Delicious Italian restaurant in Little Italy that does take reservations. Menu is much smaller than other Italian places and may not have all the authentic Italian dishes, but the ones they do have are great. Considerably cheaper than other restaurants on the same street. No Pizzas here though :( For a starter we had the garlic bread which was great. Big, thick, crunchy bread pieces and the wild mushroom and goat cheese spring rolls...these definitely have a unique taste but are also good! For my main dish, I ordered the raviolis filled with ricotta and spinach which was topped with sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts. Delicious and filling dish! Raviolis are a decent size! There are so many Italian restaurants in this area, but if you want something pretty basic and cheap I would go here. Service was fast and friendly. OH there is only 1 bathroom for everyone at this place. Keep that in mind if you have to go or eat something heavy. At one point during our meal there were about 5-6 people standing in line blocking the kitchen...plan accordingly lol. read more

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I found this awesome place on yelp and wow was it good. If you are on the Freedom Trail walk and are in the North end of Boston and are in the mood for excellent Italian food, then this is definitely a place to visit. The restaurant is relatively small, but the service is fast and they turn over tables pretty quick. I had the LOBSTER RAVIOLI ($19) that consisted of scallions, diced tomato, Dijon cream sauce that was heavenly. I seriously could not believe how fresh this dish tasted and the quality of the the lobster and ravioli soaked in that delicious sauce was the best I have ever had. In fact, I used the bread to scoop up every drop. read more

Panza - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I ordered the lobster ravioli, it was DELICIOUS. Service was pretty awful. Didn't respect our reservation (8:45, didnt get in until 9:10). There was a 35 minute period where nobody came to our table, we all ran out of water. Was pretty crowded so I get it, but bad experience. Food was great though. Edited: They added 20% automatic gratuity AFTER TAX I wouldn't mind normally, but it's frankly embarrassing and very much so not deserved. read more

Overall great! We had indoor reservations but asked to be seated outdoor if possible and they made room for us. Service was fantastic, our waitress was attentive and friendly. The food was good, all four of us got a different meal and all of us were happy with our choices. Not pictured was the chicken Panza and eggplant Parm but both were delicious! The sauce is on the sweeter side than others I've had in both the marinara and the bolognese. read more

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The worst service ever. The server never pay attention to us. That makes us feel we owe her $500. The garlic toast smells burned. They still charge us for burned food that we asked her to take away. We are really disappointed by both service and the food. Even though it is cheap ($50 for 2), it is still worthless. The risotto is the worst I've ever eaten! Will never go back again. If you are reading it, just go and choose other restaurants in North End. read more

Panza - Seafood Risotto. - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

AMAAAAZINGGGG italian food! We had to make reservations online beforehand, and it was pretty busy when we got there. I got the linguine alla pescatore in white sauce. it was delicious, and the portion size was very large. We also got mussels, they were so good as well! great experience, would def come back. read more

Panza - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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I am tempted to say that these were the best mussels I've ever had, and my Italian grandfather used to make mussels that were my favorite! Got them in the fra diavolo sauce and it was the perfect amount of spicy - not too spicy! We got so many too and they were all big and just so damn good! And dipped all the bread in the sauce! 100% going back for them ASAP. The mussels alone validate 5 stars, but also many bottles of wine are only $24, which is awesome! Had the special of the night, which was a gemelli pasta with shrimp and lobster. It didn't blow my mind like the mussels, but it was very good! The place is tiny, so make a reservation and if you're lucky on a nice day you get to sit near the open windows. read more

Panza - Mussels in fra diavolo sauce - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Had the linguine all a pescatore and was not disappointed! It was very delicious. The atmosphere was nice; however, we had a 7:30 reservation and didn't get seated until 8:30. Staff seems to be moving so fast, understaffed and over worked. That was disappointing but the food was worth the wait! Would definitely recommend with the expectation to wait. read more

Panza - Linguine Alla Pescatore Dinner - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Excellent food and excellent ambience! We love the chicken Parmesan and the baked ziti! The bruschetta was also amazing! read more

Panza - Bruschetta - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Very good. Quality bread, fresh salad and nice and tasty portions. Very good and kind service. One of the better recent North End dining experiences. read more

