From NY visiting first time. Food was amazing! Services was okay, they didn't bring us bread, and drinks overflow to the glass and dripped, didn't check on us after food was put on our table. Waitress definitely needs a bit more training to make sure all her tables are taken care of, but overall amazing! No wait time AMAZING FOOD! read more

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Too expensive for average food. Took almost an hour for us to get our food. One of our orders was wrong. Didn't want to wait another hour for the correct meal. When I asked for a refill on my Diet Coke, I was told that I had to pay for refills. Way overrated and overpriced! read more

Nice environment and cozy restaurant, but shitty food. The garlic bread was fine. The soup tasted like it came out of a can. My wife ordered some pasta special with mushrooms where they prepare the pasta in a cheese wheel. The presentation was nice, but her pasta came out flavorless. It was as if they boiled the pasta and then threw on a can of Bertoli's cream sauce with a bunch of cheese and then sliced some mushrooms to throw on top of it. Why bother letting the sauce get any flavor of the mushrooms? Why bother infusing the mushrooms in some oil or butter before mixing it into the cream sauce? I ordered the fettuccini with the shrimp in a pink sauce. Once again, it was like getting some crappy canned sauce from a grocery store, smothering it with cream, and then dumping pasta in the bath of sauce. The total came out to $150...(no alcohol included) It's a shame that such a nice restaurant in the heart of Little Italy can't just hire an Italian grandmother to get the kitchen in shape. I could have cooked both of those dishes better in my sleep, and I work in an office... please, owner of Villa Francesca, just hire an old Italian grandmother for some direction, so this place can get to 4 stars one day. read more

Asked for fettuccini with Alfredo sauce and Alfredo went missing, asked for a glass of wine and quickly made a joke to my wife that it tasted like boxed wine. On my way to the bathroom I see this. Respect yourself and avoid this place like the plague. Server gave us top notch service though. But my food and beverage experience was poor. read more

Villa Francesca - Boxed wine - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

New Year's Eve - our. Server was Brayan and he was amazing- so polite, expedient and on point! The food was amazing- there was a fish mixup and my plate came out a bit delayed, but they comped it without a word. Excellent customer service in my opinion. We will definitely be back! read more

Villa Francesca - Flirting and Chianti - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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The spaghetti carbonara I got was really good! I came here with a friend who got a pasta dish with pesto and she enjoyed her dish as well. Overall we had a good experience; definitely recommend. read more

Villa Francesca - Spaghetti alla Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Second time eating here the first was 8 years ago. All I can say is it was amazing. We ordered the lobster ravioli to start and I've never had better anywhere. We then had the homemade fettuccine and again it was amazing, just melted in your mouth. We are " foodies" we consider ourselves good cooks as well as travelers that like to explore great restaurants all over. I have to say this dinner was as good as anything I've had anywhere. The north end of Boston is packed with restaurants and a great atmosphere. read more

We were visiting from out of town and on a busy Saturday night, looking for a place for dinner. Many places were turning customers away. I had my doubts about this place because of the 3 stars. While waiting for a table we saw another group of 4 get up from a table. The staff removed their water glasses and left everything that had been touched , such as the wine glasses, and tried to sit us there. The owner saw that we were upset, then offered a place in the basement. I'm so glad he did this but that's why I took off the star rating. The basement had a wine cellar that was very nice. Onto the food. I had the clams and pasta that was delicious. Hubby had a chicken parmigiana that he said was really good, sauce not acidic. The other couple had the seafood risotto that was bursting with clams, mussels, shrimp and calamari. The other person ordered a veal saltimbocca ( not on the menu) and she said it was amazing. We shared a bottle of Sangiovese that was nice. Someone ordered the cheese cake and it was a huge slice full of macerated strawberries. Service was great( gracias Ana). I would recommend here. read more

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over rated restaurant, even with reservation we had to wait 1 hour outside. food was average.

