I liked that the place felt like a combination of a lot of different styles: a bar on one end and two areas for sitting with different styles of design. The food was pretty good but not great, I was recommended the seafood dish, the Scialatielli, by our server who said he was the owner of the restaurant. If you like seafood, then go for this one, and while it was not my favorite ever, the sauce was great. My friend had the lasagna and that was good and maybe better than my dish. read more

We are definitely coming back to this spot! We were looking for good Italian restaurants in the Cambridge area and this restaurant showed up on one of those Top 10 Best Italian Restaurants lists and it opens relatively early, at noon. So we booked our table on OpenTable. On the day of, it was pouring so bad, for a split second we thought about canceling the res. So glad we didn't! It's a very cute place in a residential area. We were greeted by the owner of the restaurant and he took care of us the whole time. First of all, the olive oil they have for the bread was really good. You can tell that it's a good one. Very light and pure. They do daily specials pasta every day including the day we were there (Saturday). We opted for that. It was a shrimp, asparagus spaghetti with garlic and tomatoes. Sounds simple? It was DELICIOUS! Knowing that we are sharing everything, he helped us split the pasta so we can each have our own bowl. The spaghetti was cooked a tad more than just al dente (which is what I prefer over al dente). The shrimps and asparagus were both chopped up and super fresh. I think all the ingredients they use are organic too. I love how simple the spaghetti was. It was cooked without a sauce but simply with oil and garlic and it was perfecto! We also went with the Salsiccia E Friarielli pizza which is a white sauce pizza. Loved it! When it came, it was covered with brocollini which makes it look way more appetizing, at least to me. A lot of times when it comes to pizza, it's a lot of cheese and meat. I love how this one came with more greens than meat and with the white sauce instead of the regular tomato paste, it looks more light and clean. It was so good, we had to take the leftovers back to LA. The owner was the most friendly and humble person I've seen. He's super polite and made sure that all his customers are enjoying the food. It was a really good experience! Oh and they have a bar too, we are definitely going back next time we are in town! read more

I don't know what to say. We showed up with a reservation and no one spoke to us as we waited for 10 minutes. When someone did come over he told us he had "no idea how long it would be until we were seated because everyone showed up so late for their reservation" ...facing the outdoor seated patrons while saying this. It was uncomfortable. We waited a bit longer but we were all really hungry. After waiting a bit more, we decided to go somewhere else. I was really excited to eat here, but this was a weird experience and the person we spoke to wasn't friendly. read more

Still a great place to go. Have been enjoying Gran Gusto for many years and this was the first time back since the pandemic hit. Food and service were both great and we were comfortable indoors and separated from other diners by plexiglass. Had the Pollo and the Scialatielli. Both very nice but especially liked the homemade pasta with herbs for the seafood dish. Wine list still quite good, would have liked exploring another southern Italy red bottle but just a glass this time. read more

You don't need to go to the North End of Boston to get really good Italian food. Pasta made in house and cooked al dente with amazing bolognese sauce. Really yummy appetizers from the special- burrata with artichokes and prosciutto de Parma- to the grilled calamari. read more

Delicious homemade pasta! We tried the spaghetti alla puttanesca and the picchiere pasta (with short rib). Both were delicious and filling. Would definitely recommend either! We arrived after 6 and parked across the street I the Delaney Park parking lot without any trouble. Can't wait to come again! read more

