excellent service, food, sauces. this chef really knows how to cook. and the prices are very fair.

Went there for brunch, the food was okay. I got the yogurt bowl and the squash eggs Benedict. The yogurt bowl did not have much yogurt in it, and it was loaded with grapes, apples, and raisins. I wish there was more variety in the fruit selection. The squash eggs Benedict was pretty good. Overall, I think the food is just average here. For the price, I expected more. read more

Came here on a snowy evening and had excellent service. The bartenders were friendly and knowledgeable, and they were very accommodating when I ended up not liking the cocktail I had ordered. The boar gnocchi was absolutely phenomenal. Highly recommended. I wasn't a fan of the special, a wild boar chop, but I think that's just my personal taste and not a reflection of the quality of the food. It was a bit gamey, whereas in the gnocchi it was very tender and almost stew like. Not your typical tapas/Italian place! read more

We returned to Viale to try out the Spring menu. Just as amazing, inventive and delicious as our January experience. Michael brought us our wine and answered questions. Jason, our server, is a delight. I remember him from our last visit because he noticed my napkin slipping to the floor and quickly replaced it. This time he was knowledgeable about the menu changes and helped adjust my order to reflect my likes. We had lovely wine, the mushroom pizza, the cauliflower side dish, the mussels and pasta and the lemon ricotta cheesecake for dessert. All the way home we debated which was the best dish. It was a draw. Everything was superb from the bread to the dessert. The staff was friendly, eager to help and capable. As we said last time-Viale is a keeper. Next time we try the Sunday brunch. read more

I came for dinner and drinks and was surprised as to how amazing everything was. The drinks were made perfectly and the service was excellent. I ordered the octopus salad, artisanal cheese, sausage and a small cavatelli to split with a friend. I will certainly be back! read more

At these prices, don't bother. It is not Rendez-Vous with a new name.

The food was good, but I was still hungry at the end. I enjoyed the experience and the décor, but the value for your money is a little low.

There are other choices in Central Square. This is not the best one. After ordering two different entrees the sodium content was extreme that it was hard to enjoy the food. The situation was brought to the attention of the manager/owner who only offered the suggestion that we try the restaurant again. After settling the bill of close to $100 for two meals and two wines I was desperate to find relief from the over salted food. I would be totally surprised if this establishment was around 6 months from now. read more

Amazing tapas with really nice atmosphere right in Cambridge. Some of the best chicken I've ever had, and we also loved the grilled octopus!

Grossly overpriced. If the food were better, I would complain about the meagerly small portions. But, it was less than 'meh.' I was served an inedible dish of butternut squash ravioli (tasted like salty soap), and got nothing but a shrug from the waitress. The only saving grace to our dining experience was that the manager (perhaps?) noticed the poor service and offered a different dish to replace mine. There are many better restaurants in Boston. This one left a bad taste. read more

Went here opening week and had a nice dinner. The service wasn't super smooth but it was opening week and I'm guessing it's better now. I had the fried polenta appetizer which was pretty good. I had the NY strip as an entree and it was spot-on. The quality of the beef was excellent and it was cooked perfectly (something most steakhouses in Boston can't even get right) read more

Wandered in after a random recommendation from a stranger - SO glad we did. Brunch was amazing. The scotch eggs were incredible and the duck carbonara was awesome. The service was so good. It was nearly empty for a Sunday brunch which makes no sense considering how great it was. I will be back again and again. read more

I am a fan of this place. Great new restaurant in Central Square. Great service, good people.

Stumbled upon this restaurant for a date on New Year's Day because it was one of the few places that was open. Fantastic service and the food was great - had a roasted chicken dish that was really good. Nice atmosphere, I would definitely recommend. read more

Great food, service and prices. Went last night for the first time with a friend. I'm extremely sick of overly priced and overly hyped restaurants that are all over Boston/Cambridge and very sub par. Viale does not disappoint. The cauliflower pizza is surprisingly incredible. I had the buccatini with mushrooms and toasted breadcrumbs. It was a perfect example of comfort food on a cold night in January. My friend had the gnocchi with wild boar and was also very happy with her dish. We also tried the side order of roasted beets. I loved that we were able to choose between a 1/2 or full order of pasta. This allowed us to try many items without feeling like we were in a food coma by the end of the meal. We did not try dessert, but definitely plan on going back. Lastly, all the staff we interacted with were wonderful from greeting at front door to the chef, Gregory, delivering our dinners. Very warm and hospitable. Plenty of street or public lot parking available. read more

The cocktails are both innovative and sophisticated, and the octopus was tender. TENDER! I have never had completely tender octopus before, and I have eaten a LOT of octopus (they're delicious and intelligent / devious enough that I feel like I'm being proactive in preventing a cephalopod uprising). The other dishes were just short of fantastic (unlike the octopus, which was incredible) but still delightful, the ambiance is lovely, our bartender was a great sport, and the combination is enough to push them from 4 stars to 5. read more

The food here is wonderful. The three pasta dishes ordered in our group were all superb - flavorful and light, though the pumpkin ravioli serving was a little too small to be called a full sized portion. The $10 cocktail special was yummy and well priced. However we were disappointed in the skimpy wine pours. Two of us got the house cab of the night - $14 - (we weren't told the price but this probably wouldn't have deterred us), but the pour barely filled a quarter of the glass. The desserts we shared - affogato and chocolate olive oil cake- ok, nothing too special. The staff was great. We'll come back but a little more generosity here would go a long way. read more

This place is great! I don't know why it's always so empty...I've been three times now and have been very pleased every time. I particularly love the gnocchi--perfectly pillowy and with a delicious meat ragout. Very reasonably priced as well. A great staple restaurant. read more

My friend and I go for their $1 oysters, and they do a really nice job! It's odd, but finding a place that cleans their oysters is harder than you'd think. Their polenta fries are really good, and it's dimly lit but not too dark. The staff is super friendly. read more

I'll admit...I live in the hood...and I lived at Rendezvous, its predesessor...but I wanted to give it a chance. While the food was good...no complaints, the menu is not one that would bring me back once a week to sit at the bar and eat dinner. It is definitely more "italian" than mediterranean. There was only one salad on the menu, which was very good but would have loved a choice of 2 or 3 salads. If it truly were mediterranean there would have been more seafood plates etc. For me, there aren't enough "small" plates to warrant me to eat there solo at the bar with a salad...I love pasta but that is really all there is there other than full entrees. Maybe over time they will tweek the menu. I'll most likely go back at some point...but sadly...it won't be my neighborhood hang out...I'll keep a watch for any changes in the future. Other than that...the service was fine...interior was nice and fresh. read more

Walking down Mass Ave what caught my eye most about this place was that most restaurants surrounding it were empty while this place was hopping. The décor is fairly modern and cast a clean atmosphere while the noise level with a lot of tables filled did not cause any issues. Ended up at the bar top and was serviced attentively. The wine selection, though fairly condensed, had a nice variety of Old and New World wines. We split the Viale antipasti plate, which was a good size portion for two. What stole the show was the pepper agro dolce. Really nice. My main was the Hanger Steak cooked medium, which was seasoned well. The sides were nice, and I thought the meyer lemon salsa added some differing flavor compounds that really guided the dish. The other main was the Potato Gnocchi with Crispy Fried Polenta. Both were said to be good. I tried the polenta, which appeared to be play on patatas bravas, and was really nice. No dessert tried. Overall, very good experience and would go back in the future. read more