The food was very good; our waitress was excellent and did a great job with our large group. The big problem was the manager - he stood over our waitress and harassed her to give us the check just as we were finishing dessert. He treated her poorly and made her uncomfortable with having to do this. We were astounded that this would occur but we saw what he did and heard the conversation. Once we were ready to go, and had paid our check, we tried to discuss this with the manager. What a jerk! He could not care less about our concern and was arrogant and condescending towards us. The food = 4 stars; the waitress and wait staff = 5 stars; the manager = 0 stars. read more

I love this restaurant!!!.....the food and the romantic atmosphere are wonderful!!!....all the dishes make you feel like your eating in Italy!... Make sure you save room for dessert because you will find the greatest CANNOLI, filled right in front of your eyes, with the homemade ricotta filling!....Then you can choose nuts, powdered sugar or mini chocolate chips to put on the sides!!...(i suggest the mini chocolate chips and of course to be a little messy, some light powdered sugar)....GO there any night of the week and you will be guaranteed a delicious meal from start to finish! read more

Too bad, this used to be a nice place. Quick review: My wife and I were the only two people at the bar with two bartenders. One of them asked me THREE times if she could get me a drink, before actually bringing what I asked for each time. The food was marginal at best. When asking if we could get a small side of plain pasta with red sauce, she recommended a full order of pasta with calamari. Not sure what that was about. It literally took 10 minutes of discussions and odd recommendations to find out that "yes, we could get the small dish of pasta". The "fresh pasta" was clearly cooked MUCH earlier in the day. The polenta that came with the grilled Italian sausage was loaded with jalapeno. Frankly, it was the best tasting thing all night but hardly expected at an Italian restaurant. My wife ate about 10% of her meal and the bartender asked her if it was ok. She responded that it was "just ok". At this point you would expect some sort of follow up but the bartender just said "ok, do you want some dessert?". We took our check and left. read more

Not worth it! Recently went there and ordered the Risotto Pescatore. The calamari was overcooked and chewy, the shrimp were not even properly deveined. Sure they will cook anything to order, but will it be tasty and delicious - No! This place is simply overpriced and the food is mediocre at best. read more

The food was delicious and we ended up over-eating which means... the price was good for the amount of food you are getting. We got two of the different pasta dishes (one with calamari, the other with mussels) and they were both good. Usually, we can't bring our toddler to nice places like this one but because the food was so good, he actually just sat and ate -- even trying out the mussels. The location was on a pretty quiet, romantic street close to the Paul Revere house. All in all, it was a good experience. The only thing is that the bathroom could have looked nicer and is only single occupancy, so I had to wait for a long time to go to the restroom. read more

We went for dinner on a Saturday night, the place is charming with a cozy atmosphere. The service is fantastic, everybody is smiling and very friendly. I asked for a wine by the glass and they offered me to try. The wine was tasteful. We had oysters on the half shell, lobster ravioli and shrimp, it was excellent. read more

Great dinner - service was excellent the food was fantastic! Our meal was served promptly and beautifully played. The pasta was fabulous. The tiramisu was delicious - uniquely served and light on the coffee, but we ate every drop! Highly recommend! read more

I hate giving bad reviews but I have to for this spot. The place is overpriced considering the quality (probably $15-40 for pasta and mains). I ordered veal with stuffed crab and it was overlooked. My Spinach was bland. Polenta was clearly already perfectly portioned and just thrown onto the plate. Potatoes aka pretty bland. I just did not feel good about how much I spent on this meal. read more

We were there during the festival when they were super slammed. And still they did so great!! I had the sole on the prefix menu. Excellent!!

