As the closest restaurant to campus, the location itself is very convenient for Wellesley College students and visitors. Service was okay and our water glasses were always full even though it was busy. The Cinque Terre style grilled octopus had a smoky char flavor and the texture was surprisingly smooth, not rubbery at all. It came topped with some sliced red peppers that added a little heat but it didn't overwhelm this starter dish. I've yet to travel to Cinque Terre but thought this was a decent dish. We also ordered the mushroom lune and the tagliatelle bolognese for the mains. The lune was mushroom heaven...the creamy sauce, mushroom filling, and truffles can satisfy most fungi fanatics. That said, I did find the pasta a little too al dente for my taste. The tagliatelle was well spiced and accompanied with beef. I didn't love the sauce but thought it was enough to interest the palate more than a regular red sauce. An okay experience, but for what we paid, I wasn't wowed and would probably would choose a different place next time. read more

This is our local go to place. Love it. I've tried most the pasta dishes - which gave occasional seasonal modifications (like the pappardelle or tagliatelle which I love). Mushroom lune also fantastic. read more

Almost swallowed this metal wire in my pasta dish. Speaking with the manager, it happened last year to another customer.... They use scouring pad scrubbers to wipe down the pans and apparently they don't rinse them after. read more

Alta Strada - Wellesley - Gluten Free Spaghetti AOP - Italian Near Me - Wellesley, Massachusetts

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Much better than I expected! The appetizers and special were the stars of the show. For apps we had the ricotta crostini, garlic bread, and burrata -- all delicious. Regular pastas like the tagliatelle bolognese and lune (with mushrooms) were pretty okay, but two handmade pastas were really delicious. One was a pasta that used to be listed on the menu, handmade with prosciutto and spinach and tomatoes. Very fresh and delicious. The other was a special the day we were visiting that was a vegetable medley -- a light sauce of broad beans, tomatoes, squash, and other vegetables on a pink tomato or beet pasta. This was made hearty with beet breadcrumbs and a generous shaving of pecorino, extremely fresh and tasty. Most main dishes are not worth the price, but the "fresher" or house-made choices are worth the couple dollars more. read more

I've had better cafeteria food! Massive FAIL. I could have sworn the THIN slab of chicken breast was sliced off a processed loaf. Sauce was very ordinary, Fresh mozzarella they use is inferior to any I've ever had. The broccoli was good, and the bread crust (Iggy's) was excellent. SO DISAPPOINTED! read more

At first I was skeptical, with 3.5 Star average on yelp, but had a best of boston nod (boston magazine top 50 restaurants). GiltCity got me to try this place with a 20 for 40 voucher. With every dish that hit the table I was more and more elated to be eating here. The food is excellent. We were started with a nice loaf of fresh baked bread (huge and complex in texture). We ordered so we could share all dishes. We started with 3 antipasti for 15$. You would think at a top restaurant these would be small but these were nice size bowls of each dish. Eggplant Caponata and the homemade ricotta with crostini were outstanding. For a primi (app) dish we had the spicy veal meatballs which were also outstanding. The meatballs had a thin bread batter covering them and were super moist inside. The spicy tomato sauce provided the perfect flavor (not your grandma's sauce). We split a pizza which was just more of the same, just great. The crust is just about perfect. While the pizza was not as special as the previous dishes it was executed very well. You can tell they use fresh top notch ingredients here. You would think the service might suffer. This is after all a casual restaurant with excellent food. No. Perfect. Early in the evening the restaurant was slow and there were servers lined up along the bar at full attention to the guest. This reminded me of Commander's Palace in New Orleans which has some of the best service in the country. There was crumb service and new silverware/plates after each and every course. Even when we went from antipasti to primi, which are basically the same course. Our server, Armando was outstanding. He paid close attention to detail and paced our meal extremely well for all the courses we ordered. He remembered we had a gilt city voucher at the end of our meal, and he noticed our wedding bands and thanked us as mr and mrs k for coming. Nice touch! All in all we had a fantastic meal and experience here, deal or no deal we will be back (how often can I say that?). I highly recommend this place for Italian food and I believe Boston Magazine got it right as a top 50 spot in Boston. read more

