If you’re on vacation for the holidays, have you thought about traveling to Boston? It doesn’t matter which holiday you begin your travels with because each holiday brings something special to the City of Boston. You can see the fireworks light up over the city with the buildings in the background, or you can travel during Thanksgiving and watch the trees change colors to represent fall. Christmas is also a popular time to travel so you can go ice skating on the frog pond on the Boston Common. You will need to stop and eat on whichever holiday you travel. Below you will find the top 10 Italian restaurants that are most recommended by travelers, like yourself.
# 10 – Mario’s Restaurant
Mario’s restaurant is a casual environment where you can attend lunch or dinner while you’re out and about. The brick walls create a little bit of a classy atmosphere as well. The checkered tablecloths and the red chairs match the restaurant’s color combination. The employees offer great customer service, and the customers love the food. They also offer vegetarian and gluten-free options for customers that are on strict diets.
While you wait for your food, you can have your waiter or waitress put in one of their delicious appetizers for you to munch on. One of their appetizers is the gamberi. This dish has shrimp that is grilled on both sides with grilled asparagus. Once the shrimp has been grilled, it’s tossed in a balsamic glaze for some extra flavoring. There are several more dishes to choose from, such as the ravioli aragosta. The ravioli is stuffed with lobster and cooked in a vodka tomato sauce.
Address: 347 Chelsea St, Boston, MA 02128
Website: www.marioseastboston.com
# 9 – Mamma Maria
If you’re traveling, you may be locating this restaurant using a navigation system. When you arrive, you will notice that this restaurant is located in the middle of other restaurants and shopping areas. There is a patio in the area where you can bring your food if you choose to eat outside. When you walk into the restaurant, you will notice that there is something unique about this restaurant. It’s a two-story restaurant. There are a few private dining areas that you can choose from when you call ahead to reserve. You can choose the Rossini, Piccolo, Verde, or the Terrace rooms. The neutral colors with the white curtains create an elegant eating environment.
If you’re looking for a mixture of seafood and Italian food, you are coming to the right place. The lobster agnolotti pasta is a great dish. The lobster comes from Maine, and it is chopped up so it’s mixed in with the pasta. The pasta is Venetian-style, and it has three different colors. This dish is served with wild mushrooms, grilled asparagus, and crumbled guanciale. Another great dish that is a must to try is the summertime ravioli. The ravioli is made with sweet corn and is stuffed with homemade spinach. It’s topped with mushrooms and peppers to add a mix of color to your plate. It’s served with beans and arugula that have been sauteed in a pan. Fresh sage is sprinkled over the dish as an added flavor.
Address: 3 North Square, Boston, MA 02113
Website: www.mammamaria.com
# 8 – SRV Restaurant
If you’re doing some sightseeing at the Museum of Fine Arts, stop by this restaurant on your way back to your hotel. It’s only about half a mile away from the museum. This restaurant is large and has a mixture of casualty and classy. You will notice the bar is located on the right side of the restaurant when you walk in, and it’s large with lots of seating for customers to enjoy a glass of wine. One of the most popular wine choices is the Montefalco Sagrantino, which is red wine. After dark, the brick walls light up to create an elegant vibe. Many customers choose to eat outside on their patio to enjoy some fresh air.
If you’re in the mood for something a little bit on the healthier side, you should try their arugula salad. The arugula salad is topped with fresh oysters and chives. It’s served with a side of some Italian bread called focaccia. The lobster risotto is another good choice. Risotto is similar to rice, except it’s creamier. You will see some tomatoes and lobster on top of the risotto, and it’s seasoned with tarragon and chili powder for an extra kick of spice.
Address: 569 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02118
Website: www.srvboston.com
# 7 – Galleria Umberto
This restaurant is a casual restaurant, and the first thing that will catch your eye is the large map of Italy on the walls. You can point out landmarks and if you have ever traveled to Italy, you may be familiar with a few details on the map. Over the dining area, you will notice a large flower pot hanging from the ceiling that demonstrates a positive and welcoming environment. On the wall, you will notice their menu so you can take a look at it before you sit down at your table. There’s also a counter of fresh, hot bread that’s near the cash register. One thing you should be aware of before dining at this restaurant is that they only accept cash.
Their pizza is freshly made and cut into squares. The most popular kind is cheese pizza because that’s usually a family favorite. Their calzones are also delicious, and there are a few different ones to choose from. The most popular one is the spinach and cheese calzone. When you take a bite, you will be hooked. Both of these entrees have Italian seasonings to add a flavor profile.
Address: 289 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113
Website: www.galleriaumbertonorthend.com
# 6 – Carmelina’s
The brick walls inside this restaurant create a calming and elegant environment. As you sit down, you can gaze at the pictures on the walls while you wait for your food. It’s a great conversation starter for the wait staff. Ask them who those people are and if they are the people that have started the restaurant. If the inside of the restaurant is too crowded, then you may want to relax on the outdoor patio. The patio is close to the parking lot, but that shouldn’t make you worried if you have your kids with you because it’s fenced in. Their patio is a nice extension of the restaurant that is made for customers to have a relaxing meal on a nice day.
If you love spicy foods, you should try the spicy shrimp at this restaurant. The shrimp is marinated in a spicy tomato and vodka sauce. The shrimp is mixed in the spaghetti, and it is topped with basil and capers for the finishing touch. If you’re a vegetarian, this restaurant also has a vegetarian section on its menu. The Aglio Olio is a popular dish for vegetarian customers. The spaghetti is cooked in garlic and oil once the water from the pot has been drained. There are also some tomatoes covering the spaghetti.