Of all of my visits to the north end, this was by far the worst. I always go with the normal Alfredo- here it cost me $20! I wouldn't complain if it was actually good, but $20 for subpar Alfredo really left me frustrated. The other meal my table ordered was a ravioli with meat sauce which ended up costing more than the lobster ravioli. The waitress was horrendously annoying and would not leave the table. She must have asked 5 times if I wanted dish packaged while I was still eating. The bread that was brought to the table was hard and stale. With so many wonderful resturants in the area it is amazing that this place gets by with high prices and bad staff. I would highly advise looking elsewhere for your next north end meal. read more

Can I say absolutely amazing!!!! We wandered over here by accident and boy was I glad. First, we started off w/ lobsters raviolis! So yummy.The sauce was so creamy and delicious. I had some wonderful bread from the huge bread basket(also it had breadsticks sprinkled w/ oregano)Nest, was my salad. Ohh heaven. I never say that about salad but the house dressing was soo goood. My main course was had veal,shrimp,pork,sausage, in a white wine sauce and ziti on the side. Everything was cooked to perfection. Also, the decor was nice and the open windows were great on a nice warm evening. It was the best dinner I have had out in a long time. read more

WHAT the heck happened to our favorite North End restaurant???!!!!! Hubs and I visit Boston frequently and when in the mood for Italian food, we head to Francesca's knowing we are going to get the most satisfying, delicious dinner and great service. Well, we dined (?) there last evening and could not believe the several mishaps and disappointing experience. We ordered 2 Grey Goose Martini's. Mine was laced with some type of licorice flavor! All that tasted it agreed. After a 45 min wait for our Calamari appetizer, the waitress explained the order was lost and it would be out momentarily. When it arrived (10 minutes later) it was delicious! That's what earned the 2 stars. Entree's....I ordered the stuffed lobster dish with tomato sauce.....it was delivered with white wine sauce. Hubs ordered the lamb chops... he was served 3 chops that were the size of a child's lollipop!!! (@$40!) I refused a re-make on my entree after watching how long it took for diners next to us waiting for their re-make. The diners next to us visited on our recommendation, and we were so embarrassed! One gentlemen sent his entree back as that also was not what he ordered. The entire table ate while this poor guy had to sit back and wait. Their comments to us..."Not impressed". So, it's time to branch out and try the other great Italian restaurants in the area. Sad to say "Good-bye" after so many years dining there, but we can't chance spending $$$$$ and leaving hungry and so disappointed. read more

Not my favorite destination. Food is only average, prices are a bit high, $20.00 martini's I guess typical for Boston. The last time we went (two couples) after a much longer wait then we were told we ended up in the cellar (wine cellar), but it was still dark & depressing. I did have the warm sewer pipe to rest my arm on though! Service fair at best, one person in our small group ordered a soda, when the waitress brought the drink she dropped the small 10oz glass bottle on him, spilling it on him & then the bottle smashed on the floor. When the bill came they actually tried to charge for the drink. When I complained the manager told him to send a dry cleaning bill. After I suggested that was a bit less than we expected, he took all the dinner drinks off the bill. This was no deal either as I was the only one that ordered a glass of wine. The others just drank either water or soda & I had already dropped nearly $100.00 up stairs at the bar for the one round & the tip. I suggested they needed the money more than we did & we left the full tab plus tip. I won't go back though. And they earned this review. read more

Note: they don't allow you to share entrees. Nothing on menu is below $15 just a very pretentious atmosphere from owner and servers alike. Food is good but nothing special. Its not a place I would come to twice. read more

So in my never so humble opinion there is really no BAD place to eat in the North End...only degrees of goodness; or in the case of Villa Francesca greatness. Over the course of many years I have tried several and keep going back to VF. Stop at the bar while you are waiting and chat with the friendly bartenders and sip on a cocktail or a nice glass of Prosecco. Lilly, Gina, and Amber are all very attentive. Don't plan to rush in and out on the weekends just relax and enjoy the atmosphere. After ordering different appetizers over the years I have settled on the calamari. It is one of the few places where it is prepared without breading and frying. It is simply sautéed in a delicious perfectly seasoned tomato based sauce. I believe it is actually mandatory to dip the fresh italian bread into the sauce so you don't leave even a drop on the plate! Now for dinner...you needn't open the menu because the best dish is no longer listed. Why? Well I'm certain it is simply to make me feel special-like I know something not every patron knows. Since you are taking the time to read my lengthy review I will share my secret with you. Chicken Pescatore. It is boneless chicken breast filled with baby shrimp and cheese and served in a pink sauce that I would pay to be able to re-create at home. I have offered to buy the chef several glasses of wine in an effort to coax his recipe out of him but no luck yet! The owner Thomas will be happy and able to recommend a great bottle of wine to accompany your meal...just ask. Despite my healthy appetite I am unable to finish the entire meal because dessert should be mandatory as well. Cannolis are filled fresh at your table with your choice of toppings. Go ahead get all of them! I have also sampled the cheesecake which is perfectly perfect and I believe made with some amount of ricotta cheese. Just to be clear the bar staff, the owner and the chef were not friends of mine but have become friends over the years as I try to visit every month or two. It is that kind of place. Just introduce yourself and before you know it you will have a fantastic place to enjoy great food in a welcoming atmosphere whenever the urge for great Italian hits! read more

