13: Where to eat in Boston's North End
Says everyone, all the time
I spend a lot of time thinking about the North End. Like so many reasonable people, pasta is my favorite food, and our home in Charlestown looks back over the Boston skyline. To the left we see the steeple of the Old North Church. It is this steeple from which the signal was given, by the displaying of two lanterns, that the British were moving by sea, not by land. Paul Revere gave the order to display the lanterns, then took off on his horse. It started the American Revolution.
And, if you haven’t read about the Great Molasses Flood, I suggest you do so. On a hot summer day in the North End, if the breeze blows just right, you may catch a whiff of molasses. Or so they say.
It’s an odd, special place, where a lot has happened. The multi-generational Italian community, combined with new college grads who are packed like sardines into walk-ups, combined with a deluge of tourists and thousands of people eating dinner before every Celtics and Bruins game (like half of the nights, for half the year) … it’s a lot, and I’m usually not up for it when there are so many other beautiful, quieter neighborhoods with better restaurants.
Thankfully, going to and loving a restaurant is not just about the quality of the food. If it were, eating out wouldn’t be half as fun. Chili’s would be out of business. Olive Garden, too. And what kind of world would that be?
The North End is perfect for two times: the dead of winter when you are scared you might never be happy again, and when it’s warm out - those first glorious spring days or the middle of summer or as September wanes. It’s so fun to have a rude waiter throw down a brutal martini, plate of calamari, massive bowl of pasta, and bottle of house red in front of you, feeling the energy of the neighborhood and thousands of other diners having the exact same experience buzzing in the background. You can’t get that anywhere else in Boston, or New England. I would argue in the country.
The following is a short list of restaurants in the North End that serve a better dinner than their peers, at which you can make a reservation. Also, a few predictable but critical dessert recs. Are these restaurants where I would take someone if I were trying to impress them with my knowledge of cuisine? Or if I wanted to dress up and hit the town on a Saturday? Other than maybe Mamma Maria, no. These are places for you and your family, friends, partner to have a fun, filling meal in a great neighborhood that we are so lucky to have in our city.
The Daily Catch and Neptune Oyster are the best no-reservations restaurants in the North End and warrant their own post, which they will soon receive. :)
Carmelina’s
My favorite reservations restaurant in the North End, and apparently everyone else’s since it’s impossible to get in. You’ll need to book months in advance, or get lucky. We sometimes call and manage to get two counter seats for the same night. I recommend you try this, since they hold some space for walk ins. Carmelina’s books out three months in advance, so if you want to go with a group, make it happen. Set an alert on your phone for when reservations drop and grab that Saturday, prime time table. You’ll be glad you did when it rolls around, because Carmelina’s will always be hot and you will always love a red sauce dinner.
Carmelina’s doesn’t serve hard liquor (have that martini at home). If it’s summer, start with a spritz. No matter the season, order wine. A simple arugula salad in the summer, sauteed garlic greens in the winter. If your party is in the mood for seafood, get the calamari and garlic shrimp “in the pan”. If not, meatballs and baby eggplant.
You must order pasta. The carbonara is the main event - no, it’s not strictly Roman, but it’s outstanding and the only carbonara I’ll order in the North End. The chicken parm and mushroom penne are also favorites, and while not quite to my taste, the lobster ravioli has a fan club.
There are no gimmicks or dishes that are clearly designed to take money from tourists. The menu is appreciably straightforward; they know what they do well and they do it every day of the week, for nearly 12 hours a day. Of the restaurants on this list, it is the best in terms of being the most crowd pleasing and well rounded.
Mamma Maria
For white tablecloths, low lighting, and special occasions, Mamma Maria is your girl. It also has the best real estate, in a prime position overlooking North Square. The patio seating in the summer is divine - it is proper patio seating, (i.e., you are not sitting in Hanover Street next to honking Ubers) and surrounded by some of the oldest buildings in the country, with the city skyline in the background. Cobblestone patio aside, the restaurant is located in a beautiful brick building with several cozy dining rooms.
Start with the carpaccio, baked oysters, and salad of your choice (they are delightfully seasonal). The pesto that accompanies the bread service is a treat. You can’t go wrong with the pastas, but our longtime favorites (and an excellent duo to split) are the pasta con sugo and and lobster agnolotti. Mamma Maria’s osso buco is famous. If you are in the mood, particularly on a cold night, you should get it with a good bottle of red wine. It’s the best osso bucco in the North End, probably in the city. Just make sure you don’t have plans after because you’ll need to go to sleep.
