“Whether it’s your anniversary dinner or just a night out, you always remember your experience in the North End, especially if you’re coming in from the suburbs. My mother lives in the North End, and I lived on Salem street for a couple of years. so it was a no-brainer to open up my first restaurant here. Plus, what other neighborhood would you go to for Italian food?”
–Jen Royle, owner, TABLE
What’s new is old. This restaurant from award-winning sports reporter turned caterer turned restaurateur Jen Royle may have just opened in January, but it encapsulates all of the North End’s Old World values. For starters, no misanthropes allowed: dining is strictly family-style, with dishes placed down on one of two communal tables, one 14 seats and the other 22. Two nightly seatings invite strangers to break bread over a nine-course menu of impeccable Italian classics: duck confit ravioli, charred octopus, shrimp scampi, panzetti, ricotta zeppole. “I really wanted to bring something new to the neighborhood, and growing up in an Italian family, we always ate family-style,” says Royle. Her faith in Bostonians’ humanity was warranted. The restaurant has been an immediate hit. Turns out, Bostonians aren’t are all unrepentant curmudgeons after all.
Dining and Cooking