Monica's Trattoria

"I dined at Monica’s yesterday and I can’t stop raving about how amazing the food was. The service was top notch, it was my friends birthday and they were very hospitable, they gave her sparklers on her cake. The interior decor, and attention to detail was on point, I felt like I was in Italy. 10/10 experience. P.S make sure you get the calamari, the best I have had."

"First time visit on Wednesday night, with little time to secure a reservation at a place in the North End. Did some research and Monica’s came up as a solid recommendation. Booked at 7:30 reservation for our small party and was seated immediately. As advertised, it’s very loud in the main dining area, but as the crowd clears, so does the noise. We ordered the zucchini flower appetizer and three pasta entrees - sausage gnocchi, pappardelle bolognese, and the special sweet potato gnocchi. Zuk blossoms were small and tasteless. White sauce was very garlicky and about the only perceivable flavor on the whole dish. Disappointing presentation and execution - uninspired. Very small serving size. They say all their pastas are homemade but the pappardelle looked and tasted like the boxed stuff. Bolognese sauce was tasteless and under-salted. Relatively small portion. Sausage gnocchi dish was okay, but again, sauce was under-seasoned and mostly one dimensional. Gnocchi seemed to be homemade and had a soft texture, which was good. Serving size was moderate. Special sweet potato gnocchi with Gorgonzola and walnut cream sauce was tasty, but the portion was tiny. There were probably only 20 small gnocchis for $32! The waitress was attentive and polite, but also over-filled a water glass and splashed us and made a mess next to the table. Relatively inexperienced and easily distracted by the noise. We were really looking forward to a quality, tasty Italian-American meal as advertised, and were sorely disappointed in the food quality and serving sizes. Wouldn’t recommend this place as a top choice in the North End."

"Monica's has a reputation for a reason. The food was elevated and more than just a meal, but an experience. I need to go back to try more dishes! We noted it was for a birthday and they brought out dessert with sparklers going above and beyond what we expected."

"If you are looking for a place to experience great service, great environment, great food. Look here. Special shout-out to my friends; Brooke, Nubia, Angelina,Pat and Kaitlyn. Some of the best staff I have ever seen in my life. Some people come into work lifeless, not interested. This is something you will never see at Monica’s. This crew is absolutely incredible. At one point my phone was dead I asked, “hey any chance you could plug my phone in” Brooke took my phone and plugged it in. No questions asked. I asked for her Venmo to tip. She wouldn’t give. Absolutely incredible soul. This restaurant and staff make the experience. 10/10. Thank you guys so much !!"

"Let’s start with the positive: Great wine, great mussels. Now on the other side: It’s a very loud place. The bar was not able to transfer the tab to the table. Service is good, but why are they all female and most of them in Mini Skirts and spandex tank tops with a fake diamond M? My fresh squid ink pasta was undercooked. My wife liked her sweet potato gnocchi. Bonus points for innovation. Overall a mixed experience. Nevertheless our waitress was wonderful and she would have been so in a more dignified outfit."