Strega

be prepared to drop some cash, but you will have some great grub here. the italian gangster movies running on the many tv's in wall so cool. the hostess in this place was such a smoke show. great place

Pros: great grub, really unique, nice atmosphere.

Cons: expensive

Posted 11/04/09

I love the food here. Been a few times and never disappointed. It is standard Italian food but somehow different from all the other places in the North End.

Pros: Food, Scene, Location

Cons: Busy

Posted 05/13/09

I work at a hotel that recently opened near the North End. We send 6-10 people to Strega's each week. I've NEVER had a complaint from anyone. On the contrary, the guests usually return with comments like "You were righton target with Strega's" or "Absolutely fabulous!". Our guests come from all over the world and are very discerning diners and have high expectations. Strega's meets or exceeds those expectations each and every day!

Posted 12/12/08

The best restaurant in the north end, we have been going here for years and have never been disappointed from the tasty food to the excellent service. Great for people watching also. The entire staff are very professional, attentive and authentic...as close to Italy as you can be. We love it.

Posted 10/03/08

Me and a friend had just come from the festival on Hanover Street and were looking for a place to eat that would accommodate the 2 of us + a rather large stuffed Tweety which was won earlier in the night at the festival. When I asked jokingly for a table of 3, the hostess chuckled and said right this way. (In fact, she even brought a menu for Tweety). In any case, the waiter was very attentive and friendly and quickly offered us water. Shortly after, we received bread and oil, at which point we put in an order for a bottle of wine and appetizers. The wine came out quick and the food even quicker! We were extremely satisfied with the appetizers. Even though closing time was nearing, the staff did not make us feel rushed or bothersome, which was a nice surprise. They treated us very well and I would go back there again and again and hopefully try our some entrees next time!

Pros: Extremely attentive and friendly staff, great food, wall of tvs... what's not to like?

Posted 08/03/08

It was a group of 4 of us. We made a reservation for 8:30, got there at 8:20 (on a night it was 88 degrees and humid out) and the host said he?d get us in soon and to wait outside. There was NO room at the tiny bar to wait to be in AC. We sat outside on the cement benches and waited FOREVER. The host came out around 9pm saying they got ?jammed up?, apologized, and said he?d ?be sending something nice over to the table? and it should be about 2 minutes. At 930 he came back out and said we could wait at the bar to at least be in the AC. We managed to squeeze in and while standing there one staff guy ran into me so hard I had to take 2 steps back & almost dropped my glass with NO acknowledgment from the guy! A lady spilled her full martini soaking my boyfriend?s leg and my feet. The host got us towels to dry off with, but now he smelled of alcohol and I had sticky feet for the night. From the moment we sat down service was at mach speed! They literally threw plates onto the table to eat the 2 meatballs that was sent over as ?something nice sent to our table?. Eating my piece of meatball, the server ran into my fork with his hand, while it was in my mouth, while he poured our water asap!! Appetizer of fried calamari was like rubber bands and the mussels in were full of sand. I got the special of mussels, clams, scallops, calamari, shrimp and ? a lobster, veal dishes for the 2 guys, and chicken for the other woman. My dish was entirely inedible. The lobster tail was like shoe leather, the shrimp was dry as dust and chewy. The clams, mussels, and calamari were chewy. Veal was tough and chicken mediocre. I couldn't eat any of my dish. I will NEVER return, and hopefully if you decide to try Strega your experience is much better. I mean it would have to be, you can?t get any worse.

Pros: the wine is wet

Cons: everything else

Posted 07/19/08

was having high hopes w/the gnocchi. still can't get back the one i had in florence.

the rest of the meal is a blur. but i did remember the tables were placed pretty tightly and i felt like my not-too-protruding butt could easily knock down my neighbor's flower/dinner/something as i passed through that slit.
:)

Pros: nice & cozy

Cons: not enough room between tables

Posted 04/11/08

If you want a place which is like a cartoon of an "Italian" restaurant, and don't really care if the food tastes good, this is the place for you!

Pros: Flashy ambience

Cons: Food

Posted 03/26/08

Strega's food is great. I would love to sample the entire menu. I had the filet. Perfection. Great wine selection. Definitely make a reservation. We got there in time for our reservation but 2 of our party were late so we ended up waiting at least half an hour. The place is a lot smaller than I thought so there is very little standing room by the bar (which is not a full bar by the way). The owner was there greeting everyone and entire staff was very friendly. I actually thought their prices were very reasonable...especially considering the quality. My filet was $36. I've paid over $50 at other local restaurants. I also had the caprese for an app. It was delicious. Everyone in our party loved their meals. I will definitely be back.

Pros: Celebrity spotting, delicious food, great wine

Cons: small space, not a full bar menu, parking (obviously...it's the North End)

Posted 02/17/08

My friends and I frequent the North End weekly and try a new restaurant each time. Last week we tried Strega. I will never go back there again. It's awful, it's everything the North End shouldn't be. It's cramped, overpriced and the servers act like you're lucky they're talking to you. The ambience makes you feel like you're in a nightclub, which is not what the North End is about (for me any way). My friend ordered the eggplant appetizer as her meal and the server asked if we'd all like to try a little piece and we agreed. At the end of the night he had charged us extra for it! I mean, what's that all about? I would suggest you just walk right past Strega and dine at one of many other delicious, affordable, and quaint restaurants in the North End.

Pros: They serve booze

Cons: Everything else

Posted 01/31/08

On a visit to Boston few years ago, found this place to be quaint and old world... Great service. great atmosphere, great food... Like what I remember when I was in Italy... My recent visit was like going to Little Italy in New York... Commercial, rushed, none of the personal touches that made this a specal place for my girlfriend and I. The food was good, but the overall experience lacked everything we remembered it to be... I am was disappointed as was my girlfriend... Customer care is a thing of the past in this place....wont be back....

