Piccola Venezia

My son and I visited north end for the first time yesterday and we had a great experince eating at this restaurant. Pros: Great service Waiter was very patient and courtious. Cons: Not all dishes are of great quality more

I was very excited to find a place that serves tripe, and make it very good on top of that. The veal saltimbocca is also very good. The North End has a mix of restaurants with pricey menus with awful food, and others with not so pricey menus and good food. Piccola Venezia definitely fits into the latter category. Any restaurant you go to in the North End is going to be tight quarters, and this is why I try to go earlier and avoid the crowds. Piccola Venezia has good food, good atmosphere, and good service...what else can you ask for? Pros: Tripe, service, and it's quick more

This is one of my favorite places to go when i'm in the north end. The food is great, and you get lots of it, staff is friendly and pretty quick. It would be nicer if the space is wasnt as tight and you had a little more elbow room though. Pros: Food is delicious, large portions, great atmosphere Cons: Bread at Bertuccis is better, cramped space. more

I would just like to thank Mike's mom for such a positive recommendation (BostonFoodie919). Because of your review I went and asked for Mike specifically. I'm sure you are so proud of him and hang all of his art work growing up on your refrigerator. Pros: MIKE! more

I was just reading around some of the reviews of one of my favorite places in the North End Piccola Venezia. My friends and I make it a point to meet there at least once a month to have a good time over some wine, the awesome Hot Italian appetizer sampler, and then end it with probably the best tiramisu I've ever had (better than Mike's and Modern pastry). We have really grown to love the waitstaff and hostesses there They always make it a fun atmosphere and accomadate us quickly even on the busiest of nights. The entrees are reasonably priced for huge portions of food! Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I was appalled to see a review from people who claimed that waiter Mike was rude and unprofessional. Each time we eat there, he has been fun, helpful and professional, telling us great places to go for cappuccino or to hang out in the North End. The one time that my friend had to wait a few minutes longer for her plate of food, he was nice enough to wipe it off the bill for us and give us free dessert and coffee. The people who wrote an awful review claiming they thought a sufficient tip on 125$ was 12 $ (9.6% his calculations were right sorry to tell you) should probably stay home and cook for themselves. If you were looking to save a couple dollars McDonalds isnt far away. But if you're looking for great family style food with a friendly waitstaff, ESPECIALLY MIKE, go to Piccola Venezia next time youre in town! Pros: Great waitstaff (Mike especially) huge portions for a cheap price, best tiramisu around! more

This was my first time at this restaurant and being a slow Wednesday, they had a server staff of two. There was a large party and my date was late. I was greeted warmly and seated next to the window, our server made me feel comfortable by joking with me while he bought over some bread with butter and some water. When my date finally arrived, we were promptly served after we ordered. My date ordered the pork chops and I ordered the Veal Giovanni (lemon butter sauce). My date is a picky eater but he enjoyed it very much! I always try everything and the pork chop was tender and juicy. My veal was flavorful with the right amount of tang from the lemon sauce. The service was what was expected but the small staff gave their 100% attention which means I'll be coming here again for a nice meal. Pros: Intimate setting for a date, personal staff Cons: crowded more

Went Easter Sunday thinking they seemed to have a descent menu. Were we wrong!!. They first gave us a paper menu with 2 items crossed out. They ran out of those specials and there was only 2 items left. We then choose anyway from the regular menu. We ordered antipasto and we were served some imitation- I never in my life have ever eaten beets,carrots, and chick peas in an antipasto.Food was not tasty- risotto was too soft and not flavored enough,sauce in my husbands pasta and seafood was watery. Waiter Mike was unprofessional and rude. After paying $125 for a horrible meal, we left a $12 tip. We doubled the tax. Mike gave us back our tip stating he didn't want it which we gladly took back, because it felt it wasn't enough of a tip. Could you imagine? He needs to go back to math school- he thought it was a 9% tip, which if he is going by a 15% rule was a 10% tip. A 15% gratuitiy is suggested if the food and service was surperb. Even as he spoke to us, the owner and manager didn't even come over to see what was going on. He then proceeded to walk away from us. Freedom of Speech is a great thing. Please make sure everyone that reads this tells their friends and relatives that this place is horrible.There are great places to eat in the North End, so don't make the same mistake we made. We have eaten in 2 other restaurants in the North End that were good , but figured we would try someplace new. A lesson learned- always stay with the ones you know have great food. After spending $125, I can't believe he had the nerve to squabble over a few dollars. I take it he is related to the owners, because I don't think anyone would have stood for that or else he should have been fired!! Cons: Imitation Italian Food, Poor and Unprofessional Service. High price for Cheap food more

