Antico Forno

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NewYork311

Joined 4 years ago

Easily the best in Boston.. Ate here last weekend and almost fell asleep in my chair after eating the gnocci. It's literally that tasty that you feel like you're at home on your couch afterwards, just hanging out and relaxing. The pizza is unbelievable too. The setting was awesome, kind of like rustic italy and the north end had a baby. Totally awesome north end spot to check out. It's on Salem too so you're not sitting on top of eachother like Hanover St. restaurants.

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CSMobileUser

Joined 5 years ago

My opinion. Antico Forno has the bes food and pizza in the North end! Their service is also top notch. I recommend this restaurant to lots of people here in NY and they also lve it!

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juliacantor

Joined 3 years ago

Delicious Italian Food!. With so many restaurants in the North End offering an authentic Italian experience, it is hard to pick, but I definitely recommend Antico Forno. I went recently for a friend's birthday and had a wonderful time. The service was great, the appetizers, meals; all-around a great time. We had a large group, so made a reservation, which I highly recommend doing. Even though it is a large place, the restaurant and bar is packed on a Saturday night. We ordered wine, calamari, salad, pizzas, and some ordered pasta, and everyone loved their meals. The pizza is thin, but if you are getting an appetizer it is still big enough to share. Almost everyone in my group had previously visited Italy, in fact, a number of us had lived there for a few months or more, so for all of us to truly enjoy the food and experience says a lot! I highly recommend Antico Forno.

Doesn't Recommend

mochi82

Joined 4 years ago

Mortifying Experience. Woah! What a horrible dining experience!!! I have never written a review on a restaurant, but tonight I feel inspired.

North End on a Saturday night is very busy so we found one restaurant with no wait....no wonder! Initially, we were happy they seated us right away. Too bad the table was put there as a mere afterthought....between the bar (which doubled as a waiting room), kitchen, and the restroom. Between hungry customers, drinking patrons, waiters with dirty dishes, people in a rush to the bathroom, servers with dishes of food....I felt lucky if I wasn't bumped every 10 seconds.

I told the hostess. Instead of moving our seats, she scolded the waiters in front of me ordering them to walk ALL the way around the entire restaurant to the kitchen. Yes, blame the waiters trying to do their job...and make the customer feel worse. To make matters worse, she would ignore her own order and she would pass and bump my chair about 6 more times after this incident.

I put an extra chair next to me as a mini barricade against the waiters, customers, busboys, hostess, servers...and whoever else wanted to pass. I was then reprimanded because I would cause a nuisance for the the waiters wanting to go to the kitchen. And the hostess, literally flung the chair against the wall behind me. I have never had a dining experience where hostess single-handed made me feel guilty and embarrassed.

Then we finally got our food. Maybe, I was biased by this point...but the food was mediocre. A little salty. Very similiar to the Olive Garden but more expensive. Hopefully, your experience will be different...but would you want to risk it?

Doesn't Recommend

Agalag

Joined 5 years ago

Bad Italian American food. I was expecting authentic Italian food, got bad Italian-American food instead.

I'm sorry to see a wood-burning stove wasted in such bad pizza. The risotto was even worse.

On the plus side the place was packed and everyone else was enjoying their meal. Every other restaurant in the North End area was packed as well. Very nice area to walk. When I go back to Boston I'll stick to clam chowders and the like.

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isabeljo

Joined 5 years ago

Our New Favorite North End Eatery. Four of us visited on Sat. of marathon weekend. Boston was CRAZY that day. Arrived just about 5:00PM . No wait. Cordial staff. Water and bread brought immediately.( just white loaf bread but there was a cheese dipping sauce instead of olive oil that was tasty). Wine list was reasonable. Ordered Calamari and Caprese.

Calamari was breaded lightly, tender and plentiful. Mozzarella was fresh and tomatoes jumbo but soft.

Rigatoni Alla Boscaiola, Rigatoni Salsiccia e Ricotta, Chicken Parm, and Mussels. All were absolutely fantastic!

The room filled up fast after being seated but we never felt rushed or forgotten. Dishes were removed discreetly, water filled promptly, and leftovers bagged without hesitation. We could not have enjoyed the experience more.

We now have a new favorite North End eatery. Not a real romantic or quiet place but delicious food. We have tried several times before to get in but long lines deterred us. Never again.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Reasonably priced gourmet Italian cuisine, prepared in traditional brick-oven style.. In Short
Most everything on the rustic menu is cooked in a burning brick oven, as the restaurant's name implies (antico forno means "old oven"). The diminutive dining room hosts a mix of loyal locals and tourists, and can get quite noisy when full. Thin-crust pizzas (toppings include homemade sausage, imported buffalo mozzarella and sautéed shrimp) and baked pasta dishes emerge from the oven piping hot. Fresh salads, wood-grilled seafood and homemade pastas round out the menu.

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kimmie23

Joined 6 years ago

Fabulous!. This place is awesome! My husband and I returned from our honeymoon in Italy and ate here a few days later. The food is incredible, the service is great and the atmosphere reminded us of Italy. Not many places make gnocchi that can compare to Italy, but this restaurant does. The fettucini Positano is fabulous as well!! Highly recommended!

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missreader

Joined 6 years ago

Best Pizza, Worst Service. I went to this restaurant alone on a Monday night. Not being a Boston native, I walked and walked, finally found it, and was told there would be a 15-20 minute wait. I said "ok!" and was then told I would have to "go outside." That's right - I was not allowed to wait inside the restaurant. I said "it's Little Italy - if I walk around outside I'll find another Italian place to eat!" I was about to leave, when some incredibly nice folks from New Orleans let me sit with them at their table. How awesome is that? Good thing they did, because the trifolata pizza was the best gourmet pizza I've ever had. Amazing. The decor was great, too, as was the wine. Will I go back? Yes, with a reservation. But if it weren't for that pizza, not a chance.

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theduke37

Joined 10 years ago

Solid and reasonable. Calamari appetizer is excellent, and the antipasto is very nice. The pizzas are very good, although I recommend getting them well done as they are loaded with toppings which can cause them to be a little soggy on the bottom ifthey don't leave them in the oven a little longer. The baked fusilli dish is really good if you like sweet tomato sauces. Service was so-so. Prices are very reasonable for the North End.