But one spoonful of executive chef Damien DiPaola’s creative pasta dishes-from the tightly curled ribbons of fresh fettuccine accented with pistachio pesto and a shock of vibrant ahi tuna to the impossibly rich baked rollati filled with prosciutto and ricotta-will bring you right back to Hanover Street.ģ07 Hanover St., 61,. But this modern standby is still the one to beat for its well-executed menu of Italian staples-pillowy gnocchi baked with bufala mozzarella was a favorite-and classic steakhouse dishes.Īt first blush, this stylish Sicilian-inspired restaurant, with its open kitchen, exposed brick, and retractable front walls for warmer months, feels like it might belong in the South End. His restaurant group, in fact, is a mini North End empire, with an extended-stay pensione above Bricco and several other eateries dotting the neighborhood. If you feel like you’re being taken care of by an entire Italian village when you dine at Frank DePasquale’s Hanover Street flagship, it’s because you are: The restaurant’s breads, fresh pastas, and imported meats are sourced from DePasquale’s own old-world panetteria and salumeria next door. Gnocchi Sorrentina is on the takeout menu from the North End’s Bricco ristorante. Or maybe it’s just the generous portions of better-than-average regional Italian fare. Maybe it’s the expert wine-pairing advice-a server-recommended nebbiolo was structured and sturdy, the ideal accompaniment to our fall-apart-tender osso buco.
Maybe it’s his genuinely warm “Welcome to my house” greeting at the start of the meal. What do Melissa McCarthy, the Rock, and Joey Kramer have in common? They’ve all dined at this intimate second-floor restaurant, where first-time restaurateur Massimo Tiberi has pulled in a crowd of celebs big and…not so big ( ciao, Kris Humphries) over the past few years. (Of course, these being unusual times, it never hurts to call ahead and double-check operating status-especially if you’re hoping to score outdoor seating in the North End’s expanded patio scene, which has returned for another season.) Allow us, then, to narrow the scope to a handful of favorites that never fail to deliver-including pasta-filled trattorias, pizza landmarks, amazing bakeries, and more.
On the other, when there’s so many options, it’s hard to decide where to go on any given night. On one hand, you can’t throw a cannoli without hitting a great restaurant in Boston’s North End.