Beautiful restaurant on a quiet side street. Feels like you're in Italy. Amazing food - recommend the spaghetti carbonara. Also great coffee & wine read more

STAY Away.We were in Boston for parents week-end last month. I resereved a table for 8 for 8Pm. when we got thereat 8Pm, there was a line up at the door . I told hostess about our reservation and hostess says it would be 2 1/2 hours before they could sit us and pointed me to restaurant manager. Resturant manger was worst than her. He offer no excuse or apology why they do take reservation and not honoring it. just said in a very rude manner"We are busy and you just gonna have to wait" We dine out a lot and I had never experienced such rude and unprofessional behaviour. We didn't waste our time there anymore and went to another restaurant around block. there are so many Italian restaurants in Boston. Don't take chance with this one. read more

Food was ok not great......I expected better for the price and the hype.....I won't go back.....looks like there are plenty of other great Italian restaurants. I had a salad which was pretty good but not great....then spinach ravioli which was ok not great. The tables were crammed in... very little room... read more

Came with a large group and the server was fantastic! We sat downstairs in a great space which was beautiful! Most of my party ordered from the 3 course Dine Out Boston menu but a few of us chose off the regular menu. I started with the Insalata Francesca which looked great but after a few bites I realized it was swimming in dressing so that wasn't ideal, couldn't eat half the greens because they were dripping wet! Dressing was nice though just be sure to ask for light dressing or on the side! For my entree I had the Penne Porco Alla Erbe and I was not a fan! The bacon was like microwaved bacon cut up super thin and just not good and the broccoli rabe (the main attraction to the dish and why I ordered) was barely there! I honestly had one full piece and the rest was the stems and even those were few ! The sauce itself was alright but not much flavor other than the salty bacon. The entree and salad are the only thing keeping me from leaving 5 stars! Definitely recommend the cannolis which they stuff table side and offer chocolate chips! Such a nice touch! Others in the party had seafood dishes which they RAVED about ! Also the spaghetti and meatballs were a hit! read more

This restaurant was recommended to us by our hotel they said it had the best seafood sadly that was not the case four of us had dinner her December 1st one of us ordering the seafood special Red Snapper well this dish should have never left the kitchen it was like a piece of rubber you could not cut it with a fork. If that would have been the only issue we may have been able to have some good things to say but there were several issues another one of us ordered the lobster ravioli for dinner with a salad as an appetizer the appetizer portion was $18.95 we were charged $24.95 and told we that you could not have an appetizer portion for dinner then we ordered a half order of pesto pasta and was charged for half the order and then an additional charge of $4.95 was added because they gave us homemade pasta that we didn't ask for. The problems just kept coming. The owner came over and told us that he got a bad piece of fish well why knowing that why would you serve it. My friend that ordered the fish dinner had to pay for $8.00 for her lobster ravioli and they wanted to charge her $6.95 for a cannoli that was half the size of the regular portion. I have never felt more ripped off then that night the owner did not even offer us coffee or desert that is unheard of in the restaurant business they actually wanted her to pay for what little dinner she did get. I would be very careful about trying this place and if you do ask a lot of questions before you get the bill for a lot extras you didn't ask for. Tracy Stamford,CT read more

