Some of the most authentic Italian I've had in New England. Huge portions. Great drinks. Friendly family owned staff. A hidden gem.

Been going for 25 years. Always good. The past few times we noticed the prices increase everytime. In the past 2 years some of our favorite dishes were increased by $2 or more each time. Now close to $20 a plate. Food is still the same, not bad at all. Good portions but don't let anyone tell you it's affordable like it used to be. They're right up there with the other similar restaurants. To make it worse, we noticed a lot of new faces serving tables. You could tell they were new and not as much on the ball as the veteran staff. Only saw our waitress once the whole meal and she was speeding by toward the end of our meal. Giving this place a break for a while. read more

I eat at Maria's at least once a week. I actually crave it, its weird. I have tried just about everything on the menu and my recomendations are; Chicken and Eggplant Parm, and Shrimp Scampi. They are both amazing. The atsmosphere is fun, its dark and cramp but that what I like about it, its very traditional. I work near by and tell customers to eat there all the time, everyone just loves it! The prices do jump a bit from lunch to dinner - so I just get it for lunch to beat the cravings :) read more

I got amazed by the eggplant parmigiana they have on the menu. I really recommend it! The service is good and friendly, they don't treat just as a client but as a human. The salad is not amazing but the amount of salad they serve is incredible; great for salad eaters! It has a very familiar environment. read more

I cannot say enough for this place. My wife and I and my sister-in-law have been coming here since the 70's. Absolutely the best Italian/Greek restaurant on the South Shore of Boston, and better than 95% of any Boston Italian place, even in the North End. The sauce is legend, and any fish you order here is as fresh as the day it was caught. Pizza-- well they could survive on that alone, it is the BEST. I like Sausage, Pepper and Onion, in which there is no comparison anywhere else. Other favorites, Eggplant Parmesan, Chicken Pizziola, and if you want to roll out of there full to the brim with fish.... The fisherman's platter rivals anything you could get, anywhere. Thanks to Arthur and Artie..and the incredible wait staff there, you cannot ever go wrong selecting Maria's. read more

No problems here at all .We had Antipasto salad the best I ever seen and tasted the house dressing is very good also Garlic bread WAS EXCELLENT ,I had Eggplant and Chicken Parm with spaghetti very good The waitress, Lori was very attentive and was very nice .My first time ever here ands I was very pleased...... read more

I am Italian, and I cook and eat well...This place does it right! I have always loved Maria's...the parm's are amazing & the prices are reasonable...Have been coming to Maria's for over 10 years...my husband introduced me and he loves the Veal Parm...we always have leftovers. I love Maria's! read more

Love it!!!!! Amazing fettuccini Alfredo! Great service! Free lollipops! Awesome prices,too!

Have been here a few times since I moved to Braintree 5 years ago. Great atmosphere, very friendly staff and the food is very good. I especially like the Shrimp Scampi. Also have ordered catering from here and the portions are very good for the price paid. Highly recommended. read more

Love this place!. One of my fiancés and I's favorite place. The food is awesome, the décor is like you walked into 1978, and the prices are great. absolute gem and hope stays forever. if you are looking for a Strega on the waterfront kind of experience, this is not the place. If you want a nostalgic atmosphere, great food, and don't want to break the bank this IS that place. . read more

Great local place - really dependable comfort food.... artie and his staff are always welcoming.... read more

incredible service and outstanding real Italian food! this place is simply amazing!!!!

This was the BEST experience ever!! Our waitress was an angel!! Janny was the best EVER!! Our food was incredible we got the house wine and toasted ravioli and Greek salads with our meals! I will 100% come back! I can't recommend this place enough it was so delicious!! read more

It wasn't the worst place I've ever been, but the food wasn't great. I ordered the Lobster Ravioli for $16, and the lobster was more like canned lobster than fresh, very pasty. I couldn't even taste it though because the dish was OVERPOWERED by garlic! I still can't get the taste out of my mouth! It was loaded with at least 6 jumbo shrimp on top, but once again I couldn't even taste them because of the garlic chunks they were covered in. My husband ordered the roast duck special for around the same price, it wasn't bad. It was what it was. We won't be going here again. read more

Omigoodness - sooo good - the fake greek/italian look is so cool and funny! The food is amazing! I asked for some chicken thing with vegetables and she made up something for me... oh boy was that good! Add some mint to the greek salad and you got the five stars from me... otherwise I am still a regular now! Oh and the waitstaff - all peaches - this is my new favorite! read more

Chicken primavera - okay it is not even on the menu and they keep making it for me and it is soooo good!

