I ate here in person pre-covid and thought the food was good, but I'm sad to say that I got burned trying to order through here via Seamless, so you may need to call them if you want to do a takeout order. Although the order was apparently accepted, when it came time for the driver to pick it up, they told them that they were too busy to do the order and to go away. It's perfectly understandable to limit takeout orders via apps, but it's not okay to have orders go through that you have no intention of fulfilling, especially with an hour lead time. read more

Food is delicious, drinks are amazing. It is very crammed in there. Pretty pricey. I think the service is great.

With a reservation, we waited more than one and a half hour to hear that when you make a reservation is only guarantees you a table not when you will have it. Go figure! read more

Probably the best Al Dente fusilli pasta I've had in the Boston area!! I would say even better than the north end. Fresh food, busy atmosphere and wait staff was very polite and friendly! Definitely coming back. read more

So disappointing. Poor bar service. Everyone around us getting bread and oil and grated cheese. We had to ask for bread. She brought without oil or cheese. Had to ask for oil. Like we were asking for the world. Claimed Caesar was homemade dressing - but no side of anchovies available. If dressing is homemade, and anchovies are in the dressing - wouldn't You have a side of anchovies ? Artichoke appetizer soggy and tasteless. Would not recommend or return. Plenty of better places to choose from. read more

Revisited Artichokes again recently. Not surprisingly, my assessment remains pretty much the same. The food was good. My wife ordered "off-menu" (ziti with meatballs), which cost $27? $27 seemed a bit steep for ziti & meatballs. So if there is any take-away, it's not to order off menu, as they tend to charge more than you'd expect. We also had some gaffs in service. The waitress asked if we wanted shredded parmesan, we both said yes. She left, dropped off food at a neighboring table, brought them parmesan, and while we tried to flag her down, the waitress was fairly oblivious, and didn't come by again for a while (so no cheese for us). And she had a nice conversation with a different neighboring table for several minutes, so we flagged down the other waitress to get our check. Nothing terrible, but a bit disappointing. The space is fairly compact (tables right on top of each other). I prefer a little more room between me and my neighboring guests, so if that is also a thing for you... read more

Artichokes is phenomenal. My parents have been going for over 30 years (back when they used to be at their other location) and we go every time there's a special occasion (or when we're looking for a delicious Italian dinner). The home made fusilli is fantastic and keeps us coming back. Always delicious and the service is good. read more

If you are cautious about COVID, I would NOT recommend. I have been a long time customer of Artichokes. Their food is consistently good, one of the best Italian restaurants that I've been to. A few weekends ago, I came here for in person dining the first time since the pandemic. For one, you have to make reservations well in advance if you want to sit down; however, this is not communicated at all. I tried calling to make a reservation, but there was no answer. Additionally, their yelp page says no reservations. Upon arrival. I was immediately taken back. The hostess had her mask well below her mouth, and didn't bother to fix it at all. She had it down while she talked to us, put together tables, etc. The waitress that we had also had her mask well below her nose, and even pulled it down to talk to us! If you're working in food service, especially almost a year into the pandemic, you'd think they would have their workers wear adequate well fitting masks. The restaurant was also at 100% capacity. It looked the exact same as it did before COVID. Every table was very close together, including downstairs where the bathroom is. I know this is not following the state's restaurant guidelines. I am very appalled at how they are handling COVID, and I will NOT be returning until well after the pandemic. read more

I have been coming to this place for years because the food is delicious. Went with my sister Saturday, 9/10 right after they opened and sat at the bar. Never had such horrendous service. 2 bartenders waited on us. One with a ponytail, the other shorter blonde hair with glasses. The one with the ponytail had the personality of a rock. She was so rude and wanted us to order once she set our drinks down. I guess we took too long because she took my sisters menu away after about 5 minutes and said she thought we were ready. Thought she might be having a bad day and tried joking with her a few times but she just had this scowl on her face the whole time. The other bartender just as bad....made us feel so rushed. Took away my martini ice glass and said she thought it was my water glass but left my sister's actual water glass. Took my sisters food away to box up while I was still eating even though I said I wasn't done yet. We ordered coffee drinks and paid the tab. We weren't even done with those drinks when she said she had reservations coming in. We left without finishing our drinks and told her how unwelcomed we felt. We spent over $150 and left more than a 25% tip. Too bad we paid before we were rushed out. Wouldn't have left a tip. On a side note, not like the place was packed. There were 6 place settings reserved at the bar and no-one ever sat there the entire time we were there. Also no-one waiting to be seated at the door as we left. Will never go back again. They lost 2 good paying customers and more as I will go out of my way to tell people of the bad service we received and will never recommend. Was a shame to have had this kind of experience. My sister called to complain to the manager twice and never received a return call. We weren't looking to be compensated for anything, just thought the manager should know. read more

