Cantina Italiana

07/07/09

Average Food, High Prices

by Foodietoo at Citysearch

Just moved up from New Orleans. Expected more, but I guess I'm spoiled. (New Yorker too). The place was as authentic as you can get, complete with live accordian music, but we had the cold antipasto, gnocci and rissotto procini. The rissotto was dry, and the gnocci's sauce was flat and uninspired..

Not worth the 65 dollar bill (no wine or drinks).

No wonder there was no wait to get in.

• Pros: Great Atmosphere
• Cons: Food and Cuisine was ho-hum

06/22/08

North End disaster

by hotelman21 at Citysearch

We made a reservation for 8:30 on Saturday night and were still waiting for a table by 9:15. Other patrons near the bar were annoyed with the wait when they made reservations as the hostess and manager sat other walk-ins. When I told the hostess to take off our reservation she rolled her eye's at me.

As a hospitality professional myself I would never stake my reputation by recommending this restaurant to anyone. There are to many great restaurants in the North End to put up with this level of unprofessionalism.

• Pros: It's convience to better places
• Cons: Poor reservation management

03/08/08

Below Average Quality, Overpriced

by LoveItalianFood at Citysearch

I have been to this Restaurant 3 times, the first 2 times the food was good but the last experience was one of the worst I have had in any restaurant, rude waiter and terrible food. While the food was good the first 2 times, it is still overpriced. Not every restaurant in the north end has good Italian food, this one may vary on the day, you may have a good experience in one day and a bad one on another, but regardless, it is overpriced, you can get cheaper/better quality Italian food in a local restaurant or even Carrabbas.

• Pros: Fast food serve once you order
• Cons: Expensive

02/12/07

Awesome homemade pasta

by taves7 at Citysearch

We went to Cantina Italiana last weekend because we'd never been there before and were hosting some out-of-town guests. We were all pleasantly surprised by how good the food is at this restaurant. The homemade pasta is excellent, including the fusilli. Our service was sporadic, but it was very busy.

• Pros: Great pasta, easy to find
• Cons: Slower service, 70s decor

11/19/06

Don't be fooled by the tacky neon side outside! The food is excellent!

by beabeasav at Citysearch

I actually found out about Cantina Italiana on Citysearch and decided to give it a try despite having some negative reviews. I am so happy that I went. My boyfriend and I regularly went to Cantina while we lived in Boston and make sure that we go there whenever we are back in Boston visiting. The lobster ravioli, fresh mozzarella, and fried calamari appetizers are all excellent. The bomboloti pasta with spicy sausage and goat cheese is a unique variation on the traditional baked ziti and I get it every time! They also have some great seafood dishes with scallops and shrimp. Anyone who knows Italian food can really appreciate the great food. And don't be fooled by the "small" portions - I thought the plate looked small but the food is so rich that you'll find it difficult to finish and end up taking it home. Also really nice is that they serve fresh bread with a different olive oil each night - flavored olive oils from spicy peppers to simple garlic. The only thing that I have ever had that I did not enjoy was the cannoli, but that was because I was expecting sugar cream, not traditional Italian-ricotta style.

Make reservations and avoid having to wait - though they do have a newly redone bar in the front for you to wait.

Enjoy! (also know they have a sister restaurant down the street that is also good - though Cantina is better - but it is a little pricier and dressier)

• Pros: Great food!
• Cons: Long walk from the T

07/19/06

Good Food but a Little "Buggy"

by snoopy316 at Citysearch

I have been goign here for a few years now, and the food has alwasy been outstanding. The last and final time i went there was with my oarents visting from CT. As we were sitting in a booth my mother noticed a cockroach!! commign out of the gap. We are all very disgusted. My father then tapped the wall with his hand in attempt to scare it back into the wall.. 3! more came out!

We were soo digusted we left promptly.

I will NEVER go there again.

DISGUSTING

• Pros: Good Food, Prompt service
• Cons: Long waits, EXPENSIVE, and there are cockroaches

04/18/06

Poor Service, Average Food

by bond6340 at Citysearch

We went on a Saturday night and made reservations earlier in the day for 8:30pm. When making the reservation, I told the manager that we had a 10:30 show to attend and he said that shouldn't be a problem. We ended up waiting an hour for a table and not sitting till 9:30pm. They kept giving us the same line that we were the next table. If they had told us the truth, I would have gone elsewhere to eat. Not all was bad, the appetizers and the waitor were very good. The main course dishes were average and overpriced. Their are much better places in the North End for food than this one. I would recommend going elsewhere.

12/30/05

Not recommended for families

by emilc at Citysearch

This restaurant offers good food in small overpriced portions. Unlike most restaurants in the North End (which are generally overpriced compared to their peers outside of Boston), they do not offer pasta as an accompaniment to the meal but as as an ala carte. The waiter was indifferent to the fact that we came with a family and it seemed clear that this was not their preferred clientele. There are much better deals with larger, more reasonably priced portions in family friendly settings in the North End.

04/02/05

One of the North End's oldest restaurants serves up satisfying Italian cuisine and plenty of charm.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
A loyal, local clientele and a steady stream of tourists have kept business booming at this popular restaurant since 1931. While there are fancier, more modern establishments in the North End, few places provide such an untainted old-world atmosphere. Congenial waiters clearly take pride in their service, and the dining room's cozy booths provide an ideal setting for enjoying the restaurant's special homemade bombolotti (wagon wheel) pasta.

The Food
The kitchen's extensive menu rarely veers off the red-sauce highway. But diners seldom complain after digging into heaping plates of buffalo-mozzarella salad and baked ziti. Start with a filling plate of garlic crostini topped with shrimp and vegetables, before moving on to a delicate vegetable risotto or a hulking veal T-bone (which benefits from a savory port-wine sauce). Leave room for sinful desserts, including a homemade lemon-zest cannoli or a slice of cappuccino-mousse cake.

12/16/04

All around greatness@!

by kalfish at Citysearch

Cantina Italiana is a great place for dinner. I've gone on many occasions with friends and also with my husband and have yet to have a bad experience. The hostess(es) have always been pleasant, the wait staff has always been very efficient and the food is always top notch. On top of all this, I think the prices are most reasonable for the atmosphere. Also, it is great because it is one of the few places with a reasonable valet service.

• Pros: Inexpensive, Great food, great service