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Being the procrastinators that we are, of course we didn't have Easter Brunch plans anywhere. We decided to wait a little while and grab lunch around 11:30, bypassing the idea of sweet French toast and greasy egg specials. (I would have been happy to wait til 1PM for a table at Bronwyn, but the bf started to get "hangry".) So, we searched Yelp and found Alta Strada - dinner reviews seemed favorable, so why not try it out for lunch? We were promptly greeted by a waiting host as soon as we entered the restaurant at 11:15AM. The seating area was quite empty so we requested a seat in a corner booth. Unfortunately, it was reserved for an elderly couple who came in every weekend for brunch, so we chose a corner table instead. (Props to management for maintaining customer loyalty!) Sustained for 15 minutes by water and in-house baked bread with olive oil, we were served our order of crispy veal meatballs and immediately dug in. The tomato basil sauce that the meatballs sat on top of was quite flavorful, and complemented the spices in the meatballs. The extra Parmesan cheese in the sauce added another layer of flavor. Another 15 minutes passed and we were served our entrees: the bf had the arugula prosciutto pizza and I devoured the grilled salmon and spinach salad. The pizza was cooked just right - crispy and not burnt at all. My salmon was prepared medium rare (to my liking), and topped with a caper butter. Our check came soon after we requested it, and we were in and out within an hour. We never felt rushed and servers were quite attentive (my water glass was never empty). While I'm not certain what service and food quality is like during the evening, I do have to say that weekend lunch service is decent. Next up is dinner! read more

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As a recent graduate from the Swells, this was a must visit upon returning to campus a year after my graduation. I have been here many times and have yet to be disappointed. It seriously outshines its predecessor, Figs. Great service, great food, just all around great. Highlights: The antipasta, especially the homemade ricotta. Also, the eggplant caponata. The great olive oil that comes with the bread they serve prior to the meal. The sacchetti with prosciutto, crushed pistachios, and leeks. They are to die for. The mushroom stuffed lune with truffle oil. For dessert, the chocolate hazelnut tart. Also, their bellini is very good. I had the peach one, and it was amazing. read more

I have always had great experiences at Alta Strada. I keep going back because the food and the customer service is amazing. Each time I've eaten there, the owner has come by the table to make sure our meal was enjoyable and he even brought free dessert for my friend's birthday (the tiramisu was delicious by the way). Their homemade pastas are divine, and even there slow roasted salmon was succulent and went perfectly with the pesto panzanella. They have the best appetizers, especially the fig and prosciutto tartines. The pizza is great, essentially everything here is great. You really can't go wrong. Alta Strada is a great place for any size group for special occasions or just a fun night out. The only thing I would not recommend are the pancakes. They were very underdone and rubbery. read more

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Dinner on a Saturday night - the place is hopping (and loud). Great wait staff, very attentive, and overall a very good experience. Started with the Antipasti Table: Golden Beets (fantastic flavor, solid consistency), Chilled Calamari (Very nice, our favorite), and Spicy Green Beans (crunchy and good). I would say that you could probably order 2 Antipasti's per person and have a meal out of it if you wanted. Decent proportions. I have heard the pizza is excellent (they also serve all day for lunch at the counter downstairs) but we chose Secondi courses. The local Swordfish with gigante beans (basically giant lima beans) was wonderful, great flavor. The Linguini Amatriciana with pancetta was tasty, but be warned that it is a bit "spicy" with pepper flakes (you may be able to request them without them). The Fedelini with tiny clams is good, but could use more clams and a the sauce was sparse. One of the more fun items was the Spicy Chitarra (literally guitar-string pasta) with lobster and shrimp. Drinks menu and by-the-glass wine selection is good, and the bread and olive oil is awesome. It was a busy night and it took about 20 minutes for the second drink order to come, but overall the service was very good. I'd go back and probably next time try for lunch. read more

Alta Strada - Wellesley - Italian Near Me - Wellesley, Massachusetts

Honestly I do not understand the low reviews of this place, my experiences here have been nothing but positive. Most recently I had a special which was homemade whole wheat pasta with pesto which was absolutely amazing. We got the ricotta as an app and it was so good. It paired perfectly with the crostini. I also had a bite of the bolognese which was delicious. In the past I've had the burata which is really good. The ravioli is really good as well. Our waitress was great, attentive but not overbearing. Do not let the average reviews deter you, I thought this place was great! read more

