(617) 248-6800

241 Hanover St
Boston, MA 02113 42.3633 -71.0547

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Neighborhoods: North End, Central

BRICCO.COM

Years in business

Established in 2003

Hours:

Daily 5pm-2am

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 7.20.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Gift Certificate, American Express, Visa, Discover, Diners Club, MasterCard, Travelers Check

Restaurant Special Features:

Late Night Dining, Romantic Dining, Celeb Hangout, View Dining, People Watching, Business Dining, Group Dining, Dine At The Bar, Bar Scene, Notable Wine List, Prix Fixe Menu

Cuisine:

Pizza, Italian

Smoking Permitted:

No

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Bricco

Featured Review

Eric Grossman

Contributor

The Scene – Visitors to this popular Italian restaurant and wine bar may think they've taken a wrong turn (the North End is home to countless family-style, red-sauce joints). How else to explain such modern touches as a live "kitchen-cam" that allows patrons and passers-by to see chefs at work, or a hip bar area that stays open late to cater to a cosmopolitan, international crowd? Efficient servers deliver selections from an impressive Italian wine list. – – The Food – While the handsome dining room's window-seats are among the area's best people-watching spots,…

Editor's Tips

Parking:
Don't sweat it: Bricco offers valet service.
Know Before You Go:
The lounge serves delicious pizzas and inventive house cocktails until 2am nightly and gets quite noisy. Those looking for a relaxed late-night bite should head elsewhere.
ambiance
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “had great expectations from this restaurant and was disappointed to experience how "unitialian" this place was when it came to atmosphere and those good ol' italian meals that warm the heart.”
  2. “loved the atmosphere, the layout, the food, the staff.”
  3. “Sadly, Bricco has great food, and a great atmosphere but it seems the workers at places the Frank Pasquale owns have something against visitors getting what they want, which we now see as a pattern, in all his restaurants.”
  4. “the ambiance is so inviting.”
  5. “The waitstaff are scam artists, the food is bad (think uncuttable meat) and the ambience is non-existent.”
  6. “It has a nice dark wood decor.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “We were seated promptly, food was great (seafood rissoto and chicken picatta entrees), desserts were ok (tirimisu and apple crisp) service was good but not great and the portions were more than ample”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “our wine with dinner was a perfect match.”
  2. “They have great sauces and drinks to go with the unique food.”
  3. “Great service, excellent tapas menu, OUTSTANDING wine list.”
  4. “He also said, much to our surprise, that no wines from Italy are any good, and recommended drinking only native wine.”
  5. “treated for 6 and even with a few bottles of wine, bill was reasonable.”
  6. “Service was attentive and pleasant, and wine list is excellent.”
  7. “The service was good but our server was unknowledgable about the overpriced wine list.”
  8. “The drinks are not bad but for a great meal with charm in the north end; you are better off with a place like the lovely Cantina or Strega.”
food quality
89.13000106811523% positive
  1. “The food was nice but the very poor service ruined the experience.”
  2. “They have great sauces and drinks to go with the unique food.”
  3. “was visiting Boston and had one night to enjoy cuisine in the famed North End.”
  4. “The food was excellent.”
  5. “The dish was served with an overy large mound of pickled red onion concoction, along with a small portion of uninteresting gnocchi.”
  6. “The waitstaff are scam artists, the food is bad (think uncuttable meat) and the ambience is non-existent.”
  7. “However the roasted pork loin was amazing tasting, with great salad and dressing.”
  8. “..and her outstanding bread pudding!”
  9. “Chef Marisa Iocco came to our table to see how we enjoyed her exquisite rack of lamb and veal chop”
  10. “Bricco brings a breath of fresh air to the North End.”
  11. “The prices can be high, but the food is excellent.”
  12. “The food is tasty, the service is good and the atmophere is sophisticated but.”
  13. “The Californian chef here cooks Italian cuisine with great flavors.”
  14. “loved the atmosphere, the layout, the food, the staff.”
  15. “Bricco is big on presentation but the food is mostly very ordinary.”
  16. “The drinks are not bad but for a great meal with charm in the north end; you are better off with a place like the lovely Cantina or Strega.”
  17. “We've always had excellent food and service.”
  18. “The food lacks thought and soul - it's more of a place to be seen than to enjoy real food.”
  19. “We were seated promptly, food was great (seafood rissoto and chicken picatta entrees), desserts were ok (tirimisu and apple crisp) service was good but not great and the portions were more than ample”
  20. “Sadly, Bricco has great food, and a great atmosphere but it seems the workers at places the Frank Pasquale owns have something against visitors getting what they want, which we now see as a pattern, in all his restaurants.”
  21. “The chef at Bricco comes from the famed Greystone at the CIA in Napa, so my first visit was piqued with anticipation of a great meal---it did not disappoint.”
  22. “Plain and simple: the food is great, but we literally felt like we were sitting on top of the couple next to us.”
  23. “Homemade bread was delicious, as was the main course of lobster pappardelle.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “Great service, excellent tapas menu, OUTSTANDING wine list.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “had great expectations from this restaurant and was disappointed to experience how "unitialian" this place was when it came to atmosphere and those good ol' italian meals that warm the heart.”
  2. “... Bricco is by far the best restaurant in the North End.”
  3. “The drinks are not bad but for a great meal with charm in the north end; you are better off with a place like the lovely Cantina or Strega.”
service
85.0% positive
  1. “loved the atmosphere, the layout, the food, the staff.”
  2. “We were seated promptly, food was great (seafood rissoto and chicken picatta entrees), desserts were ok (tirimisu and apple crisp) service was good but not great and the portions were more than ample”
  3. “The service was good but our server was unknowledgable about the overpriced wine list.”
  4. “Service was attentive and pleasant, and wine list is excellent.”
  5. “The food is tasty, the service is good and the atmophere is sophisticated but.”
  6. “Our waitress didn't like this.”
  7. “We've always had excellent food and service.”
  8. “Our server was the consummate professional.”
  9. “The food was nice but the very poor service ruined the experience.”
  10. “Great service, excellent tapas menu, OUTSTANDING wine list.”
value
80.0% positive
  1. “The service was good but our server was unknowledgable about the overpriced wine list.”
  2. “We were seated promptly, food was great (seafood rissoto and chicken picatta entrees), desserts were ok (tirimisu and apple crisp) service was good but not great and the portions were more than ample”
  3. “Not alone that, it's a huge rip-off.”
  4. “Their prices are expensive and the quality is just not there.”
  5. “The prices can be high, but the food is excellent.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