Address: 307 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113
Website: www.carmelinasboston.com
# 5 – Sorellina
This restaurant is not your typical Italian restaurant, and that’s a good thing. The light colors and the beige pillars promote an elegant environment. The chairs and booths are comfortable, and the tables are already laid out for you. They have white tablecloths, silverware, and wine glasses. After dark, you’ll notice a change in the atmosphere. The lights are dimmed, and there are candles at each table. New customers like to admire the restaurant and how beautiful it looks before they sit down for the wait staff to take their order.
This restaurant is only open for dinner, and there are several choices to choose from. One of the popular choices is halibut. Their halibut is seasoned with thyme brodo, and it’s served with mushrooms and corn. Another popular dish is everyone’s favorite, and that dish is chicken. You will be served with two types of chicken, such as the game hen and the leg confit. With the chicken, you will have a summer vegetable medley and mashed potatoes.
Address: 1 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02116
Website: www.sorellinaboston.com
# 4 – Rino’s Place
The restaurant is designed uniquely. You will notice that the restaurant has a comforting feeling to the place. It almost makes you feel like you’re eating in a cabin. When you eat outside on their patio, you get a comfortable experience. Many customers dine here every day, and they love how the staff makes you feel welcome as if they have known you forever. The customers can’t stop talking about the food and how great it is. If you’re passing through this area, you should take your family here.
One of the best Italian dishes in this restaurant is the gnocchi. If you’ve never had gnocchi or you don’t know what it is, gnocchi is made out of potatoes. These homemade dumplings are sauteed in a pan and cooked with tomato sauce. Fresh mozzarella is sprinkled over the gnocchi. Once it is cooked, the dish will go in the oven long enough so the mozzarella cheese is melted over the dish. If you’re looking for something simple, you should try the ravioli. The ravioli is stuffed with homemade cheese. It’s cooked in tomato sauce before it is placed on your plate and brought to you.
Address: 258 Saratoga St, Boston, MA 02128
Website: www.rinosplace.com
# 3 – La Summa Cucina Italiiana
If you arrive after dark, you may find a string of Christmas lights on the front of the restaurant to brighten the place up a little bit to make it stand out from the other dining establishments in the area. If you’re planning on dining during lunch or for an early lunch, you will be welcomed by potted plants on the windowsill of the restaurant. This restaurant has special seating arrangements for large groups or an event. The restaurant has a casual atmosphere during the day, and an elegant atmosphere when the sun goes down. Before dinner service, the staff will prepare the tables and place candles on each table for an intimate experience.
The baked manicotti may be an Italian dish that you’ve never tried before. Since you’re on vacation, why not? In the manicotti, you will taste the spinach and ricotta cheese rolled up into two pasta crepes. It’s covered in a marinara sauce before it is placed in the oven. The baked ziti is another popular choice to order. Chicken and broccoli are chopped up and mixed in with the ziti pasta, and you can choose whether you want scampi or alfredo sauce to be poured on top before it is placed in the oven.
Address: 30 Fleet St, Boston, MA 02113
Website: www.lasumma.com
# 2 – Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
The high ceilings in this restaurant suggest you will be dining in elegance, almost as if you are eating in a ballroom. It’s recommended that you call ahead to make reservations because you will want to have the best seat in the house at the chef’s table. You can watch the chefs cook while you’re enjoying your meal. It’s almost like you’re dining with entertainment because you can see how the chefs communicate with each other and how they prepare your food. This restaurant also has a large bar with seating for people to enjoy food or a glass of wine. One of their popular choice of wine is chardonnay, which is a white wine.
One of the choices you can have for dinner is the cold tower. The cold tower is a mix of your favorite seafood options. You will find lobster imported from Maine, crab, shrimp, oysters, clams, tuna, and salmon. If you have plans in the late afternoon through the evening hours, stop by for a quick bite to eat during lunch. Their paninis are amazing. Everyone loves turkey. You can order their turkey club with roasted turkey and bacon in the panini. Also in the panini are tomatoes and aioli with a side of fresh bread.
Address: 75 Arlington St, Boston, MA 02116
Website: www.davios.com/bos
# 1 – Prezza
Closing out our Boston article is a fabulous restaurant called Prezza. This restaurant is on the same street as the previous restaurant mentioned, and it’s also one of the greatest choices to dine at. For an intimate evening, you will dine by candlelight which adds an elegant experience to every customer that walks through the door. Like many of the other restaurants previously mentioned, there are private dining areas in this establishment too. Whether you have a large family or are having a celebration of some kind, you will feel like your party are the only people that matter. The customer service in this restaurant is excellent, and the food is just as good.
Seafood and lobster make a great comparison. The Lobster Fra Diavolo is an excellent choice if you love seafood and pasta. The lobster is mixed in with the spaghetti. The sauce is made out of lobster stock and tomatoes. It’s topped with fennel. If you are in the mood for a good piece of meat, try the 8 oz filet. The filet is put on the grill. While it’s being prepared on the grill, the chef will prepare the onions that are glazed with balsamic. The meat and onions are also served with potatoes to complete the dish.
Address: 24 Fleet St, Boston, MA 02113
Website: www.prezza.com
Make sure to check out our…. Boston Food And Fun Guide
10 Best Italian Restaurants in Boston article published on BigCityReview.com© 2022
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