Maria's is an Italian restaurant in Braintree, and yes, it's pretty damn good. The place has brought me back for more of the delicious food they serve. It's an eatery worth giving a shot if you crave some Italian food. I actually prefer Maria's over Bertucci's. The food is outstanding here. I've tried a variety of the food here myself, and my family tends to enjoy getting a meal from here, too. My absolute favorite food here is the ravioli. I can't stand when some places make the cheese creamy inside, but fortunately, Maria's doesn't do that. The cheese inside the ravioli is perfect. You get to choose from meat sauce or marinara sauce, and I love the meat sauce. It has a tiny bit of a spice to it, which makes it perfect on a ravioli or even spaghetti and meatballs. Although not a big pizza fan, I actually think Maria's makes a pretty good pizza. The sauce isn't to sweet, and the crust is fresh and perfectly baked. Another great meal is the chicken parmesan, which comes with some amazing, cooked to perfection chicken with tasty and melted cheese, pasta, and the delicious meat or marinara sauce. The eggplant parmesan is basically the same, except with eggplant instead of chicken. And yes, it is good. Maria's has some amazing Italian food, no questions asked. It's not just the food that makes Maria's amazing. It's also very clean. Even the bathrooms are well kept, and that's coming from someone like me who absolutely hates public bathrooms. Another pro of the place is the service. The waitresses are friendly, and they come over in a snap. For a busy Italian eatery like this, the food comes out in no time. If you're a little extra hungry, get yourself an appetizer, which should hold you over. The atmosphere is also decent. The only funny thing about it is the bathroom signs which don't match. I laugh at that every time. Other than that, the decor is fair and not outdated like most non-chain Italian eateries. Maria's is an amazing Italian eatery, and I'm not a big Italian food fan at all. Worth going to a few times if you ever have a craving with some amazing Italian food. Two thumbs up! read more

The food is great, the waitstaff is extremely friendly. Not only do you get to support a great small business but you get to enjoy doing it. Please make note that Maria's donates to many Braintree sports groups and fundraisers. Artie and his family are very generous and give back to the community. When you spend money at this small business it surely benefits the town. read more

My fiance and I love Maria's. Yes, the decor is dated, the place is small, and it's a bit dingy, but it feels like home. Occasionally the waitresses are insanely busy and don't pay attention, or have a bit of an attitude, but it doesn't bother us as much as it would anywhere else. I love their chicken parm and raviolis, eggplant parm, chicken mythos, and alfredo. We also usually get their garlic cheese bread and sauteed mushrooms for appetizers. Just a warning, the mushrooms are sauteed and come in a dish of oil and spices, garlic. We love to dip our bread in it, with a drizzle of lemon! The red sauce is usually good, but can sometimes be overcooked or taste like it's been there all day. Those times are few and far between, though. The Greek salads are small with creamy Greek dressing. Some people hate it, but I happen to love it. They bring over a basket of bread and a few plain rolls, nothing fancy but takes the edge off hunger. Everyone in my family likes Maria's, including my vegetarian sister. The food is good, prices are good, portions are good. Portions are actually large, and we always bring some home. read more

Food was very basic Italian, red sauce, etc, Ok but not impressive. Service was very good. We left a generous tip since the wait staff worked hard to please. Value was very good since portions were generous and the meals costs were low. read more

I came here, food was good, service was great and was not pricey. I would recommend this establishment to anyone looking for a casual place to go have a good dinner and not pay a fortune. My kids were also treated well as my two young ones can get loud at times. read more

Soooo disappointed. The chicken parm and lasagna were horrible. I will not return.

