Service is phenomenal food is great. Mark the host is the man. Definitely my favorite place to get a nice dinner in central square. Highly recommend going here. Also, $1 oysters 5-7 during the week are great! Got the orecchiette tonight...unreal saucer shaped pasta with fat chunks of chopped octopus read more

Viale - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

We like this place for Italian food. We tried both lunch and dinner menu. Both are great. They don't provide a huge selection of dishes, but you would always find something to your liking from small plate to entree. The portion is perfect for me, not too big or too small. I like the salmon, scallops, and baby arugula salad in particular. read more

Located right on Mass Ave, Viale has a decent amount of outdoor seating in front of the restaurant. Nice music and lights for the outdoor seating but can be a bit loud with the traffic. The duck croquettes were rich and tasty -- I wish there was more aioli to go along with the croquettes as the the fried breading on the outside was a little thick/dry. The pappardelle alla zozzona was delicious and the affogato was good as well. Overall, great food and a great place to meet up with friends to catch up! read more

Came here for Restaurant week with some friends. The ambiance is nice with paintings and modern lighting. The restaurant is conveniently located right in Central Square. Also, service was pretty good for such a busy evening. Our waiter was attentive and our drinks were always refilled (wish they gave us more than one piece of bread though). The food experience was decent. We did the 3-course menu for Restaurant week (appetizer, entrée, dessert). The arancini and squid were really good - squid was perfectly cooked and arancini was very cheesy. For the main course I had the cod with farro. This dish was pretty bland overall but the cod was cooked perfectly - charred on the outside and moist on the inside. The pork Milanese was amazing, the pork was tender and the aioli that came with it was delicious. Dessert was also solid. It wasn't too sweet and the ricotta was a nice touch. Overall it was a positive dining experience and I would definitely come back at some point to try the other stuff on their menu. read more

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Memorable dining experience still lingering after a week. I went with a party of three and found an open bar area around 6pm on a Saturday (reservations until 10:30! Yikes!) that was great service, expedient and helpful bar staff who knew the menu well. Drinks were artisanal and creative. The staff weren't pretentious and down to earth -- something you don't always find in such a modern hip joint. Even the host and hostess didn't gawk at my inquiry re: walk-in availability when nothing was open for 4 and 1/2 hours. The food is what stood out most. Definitely the best cheese board I've had in Boston in as long as I could remember -- local NE cheeses, fresh/ripe/well-aged when appropriate. They didn't skimp on the portion and the accompaniments were well-paired. The fluke ceviche/crudo was perfectly acidic without overpowering the palate. The fish grade A and fresh. The razor clam special delicious to the last drop. Fried cauliflower clean tasting and nice sharp flavors. Lastly, the moroccan monkfish was incredible -- artful married flavors with perfectly cooked piece of fish. I can't stop thinking about it, even. I'll be back --- soon. read more

Very disappointing! I wanted so much to like this restaurant but they charged $60 for essentially some little gems salad (basically just bland romaine without seasoning or other ingredients), squid ink pasta (who puts cumin in Italian food???), and rotting tiramisu. Never again! read more

Loved it ! Service is perfect ! Shout out to our waitress Victoria ! She was just Spot on with her recommendations for food and drinks ! Very cute set up! read more

Again, another fancy modern American / Western European place in Cambridge. While I enjoyed my food here, this place does not stand out enough amongst the many options. I would give the food close to a 4, but round down because of atmosphere and some aspects of the food. I had high hopes when this place replaced the French place that was here before. The French place was very tasty, but stuffy and not so memorable. Unfortunately, I feel the same about this place. The lighting and decoration are uninviting to the young crowd of Central Square -- it is probably difficult enough drawing people in the area to a place of these prices, but some places make it work with their young or innovative atmosphere. That being said, the food here is tasty. So if you're just craving fancy somewhat innovative Italian / modern American food and you're in the area, I still encourage you to come here. - Bass toast - this was tasty and interesting, where most places would do something with a "safer" fish or meat. It makes a good appetizer. - Clam soup - my friend enjoyed it enough and gives this dish a 3.5. The soup was very strongly flavored and could have used something else to balance it out (more bread, pasta, etc). My friend actually took most of it home after eating the clams to dilute it down with rice for another meal. - Wild boar gnocchi - the gnocchi was nicely textured, and the boar was delicious and a unique choice. However, the dinner / pricier portion didn't fill the dish at all and I finished it in five minutes. It makes me wonder how small the $15 portion must be, or if they made a mistake with me. Overall, the food was tasty and interesting, but not extremely innovative or memorable. The place is also just too large (so it often looks empty) and stuffy. If you have the money and time to spend, I would try this place, but don't go out of your way. read more