Gran Gusto - Picchiere with short rib ragu - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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I went to Gran Gusto on Saturday night for date night. We made reservations ahead of time on OpenTable and were promptly seated at a table by the window. The ambiance was cute and very Italian. It was family friendly which I guess can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether or not you have/like kids. The kids seated in my area were well behaved and so I thought it was fine. I think the restaurant was deceivingly large as there was a room I saw as we were leaving that i didn't initially see coming in. When we were seated, before we even got our coats off, we were asked if we wanted still or sparkling water. This is a tactic I hate, because the actual option I wanted was tap, but I was too flustered and ended up saying still. The water ended up being $6 which isn't a huge deal, but still not where I want to spend my money. The waiter came over and asked how we were doing in Italian, to which we responded with our names, because despite living in Italy for a semester, my Italian isn't great. I thought speaking in Italian was charming, but I could see how someone less outgoing might find it intimidating or uncomfortable. We ordered a pizza to split as an appetizer (Margherita, I know, boring, but I like it). The pizza was hot and doughy but also slightly crunchy and melty. Each bite was crisp and had just the right amount of acid from the fresh tasting tomato sauce. I think it needed to be eaten quickly (not just because we personally wolfed it down) but because it was not the type of pizza that holds up well over time. This is something I will consider before ordering pizza to go since I dislike soggy pizza. For a main course I ordered a fish in a thin layer of potato with a limoncello sauce. It was delicious and even my husband, who does not like fish, said he would have eaten it. The potatoes were thin and crunchy and the herbs on the fish gave it a homey taste. He had the ravioli which was gooey from the straciatella cheese and cooked perfectly. The sauce had an umami quality that was hard to pinpoint but I think came from the eggplant in it. It was amazing and I think is what I will order next time. We split a bottle of Vernaccia, which is a white wine from San Gimignano in the Tuscany region of Italy. I may have not learned to speak Italian, but I did drink a lot of wine and I would suggest this one to accompany most foods as a solid Italian white. We will be going back in the future as the service was good and the food was solid. read more

Gran Gusto - Fish wrapped in potato with limoncello sauce. - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I've been meaning to write this review forever, and I feel truly terrible that I haven't. Gran Gusto gave me and about ten friends an outstanding meal. The service was nothing short of perfect, the food boasted classic tastes and sound execution, and the space itself is airy and nicely appointed. I cannot recommend Gran Gusto enough as an alternative to the North End. Or an alternative to any restaurant I've found. read more

Brought an out-of-towner here as part of light entertainment after a day of job interviews. The overall verdict: some definite charm/pluses, some definite rough edges. The good: - Parking. This is huge in Cambridge, especially for people coming from out of town. - Ambiance. Quiet and intimate. Great for conversation, and even though people did bring their kids, the noise level was reasonable. - Food is mostly good. I enjoyed the squid ink linguine with mixed seafood (and concur that they do not skimp on the crab or lobster), and my dining companions had good things to say about a veal special and a baked fish. Tiramisu for dessert had a good coffee and rum kick. - Wine list was reasonable, although the sommelier's descriptions run a bit over. (My rule: if you need more than a line of adjectives to sell me a wine, there's something wrong with it.) The iffy: - Service. We got that Neapolitan owner. Who, with three tables full, and us just chatting and sipping wine, informed us that we had to order immediately, and also order both apps and entrees at once, "because we will soon be very busy". Yeah. Right. Added maybe two more tables in the following hour. - Not everything is well executed. The beef carpaccio fell flat; drowned in balsamic such that you could taste neither the meat nor the greens with it. - Not the friendliest to vegetarians. Most everything had speck (ham) in it. Thankfully, the Muslim at our table was not particularly devout, or he'd have been hungry. I'd seriously think about coming back. The location's convenient for me and I did enjoy my dinner. I'm just not in any hurry, there's plenty of other Italian options around. read more

You definitely don't come here for the decor or the location....you come here for the food. It's amazing. Lost of people are talking about the pizza, but the appetizers and pasta are out of this world. I came here to meet with with some Italians who know the owner and we got a owner's selection of food paired with a luscious white wine. We started with two cold items. Calamari salad - tender, dressed with a light vinagrette - not too oily, not to vinegary - perfect. Salmon with Arugula - fresh, nice contrast between the sweet salmon and the spicy/peppery arugula. Then we had another dish - I don't know what it was called, but it was a cauliflower souffle with a delecate cream sauce. Heaven in your mouth. Light fluffy, sweetness of cauliflower without the weird bitter aftertaste. The cream sauce was a perfect foil to the lightness of the souffle. Then the first pasta dish - Linguine basilico with clams. Yummy! Small portion of al dente linguine dressed with basil, olive oil, and lightly sauteed fresh grape tomatoes with tiny black clams. Not a lot of clam flavor, but the balance of freshness against the pasta was wonderful. The second pasta dish was great - again don't know the name, but it was a Sicilian short herbed pasta with a eggplant, pepper, and pancetta sauce. You could taste the great pancetta flavor perfuming every bite of the pasta. The pasta was tender and enveloped by the creamy veggie sauce. For dessert - I had the chocolate almond cake with raspberry sorbet. The cake was light moist and airy - not heavy - perfect. And the sorbet was great as well - not too sweet and a strong raspberry flavor throughout with a great texture - smooth not grainy. Delicious! Grazie mille for a great meal! read more

