I first went here with my boyfriend last year and absolutely loved it. The tagliatelle bolognese is the best we have ever had and the parmesan arancini are to die for. I went back here for my moms... More

I first went here with my boyfriend last year and absolutely loved it. The tagliatelle bolognese is the best we have ever had and the parmesan arancini are to die for. I went back here for my moms birthday a few weeks ago and once again, the meal was fantastic. My father went as far as saying it's the best Italian restaurant he has ever been to. The owner is so kind too and always makes us feel welcome. Also, order the Stella homemade gnocchi. I have had so many gnocchi entrees in the past from some of the best Italian resraurants and Stella's certainly tops them all. Pros: The food, valet, atmosphere, service Cons: None
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I had high hopes for Stella and left somewhat unimpressed. Food was good, but not great by any means. My orechiette was tasty, but soupy. My girlfriend enjoyed her meal, but was not blown away... More

I had high hopes for Stella and left somewhat unimpressed. Food was good, but not great by any means. My orechiette was tasty, but soupy. My girlfriend enjoyed her meal, but was not blown away either. Decent food, but overpriced for what it was. Service was good, but again - not great. Wine list was impressive, and desserts were very good (Orange bread pudding). Overall I was unimpressed - our meal was not bad by any means, but our experience was very blah. It seems that others have had better experiences, so I may give it another shot - but only after trying the MANY other options in the South End. Pros: Patio seating available, wine list, desserts Cons: Mediocre service and food
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There isn't much wrong with this place except the occassional hostess who greets you with a "can't you see we are really busy?" attitude. Other than that the entire staff is phenomenal, the food is... More

There isn't much wrong with this place except the occassional hostess who greets you with a "can't you see we are really busy?" attitude. Other than that the entire staff is phenomenal, the food is amazing and the prices are just fantastic. I eat there once if not twice a week and I'm trying to come to terms with how popluar this place is becoming....go now before you can't get a table anymore! Pros: Just about everything Cons: Becoming the "scene", occassionally rude hostess
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Went here recently wtih a group, wonderful service, great food, gorgeous ambiance. Reasonable too. I can't wait to go back!

Went here recently wtih a group, wonderful service, great food, gorgeous ambiance. Reasonable too. I can't wait to go back!
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My family recently had a party and made a reservation for 18 at 7:00. We were seated immediately and instantly received water but then waited for almost 30 minutes for our drinks to arrive. The... More

My family recently had a party and made a reservation for 18 at 7:00. We were seated immediately and instantly received water but then waited for almost 30 minutes for our drinks to arrive. The waiter was friendly but forgetful. My dirty martini wasn't dirty and when I asked for some olive juice, it arrived so long after that my vodka was room temp. The food was great, nothing to rave about but very tasty none the less. Wouldn't go there again unless I wanted to spend all night in the restaurant. Pros: ambience, beautiful place Cons: service
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I recently ate at Stella and found it to be superb. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful, stylish, and warm. The food was wonderful. In particular, the cauliflower soup is to die for. To... More

I recently ate at Stella and found it to be superb. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful, stylish, and warm. The food was wonderful. In particular, the cauliflower soup is to die for. To top off the fantastic meal, our server (who must had gleaned from the gift-opening that we were celebrating a birthday) brought out a complementary dessert with a candle in it without any of us having even made a birthday request. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect birthday dinner!
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I just loved it my boyfriend and I have been now a few times, great drinks fantastic crowd and supurb service! The food so far is great we have just eaten in the bar area but have had a great... More

I just loved it my boyfriend and I have been now a few times, great drinks fantastic crowd and supurb service! The food so far is great we have just eaten in the bar area but have had a great service and we just love the drinks! Pros: GREAT FOOD,SERVICE, DRINKS
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We were excited when Stella opened as we lived just around the corner. Our first stop in was for a yummy brunch, but then mysteriously my boyfriend became extremely ill an hour or so later and... More

