Boston’s North End, also known as the city’s Little Italy, is one big, boisterous Italian family — loud, dramatic, and always insisting you eat more. It’s the oldest neighborhood in Boston, home to Italian restaurants steeped in history and serving recipes just how Mom used to make them. After all, half of the time, Mom is the head chef.
I spent every Saturday night one summer working as a hostess at one of these North End restaurants. One evening, the owner — a tough-talking, born-and-bred Bostonian who rarely smiled — told me to turn away an approaching customer because he didn’t meet the dress code. The man in question was a six-foot-tall tower, strolling in like he owned the place. When I told him the verdict, he looked at me like I insulted his mother. “Bobby! She givin’ you a hard time?” The owner asked in his thick accent, giving his friend a clap on the back, laughing at his own hysterical prank. I realized this was his standard, tough-love way of welcoming me to the family.
You’ll be treated like family, too, when you sit down to a plate of traditional pizza or pasta at one of these beloved haunts. From cash-only Giacomo’s to the seafood-centric Daily Catch, here are the best Italian restaurants in Boston’s North End. Buon appetito!
Carmelina’s
It’s tough to choose just one entrée from the flavorful menu at Carmelina’s, with items like pesce pistachio, spaghetti with clams, and penne with wild mushrooms and sage among the options. There’s no dessert menu, so after dinner, enjoy gelato at the nearby Dolce or coffee and treats at Modern Pastry Shop.
La Famiglia Giorgio’s
This restaurant could serve as a case study in generously portioned, family-style dining. If you’ve got a favorite pasta shape, chances are you can order it — from classic linguini to spiral fusilli. The same goes for pasta sauces: alfredo, marsala, puttanesca, carbonara … the list goes on. Plus, chicken can be prepared in 16 ways, and there are more than two dozen pizza toppings to pick from, too.
Giacomo’s Ristorante
This no-frills, cash-only restaurant serves some of the best Italian food you’ll find in Boston. Giacomo’s doesn’t take reservations, so the line starts winding around the block even before it opens. Come prepared after a glass of Chianti from a nearby enoteca. Trust us, the wait is worth it.
Monica’s Trattoria
Monica’s Trattoria is an always-packed red-brick hole-in-the-wall, so speak up when ordering from the menu of antipasti (bruschetta, burrata mozzarella, calamari), house-made pastas like rigatoni served with mouthwatering sauces, and traditional entrées from pappardelle bolognese to spaghetti alla carbonara.
Prezza
Named for the ancient mountain village in Italy where the owner’s grandmother was born, Prezza offers a menu reflecting the fresh, robust flavor and simple preparation of old-world cuisine. For a hearty meal, consider traditional minestrone soup to start, followed by a pasta course of a single ravioli stuffed with ricotta and egg yolk. For your main, go for the crispy pork chop with peppers, onions, and potatoes. If you have room for dessert, try the pistachio sundae.
The Daily Catch
First dubbed the Calamari Cafe when it was founded in 1973, The Daily Catch continues to turn out some of the freshest Sicilian-style seafood dishes in Boston. It’s cozy dining at this small location on Hanover Street, and you should be prepared for a wait, since the restaurant doesn’t take reservations. But if you’re patient, you’ll be rewarded with delectable dishes such as fried calamari, pan-seared swordfish, and mussels marinara. The squid-ink pasta served in a trademark pan is a must-try.
Regina Pizzeria
While you’ll find quick-serve Regina Pizzerias in multiple locations in greater Boston, this original table-service restaurant dating back to 1926 — complete with classic booths and walls decorated with celebrity photos — is where you want to go. Thin-crust, brick-oven pizza is made with dough from a century-old recipe, and toppings range from anchovy fillets and capers to spinach, ricotta, and prosciutto to broccoli and garlic with white sauce. Meat lovers appreciate the pies topped with sliced sausage links or house-made meatballs.
L’Osteria
You know you’ve reached L’Osteria when you come upon its green and white striped awnings on the corner of Salem and Cooper streets. Eat at this lively spot — which takes reservations — when you’re with a group: everyone will find something to suit their palate with the varied menu featuring all the classics like caprese salad, chicken parmigiana, shrimp scampi, and lobster ravioli.
Mamma Maria
Sit down to a plate of Florentine-style baked oysters or lobster pasta in a beautiful 19th-century row house at Mamma Maria. The restaurant practices the very Italian tradition of sourcing its ingredients from local markets, so you can be sure the seafood on your plate comes from New England and the produce is grown in the region. Expect northern Italian flavors in the fall and winter and more of a southern Italian influence in the summer.
Table
Table serves a multicourse prix-fixe meal in a convivial, communal setup. Its two farmhouse tables seat 14 and 18 people, so expect to make friends with your neighbors as you indulge in the evening’s offerings. The set menu changes frequently but may include warming dishes like Parmesan and artichoke risotto, gnocchi seared in brown butter and sage, or grilled octopus over herby white beans. Seatings for the classic seven-course dinner are at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7 and 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, and 6 and 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays, but there are also Sunday Suppers and four-course specials.
Bricco
Bricco is where you go for a late-night pizza on Friday and Saturday nights in Boston’s North End. The restaurant’s pies — topped with prosciutto, seasonal mushrooms, and more — are served alongside antipasti, wine, and cocktails until 2 a.m. on weekends. Earlier in the evenings and throughout the week, you’ll also find a wide variety of pasta, including ricotta “pillows” in truffle butter, pappardelle with wild boar, and whatever risotto the chef whips up that day.
Antico Forno
You’ll go for the Neapolitan-style, brick oven-fired pies and stay for tiramisu and coffee just to soak in the homey atmosphere of Antico Forno’s dining room a little longer. While the restaurant is definitely known for its pizzas (toppings include pistachio pesto, house-made Italian sausage, and wild mushrooms), there are also plenty of old-world pasta dishes to pick from.
Ristorante Limoncello
The kitchen at Limoncello is still run by the same family who opened the place, with the owner’s late mother — aka “the meatball queen” — inspiring many of the recipes. The restaurant is just tucked away enough to evade the throngs of pasta-hungry tourists, but it’s still in an ideal location a few doors down from The Paul Revere House, right on the Freedom Trail, and with its own patio.
Trattoria Il Panino
This place bills itself as “Boston’s first original trattoria.” It all started with a sandwich, and now the menu is packed with simple classics, from cacio e pepe to spaghetti carbonara, penne arrabbiata to lasagna. End your Friday or Saturday night out at this North End haunt for a special late-night menu featuring fried calamari, lobster ravioli, panini, and chicken wings, served until 2 a.m.
Lucca
The extensive menu at Lucca includes scallops, wild boar ragu, local oysters, and “Really, Really Good Beef and Veal Meatballs.” The restaurant is named after a Tuscan town known for its olive oil, but the dishes are more northern Italian than Tuscan. If you’re a wine enthusiast or traveling with one, this is the place to go. There are hundreds of wines on offer, imported from all over the U.S. and Italy — from Napa to Piedmont, Umbria, and beyond.
Dining and Cooking