If you are looking for an authentic Italian experience in the North End without the tourist-trap feel, Assaggio is the spot. From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was warm, inviting, and smelled absolutely incredible. The Food We started with some wine and dove straight into the mains. The Carbonara was rich, creamy, and executed perfectly, exactly how you'd hope for in Boston's Italian district. We also ordered the Lasagna, which was a massive portion of pure comfort. You can tell the pasta is fresh and the sauce has been simmering for hours. The Service What really took our night from great to unforgettable was our waitress, Alina. She truly went above and beyond for us. She was attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, and had such a bright energy that made us feel like regulars. It's rare to find service this genuine and seamless! Pro Tip: Definitely make a reservation if you're heading there on a weekend, as it fills up fast! Bottom Line: Amazing food, cozy vibes, and world-class service. We will definitely be back and asking for Alina's section! read more

I'm not saying I'm a Pasta Carbonara connoisseur... but I've eaten enough Carbonara to know when I've been personally offended by one. Sadly, the Carbonara at Assaggio was, without question, the worst I've ever had. The sauce tasted like it came straight from the "Just Add Water" collection, the pancetta seemed to have skipped the whole "meeting the frying pan" step, and the seasoning apparently called in sick that day. It also took about an hour for a few simple pasta dishes to arrive, which gave us plenty of time to lower our expectations. The portions were surprisingly small--perhaps to match the amount of seasoning. As for the service... let's just say the automatic 20% gratuity felt less like a convenience and more like a witness protection program for the waitstaff. Overall, if you're looking for authentic Carbonara, keep looking. If you're looking for a memorable experience, congratulations--you've found one. read more

Sitting off the main Strip of Hanover Street its very comfortable inside with soft lighting. It was during Dine Boston so we ordered off the Prix Fixe menu for $46 pp. One option was a 6oz Filet which was cooked perfectly . Our server Isabella was very knowledgeable and not overly attentive. With so many options to choose from this spot offers a well designed menu and very comfortable dining room. read more

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We went here for our anniversary -- a bit of an improvised plan since we were walking around the city, it got late, and this was one of the few places still open close to 10pm. When we arrived, the kitchen was already closing, but they kindly told us they could take one last order and mentioned they have a late-night menu available until 2am. I ordered a special seafood pasta, and it was absolutely perfect -- fresh, plentiful, and exactly the kind of seafood pasta I was hoping for. My wife and daughter ordered pasta as well, but unfortunately theirs came out undercooked (not al dente, but actually hard). My wife sent hers back, but my daughter ate hers because she was hungry, and later we found out it upset her stomach. The manager came over personally, was very polite, and handled the situation with real professionalism. They brought my wife another pasta dish on the house, offered us a complimentary anniversary dessert, and even gave us a discount on the final bill. The second pasta was good, my wife enjoyed it, and their excellent customer service really saved the night. While my seafood pasta was excellent from start to finish, the true highlight was the way management listened and made things right -- something we truly appreciate. read more

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One of my favorite north end restaurants! I've been going here a few times a year for the past few years and the quality never changes- it's always top tier. The restaurant itself is tucked away from Hanover which is nice, but the food is some of the best. We got seated immediately (had a reservation) which was nice. We were brought bread with olives, pesto, and garlic! All of the choices for the bread were delicious- it's not often you see garlic confit like that! For the appetizer we got the zucchini flowers which were delicious. The stuffing was nice and fluffy and they were perfectly fried. For entrees we got the chicken parmigiana and the carbonara (without the pancetta). One of the reasons I really like this restaurant is that they have an amazing carbonara and are willing to make it without the pancetta for customers. As someone who does not eat pork, it's nice to have that accommodation! The chicken parmigiana was also delicious and was made perfectly. I also got the white wine sangria which is always tasty and would highly recommend to anyone. We were so full by the end of the meal and had plenty of leftovers so we did not have dessert, but we will continue to go back! The only other thing to note is that the next day I noticed in my bill that we had been charged twice for the carbonara- I went back and got it sorted out quickly- the staff was very helpful. We'll be back soon! read more