10/11/11

Briccos is a wasted of time and money

by Chars of at Citysearch

I was extremely disappointed with Briccos Italian Restaurant located in the North End of Boston. The service was poor, first the waiter asked if we wanted tap or bottled water and we answered bottled several times and he proceeded to pour us tap water. then the main server came and we asked her to explain 2 of the pasta dishes sauces that we were ordering and she unable to clarify anything. The seafood pasta claimed to have scallops, shrimp, fish and chefs choice seafood, other than a large scallop on top, the dish had very little seafood and what there was I found horrid. The scallop was gritty, the fish was almost non-existant and the shrimp was non-existent. The pasta was a overcooked and the dish itself was so salty it was inedible. My husband unfortunately ordered another dish that disappointed as well, the rigatoni with meatballs. The dish at first glance looked interesting, but the raw pasta noodles stuck in a "drum" of rigatoni was juvenile as well as inedible. The only thing accurate about the dish was the word drum because that is what The fried outside of the pasta tasted like. The meatballs were not balls at all but half round mounds of meat split in two on the plate. The service was incredibly weak. My husband and a I looked forward to a nice meal and instead felt we wasted $80.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/02/09

Bricco Rocks

by David C at Citysearch

So I went to Bricco for the first time on Wednesday evening. It was a party of 20; business type dinner. I had been to my fair share of North End restaurants and some were great, some good, and others were not for me. This one is my new favorite. The staff was courteous. The service was crisp and swift. The food was excellent. Granted, it's always about picking the right meal. Anyway, our waitress, Kate, was the one who actually picked our appetizers for us. We got some traditional faves such as Prosciutto and Caprese. No way to screw that up. But the kicker was these other two: Octopus and Zucchini flowers. I especially loved the ricotta-tempura. It was awesome. We had a nice red ordered by the head poobah at the table. I'm not much of a wine critic, so I'll leave it to the experts. But the dish I ordered, Bricco's Brodetto. Let's just say I was full and wanted another one. I can't wait to go back. I loved the atmosphere, the layout, the food, the staff. I even killed about 15 minutes of the manager's, Nick, time gushing over his restaurant. Some things just have to be said.

  • Pros: Atmosphere, staff
  • Cons: Weird entrance; bathrooms are female-friendly
1 Star Rating: Poor

07/20/09

A scam that masquerades as a restaurant

by sdarfoor at Citysearch

This has to be one of the biggest con jobs in Boston. We just happened upon it and it appeared to be a cozy little restaurant. Family of 4, two children. Ordered a main course and an appetizer which the waiter said was a house special. No alcohol. Bill? Close to $250. Just shocking! I only wish there was a way of warning people never to allow themselves to get suckered in to this scam that masquerades as a restaurant.

Food? Reasonable but never for that price. Stay away!

  • Pros: Nothing
  • Cons: A real scam
2 Star Rating: Below Average

06/05/09

overrated

by princess986 at Citysearch

Plain and simple: the food is great, but we literally felt like we were sitting on top of the couple next to us. The prices were outrageous, honestly nothing to write home about. Not to mention not only have I seen but I have also heard on numerous occasions of their pest problem due to open aired seating. I would like to know what the kitchen looks like if I can see the pests on the dining room floor!

  • Pros: great food
  • Cons: pricing, tight seating, pest problem, snobby staff
1 Star Rating: Poor

10/27/08

Major Rip-off

by Jaon78 at Citysearch

This is the worst restaurant I've eaten at in greater Boston. Not alone that, it's a huge rip-off. If you're foolish enough to dine there, please make sure you look at the price of everything on the menu as well as the wine list. The waitstaff are scam artists, the food is bad (think uncuttable meat) and the ambience is non-existent.

This is the kind of place that once-in-while suburban diners get suckered into visiting. I'd give this ZERO stars if it were an option.

  • Pros: It serves food
  • Cons: EVERYTHING- sleazy rip-off

The Details on Bricco

Place Categories:

  • great real food
  • good service
  • worst restaurant
  • memorable experience
  • great meal
  • enjoyed exquisite rack of lamb
  • great drinks
  • enjoyed veal chop
  • really like place
  • outstanding homemade bread
  • loved atmosphere
  • uninteresting gnocchi
  • happy none
  • amazing roasted pork loin
  • perfect timing
  • great expectations
  • any good wines
  • great dressing
  • professional server
  • best epicurean
  • warm italian meals
  • inviting ambiance
  • great tapas
  • huge ripoff
  • great salad
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