Had a fantastic meal on Valentines Day with my boyfriend. He booked the place after a recommendation from a friend. Our table was ready and waiting when we got there and our server, Alex, was great. He was so personable and really gave some great recommendations, especially helped when choosing the wine. He helped course all our food perfectly and we didn't feel rushed even though the place was packed. Food was amazing and the cocktail list was a must try. read more

The food was very good overall. It is a bit nosey and at times crowded. The Halibut is excellent and the small appetizers dishes are very good as well. The reason for only 3 star rating is the wines are priced very high. I normally will check out a restaurant's wine list from their website before my first visit. The wine list was not posted on their website, which is a problem for me. During my first visit I noticed they were marking up their wines 3 times, which is high. I ordered a bottle of wine ($65), which I can buy for around $20 retail. It is a great place and would visit more often if the price of their wine was more in line with normal 1.5 to 2 times retail. Ron read more

I do like Alta Strada. The food is always great, though a bit expensive. My main problem is that THE MENU NEVER CHANGES. I have been there often enough to be sick of the menu, which has been the same for a few years now. I wish they would offer more seasonal specials and create some new classic items now and then. read more

Simply horrible. If you want to dine in a noisy room packed with families with small children, this is your place. If you want to FINE dine in a place with ambience, go somewhere else. read more

The service is prompt and pleasant here, and everything I've tried on the menu has been wonderful. Favorites include the mushroom-filled lune and the prosciutto/arugula pizza. read more

My daughter & I stopped here for lunch after touring a nearby college (my alma mater) - the space was formerly a Howard Johnson restaurant back in the 80's - so it was quite amazing for me to see the transformation of the space. The food was amazing as well - my daughter had a salad & a pasta dish, I had the shrimp salad. All was excellent! Recommend.... read more

Great place! I have been back multiple times. The staff are extremely friendly and the food never disappoints. With high quality food and reasonable prices, it's a good choice. Definitely order the sliced prosciutto! read more

We have had two very positive experiences at Alta Strada. The food is fresh (pasta is made in-house), the menu has several appealing items, and we love the ambiance. The restaurant fits a lot of tables, but it does not compromise the patrons' comfort. The staff is good - not particularly warm or friendly, but adequately knowledgeable and definitely attentive. We look forward to returning to Alta Strada. read more

I've eaten at Alta Strada a number of times and it is always fine when dining in. Take out is always a total mess. Placing the order always seems to be a chore...lots of clarifying questions about what menu items you're actually ordering, the order is never ready when they say it will be, and inevitably something is missing or done incorrectly. If you plan to arrive 10 minutes after the time they tell you the order will be ready and double check it before you go, you should be fine. It's just a bit too much money for such inconsistency. read more

Had a great experience tonight. The food was amazing, waitress was really kind and attentive, and if I didn't live in a different state I would be here weekly. read more

Disappointing -- tomato skins in the soup, cold vegetables in the entree, beer served in a water tumbler. Not a fine dining experience, except for the price. read more

The food here is good and reliable, and the atmosphere enjoyable. But we've had two negative experiences with the hostess (the same young woman both times). The first time we tried to walk in around 5:30 as they opened, and the restaurant was empty. She told us she couldn't give away any tables because of reservations, and offered us a spot at the bar. I was really taken aback by how rude she was in delivering the information...it was as though we had walked into the hippest Manhattan restaurant without reservations. (Also, I was 41 weeks pregnant...no way I was going to sit on a barstool all night!) Months later, we went back, quiet, sleeping baby in tow, and the same woman was completely bent out of shape when we showed up with the infant carrier and appeared annoyed that she had to locate a high chair. Her attitude and lack of friendliness leave something to be desired, particularly in a restaurant in a family-friendly location. read more

The appetizers (crunchy veal meatballs, crostini with prosciutto and fig jam) and meals (pork chop with brussels sprouts and butternut squash, mushroom-filled lune with truffle oil) were devine! Staff attention and knowledge were outstanding. Definitely planning to go back! read more

A good Italian with some interesting dishes.However the pricing is very much "Wellesley price" - you eat here either if someone else is paying or you can't be bothered to drive very far. Food is good - you won't be disappointed by the quality. So it's a safe bet if you are entertaining a business client. By the way - if you use the big car park around the back it has very narrow spaces. So only come in a car with a hatchback. (I'm not kidding - I came with a friend in her Honda Pilot only to find a Chevy Suburban either side - I had to go in though the back). Some spaces are marked "small cars only" which in Wellesley means a mid-size SUV...... :) read more

A solid 3 stars here. The food was good - started with burata, then had raviolis and butterscotch pudding. All very well prepared, nothing that made me feel like I was having something that tasted really unique which is why I didn't go with more stars. And perhaps the other piece is that I can't let go of their former restaurant Radius being gone where the culinary experience and service were out of this world. read more

I reserved a table for 12 for a holiday work luncheon and hoped I had picked the right spot. Worries of my choice for our luncheon were immediately gone once we sat down and were attentively waited on by the friendly, outgoing staff. The menu could be a bit daunting for those not used to Italian menus, but the staff was more than ready to politely explain any dish you had questions about. And the food - it was spectacular!! Everything was freshly made, perfectly plated, and portioned well. My entire party raved about the restaurant the rest of the day and hoped we would make this a tradition for our luncheons. Well done, Alta Strada! read more