We needed a nice lunch place in the Wellesley area, and I was surprised that there really isn't much... or nothing open for lunch. Found Alta Strada on Open Table and it looked good. I was happy to find a large parking lot (free!) right in back, which brought me right into the lower level where I started drooling over all of the things I could bring home and just stuff myself with later. Seriously, the stuffed peppers looked amazing, and I am usually one to drool over cupcakes and three-layer cakes. Lunch was nice, drank a little too much (so that made the bar portion of the bill higher than the food, but isn't that always the case?) but the service was great. Our nice server (Matt P) was right there whenever we needed something, but not hovering in that annoying way that some people often do. On a return visit, I would definitely want to sit in his section. Didn't have dessert as we were full, but smelled some amazing cookies on the way out that were just coming out of the oven. Driving home, I wished I had picked up a few, but this gives me a reason to return. read more

Had a 7 pm reservation New Year's eve, arrived on time to find a huge crowd waiting to be seated and was told there'd be "a wait." Pressed for an idea of how long, was eventually told 30 minutes. We sat at the bar instead but were eventually moved to a table. The crowd at the entrance only grew during the evening. The food was very good, the service impeccable, and our meal's courses from the Prix Fixe menu arrived quickly. I learned since that overbooking is, apparently, a chronic issue with Alta Strada. It is really too bad that an otherwise fine meal was spoiled by the owner's / manager's poor planning and consideration for customers. I won't go back: no meal is good enough to warrant such arrogance by the restaurant. read more

VEGAN/ VEGETARIAN friendly. I love this place! I highly recommend this place! I came here for my Mom's birthday because she loves pizza but I hadn't tried this place. My diet is gluten free and vegan so I was a little nervous trying. Luckily, they were so accommodating! I called three days before and spoke with Casey - such a nice guy! He suggested the plates Id be able to enjoy. What I ordered: Beet salad -[(shared)-no cheese)] Arugula salad (Gluten free, no cheese) Gluten free spaghetti, pomodoro sauce, mushrooms, brócoli rabe, asparagus. Our waiter was Josh and was awesome!! Two thumbs up to everyone! Thank you!! :) Pomegranate martinis Champagne strawberry sorbet ALL was delicious!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! The service was top notch! read more

Our family of five ate upstairs. We had two salad apps along with two pizzas and two entrees: Tagliatelle alla Bolognese $24, and Grilled Branzino with Lentils, Confit Fennel, Radishes, Grape Mustarda $29. The service was poor. They were annoyed and infrequent to fill water, never inquired on empty sangria glasses, and our waiter spent his time on the phone (doing take out orders, it seemed) after we asked for our check... we had to get the manager after we waited and then all of the party left except me. Sitting there alone, I still had to flag down the manager. Once our food arrived, our waiter asked how it was -- before we had a chance to take a bite. He never inquired again. The food was unremarkable. Fish was fishy, lentils mushy, and pizza bland. We will not return. It was not busy and the plentiful staff did their thing, which was not customer service. read more

Be sure to get something with prosciutto in it! Their stuff with prosciutto is beyond amazing. My favorite is the appetizer that is crostini with fig jam and you guessed it...prosciutto! read more

I went here with a group of friends for brunch. I ordered the blueberry pancakes with whipped Nutella, and it was absolutely delicious. I also had a peach bellini, which was quite good, but it was tiny and definitely not worth the $12. Overall the service was very fast, our cups of water were always full, and the waiter came by often to check on us. It was also a Sunday morning, though, and pretty empty. Everything on the brunch menu sounded very good, but was way overpriced for what it was (think $15 for a salad), so I don't see myself returning here any time soon. read more

The service was mediocre, my wife's drink was not drinkable and her fish was ok but way too expensive for what she got with horrible vegetables. read more