The food is AMAZING!!! Warm down to earth atmosphere too. The bartender came over several times to my companion and checked in with him about creating a drink for him. I had the Branzino which was melt in your mouth outstanding-wow level! I had leftovers the next night and it was still SO GOOD SO GOOD!! The only reason I wouldn't give it 5 stars was the edge kind of goes into this mall--one quick fix would be to install some velvet curtains and it would feel so cozy and sensual all at once. Would def come back and can't wait to see what they serve us next! Great experience--bravo! Dress in between dressy and casual--how about dressy casual?;) We also shared grilled Calamari which was outstanding also. read more

Gran Gusto - This was the yummy Branzino fish I had with mushrooms and veggies--totally delicioso! - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Did takeout from Gran Gusto after I was lured by a photo of the lasagna on Instagram- and let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint. It's probably the best Italian takeout we've gotten in Boston! We got the Campo salad, Capricciosa pizza, the lasagna and the tiramisu. Everything was fantastic. The roasted beets in the salad really made it. The pizza was perfectly cooked with a soft crust and flavorful sauce, and the meat sauce on the lasagna was to DIE for. Helped that it came with a side of garlic bread that we devoured for sauce-dipping. Can't wait to return for indoor dining when the pandemic clears (note: this is COVID era and they still offered this, people were dining indoors). read more

I can't describe how incredibly delicious the food and general ambiance is here. I have read some of the reviews regarding subpar service, but really can't get on board with them. This place is authentically European; the pace is relaxed, and the owners let you sit and enjoy conversation as if you were al fresco dining on a piazza in Rome. It's part of the experience here. Maybe not the best place for an express meal, but we can all take a lesson and chill the F out once in a while. Almost all of their food is imported from Italy, and you can taste the difference. In particular, we enjoy the bolognese, pizza o're, ricotta pie, and tiramisu. Oh, and try a glass of their Supertuscan or Barbaresco. Great complements to the meals. We have traveled extensively in Italy and it has wrecked our palate for Italian food in the states -- meaning, we are discerning and usually choose to cook our own. At the risk of sounding extremely snobby, we only have about 2-3 Italian restaurants we even want to pay money to eat at, with this being at the top. However, this place is WORTH it. We make it a point to go once a month. In fact, it won "most authentic Italian food" in Boston, recently, on Italian television. If you are looking for *authentic* Italian food with a quirky charming atmosphere, you really cannot get better than this in the entire state of Massachusetts. read more

Excellent pizza!! The dough is amazing. I recommend the cáptese pizza. I appreciate that the pizzas are individual sized. The olive oil you receive with the bread is amazing! I didn't realize olive oil could taste that good!! The sparkling water was a brand I had never heard of before, and it was better than most, such as San Pellegrino. The server was humorous and very helpful. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! read more

It was my fiancee's birthday and I suggested a group dinner with friends: "Where do you want to go?" "MAGGIANO'S!!!" (*glee, smiles, bouncing*) "....ok..." (*grumble, grumble*) Cut to a week before said dinner, I call Maggiano's to make the reservation and they are booked solid. Oh wait, they have a 10PM slot open, do we want that? Uh, no thanks. I sighed a secret sigh of relief because I am not a fan of Maggiano's at all (see above). I hunted and hunted for an Italian replacement for my sweetie's dinner. I happened across Gran Gusto and thank god! If you ever think about going to Maggiano's again, don't, and go here instead. They were waiting and ready for our party of 15. The service was impeccable from the start. We were given suggestions for pizza as an appetizer (awesome idea) and they offered to serve everything family style, like Maggianos!, but we ended up not doing that. The beverages flowed, appetizers were ordered, the food was abundant, and it was one of the most delicious meals I've ever had. The pizzas are crispy, good sized, and very yummy. I had the asparagus risotto for dinner. It was creamy and earthy, I loved it! And I didn't think there would be a lot of veggie options but there definitely were. What a plus! I ordered some cake for my fiancee on the sly and the waiters were great about it, singing and the like. Everyone else ordered other desserts too (tiramisu, gelato, etc) and all were scrumptious. I cannot speak highly enough about Gran Gusto, especially for a group dinner. read more

