Massimino's

Massimino's proved mediocre last night.
We started with a drink downstairs while waiting for a table. The wine cellar is cozy and charming but, like most North End restaurants, space is at a premium so we had to stand at one end. No matter, the wait was only about 30 minutes.
We ordered a glasses of chardonnay and Chianti. The former was delivered promptly but, then, another employee pulled the bartender aside, and whisked him away. Another man took his place and filled the order for which I paid. Before he gave me change he was replaced by yet another man who gave me incorrect change--at least according to the price we were quoted. When I pointed out the error, he condescendingly sneered the price?which had risen $1.00.
We were seated upstairs in a corner beneath a speaker blaring dance music. A woman behind us sat so far from her table--her knees were about even with the table's edge--that no one could pass to reach us. Three different servers, rather than politely ask her to scoot up decided instead to serve us over the diners and dinners at the table beside us. We had to reach out for our plates and glasses and place them on our table while the waitrons either leaned over the couple's table passed Chianti our neighbor's reeling face. Rather than deal with this inconvenience too often, the employees chose to check on our needs infrequently.
The meal itself--sausage w/ vinegared peppers & potatoes and chicken saltimbocca--was so-so. The vinegared peppers were good--tender and tangy--and the roasted potatoes, excellent but the sausage was overcooked so that it was dry and chewy. Tthe sausage may have been good but I can't say because they cooked the flavor out of it. The chicken was fine but I am pretty sure the ham with it was not prosciutto and the herbs and spices were all but nonexistent. The side of pasta was all right with good tomato sauce.
To be fair, others I've spoken to have had good experiences at Massimino's. Would that I had joined their ranks.

Pros: Downstairs room is charming

Cons: Indiffferent service, mediocre food

Posted 02/28/09

We had lunch here and it was so good. The waitstaff was a lot of fun we had great food and a great time.The prices were very reasonable.

Pros: priced right

Cons: out of the way

Posted 02/03/08

My boyfriend and I decided to order our food from here based on all of the wonderful recommendations that we have had (as well as the award from Zagat and a few others). This was our last dinner together as I am moving tomorrow and we wanted something really delicious and I have to say that I have never been so disappointed in a meal and I have never complained. I honestly didn't even eat my entree. My boyfriend ordered the veal saltimbocca which is supposed to be stuffed with prosciutto and served with penne. The pasta was dry and the veal was not only bad, but instead of being stuffed with prosciutto, it had chunks of ham all over the pasta and not even stuffed in the veal. I ordered the shrimp scampi, which is my favorite dish of all time and I have NEVER been dissatisfied with at any other restaurant... the pasta was dry and chewy, the shrimp was not fresh and extremely over cooked and there was no sauce on it either. The lobster ravioli was nothing special either. The food was terrible quality and I feel terrible that my boyfriend had to spend so much money on such poor quality food.

Cons: The food was terrible.

Posted 01/23/08

I am an expert in Italian food and this is by far the best I ever had.

We had the antipasta for appetizer and it was yummy.

i had the cheese tortollini with red sauce and i just loved it. the best sauce i ever had!
my fiance had one of the specials which was a seafood/pasta dish and he loved it! even after over 2 months from eating it he still talks about it.

we defintely will be going back in the future!

Pros: good food, good service

Posted 05/20/07

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)
Well, I got there and they had our reservation down for an hour and a half later than the actual time he'd made the reservation for, but they said it wouldn't be a problem getting a table. We were seated shortly after everyone arrived, so it wasn't a problem though they did seat us upstairs, which was louder and crowded. I agree with what other people posted about the specials, they don't tell you the prices of the specials. I ordered one of the specials but they were out of it. I ordered another one of the specials, and one of the appetizer specials, but I don't know how much they cost. the food was very good, the service was good except they forgot the birthday cake. he asked the waiter about it on the way out and the server said he forgot as they were busy.
I'd say the food was good and we had a good time, but don't count on your reservation.

Posted 03/15/07

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

Posted 02/22/07

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

Posted 06/27/06

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

Posted 06/10/06

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

Posted 05/11/06

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.