Have definitely had much better Italian for cheaper. For $80 (including some door dash fees which I obviously know has nothing to do with this restaurant at all): meatball appetizer, garlic bread, mushroom ravioli, Bolognese. Meatballs are tiny. I think we got about 8-9 very small ones. Garlic bread is absolutely *loaded* with butter to the point of being soggy and unenjoyable. Mushroom ravioli got a thumbs up. Bolognese was nothing special at all. The pappardelle pasta actually just stuck together. Bolognese sauce had minimal flavor. Needed a decent amount of salt & pepper. It was a little spicy which was a plus, for me. Honestly, go somewhere else. Or at least don't waste money on takeout from here. read more

Alta Strada made the best of a bad mistake by DoorDash. DoorDash failed to show up to pick up our order. That was a DoorDash mistake. Alta Strada failed to call me or notify me of the DoorDash mistake (1 star off for that), so I called Alta Strada about 45 minutes after my delivery was scheduled to appear. Alta Strada sent one of their own employees to deliver my order, stepping up when DoorDash fell down. Everyone agreed the food was great, after we warmed it up. We'll order from Alta Strada again, for sure. read more

I have celiac so I never go out for pasta until I discovered Alta Strada serves gluten free pasta if you request it. I think your only choice is spaghetti but you can use it will almost all of their pasta dishes and it is amazing. Love this place! read more

Alta Strada is our new go-to for Friday night take out! The meals are piping hot and perfectly prepared. My children love the pizza (thin crust!) and caesar salad. My favorite gluten free pasta with shrimp and spicy tomato and asparagus is always delicious and packed in it's own "GF" bag, which is much appreciated! My husband loves the chicken parm for it's thin, but crispy crust and garlicky broccoli. He always orders a side of pasta for that (pro tip). Management is very responsive; we once had an issue with their 3rd party delivery service and the manager promptly delivered to our house. read more

We were there on a Sunday in August so not too crowded. Our server, Katherine was amazing in helping us order and being an all around delightful person. The food was very good. The pasta is exceptional, all the sauces are flavorful (our table got the Lune with mushrooms and truffle oil, spinach fettuccine with corn and fava beans, the bolognese, and spaghetti with a basic tomato sauce.) We all shared, all delicious. The meatballs (appetizer) were also great - nice soft texture, beef/pork/veal, and the tomato sauce had a bit of ricotta mixed in to add texture and dimension. Don't miss the fried baby artichokes appetizer in a white pesto sauce. Perfectly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside. Pesto made it. The Salmon was perfectly cooked. Desserts were a bit underwhelming. Gelato was too icy and under flavored. The tiramisu a little bland. Perfect espresso. Wine list is good - kind of basic, but a nice mix of Italian reds and whites. We will definitely be back! read more

Got up and left before we ordered a drink. Do not go to this restaurant if you don't want to be constantly monitored and yelled at for not wearing your mask the WHOLE TIME except in between sips of your drinks and bites of your foods. The people running the restaurant shouldn't even have it open with their level of cautiousness (watching their customers every move) and people who find these protocols acceptable shouldn't be eating in restaurants period. It's May and 30% of population are vaccinated, God forbid we have a social meal with our friends. This is dinner not a chaperoned middle school dance! read more

Food is good but I felt like I was in McDonalds. They brought out the food so fast, we could have been in and out in 15 minutes. I had to ask them to slow down. At their prices they should be better at pacing the meal. Also seem to be weirdly opposed to providing serving pieces for shared dishes. We used to go there a lot but will not be returning. read more

Well, I had a good time with friends and the service was fine. Food was fair and they way overcharge for beer - $11 for an 8 oz.

We love it here. Our easy walk-in date location, within walking distance to our home. We enjoy sitting at the bar. Very accommodating to gluten and dairy sensitivity. Always good service. read more