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I came here for an impromptu Sunday morning brunch and must say that I am pleased to have another great brunch option in the area! Compared to other Boston brunch places, Viale sits at a higher end, classier establishment, with slightly smaller portion sizes (in my opinion more ideal sizes), but very reasonable prices. The brunch menu was split between small plates and large plates, and while the small plates sounded delicious, my friends and I stuck with the large plates and pomegranate mimosas. I ordered the smoked pork hash, which came with 2 eggs and sweet potatoes. I thought the dish was very lightly seasoned, which I appreciated, and the sweet potatoes were a great touch. The eggs were slightly yolky and sat atop the bed of hash. I also have to put a plug in for the homefries. They were super crispy on the outside (definitely fried) and delicious! read more

Viale - Smoked pork hash for brunch; sweet potatoes and eggs yum!! - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Great Valentines dinner with hubby. The tumeric mixed seafood pasta dish and the lamb chops and lobster dish were full of flavor with good presentation. the hazelnut cake dessert was fabulous. read more

Great first time visiting Viale in Cambridge. Went there for Sunday brunch with my boyfriend and was impressed with the staff and menu. The restaurant itself has an open atmosphere with sky lights and huge windows. It has an overall comfortable feel in a trendy venue. Many options to choose from, and I went with the farm egg omelet with bacon and scallions and the hot cocoa in a coffee mug beverage. The hot cocoa was a perfect mix of warmth from the chocolate and alcohol in the drink, definitely a great choice with the New England weather we're having. The omelet was extremely tasty, and the home fries crispy on the outside with a soft center. My boyfriend ordered the chicken parm sandwich, which was delicious as well. One of my favorite parts of the restaurant was that the check came in a tiny pizza box- so unique! I will certainly go back and try the dinner menu here as well. Wonderful location near the Central T stop, too! read more

Viale - Farm egg omelet with bacon and scallions, hot cocoa in a coffee mug, and the chicken parm sando. - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Truly delicious, fresh pasta in a really convenient location. You don't need reservations and you're treated to a very well lit space with lots of room, and the atmosphere is relaxed but the food doesn't compromise in taste. I really liked Viale and it isn't as famous as it should be, but therefore also not as crowded. What to get: - Rabbit pappardelle, and any of the pastas they have as a daily special What to miss: - Duck cappacelli, the portions were quite small and the pasta wasn't really what one would expect. read more

Viale just announced "Thursday 4/9 and Friday 4/10 from 4-8pm, we will be offering take out. We will be offering 30% off all bottled wine & beer when you order take out with us. If you feel more comfortable getting delivery, we will be available on Uber Eats & Caviar. Check out the menu on the "take out" tab under 'menus' as well as our wine and beer list on our website, www.vialecambridge.com " We love Viale. Let's support our local restaurants now! read more

This is probably one of the better Italian restaurants in the neighborhood. I came here for lunch with a friend, and we each ordered an appetizer, a pasta dish, and a dessert. The food was very good, except the pork in the gnocchi dish was excessively salty -- I would've given Viale 5 stars had it not been for this saltiness, which prevented me from being able to finish the gnocchi. On the other hand, my friend's cacio e pepe was delicious, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. The panna cotta and affogato were satisfying desserts afterward. Overall, I would return here, and just order something besides the gnocchi. read more

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Whenever we go to Boston this place is a must. Always delicious. Owner is onsite and very friendly. Atmosphere is hip and welcoming but not pretentious. They change the menu up quite a bit so we enjoy going back for something new. read more

