So it's the holiday season and the Central St. Strip in Wellesley is dressed up. I went strolling for a place to eat dinner and this seemed to be the best, most lively spot. I actually liked sitting at the counter near the kitchen, where I could see all the activity. Pork chop was delicious and comes with a mix of brussels (which were yummy) and butternut squash studded with pancetta (basically, bacon bits). I liked it. There were some A+ people next to me. I got to try an app from the kitchen: toast with seafood: it was delicious. It should definitely go on the menu--would come back for that. You get a huge hunk of bread with plain olive oil. To kick things up, ask for some red pepper flakes to season the olive oil. Liked this place, but would only go back if I happened to be passing through the Wellesley area. read more

We started off with a trio of appetizers - olives, beans, and peppers - which we ate with the standard table bread (a huge hunk of tuscan pane style bread). Very, very good. For the entree I had a seared chicken breast with greens. My wife had mushroom-stuffed ravioli. Dessert was an apple cake with ice cream. All excellent. Service was very attentive. Maybe a little over the top, but good nonetheless. Portions are a bit small for my taste. Same for the martini. Prices are a little high. If cost is no object, you can do a lot worse than Alta Strada. read more

Incredible. Absolutely incredible. The antipasti is perfect, all of it. The pizza is great, but if you're going for pasta I'd suggest the gnocchi, or the tagliatelle alla bolognese. And for dessert, the gelato is great. It's a nice restaurant, with great service and staff, and there's always street parking. The only problem is that on Friday or Saturday nights it's hard to get a table, unless you call in advance. read more

Location of this restaurant is nice. Medium size restaurant. It was jam packed on a Thursday night. Luckily we made reservations. The bread they brought out was pretty decent. For appetizers, we tried crostini with cottage cheese dip and I really liked it. They had good wine selection. The waiters were friendly and made good recommendations. I tried mushroom ravioli and that was omg delicious. One of the best I've ever had. I was also super happy with the vegetarian selection. Because we switched our order in the beginning, the waiter got confused and brought out the original order but the chef was sweet enough to bring out a small plate of the other order as well. At this point we were super happy with the food. The manager came out to great everyone and that was really nice. After a couple more drinks they brought out the dessert menu and we tried marmalade pie and that was insane. The mix of things on that plate was fun. I shared it with my friend and they actually gave it for free. It's a good place if you want to sit down and spend some time enjoying eating. Amazing staff. The food is a bit pricey but definitely worth it. I can't wait to visit again! read more

My wife and I came in here after doing errands in the wellesley area. For a weeknight, the place gets busy. We came in around 6:30 without a reservation, so we got seated in the bar area. By the end of the night, all the tables were packed as well as the bar seats. The meal was good. We both ordered pasta dishes, and it's easy to tell they are carefully made with fresh ingredients. My mushroom ravioli was seriously flavorful. However I did find that there wasn't much in terms of quantity. Portions were on the smaller side. Great restaurant to check out if you're in the area. read more

A few weeks ago I went to Alta Strada to explore the Boston Area restaurants because my mom moved here recently. I have been looking for internships so I met up with someone from Bumble Bizz and I got the job. The experience was great because of the amazing pizza (and I'm from New York so that's hard to beat) but also because of the radiating kindess of Elena Lachenaur, the hostess!! read more

Ok but disappointing. Drinks were outrageously priced. Broccoli was burnt. Tomato sauce on chicken parm was bland. Overall not good for the price and limited menu. I guess you need to make your own opinion but we would never go back. read more

I am definitely coming back here, solely for the food! Everything from the antipasti to the dinner entrees were delicious. We got the Spicy Lobster Chitarra and the Fresh Cheese Ravioli. I can't say much about the service however; I had to wave down the waiter too many times for comfort. Side note: Portions run on the small side, so do not come here ravenous. read more