The lonely, single star is for the restaurant's decor, the surrounding neighborhood, and the smells emanating from the kitchen. My watery pasta with the bland marinara sauce paired with sub-par bread and a bitter cappuccino was gag-inducing. The attitude of the wait-staff was horrendous. Even the bathroom visit was disastrous. Pros: surrounding neighborhood, good atmosphere, prices are okay Cons: paper napkins and placemats, rude waitstaff, average food, contemporary radio station instead of classical/soft music playing in the establishment, probably not a lot of parking around more

Piccola Venezia is the place we bring our friends when they need cheering up or we just want to celebrate . This past Sunday 12 of us got together at the Pic to have a birthday dinner. The staff always makes us feel like family and has a fun attitude. We like to start with the appetizer sampler and the antipasto. I always order the same entree of Eggplant Rolatini because it?s my favorite and my girlfriend likes the veal vittorio. The Tiramisu is the best I have ever had anywhere, but because it was a birthday we had orered a cake from next door at Modern Pastry which is always a good choice. It?s good to know that we can always depend on this restaurant for great food and a good time. more

I am originally from Brooklyn and now live in Florida. I was visiting friends in Boston recently and went to the North End for dinner. We chose Piccola Venezia Rest. because it had that look from outside of what Italian restaurants looked like to me growing up in New York. We all had great meals that night and very good service. The lasagna was like my mother?s. . They had Arancini ( Sicilian Rice Ball) on the menu which I have only seen in Brooklyn and they were fantastic. The fried calamari was excellent.too. Thanks for a great meal Wish I could get this type of Italian comfort food in Florida more

I love this restaurant-- they serve polenta everyday! Polenta is a cornmeal porridge and (which is a good alternative to pasta, which I?m allergic to) the polenta served with tomato sauce is a great substitute. Now, I don?t feel left out when I join my friends for dinner in an Italian restaurant. My favorite is the chicken cacciatore with a side of polenta. They even serve a Polenta cheesecake for dessert. Pros: polenta on menu everyday more

I have lived in The North End for 30 years and Piccola Venezia is my favorite rest. I eat there 3 times a week for lunch at least. They serve wonderful salads, my favorite is the Caesar salad w/ grilled chicken. I also love their salad antipasto w/ Italian cold cuts. When I'm int he mood for somethign more filling the meatballs are huge and are a meal alone. Piccola Venezia is where I bring all my friends and family who visit from out of town. My two nieces love it. more

Piccola is the place we always bring our office group. We have had many holiday lunches and special occasion events take place here and have always been satisfied with the selection of food, the servce and atmosphere. The only ""semi"" con is the parking, which is indicitive to the North End not just this establishment. At least they validate at a local garage. Pros: good for large groups Cons: parking more

My husband and myself live about 20 miles outside of Boston and try to make it to Piccola Venezia at least 2 times a month. Whenever we have a special family occassion we always go to this place because its a lot of fun, the food is homestlye and the waitstaff have always been friendly and more than accomodating. This past weekend I tried for the first time the shrimp risotto and it was fabulous! My husband had the pork chops and we finished with their unbelieveably wonderful tiramisu! Piccola is a great choice anytime-- I recommened it highly! more