Haven't been until today. Came for late lunch. Truly fresh wellfleet oysters 1.00 a piece w purchase of entree 1/2 doz. Limit, perfect with a pour of house Prosecco. Delicious pesto and spaghetti. Garnished w pine nuts. A basic rustica pesto of garlic, fresh basil and very good olive oil. Service was excellent. read more

Villa Francesca - Delicious pesto!! - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Our fav restaurants in the North End were not open so we decided to try Francesca's. It's a small Italian restaurant with a nice atmosphere. Service was excellent. I ordered the caprese salad and it was fine. Just a bit bland and bit too cold as if it hams come out of the refrigerator. The fettuccine with shrimp was good. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the fettuccine was good but it just lacked flavor. I had to ask for grated Parmesan which was surprising and the server brought me a small plate of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. House bread with olive oil is provided. Overall it was a good meal but there are other places I would return to first. read more

Service was good, but the food was very bad. Extremely expensive and the quality was worse than what you could cook at home. My wife and I did not finish our plates. Also, we asked for a bottle of red. Come to find we were charged $45 for a $10 bottle of screw top wine. I would not go back or recommend this place to anyone. Avoid! read more

Villa Francesca is a nice restaurant to come grab lunch during the Freedom Tour walk. Service was friendly and very quick. Our waiter was amazing and he was helpful during our entire meal. The carbonara was delicious and so was the gnocchi. Lunch prices were reasonable (dinner was a bit high-about $20+ per plate). Lunch portions were averaging between $12-17 a plate but were huge! The restrooms were well stocked and clean. Overall, this was a great decision and I'm glad we chose this restaurant! read more

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Minus 1 star for the ridiculous hour wait WITH reservations. The waiting area/bar was standing room only. We were literally standing shoulder to shoulder trying to enjoy our drinks without spilling...not entirely successful, but after the 2nd round we could deal. :) Once we were seated at our table (party of 10) things went without a hitch. The service was amazing. Our food came out quickly, our glasses were always full and the staff kept their composure even though they were slammed. We all enjoyed our food so much that sadly we weren't able to try any of their lovely desserts. read more

Villa Francesca - Eggplant Parm - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

All the negative reviews are true. This food just isn't that good. You expect food to taste good for that price. We had a reservation and the host left us waiting for about 10 minutes in the middle of the restaurant. The bread tasted store bought. Nothing was very good. I'm bummed because that was our only night in north end this trip. read more

This place came highly recommended from someone who visited 10 years ago. It was walking distance from my office so gave it a go. Only pasta made fresh is fettuccine. I always order spaghetti and meatballs at a new place as there's nowhere to hide and if the marinara isn't stellar, no other dishes with red sauce will be either. Sadly the sauce was somewhat mediocre. No complexity , very light in the seasoning dept. The meatballs were slightly better but I also wasn't impressed. A soda is $5 and there are no free refills. The bread served with my meal was stale and I arrived at opening time. Credit cards are fine, must be physical cards, no apply or Google pay. read more

Villa Francesca - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Food was less than mediocre. Actually, it sucked. Ordered spaghetti and meatballs for $32.95 with Arabiata sauce off the menu. Sauce sucked for a restaurant in the north end since all they did was add dry peeper corn mix that you top to a pizza to a tasteless sauce. Meatballs were tasteless. A waste of money. The bread is just a soft sub roll bread. Most restaurants in the north end put some heart into their bread. Won't support this restaurant again. read more

3 meals, the stuffed veal, the fettuccine calamari, and the penne porco. All very good the penne had the best flavor and combination. The caprese had cold tomato's with not much flavor. Overall, good food and experience and the waiter did an excellent job with recommendations. read more

I had the Flirtini & gnocchi in cream sauce. Both were delicious and the service was outstanding.

Save your money and find another spot. Had an expensive and disappointing meal here. Service was good. The waiter was very polite and attentive. But the food was very expensive and disappointing. See the image of the bill. They charged us $8 for garlic bread that's slightly bigger than a hot dog bun. Frutti Di Mare (Spaghetti with seafood tomato sauce). Sauce was watery and barely had any flavor. Ravioli was mediocre. I would never come back here and I will never recommend this place. Total damage for two $100 (incld tips). I've edited the receipt to hide the waiters name. It's not the service. It's the food. read more

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We came to Boston on our honeymoon, as my husband is from here. He took me to the North End one day for coffee and pastry and the first thing I noticed walking through was the striking black and gold banner that said "Francesca" though we had already had lunch. The last evening of our trip, we were downtown and decided to get dinner. We walked by the North End and passed by Villa Francesca, so my husband asked if I wanted to eat here. I was very excited to try it and was not at all disappointed! The atmosphere was intimate and rustic. We were seated by the window with a view of the cobblestone streets and nightlife. We ordered a bottle of Champagne, Spaghetti alla Vongole, and Chicken Parmesan. The latter was by request only and our server was very accommodating. As a chef, I could tell the Marinara was simmered for a copious amount of time and used fresh tomato. The Spaghetti alla Vongole was simple but balanced and delicious with a generous portion of clams. I would suggest Villa Francesca anytime! read more