Alta Strada is one of my favorite restaurants. It has two dishes that I order religiously. For lunch, try the slow-roasted pork sandwich. It comes topped with green beans and roasted red peppers on a hard, chewy bread. (Also mustard and cheese, if you're into such things.) I'm a sandwich person, and I travel around New England during the daytime for work so I try a lot of different sandwiches. This one is my hands-down favorite. The dinner menu has some great entrees, and even better specials. (The best soft-shell crab I've had was a special here at Alta Strada.) But for me the standout is "just" an appetizer, the crunchy veal meatballs with spicy tomato sauce. It's sizable, definitely big enough to share with someone else; and fair warning, the tomato sauce is indeed spicy. For that matter, the meatballs themselves are served very hot, and they retain their heat. I've burned myself. But they're just so incredibly good. It's one of those foods that I get random cravings for. Alta Strada is a gem. Five stars, sincerely. read more

Honestly this place is probably my fave place to get real authentic Italian food. The food is made right in front of you, the drinks menu is fancy. I love even coming here alone. I frequent this place more than anything else in my town, that should say something read more

Came here tonight with my gf's fam and had a fantastic meal. The appetizers and the pasta entree's were excellent. The restaurant was nice, and parking was easy. The service wasn't anything to write home about, but it wasn't bad by any means. I really wish they hadn't run out of the special this evening as it sounded delicious as well. I look forward to having the opportunity to come back again someday. read more

I really wanted to like this place as its in the arsenal of Michael Schlows portfolio of ever-expanding restaurants, but its hard to give a stellar review. Someone before me called this the bertuccis for yuppies which in a sense they might be right. Bread - Awkwardly large but delicious and fresh none the less. Olive oil is high quality, but they also receive it from the olive oil store next door so of course it should be good Drinks - Kinda bothered me that the drink list was on a chalboard on the wall and we without descriptions..I guess they dont want you to order drinks otherwise they would put it on the menu next to the wine. I ordered a drink with pineapple and rum which was good but a bit too sweet with way too much simple syrup. It was also strange that the bartender came up afterwards and asked us if the drinks were ok like he messed them up. Seemed disorganized Food - We started off with buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes which were good (small dish for 2 and some spicy fried meatballs which were very tasty but too spicy for my dad. For the main course the parents ordered the veal mezzlune that was more like a chinese dumpling than italian dish. None of us were fans and it sat mainly untouched. My brother in laws bolognse was good but that should be hard to screw up. Me and my sister got the cavatlli with fennel sausage (sounds similar to coppa?) - The pasta was cooked well and had nice texture but the sauce was so heavy and the sausage was ground and crumbly that it didnt blend well. The brocolini was very slim and didnt add much of a crunch to the dish Overall i left really sick for the rest of the night and probably will not be back. Wellesley is also a ghost town on a Saturday night which is really strange. read more

Salad was good but nothing incredible - somewhat small for two people. The balls of fried risotto where yummy, but again not amazing. Swordfish was really not good for the price. The mushroom "lene" pasta with truffle oil was absolutely delicious and worth every penny. Service was very nice. read more

Good Option for Italian Food in Wellesley Located right in Wellesley Center, Alta Strada is a great stop after an afternoon of exploring and shopping. Specializing in a mix of different Italian styles of cuisine, you will find a lot of choices here. The service is good and the ambiance is lively. To start we ordered three "small plates" or antipasti. The golden beets with grana padano were sweet and juicy. The ricotta with toast was smooth and creamy. The corn roasted with bacon had a sweet smoky taste. My wife and I then split the mushroom and onion pizza which was perfectly cooked with crispy crust. I had the mushroom filled lune (type of ravioli) which was rich with a delicious creamy sauce. My wife had the chopped salad which as large and full of excellent fresh veggies, sopressata, and chicken. For dessert, we had the cookie plate which had 4 different kinds of biscotti. All were delicious. We've been to Alta Strada several times and it is consistently good. Hard to go wrong here! read more

EXCELLENT DINING WHILE UNDER QUARANTINE - My son and I decided to order dinner yesterday after not leaving the house for a week. We masked and gloved up and drove to the restaurant. They did an excellent job of quelling our fears by CLEARLY stating, with many signs, that no one was allowed to enter the facility for pick up. Rather, they posted a phone number to call and someone (wearing gloves) put the food directly into our trunk, all the while remaining 6 feet away, and THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS!! It was the first meal we felt safe eating without having cook ourselves. read more

Margarita pizza tasted like a piece of cardboard. Absolutely no flavor.