We were excited when Stella opened as we lived just around the corner. Our first stop in was for a yummy brunch, but then mysteriously my boyfriend became extremely ill an hour or so later and ended up sick for 24 hours. We considered that maybe it was food p*isoning, but I wasn't sick, so we weren't sure. Poor guy. Fast forward to just a few months ago and my friend and I stopped in on a Monday night around 8:30. We wanted to sit outside and they told us it would be a 20 minute wait. We sat at the bar and were served by a very nice bartender, although surprisingly they had no sauvignon blanc which I think of as sort of a quintessential summer wine especially for al fresco dining. Sort of odd. The whole time we were waiting there were 4 4-top tables available on the patio. We waited, we waited, 30 minutes passed. I went back out around 9pm and asked if they would just seat us at a 4-top since it was already 9pm and I didn't think they would get a huge influx of people on a Monday night, the notoriously slowest night in the restaurant world. They said no and that it would just be a bit longer. They still made us wait another 20 minutes and then we just gave up and ended up going to Frankline Cafe which is always amazing and has truly friendly staff. I've worked in restaurants in the past and this was unbelievable. I could understand if it was a Friday night, but on slow night they refused us a table and ended up with 4 empty tables on the patio instead of our business. Not only have they lost us forever, they've earned a bad reputation in my book. I eat out all the time, people come to me for restaurant advice like it's my job, and no one is being directed to Stella. Pros: Nice location Cons: Poor management, Poor Service, Nothing Special
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I generally eat out a lot. I have friends come in from out of state often and like to take them to different places around the city. I have been to Stella a few times and found the restaurant and... More

I generally eat out a lot. I have friends come in from out of state often and like to take them to different places around the city. I have been to Stella a few times and found the restaurant and staff rather pleasant. Tonight however was a horrible experience. I had made a reservation that was honored timely, but the problem was the restaurant was hot. I found this odd because the last time I dined there it was the same situation. I never dreamed it would be a reoccurring situation . I opted to sit outside rather than in the dining room and was told that it was first come, first serve. I suppose normally I wouldn't have a problem with that, but inside was almost unbearable. Because it was late we decided to stay in. BIG MISTAKE! As I said it was hot. And then it preceded to get worse. Everyone around was asking the same question to the guy in the suit (host, manager?) but the answer we received was unacceptable. "The A.C. can't compete with the weather." It was hotter inside than out. The general atmosphere was a bummer. It was uncomfortable, the drinks took to long, there was nobody around to refill the water. The food took a long time and the tall, rail thin waiter who brought our food was sweaty and miserable. Not appetizing. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. These things happen, I run a small business. The entire dinning room emptied pretty quick with a bunch of unhappy customers. We ate some food and left promptly. To me twice out of the few times I have been is a bad average. It wasn't relaxing and I felt like a bad host. I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed for the establishment. Definitely not the summer hang out spot if they can't even get there act together to deal with the seasons. The food isn't good enough, and the drinks (if they arrive) aren't worth it if you are looking for a great spot to enjoy the night out. The only good thing was the parking. I don't think I will be returning to this "posh" spot. Proof that all that glitters is not gold. Pros: Parking, Friendly Staff, Price Cons: Service, Atmosphere, No A.C.
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So here we go, a friend and I have been going to Stella for a couple months now.. for the outdoor dinning. Service was OK, food is OK-nothing to brag about. Until one horrible Saturday night,... More

So here we go, a friend and I have been going to Stella for a couple months now.. for the outdoor dinning. Service was OK, food is OK-nothing to brag about. Until one horrible Saturday night, our waiter took forever, couldn't understand our order, since he manged to foul up everything from the drinks to the pizza. Lets not even get into the pizza... bacon (not prosciutto) was under cooked and just pale white and slimy, the appetizers were cold and as for the pasta... do these people even know what bolognese sauce is!?!? To my "nasty" accusation, get ready for this one.. Our not so present waiter was flirting with the table of woman next to us, no big deal right, Until these woman started to leave and had a dog with them.. ya it was cute... cute enough for the WAITER TO BE PETTING THE DOG! yes in a food establishment, our not so attentive waiter was petting a "a little sick" as the owner said dog.. needless to say we left. As much as we luv our dogs... that crossed the line. Only thing going for this place is the drinks, but since that night I never will step into that place again. For those that gave it good reviews.... you need to get out more often. Ive realized allot of people really haven't the faintest clue about good food and service, and get suckered in by the new smoke and mirrors restaurants. Sorry to be so rough, but don't bother with this one folks. Pros: Drinks Cons: Hygiene
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