I was looking forward to dinner at Mare. Figured restaurant week was a good time to give it a try without going overboard on budget. It was a group of six. I think 2 of the 6 enjoyed their entrees. They both hit filets. I tried the swordfish and another in our part did also. It had to be the most tasteless piece of fish I've ever had and looked as if it had been pounded to square. Reminiscent of airline food back in the day. Yes it was restaurant week but of all the years I've gone this was the absolute worse. Only good thing was the severs they were great. Then again I came for a night of dining. Will not return. read more

Visited on my birthday, September 13. Felt like I was in Italy. The Zuppa is probably the best deal in the world and I'm talking lobster, sea scallops, monkfish, swordfish, clams and mussels. Highest recommendation possible with one stipulation. Tell the chef to lighten up with the salt. Still, I would fly back from Los Angeles for another shot as long as the Sox are playing. Fabio was a terrific server. read more

No doubt it's above the average of the north end, but it was a bit pricy, cheapest pasta is vegetarian for 26.99$. We had calimari and octopus as starter, it was lovely. I had lobster ravioli which was perfectly cooked and delicious. Service was average. Had to ask for water several times. Would come back and recommend! read more

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This place was just fantastic. The service and drinks were delicious and some of the best tuna I have ever had.

One of my least favorite table side cacio e pepe... Had no taste. I've never seen someone pour some milky substance in the cheese wheel. But I guess that's how they do it. other dishes were ok. Waiter asked how was the meal... Told him wasn't a fan of my pasta. He basically looked at me like I had three heads. As if its the best out there or something. Definitely not going back there anytime soon. read more

Absolutely delicious! Everything was amazing! We had a 4 course meal. Oysters, Lobster Ravioli, Seared Tuna, mousse Dessert and the best wine!! Great Prices also! This cute little restaurant was a hidden gem! read more

Excellent scallops and lobster ravioli. Service was great and attentive would highly recommend Mare to anyone looking for seafood in the north end. Waiting doesn't take long. read more

Amazing dinner! The most fun we've had in a while, while having the best food in a while! Luca is one of the best servers out there. I would highly recommend any of the pasta dishes, all of the sashimi dishes, and of course the oysters. Also, the Sunshine cocktail is wonderful. We will definitely be coming back next time we're in town. Definitely request Luca if you get a chance! (Oh, and they are super careful so no Covid concerns.) read more

They seat you once all party is present. We ordered Oysters, Steamed Clams, Kampachi Tartare, Trio Crudos (Salmon, Tuna, Yellowtail), Lobster Ravioli, and Stuffed Lobster. Lobster Ravioli tasted the best. Friends enjoyed Panna Cotta and Tiramisu. The Affogato had an alcoholic taste. I liked the Flourless Chocolate Cake the most. Valet parking is $22. Food was expensive. Service was spectacular. Perfect place for a date night sitting at the patio with a romantic fire pit. read more

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Very nice atmosphere and very good service. A little hard to park especially we couldn't valley with COVID changes in the city. But overall a great experience and night :) read more

Mare - Homemade Gnocchi Frutti di Mare - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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2 stars because food is decent (albeit over priced and under sized). The service is consistently terrible to a point it's impressive. However this last time was so bad it prompted me to actually leave a review for the first time ever. 1. Gives us worst table 2. Immediately tells us to move because the table for 2 is somehow reserved for 7 3. JK, you can stay here 4. Actually you have to move 5. Nvm stay here 6. Food for date arrives; cold pasta woo 7. My food doesn't arrive, never puts it in and comes 25 minutes later 8. I complain and manager tries to shift blame; still end up having to pay for drinks because "I should've enjoyed them" Considering there are 50 restaurants within a 5 minute walk, maybe avoid this one. read more

Great food and great ambience. Probably my favourite place in the North End. If you love oysters, the best espresso martinis, Italian seafood dishes and the tastiest tiramisu, this is the spot! Service could be better! The staff is not super attentive but everything else makes up for it read more

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Very yummy but beware the portions are super small for the amount of money you will be spending!!!