Assaggio - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I just stopped in to say the octopus appetizer was amazing, crispy yet tender with the eggplant and burrata!!! What a combo!!! I am not usually one to order octopus, but this one piqued my interest and it was really good! Everything else was tasty but kind of normal good. read more

i would love to update my review to reflect a better experience, but it just didn't go as planned, again. darwin, our server was pleasant. meatballs were not as big and juicy as they used to be, and left a little to be desired with seasoning. still decent, but likely would have chosen their pizza instead. BREAD SERVICE 10/10 MEATBALLS + WHIPPED RICOTTA 7/10 ATRANI 7/10 CARBONARA 9/10 we were done eating and waited at least 20+ minutes for anyone to notice. the manager in the gray suit (i assume) said thank you for coming while going downstairs, but he didn't come up to us during our meal to ask if everything was good when he was chatting with the next table for at least 20 minutes. i don't think i've ever went out to a restaurant and the manager selected certain people to address and make feel at home, and not others. it could have been an off-day. overall, it's a great vibe in terms of ambiance, the food is better than average but not fantastic, yet i always seem to desire more when i come here due to something with the service. ambiance: 5/5 food: 3/5 service: 3/5 assaggio: 3/5 read more

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The North End has been a Boston neighborhood curse for us. This is the second year in a row that my top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I ended up flatfooted whilst trying to secure a decent dinner spot. We never learn. This time, we somehow thought it was a good idea to just hit up a decent looking spot on a Saturday night without securing a reservation. I can't explain it, there are no excuses, but the end result was that we were out on the sidewalk cold and hungry with no obvious options. It's pretty unsettling to feel like a Dickens character being turned away from restaurant after restaurant. Assaggio was the first place we found with available seating, so they get some points for that. As soon as we sat down with menus, I let out a laugh. The name on the menu was Depasquale Ventures, which...is the same owner of the mediocre place we ended up at LAST year due to lack of options, Trattoria Il Panino. We can't escape it. So expectations were immediately tempered, but I think that ended up being a benefit ultimately. The main issue we had with the latter restaurant was that they had a giant, long bar that their staff just didn't have the coverage and the service was bad. We had table seating this time around so we were at least negating that potential problem. I was enormously impressed with the maturity of the waiter. My chum had a pretty high maintenance moment even by her standards that he handled about as perfectly as you can. She ordered a specific bottle of cab (I think that's what it was; definitely a red) from the wine list, and when he showed up with the bottle shortly thereafter, she gave some pushback, noting the label didn't match the name on the wine list. Okay, fair, and it was probably in the $60 range. You want the wine you ordered in that instance for sure. He said something to the effect that it WAS the same wine, it was just a longer name than they could cite on the menu, and this was part of it. (I may be slightly misremembering the specifics, but it was along these lines). She was still a little skeptical (sigh) but agreed to the bottle provided. He came back a few minutes later with his phone to confirm that he WAS correct, and that was that. There were so many moments during this exchange that could have really sent this situation crashing down, but he maintained his professionalism, my chum calmed down and apologized and we continued with our meal. Huge points, and I'm not sure you can teach some of that. Really well done. The food itself was fine. The menu looked pretty familiar from the other place (they're both Italian so that certainly could have played a factor) and I got the same item, since it was one of the few highlights - the Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. Not off the charts amazing, but flavorful enough. I liked that the sauce was thick but not chunky, and definitely a generous portion. We'd been eating pretty well throughout the day so I wasn't insanely hungry - maybe this is tastier if I prepare my palate a bit better. The service apart from the wine label incident was okay. It definitely wasn't as bad as the Trattoria Il Panino situation from last year but it DID significantly decline toward the end of the meal. We ate here right before going to the Celtics/Lakers game so we were on a little bit of a schedule and it was tough to hail down the waiter to get the check. The place picked up throughout our meal so I'm sure that was a factor but it's a tough optic when you have a lot of staff just standing around by the kitchen and you've been scanning the room for close to 10 minutes (and that may be what they're supposed to do, keeping an eye specifically on the water/bread situation versus the main waiter responsibilities). This wasn't bad but next year we're making reservations and not depending on a side-street restaurant that's not getting the same foot traffic as some of the more popular establishments. read more