This place treats potential customers horrible. I was excited to try this restaurant on a recent wkend trip to Boston as the place came highly recommended by friends. Weeks in advance I made a reservation and was supposed to meet a friend for dinner. At the last minute the friend was not able to make it so I went alone as lone, female dinner and business traveler. When I arrived and checked in with the hostess I was rudely informed I was not welcome at the restaurant, no solo dinners even with reservations. I then asked to speak with the manager. More of a prick than the hostess, in front of other patrons waiting for their table he informed me I was not welcome at their restaurant to eat, but could stand at the bar. I was like what?!? You think I am going to stand and give you money with how you are acting. I have traveled all over the world on business and 1. Have never been treated so rudely 2. Have ever been turned away as a paying customer with a reservations. Stay aware from this place if you are dining alone or just want to be treated professionally. I was so embarrassed by the way the place acted, it ruined my night. Welcome to Boston. read more

The food is ok, the service was very good, it gets quite loud when people have a few drinks due to the close proximity. It's really hard tohave a conversation. My family spent a boatload for our meal and They are very acommodating. We took two cars and got free valet on both and some gift cards to use at a later date. Probably not worth going back to more than once though. read more

I had the worst restaurant experience of my life in this awful place. The rudeness of the staff here is unparalleled and this restaurant should be avoided at all costs. The horror story began when I sat at Villa Francesca with my parents for lunch. My mom and I ordered several glasses of expensive wine, appetizers and main courses. However, my dad was not hungry so he just had a coke while we were eating. The food was average at best. Our bill came to ~$50 and we left 20% tip. As we were finishing up, my father asked the manager to briefly change the TV station to the baseball game that was playing so that he could check the score. The manager brushed him off rudely, saying he "didn't care" what my father wanted, and that he won't change the channel. When my father said that his response was rude, the manager -- named Tomas -- went ballistic and started yelling. He told my father that he can't just have a coke in his restaurant and then tell him what to do, and that he didn't "pay respect" to him. To top it off, he told my father "What do you know anyway, you're 80 years old". My father is only 60, does not look 80, although of course that does not matter. How could you speak this way to anyone, let alone the customers of your restaurant who just paid $50 for a meal and tipped your waiters generously? Who would employ such savage pigs for restaurant managers? My experience here is confirmed by several other reviews on this website, some that specifically mention the rude manager "Tomas" who regularly abuses both customers and his staff. I have included excerpts from other reviewers who said the same, and mention the rude manager Tomas, who, for a reason beyond my comprehension, is still the restaurant manager. As other reviewers wrote, the overwhelming conclusion is: Out of all the places in the North End, why in the world would you go there? Look on Yelp for recommendations on the many great restaurants available in this area. Go enjoy the North End, find yourself a nice restaurant, and go to Mike's Pastries for a delicious cannoli from the friendly staff for dessert -- but avoid this dump like the plague! If only we had known better... if you could restaurants negative ratings, this one would get -5 stars. Other reviewers who pointed out the rudeness of the staff, especially the manager Tomas: Steven T. from Robbinsville, NJ: === Come at your own risk! The manager, Tomas bait and switched the price of the veal after the waitress told us it was cheaper until we saw the bill. His response was that we should ask him the price and not the waitress. Then he told her in front of us that she will pay the difference. Rude and illegal! Source: http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=CC014xe7ijgsAdjrCcO6MA === Reviewer Christopher M. from Medford, MA: === I agree with an earlier review that asked, "With all of the lovely gems that the North End has to offer, why in the world would you come here?" The waitress called the manager (Thomas) over and she explained the problem. Instead of apologizing for the bad bottle and replacing it, he delivered a very condescending lecture to the girl about how he thought the wine tasted fine, how he tasted and selected all the wine in the restaurant, and if we ordered a more expensive bottle (ours was $50) it would taste better, and that he wasn't going to get us a different bottle just because she didn't like it. She was so upset by the time he was finishes that she dropped the issue, which is when I spoke up. After I exchanged a few words with him, he offered to open another bottle to (in his words) prove that the first bottle of wine was okay. Source: http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=mr52dL8Vw8tcTrfB23ykKg == read more

Love this place. The service is always good and we love the food. We have been at least twenty times since moving to Boston in 09'. Thomas the owner is a great guy as well. read more

Very disappointing... Overcooked, over drenched with sauce for the supposed red snapper....disinterested server, will not return.