Yummmmmmm!! We had: Zucchini blossoms- OUT OF THIS WORLD! Do not miss!!! So unique and so absolutely delicious. 6/5 Lobater parpadillo (sp?) - amazing sauce. 5/5 Truffle crusted tuna - 3.5/5- fine just not as special, and we get higher expectations at these prices. read more

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My visit to Mare started off a bit rocky but turned Into a really nice dinner. Food was 9/10 - we had asked to not see faces from the langostino but sure enough out dish came out with lil guy staring at us. The flavor was delicious though on everything else. Service was 7/10 - our server was nice but definitely took long to order. Our back server (pacero con cabello rubio, muchas gracias hermano) definitely saved the experience! He was attentive and always available. Ambiance - 9/10 nice music, decor was great, very clean ... yet I do have to say I did not like people coming in sweats and stuff but hey it's the world we live in now. Overall it ended up being a great experience! read more

This place is pretty solid and a part of the Bricco family. I came here with my brother. We didn't have a reservation since we were hoping to eat at Neptune Oyster but the wait was over 2 hours long. Instead we tried here and got seated at the bar immediately even though their tables were completely booked. The service wasn't great since the bartender was making drinks and attempting to serve us as well but we was cognizant of us and made an attempt to serve us in a timely manner. The oyster shucker spent some time talking to us as well as we waited. We ordered a variety of oysters which were for the most part pretty solid but nothing stood out as spectacular. I ordered the lobster roll which had a ton of meat and came with a side of fries. My brother actually ordered the appetizer of scallops, mashed potatoes and short rib which tasted spectacular and would highly recommend. Overall, this is an good dinner environment with open seating and good menu choices. Definitely on the pricier side if that matters to you but worth it in my opinion. read more

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One of my favorite restaurants in Boston. I have been here for special occasions and casually and the service is amazing every time . The food is ALWAYS great. I love love this place. read more

Great seating for chill lounging, authentic dining or chilling at the bar. Very different access. Down an alley on the main street. So a true hole in the wall that will definitely surprise you. read more

Mare - Birthday dessert - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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We tried Mare on a whim because the restaurant we planned to go to closed early. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The food was delicious and the staff was attentive. read more

We had our wedding dinner here, and it was fantastic. The filet minon was done just perfect, and the seasoned fries were crisp and warm. The beef carpaccio was salty and delicious, and melted in your mouth. The patio in the back area was right up against the on ramp to the pike, but they have a separator so you can't even hear the cars go by. I HIGHLY recommend this place. Bon Appétit! read more

Mare - Filet minon - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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We came here after being recommended by one of the sister restaurants to grab some oysters. It's at the dead end of a side street, super private. The host was very friendly and made us feel welcomed! We sat by the fire. Only there for a hot minute because they were closing but we didn't feel rushed and everyone was nice. Will go back again for a full dinner experience. read more

Mare - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

A tale of two cities - 25 minutes after the reservation time we were put on the undecorated second floor room with about six table in it, in front of a huge TV showing women cage fighting. The women fighters were blooding each others faces and we were forced to watch this offensive brutality it as the server totally disappeared. We asked to be reseated downstairs and after a long wait (at least another 30 minutes) we were reseated and discovered that unlike upstairs, in the main part of the restaurant downstairs, we received a specials menu and bread and olive oil service not just menus. The food downstairs was good and so was the service but the experience of being shoved upstairs and treated so poorly with timing merits one star and a warning to other diners to insist on being seated downstairs. Showing women cage fighting at an expensive restaurant is simply unforgivable. read more

Mare is amazing! It is the perfect spot for Seafood/Italian in the North End and all of Boston in general. The ambiance is nice and the outdoor patio is a huge plus. There is a decent amount of seating inside, especially for being in the North End. I got the linguine and clams and my boyfriend got the tagliatelle con aragosta (fresh lobster, black truffle and tomatoes over tagliatelle). Both were really delicious and fresh. The one thing I will say is that it is pricey compared to other nearby restaurants. I do think the higher prices reflect high quality and it is worth checking out if you are looking for a nice Seafood/Italian meal. I will definitely be coming back here soon! read more

Mare - Lobster and truffle tagliatelle - Seafood Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