I last went to Alta Strada around 3/18/21. Before the pandemic, Alta Strada used to be my family and I's go to and our favorite casual restaurant in the area. Our favorite dishes were the spicy chitarra, the pizzas and my personal favorite, the secret menu ravioli (proves our regular status). We even had become familiar with some of the staff. As I walked in this most recent time, I noticed the differences due to COVID. When we sat, I had lowered my expectations somewhat because of how badly hit restaurants. We ordered the burrata and meatballs as our apps. I was waiting on the usually delicious bread until I was told that it is now upon request. When I got the bread, I kid you not, the bread was refrigerator cold and I was certainly disappointed. I understand if you want bread to be per request, but at least take the time to warm it to at least room temp. The burrata and prosciutto was a reduced portion from pre-pandemic, and the meatballs were nothing to write home about this time. As mains, I ordered the lune with truffle and mushrooms, and my family ordered a margarita and truffle and three cheese pizza to share amongst the rest of them. My pasta was delicious and so were the pizzas, although with all the food, the table was quite crammed. The dessert we got for my mother's birthday was this make your own Oreo type of thing which was to say the least, NOT GOOD. I rated this a 3 star because I was disappointed about our apps and also it honestly wasn't nearly as good as it was before COVID. I highly recommend you go but once Covid dies down. Peace out. read more

The food is very solid here. The pasta dishes are great and the pizza is delicious. I'm taking a couple stars off for the service though. Our server tonight was totally out to lunch. He wasn't friendly, barely acknowledged us when he got to the table and we kinda had to say "So...do you want to take our order or...?" He spoke way too quietly for being in a restaurant that's pretty loud, he forgot to bring my sister-in-laws second cocktail and he never came by the table to ask us if we wanted refills on our drinks or if our meals were enjoyable. So yeah, food is 8/10 but service is 3/10 at best read more

I had a GREAT lunch experience here! WOW! I was hesitant to try out Alta Strada. There's been a lot of restaurants that have come and gone in that little location... and since this one is owned by Radius, I figured it would be stuffy and overpriced. Boy, was I wrong. First of all, I love the atmosphere - it's completely open and oh-so-chic. Lots of light, high ceilings, it's really quite elegant. Second of all, the service was fantastic. My water was always filled and my waiter was extremely attentive. When we told him we were splitting a salad, he brought everything out in 2 dishes (which I love!) Third of all, the food. AMAZING. the Tuna salad was just.. unbelievable. The perfect hearty salad and I didn't feel bad eating every last bite. I also had the mushroom & onion pizza and it was fantastic as well. All in all, I definitely have to come back for dinner. I heard that it's a little loud at night since it's so packed... but I don't care. Sign me up! read more

Four of us decided to dine here on a whim and we are so glad we did. Alta Strada offers delicious food in a lively casual but elegant environment. We started off our night by ordering the antipasti for the table. Because we couldn't decide between the small dishes, we order five for $24: Sicilian tuna with olives and peppers; roasted olives with rosemary and orange; broccoli rabe with chili and garlic; homemade ricotta with crostini; and roasted cauliflower, pine buts, and golden raisins. Our favorites were the tuna, broccoli rabe, and homemade ricotta. I definitely can see myself going back here just to order and try new small plates off of their antipasti menu! For our entrees, I ordered the grilled chicken breast and arugula salad with sweet tomatoes and lemon ($18). It was good but could have been seasoned a little better. My boyfriend ordered the spicy chitarra with lobster, shrimp, tomato, and basil ($24). I had to stop him from licking the plate. I have eaten many desserts in my time, but none have been more delicious than Alta Strada's mascarporeo ($8). Wow! This is basically the best "Oreo cookie" you will ever have. If you go here, order this. You won't be disappointed. The service was excellent - very attentive without being intrusive. If you do decide to go here, make sure you call ahead and make a reservation. We were one of the lucky few who did this, and already at 6pm on a Friday night the place was packed with a 45-minute to 60-minute wait. There is also parking in the back of the restaurant so no need to troll the street looking for a spot. read more

A for atmosphere/style/coziness. But not impressed by the food. We got the green bean tapas and the ricotta tapas. The ricotta was bland and served with crostini that was WAY to oily to eat. I have actually never seen a crostini or crouton with that much grease. The beans were so-so. Then we had butternut squash soup which was okay but a very small portion. The seeds kind of threw it off for me and overpowered the soup flavor. Bar service was good but stools were VERY hard to sit in. LOW backs and no clearance under the bar to cross legs. Would not go back here. read more