Atrocious! Avoid Like The Plague! Belittles Customers & Employees - Run Fast & Far Away! Disaster Warning! This place looks like a hit, but the only hitting is the what is done by the owner/manager! We witnessed him belittle employees and the felt his wrath first hand as he tried to seat us in the basement. They sucker you in with a facade that looks delightful, yet with so many other options near by they rely on bait & switch underhanded tactics like assuring you a window seat while you wait at the bar only to lead you to a table in the basement. We asked the hostess on a slow night after 8pm, if she could seat a table of 3 and she said "Sure, we said by the window and she said absolutely! Have a drink at the bar your table will be ready in 10 minutes". We sat with our teenager who had a water and we ordered 2 drinks, way over priced! A beer and well vodka cocktail $20 bucks! That was first sign of the hit and run, hostess came by and said table would be ready, in a minute, we eyed her direction as she readied our table to witness her get berated by a hands on her (pushing, pulling her as if his words weren't enough... we felt bad for her) manager/owner who, all this in front of customers. She was scolded by the owner for wanting to seat us there, he then approached us with her and told us our table was ready only to instruct her to take us to the basement. We questioned, he yelled & shouted Italian profanities, we said the basement table was unacceptable, and questioned the empty table we were promised and he said no! We asked if we could then dine at the bar, where the 3 of us were still seated as others were doing same, he refused as now our teenager was no longer allowed to stay in the same seat he was sitting in for the last 10-15 minutes... We got up to leave and he followed us out yelling screaming, he pushed me, shoved me as I stood shocked and stunned! This is not a welcoming place, I would advise all to spread the word and stay away!!! The outside looks delightful, inviting and the date which shows they've been in business for over 36 years is what suckered us in, "DON'T BE FOOLED LIKE WE WERE" When I got on the computer I saw other reviews I wish I had seen before stepping into this place, I wish my phone battery wasn't dead as I would have seen the Spoon reviews and had known better, don't make my mistake. This experience was the "WORST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE IN MY LIFE!" and I wish to inform others. Yelp & U____ Spoon should have an Avoidance Button... Check out the other Spoon reviews I wish I saw before stepping foot in this "MOST UNPLEASANT TOURIST TRAP" You have now been forewarned, choose wisely my friends... Appalling Behavior 11/18/13 * Checked in Diner from Boston * jrad2439 * 1 review Worst Service Ever from Owner 11/10/13 * Doesn't like it Diner from Boston * kennethiannuzzi * 1 review With these two reviews and now mine, that's three strikes that even, Gordon Ramsey, or Robert Irvine couldn't fix. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! read more

Very basic menu. Fettuccine is excellent. Same for gnocchi. Wine selection is above average. Location is great on a nice summer evening.

We went to Villa Francesca last night to celebrate our son's graduation and were EXTREMELY disappointed with the experience. The only good thing was the food. They sat us downstairs, provided 2 menus for a table of 5, took over an hour and a half for the entrees and that came after several reminders to the staff that we were still waiting for our food. When we asked to speak with the manager, we got (perhaps) the head waitress. She was rude and did not really want to listen to us. When she walked away from the table and began speaking with the staff waiting on us, she spoke in Spanish and started off with a tirade of insults...not knowing we could understand her. These people completely ruined our experience and offered coffee and dessert as compensation. Not even taking into account that 3 of the dinners CAME with dessert! With all of the wonderful restaurants in the neighborhood, we will never visit here again. read more

My family and I had dinner at Francesca's this evening and it was an interesting experience to say the least. The food and ambiance were both tremendous but the waitress, Kat K, was horrific. When I say horrible, I mean, she was not only extremely unfriendly, but unorganized and quite honestly, really just not good at her job. I'll give her the slight benefit of the doubt in saying we were a large party. However, we had our reservation for weeks so there's really just no excuse. My grandmother turned 80 tonight (woot!) and all she wanted to drink was a VO + ginger. Kat rudely explained that the bar absolutely did not have VO and her only recommendation was Jameson. Seriously, Kat? The Jameson was returned as my grandmother hated it so then Kat recommended a "Cape Cod." NOPE! Terrible. In the end, we were charged for 2 drinks (totaling $22) that each had one sip taken out of them, no questions asked. Like WTF, Kat?! Not to mention, we get up to leave only to pass the bar and see there are two FULL bottles of VO sitting within in the selection of liquor behind the bar. BYE KAT! Some advice for Kat: Learn your restaurant's liquors. It's your job. Hope you enjoyed your automatic 18% gratuity because we will not be returning. read more