My wife and I decided to try this restaurant while in Boston because we liked the menu and we were told that you can't go wrong in the North End. The service was bad and the food was worse. My wife ordered a veal dish that was completely inedible, the veal was so tough that she had to strain to cut it with a steak knife and the waiter acted like he couldn't believe her request when she asked him to take it back and bring her a menu. I had the Godfather Platter which is an enormous amount of food but it to was terrible. The veal and the chicken were both so tough I couldhardly cut it, the meatball tasted freezer burned, the eggplant was soggy, and the noodles were over cooked but the sausage was ok. The food at a chain restaurant such as Olive Garden is far and away better than here, I will never go back to this restaurant. Pros: Looks nice enough Cons: Food and service more

I walked through the North End looking for a place to dine for the evening. I was in town on business and decided to venture out on my own. I walked up and down Hanover street and chose this place due to it's small size and seemingly cozy atmosphere. The service was good, the wine was delicious, the food not too bad - except for the bread - it was quite dry, but the price was right. I had a decent meal for a decent price. I would recommend for a quick and casual dinner, not something fancy or over priced. Pros: Quick Service, good prices Cons: A little cramped and warm on a hot night. more

We (4 adults) got seated promptly at 6:00 pm on Saturday night and were served bread, butter and water immediately. The restaurant serves only beer and wine so the cocktails we hoped to order became a glass of Chianti and Amstel light. I ordered the Veal Marsala dinner which comes with a side of linquini (w/tomatoe sauce) and asked the waiter if I could have the linquini with a meat sauce instead. Because I was splitting the meal with my friend the waiter insisted that the linguine would HAVE to be served UNDER the Marsala not on the side. He recommended we also order a dish of linquine with meat sauce which made no sense since we wanted LESS not more food. Despite several attempts to make my request understood I was served a full order of linquine with meat sauce AND the Veal Marsala with a side of linguine and tomatoe sauce. When I asked our waiter he replied with annoyance, ""this is what you ordered."" The Marsala tasted like it came from a jar with gravy-like consistency. I watched it slowly form a thick gell on the plate. The mushrooms were fat and chuncky, not thin or sauted as should be. There wasn't a hint of real marsala wine. The veal was tough and gritty. My husband's Veal Parm was over fried and chewy. The waitstaff rushed us throughout the entire meal. The dinner cost $90 (with tip) . We left feeling we had been taken in by the ""name, address, and decor."" Pros: Got seated immediately on a Saturday night Cons: Marsala tasted like gravy from a jar more

I went to this restaurant with a group of friends and it was fantastic! we went on a Friday night and it was very busy and loud, but it was a lot of fun! The waiter we had was wonderful and the food was unbelievable. Someone in the group had been there before and said the portions were huge so we all shared....very ""homestyle"". If you're looking for a trendy place to be seen with small portions and gigantic price tag this definitely isnt the place for you!! Hard to find dishes like Tripe and Baccala (sp?) make up for the Americanized items such as mozarella sticks. Seriously, try this place, you wont regret it. more

I went here once during the early afternoon (when many of the other North End restaurants are closed), and was very disappointed. The food was definitely below average (especially for a North End restaurant!). And the service left a lot to be desired. I find it hard to believe that a restaurant of this caliber can last on Hanover Street! Definitely seek out another option if you are in the area! Cons: sub-par food, bad service more

Wish that I could have something positive to say, but alas I cannot. The bread was ho hum. The olive oil was a canola mix, the service was laced with comments like` I'll get to it in a minute` Then they left out my soup and charged me for it. The fettuccine Alfredo was ok, but was dripping over the plate(hideous portion was served) so when I dipped my fork I had to stop the gusher of noodles that kept dropping on the table. A $38.00 bottle of wine was served in a childs juice glass or a mini wine glass, but the most disturbing aspect to our dining experience is that we were seated next to the basement area . Obviously the basement floods or is extremely damp as the entire evening the area wreaked of an odor of damp moldy basement- Pros: large portions, price below average Cons: weak Bar, service, ambience more