toscano - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Came for a date night and the ambiance was definitely perfect for it! We sat by the window and the staff were extremely friendly. We started with a side of baked potatoes and carpaccio. The pasta dishes that we got were good, but out of the two I'd suggest getting the bolognese. It was more flavorful. read more

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Staff were friendly, service decent. Food was expensive and really not worth the money, even at half the price. Person eating dinner with me said their pasta would have been better if they made at home from a can of sauce, and their pasta was way over cooked. My pizza wasn't actually pizza dough, it was closer to Pita chips in flavour and consistency. So inside was soggy, outside basically a thick cracker. Never have I had a pizza like it before. Toppings were over cooked, speck shouldn't be crunchy like bacon. Wine selection was ok, though too much American wine by the glass for my liking in an expensive Italian restaurant. Not bad, just unnecessary when so much awesome Italian wine is out there. Was it the worst meal I've had? No, but far from the best, and at this price point def more of an insult to my wallet than not. read more

Came here for Boston restaurant week and was quite pleased with the experience. The ambiance is very nice, and the dishes are pretty solid, but nothing spectacular. It's probably the best Italian in Harvard Square, but can't compare to Italian places in North End. If you come, definitely get the Rigatoni Norcina! read more

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Diners beware! Worst meal I've ever had! This was my first and last meal at Toscano's in Harvard Sq. I went with a friend and we each ordered the fillet mignon. I ordered mine medium well, and she ordered hers medium. Mine came medium rare and hers was still practically mooing. We sent them back and when they came out the second time they tasted like cigarettes. I had to legit spit the steak out of my mouth. The manager came over and said it was because of the gristle on the grill. Do they not clean the grill!? Yikes!! The steaks were unseasoned as well which is very amateur. The mashed potatoes were fine. But if you're craving steak stick to the steakhouses. If I'm going to pay $50 for a steak I'll be going to Capital Grill from now on. Shout out to our server, though, who was fantastic. read more

We visited the town with my daughter and we found this restaurant for early dinner. Around 5pm. As soon as we entered the place the hostess asked about if we had the reservation but we didn't. Anyway she sat us by the window. But we had been told to leave the table at a Specific time. (It was enough time for us anyways) We got the toscano salad and my daughter ordered the 4 cheese pizza and I got the swordfish. James was our server and there was another trainee James shadowing him. James was outstanding. So attentive and nice. I highly recommend the place but make sure your server is James. read more

Good service and ambiance. Dodd came fast, but good. They were not busy at the time though. Hit my tummy. Yummy yummy. read more

Toscano - Penne Strascicate - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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This place is delicious! Do try the pappardelle. It is perfectly thin and cooked. The sauce is amazing. The staff's hospitality is top notch. read more

Toscano - Pappardelle Bolognese Bianco - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

The food was mediocre on average. Our party of 4 was seated pretty quickly, but the service was nonexistent at this seemingly upscale spot. The veggie pizza that I ordered, along with my beau's sausage pizza, had overdone crust and the flavoring was average. The calamari was pretty good. Those were the only positives of our experience. It took 25 minutes, 2 busboys, and 0 waiters to bring the bill after we had finished. The waiter, Thomas, was worse than sub par for several reasons. Firstly, we had to ask several times for water and lemon. The only time he was attentive was when we had the bill ready to pay- as he snatched it rapidly with no thank you. I would not recommend this place, nor will I ever return. read more