Lo Conte's Italian Cuisine
Boston, MA 02113-1706
Phone: (617) 720-0339
- Price:
- $$
- Cross Street:
- Parmenter Street
- Hours:
- Tue-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 11am-10pm
Editorial Review for Lo Conte's Italian Cuisine – by Leah Gourley
The Scene
Familiar salutations abruptly burst across the dining room: Even first-time diners are warmly welcomed at this North End stalwart. Three disconnected dining rooms are starky decorated; only painted-on shutters mar the creamy cappuccino-colored walls. Don't be put off by an army of waiters who, though unrefined and bordering on brusque, prove reliably efficient.
The Food
Try anything with Lo Conte's pesto sauce--it explodes with fresh basil in a light garlicky base. Artichoke orata, a sizable appetizer of fried artichoke hearts dusted with lemon juice, is zesty and crunchy. Stuffed veal brocelotini succulently combines veal with prosciutto, mushrooms, peppers and mozzarella in a bold white wine sauce and arrives with a huge side of ziti. Cheese tortellini pesto is studded with roasted pine nuts. Appetizers, salads and especially entrees are enormous. Thankfully, there's no need to save room for dessert--the restaurant doesn't offer any.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
ParkingThere's no valet service, but don't sweat the typical lack of North End parking; the Cooper Street lot is a short walk away.
User Reviews for Lo Conte's Italian Cuisine
08/28/2008 Posted by janine12345
Was one of my favorites about 5 yrs ago, but quality and attitude plummeted since I've last visited the North End. The marinara sauce has gone down hill, as did the customer service. My friends and I had looked forward to dining at one of our old stomping grounds while I was in town, but I was extremely dissappointed. We waited forever to be seated (w/ a reservation), were rushed to order, and then expected to scoff down below par food. The whole experience was very unpleasant; I'm sorry to say I won't be back.
Cons: food was inedible, waiter was rude and pushy
05/26/2008 Posted by RestaurantRegular
My friend and I went out for a late dinner on a Sat. night (around 10.20) when they close at 11.00. We were sat right away and the waiter asked us to put an order in as the kitchen was closing. In order to avoid starting out on a bad foot, we quickly placed our order for mussels and the lobster ravioli. He came back shortly thereafter and took our drink order (a bottle of the Sangiovese). Within 5 minutes we received the bottle and food at the same time, which is also not customary, but we were hungry and it smelled delicious - we again decided to let it go and be grateful for such a fabulous meal. We began eating and within 10 minutes, the bussers were trying to grab the food off the table before we were done! I kid you not, they came 5 or 6 times (a few min apart) trying to remove the food we had not yet finished. We also noticed that the other 2 large tables were not being bothered at all. At one point, I had to literally hover my hands over the food and stearnly stay 'we are not done, do not try and remove our meal'. It was ludicrous! We received the check and paid by 11.15 (the other tables were still there btw) and because we hadn't signed our credit slips (because we were pondering what to leave based on the terrible, terrible service with our last, full glass of wine), the manager came over and told us to sign. He said we could 'sit here all night' if we wanted to - after we signed. We really had no intention of spending much time there as it became apparent we were not welcome, and I said ' I'll sign when I'm ready to, is that ok?' He then began to argue with me and walked off! I was so fed up by all of the rude behavior that I chose to leave a zero tip, which I rarely do, and my friend, very generously, left $5. The next morning, we were still talking about how uncouth the experience was and I decided to hop online and check my cc statement - they had charged a 20% tip for each of us, though we left only 5%. WATCH OUT for these people! THEY ARE THIEFS!
Pros: The quality of the food was exquisite.
Cons: The quality of the service was so poor, you couldn't enjoy the fabulous food.
Users Like You Also Viewed
Dom's
10 Bartlett Pl
Boston, MA 02113-2244
Cheers--Faneuil Hall
South Canopy, Quincy Market
Boston, MA 02109