Assaggio - Gnocchi alla Sorrentina - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Trendy with upbeat music -- three floors! Last night was one of the busiest nights that I've ever happened across in the North End! My dad and I wandered around -- we hadn't planned to be there and quickly realized that we were going to have trouble getting a table for two at 7:15pm on a Saturday night! We stopped by 4 locations before finding Assaggio. You didn't have any tables open at the time but you sat us at a couch table setup where we ordered appetizers and I ordered my first Aperol Spritz! Shortly thereafter, we were moved to a high top (as promised)! I used to work in the restaurant business and I truly didn't expect that we would be moved to a better table... I expected to be forgotten about! The eggplant parm appetizer was to-die-for. It simply fell apart (in a good way) and could be easily cut with a fork. We then moved on to our main course. I got the gnocchi and my dad elected to go with the broccoli rabe pasta dish. I tasted his and the complexity of the flavor mingled with the sauce, made me wish that I had a bottomless stomach and that we ordered 10 more dinners. I will absolutely absolutely come back! Note that this restauranteur owns many locations around the North End and they are opening a new location on Hanover street! We look forward to dining with you again!!! read more

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Very disappointing expensive experience. Food was tasteless and being sat next to the bathroom and watching an employee have to take a to go bowel into the women's restroom to "Fish" something out of the toilet was the crème de la crème of the evening! The food is flavorless! I've had better Italian food at Olive Garden! Seriously it's way way over priced and NOT good! read more

So delicious! I was impressed! Wanted to find a great Italian place in little Italy and we did. The only negative was the air conditioner broke in one of the rooms so it was super hot but it wasn't their fault. It was still worth it and an amazing. We started with the assaggio salad which was the perfect small starter salad. My mom and I split 2 meals. The first was a spaghetti and meatballs. The pasta the meatballs and sauce were all great. The next was chicken parm. It was cooked perfect and tasted great. We didn't have dessert but that would prob be good too. Would love to return next time I'm in Boston read more

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We went here as a group and the food was delicious. I like that the calamari has fried onion and shrimp included. The short ribs were delicious. The meatballs were good. I enjoyed the wine. read more

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I came here during my stay in Boston and did a good amount of research to pick a special Italian restaurant in the north end - and Assagio did not disappoint. This was the best lasagna I've ever had. For an appetizer we had the meatballs which were good as well! The ambience is beautifully done and the staff were great. This will be a go to spot for me every time I am in Boston moving forward. read more

Assaggio - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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One of the better places in the North End. Right off Hanover Street. Drinks: the espresso martini is a must. We also enjoy their old fashioned's and other mix drinks. Food: For appetizers we usually always get the charcuterie board. Well plated meats and cheeses. The meatballs are another fantastic appetizer. For entrees, the mamas lasagna is excellent. We also always enjoy the chicken parmesan. One of our family members constantly gets the lobster fra diavo, and said it's one of the best entrees that he's ever had. Service is usually always excellent. Although, I will say, I've notice a slight down tick lately. I hope they turn that around. We have been coming here monthly, for quite some time. The ambiance is great. There are multiple floors, all with intimate seating and low lighting. There are bars on every level, with plenty of seating. I would recommend this place 10/10. read more

