Ristorante Saraceno - Boston

"I'm a native New Yorker of Italian descent and grew up on top-notch, home-made Italian food. Although my mother's meatballs are still the best I've ever had, Saraceno will give her a run for her money on just about everything else. The pasta dishes here are all great. My favorite is the Rigatoni in spiced tomato sauce. There is also a tomato sauce with bacon is delicious. Everything we've had is great. If we can't get a table, we'll even order to go and sit at a table on the Greenway if the weather is good."

"Overall this was a very good experience and I would go back. We had a reservation and were greeted warmly and sat promptly. I was initially disappointed by two things-it’s was 2pm and we were given the dinner menus and not lunch menus and the bread brought to the table seemed stale -and no oil for dipping as I expected in the North End. Butter was cold and hard to spread. Not the end of the world but not a good first impression. We ordered an antipasto which for $20 was the size of a small dinner plate. The meats were nice, no cheese, olives, tomatoes, banana peppers, romaine with a nice lightly seasoned olive oil and vinegar simple dressing. We ordered eggplant parm (no side was included) which was very good and chicken puttanesca which was nothing short of amazing. It came with broccoli (light steamed and crunchy the way I like it but I know my mom would’ve considered it way too hard) and a sliced boiled potato which was surprising but I enjoyed it. The puttanesca sauce was out of this world good and alone will bring me back. We got perfect cappuccinos to end our meal. I felt the portions were lunch sized with dinner prices but overall enjoyed the food enough to return."

"We left a $25 tip on a $125 bill, but the waitress changed it to a $50 tip without our knowledge. Thankfully, my credit card company flagged the charge, and when I called the restaurant, they promptly refunded the tip. Good food overall, and I appreciate the quick resolution; I would just encourage others to keep a copy of your customer receipt."

"We loved this restaurant! They sat us on the second floor which was so charming and lovely - it was quite cozy up there - a very nice treat after a long tiring day. The food was incredibly delicious and their sauce is excellent. The service was fabulous - Our waitress was very attentive and sweet. We could not have been more pleased. When I head back to Boston I hope to have dinner there again!"

"Food was amazing! One of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to! If you go, definitely ask to be seated downstairs. It’s beautiful! Blue lights and garlands all over with tons of art! I would say the service was a little off. We were not checked on after receiving our meal, and she was very quick to take our order and move elsewhere. Overall, good food and beautiful restaurant."