Gran Gusto - Asparagus Risotto - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Worst Italian Restaurant I've ever eaten at . I've had frozen pizza that tasted better than what they claim is pizza . All tomato sauce with literally tiny pieces of cheese scattered about and very skimpy. I had the pasta with the smallest amount of meat possible . It was tasty but I needed a magnifying glass to see it and was still hungry when I finished eating.The waiter and I suspect owner was surly and aloof as well . Save your money and go to Strega's for an authentic Italian meal that won't disappoint! Full disclosure : I am neither a relative or friend of the owner of Strega's. read more

Lovely staff, service, and excellent quality food. The pictures don't do the ambiance justice but I tried. Not impressed with the tiramisu but I am sure there must be some desserts the do well. Bonus: easy parking! read more

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The pizza here was very good, Neapolitan style. Ambiance: warm, friendly, busting Food: very good especially the pizza Service: mixed. They greeted us, sat us and took our order in a very timely fashion. And they brought our food out in an appropriate amount of time. However, service got really slow when it came to lifting our plates or asking if we needed water, cheese, fresh pepper, our check, etc. in other words, great up till bringing out our food but then left us for dead. read more

Woah...seriously delicious food from the South of Italy. Taken here by a friend from the North of Italy that is SAYIN' something. He eats at Gran Gusto on average 2 times per week - entertaining clients and feeding his homesick soul. I can't comment on the prices since I was 'treated' but I can tell you that the wine selection is OUT OF THIS WORLD and the food is prepared with love. Plated NICELY but not anally exacting like other restaurants of it's caliber. This somehow has the effect of making me feel more comfortable. Stracciatella (the most delicious cheese ever) with speck was the highlight followed closely by the lobster parpadelle (wide cut noodle). They have an outdoor patio that I'd want to eat at if it were warm and only slightly breezy. Gracious, attentive (but not overly) service. Parking (free) in the rear of the building. Good for dates, family dinners, meetings (separate rooms if you want to book a 'private' area and parties! read more

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I had never been there, but had heard good things, so I recommended it to a young couple celebrating their first anniversary together. They got dressed up and set off in excitement. They are not wealthy, and this was a big deal to them. When I talked to them afterwards, they were subdued. The waiter had not been nice, and the experience was sub par. read more

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO! DELICIOUS AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD. This restaurant is located in a residential neighborhood with 3 Decker Homes in Cambridge. GPS this location because you'll think you've got the wrong address. I love places like this - off the beaten path. A little pricier for dinner much more wallet friendly for lunch. They have authentic NEAPOLITAN PIZZA HERE & ITS DELICUOUSSS!!!. We've been here several times for lunch. IT's ALWAYS GREAT!!! They have tables both inside & outside. They start you off with complimentary bread & olive oil. I ordered the Campo Salad mixed greens with Artichokes, Pears, Pecorino Cheese & Balsamic Dressing. I ordered this with sliced Organic Chicken on top for an extra $5. DELICIOUSSSS! Then came the Spaghetti Puttanesca with Plum Tomatoes, Garlic Capers, Black olives & Calabrian Oregano. Fantastic! Only eat 1/2 & take the rest home. It tastes even better the next day after it ferments. Trust me! Then I had the Tiramisu in a glass Excellent! This place is a REAL HIDDEN GEM & frequented by Italians from Italy. It used to be, you had to have mega bucks & be really rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget! read more