Don't bother. Rude unless you look like you walked in from the yacht club and are over 55. Got the artichoke app. Menu it was lightly breaded. I have gotten fried dough at the fair with less breading. Main dish was fine but nothing special. Took a while for the wait staff to come get the card when the dropped the bill. But the minute it was swiped and dropped off we were asked to leave. When we were not moving fast enough the hostess came over and almost pushed us away from the table to clean it and said she had people waiting. read more

If you're looking for a hearty, well portioned, fabulously prepared, cooked with love meal - come here! Do yourself the favor! Now clearly, I don't know for sure if the chef cooked with love but it sure did taste like it. Our waitress was friendly and really honest with her recommendations. My red sangria was not too sweet and not bitter at all. It was just right and not skimp! Love that! Chicken, ziti and broccoli is a common dish in the northeast but not so common in other areas of the US. That said, if you're going to get it - you need to come get it here! The Alfredo sauce was light and garlicky. The chicken was super tender. My fork could easily break it apart. I had their homemade fusilli pasta and this is where I say that this meal must've been prepared with love bc you can just taste it in every bite. The combination of the pasta, tender chicken, the sauce and the crisp broccoli is evidence of an intentionally perfected dish. I really didn't expect it to be this good. So glad I came! read more

Artichokes - Chicken Ziti Broccoli (a little dark but so amazing) - Italian Near Me - Wakefield, Massachusetts

As my Dad would say, this place is nothing to write home about. Beautiful old building with a very nice interior. We sat at the bar, which was cozy and warm. Ordered 2 super Tuscan wines. They tasted more like a mid grade Merlot. Also ordered the antipasto for 2 special. Really wasn't a well balanced plate. It was mostly salty cheese, salty flavorless meats, and can grade pickled peppers and olives. Probably sysco foods. I could get past the mediocre food, but some of the staff should have been fired on the spot- Johnny the bartender would rather sit with his face in the register than take care of patrons. That's because he uses his phone to text or Facebook while he is at the register. (See picture). I'm also surprised that he doesn't get involved in a sexual harassment lawsuit from the female employee with the heels that night. He's loud, and annoying. But he is somewhat friendly. I guess that makes him a good choice for a day shift bartender. My other gripe with employees and management is the constant gossip we had to hear about at the bar. I don't come to drink glasses of wine that cost as much as a bottle of tge same wine, to hear other people's crap. Speaking of hearing crap- one of the male servers coming out of the kitchen was explaining to a female employee what 'cropdusting' is. I think he meant he crop dusted the food. Gross. Maybe that's what happened to my antipasto. Also, the employees must smoke our back really close to the bar entrance (health code violation), so all night, you smell smoke and people who smell like smoke. Gross! Lastly, the place is very beautiful at night, from the outside. For what Wakefield offers, this is in the top 50. read more

Artichokes - Italian Near Me - Wakefield, Massachusetts

Amazing. Pasta was perfect, martinis were great, and Linda was absolutely wonderful! We will be back soon!

Artichokes never disappoints! Always delicious with great portion size? Service is great and staff friendly and inviting. Angela, our server always goes above and beyond....I am always amazed at the negative reviews on here. It makes me wonder if it's competition. They make the best martinis that are filled to the top, in a large martini glass. Try and save room for dessert, my weakness is the lobster tail read more

Artichokes is my favorite Italian restaurant. My family and I have been coming in for years now and they have never disappointed us. The food and atmosphere is amazing, I personally think this place has better food than many restaurants in the north end. I recommend trying the fruti di mare, warm salad, and lobster raviolis, they're my favorite dishes by far and you can never go wrong when ordering them. read more

