Had an incredible overall experience at Parla - spun the die 3 times! My group and I were happy to be able to sit outside in the North End again and we've been dying to try this place. Drinks: 9.5/10, the concept of Dungeon Master is genius. I got a cocktail with a fake hand and octopus tentacle in it it was creative and absurd and utterly enjoyable. Docking .5 points here because I wish I could've gone back to see/read what was in the cocktails but I guess that's part of the mystery? Food: 9.5/10, delicious and well thought out menu. I had butternut squash ravioli and my boyfriend had the steak -- the best he's had in a while according to him. Docking .5 because while the other review claimed healing portions and good prices I felt that the meal sizes were average and so was the price for Hanover street. Not a bad thing just an opinion/observation. Experience: 10/10, service was friendly and efficient. Our table was ready on time and we really felt like appreciated patrons. I will definitely be back (I do need to complete my cocktail challenge after all) read more

Bad, disorganized service. Sounded like a cool concept bar but the service was so off putting I will not be coming back.

The staff was friendly, they have a great brunch menu along with a great selection of cocktails. Everything was good but we did have to wait over an hour for our food when it wasn't very busy. Great decor and atmosphere. Nice spot for brunch read more

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A fun place for delicious drinks! We went after our dinner for a night cap and this place was open (yay). Lots of options including non-alcoholic drinks, wine, mixed drinks and more. The person that helped us initially said the kitchen was closed but when we begged, she let us order 2-3 items from the menu. Hehe. The establishment is small but mighty. Fun staff and great atmosphere. Menu is fun and quirky. You can draw on the menu and leave your mark! Love the vibe and would come back here again! read more

Nope, don't come here. Unnecessarily negative vibes. The worst of what the northeast has to offer.

Parla is a true hidden gem. It's tucked away in plain sight on Hanover St, but don't be intimidated by its limited seating and small bar. I've visited this place many times and it just keeps getting better! Tips: There are only 4 seats at the bar, you cannot stand there. Do not seat yourself. Each bartender is extremely talented, so trust them! The menu gives you a variety of ways to do this. You can flip through each bartenders' personal creations. You can roll a 20-sided die (known as the Dungeon Master) and get a clever concoction at random. You can also just tell them what you're into, and they'll make something great. I recently tried one of Bebe's drinks, The Giving Tree, and it was one of the best cocktails I've ever had. Ask for it. And if Bebe is working, ask her what inspired it! Truly a dreamy cocktail. Parla gives you an intimate, speak-easy ambiance, combined with knowledgeable and talented mixologists. You'll nearly forget you're on Hanover Street. read more

Parla - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Fun place for drinks! If you're not picky, play the Dungeons & Dragons game where you roll a die and get served a mystery corresponding drink (that isn't on their drinks menu)! If you're a picky party-pooper like me, their regular drinks are tasty too. I got the sangria and was happily in sweet fruity heaven! But stay away from the food menu!!! Everyone in our group of 5 ordered pasta and it legitimately took 45-50 mins before we ever saw our food. Not only was it incredibly slow, but the portion sizes were very small and most of our party left hungry and on the hunt for dinner round 2. Later the waiter apologized to us, explaining that the delay was because they had to defrost some ingredients. Way to reassure us about the freshness of the food. Overall - not a bad place for drinks but look elsewhere for food! Also it's a small space that accommodates max 20, so plan accordingly! read more

Parla - Shrimp Pasta was good but took crazy long to prepare! - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Awful. Made a reservation and was inside by the door ten minutes early. Some waitress said to go outside or find other dining, since we were early. Not to mention it was freezing out. Agreed to go outside but said I hope the table it open by our reservation time (5 mins and they were still packed). Anyways, She said she canceled our reservation and gave it to someone else because she was offended. I was offended, honestly, tried to talk to manager and manager said he had to take her side and apologized to me. Been here many times, not worth the hype but I still go to support the business. However, being thrown out like that is pretty offensive after everything. Service is eveything and this place had awful service, not to mention it's tiny. read more

Great spot. Staff was all super friendly. We were seated at our reservation time. Brussels were pretty good. Crispy polenta was amazing. Meatballs were amazing. Garlic spinach mezzelune was SO SO good- cant wait to go back for this. My husband loved his lamb pappardelle. Mini cannolis were good. Cinnamon sugar beignets were unreal amazing. Only minus one star because it was WAY too hot in there I was so uncomfortable. It was also very loud. read more