We came here for my pre-race carbo loading meal before the Boston Marathon. I made reservations weeks in advance out of fear of waiting hours for any Italian restaurant in Boston. We arrived and after flagging down a staff member, were able to seat ourselves at one of their outdoor tables. Location: In Little Italy, just down the street from Mike's Pastry. Ambiance: Casual. Service: Friendly service, attentive just enough to get what we needed when we needed it. Food: I ordered the Baby Rigatoni & Sausage, my bf ordered the Linguini with Clams, my sister ordered the Lobster Ravioli, and my parents ordered the Caesar Salad and Asparagus to share. We also ordered the grilled veggies to share with the table. Everything was really good and I nearly demolished my dish. We were so stuffed, but also loved our food so much, we asked for our leftovers to go. **Unfortunately for me, I was disappointed when I went for that late night bite and was met with someone else's' leftovers :( Probably the most disappointing moment ever for a marathon runner trying to carbo load. Price: Pretty reasonable for the portion sizes and quality of food. Would I return? Sure! But next time, I'm making sure I have the right leftovers packed up to take with me. read more

5/5 delicious. Very reasonable prices for how good the food is and the portion sizes. We ordered the salmon and baked ziti. I had leftovers for days!! read more

Panza - baked ziti and salmon - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

A tale of great location but mediocre food. Pros -Located in the heart of the North End. Super easy to walk to from anywhere you park. -Broad menu with lots of pasta dishes, typical Italian American dishes and apps. -outdoor seating -Fast and friendly service -Braised beef in the Ragu was nice -Some of the calamari was nicely cooked and seasoned -Burrata was nice with quality mozz and well seasoned tomatoes. Cons -The pasta here, at least what we ordered, was just not great. Overcooked, massive portions and poorly incorporated with sauces -Fish in alla pescatore was over cooked across the board. Shrimp felt like precooked and then over cooked, calamari rubber and portions of seafood disappointing. -Bread might have been fresh in the morning but certainly not that night. Take a couple of minutes to at least warm them up in the oven. -Sauces in our dishes felt thin - lacking flavor as well Overall, with so many choices to choose from, I'd avoid Panza. Felt like you were paying for location and not the quality of the food. read more

One, of what seams a dozen of restaurants in little Italy, Boston reigns supreme! Though rustic and simple with decor, the food speaks volumes... Authentic, classic dishes, with vibrant flavors speaks for itself. Go enjoy! read more

Panza - Bruschetta - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I loved the lobster ravioli here. The butternut squash ravioli and bread are also good. Service was quick and very friendly. My experience there was great but they did cancel my OpenTable reservation for the next day without calling or even sending an email explaining why. That was unprofessional so management needs some work. If they had to unexpectedly close, that is fine, but you need to contact people and not just cancel their reservation. I paid in cash so it is not like they knew I was there that day and had any reason to think the reservation days were mixed up. read more

The most authentic Italian food I've had (outside of Italy)!! The quality of their red sauce is mind blowing. The restaurant has such an authentic Italian feel.. it's a bit loud on a weekend evening, but it adds to the fun, fullness of the ambiance. Best spot in the north end of Boston!!! read more

Panza - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

They were short handed but the woman working was taking care of every table and had all the drinks and food coming fast. We got the spinach raviolis and the lobster raviolis and both were great. The wine was delicious and the pours were generous. You need to try to garlic bread! read more

Panza - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

We originally set up a 6 pm reservations for our group of 5. We called at 5pm to push the reservation to 7pm. Our request was graciously granted, we then arrived 15 late, (ugg I guess we left our A game at the hotel). The place was packed, I started thinking we deserved the looooong wait we were about to receive. Alas my fears were unfounded the wait was no more than 45 seconds, and the waiter provided exellent service. (Thanks for rolling with our disfunction) We started with the gratis table bread, olive oil sprinkled with grated cheese, it was good stuff, heavy dense bread enjoyable.. Next was a bottle of the middle priced Chianti, was very drinkable for this unskilled palate. I had the chicken Marsala, and it was very very good. The portions were huge, chicken panza and chicken parm were also throughly enjoyed by all. Thank you for the stellar service and meal. I will return! read more

Panza - Pleasant evening visiting Boston... - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

You cannot leave Panza without having their lobster ravioli with scallions, diced tomato, and dijon cream sauce. For $19 you get a fresh, creamy, and decadent pocket of pasta and lobster and you will regret not getting it! The calamari is also a good choice for an appetizer. The calamri doesn't come with sauce but the cherry pepper aoili, red onions, and cherry papers more than make up for it. If you want to share it with one or two people a small plate will be enough. Panza is generous with portion sizes so one entree and a shared appetizer will definitely fill you up. I shared a small fried calamari with my bf and had an entree and I was more than satisfied. In terms of service, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of attentiveness of our waitress. We did not get water until we flagged someone down 10 minutes into our stay. The seating was also a bit disorganized because there was no host/hostess. read more