Extremely disappointed. We called to see if they were open today (it's MLK day). At 7.30pm, they said they were open for regular hours (until 9pm). My husband called at 8.24pm to order take out and they said the kitchen was closed. We were very disappointed that nobody bothered to tell us the kitchen would be closing early, especially when we called ahead to be certain of the holiday hours. Feedback to the staff answering phones: If someone calls at 7.30pm asking if you're open until 9pm, don't just say "yes". If the kitchen is going to shut before 8.30pm then you should say "yes, BUT the kitchen will be closing more than half an hour before 9pm". SO DISAPPOINTED. read more

We have been to Artichokes many time in Malden but this was my first time for my birthday in Wakefield. We arrived and it was very busy but they sent us to the downstairs bar which was delightful! Cheese and crackers were available to nibble on while we waited. We did not have a long wait and then they sat us at a great table. Our food was amazing, the service was awesome. Loved everything about our visit. Thank you for making my birthday so great! read more

Got here at 7:05. Party of 7. Celebrating something pretty great. If you wait a little longer, you can get the "alcove ". No clue what that is , but sure. Ooops. They're not leaving. We'll seat you over here It's now 9:26. The people in "the alcove " after the people that were there that were lingering are now paying their bill. We haven't even been served And the kids asked for bread. They ran out cause one table ate four loaves. Mussels. Vinegar peppers, pork chops and a 5 other Italian meals, with no bread. Mussels? With no bread. I haven't been here in years, and probably won't be again. The waitress was absolutely fantastic though. The bright spot of a "wtf" situation. Maybe it's me. But, I'll trade the awesome results of my 6 month scans for stage 4 breast cancer with a shitty restaurant experience any day! Probably shouldn't have to. read more

We ordered takeout on a Saturday night. Artichoke margarita and warm salad appetizer both were excellent. Dinners were gnocchi alla coco and the chicken cacciatore both were delicious. Everything was steaming hot when we arrived home. They wrap all the takeout dishes in foil to keep them hot. Will definitely be ordering again soon. read more

Terrible experience there do to service and slowness of kitchen. Worse part was unapologetic even the day after. Will never go back.

Awesome place!. Food is delicious and always consistent. Any dish is absolutely heavenly! I would suggest trying the appetizer artichokes in lemon sauce-can't get enough of those! read more

While the food is excellent, I can't say the same about the service or the hostess. It's been over 10 years since I've been to Artichokes and I was very excited to return for my favorite meal. We had a reservation for 5:30 and arrived at 5:15. The hostess was an older woman with long hair. She did not say hello or smile, just looked at me. I gave her the name of the reservation and she took us to a small 2 person table. I asked if we could move to the bigger table across the room since all but 3 tables were empty. She abruptly said "NO, that's reserved." The server also didn't smile, didn't invite any conversation. She took our order and walked away. No one seems very happy to work there. By the time we finished our meal, the restaurant was still only half full and the table I asked to moved to was still empty! I guess it's about control! Too bad, I would return for the food but don't want to be treated this way by anyone. I noticed that other reviews that have negative comments have not been responded to by the management. That says a lot about who they are. read more

Overpriced for the bland food and poor service. Waitress takes forever, gets meal wrong and forgets orders. Had to ask for soda three times to two different waitresses who seemed annoyed at my existence. My eggplant was bland and my friend ordered chicken Marsala but was given chicken Francesca which tasted like sweet and sour sauce. At the end waitress never came to finish check. Im pretty positive that she was gonna write in a 25% tip for herself because other reviews have pointed out how the waitresses steal money. Weird vibes here and food doesn't make up for it. In addition to all of this, I also got violently ill after my meal. Idk if the food had something to do with it but watch out. read more

Went to Artichokes last Sat, 7/30/22. It was not a great experience like it used to be. Will not go back. We ordered apps and we waited an hour, and they never showed up. We canceled and went to Cafe Italia, and that place was amazing! read more

The food was ok. Don't sit at the bar if you want attentive service. The veal wasn't tender and the barstaff with too busy to give us enough attention. After we got the menus it took at least 20 minutes and is almost rudely getting their attention so we could order. One of the bartenders talked with someone at the end of the bar and was the one who gave us the specials and never returned to actually take our food order. This caused the other bartender to be too busy filling drink orders. The drinks were great though but the bill came back much higher than expected. Each drink must have been $15 and we had 3 martinis. I may be back again but next time would try sitting I. The dining room where the hostess seated us so we would get proper attention. The atmosphere was lively and cozy. read more