Viale - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Viale hosted my company's "soft launch" celebration (startup coming out of stealth mode). They were so good to us, a 5-star yelp review is the least I can do. Mark, the owner and GM, gave me very personal service. I asked him to host our happy hour starting at four--I didn't even realize that they usually close between 2:30 and 5-- and he agreed without hesitation. He opened an hour early at no charge! Everyone was very happy with all of the food, but be sure not to miss out on the meatballs. They were my favorite. Overall excellent. A+ read more

Get the grilled octopus! I've been in a few times now for a pre show dinner and cocktails and have always left happy. Great bar service, nimble kitchen even when busy. read more

We came here last month with a gilt voucher. We split the oysters (not part of the voucher) and crab toast which was amazing. For our entrees, we had the salmon and the steak. Everything was great and can't wait to come back soon! read more

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Good restaurant. Beautiful inside. I love the open windows throughout the front and the ceiling. Beautiful decor. Simple but elegant. Nice greenery. The dollar oysters are nice quality; clean, crisp, fresh. Medium to small in size but that's what you get with $1 oysters. It's nice that they offer dollar oysters most days of the week. Nice wine selection. Good size pours, not skimpy but not amazingly generous; just the right size. I had the polenta and the rice ball appetizer. Could be a better portion but very tasty, would recommend. This is a beautiful spot to get drinks and appetizers after work in the Cambridge area. A hot spot for biotech! I look forward to coming back for more oysters and to try more appetizers. Great spot to bring coworkers or friends. Good sized restaurant; not too crowded but plenty full and comfortable. read more

Their chenin blanc with the $1 oysters til 7pm on Monday was divine. I was impressed with their wine selection. Overall presentation and preparation of seafood was exquisite. The atmosphere, if you have ever been, is romantic, whimsical, charming, and exclusive. The wall of windows with skylighting highlighted the tree lighting, which played off the well lit bar. Acoustics were perfect for conversation. Seating was comfortable. Relax and unwind! read more

Went here for dinner Christmas Eve. We were looking forward to it since we live nearby and somehow never ended up dropping by here. It was a disappointment. It feels like the kind of place that's trying too hard and cooking beyond its abilities. They could make a few simple good dishes, instead they have complex offerings with high end ingredients to mask the poor cooking, seasoning, and general lack of attention to detail. My pasta was undergone. Everything we all had mostly tasted of salt. The crunchy chorizo on the pasta did not work with the bitter kale at all. I wouldn't go back here even if the food was free. read more

It was good! It's rare to find nice Italian in Cambridge proper (very close the red line) but Viale hits the spot. It's stuck on Mass Ave in the Central Square area where meth addicts roam around, but don't let that detract you from the food. The pasta here is a good idea for a nice dinner. read more

I should leave more positive reviews since I have had many great meals around Boston. This meal was definitely not one of them. I guess I only really feel compelled to warn others since I feel completely ripped off; so here you go. We ordered the gnudi, short ribs, salad and cavatelli. The "gnudi" was like a pan seared meatless meatball, not a dumpling like gnudi should be. However, it was the best part of the meal. The short rib was so tough and fatty that I had a hard time cutting it with the steak knife. It also just tasted mainly charred. It was bad. The cavatelli was tasteless and oily. Nothing redeemable here at all. I think our server knew we weren't thrilled with our food so he avoided our table for the last half of our time there. When he dropped the bill off, he put it down and quickly walked away without a word and then had someone else take our credit card. I looked out the window as I was sitting there and wished we had made a reservation for the place across the street or anywhere else. Save your money, people. read more

I have wanted to try this place for a while. Slightly disappointed as it was not a real Italian place, as it doesn't serve bread and olive oil while I sat down. The menu is among the shortest I have seen. There are 4 appetizers, 4 small plates, and 4 main dishes. Can't really complain much about the main dishes as the size is pretty decent, but the appetizer was tiny. I never thought I'd have to complain about service. I tied I didn't come at a convenient time. There were at least 4 different people that served me sparingly at my table which made me feel very unattentive. One of the staff kept wanting to take plates from me - I was not done eating. I did like the wine a lot. It's not a place to go when you are hungry - maybe when you feel like drinking and that's it. read more