Villa Francesca - Villa Francesca banner in the North End - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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What a treat!!!! I can't believe our luck in walking into this AMAZING place. Our table of 6 kept passing our plates to share bites. We will most likely be back tomorrow. I'm in food coma right now or I'd explain all of our dishes. Wow. Pasta special was the star of the show. Prepared table side. read more

Villa Francesca - Pasta special - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

wasn't planning on going here originally but other restaurant "lost" or reservation. this place was AMAZING tho! the waiter was funny and charming. wine selection was great and the martini was strong. pasta was delicious and filling. the windows were open letting in a nice breeze and opening up the place. will go back! read more

Villa Francesca - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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We loved this location for dinner! We sat outside promptly at 7:15, our reservation was for 730. The staff was so great, patient and had excellent recommendations! Our dinner was delicious we had the chicken parm and lobster ravioli along with a glass of wine recommended by the server. We didn't get a chance to actually go inside but the food was delicious the staff was great I'm sure indoor environment is just as cozy and delightful. read more

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terrible service, the waitress never came back to check on us even though she walked passed out table to check on 2 other tables over 3 tim es. We waited over an hour and watched tables that sat and ordered after us her served prior to us. When we asked for a manager the manager covered our drinks and took back the food that had just come out. As we left the waitress shrugged her shoulders as is she didn't care that we left satisfied. I felt like my money wasn't wanted there. read more

My wife and I went here for lunch yesterday. We started off with the Caprese salad and a nice bottle of wine. The main course was chicken Parmigiana and a table side made light Fettuccine Alfredo with Portabella and sun dried tomatoes. Combine this with the excellent staff and being in the heart of Boston's North end, you can't go wrong. read more

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My family ate dinner here on Christmas Eve while visiting Boston and it was fantastic. My son and I love Italian food and are happy any chance we get to eat in a nice Italian restaurant. This place did not disappoint. The food was fantastic. The waitress suggested a nice inexpensive bottle of wine which was great. We sat in the lower level of the building which seemed like a little basement but the ambiance was still fantastic. Every table was booked and all the food coming out looked amazing. We didn't get it but I recommend trying the pasta dish that comes out and is put in a wheel of cheese (parmesan maybe). They mix the pasta while scraping fresh cheese from the wheel into it. It looked amazing. I had the Pesto Pasta and it was delicious. Would return to this restaurant anytime we are back in Boston. read more

Villa Francesca - Pesto Pasta - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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not the best Italian place in north end. I ordered the fettuccine with shrimp in a pink sauce. The noodles were wayyy over cooked and were mushy! So sad when an Italian restaurant doesn't cook their pasta al Dente. The sauce was good but also nothing to rave about. This dish was 30$! That is on the pricier end for pasta dishes in the north end.. you can get much better pasta for around 23ish$. But the real kicker was the oysters. They advertise 1$ oyster with an entree. But it is only 1$ for the first 6 oyster. Fair enough. Omg these oysters were not fresh at all. And I've have hundreds of oysters in my life. You know when oysters or anything wet ish has been sitting out for a while and it starts to dry up and get slimy ish. Ugh I could barely get them down and wanted to have the server jsut take them back. So gross :/ read more

Villa Francesca - Fettuccine with shrimp - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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A great place with great food!! My boyfriend, father, and I went for a later dinner where the restaurant was not as packed, which was lovely. The service was great -- everyone was so friendly, and our waitress, Daniella, was so kind, funny, and accommodating. You can order off menu or any kind of Italian food. Everything was delicious, fresh, and amazing. The garlic bread was so good, we ended up getting another order! This is my third time going to this establishment and it will continue to be a stop every time I'm in Boston. Is it a little pricey? Sure, but you're in Boston and the price tag is worth it for the great food and experience. read more

Walked by a year or so ago, and was deceived by the fancy boat in front filled with ice, shrimp, and oysters etc. thinking "that looks really good! We should go sometime!" Here we are a year later. Made reservations a couple weeks in advance to assure a table during the Italian festival.. we arrived and were sat down in a dark little corner of their basement. (Which I'm well aware is common in north end restaurants) said corner just happened to be next to the waiter "station" if you would. but I couldn't help but notice that the two waitresses, and buss boy that were assigned downstairs, looked absolutely lost, wondering what to do while standing right behind, practically shadowing my S/O and hovering the table the ENTIRE MEAL! Zero privacy at the table from the wait staff, and it felt like every bite you were being watched, like a chef looking for critic approval. Very disappointing. Expecting a top-notch, high class meal, and getting what felt like the exact opposite. Topping it all off the food was very AVERAGE at best for the price! WE WILL NOT be returning! read more