Food is good. Waitress was super nice. Hostess is rude. Don't bother. Have been going to artichokes since the old days in Malden and followed them to Wakefield. Won't be back. Hostess wanted us out of our seats. Whispered to bartender. Bartender loudly asked waitress why we were still sitting there. They want to rush you out. Rude. She greeted people with the line "are you a walk in" like you weren't part of her club. read more

I love this place, the food is great, the portions are way more than necessary. But. There are little things that make this place hard to take. Like the air conditioning that goes on in the middle of winter forcing you to put on a coat. Like tonight, with a 730 reservation and food at 9:30. It's like the place is out of control except for the people cooking in the kitchen were slaves to the management which is not very good. read more

Had a wonderful meal and experience last night at Artichokes! Linda provided us with excellent service. I had the eggplant parm and my companion had the baked haddock. Both meals were delicious and extremely generous. We also shared a Caesar salad. Cocktails were perfect. It was so nice to be in a place where we weren't rushed. The setting is lovely (I didn't know it was the former YMCA). We will definitely return! read more

Will never go back - the hostess was BEYOND rude! So much so that it still bothers me 3 weeks later. First let me start by saying our waitress was wonderful as was the food. There have been a few turn offs which made me stop going here - my son had wanted to go for his graduation dinner so I decided to give it another chance. I had 4:30 reservations for 5 people - had called to ask if I could add one more to the party (the table seats 6) was rudely told no. So rude I actually thought she was joking. Was told they were to busy and could not add to the party. I understand if I had a table of 4 and needed to add an additional table that it could be an issue. The 6th person in my party got there before I could uninvite them. They weren't even open yet and there was no line of people waiting to get in. Again hostess rude - yell at this person that I was already told no. When asked for a manager she then said we could be seated at the bar area. Not sure why from the start hostess wouldn't have said she could have seated us there - we would have thought wow she was nice to be helpful - but she is mean and nasty. We also could hear her answering calls and yelling at people and slamming down the phone. We spent well over $400 on dinner there - I figured since the waitress did her job great I would first call to speak to someone how turned off I was by hostess instead of just posting a bad review. After 3 weeks of no phone call returned I am writing the review. They don't care how rude they are - neither does the owner. For the hostess to be that stressed when her shift just started sounds like she is in the wrong field/job. I didn't tell her to work there or be a hostess. Wakefield has many great Italian places to eat that treat their guests kindly. We now are going to Tonno's and their food is actually much better and they are NICE!!! Articokes do your business a favor and get rid of the hostess with the bad hair extensions - she is miserable and doing nothing but bringing your business down. I also see many other bad reviews about the hostess. (not sure why it comes up that I am from CA I am not I live in Mass) read more

I would like to preface this review by saying that I am a nursing student with a significant amount of college debt, and I have not been working since I started my program about a year and a half ago. Tonight, on my way home from a 12-hour clinical rotation, I decided to surprise my boyfriend with a nice takeout dinner from Artichokes to celebrate his birthday. When I went to pick up my order, I was greeted by a woman whom I now know is the manager. She told me that I owed $52 and change for my food, so I handed her $60. She then asked me if I wanted change (which was ignorant in itself), and when I responded that I did, she appeared none too happy about it. When she gave me my change, she proceeded to shame me into tipping for a takeout order by saying, "You don't want to tip the girls?" I hesitated at her rude advance and told her that she had given me the correct change. She then repeated, "You don't want to tip the girls." I was appalled, and at that point, I said, "No, I'm all set." She laughed in my face as if I had done something wrong, so I then turned and walked out. I understand that the restaurant staff had not been working for two and a half months, but the manager was extremely presumptive to assume that I had any more money in my pocket than has any of her staff. It is very likely that they have all been collecting decent unemployment checks during their furloughs, and for management to be putting customers on the spot tells me that manager is ignorant, rude, crass, and an embarrassment to the restaurant she represents. If I'm not mistaken, we live in a free country where we are able to CHOOSE whether or not we want to tip. It will be a cold day in hell before I or any of my family and friends visit Artichokes, and I will be sure to spread the word about town as to the demoralizing treatment I received from this despicable human being. Arthchokes should be ashamed of themselves for putting this poor excuse of a manager out front as their representation. read more