Panza - Small portion of fried calamari with cherry peppers, red onions, and cherry pepper aioli - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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What a hidden gem! You may not notice this restaurant walking around the North End. It's smaller, only a few tables. But the food was SO GOOD and it was well-priced. My friend and I shared a calamari, and it was one of the better calamaris I've ever had. They added onions, jalapenos, peppers... the kick was so good. The batter was good, the squid was fresh... would definitely order again. I ordered the special, a shrimp and scallop fussili in a fra diavolo sauce. Excellent. Everything cooked to perfection, sauce was just right, not overwhelming. My friend got the lobstertail tarragon fettucine...also delicious. I would order that next time because the flavors were so complex. Service was great. Free bread! Highly recommend. read more

Panza - Calamari (small) - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Great north end restaurant! The pasta dishes are to die for. So delicious and rich and HUGE portions per usual in the neighborhood! read more

Panza - Special - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Had a reservation. Apparently the stiff at the door doesn't really care. Gave our table away to a two top while we had a Reservation for 4. Would never recommend this place. Arrogant staff that doesn't care. Highly recommend to Go someplace else. Many other better choices in the north end. read more

Very mediocre service is mostly redeemed by very talented chefs. Came with some friends on a Wednesday. After being seated, we were promptly ignored for a good five plus minutes before a waiter tended to us - this was disappointing. As was the cold and stale bread which was served to us. Ordered an appetizer, Bruschetta, hoping that they would redeem themselves through food. And they did good in this regard. The tomatoes were fresh, as was the bread, and the drizzle of balsamic reduction was perfect. Next, the main: I ordered the beef and veal tortellini which was a delight. Deep flavor without being heavy - would recommend. Finally, when we got the bill, we noticed a discrepancy and we were given an attitude when we brought it up (all their checks are handwritten) Food left a great taste in my mouth. Service left a bitter one. read more

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I love Panza. I have been here twice now and both times we had excellent food and service. I got the goat cheese pesto ravioli with grilled chicken. It was homemade and to die for. I would recommend this cozy and authentic restaurant to anyone in the area looking to relax and have some carbs! read more

Panza - Pesto ravioli with sundried tomatoes! YUM - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I cannot rave about this place enough! It's a small mom-and-pop's kind of place, and you can feel and taste the authenticity of the food. My family and I got the following: Butternut Squash Ravioli, Linguine Alla Pescatore, Veal Parm, and the House Salad. And none of these items failed to meet our expectations. Every single dish was flavorful and so perfect to the point that we wanted more--despite the empty plates and our over-filled bellies. The service was BEYOND amazing. I believe the server we had was Maria, and she was very accommodating and attentive, as we had a 5 mo. Baby with us. Overall, YES. Eat at Panza! read more

Went out with my friends Saturday night and ate at this place through recommendations and we were glad that we did. Food was great and our server was really nice! It's been a while since I had veal and it did not disappoint. Additional thumbs up for the complementary bread. Fortunately, a couple of musicians stumbled by and played a song for us! What a great night! read more

Panza - Veal Picatta - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

New to the Boston area and this (on Saturday) was my first Italian meal I've had in North End! So incredibly tasty! Service was quick and pleasant and the noodles and lobster was chef's kiss. Thanks for the wonderful intro to north end and will definitely be back read more

Panza - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

A friend and I went on a Saturday night with a reservation and still waited about 20 minutes to be seated. I usually don't mind waiting a bit but there is no waiting area in the restaurant so it made it uncomfortable to stand around being very close to others waiting for their table. The restaurant is tiny so you'll be seated very close to others, I was fine with it. We ordered: Appetizer: Meatball and garlic bread. Both good, tasted very homemade! Entree: - seafood linguini in white wine sauce. Delicious! I will order next time! - lobster ravioli - very good but I enjoyed the linguini better. It's also heavy on the mustard grains fyi. Overall it was a delicious meal with very FAIR prices and great service! Definitely a great spot to go to if you're looking for a pleasant and classic north end experience. I'll definitely be back! read more

Panza - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The food here is amazing and the atmosphere is great for a north end visit. Best carbonara out there! Nice place to order a bottle of wine and enjoy company. Staff were great and very professional. Good prices for a more traditional dinner. 10/10 read more