I came here for dine out Boston and was looking to try a new restaurant in the North End. Overall it's was pretty good. We were sat downstairs but right by the bathroom so it was a little loud. And the servers were nice but it was slow and we sat for a while just waiting for the next courses to come out. The food was good and to start I had the eggplant Parmigiana which was really good. I had the broccoli rabe and sausage risotto which was very light though I wish it had a little more flavor. And to finish was the panna cotta which was also really light but also very flavorful. read more

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Service was fantastic, prices were reasonable (relatively speaking), and the food was excellent. I came here while traveling for work and will absolutely make it a point to eat here the next time I'm in town. read more

The best carbonara I've ever had! Great food, ambiance, and service. Beyond the dining experience, the manager and staff went above and beyond to return a valuable item I left at the restaurant for which I am very grateful. I will be returning and brining friends! read more

Late evening dinner 9pm but so worth the wait. The food was incredible, the pasta perfect. The service was exceptional from the host who took such good care of us to the waiter Paolo who was attentive and really added to our fantastic dinner read more

Had a really good meal with several friends last Saturday night at Assaggio in the North End. Sat on second floor in bar area. Loved the ambiance. Service was great and the food was amazing. I went with the chicken parm and it was delicious. The6 did Veal Chop parm for my friend which was amazing. read more

Assaggio - Chicken Parm Dinner. Great portion. - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Elegant, expensive restaurant. Enjoyed our dinner, but: 1) ate upstairs and it was extremely loud. So loud people start yelling to be heard. Skipped dessert because we were get a headache. 2) food was good, not great. Short ribs were good, but paled in comparison to Gibbet hill. Probably wouldn't return. read more

Very intimate restaurant. The table service was nice and friendly and checked up on us frequently. Had to wait a few minutes when we first entered as the host wasn't there but wasn't too bad. On the pricier end but the quality is there. The menu seemed a bit limited to me but at least there were various vegetarian options as well as non-pasta options. I went with the lamb chops and they were delicious! My old fashioned wasn't the greatest but it wasn't terrible. All in all a good place for a special occassion. read more

Delicious! The octopus and tiramisu were especially noteworthy but absolutely everything we ordered was great.

One of my favorites in the north end. It's tucked away off Hanover which I like. It is a very intimate ambience, but the top floor is more of an upscale lounge area that I like to do dinner with friends. Food: For apps my top two are the octopus and carpaccio. Octopus is done phenomenally, not chewy or tough. Beef carpaccio is very flavorful. For meals I love chicken parm, the cutlet is done perfect, thin and crispy. The "pompei" is my favorite pasta dish on the menu, but gone here many times I have never once had a bad dish. Drinks: lemon drop martini here are amazing. If you enjoy espresso martinis, I also highly suggest to try one. The service here is always 10/10 with the staff being very welcoming and accommodating. read more

We went here for New Year's Eve! The food was excellent and the service was even better. We enjoyed the short rib with polenta and the carbonara. The drinks were great too! I had a dirty martini and and an espresso martini! We will definitely be back. read more

Assaggio - Charcuterie board - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Took advantage of restaurant week in the north end and decided to try Assaggio. A beautiful place with three floors and an open kitchen. We were greeted right away and had a great window seat. They had a large drink menu offered some very fine and expensive wines. Our dinner started with calamari and an octopus appetizer. The calamari was plentiful with onion rings and a mixture of fried seafood. My octopus was a beautiful plate with perfectly cooked octopus. Main dinner was their mama's lasagna and Zappa di pesce. The pasta was delicious and obviously made in house. For dessert we had the chocolate soufflé and the vanilla bean panna cotta. Wow! I am not sure which was more pleasing read more

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I highly recommend a reservation. The restaurant gets very busy, as does the neighborhood. The food is good but the service is very slow. The server couldn't handle his section due to being overwhelmed. Try the Clam Pasta. It's very good. read more