Run, don't walk to Gran Gusto. It is a neighborhood gem in every sense of the word. We have dined here maybe six times and have never been disappointed. I love Italian restaurants that build their menu around seafood and Gran Gusto does this well. There are TWO calamari appetizers, for example: grilled or fried. There are several pasta dishes featuring seafood, but my favorite is the Scialatelli which features homemade pasta tossed in a light garlic, white wine sauce with muscles, baby clams, calamari, and shrimp. Delicioso! Also excellent is the Hanger Steak, marinated and broiled as well as the daily specials on this occasion, the Dover Sole. Wines are attractively priced, too. For a potentially less expensive alternative, Gran Gusto's pizza selection is a terrific choice. The tomato pies are thin and nicely crusty with many attractive toppings. For dessert, there is always the ubiquitous Tiramisu which is devilishly chocolatey, or the Ricotta Pie, or the Gelato. Many customers were overhead speaking Italian ( I am of that wonderful heritage), and the owners (brothers from Naples) are constantly keeping tabs on the kitchen and the customer happiness quotient. Oh. Did I tell you about the bread? The amazing sour dough bread tastes like it just came out of the oven; You cannot ask for more in a restaurant. And yes the coffee (cappuccino was excellent too). read more

Gran Gusto - Scialatelli. Mixed seafood over fresh pasta with a chopped cheery tomato. - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Everything about this place is great! . The service is awesome . The food was amazing!. My husband ordered linguini with clams and shrimp, and I ordered the chitarra which was outstanding. I would definitely come back! read more

This is on yelp! I made reservations a week ago for Valentine's Day dinner and I'm only finding out now that the restaurant is closed today but yelp allowed me to book this reservation. With no call or email explaining and canceling my reservation. This is shitty service on all parts. read more

We went for the first time tonight. Incredible. Apps and pizza wonderful. primi too. We will be back. Certainly better than other mediocre North Cambridge restaurants especially the tired old ones on Mass Ave! read more

The staff there are not welcoming, really odd feeling eating there as we should speak Italian or we know where to go for the first time eating read more

Food, staff and ambience enjoyable! Attentive manager checks on patrons throughout the meal. You sense his sincerity and smile through the mask. All three of us enjoyed each entree and especially the artichoke appitizer! Twinkling lights adds to the ambience outside- where spacing works well for safety. Our unusual drinks may have been a little bit expensive as well as the meal but the unusual flavorful experience was worth every penny! What a hidden treasure down Sherman Street! read more

Not saying I recently picked my new apartment because it's up the street from Gran Gusto, but it may or may not have pushed me over the edge. I wish I could come here every week. Every day. Forget all the dumb touristy North End Italian restaurants, Gran Gusto exceeds them all. Must order: grilled calamari, bolognese, tiramisu. Don't forget to let them pick out a bottle of red for you while you're at it. PS - shhhh don't tell anyone about this place. It's a hidden neighborhood gem, let's keep it that way Yelp fam. read more

Very unfortunately, we had a terrible experience visiting this restaurant. My husband and I were among some of the first to arrive (on a reservation) to the outdoor patio seating. Bit by bit it started to fill up with only one server. He was not very efficient with timing, but he got our order in pretty quickly (we were the first to order). We had a split salad and 2 bowls of pasta. Our salad arrived in decent time (took awhile but not too bad). Then, we started to watch as EVERYONE on the patio that was seated after us got their food before us. We waited 1.5 hours for our bowls of pasta! We asked multiple times for our food only to be told, "it's coming". When a table that arrived 40 min after us received their food before us, my husband went to ask what was going on. Front of house staff inside were mildly sympathetic, until a food runner came up to my husband and barked, "It's coming!". My husband was dubious, and then he kept repeating, "it's coming!". Thankfully, they rushed it out of the kitchen, however it was 1.5 hours after we arrived! Even more, it wasn't very good. My bolognese tasted like it had been reduced to meat only and sitting under a heating lamp for hours. AND it was too salty. My husbands special was 'meh'. The waiter came over and didn't apologize but instead told us we should understand b/c there's only one chef (there was a full kitchen (open kitchen that we could see, btw) filled with staff), and EVERYONE else got their food. So it was clearly server error in firing the food and he made no effort to correct it. We were charged full price, and just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. If you want good tasting pasta, skip this place and try Sugo in E. Arlington, or literally anything in the N. End. read more