I am writing this review because all the good reviews encouraged me to go here and I want to give another perspective. The calamari was fine but half the plate was a giant onion that we didn't eat. The mushroom goat cheese rolls weren't great and were very small for the price. Most of the plate was mixed greens. The chicken marsala was honestly not good, and all I tasted was was brown sugar. I've attached a picture- it was not what I am used to for chicken Marsala. I didn't eat more than 3 bites. When someone came over to clear the plates they asked how everything was and I said I didn't like my meal. They said nothing and just brought the check. I wouldn't go back. read more

Panza - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Went for dinner, was a nice casual quick meal before a Bruins game. The portions are generous, staff is attentive, menu has something for everyone, and the specials were quite good. It's a little tight inside but that comes with the neighborhood. read more

We were excited to try this place out, as we had great recommendations from friends. After arriving for our 7:30pm reservation ( reserved 1 week prior via opentable), we were told "wait outside, you will be called when your table is ready". Well... we waited until almost 8:30 before we actually got our table. Why bother having customers make reservations to begin with? Next-- in the middle of a pandemic, the lack of precautions taken by the restaurant is frankly a bit disturbing. No hand sanitizer, tables were bussed hastily as they tried to make space for the constant flow of customers. Social distancing did not exist, as tables were crammed next to one another. Definitely quite alarming. The service- mediocre. Our waiter was clearly preoccupied with many tables at the same time, as he did not bother coming back to check on us or even take our entree orders until we had already emptied our appetizer plates. To our disappointment, many of drink options were already sold out for the night. We had wanted the apple cider sangria and riesling, but looks like making reservations for 7:30 meant your selection would already be limited. The only redeeming quality that salvaged this review from becoming a 1-star rant: the food. For our appetizers, we got the caesar salad and calamari (both 3/5)- pretty typical for an italian restaurant. The entrees- the house special sausage ravioli and house special pasta with scallops and shrimp in a creamy lemon sauce- blew our minds (5/5). The lemon sauce was rich, creamy, flavorful, and tossed with fresh pasta and seafood. The ravioli was in a tomato based sauce-which carried a zesty, fiery kick. After finally getting our entrees 2 hours past our reservation time, I do not think this place deserves the 4-5 star ratings that is has previously been given. After all, dining out is an experience. With a terrible service experience such as this, I would rather just make pasta from the comfort of my home. Never returning again. read more

Not worth returning. Sub-par Americanized Italian food; overcooked seafood, impersonal service, just... blah. Just barely good enough to stay in business. I get the gist of the reviews calling this comfort food, but really it's not even good comfort food. Exceptions are the bruschetta and the chop salad. Also, the red sauce is good. read more

Small, traditional Italian restaurant with generous portions and decent prices. In a great spot in the North End (on Hanover) and we went to Mike's afterwards for some sweets. Great staff as well. They were accommodating to a tree nut allergy as well. read more

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Crowded business. Made a reservation for 8pm but didn't get seated until 8:30pm. They also only have 1 or 2 servers so service was extremely slow and terrible turnover. 1. Burrata - Delicious mozarella with cream inside and average tomatoes on the outside. 2. Lobster ravioli - Creamy, thick with lots of green onions. This dish was good and you can taste a hint of Lobster but would be nice with a big amount. Overall, this was a one time stop for me as I've had better elsewhere. Definitely make a reservation as the hype is real and there's alot of tourists and locals that come through. read more

Panza - Lobster Ravioli - Creamy but delicious - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Saturday around noon. My out-of-towner friend was visiting, so I was playing tour guide and showing her the Boston sights. Despite the freezing temps and rain/snow/sleet pelting down on us, we trekked to the North End. My general opinion of Italian restaurants in the North End is that they're over-hyped and over-priced, so we checked in at Neptune Oyster and North Street Grille. But with waits nearing an hour and our bellies grumbling ever more loudly, we decided to wander the streets and see in which direction Yelp pointed us. The 4 stars and 2 dollar signs of Panza appeared like a beacon in the storm, and we trudged over, hoping for the best. We got even better than the best. Why is there no one else here? Strange, considering the other restaurants we tried first and the reviews mentioning long dinnertime waits. The space is small and smartly adorned, and service was attentive. We sat by the window overlooking Hanover (so much better to watch the snow than be in it!) and a basket of delicious bread appears along with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. We devour it. Would we like some more? Yes, yes we would. An even bigger chunk shows up. Even better to soak up the sauces with, my dear. We split 2 pasta dishes: the butternut squash tortellini and the linguine alla pescatore with fradiavolo sauce. The tortellini is ready first (and fast!), so it is brought out as a first course. The brown butter sage sauce complements the cinnamon-spiced squash beautifully, and the texture and filling of these pleasurable puffs are just right. It's all the sweet comfort of fall on a plate. Next, a mound of red-sauced pasta appears surrounded by scallops, mussels, shrimp, tiny octupi, and clams. It's a big portion, and a great dish to share. The sauce was just what we needed to warm us up on a dreary day, as the spice was comforting rather than tongue-numbing. The pasta was prepared perfectly al dente, and we devoured the long strands by the mouthful. Each of these dishes clocked in at under $15, which was incredibly reasonable considering the location and quality of both the food and experience. Will I turn into a North End Italian restaurant convert? If Panza is in the club, I just might. read more