Amazing food and a great atmosphere. The menu is mostly tapas and the bartender their knows what wines go with what food! read more

Last night myself and my girlfriend went out to this establishment for a Friday's night dinner. thinking we were going to have a wonderful dinning experience. To my surprise the waiters and food were subpar. This including over salted calamari, and flavorless dishes included burnt food, as well as highly over priced dishes. Finally we come to the service the waiters were unenthusiastic unfriendly and downright unacceptable. Overall I Will not be returning to this restaurant until some major changes are made. read more

Alta Strada has a nice upscale, semi-casual atmosphere with a great staff. It's definitely one of the better restaurants in the Wellesley area. The food is pretty decent, with some dishes being better than others. Not a fan of the carbonara, but the bolognese is a restaurant staple and is what I would stick with when I go. Flatbreads are okay, nothing too great about them. You'll find better Italian at North End, but Alta Strada is a good go to neighborhood restaurant for Wellesley read more

We came here on a weekday after a recent visit to Paper Source. First thing we noticed was how busy it was for a weeknight. We had to sit at the bar instead because all the tables were reserved. This was fine by us, except that the bartender was really busy so he really didn't pay much attention to us. We started off with the Anchovies Endive salad. This was pretty good. I loved how the anchovies masks the bitterness of the endive. As entrees, I got the sachetti, which is a little wonton looking sack made of pasta and filled with cheese. The was also some prosciutto. The dish was okay but got a little heavy after awhile. There was very little prosciutto. We also had the mushroom ravioli. This was pretty good. Again, I thought the dish was a little heavy. The restaurant was busy and all the stools at the bar were taken so the bartender was pretty busy. As a result, service was a bit on the slow side. Overall, it's a decent restaurant. I've glad I tried it but it's not memorable enough to bring me back regularly. read more

Had an amazing experience there today. I worked at Alta Strada 3 years ago and this place has just gotten better. I knew Richard since then and he's still a great manager and truly cares about their customers, going on tables to make sure they're happy. Absolutely excellent service and atmosphere. Josh was grand too, very friendly server and helpful. Can't recommend this place enough. Drove over 20 miles (round trip) just to go there because I simply can't find anything like the Mushroom Lune dish (must try) here in the North End (Boston's Italian neighborhood). It was also nice seeing AJ and Casey, good old friends. read more

Not good. The service was super slow and the place was empty. Went for lunch at around 2:00 on a Saturday. I asked if their pasta was homemade and the waiter said "no, um, we really don't have the space". I don't know what the kitchen looks like but this place is enormous. They have a take-out place downstairs. Anyway, got a salad which took a good 15 minutes to arrive at my table. I asked for them to go light on the dressing and it was soaking in vinegar and oil. I ordered the Spaghettini with Aglio e Olio con Pomodoro for the entree. $16 for store bought pasta and tomato sauce. It was so gross, I didn't even eat it. This is my third time here. The first time I went with friends and nothing was over-the-top great. I got a small portion of the Mushroom Filled Lune with More Mushrooms, Truffle Oil and Parmigiano and it was so heavy and dense. Hate to be harsh but this place is very over-priced. I don't mind spending money for a meal but it has to taste good. read more