Assaggio - Spaghetti and Meatballs - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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We had a pretty mediocre experience at Assaggio when we visited just before the Independence Day long weekend. It was pouring heavily (which as California residents was a novelty) and we struggled to find a North End restaurant that could accommodate us that evening without a registration - who would have thought it'd be so busy on a Thursday evening? We ended up finding Assaggio which we were able to make a last minute reservation at via Yelp, which in itself should have been a bit of a warning sign. Still, we didn't think anything of it - the restaurant has a great ambience and we were thankful for the shelter from the rain. The restaurant wasn't very busy - in our area, it was just us and another couple. Unfortunately the service was terrible - very disorganised. Our waitress must have been new to the job because she didn't make a point of checking in with us - we had to flag down another waiter who felt sorry for us and went to go see what was going on. Later, there was a miscommunication about the pasta; my wife heard the waitress say "lobster ravioli" and separately made sure that the lobster didn't have cheese in it but what arrived was quite clearly cheesy ravioli without any lobster in it. It turns out they had a lobster dish, and a ravioli dish, and the waitress hadn't heard the lobster bit and had brought us ravioli. It happens of course, but what happened next was stranger. When we explained the problem, the waitress asked if we'd like to take the ravioli to go. We declined, since we were just visiting and also didn't want the cheesy ravioli. Our waitress was surprised that we would waste the food, given "we were paying for it", which took us by surprise since in our experience, the restaurant usually just takes the food back and charges you for what you actually ate. Anyway, we got this sorted out and ended up getting the right order (just lobster!) later and were only charged for what we ate. Chalk that misunderstanding down to communication difficulties or cultural differences perhaps? The portions are substantial, so don't fill up on the bread like we did! read more

Assaggio - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Prefect for date night. Table are a little too close together but overall nice vibes. The carbonara was amazing! Service was good. read more

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Assiago is pretty good overall. We sat upstairs and it was modern and clean, different from many other places in the North End. If you are looking for a nicer vibe, sit upstairs for sure. Dim lighting and a great spot. The food was great! The meal starts with bread & an olive oil and pesto mixture to dip it in. The Zucchini pasta was great and a perfect size. The portions are definitely smaller than other places in the north end, but the quality is great. The Assiago Comso drink is amazing! The service was fine. There were many moments where we were looking for the waiter and waited a while for the check. read more

Assaggio - Nerano - Zucchini Pasta - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The ossobuco was very good, and the sauce was particularly great. What really stood out was the risotto though, excellently cooked and rich in flavor. The greens were too salty which was the only minor flaw. read more

The atmosphere upstairs was amazing. Chicken parmigiana was great. Drink and desert was also great! Caesar salad and bread were both just ok. Have patience, super busy. Will definitely be back. read more

Assaggio - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Visited here on a Saturday night. We started with the calamari and eggplant Parmesan and the eggplant appetizer was amazing - the calamari didn't stick out to me but it was tasty. Our entrees were the show stoppers, my fiancé got the meatballs and pasta and I got the lobster. His meatball dish was tender and flavorful while my lobster dish was savory and fresh! Food was honestly great and the service and ambiance was very good. Ambiance was a bit loud but still intimate. Next time we visit, we may request to sit upstairs VS the basement downstairs area. Definitely give this place a try! read more

Assaggio - Amalfi - Lobster Fra Diavolo - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

In A Nutshell: -Assaggio is a very good Italian restaurant located in the North End of Boston. -Here you'll find comfort food that is particularly from Positano, Italy. -The location is very small & intimate, which makes it a nice place to take a date. -The service is phenomenal along w/ the delicious food & wine. Overall, this is a great Italian restaurant located in an abundance of them in the area. read more

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This was such a pleasant surprise! We were able to get a reservation through the Seated app about an hour before our desired time. We went on a Sunday night and when we arrived at 6pm there were still plenty of seats available. Our waiter was very welcoming and made sure we had a great experience; he recommended us some dishes and was very friendly. We started with the caprese salad and the shrimp cocktail. The caprese salad was very fresh and a perfect portion size for an appetizer. The mozzarella in it was delicious. I ordered the positano linguine (which the waited told us is the house's specialty), and I can confidently say this is the best linguine with clams I have had in all of Boston. My boyfriend ordered the chicken parm, also per our waiter's recommendation, and he really enjoyed it. The star of the night is the linguine though, highly highly recommend. read more