This place was highly recommended. First time and also last, we were excited to celebrate my husband's birthday there, unfortunately the restaurant didn't meet our expectations. From the hostess to the owner that took our order, no one was friendly or welcoming, they actually make us feel like we didn't belong there, during our 3+ hours no once they came to the table to asked us if we needed anything, or if everything was ok , they didn't even asked us if we wanted desert, the food was just ok, for sure I won't be making 9 miles trip for this place ever again . As a business owner myself I expected a better service overall. read more

The food was good, but it took us HALF AN HOUR to get the check. Service is sooo bad I would not come back here. The waiter purposedly ignored us when we continuously asked for the check read more

For me, the truffle oil pizza was awesome, but the pasta dish tasted worse especially Gnochi (oops, I forget the spelling). It came with a piece of green pasta, weird smell and scallops. --" Nothing impresses me at all. However, they also provide Gluten free pizza, but you have to make a reservation 1 day before you come. read more

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Went there for lunch. Really slow service, and negligent. I asked for a salad with chicken and dressing on the side; the salad was drenched in dressing. The fettuccine my colleague had was good. The waiter ignored us during the meal, to the point where we had to walk to the cashier to pay. Not a favorite place... not going back. read more

Gran Gusto is fabulous. I used to live right around the corner from them on Walden Street, and ate there quite often. Then I moved outside of the city and hadn't been back in several years. Recently, I moved our office into the building and started eating at Gran Gusto again. I have to say - nothing has changed. The food quality is still exceptional, the service is awesome and authentically "Italian" They make all of their own bread in-house, and all of their pizzas and panini are done in the same wood-fired brick oven. One secret of this place is that it's open for lunch every day! So if you are near the area, it is well worth considering. The prices are very good and it's not crowded for lunch. read more

I've had grilled chicken and pizza . First of all , pizza was Good! try one of this place's pizza if you have a chance to come this place . And a grilled chicken was okay .. Because it wasn't cooked at first and I had a couple of rare chicken meat which is gross .. But after re-cooked , it was a bit chewy ... I like soft and juicy chicken anyway. They didn't feel sorry about that at all . And toilet was out of the restaurant . read more

Gran Gusto - A good pizza with my poor chicken. - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

The service was great, our waiter was very friendly and kind to us. The pasta was even better! Best pasta dish I've ever had at a restaurant. It tasted like real italian pasta. read more

Gran Gusto - FETTUCCINE ALLA BOLOGNESE Meat ragù sauce - Italian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

We had dinner here, the food was okay but the service was absolutely terrible. Our server came to get our order right away, but she never came back again through the rest of the night. The wait staff kept ignoring us, even though they would walk past us several time. The restaurant wasn't even busy, more than 50% of the tables were empty. We had to flag down a waiter to get a dessert menu, then flag down another waiter to order dessert. Fast forward 20 mins, we were still waiting for dessert. We decided to just quit, and leave. We walked to the front to ask for the check so we can pay and leave, the owner printed out the check for us, we paid and left. The owner was nonchalant and not even a little bit apologetic for their dismal service. What was even more frustrating was that the staff was aware that they messed up, but not a single person apologized for their awful service as we left. I'm never going back and I don't recommend it either. read more

The service and food were amazing! The servers were not too intruding, they came at the right time, and always topped up the water right on time. The "Manzo" was some of the best steak I ever had, incredibly tender medium rare, and seasoned beautifully! read more

Great place to get a good original Italian taste. People are great and all plates on the menu are local in house cooking. Define toy a place to visit one or more times! read more

Food - Loved the vegeterian pastas here and the wood fired thin crust pizzas. It's a tad overpriced but that's how most authentic Italian restaurants are. Ambience - Love the look and feel of this place. Located in a quite locality within Cambridge. It is beautiful when they have outdoor seating in the summer. read more