Pros: The food quality remains good..

Cons: The experience lacks that special ambience that made it special...

Posted 11/23/07

My husband and I walked in around 6:30 and were able to sit right at the bar immediately for dinner. Great choice because Christina was a joy as a bartender! We shared the stuffed mozzerella app, a strega salad, great bottle of wine, and the osso bucco on papardelle. Fantastic! I think the bar seats are the best in the house. You probably could get food that is just as good at a less expensive restaurant, but the experience and atmosphere of this place is worth it.

Posted 10/07/07

Took my parents for their Anniversary. We were sat promptly and our waiter was prompt and courteous but insisted on the bottled water which we did not want and he ended up pouring and charging us. Also the food is very expensice. Fruti Di Mare with linguine $48.00 Give me a break it was good but not worth almost $50.00 Would definetly not go back many more reasonable restaurants with good food.

Pros: Service

Cons: Food too expensive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted 09/22/07

This place has a very modern atmosphere in the typically outdated, traditional North End section of Boston. There are a row of tv's showing classic mob movies. This place has the best gnocchi in the city - get it with the cream sauce. Be warned: A weekend night gets PACKED here, and there is little to no room at the bar to wait. Try a more offbeat time for a better experience, but do give it a shot. The waiters are great characters.

Pros: Decor, servers

Cons: Crowded, hot

Posted 07/28/07

Last night was our first visit to Strega. We live outside Boston and visit the North End frequently.

After my wife and I were squeezed in like sardines, poured spring water that we did not ask for nor drink (but were charged $6 for), then waited 15 minutes for the waiter to come over and ask if we wanted anything from the bar (we were just about ready to get up from the table when he arrived but decided to stay).

On the positive side, other than noisy and crammed the Calamari and Risotto dishes were excellent.

Would I go back.................probably not. There are much more relaxing places to eat in ther North End were the food is just as good with better service and atmosphere.

Posted 07/04/07

Complete Tourist Trap!!! High Prices for the quality of food. Make sure you do not ask for recommendations from the waiter. Although he was nice and he said he would take care of us, he brought out every appetizer on the menu (charged us for all even though we never requested any), and served the most expensive main dish. Much better Restaurants with higher quality and lower prices. Also, TV monitors showing Mob shows (pg --> R) not really appropriate for children.

Pros: They have valet parking

Cons: HIgh Prices, Waiters take advantage of the customers.

Posted 03/31/07

Went here with my sister and a friend and we had a great time. Not only was the service great, the food was just as good. The waiter was very attentive to our table but not in a pushy way-- he made sure our water was always full and we always had bread. Overall the experience was great, cool atmosphere along with a real Italian feel--

Posted 01/29/07

My friends and I had a 10:00pm reservation on New Years Eve this year (2006). The four of us opted to order three appetizers and then split three entrees. The waiter pushed us to order the apps and entrees simultaneously, and told us we should do it that way because the entrees would take a long time. The apps came out in good time, but when we received the entrees they were were all stone cold.

All of the food tasted fine, though nothing was overly impressive, and it was pricey (Our meal came to $50/person for what little we ordered.) The tables were very close together - close enough that even over the loud atmosphere, you hear the evening specials recited by the waiter three times over.

Our table agreed that with all the great restaurants in the North End, there is no reason to return to Strega.

Pros: We were able to get a last minute reservation for New Years Eve

Cons: Rushed service, cold food, loud atmosphere, tables are close together

Posted 12/31/06

My husband and I dined there last night. We went late and were seated right away. Food was excellent, service was great. Well worth the price. Glad I read the reviews after I went, we had a great experience and would go back again.

Pros: Fresh quality ingredients, superb service, homade pasta

Cons: parking

Posted 11/09/06

Was visiting Boston for the weekend. Went with a party of 5 after it was recommended by a friend. Had reservations. As soon as we were seated waiter became very pushy in an attempt to turn the table over. Food was good but over shadowed by the actions of the staff. Items were pricey and lower priced were small portions. No salad with meal. Had to ask for four baskets of bread to have something to eat. If you are a regular or a wan a be movie actor you might be treated better, but if you are a vistor to the area, who just wants to sit, talk with the people in your party and enjoy your meal you are treated as a source of unappreaciated easy money.

Pros: None

Cons: Price and staff

Posted 09/26/06

Strega was reccommended to me by a few friends who generally have good taste in restaurants but they were really off the mark with this one. The cuttlefish was terrible, and the Fiorentina was an average porterhouse. I asked for my steak rare and it came out medium well, while the lamb chops were pitiful at best. The veal was ok, and the "gelato" was nothing more than supermarket ice cream. The expensive price tag in no way justifies the meal. I hope I went to the restaurant on an off night because I was very excited to try this restaurant, but very disappointed by the experience.

Posted 07/15/06

This was our 1st visit and we enjoyed it overall. I had the fettuccini with shrimp and asparagus and my girlfriend had the risotto fruiti di mare. We skipped appetizers and desserts and ordered wine with the entrees. The presentation on both entrees was excellent. The ingredients and preparation was top notch. The flavor and texture was very good on both entrees. We went early (Saturday 5:45) to avoid the long lines that everyone mentions. The wait staff was not overly friendly and they did try to turn the table over quickly but thats life in the N. End on summer weekends. The restaurant is small so dont go if you are claustrophobic. We had the 1st table as you come in the door. Its busy but good for people watching. The mayor and his ex-police chief took the seat next to us. All of the owners friends got kisses. Luckily he skipped us.

Posted 06/17/06