Massimino's

My boyfriend made reservations here for my birthday. He had called ahead and asked that we be seated downstairs in the wine cellar, and told them it was my birthday and they said they would provide pieces of cake and a candle. (He didn't tell me this ahead of time of course) more

Booked a birthday dinner for small group and when I made a reservation they didn't say anything about it being a problem, just said "see you tonight!" When I got there, the place was crowded and hostess claimed we'd have to wait another 1-1.5 hours! When asked about having a reservation, she got "too bad - we're busy tonight!" Totally recommend the food (delicious& not too expensive) but don't consider your reservations to be solid at all! Pros: Food Cons: Attitude more

Booked a birthday dinner for small group and when I made a reservation they didn't say anything about it being a problem, just said "see you tonight!" When I got there, the place was crowded and hostess claimed we'd have to wait another 1-1.5 hours! When asked about having a reservation, she got "too bad - we're busy tonight!" Pros: Food Cons: Attitude more

This place is amazing. First off it's easy to find and when i called to get directions the host was more then happy to give them to me. When i got there i didnt have a reservation, and there were two of us, waiting for three so we were sent to the bar downstairs. The bar is small. unbelieveably small. no chairs nothing, but by far they have one of the best bartenders in the city. Not only did we not have to wait for a drink, but the drinks were unbelieveable. This girl made an italian espresso martini, which i've since tried to order at several other places, but is no where near as good and she made my wife a drink from where she was from in canada called a "Quebec Bissou" that is now my wifes favorite drink, but no one else in the city know how to make. When we sat down at the table and were served bread and water right away, greeted by our waitress who was more then happy in the middle of a rush to help us order. She reccomended the veal chop, which was beyond phenomional! She also took the time to help us chose a wine, and dessert. The food was amazing, huge portions, by far the best meal i've had in boston, and the staff will bend over backwards to make sure you leave happy. Only in a family owned Italian Bistro will you get such personal service. I would higly reccomend a vist! Pros: Bartender, food, staff Cons: Croweded, small waiting area more

This place is amazing. First off it's easy to find and when i called to get directions the host was more then happy to give them to me. When i got there i didnt have a reservation, and there were two of us, waiting for three so we were sent to the bar downstairs. The bar is small. unbelieveably small. no chairs nothing, but by far they have one of the best bartenders in the city. Not only did we not have to wait for a drink, but the drinks were unbelieveable. This girl made an italian espresso martini, which i've since tried to order at several other places, but is no where near as good and she made my wife a drink from where she was from in canada called a "Quebec Bissou" that is now my wifes favorite drink, but no one else in the city know how to make. When we sat down at the table and were served bread and water right away, greeted by our waitress who was more then happy in the middle of a rush to help us order. She reccomended the veal chop, which was beyond phenomional! She also took the time to help us chose a wine, and dessert. The food was amazing, huge portions, by far the best meal i've had in boston, and the staff will bend over backwards to make sure you leave happy. Only in a family owned Italian Bistro will you get such personal service. I would higly reccomend a vist! Pros: Bartender, food, staff Cons: Croweded, small waiting area more

I visited Massimino's on a bit of a whim (we just started walking the North End, and went in to the first relaxed attire Italian place we came across) with a friend on a recent trip to Boston. I have to say, I had an excellent time! It was a Friday night and there were only a few clusters of people sitting in the restaurant. The hostess gave us our choice of sitting upstairs or downstairs ("We'll go look downstairs, and if you don't like it we'll get you a table upstairs.") The waitress quickly took our wine and antipasti order, and upon discovering that they were out of our wine selection, she exclaimed - in true east coast Italian style - "I'm gonna take care a ya!" and went off in search of a different wine for us. She quickly came back with a very good red, the name of which escapes me at the moment. After a few minutes with the bread (which was, I'll admit, a little dry) and antipasti, she took our food order - again with all the flair and fire one expects from a waitress at an Italian bistro. Within 20 minutes, I was eating my meal. We dined at a fairly leisurly pace, and were never rushed. As a matter of fact, the waitress encouraged us to eat slowly, and even sat down near us, briefly, to discuss the finer points of finding good Italian on the North End. The bill came, and we discovered that though the bottle of wine she'd brought us was $25 more expensive than the wine we ordered, we were only charged for the cost of the bottle we'd ordered. Take care of us, indeed! Probably the best waitress I've had in a long time. In all, I'd highly recommend Massimino's to anyone looking for good Italian, and fun and friendly service. I'll be back in Boston next summer, and you can bet I'll be back at Massimino's then, too. Pros: Ambience, Friendly Staff Cons: bread was a little dry more

I visited Massimino's on a bit of a whim (we just started walking the North End, and went in to the first relaxed attire Italian place we came across) with a friend on a recent trip to Boston. I have to say, I had an excellent time! It was a Friday night and there were only a few clusters of people sitting in the restaurant. The hostess gave us our choice of sitting upstairs or downstairs ("We'll go look downstairs, and if you don't like it we'll get you a table upstairs.") Pros: Ambience, Friendly Staff Cons: bread was a little dry more

I am not a huge fan of the Italian food in the North End but this place is excellent. It is like eating at your Italian friend's house. The staff is really friendly but it is a home type feel so hard to compare to high end places. The food is delicious and I totally recommend their pink sauce. I love the family feel. more

There's a reason that there are so many poor reviews of Massimino's. It claims to be sort of down-home, rustic italian food. And the food's OK. But, my boyfriend's is way better. And prices are outrageous, which makes for a downer of an evening. They are pretty deceptive about the specials, ie. they cost three times as much as the rest of the menu. Cons: prices more