I just had dinner here and I will absolutely give credit where credit is due. The food is fantastic. The cocktails are amazing. The problem I have with this restaurant is the volume of music and the loudness in the restaurant. Mid dinner, the ABBA album got turned on full blast and I couldn't even hear myself think. I took my husband here for what was supposed to be a nice birthday dinner and I couldn't even talk to him because we would have had to scream to each other in order to do so. What started out as a beautiful dinner turned into disappointment. read more

The place to go if you want to be robbed. Went for a drink and apps. We got right in, took a while to have a waiter come over (about 15min), despite having two servers and a bar tender. We ordered apps and drinks when he came over. They came out and were great! The time to cash out came, got the check and spilt it. Christmas Day- woke up to find out the server added an extra $60 to my tip! Luckily I had saved the receipt and my credit card reached out and I was able to flag it. When we were leaving one of the waiters was saying they were all full with a 2 hr wait. The people started leaving and he goes 'tis the season'. Clearly it's the season for scamming their guests - happy holidays you thieves. read more

3 stars for the drinks but can't recommend the food. Pasta was over cooked and way too saucy. With so many amazing restaurants in the area it's really not worth it. read more

Honestly had high hopes for this place with the reviews they have but me and my cousin went there last night and were seated immediately but then it took 15 whole minutes for someone to come to our table. The food was not great and came faster then the drinks did. With how small the place it you would think that service would be faster. Cute diary like menus was the only good thing about this place. read more

Easily the best of the best for cocktail bars in the area. Recently finished the first dungeon master card and ready for more. If you're someone who has an appreciation for cocktails and how genuinely professional these bartenders are then this is your spot for sure. To people complaining about the cancellation policy; it's clear as day when you create the reservation that you could be charged if you don't show up on time. The place is TINY (literally four bar seats) so I'm sure the turnover on tables, seating, and reservations are a delicate beast. EVERYONE should take a peek at one of the first pages of their menu, which outlines how restaurant staff should and deserves to be treated. It should be a standard everywhere. Love you Parla read more

With Parla, reputation matters. The music was great, the ambiance, the booths the food and the drinks. The night was 10/10 until one small mistake. The manager quickly introduced himself and did whatever he could to make things right. Someone who demonstrated that he cares about his job and the place he works for. Will return :) read more

Great cozy spot in the North End! They've got a dungeon master game where you roll a 20 sided dice and each number corresponds to an off menu drink. My fiancé and friend have been working through that while I've been enjoying drinks from the menu. They make really great cocktails and have great appetizers as well! We love the Brussels sprouts and burrata appetizer! read more

Unsurprisingly, Parla responded to this review with a rude and self-involved response. As I said on Instagram, I've never seen a business respond to a customer with such condescension and disdain before. After reading responses to other reviews, this is their standard approach to anyone who leaves less than a five star review. Regardless of how successful a business is, each customer represents a multiplier of future customers - via sharing with others, bringing future guests, and leaving reviews. As a fellow business owner, I know that customer service is of the utmost importance, as that's how I get repeat customers and secure those referrals. Parla seems to have missed out on this particular lesson in entrepreneurship. Moral of today's story? Treat your customers with respect. Treat your disappointed customers even better. Loyalty from a recovered customer service experience can be stronger than loyalty from a good initial experience. This has been especially true in my experience - the times I've had a poor experience and then the business has fixed it - those are some of the businesses I'm most loyal to today. Hopefully this is a lesson that Parla learns soon. read more

Parla is awesome! The ambiance is great and there are a ton of cool features (I'm a fan of the notebook with a bunch of random stories from people who've come in). The food is pretty good and I love the dice roll drink. The drinks are delicious and quite inventive - I've never tasted anything quite like them! We'll definitely be back to fill up our drink card! read more

Amazing cocktails and phenomenal food! LOVE this place! This is our go-to brunch spot in the North End.

DINNER REVIEW My girlfriend and I walked in here on Wednesday night around 8 PM for dinner and were seated immediately, right next to what would be the window but there was no window!). I had heard good things about this place and it seemed like they had some modern takes on classic Italian dishes. This is not your typical North End Italian restaurant. SETTING: This place is small and has a cute bar in the back. It maybe seats 20 people. You will definitely be able to hear the conversations of the people next to you so don't plan to come here if you're looking to have a private conversation. DRINKS: We didn't order any but I have heard great things about the drinks. They have this dice you can roll where each number corresponds to a drink so you can let fate choose your drink. FOOD: The menu is small for a North End restaurant (which I like) but it definitely has some things you wouldn't find on a classic old-school Italian restaurant menu (i.e. ceviche, patatas bravas, chicken & waffles). They also refer to a certain section of the menu as "(Biggie) Smalls" and they have a picture of Notorious B.I.G. So again, not your typical North End Italian restaurant. Fresh Burrata - You cannot go wrong with burrata and this was no exception. It came with fresh bread and tomatoes and pumpkin seeds. Would definitely order these again. Ricotta Fritters - These were yummy fried dough/cheese balls but there were only 4 to the serving which I thought was somewhat skimpy for $9. I would skip these. House Made Pappardelle - fresh pasta with a delicious homemade lamb ragu. My only wish with this was that it was a bigger serving. Overall, it was a great experience but I would want to check out other places in the North End before coming back. Don't come here if you're looking for huge portions. read more

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A go to brunch place of youre looking for a place at the north end. The beignets are really good i wish they gave more pieces tho.