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Cozy N. Italian cafe across from Giacomos. Excellent service, reasonably priced. Dishes are hearty to heavy. - Escarole salad with grilled polenta and gorgonzola dressing was quite nice, friends loved the dressing. - Spring rolls with mushroom and goat cheese were pretty interesting - like an Italian egg roll, if such a thing exists - a savory treat nonetheless. - Lobster ravioli was tasty, albeit in a heavy cream sauce. - Tarragon tagliatelle with twin lobster tails was perfectly al dente, but sauce also heavy cream-based. Reservations highly recommended as restaurant is small. read more

Panza - Lobster ravioli - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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I chose Panza for dinner out of the dozens of North End Italian places after a friend said it was a good spot. Overall, I agree, but I would've preferred a nicer server. We waited 15 minutes post-reservation time for our table to open up, but okay, it was Labor Day Weekend. We walked into a very-hot restaurant to the point that it was almost uncomfortable, but okay, I guess they don't have AC. After waters were delivered, our server came over and took my mom's drink order. She then started walking away without looking to me for my order, so I very nicely said, "Excuse me, but I would like the Cisco." (A local pale ale. Always love to try the local stuff!) Her reply? "Shock me and prove that you're 21." Because that's an appropriate thing to say aloud and not at all rude. Just ask for my ID like everyone else, please. I then "shocked" her and offered proof that I'm *over* 21. (Yeah, yeah, I hear that I'll love this when I'm 40. Okay.) She did not apologize for her snide comment, and my sweet demeanor turned flat toward her. I did, however, enjoy my beer. As for food: I had the chicken parm with a side of linguine. The portion size was huge and I loved that they left the bowl of parmesan cheese on the table. They appeared not to have dessert, or if they did, it wasn't offered to us. That's fine, though. Mike's Pastry is right down the street! read more

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Wandering around North End for awhile was tough with all the different Italian restaurants to choose from.... and being indecisive doesn't help! However after consulting Yelp, I decided on Panza. Best decision ever! Sure the space is small, there isn't a clear host stand to check in or request a table, but the food is amazing and their customer service is good. Without a host stand, I was confused about what to do so I just walked in and waited for someone to notice me. Luckily, a server did and told me she could get me seated in a minute after clearing a table. Yay for no wait! Should note I came for lunch at around 2pm on a Saturday. The place was busy but luckily I was the first one to get a table, lots of folks came right after me. My server was nice, a bit slow but seemed to have a lot of tables so that's understandable. I just ordered their only Italian red wine by the glass and a seafood pasta with spicy red sauce... Seems so simple, yet oh so wonderfully delicious. The amount of seafood in this dish is simply superb given the price. $15 for scallops, calms, mussels, and shrimp?? And not just one of each either (no skimping out here!) I also really enjoyed the spicy red sauce, not too hot but just enough of a kick to keep my tastebuds alive and intrigued. My only slight disappointment is with their bread, which was served cold on my visit, and Parmesan cheese already grated into a bowl. I only mention this because it really threw me off as it reminded me of the Kraft Parmesan cheese in the cylindrical green containers. Otherwise, I'm still giving this place 5 stars for quality food at an affordable price (compared to other competitors) with good customer service. I also just really liked the decor and how their front window can open up to the street and allow you to enjoy the nice weather, which it happened to be a beautiful day on my visit :) read more

Panza - Seafood pasta with their spicy red sauce - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The food at this restaurant was amazing! The atmosphere of the area is great. We started with Caesar salad and the braised short ribs; the braised short ribs was super tender and delicious and I try Caesar salads pretty much everywhere I go and this was hands down my favorite of any Caesar salad I've ever eaten. For dinner, had the ziti and my husband had the veal parmigiana and said it's the best he's had in a really long time. Highly recommend! read more