Went here with my team for an extended group lunch. This is a good find in Cambridge. The ambience and the clientele are good. The wine and drink selections are decent. When I went, I had the rose, which was pretty good, followed by a variety of appetizers. The pesto flat bread is very good, as is the cauliflower appetizer. For the main course, I had the scallops, which was excellent. The portions are not huge, but the quality is worth it. A must try, either for a date night, a first date, or a group lunch! read more

The starters was really good. Good aranchinis, decent meat balls and lovely grilled oysters. We had a South African white wine that was priced really good. The mains was really disappointing. My partner had cod which was really over cooked. I had pasta verde and it was as really not good. Pasta was overcooked, it was spicy which was the only taste going through and the clams was not nice. Furthermore pancetta seemed out of its place. I was disappointed. read more

Oysters are super small, not the best I've had even for happy hour. Noisy environment. Lackluster and underwhelming in general. Will not be back. read more

Was impressed by their freshly made pappardelle pasta and the pesto sauce. The mushrooms were made very well! read more

Viale - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I had dinner with my friends and it was such a dissapointment. The menu have like 10 plates and way overpriced. The pizza was mediocre, dry and unflavoury. The gnochi were 26 dollars and it was a kid ration. This restaurant is the typical italian that is overpriced and the food does not provide anything. Definitively there are better options than this. I will not come back. read more

Finally made it out here, got a meal with my wife at the bar. It was hard to believe they'd been open only a few weeks because they were absolutely killing it, everything was just spot-on. Tried the duck cappellacci and baked paccheri, the baked clams, and a side of roasted beets. A few drinks, too. The Old Plank Road (served over crushed ice) was quite good, but The Eldridge (their house negroni) was superb. Split the chocolate budino for dessert (interesting, a bit more on the salty/savory side than I was expecting). The whole experience was rounded out with good bread and good coffee. Only downside is that there are so many good things to try that doing the meal small plates style means racking up quite a bill in quite short order. Worth it, though, and I want to go again for the main course. read more

3.5 stars for brunch. Food was average, nothing remarkable. Enjoyed the smoked pork hash with sweet potato, but portion was rather small, felt like should've come with a side green or something. Friends enjoyed the turkey blt, which was beautifully done, and the duck carbonara. The brioche rum french toast was a disappointment, a surprisingly flat/dense brioche compared to the fluffy goodness we were hoping for. Came drenched in the rum sauce, which was fairly one-dimensional. read more

Great vibe. A nice upscale break from my usual haunts in Central Sq. The wait staff was great; they even were amused by my offbeat quips (remember waiters/waitresses - chuckling at my jokes == bigger tip). The cocktails were yummy. I had some concoction with grapefruit, absinthe and rum. It was awesome. The food was good too. We went with a sampling of the small plates. They were very tasty. The highlights were the arancini and the wood grilled lobster. It's a great place to either go more formal and grab a table or grab something light at the bar. I will definitely be back. read more

My wife and I got the night off from the baby. First Saturday night out in six months. No reservations, but we walked in and got two seats at the bar. Just to be clear. I can't complain about the food - it was delicious and relatively reasonably priced. We both got pasta dishes - I got the duck cappelatti. They were both really really good. Very light sauces, delicately flavored. If I had one wish it would only be that they gave you just a tiny bit bigger portion size. My wife and I split the cheese place, got a small pasta course as an app, and each had a pasta main course and we were both still hungry when we got home. My issue was the service. Now we were sitting at the bar not at a table, but that shouldn't mean that you get secondhand service. Both bartenders were more engaged with each other (and their cell phones) than they were with their customers. And neither was particularly friendly. I had my heart set on the special, but wasn't told they were out of it until we went to order. We had to flag her down to order drinks, order food, refill drinks, get our check. We ordered a fried polenta app that never came out. It also wasn't on the bill so she must have forgotten to put it in. The food was also VERY slow to come out. We weren't in a rush and were enjoying our free time, but even we began to wonder if they had forgotten about us. It is unfortunate how a bad service experience can drag down your opinion of a place. Maybe we'll give it another shot some day. read more