Posted 02/10/06

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.

Posted 10/29/05

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

Posted 08/18/05

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

Posted 07/29/05

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

Posted 04/29/05

Showed up at the end of the dinner hour with my wife. Although there were several empty tables, they seated us near the kitchen. Food was terrific, although the specials have no prices listed, but were twice as expensive as anything else. Waitress was rude an inattentive, and even removed our olive oil bottle from our table in the middle of dinner to give to another table, then did not return it. I wouldn't go back, with the variety of Italian food choices in the North End.

Pros: Great Italian Food, Reasonable prices

Cons: , Overpriced specials

Posted 10/20/04

We came in with a large party and had made reservations over a month ago. They made us wait for 1 hour 45min past our reservation time and were rude and NOT apologetic. We had to wait at a cramped bar and uncomfortably stand over guests at their tables. The waitress was extremely rude and at the end of the meal yelled at us for not tipping (we assumed that the tip was included for a party of our size and corrected out mistake). We were shocked at the service, mediocre food, and awkward layout. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone and will tell as many people as I can about our experience. By the time we left it was late and we were all angry.

Pros: NONE

Cons: , Restaurant size , Bar

Posted 06/13/04

Food was decent. Service was horrible!!! There are no seats at the bar. One must stand and have a drink. After the meal they asked if we wanted the dessert menu. instead they threw down the check and said they needed the table. They did this twice!!! Not recommended. Bettter service anywhere else!!

Posted 02/29/04

We made a reservation for a party of 12 three weeks prior to our dinner. We even called to confirm the week of the reservation. When we showed up, however, we were told that it would be an hour wait for our table. Then, we were told later that they don't take reservations (even though we had made reservations over the phone). Several other groups of people were waiting outside in the 20 degree weather also waiting on their reservations. It was almost a mob! I would stay away from this place at all costs. They are a bunch of liars and have no sense of service. Not to mention the fact that the bathrooms didn't work and the ROTO ROOTER truck was there for the hour we were there trying to fix the sewage problem!

Cons: SERVICE, INTEGRITY, SERVICE

Posted 12/14/03

Whenever I travel to Boston I stop in to Massimino's. Classic italian fare in a no-frills but friendly setting. Keep it up!

Pros: food, friendly hosts, inexpensive

Posted 04/15/03

Clean, nice atmosphere Waitress pleasant,kept coming back to make sure all was OK. Roast pork over rice and mushrooms not a lot of flavor. Olive Garden Pork dinner far better for less money. I will give it another try.

Pros: clean bathrooms, food well prepared, seated promptly

Posted 03/01/03

This rest was interesting. Reminded me of being in a small restaurant on tha Amalfi coast. The place was immaculate. The food ws great. Real Medertaranian food, and they did not break my wallet. Has alot of charm. try the home meade patasa.

Posted 02/09/03

Not only do I know the owner very well(close relative), but I find the food very old fashioned Italian just as if my mother was cooking it herself. Apparently, you people who didn't like it, don't know the true essence of a home cooked Italian meal, and have no right bashing someone's hard work with rude comments.

Posted 11/08/02

We ate at Massimino's 9 years ago on our first trip to Boston. Forgot where it was, so imagine our delight when we stumbled on it while walking around the North End during our July 4th trip to Boston this year.
Excellent friendly staff, and truly great Italian food. One of the best antipastos I have had anywhere!

Posted 07/29/02

Massimino's is a favorite of mine. The food is excellent and the service has always been wonderful when I've gone. I am also the type of diner who takes three hours or more to dine and I've never experienced anything that would lead me to believe that I'm being rushed or that I'm not welcome there. It's quite the opposite. The servers are quick to come over and refill water and/or wine as well as to clear dirty dishes, etc. They always have a pleasant attitude and are always happy to recommend a fabulous dish or a wine suited to your taste. The only downside is that it is a small restaurant and a lot of people like to go, so the wait can often be up to an hour. But trust me, the wait is well worth it.

Posted 06/11/02