Would've gave them 3 stars but the service isn't good. It took us 15 minutes to get water... That was after we flagged someone down. We would've wait longer if we didn't. The food isn't bad but it's heavy. Do NOT get the "specials"! It's a way they screw you. They charge ~$50 per "special" plate and they're always the same. Stick to the main menu. read more

My views on this place are mixed. First, it's certainly convenient if you live around the Wakefield area. The building is beautiful. And the interior makes great use of the space - open bar upstairs and cozy bar & seating in the basement, though the decor is certainly dated. I've had some dishes there that were absolutely fantastic. But we haven't always had a great experience. Last night we had dinner in the upper bar. Light crowd on a Thursday night. We couldn't get served to save our lives. The waitress was constantly chatting with the hostess. When our order finally came, the appetizer and entrees came at the same time. Grrr. Our salads were drenched in watery dressing. Gross. And as always, the portions are way too big and the prices are way too high, especially for outside Boston. This is great if you're in a jam, but if you like North End cuisine in the North Shore (and you don't want to pay a fortune), I suggest you check out Giacomo's in Melrose. read more

(Please check out all the filtered reviews to see more people who feel the same way) Well it hasn't gotten better it has gotten worse. We will never go back which is a shame because the food is good. We walked in and were told there was a "little" wait. It was not super packed with people so we decided to go downstairs and wait. We figured a "little" wait meant a half an hour. As we sat in the lovely lounge we were having a good time drinking and chatting, The cocktail waitress was great and suggested some delicious martinis. ......................................1 1/2 hours later, no table. my husband complained and she told us 15 minutes....................30 minutes later he complained again...............10 minutes later we were seated. 15 minutes at the table NO waiter in sight and no bread or water on the table. I figured maybe a bus boy at least would ask if we wanted water. For such a nice restaurant there must be a bus boy running around or at least just greet us and tell us you will be a minute. Needless to say we got up complained to the host and manager and walked out. She had the balls to say we don't put bread and water on the table. Friggen lie! I have eaten here since it was in Malden and they do give you bread and water not to mention every table gets a water glasses as part of the setup. So needless to say we left two and a half hours later hungry, pissed off and a little tipsy from drinking on an empty stomach. We walked across the street to Sabatinos where the staff was awesome. The food was great and the waiter was easy on the eyes. This was my first time eating here and I was pleasantly surprised. I say screw artichokes and go straight to Sabatinos. I will never go back to artichokes again. EVER. Artichokes has good food but whoever manages the front of house needs to look into a new profession. Go walk across the street and watch how a busy restaurant runs without the anarchy. I am now going to review Sabatinos and give them a 5 star review. read more

Had shrimp scampi appetizer wasn't cooked the way I'm used to so wasn't that happy with it. Entree's were for my wife Chicken Parm with homemade angel hair pasta which she loved. Mine was Chicken Marsala which was very good. All in all after being disappointed with the scampi the main dishes were very good read more

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Not gonna waste any more time reviewing Artichokes. So, to keep it simple. Was back two more times, both on weekdays. The first time there was about a 15 minute wait, but then it took forever for food to come out with dinner taking well over 2 hours. Same "everything is cooked fresh" excuse.] The second time, we were told 30 min wait. Then after 35 mins...another 15-20...then after that another 15. We went down the street to Molise. I am over this place. read more