I am not sure I can give the food a fair review since my senses were spinning out of control from the noise level in this restaurant! To begin with an 8:00 reservation was not honored until after 8:30 and then we were seated in front of the open kitchen where the facilitator stood shouting out the orders to the cooks...more noise! Fortunately, we were able to change tables and only deal with the "normal" noise. We all had a variety of pasta dishes that I would say were good....not outstanding. I have been in many restaurants that have a high noise level, but this was beyond the pale. read more

Went there for lunch with friend. Not too busy. The waiter sucked. Was slow never came to refill water. Got he burrata as an app brought it with no bread or crackers. The. I ordered the chicken ciabatta sandwich. The chicken tasted really weird. It was chewy, was worried it was not fully cooked. When I told the waiter he said there chicken sometime chewy and sometimes not. Wtf! Who says that??? The manager came over and asked if wanted anything else. But was so disgusted from the chicken and what he said I knew I wasn't going to be able to enjoy anything else. read more

Had a lovely dinner with family, eggplant appetizer was the best! Pasta cooked perfect!

Screwed up my order had to drive 15 mins back to get correct order and manager expected to charge me me for BOTH the incorrect order and correct order. When I explained I didn't think I should have to pay for both as it was an error on their part and I had to drive both there and back TWICE the manager was VERY RUDE! Was not impressed with food, may have given a second chance but not with the attitude of the manager.....uncalled for, sucky customer service! read more

You know how sometimes you've moved and have been missing your BFF neighbor for so long, and then you finally get a chance to go back and hang out with her and... well... all she can talk about is the PTA and carpooling, her new friends seem vapidly shallow, and her once-adorable children have grown into sullen teenagers, and... well, she's just kinda gotten boring on you. Alta Strada used to be so much more interesting. When I lived in Wellesley, I used to have 2 or 3 antipasti veggie dishes I would crave for lunch -- unique flavor combinations, fresh and bright -- and there was this amAzing gnochi in a creamy mushroom sauce that I used to fantasize about constantly... That was when they first moved in and I'd pop in all the time and we'd have such fun... Now, it's just kinda OK. The service remains sincere, but can slow down when crowded. That said, earlier this year, well after the lunch rush, I told the manager about how I missed the mushroom gnochi; he told the chef, and the chef made it just for me. Now that is excellent service, and it was fabulous--but it just made me nostalgic for old times... Sigh I went here last week, the day before Thanksgiving. We got there when it was empty at 6:00, but it soon filled up. Remember how I said I used to crave the veggie antipasti? Well... The broccoli rabe antipasti with chili and garlic was a wee bit overcooked, on the verge of oily, and waaaaay too salty. My friend made a meal of the antipasti (1 for $6; 3/$15; 5/$24) and said it was OK, but didn't rhapsodize about it or anything. (ANd she will, if its is really good.) The mixed baby greens with balsamic and shaved onions ($7) was a little ho-hum. Oddly, that was a little salty, too. It was, frankly, the kind of salad I'd make for myself at home when I am uninspired. Or really, really, need to make a trip to the grocery store. (To be fair, there are more exciting-sounding offerings on the primi menu (like crunchy veal meatballs or figs w/ procuitto), but my husband wanted a salad, & we always share.) (Except dessert.) For dinner we had pappardelle with braised duck, cherries, and rosemary ($23). Executed nicely but unexcitingly: The pappardelle was al dente; the duck, tender and moist; the cherries, far and few between; the rosemary, barely there. But it was not too salty. Here's the thing: usually with pasta, I keep eating it well past the point when I should -- for physical, aesthetic, and ethical reasons -- stop, and then I find myself sad and wistful when the pasta is gone, sniffing slightly to myself as I slowly swipe up the last bit of sauce with my last bit of bread or, if need be, my little fingers, consoling myself that there will be other pastas in my future. Well, this pappardelle was a little too easy to say goodbye to. Especially considering how much it cost and the moderate amount served. (Granted, we split the dish. But the amount here is just slightly less than the average amount you would expect for the price elsewhere.) I even had room for dessert (range: $6-10). I had the mascarpone cheese with chocolate wafers. The cheese was lovely -- not too sweet, just tangy enough, with a luzurious texture -- but I the chocolate wafers were...well, they didn't suck. Light, crumbly, but no depth. A flat, chocolatish taste. Granted, you don't want something too rich or strong to overwhelm the mild-but-rich mascarpone, but I think I could make smoething better at home. My husband had a chocolate-hazelut pudding-like dessert. It was nice, rich, but I couldn't really taste the hazelnut. Final note on The Market, downstairs: When I lived nearby, I used to go to the "store" downstairs to get ready-made meals or a side of veggies. Not outrageously priced, it's much better than the prepared food at Whole Foods or Roche Bros. Take-home veggies come in two sizes; small ranges from $4-7, large from 8-16. The Market also has two sizes for salads and some pastas. You can get a pizza to-go (about $16) as well as sandwiches ($6-9). The real deals come in the "dinners you can take credit for" category, $8-12 for stuffed peppers, grilled salmon, or chicken with caper sauce. FInally, you can get cookies, biscotti, and other desserts at the Market. But I do not know if the quality of the food at the market has faltered like the quality of the food in the restaurant, but I would assum it has, since many of the offerings are the same or similar. Overall, it was nice, but not much more. And for the money and the locale, it really should be. For your money in Wellesley, I think you are better off going to Vela. (Of course, I haven't been to Vela for a few years. I'll review it on my next trip to Wellesley.) I had been missing you, Alta Strada. I miss you still. Snap out of this suburban ennui and come back to me... read more