Ordered through DoorDash. First time trying their food - ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I ordered the Fisherman's Platter. The serving size is huge! AND? REAL BELLY CLAMS!!! The haddock was so tender, the scallops to die for. Gigantic onion rings and french fries. A side bag with a big helping of fresh Italian bread. I can't wait to try more of their menu. My only recommendation would be to include more tartar sauce to keep up with the huge serving size. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! No need to go to Plymouth anymore for a good seafood dinner. I can go right around the corner and get the best for a very reasonable price. read more

I went here last night, and it was easily the worst restaurant experience I've ever had. From the service to the food quality, everything was a total disaster. Let's start with the service. We walked in around 5 o'clock to an almost completely empty restaurant with the exception of 1 man at the bar and 1 family seated. We stood at the front for about 10 minutes before the bar tender noticed and came over. He sarcastically said, "looks like the 4 waitresses are too busy." After being seated, our waitress came over to take our drink order. I asked to see a wine list, which right off the bat she gave me attitude about. We waited 20 minutes to get our drinks from the empty bar. The waitress had a horrible attitude the entire night. It was as if she was actually trying her hardest to be as unpleasant as possible. When we were ordering our appetizers, she was actually leaning against another booth, staring off in the opposite direction and not acknowledging what we were saying. Every time she brought or cleared a plate from the table, she reached over my boyfriend's shoulder, rather than moving a few inches to go around him. I'm not really sure what we did to be so disrespected, but it was totally unacceptable. Next, the quality of the food, which we waited about an hour for; was horrendous. When we first walked in, we noticed an odor. I figured maybe there was a problem with the pipes, which happens. However, when she brought over our meals, we were overwhelmed with the smell of sewage. It was my father's shrimp scampi! He took one bite of just the pasta, afraid to even try the shrimp with that odor, and immediately lost his appetite entirely. It was inedible. We had ordered the stuffed clams and stuffed mushrooms which were both literally just burnt balls of stuffing. The Greek salad was a few chunks of iceberg lettuce, 1 olive, and drenched in dressing. I'm an understanding person, and I have no problem with slow service at a busy restaurant. However, this was slow and rude service at an empty restaurant serving inedible food. I will NEVER go here again. read more

What a nice surprise this was! It's our anniversary, and we tried to go to the North End as we usually do, but there was no parking to be found. As we drove back in the direction of Quincy, I went to Google on my phone to see if there were any promising old-school Italian-American restaurants nearby. I found Maria's, and we decided to give it a try. As I say, a lovely little surprise of a place! I had luscious cheese manicotti, and my guy had prime rib, which was on the specials menu. The bread, salad and entrees were all satisfying and comfort-y. Our server was very sweet, and made sure we had everything we needed. The party of 4 next to us overheard that it was our anniversary and chatted with us. We finished up by sharing a spumoni (so hard to find nowadays). Turns out the restaurant is only a 7 minute drive from our house, but we'd never even heard of it until now. We'll be back! read more

Ok, so I've been living in Braintree for almost 2 years and being a single with a very busy scheduale I call Maria's every day to ask for the lunch special and boy every day they have a great menu at a very good prices )except Sunday, prices are a little high). My favorite is the sea food trio. the bottom line is very good food, great service. read more

We went to Maria's for my son's 21st birthday. The food was excellent and the portions were very generous. We stayed for awhile since it was a family affair and they were very patient with us. The only reason I am subtracting a star is because my cousin got an espresso martini that was vodka on vodka (espresso and vanilla). I'm no mixologist but I thought drinks were supposed to be more balanced...thankfully they took it back when she did not like it. read more

Quickly going downhill, sorry to say. Used to be my favorite place, and still could be. Nice subdued atmosphere. Friendly service. Reasonable prices. But OMG what has happened to the Chef. Last three times I visited I ordered what used to be my favorite: Chicken Parm. All three times the chicken had freezer burn -- dry, hard, old. Then I stopped ordering and tried the turkey plate dinner. The turkey was "rolled turkey," not carved. There is a HUGE difference between the two and a good restaurant should know better. Everything used to be "fresh." Not so now. Very disappointed. Would I recommend? I can't say I would. Someone, please talk to the chef. read more