I am a huge Italian food lover and I was excited to try this place. Honestly speaking, I have never eaten at an Italian restaurant that earned a mere one star, but in this case, I simply cannot go higher. Unfortunately, we went on Valentine's Day and the usual menu was not available. Still, I found the food and the overall experience sorely lacking. We each had a salad, my wife had the Caesar and I the radicchio salad. Neither were particularly good, although I suppose you could say they were adequate. I had the Lobster Fra Diablo, my wife had the maltagliati pasta dish. Hers was better than mine, but still nothing the write home about. The Fra Diablo was pitiful - a $35 dish of spaghetti with a measly chunk of lobster (described on the menu as the meat of half a lobster!). I complained and they brought me some more lobster meat, but the dish was still a bust. The sauce was entirely unremarkable. It couldn't be more disappointing. Given the experience to that point we bucked the idea of dessert and cut our losses. Even the bottle of wine we had, we found expensive and not worth worth the price. In terms of ambiance, the decor is quite nice, but they cramp way too many tables in, raising the noise level to boot. Sad that a place where the menu and the setting looks so enticing, leaves such an enormous amount to be desired. read more

It was my wife's birthday and we were looking for a homey restaurant that was both nice and original. On the surface, Alta Strada seems to fit our niche. It had an inviting but modern decor, a success story on the website, and was started by a supposedly acclaimed chef. Even the menu seemed enticing and different. But as soon as our food arrived, it's evidently obvious that we had made the wrong choice. The bread was hard and we were not given plates, the Chitara pasta was flavored with nonexistent sauces, the bologna pasta was very bland and less quantity was delivered for the advertised quality. Finally we also saw some problems with the Duck, as the kale that came as a side had too much salt. Most people know how to salt food,right? Well not apparently the chefs at Alta Strada. The server did know the menu but had a case of hyperbole overuse. The server described all the dishes we ordered in a way that made them seem delicious, but the aftermath left us feeling subpar. The server also did not know the wines they offered or the scotches. Although I did have a good time with my family, this restaurant is obviously not something I would recommend to even my worst nemesis as it is overpriced and a waste of your time. read more

I have had dinner at Alta Strada 3 times and each time the food was very good. This has kept me coming back. However, I am done dining there as each time I have left annoyed at the restaurant's focus on getting patrons in an out quickly. Each of my meals has lasted about 45 minutes. I feel like I am at a nice McDonalds. Each time I have tried to order an appetizer before I order my dinner and have been told that appetizers and dinners need to be ordered at the same time. Otherwise, the "flow" in the kitchen is thrown off and it will somehow hurt my dining experience. The first two times I dined, I obliged them on this policy which is clearly meant to get people in and out quickly. The "flow" seemed very rushed as my appetizer was out in about 5 minutes and my meal followed only 10 minutes later. We were only halfway done our appetizers. My third time I ate there, I convinced the waitress to let me order the appetizer first. But, she was clearly uncomfortable with it and kept coming back to ask me if I was ready to order. After about five minutes, we ordered. Our dinner still managed to come out only 10 minutes after our appetizers and they got us in and out of there in about 45 minutes with a $100 for two people. read more

food is great, tight seating but the ricotta, prosciutto and marscaporeos are all worth it!

The food was delicious - from the apps to the desert, however... We were very rushed by our server. When we tried to order our appetizers and told him we needed more to decide on our main course we were told that he'd prefer to place both courses at the same time. Instead of insisting on more time we quickly decided. Our appetizer dishes arrived and midway through enjoying them our server appeared and began taking away our plates.When we let him know we were not done he agreed to leave the small bowls with the food but insisted on taking away our plates. It felt more like speed eating than an enjoyable dinner with friends! We certainly didn't feel welcome and felt as if we were taking up space that was meant for the people that would occupy our table next. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing this meal with good friends but next time will choose a restaurant that makes me feel like they're glad we chose to dine with them! read more

My first time in alta strada was so good. We all had pasta and the service was great. However we ate super early like 530 and the place was empty. The other day we ate at 745 and it was the worst wellesley restaurant experience we have ever had. My friend and I ordered our entrees and it took over 45 mins for them to come out. I actually saw our entrees under the hot table lamps, but they just didnt think to deliver our food. Once I finally got my food, my fish was still raw in the middle. You could tell right away because I had to cut into the fish like a steak and it was still translucent. I'm very pregnant and our server knew we needed things well done. Either way, I had to send it back. It was cooked sea bass that I ordered, not sashimi. While they did take it back, there were no apologies or anything. Then we had to wait another 35-40 mins for it to come out. No updates, nothing. The waiter could have just told us they were going to make a new one and it would be a awhile. But no.. We were forgotten and I had to actually ask where my fish was. My friend had finished her app and main dish a long time ago and I'm still waiting to eat. I can't believe how horrible the service was.. On top of that, the manager should have come by and offered his or her apologies, considering everything but we left alone and forgotten again. There are not a lot of restaurants in wellesley, but I don't think I'll be recommending this place to anyone anytime soon. I'm seriously disappointed. read more

The menu is overdone and fussy lacking even a few basics for the less than adventurous (save maybe a pizza... ). There really isn't a single offering that isn't messed with extensively. The atmosphere seems a little too contrived and gimicky and neither the food or service was anything memorable. My first impression was that they were going for some sort of communal feel.... but is breaking bread elbow to elbow with a crew of 70 something realtors who are just happy that they don't have to hoof it over to blue ginger anymore really anyone's idea of a good time? "Trying too hard" would be the best way to describe the whole experience as well as the few people who seemed to be enjoying it. Some simple / basic menu options that make sense would be a good place to start. More tables (preferably with happy diners), less hard surfaces, and some much needed finishing for the waitstaff wouldn't be bad either... Truthfully, the second star was a bit of a stretch.... but you have to leave some room for the really really bad places. This place desperately needs to sacrifice some form and work much harder on the substance! Let me leave it on a positive note... the rustic cloth napkins were really fantastic... just perfect for some great real traditional italian food.... which, as luck would have it.....you won't find here! read more