There's a reason that there are so many poor reviews of Massimino's. It claims to be sort of down-home, rustic italian food. And the food's OK. But, my boyfriend's is way better. And prices are outrageous, which makes for a downer of an evening. They are pretty deceptive about the specials, ie. they cost three times as much as the rest of the menu. Cons: prices more

I've been going to Massimino's for 5-6 years now, and I and have always enjoyed myself. I recommend it to everyone. The other reviews that complain about stand-offish service simply don't get it. I don't want someone bothering me while I'm having dinner with friends and certainly not when I have a mouthful of their exquisite wine selection. In that same vein, when I do attract their attention for another basket of bread or another bottle of wine they are all over it! If you want a stuffy atmosphere with no character, go somewhere else. If you want the feel of an Italian kitchen, attitude and all, then go to Massimino's. I like standing in the bar area and speaking to the wait staff and bartender about the specials and my favorites on the menu. That's also a good time to ask them about any new wines that they have. more

I've been going to Massimino's for 5-6 years now, and I and have always enjoyed myself. I recommend it to everyone. The other reviews that complain about stand-offish service simply don't get it. I don't want someone bothering me while I'm having dinner with friends and certainly not when I have a mouthful of their exquisite wine selection. In that same vein, when I do attract their attention for another basket of bread or another bottle of wine they are all over it! more

Massaminos. 1 word. obtrusive. in so many ways, the size of this place is a downfall. STAFF lingers near the doorway which is connected to the kitchen which is 5ft away from the seating. A hovering effect as all stafff just stands their talks mingles, talks loud. very unproffesional. THE FOOD..The soup a pasta, small bite size peaces of pasta with beans. Looks like a CAN of soup picked up at STOP AND SHOP. nothing special. the polo paridiso sauce is watered down. a pasta dish comes on the side with marinara sauce..pasta has a KIDDY size look and taste. The Bachliorti though is impressive. the mixture of Chicken , ham, cheese is very appetizing. the server... You'd expect more from an Italian Restaurant... She seemed lazy, unattentive and left EMPTY plates on the VERY small table. One must know when the table needs to be cleared. more

Massaminos. 1 word. obtrusive. in so many ways, the size of this place is a downfall. STAFF lingers near the doorway which is connected to the kitchen which is 5ft away from the seating. A hovering effect as all stafff just stands their talks mingles, talks loud. very unproffesional. THE FOOD..The soup a pasta, small bite size peaces of pasta with beans. Looks like a CAN of soup picked up at STOP AND SHOP. nothing special. the polo paridiso sauce is watered down. a pasta dish comes on the side with marinara sauce..pasta has a KIDDY size look and taste. The Bachliorti though is impressive. the mixture of Chicken , ham, cheese is very appetizing. the server... You'd expect more from an Italian Restaurant... She seemed lazy, unattentive and left EMPTY plates on the VERY small table. One must know when the table needs to be cleared. more

Massimino's is one of our favorite restaurants in the North End. Because it's off the beaten path, there is rarely a wait -and when there is, it's no longer than 20 minutes. The service can be a little slow at times, but the food makes up for the service. Massimino's serves large portions for a good price (not too expensive) and the food is delicious. I haven't had a bad meal yet! Definately worth the trek. Pros: delicious food, cozy ambiance, good prices Cons: slow service, crowded at times more

Massimino's is one of our favorite restaurants in the North End. Because it's off the beaten path, there is rarely a wait -and when there is, it's no longer than 20 minutes. The service can be a little slow at times, but the food makes up for the service. Massimino's serves large portions for a good price (not too expensive) and the food is delicious. I haven't had a bad meal yet! Definately worth the trek. Pros: delicious food, cozy ambiance, good prices Cons: slow service, crowded at times more

I was recently part of a group of 19 people to visit Massamino's. It was an experience I want to forget. The service was horrible. When we asked if our table could be expaned to one additional table to accomodate us we were told no as they needed to other table. No one else came in while we were there! The food was extremely mediocre. The wait staff was rude and not helpful. As we were a large group, they added and 18% tip to the bill. The waitress seemed very upset that we did not give her any additional money! This to someone who never once asked how everything was nor asked us if we would like desert and/or coffee. I would avoid this restaurant at all costs!!! Cons: difficult to find, rude staff, mediocre food more

I was recently part of a group of 19 people to visit Massamino's. It was an experience I want to forget. The service was horrible. When we asked if our table could be expaned to one additional table to accomodate us we were told no as they needed to other table. No one else came in while we were there! The food was extremely mediocre. The wait staff was rude and not helpful. As we were a large group, they added and 18% tip to the bill. The waitress seemed very upset that we did not give her any additional money! This to someone who never once asked how everything was nor asked us if we would like desert and/or coffee. I would avoid this restaurant at all costs!!! Cons: difficult to find, rude staff, mediocre food more

Massiminos is a great North End restaurant. Though it is not located on Hanover Street, it is worth going out of the way for this place. The restaurant is cute, but small. The prices are very reasonable and the portions are huge. The atmosphere is authentic;each table is different. A bunch of North End residents reccomended this restaurant to me, and I was not dissapointed. PROS: cute, authentic Italian dining CONS: a walk from the popular Hanover Street more

Wonderful restaurant, great food, good service, very comfortable... once you're in, that is. Made a group reservation 1 week in advance, confirmed it TWICE and still had to wait 40 mins for our table. Another patron that night complained about the same thing. So don't put too much faith in the reservation. Once you are in though, you won't be dissappointed! Pros: Food Quality/Value, Hospitality, Selection Cons: Reservations not kept more