My husband and I have been here twice in the past eight weeks, once in June 2013 and once in August 2013. We were seated within five minutes both times, despite each visit being on a Saturday night and without a reservation (they're not accepted). The food was excellent during both visits. I love the artichoke appetizer and I'd also recommend the shrimp scampi appetizer, both of which I made into an entree. The homemade pasta - which my husband ordered both visits - is divine. Nice large portions, the ambiance is fantastic (the decor is beautiful) and you can't beat the location. The waitstaff are very friendly. Our major gripe is the slow service and forgetful staff. Each time we visit, it took at least fifteen minutes for a server to stop by the table; I will note that the restaurant was not at full capacity either night. The first time we visited, a couple next to us actually moved to the bar because no one had come over to take their order. Also that first visit, our (very nice) waitress completely forgot our appetizer, though she later realized the error (as she served us the entrees) and kindly took the price of it off our bill. For our second visit, tonight, we arrived at 8:15pm and waited fifteen minutes for the server to come over and take our drink order; the drinks themselves took another fifteen minutes to arrive. The table next to us also felt ignored and I could overhear one of them contemplate whether they should get the attention of a floor manager (though I'm not sure if one was working; if she/he was, we didn't see him/her once in the two hours we were there). We skipped the appetizers and waited for our food to arrive, which it did at 9:15pm. No bread served prior to the entrees, so we had been in the restaurant for a full hour at this point without any food. We were starving by then but, as I reported earlier, the food was great! Long gaps of time between service. The server forgot my husband's glass of wine until the very end of the meal; we would have reminded her, but we didn't see her after she dropped off our food until we were done and ready to order dessert. She remembered the missing wine at that point and my husband drank it while we shared a delicious dessert. Usually I will give a restaurant the benefit of the doubt, but since we've had a less than satisfactory experience twice in a row, I'm forced to conclude that this is commonplace. So five stars for food, two stars for service. We've decided we'll return if/when we know we have at least two hours to spend on a meal. read more

I wanted to like this place, I really did. Even with the many uneven reviews, the place is close, the space looked interesting, and after avoiding a visit for months and months we finally gave it a shot. My first mistake was going in the door in the first place. My second was settling into a table in the spacious bar area. When I sat down it was pretty quiet for a Thursday evening, but at 6:45pm the bell went off and every gal pal in the area descended on the place. There was more hair and perfume packed into the bar than you'd get running the gauntlet in the cosmetic department at Macy's. But this review isn't about the clientele, because that's a matter of taste, and if the crowd isn't right for me that's my problem. I started with a straightforward martini which was well-sized, and well prepared. A decent start, I thought to myself. The wine selection is pretty mainstream but nice enough and there's a range of prices for everyone. No complaints. The food choices are right out of a 1960's red sauce Italian restaurant, or any one of a dozen eateries on Rt 1 in Saugus. Even the menu (oversized, laminated) cries out "down market"! The bread was cold and mass produced, bland. The accompanying olive oil was not much better. I ordered the mussels ("red or white" said the menu. I went white), intending to cruise a number of appetizers to see what I liked. My fiancee ordered the chicken parm. On the plus side, the portions are big, Rt 1 big. If you're looking to pack in the calories, you've come to the right place. You can do the same for a lot less money, but the space is nicer. I guess. On the downside, there just wasn't any taste to the food. It was bland, uninterestingly prepared or plated, and it wasn't cheap. I was still planning to try something else though--maybe we just hit two bad spots--but by then the crowd had gotten so thick, noisy, and well, there's that perfume and cologne thing again, we asked for our check and departed, very disappointed, and $80-some poorer. I guess I was most disappointed by the dissonance between the promise of the name, the hipness of the outside and the interior space (which promised a south end-ish or Portsmouth-ish) experience, and the food and service, which was all Polcaris. All in all a bummer. I CAN see why some (a lot, apparently) like the bar though: a nice space to hook up with friends or make new ones, and the drinks are well done. I presume after a drink or two they head out to someplace more worthwhile for dinner. I'll not be going back there. Too many other places around that don't disappoint. read more

