What’s the best place in the North End for Italian food that takes reservations and has fresh fish. Wine list not important that night
Fix the spelling in the Title - more people might read it.
What is wrong with that?
There isn’t much good food in the North End.
Neptune Oyster is an exception—excellent raw bar and wine—but doesn’t take reservations.
Daily Catch is great seafood but also doesn’t take reservations. There is a location in the seaport (not too far away) that does take reservations.
The best I can come up with is North Square Oyster. More raw bar but they do have other seafood options and they do take reservations.
Oh, if you’d be happy with “good restaurant that serves fish” as opposed to one that focuses on it, Prezza is quite good and usually has at least a fish or two on the menu. Go for the option from the wood grill, which was swordfish last I was there.
Neptune Oyster is the spot, but the waits can be very long as it is tiny. I would second Prezza and if you are looking for something smaller and more homey, I like Terramia, not seafood focused but usually a few good seafood dishes on the list.
Oh, and go to Modern instead of Mike’s for dessert…
Thanks! Glad to hear Prezza is still good. If I remember, they also had quite the wine list (but that was 8 years ago)
I love Neptune but actually prefer B&G in the south end. I usually go to Neptune around 3 pm if I go.
Modern is why I want the north end, to have cannolis for desert.
And their pignoli cookies are to die for. I get a couple of pounds every time I visit my daughter. They last for months
+1 for Prezza
+1 for Modern over Mike’s
I won’t slag the North End, but you’ll find much better options for Italian seafood elsewhere. I’d recommend Bar Mezzana in the South End (the crudo is where it’s at) and Pammy’s near Central Square Cambridge (one of the best restaurants in town of any kind).
If you do the North End, then do it north-end style. Yes, Neptune is the best seafood in the neighborhood, even among the best in the whole town. I highly recommend it, but it’s not really Italian nor is it really very North End-y.
If you really want the North End seafood experience, hit up the original Daily Catch (best bet: squid ink pasta) or Giacomo’s (best bet: zuppa di pesce in “fra giacomo” sauce, which is a blend of the fra diaviolo and house “giacomo’s” sauce). Both are on Hanover St, both small places with large lines, both well known by tourists. This is not high end stuff, but tasty and very North End.
Go to Mike’s for the experience and Modern for the pastry. Also, Salumeria Italiano and Bricco Panetteria are great local shops, both just off Hanover (the latter down an alleyway).
Glad to hear Terramia is still good!
My how this neighborhood has changed over the last 40 years, and particularly the last 15 or so since I’ve left Boston and the Expressway came down.
carmen, lucca, prezza, and neptune were our go to’s when my sis lived walking distance from the north end. looks like they’re all still there. prezza was best of the lot for vino.
Any place with a line, other than Modern is out.
I can’t even bother to wait in line at Modern anymore! Admittedly much better than waiting in line for Galleria Umberto’s bland arancini, panzerotti, and greasy “Sicilian” pizza. But still, is that cannoli, pistachio cookie, sfogliatelle really worth so much of your time? I usually hit another old school classic, Bova’s, where the line moves much faster (especially good coconut cake).
I hate to admit it, but I must agree with Robert Love’s post above: there’s a dearth of good food in this neighborhood. In the last 3-5 years, Boston’s culinary landscape has exploded, but the North End seems to have totally missed the renaissance, and remains mired in a past many insist on viewing through rose-colored lens.
My wife and I visited Prezza last year and the slightly upscaled cuisine is a step up from most North End restaurants. The wine list remains quite good, if a touch old-fashioned, with many back vintages. And the bottles aren’t alarmingly warm in the summer months like at Mamma Maria’s. I still thought they delivered a decent, if overpriced meal, but it’s a nostalgia trip only. Otherwise, sadly second-rate.
I have not eaten or thought of eating in the North End in at least five years if not more. Nothing against the north end experience which most of the previously mentioned will provide. But if I would much prefer a drink and light fare at B&G and then head over to Coppa.
I’ll be doing B&G for lunch. I prefer it to Neptune by a hair.
I know Boston well, and if Prezza hasn’t changed over the years, I know I’ll get that.
Richard, Thanks for the reco. In from out of town and just finished a terrific meal at Pammy’s. House-made pastas from house-ground wheat. Negronis on draft - what?!? Fantastic mushroom and veal bruschetta that were unbelievably flavorful without being heavy. Leaving tomorrow, but if I’m ever back in Boston, you’ll find me here. Awesome tip!