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Giacomo's Restaurant
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“But the atmosphere was nice, the food was excellent, and we had coffee and tiramisu for dessert which was excellent.”
“When the waiter stooped to ask if we left room for dessert, I asked for the check and promptly left NO tip, hoping that he got the message that we were thoroughly dissatisfied with his abjectly rude service (I sincerely doubt he cared or even knew his imp”
“Also there is a bar next door that has some good food also if Giacomo's is too busy!”
“The service is great, food is delicious, and atmosphere everything you would expect from a cozy neighborhood Italian restaurant!”
“My favorites tend to be the good variety of appetizers.”
“The best restaurant in the country!”
“was a little worried from reading the posts here, but I went realizing we would probably wait a while, that it would be loud, that we may be rushed, and the service might not be great, but the food would be.”
“The service is quietly attentive, the food is rave review quality and the prices will pleasantly surprise you.”
“On one of the coldest nights of the year, Giacomo's overbooked and forced multiple groups (including ours) to wait in their cold entryway more than 15 minutes past their reservations.”View Less
Unforgetable...for all the wrong reasons.
Do yourself a favor and skip this place. Dined recently with out of town friends. Had not been before, and was taking the recommendation of friends who said they liked it. Unbelieveably loud!! You
cannot have any conversation with your tables mates. What's the point of dining with friends if you can't even have a normal conversation???
Server indicated that the manager /chef would not accomodate any special requests and it seemed that
management has not won the hearts of staff there either as our waitress was completely exasperated.
Vastly over rated full of themselves…
Disappointing. Too loud and bland food. I used to love it. I ate here 5 or 10 times in 2003-2007, but had not been back for a while until I took some co-workers last night. We were seated promptly (exactly at our reservation time) and the service was good. Unfortunately, it was so loud that we had to lean forward and shout to be heard - even at 7:30 on a Monday night. My veal parm was bland and nothing special at all. My colleagues had tuna and steak. They both said their food was ok, but they certainly did not rave. I've been recommending this restaurant to new arrivals and visitors to Boston, but now I'm disappointed that I'll have to find a new place to recommend from now on- this just won't cut it.…
Bland, Flavorless, and Wannabe-Hip.
Trendy folks don't go to Giacomo's. Folks who think they're trendy do.
That was my first impression when I walked into this small, cramped, begging-to-be-cool restaurant. First off, they "kinda" take reservations. They say they don't, but they encourage you call 30 minutes before you come just to see what's up. That's what I did, but by the time my party of 6 got there they wanted me to wait 90 minutes to eat. 90 minutes? It's a restaurant with lots of customers who all started eating at different times... how could it take 90 minutes? Anywayz, I heard a lot about this place so I slipped the hostess a 20 and got a table in 10 minutes.
The Food --- below decent. I got the Lemon Fettucine. And it was bland. Barely lemon. It was like drinking some of your mom's lemonade concentrate out of the frozen can, only she poured too much water in the pitcher. People in my party ordered the pumpkin tortellini, and the beef tenderloin. Those were a little better, but definitely nothing worth waiting in a line for more than 10 seconds for.
Look, when I go out to eat, I'm trying to experience food and flavors that I can't make at home. If you boil some tortellini, or pour lemonade over fettucini... big deal. I can do that in my kitchen - where it's quieter.
There's better food in the north end. Go there. But if you're cheap, and lazy, and don't want to buy a $2 package of pasta and a $3 can of tomato sauce, then Giacomo's on Columbus is the perfect place for you!…
WOW the last two post couldn't be more wrong!!! I suspect they are from Brookline!.
If you want to go sit down and have a two hour dinner don't go to Giacomo's on friday night! If you want great food cheap and want to go out after go to giacomo's!! This resurant sits about 40
people and does about 220 on a friday night. They aren't threre to entertain! They are there to get the food out! its good ,its cheap, its fast!!! Also there is a bar next door that has some good food also if Giacomo's is too busy!
nick…
Giacomo's in the South End.
This is my first review which I felt compelled to write given the grueling experience had at this "best of the best Italian Restaurants" in Boston.
Giacomo's was recommended as a "must for dinner" and the South End restaurant was preferred due to no lines and a bigger premises. On this Friday night we were told that reservations were a must but when we got there we waited for 10 minutes despite 3 empty tables. While waiting I asked a server what the dish was he had just put down (looked delicious) and he grabbed the menu out of my wife's hands to show me. Okay, strike 1. Next was a very rude waiter who was all business and seemed as if it was an inconvenience to wait on us. The appetizers came 30 seconds before dinner (no exaggeration) and, despite the fact that they were good, there was no explanation, no "oops," no acknowledgement that dishes for two courses were being dumped upon us with a "this is perfectly normal" attitude. Strike 2. Dinner was quite good; I'd say very good but by this time we were so angry by the course, rude, and obviously bad treatment that it could not be enjoyed to its fullest. Then, as if in turn, as we finished eating the plates were removed - out from under us - as if to say, "you're done - that's enough!" Strike 3. When the waiter stooped to ask if we left room for dessert, I asked for the check and promptly left NO tip, hoping that he got the message that we were thoroughly dissatisfied with his abjectly rude service (I sincerely doubt he cared or even knew his impact upon our meal, despite being told that one doesn't usually eat appetizers while dinner is allowed to get cold on the table).
Is the food good? Yes. Is it worth the very lousy attitude and service? No. The truth is, there are much better restaurants which are owned and operated by people who appreciate your patronage and offer a smile at least once during your brief stay there. You will get neither at the South End Giacomo's Rest.…