I was prepared to review Artichokes with a 4-star rating until my wife called me this morning to tell me that it was a good thing we kept our receipt. It turns out we were charged for an appetizer that we did not order and was never even brought to our table. Normally I would dismiss this as a rarity, but given the comments of others on Yelp about counting your change after eating here, I felt it was important to start my review with this information as an explanation for why I did not rate them higher. I live in Wakefield so it's great to welcome new business to our town and I'm a sucker for a good restaurant so I'm happy that Artichokes arrived earlier this year and they are a welcome addition to the dining landscape of Wakefield. As you may have read in other reviews, they are located in a former YMCA building. They also have a "YMCA Martini" made with pomegranate, lemon and vodka that is deliciously like a liquid Jolly Rancher! THE BAR I have now been to Artichokes a few times and can say it is definitely becoming a hot spot for thirty and forty-somethings to hang out at the bar. Thursday night was standing room only in the bar and the prices are a little on the high side so it's largely an upper-middle class clientele to which Artichokes are catering. A glass of merlot and a martini ran us $19 and change before tip. I would expect that at the Hilton or Sheraton in Boston, but this is Wakefield. We're 15 miles away from the big city so I'm a little surprised at the cost of drinks, when a short walk down the street will land you at Harrington's Pub where drinks are more reasonably priced without feeling like you stepped into a dive bar or bowling alley. ATMOSPHERE The atmosphere is very pleasant and I believe that may be one of the reasons this place has become so popular so quickly. It also doesn't hurt that the location is terrific, right at the start of the common in Wakefield so it's very central to Wakefield residents and easy to find for those coming in from elsewhere. FOOD Artichokes is billed as an Italian place but you wouldn't know that looking at the menu. It's loaded with beef, chicken and seafood options and a small pasta section. I would love to see an option for spaghetti, vermicelli or penne pasta with marinara or mushroom sauces but the small amount of pasta dishes are pretty much all meat and very specialty in nature. Sometimes it's nice to have a plain pasta option, especially for those who may not be into meat. Prices for entrees are between $17 and $29 and the selection is moderate with somewhere between 20 and 30 entrees to choose from (maybe a little less than that, as I didn't commit the menu to memory). I've had their shrimp diavolo and last night we tried the chicken parm and lobster ravioli. In the past I also have tried their artichoke hearts appetizer and it was amazingly delicious. All of the food I've had at Artichokes has been as good as I would expect for a place of this caliber, but no better. The chicken was tender and the pasta sauce and provolone were above standard, though not the best I've had. That said, the portion size was huge! This was a Buca-sized chicken parm and I'm still eating the leftovers today for lunch. The lobster ravioli was very, very good. Possibly the best I've had, but I think I've only had that once or twice before and it was a long time ago. in general, I've eaten at places that cater to a similar crowd but have better food such as Angela's in Saugus, MA. Our spinach salad appetizer was excellent but little dressing heavy. That could easily be prevented by ordering dressing on the side. We were given bread and oil to munch on and it was delicious, soft bread with a hearty, crunchy crust. We did not order desert but the plates of cake I saw going to other patrons looked magnificent SERVICE The staff was excellent! They were very attentive to our needs and helped us find the best table to take in the bar based on who was most likely to be leaving next since it's first-come, first-served in the bar. The only problem I have is that is to a VERY long time to get our food. I know the place was busy but it seemed like there was a shortage of chefs in the kitchen. What I thought would be a quick bar meal was over two hours. We arrived at around 7:15 pm on a Thursday night. CONCLUSION Artichokes is a good, classy place to go for a near-fine dining atmosphere but it wouldn't be my first choice given the other places I've found since moving to Boston. The atmosphere is similar to Maggianos. It's on the pricey side for its location but that doesn't seem to be deterring people from filling the place every time I've been there. Hopefully the issues with incorrect change and added items that were not ordered are more rare than would seem on this site. Remember that people who had a bad experience are more likely to write about it than those who don't, but I would still double check the bill and my change from now on. read more

When we first moved to Wakefield, we were told that Artichokes was the fancy place in town, so we saved it for a special date. It mostly lived up to that reputation - I thought the dining room atmosphere was romantic, especially at a window side table looking out at the snow covered Wakefield common. The place was packed and the service was incredibly slow. Our waitress was lovely just crazy busy. Now the food... made me sick! It was SO RICH. I have never experienced such filling food in my life. I had approximately ten bites of my fettucine alfredo and I felt ill. It was really tasty, but that didn't matter much at that point! Even the drink I had (a candy apple martini) was heavy and sugary and filling. I actually left my husband waiting for our bill (for a loooong time) so I could lie down in the backseat of our car and pray for mercy!!! I haven't been back :( read more

I have to say by the looks of the place I expected more from the food. Very over the top decor. Always busy, At least the three times I attempted to go and found at least a 45 min. wait. Finally after getting in I was a bit disappointed. The wine list is average. The menu is too over packed with not so special dishes. I thought they would have something more interesting than lots of beef, chicken, and meat sauces. I'm guessing by the very high prices, You are paying for the huge building the owner purchased. It's definitely not the food. Overall I don't think I will return. read more