The Carbonara is AMAZING!! I will definitely be going back the next time i'm in Boston. read more

Villa Francesca - The Spaghetti alla Carbonara & Fettuccine Con Gamberi - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Francesca's was having a special that was a portobello pasta made in a cheese wheel. My friend and I were both intrigued and both decided to order it. It was definitely entertaining to watch our dinner be prepared next to our table. However, we were a little disappointed by the overall taste. You couldn't really taste the cheese even though the pasta was made in a cheese wheel. The dish was just a little bland in my opinion. However, I will say that's the only dish I've had that I've been disappointed by. I absolutely love their carbonara and their garlic bread is a must! They have really great white wines and their outdoor decor is super cute! read more

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My wife had spaghetti and meatballs and I got the lasagna. Both were really good, the gravy (sauce) was delicious. Our best meal this trip to Boston. read more

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The food is delicious! I ordered a chicken alfredo (not on menu but you can order by request) and it was delish! Best tasting sauce ive had and the pasta was sooo good! Friendly staff and good customer service! A place to visit again when i come back to Boston read more

We are leaving this restaurant feeling frustrated and disappointed. We sat at the bar before dinner and the bartenders were so rude. Dinner took three hours ~ the service was horrible and the food was even worse and very overpriced. Do yourself a favor and walk right by this one. read more

Food was great; pricey for a special. Small place but cute. Get there early it gets packed; will I go again? Well yes, and stick to the classics my friend order the spaghetti n meatballs and it was delicious!! read more

Villa Francesca - Chianti Classico!! - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Ate here ~covid~ style. Cute atmosphere and outdoor seating for these current times. Compared to some of the other restaurants in the north end area, Villa fransescas tables were actually spaced 6 ft apart, which I appreciated. If you sit on the side next to oncoming traffic you are tucked away from the sidewalks and won't come in contact with others. Indoors is open air & cute with good ventilation. Excellent and friendly service. Delicious calamari (not fried but sautéed in a lovely, garlic sauce). I got the swordfish, which didn't come with any size but was easily two portions worth. Good wine menus & strong cocktails. Would recommend a reservation as people were waiting in line for a long time. read more

Villa Francesca - Swordfish and rose - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Sat at the bar after walking through the North End trying to decide where to stop. This really wasn't the best decision. The bartender just didn't seem like she wanted to work. Had to ASK for everything whether it was a straw or a napkin or another drink or to pay. It was so annoying. The drinks were ok but pricey for what it was. We got oysters because they advertised them for $1 but made us get a full dinner with them (we would have preferred to get a couple apps). The oysters were a little funky, we didn't eat them all anyway. Ceasar salad was good but that isn't difficult. We split the lasagna and it was just so basic. Described as with meat sauce but barely any meat. The worst part was it was $30!! From the food to the service to the ambiance the entire experience was disappointing. read more

Bellissimo! This was a great Italian place not far from Mike's Pastry. The decor was very fancy, lighting was comfortable, and the staff was accommodating. Food was excellent. They have an exceptional lobster ravioli, which you absolutely MUST get as a starter. Their breads are delicious and the ravioli has plenty of leftover sauce to dip your bread in. Once you've finished the ravioli, you'll be primed for the main course. They offer a wide variety of Italian foods, but my recommendation is to go with their house-specialty pastas. ALWAYS get the ones they make in-house daily. There's also a dish that they prepare INSIDE a wheel of cheese! Very fun and tasty. I don't drink alcohol, so I can't comment personally on the quality of their wines, but my associates had nothing but good to say about their choice of red to accompany their pasta. read more

Villa Francesca - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I have no clue why this place has 3 stars because it was wonderful. We sat at the bar, we had shrimp scampi, garlic bread, ravioli, spaghetti with meatballs and cheesecake. Everything was delicious and the staff were attentive and friendly. Our bartender was Jackie, she was so knowledgeable and welcoming. Marta was also incredibly helpful, friendly and informed. She apparently makes the cheesecake and it is fabulous. read more