I've eaten here twice ever. The first time about 2 years ago and the second time was last night. From what I can remember about the first time, I really liked the pasta I ordered. I'm pretty sure I got the cheese-stuffed ravioli. Delish. Last night, I went for my best friend's birthday. I didn't know it would be THAT packed on a Thursday night...in Wellesley no less. Thankfully I made reservations (wahhoooo, opentable). Overall, my choice in meal was better the first time. I tried one of their personal pizzas. It was a bit spicier than I would have expected a tomato, basil, mozzarella pizza to be. Or maybe it was residual spice from one of the appetizers we ordered? I will say they have a good deal on the $15 for 3 appetizers since they're decent sized portions so I'd take advantage of that. One of the special requests I put in was to have some kind of cake or dessert brought at the end of the meal with a candle (per usual for a birthday). They brought a scoop of ice cream. I was a little turned off because the price point of the restaurant isn't like a Bertucci's aka cheap so I would have assumed they'd be able to at least bring a small slice of cake. Free or not (we obviously would have paid for it). It was kind of a poor reflection on their business stature. In addition to this, the service was pretty slow, however it was quite busy so I'm sure that's a big part of it. The food came out a lot quicker than I would have expected (aka we ordered then 10 minutes later, here's a pizza!) so kudos to the chefs! All in all, it was a pretty good experience but I wouldn't necessarily choose this place as a regular go-to, but I wouldn't rule it out either. read more

Excellent. Love Alta Strada. We're regulars. The servers and managers are always great and welcoming. The menu changes up periodically and the changes are great. My favorite these days is the calimari appetizer...wish they had an entree size version! The lamb bolognese pictured here is a longtime resident and another favorite. read more

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

OK, Went back with an Open Table business lunch partner. Got Alex. Got GREAT SERVICE along with a KILLER scottish salmon salad - cooked PERFECT. And those mushroom ravioli!!! And that homemade ricotta! NOW we're talking!! Thanks for the GREAT food and OUTSTANDING service!!! WHEW! read more

Overall really good experience with the food. Loved the crostini with ricotta, the wine they recommended, the apple salad with cranberries and the lune with mushroom. What I didn't like was that they didn't bring the famous bread at the beginning (I forgot and noticed at the end of the meal) and also didn't love the mascarporeos dessert. Thought the mascarpone did not have the texture and flavor it normally has that I really like. Also the oreo cookies were not as sweet. read more