I was prepared to dislike this place. After all, it was out in the suburbs and in an upscale neighborhood known more for wearing Lilly Pulitzer to the country club then actual gourmet interest. The space itself feels a bit sparse for style, with light wood table and chairs that felt like they belonged in a school room. Also being a suburban restaurant with children running around is a bit off putting to the dining experience, so I recommend you try and go later rather then earlier. I have to say the select menu was quality all the way. They have a tempting selection of antipasti such as white bean salad and sauteed mushrooms with lemon, starters like wispy thin prosciutto with fig spread crostini, to our pasta dishes such as mushroom stuffed ravioli in an amazing mushroom sauce, which I highly recommend. All were delicious. The wine list had an impressive selection as well. Service was the way professional and knowledgeable. It might actually be worth a trip to the 'burbs... read more

My husband and I both *loved* the crispy onion and horseradish burger (sounds like a weird combo, I know, but it was phenomenal). We loved it so much we returned again the next week for it! I also tried the chicken BLT and that had great flavor, although I thought they added too much chicken to the sandwich (this may not be a problem for others!) The restaurant is clean and the service is great. Although, I personally think the decor could be enhanced, the food is really high quality and I will return again! read more

I went here with my boyfriend for our anniversary dinner. We went around 6pm on a Wednesday night, and it was relatively quiet but the atmosphere was very nice. My boyfriend loved his Fazzoletti with Asparagus Pesto and Pecorino, and I had the crispy chicken secondi that was also very good. The portion sizes suited us very well. We had the strawberry sorbet for dessert, which wasn't as good. Service was great and timely. Would definitely come back for a semi-fancy dinner for special occasions. read more

The food and wait staff was excellent, BUT... We had 7pm reservations for New Year's eve and I'd forgotten that they overbook even with reservations. There was a crowd around the poor hostess as we arrived, and we were told we had a 30 minute wait immediately. After that, the fixe prix courses were served as fast as possible - we were in and out in record time, not a nice leisurely New Year's celebration. read more

We went to the market and order a pretty large order. The meatballs in my sub were not fully cooked and the sauce was extremely spicy. We also got the chicken Milanese. When we opened the container it was one piece of chicken cutlet with nothing on it and it was nearly frozen. The Italian Mac and cheese was very good and the chop salad was also very good. I would not recommend the market based on my experience. read more

A gem in our little town. You can't go wrong with any of the antipasto offerings, but standouts are the white beans with rosemary and eggplant caponata. Even the simple green salad with red onions is delicious and tossed in an awesome balsamic vinaigrette. Of the primi offerings, definitely try the proscuitto with fig and crostini. I ask them to serve it with a few slices of grana padano on the side. Heaven! For mains, mushroom filled lune are the ultimate comfort food. The spicy chitarra with lobster and shrimp is always a hit. I'm hardly ever impressed with desserts, but their fruit-filled crostata has become a favorite. The flaky, buttery crust is definitely homemade and always served hot from the oven. The only dish I didn't care for was a summer offering of sweet corn and mushrooms over a homemade paparadelle. The sauce was so sweet it tasted like the pasta had been topped with corn bisque, and the mushrooms were nowhere to be found. Ah well, not every dish can be a slam dunk. Service here is very attentive, and I love the open kitchen. Go later if you want to avoid the early evening family rush. read more

Had lunch here for the first time. We ordered several apps: eggplant parmesan, Italian wedge salad, etc. Really nice preparations. My only complaint: the service was very, shall we say, relaxed. But I'd go back. read more

Well, it's not good. My husband and I ate here one night last summer and we had drinks and pizza. I remember the food being pretty good so when I was looking for a close restaurant to take my family on Christmas Eve, I thought this would be a good choice. The wine that our server recommended was opposite from what I explained I was looking for. That's not really the issue though. My kids each ordered the ravioli that was just ok. I ordered the tagliatelle bolognese and it was good, oily but good. My husband ordered the scallops. This dish came out and filled out table with a rotten stench that immediately put an end to all eating. It was nasty, folks. I'm not sure what exactly happened but it was bad. Our server took the plate away and we just asked for the bill. We won't be back. We still had a good time and didn't let this experience ruin our holiday evening. $175 for 2 drinks, 3 appetizers and 3 entrees is way too much to spend for this food though. Bummer. read more