Hmmm I guess I'm going to be the one to break the 5 star streak but I honestly don't think this place deserves 5 stars. I'm giving it a 4 but it's really 3.5. The reason for the star docking is the food - our duck cappelletti was undercooked (think raw skin) and both entrees (I got the pumpkin ravioli and he got the duck) were really bland and did not have any flavor complexity. It was also overpriced I got 6 ravioli and he got like 7 duck wontons ... for $47 total! That's a little too pricey since it wasn't even good (I'm all for paying $4 per ravioli but they better be GOOD). Looking over at the entrees of the diners next go us, regular entrees seem the way to go! They looked great! The service was ok (he refilled my bf's diet coke with regular coke and then never came back so we couldn't tell him of the error). My wine was pretty good. The ambiance of the place is nice and its decoration is very cool. read more

I've been to Viale a few times now. Highlights: $1 oysters everyday from 5-7pm above average cocktails - the ones I have tried have been unique and delicious cheese plate was nice they have small portions and large portions of pasta service has been mixed - both at a table and at the bar Overall Viale has potential, but as I've seen in other reviews, it doesn't stand out amongst the other options. I've yet to try the pasta and wine special that I've caught wind of so I'm sure I'll be back. read more

Visited on opening night with my wife, and wow is this a great addition to the neighborhood! Settled in with two cocktails; both superb. Balanced, off-beat, and fun. Our second round, during the main course, was just as lovely. Started with the fried calamari pizza (spicy!), followed by sweetbreads, which were served with apply butter & lentils. We shared the duck cappelletti as a main, and just go. Get it. It's awesome. read more

They have a great Sunday/Monday early bird special- 1/2 plate of an entree and a glass of wine (you choose from a small selection. I think the entree choices are either just 1 or 2 options) for $15. I got braised bison pasta and it's incredible. If you like oysters you can get those for $1 each. read more

Ususally, I enjoy coming to this restaurant. Since it opened as Viale, I have been back quite a few times. Tonight, however, I was disturbed by my service. I came to the restaurant with a few friends. We were graciously seated by a host at a dining table for drinks, since the kitchen was closing soon. Upon being seated, our waiter immediately came to our table to ask us for our drink orders. He was very abrupt and impolite in his approach. Since we had just been seated, we were not quite sure of what we wanted to order. With much displeasure, he rolled his eyes, and turned around to the wait station situated directly behind our table. I made eye contact with him at an inopportune moment, as he was rolling his eyes directly at our table. Mind you, nothing impolite had occurred in our interaction moments before, only his miserable behavior. As I looked around to see how he was engaging with other tables, I saw only smiles and laughs. He was continuously checking on the other tables, refilling their water glasses, and serving them multiple rounds of beverages. In the time I was able to see this, we still had not been served. Finally, we flagged his attention and placed our orders. Our ID check was something to be seen in a prison, as he checked our cards as if they were certainly fraudulent forms of documentation, and turned around to get our drinks without a word. Not only did it take a long time to receive our drinks and desserts, but upon bringing the food to the table, he fairly threw the dishes down in front of us and dropped the silverware in a disruptive clamor. I felt that his behavior was very inappropriate and I would like to express my disappointment. For a restaurant to which I have been a loyal patron, I would expect so much more from it's wait staff. -A disappointed patron read more

Great food, excellent service, and a wonderful ambiance. I highly recommend this place!

Excellent food, excellent service, excellent ambiance, good music, and--a very welcome and rare experience--a noise level conducive to pleasant conversation. We ordered two tiny dishes and a small dish, each of which had a delicious tomato sauce unique to itself: a spicy bite to the sauce with the crispy polenta; mild and ever so slightly sweet with the arancini; and redder and richer with the meatballs. These dishes were real treats! We also had the smoky mushroom pizza. We completely disagree with previous reviewers' negative comments. It's a flatbread pizza--on really good flatbread. The toppings--mushrooms, ricotta, and caramelized onions--were wonderfully, subtly smoky. The unexpected theater discount topped off a delightfully memorable supper. (Viale is just a couple doors down from The Central Square Theater, home to the Nora Theater Company, the Underground Railway Theater, and The Front Porch Arts Collective.) read more