Absolutely delicious Italian food that comes at a good price. Worth driving to from Boston especially for the price to food quantity. Make sure to come with plenty of room, we skipped lunch and still struggled! read more

We were looking for good, honest food, without the pretentious "fluff" that modern restaurants have. My veal parm was perfect, and the house meat sauce that was on the pasta was different and excellent. My wife's lasagna was so good we actually packed it in ice to bring home (we were on vacation). We will go back next time we're in the area. read more

First time eating from here and we got take out. Was very disappointed in our meal. Ordered Calamari and every piece of calamari tasted super burnt, like the frying oil wasn't changed in the past week. Also ordered Eggplant Parm and it had the same "burnt" taste. Going to Gennaros from here on in. Not a good first experience. read more

Huge portions and affordable prices ! Great service and great food. I just moved to Braintree and Maria's is about a block from my house so I'm sure I'll be visiting weekly ! read more

My family and I went here on Aug 22 2012. We were asked by the waitress what we wanted to drink. My father asked if they had Long Island Iced Tea. The waitress said its against the law to sell that drink in Ma. We thought it was strange because they sell that drink at other restaurants in Ma. He said to her could you ask your boss if thats true. So she left to ask her boss. She came back 15 min later and said Its not a state law we just dont sell that drink here. So he asked for a glass of wine and me and my brother asked for Coke. She brought are drinks to us and the Cokes were flat. So we told her and she brought us new ones that were still flat. We told her what we wanted to eat. Afew min later she came back with our food which was salty. So while were were trying to eat the salt she started to vacuum the floor . After we ate alittle we left and we wont be going there ever again. My advice to people that want to go there is DONT! read more

Food was pretty lousy. Would never go back. Cost was modest, but even at 1/2 the cost, I couldn't eat there again. It was a neighborhood place for sure, but tye place benefits because its menu is long and the grease is plenty. read more

I almost feel bad posting this since the restaurant has had such other great reviews but I do feel obliged to say that our one experience there had them serving us a really bad piece of chicken. And by bad I mean spoiled. Won't be back. read more

This is my second time at Maria's.. The first time was absolutely amazing.. Enjoyed some excellent margaritas at the bar and then moved to the dining room and ordered some of the best buffalo tenders I've had in a long time. I had the manicotti, awesome.. My friend had the chicken saltimbocca.. He said that was awesome as well. Both were recommended by our server Adrienne, who was outstanding. But you always have to try something twice. Came here again tonight and my second experience was just as spectacular. Generous, delicious portions for a very reasonable price. Great mom and pop restaurant.. You feel like you have real homemade cooking and a staff that really cares. Highly recommended. read more

We have been going to them for years, great food fair prices, huge portion sizes. The Italian dinner for two is really four meals. Best seafood chowder I have ever had, and that's a bold statement. read more

I am crazy about oysters. Regardless of the type of restaurant, when they are on a menu, I'll order them. Fried oysters were on this Italian restaurant's menu. I ordered them, devoured them and loved them. The side Greek salad that came with them, was pretty good too. The service was excellent. read more

Maria's used to be really good. After not going there for a few years, we decided to have them on a whim and were very disappointed. The sauce was really spicy and the pasta was burnt and crispy. I hope we just caught them on a bad day, but I can't say that we will be returning anytime soon. read more

I give Maria's no rating. Went to dinner tonight, 1/27/16, and presented a coupon w/ expiration date of 2/15/16 detailing a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Night Special w/ 11 different entrees, choice of soup/salad, dessert and a bottle of wine - 2 diners for $39.99. Was informed this was "not available". Waitress said "if we insisted, "She"' would honor it. Not sure if the waitress would have to cough up the extra $$ to the restaurant owner, so we declined. Very disappointed in manner this was handled. We will not return to Maria's Restaurant. Any reputable restaurant owner/manager would have accepted our valid coupon which was in a local flier. Actually think their decision to not accept a valid coupon is illegal - may consider sending to MA. Attorney General office. read more