Amazing, hands down one of the best restaurants in the North End! The restaurant had a great atmosphere, everybody was very friendly and my server was attentive and professional. Would highly recommend for a date night or a gathering with friends and family. read more

The ambience of this place is beautiful, a very cozy spot with exposed brick etc etc. However, do not be fooled. At first the waiter greeted us handed out the menus and explained the specials....to 3 tables at one time. This just seemed very odd to us, not a deal breaker ....just odd. we ordered and my wife's appetizer came out right away. 15 minutes later something finally emerged from the kitchen but it was our entres, not my missing appetizer. We waited another 10 min. Finally got my appetizer 25 minutes after my wife's was served. As soon as we were done our entrees were brought out, obviously the reheated versions of the ones from 20 minutes before, the food was not awful, but certainly not memorable. My lobster ravioli was tasty but had sand in some bites. The cannolis were filled at the table which was a nice touch but they weren't that great sadly. Overall, very overpriced menu. You can do much better in the north end. read more

Service was good food was eh. The lobster ravioli would have been tasty if it wasn't ice cold. The carbonara had a funny smell. The veal chop was salty. read more

Atmosphere and service was delightful, but the dishes we ordered were just ok. Disappointed.

I must say, after reading these reviews, I can't imagine where most of the people ate. Villa Francesca has exquisite food and service! It is really sad to see people tear apart a wonderful restaurant. Having dined all over the world, My feelings are that Villa Francesca is a fantastic place to eat and an exceptional place for dessert. Please try it for yourself and do not take the words of petty leftist whiney people!!!!! read more

The last 2 visits have been a huge disappointment. I won't go back. Too many other good restaurants in the area. It feels like a tourist trap with no interest in developing a customer base. Our food was cold and overly sauced. The hostess and the waiter were rude. They had no interest in making our party of 4 feel welcome. read more

Our hotel Marriott wharf, concierge Steve recommend Villa Francesca for our family. He said it was family owned and they would treat us like gold. I wish that was true. They sat us next to the bathroom but that wasn't the worst. With so many great Italian restaurant in the North End we went to the worst one. My wife chicken parm with a side pasta Overcook bland no flavor. My wife and daughter got sick from it. My daughter's spaghetti and meatballs tasted like fish. Got sticker shock with a bill of over $246. Avoid overpriced bland Villa Francesca . read more

This restaurant was good, but not consistent or outstanding. In general, I think the menu is spotty. I had the eggplant bruschetta as an appetizer, which sounded delicious, but amounted to uninspiring cold tomato and eggplant slices as well as some cold goat cheese on a piece of buttered bread. But on the other hand, my boyfriend's calamari was delicious and perfectly cooked. I ordered the spinach/ricotta ravioli with butter and sage sauce for my main course and it was actually too sage-y, with burnt pieces of sage floating in the sauce. Also, the ravioli were hard around the edges. But, the tiramisu was delicious. Certainly not a bad restaurant, but not the best I've had, either. read more

The menu lacks choices. The food is bland. I had the calamari pasta, and while the sauteed squid was great, the sauce (while there was an attempt to spice) wasn't very exciting. However, the appetizers were on par with any Italian restaurant. If you like cheesecake, they do an amazing presentation. However, I had $9 sorbet, so not the same Wow factor. read more

We have had many great nights at Villa Francesca. The food is the best in the North End. The service is always friendly and attentive. I highly recommend Villa Francesca read more

Just arrived from Miami to enjoy an Italian meal at the north end. I am Italian heritage and appreciate a wonderful italian meal. We ordered the sautéed calamari to start and it was very good. In the Italian end of town, I expected excellent Italian bread. This bread was a huge disappointment. The Italian sausage in my meal was flavorless. The red sauce on my pasta was horrible and inedible. For the prices they charged, pick a different place to go in the north end. It is overpriced and not good. read more