Mamma Maria is also a great option if you need something to do for New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day. We’ve been to both (you should reserve well in advance) and enjoyed the set menu and how the team goes above and beyond to make it special. I think a rehearsal dinner or small wedding at Mamma Maria would be lovely.
Tony and Elaine’s
If you’re willing to part with Hanover Street (which you should, since you’ll be there for dessert), this is the place to go. If you need a reservation but can’t get into Carmelina’s, and Mamma Maria is too upscale for the evening you’re seeking, Tony and Elaine’s is your best bet and preferable to wandering into some random slop joint on Hanover. The patio seating is great, in a vacant lot (looks better than it sounds) and strung with lights. The tables, both indoors and out, have the iconic checkered tablecloths. In the colder months, ask for a table in the lower level. It has colorful lights and red booths and a classic trattoria feel.
Skip the salad; get the garlic bread, calamari, and meatballs (award-winning). Thankfully, pasta is non-negotiable - even the chicken marsala comes with a side of red-sauced rigatoni. The spaghetti and meatballs, rigatoni alla vodka, either of the parms (chicken and eggplant), and the chicken marsala are all yummy. The cacio e pepe, too.
Bricco
Pay close attention: If you can’t get into Carmelina’s, aren’t feeling fancy enough for Mamma Maria, and want the experience of dining on Hanover Street so therefore don’t want to go to Tony and Elaine’s, go to Bricco. This situation sounds highly specific but is one in which we find ourselves several times a year.
Bricco is popular, and loud. In the summer, try to get a table by the upstairs windows. Second best is by the downstairs windows, third is the outdoor (in the street) seating. To start, get the bread. It should be good since Bricco has its own bakery, part of the Depasquale empire. If you need a salad, stick with the Caesar or insalata mista. Don’t get the charcuterie, it’s a trap. Try the zucchini flowers and the frittura mista in the summer, the meatballs in the winter. Oysters, too.
Order from the pasta menu, don’t be weird and get a steak. If you want steak, go to Grill 23. You’re in the North End tonight! The pomodoro, the boar pappardelle, the amatriciana, the gnocchi. We’re sticking to the classics. If you really don’t want pasta, try one of the veal dishes, and if you don’t eat veal, maybe the Branzino?
You shouldn’t eat dessert at any of these restaurants. Instead, visit one of the below iconic, beloved establishments.
Dessert!
Tiramisu, espresso martinis, or hot chocolate at Caffé Vittoria, which was the first Italian cafe in Boston. It opened in 1929. Find a table, which you may have to work for since it’s so popular, especially on weekends. The main room up front is prettiest, but don’t be afraid of exploring. The floor is shaped like a U. You will likely have to flag down a server once you are seated. You’re in Italy, after all. It is cash only, but there is an ATM across the street. There is also a cigar bar in the lower level - somewhere I will never find myself but is perhaps of note for those of you who, on a very special occasion, partake in one of society’s most revolting pastimes.
Mike’s Pastry for cannoli (I don’t want to hear it). Mike’s has the best cannoli, Modern the best cookies, Bova’s maybe a third thing I haven’t yet discovered (it is open 24 hours and has pizza which is nice if you’re very drunk very late). The Mike’s line moves quickly enough, and it’s worth it. It is cash only. Again, there is an ATM across the street that someone in your party should hit while you’re waiting in line. Once inside, the line turns into a mob since there are many women behind the counter taking orders. Keep your eyes peeled for who is open and don’t be afraid to cut in front of people who don’t know how it works (most). If it’s your first time, order a plain cannoli. It is the best, and I get it every time. Don’t become distracted by the obscene whoopie pies and cupcakes and cookies in the case. This may be harder than it sounds, since you just drank a bottle of wine at dinner. Eat your cannoli as quickly as possible; the longer you wait, the less crispy the shell. Eat it standing on the sidewalk, with gusto.
For cookies, and lots of them, go to Modern Pastry (which should also win the award for best sign in Boston). Also cash only, you know the drill. These aren’t huge American cookies, like peanut butter or M&M or oatmeal raisin or whatever. These are delicacies, and you should get a box of them. Petit four (rainbow cookies), raspberry bowties, Florentine, and the best of all, pistachio macaroons. I dream of buying the Whole Ricotta Pie for a dinner party. I think this is my year.
I ordered an egregious amount of cookies from Modern for our holiday party, figuring we would have leftovers since everyone would be too wired from the cosmos. The cookies were gone by midnight, with only some crumbs on our rugs as evidence.
The North End restaurant and cannoli debates are some of the most heated in Boston. Feel free to tell me I’m wrong about everything in the comments; I only ask you be as mean as possible.