While the food was good, we requested to be seated outside. There appeared to be plenty of space out there. Instead, I was put directly next to one of the speakers blasting music. I asked the waiter if there was any way the speaker blasting music into my my face could be turned down, he informed me that house policy is to turn the music up every hour. Totally overstimulating and rough service for such an expensive place. In agreement with other reviews here, the waiters were very rushed and unfriendly. I can only imagine that management is making them work hard until they're miserable enough to be unfriendly to patrons. The final straw was the music though, I want to eat without chillpop blasting in my ear from a speaker pointed directly at me 3 feet away and they could have offered us to switch tables but didn't. read more

Came here for restaurant week and I was not impressed. I ordered the tuna crudo appetizer, filet mignon entree, and bread pudding dessert. The others in my party also ordered off of the restaurant week menu including dishes like the swordfish and Bolognese. It seemed like they took the dishes off of their regular menu and shrunk the portion sizes. Yes, it's restaurant week but that's your time to shine to earn new customers! There are plenty of restaurants in Boston that offer their full portions during restaurant week. Everything was just ok. The tuna crudo was sooo thin and underwhelming. The filet mignon had an odd flavor to it, maybe it was the seasoning or sauce? Bread pudding was a little dry. The bartender at the front was very nice but overall service was slow. I think I would rather go to other restaurants in the North end. read more

Best espresso martinis and the best oysters I've ever had!!! Really good seafood and ambience. Perfect girls night where you talk for hours and hours. They make a great dry martini too. 10/10 read more

A pleasant upscale atmosphere, however, not special enough nor were the flavors memorable. The Mozarella in the caprese was mediocre...would expected a creamy burrata type. The squid linguine dish bland, the seafood risotto unremarkable. Even the chocolate mousse was nothing to write home about. Oh, and of the 6 oysters we tried, only one type was full of taste. For a $200 dinner I expected to still remember the flavor. Pleasant just not remarkable. Go elsewhere. read more

I took my three daughter's to Boston for my middle daughter's 29th birthday. I made reservations weeks in advance at Mare and mentioned it was my daughter's 29th. As soon as we sat down, our waiter had a scowl on his face and seemed put out by serving us. He forgot the birthday girls shrimp cocktail and did not apologize when I asked him to remove it from our $300 bill. The food was very good, but the service was not good at all for the price and other great options available in the North End. read more

I went to Mare for the Dine out Boston experience. Our server Girolamo was very nice in the beginning and when we asked him for the dine out menu, his demeanor immediately changed. He took our order and we never saw him again. He was occasionally checking on his other tables, but never came back to us. I was super disappointed, because I wanted to order a coffee with the main course. I don't know if he didn't care about us, because we didn't get alcohol or because we did the Dine out Boston and he thought his tip won't be as big, but whatever the reason for his behavior was, was not okay. After dessert the busser cleaned our table and we had to wait for our server to bring us the bill for 10 minutes, then we had to wait for him to run our cards for 10 more. PS he didn't seem to be busy at all, just standing in a corner. At least our food runners and hostesses were super friendly, polite and wonderful. I hope I never get this server again! read more

I love this place so much! Absolute hidden gem in The North End - some of the best food I have had, and amazing customer service. Cannot recommend this place enough!! read more

Business trip to Boston. Colleagues took use to Mare for dinner. Delicious and just absolutely fantastic. We were greeted promptly and then seated. Our waitress took her time to explain the menu and went over the specials of the night. The food came out great. Everything was cooked just right. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and would recommend it to anyone. We came here on a Tuesday night where it was not too busy. read more

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Used to be my favorite in the north end but now the slow service is changing my mind We just ate there. We waited 50 minutes for our main courses to be served. They apologized but so what. Could have done something like waiving part of the bill or something. Just really really slow service. If you have a time limit, don't go there read more