Love this place, Amazing spaghettini, and mascaporeos. Our server was a bit odd, unenthusiastic and didn't really speak. It kind of made me not want to come back.....but the food is soooo good. I recommend this place for a date night. Also, definitely make a reservation, it gets really packed. read more

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4 of us went for New Years Eve. 4 courses. 4 people. 16 dishes altogether. We did a lot of sharing and tasting. At the end, can honestly say there was not memorable dish among the 16. TunaTartar was bland. Have had better.... pretty much anywhere else. Pastas were ordinary. Many entrees not well seasoned and flavors were ordinary. Meats were exceptionally fatty. Fish well prepared but without flavor. Panzanella bread was hard croutons.. Desserts were not great. "tiramisu" was in fact not tiramisu...which is made with lady fingers not cake. Even the sorbet had little flavor. Best of the desserts was the lemon tart but pastry crust was so hard you couldn't cut it. Have been coming for years but doubtful we'll be back. read more

Great place to go if you're looking for homemade pasta noodles and you have money to spend. Alta Strada's pasta is delicious, but it doesn't come cheap. Pastas average about $20 and the portions are small. So don't come here if you're hungry, you and your wallet won't be satisfied. If you're looking for a rich/savory pasta meal here, I recommend the Spicy Chitarra with lobster ($23) or Mushroom Filled Lune ($22). read more

4+ We were in town for a business meeting and staying in the Natick area. i was hoping to find something which displayed Boston's reputation for food but without having to drive into the city. Alta Strada fit the bill. Located in charming Wellsley, the decor is open yet warm and inviting, the service was pleasant, and the food was delicious. We sampled a couple of the anit pasta items then split a pizza and a pasta... makes me look forward to my next trip to town. read more

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This place was recommended to me by an Italian friend. The pasta is truly good, mozzarella is also good (this is from mozzarella House in Peabody from its taste), aperol spritz non consistent and salad was not good! My major complaint on the place is the service, very poor! I found a lemon sticker in my salad enter, found the sticker towards the end on my salad therefore I showed to the waiter only after finishing my meal. Not even a sorry! I saw him showing it to one of the manager who did not care! Maybe because I'm Italian and I expect Italian like service in an Italian restaurant but hey say we are sorry, would make your customer feel like you don't care. I may give them a second chance but guaranteed that I will share what happened with my other Italian friends living in the area! read more

I ordered the tortellini pasta dish with pistachios and prosciutto... upon the first bite it was like I was riding on a rainbow. I don't normally rave over pasta dishes, but this was GOOD! I would definitely recommend eating here. However, at night it is REALLY hard to hear your date/friends/whomever may be with you because the noise level is so high. read more

Sit at the bar, great service and quick. I was here Monday night and the bar was empty. Ate the Mushroom Lune pasta dish and it was wonderful. Had a special amaretto flan.. Wow! This place is so consistent. read more

We came here for dinner on a saturday night. We came pretty early as they get booked up, there were a good amount of families there when we arrived at 5:30. We ordered a few drinks, they have allagash white on tap which is great. They don't have a wide variety of wines which was a bit disappointing but it is fine. They serve really good bread which is a huge plus. The menu is small and I don't think they had any specials. We got the calamari and the broccoli rabe for apps. They were both ok, nothing out of this world but good. For entrees, we got a few dishes. One regular spaghetti and red sauce, one pasta with veggies, the mushroom dish and the wild boar dish. The mushroom and wild boar were both very, very good. The others were a bit bland. Overall, a nice place but just ok. I thought our service was fine so no issues there. The prices aren't that expensive either. read more

This place is really first rate. The environment is lively and fun, the service is very good and the food is stellar. The menu has options that are familiar enough if you are not an adventurous eater but has some really inspired offerings for those of us who want some creativity. Pay close attention to the specials. They rule. Not surprisingly, it can be very hard to get a table, so make your reservations! read more