Assaggio - Caprese salad (appetizer) - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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First time in boston and needed a last minute , Saturday night reservation. We were able to get a table for 3 at 8:15pm. Arrived at 8:10 but not seated until we'll after 8:30 which was a bit annoying but seemed typical. The bruschettas, bread, and wine were all great but was underwhelmed by the mains. Ravioli was a little cold in the middle and the sauce was VERY sweet -- even for positano style. Our server was lovely and very on his game but almost impossible to hear over the loud music. Overall, Assaggio was good but not great. I'm glad we had a place to eat on a busy night but not dying to go back. read more

Four of us stopped by for a late Saturday night fine dining meal, and Assaggio delivered superbly! Rodolfo was fabulous and took great care of us! The food was divine and the ossobuco prepared perfectly. The ravioli was fresh and flavorful! read more

This restaurant really disappointed me. To start, we waited for 20 minutes after our reservation time for our table to be ready. Our table in the basement was not clean and had dirty plates set on it. The atmosphere was shockingly horrible, it felt like we were in an unfinished basement and wouldn't be surprised if the space didn't meet code. Our waitress asked us what we wanted to order immediately as we sat at our table, we hadn't even glanced at the menu yet, and was nowhere to be found after our order was placed. Staff was jumping down the staircase and it all just felt so juvenile and not like the nice restaurant they advertised. Considering this restaurant is owned by a restaurant conglomerate, there is no excuse for service that bad and food that mediocre. I cannot recommend this restaurant less, you can easily do better probably anywhere else in the North End. read more

Assaggio - Atmosphere - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Our visit started off badly - seated family upstairs in what felt like a cheap bar with loud eurotrash music. We asked to move and they kindly seated us downstairs. From there it was a very good experience - quality attentive service and tasty Italian pasta. read more

We were looking forward to going to the North End for some fantastic food and service. We were very disappointed on both fronts on Friday night. My fiancé had a coke and I had a glass of wine, with waters. We were never refilled or asked if we even wanted another despite having both drinks empty by mealtime. The food lacked seasoning, and there wasn't any salt or pepper on the table. The server never checked on us to see if we needed anything so we didn't even get an opportunity to ask for salt/pepper. The Caesar dressing was mediocre- lacked flavor. And the Caprese salad came as 1 giant tomato quartered and a couple of small mozzarella pieces. The Mozzarella was the best part of the entire experience- hard to mess that up. My fiancés Raviolos were beyond Al dente - they were simply not fully cooked. The rim of the ravioli was crunchy- was hard for him to even chew. My Sausage and Broccoli Rabe again lacked flavor. Salt would have helped a little, but the broth itself just lacked any depth- a true disappointment for one of my favorite dishes. The pasta that came with it was fine. I asked for freshly grated Parmesan cheese and instead of telling me they didn't have any- they brought a small dish of what was clearly packaged Parmesan cheese. This was consistent with the entire meal experience- store bought and average. We waited about 15min from finishing our meals until anyone came by to remove our plates or ask if we wanted dessert. All while we didn't even have anything to sip on. I would have gotten a 2nd glass of wine with dinner if they has asked. We decided we weren't even gonna stick it out for coffee and dessert and got out of there with an unfortunate feeling of wasted time and money. read more

A year later but I've decided I give my favorite restaurant in the North end an updated review. During covid I would have reservations with my boyfriend here at least 1 time a month. I've tried many other restaurants around Hanover but between the espresso martini and fantastic Veal, this place remains my favorite. I appreciate the friendly staff for always giving me a friendly welcome back & the sweet bartenders who work upstairs for their great service! read more

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