Very good seafood in a cool setting. Mind you, it gets loud. This is not the place for romantic murmuring. But if you don't mind shouting.... The waitstaff is very nice and friendly. Service was generally good. I was impressed by the oyster list. Being pregnant, I was sad that there were no cooked oyster options. But there were plenty of other good choices. I had the bibb lettuce salad. The fresh anchovies were awesome. The bacon a little too salty. The dressing was creamy and good, the lettuce soft but fresh. The lobster ravioli were excellent. There was a ton of sweet lobster meat. It was heavy with the cream sauce and big chunks of bacon, but still yummy. I think I'd rather share it as an appetizer either than have it as a main. The wine list looked fine, also decent list of wine by the glass. read more

The food and atmosphere at Mare were pretty good. However, I agree with other reviews in that the service was very poor. The food was generally very good. Flavors were pretty solid. The fra diavlo was tasty and a good portion. The lobster truffle pasta had amazing flavors, but I would have liked to have more than 3 bites of lobster. Our server was not friendly at all and not attentive. Our meal was dropped off by a food runner, and our server never came back to check on us. Didn't see her for 30 minutes. We would have loved to order another bottle of wine and desserts, but because we didn't see our server it was not even an option. Honestly, it is the restaurant's loss. We would have probably spent another $100 but didn't even have the opportunity to. read more

Made reservations for my 50th bday got there and the waiter was RUDE took FOREVER. The food was amazing hence the 2 stars. The company that sat next to us was awesome and they bought us drink and we bought them but when it was time for them to get their drinks the waiter basically said it was a wash and would not bring their drinks. Also no mention of bday whatsoever so why even ask if there's a special occasion ?!? First time in Boston and last time I come here. Highly disappointed read more

Food and the wine was excellent. We came here after dinner for some drinks and oysters. What stood out was the service from Morganna. What an excellent waitress, making the best recommendations, and making us feel very comfortable and welcome. Mare, you will be seeing us again soon because of Morganna's service. Thank youuu! read more

Our experience was a good one. The reviews posted here are mixed, but we (6 people) had a good experience. We were seated right behind one of the fire pits. Wow, it was warm, but temps seem to settle after a few minutes. Nice atmosphere. Our waiter, Diego, was really, really good. Great personality, super attentive and anticipated our needs. Could not have asked for a better waiter. Keep it up Diego! The food was very good, sadly small portions. The Yellow Yukon mashed potatoes for $11 was disappointment. Plain with zero flavor. Expected more for the money. My wife ordered the Wagu burger - that was a huge WOW. It came with some delicious Rosemary Salted French fries - yum! If you like a flavor rich burger this is it. Very tasty and memorable. My seafood salad was very good and fresh, but so small. I did enjoyed it regardless. Cannoli was crisp and tasty filling. Well done. I would visit again and try other offerings. Get the burger! read more

The location is a little hidden but the place and atmosphere is perfect for a date night. The food and staff were amazing. Highly recommend the scallops and oysters. read more

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Food was amazing, but the service does not make up for it. We ordered a second bottle of wine (never showed up), asked for bread with our meal (never came), our waiter walked by us multiple times with zero eye contact. When I called the manager and asked for the check (agreed in a frustrated tone), he left it, then when I handed it back to him with the card, he yanked it back to the point of my card falling out. When I tried to explain why I was frustrated I was told "you should have called me and I would have fixed it" and "stop being upset, you need to tell me when it's not good". Although great food, too many good places to eat in the North End to be treated this way for a $260 check for 5. read more

Booked a reservation 3 months in advanced to eat at Mare. Even had to gone a deposit They called the same day to confirm our reservations. We were a party on 10. The restaurant itself was beautiful at least the downstairs and the outside was anyway we get there and that take us to a room upstairs with four walls and two small windows, and said this is where they sit big parties ? When we told the manager we did not want to sit I a box she said she explained that to us when we made the reservation. NOT TRUE !!! We would of never of agreed to this. We asked if she could split up the party of two tables of 5 and sit downstairs. again. She refused the gentleman manager said if we come back on Monday he could arrange it for us to sit us downstairs and a table of 10 . I answered we will be back in Chicago by then he said, with a smart remark back, saying I could be back in Italy too. Is this a way to treat costumers ? Anyway we left went to a great restaurant down the street and Hanover in Prince BenCotto It was excellent !!! And the service was also top notch !!! See everything happens for a reason. read more