Drinks, food and service were all top notch and for an extremely reasonable price as well.

So happy to go out to eat and grab drinks again. Came here last Friday and had a wonderful time. Drinks were amazing and the servers were extremely helpful if you are unsure what you are in the mood for. I ended up getting a blackberry Mescal Mule and it was amazing. Food was incredible. We started with the cheese plate because you can't go wrong with meat and cheese and it was soooo good. For my main course I got pasta with shrimp and my friend got lobster ravioli. They give you a lot of food and the price wasn't bad for being the north end. They also have some non Italian foods like burgers and salads. We had a great experience and I can't wait to go back!!! read more

Long time Parla customer (used to dine almost weekly) after today, no longer. Came here for a graduation brunch with family who had flown across the country to be here. We arrived for our reservation on time at 10am and the restaurant was empty. We were seated directly in the sun. The waiter acknowledged that this was poor on the restaurants end but did nothing to remedy the situation even though the restaurant was empty with full ability to seat our party in a fully covered setting. The brunch food was fine, but nothing spectacular. Only one other party of 2 was seated for the entirety of the time we were there, essentially telling us that their walk ins were more important to them than a celebratory party of 6. Additionally, one individual in my party tried to order a 2nd glass of orange juice to which we were told they were running "low" and were saving for potential future guests that were not even in the restaurants for mimosas. You're telling me you are out of orange juice 15 minutes after opening and can't serve the guests that are currently in your restaurant?? They ended up squeezing more after they saw our frustration. Might as well have directly told our party you're second to guests that aren't even promised and are not a priority. Waiter knew we were upset and served us complimentary shots at the end but doesn't make up for the disappointment this brought on such a special occasion. Lost a longtime customer. read more

AMAZING HOLE IN THE WALL!!!! This is hands down the cutest tapas & cocktails joint I've ever stumbled into. The menu is adorable, with a hand-written feel and a ton of personal touches. Each bartender/server even has their own cocktail page on the menu, filled with cocktails of their own creation. Speaking of..... THOSE COCKTAILS THOUGH! So refreshing, unique, & delicious! The tapas don't disappoint either. The seared octopus was cooked to perfection and oh so tender. But the fresh burrata stole my heart! So so creamy, so so delicious! There are a lot of restaurants you could visit on Hanover St, but you ABSOLUTELY MUST TRY Parla. If you don't love it, you aren't human! read more

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Shrubs? Where have you been my whole life?! I had the pineapple hibiscus Shrubs with Respect yr Elders. Holy cow! One of the best, if not the best craft cocktails of my life. Our bartender was a blonde haired man whose name I cannot recall. He was super helpful and friendly. I was visiting Boston and if I return this place is definitely on my list. read more

Parla - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

LOVE this place! We have been here a handful of times since moving to Boston and it's always a blast. We always get the D20, a random drink from one of twenty secret cocktails not on the menu. They give you a card to track how many of the 20 drinks you have tried, with even more secret options available to those that fill out the whole list. This has been a fun way to try cocktails we would never order on our own! We have three each so far, but we hope to try them all. The bar tenders wear dated outfits, and never break character. One even wears a monocle! Limited seating. We've never eaten there, but it's a full restaurant too. Parking may be difficult. Update: maybe we had one too many and started seeing monocles read more

A better meal cannot be had in the North End, of this I am sure. Exceptional service from start to finish - timely, friendly, hospitable. A lovely setting with open windows out to the hustle and bustle of the street, that does NOT deter from your experience here. Hand-crafted flavorful and imaginative cocktails for every member of your party who cares to imbibe. The appies were incredible - loved the pork belly chips (yummy tidbits of pork bell crisped & salty); the brussels sprouts were perfectly flavorful; and the ricotta fritters were amazing. Dinner?? Oh yes, please. We enjoyed the tender butternut squash ravioli with a light cream sauce, and the lobster ravioli sent us over the moon!!! Their chicken parm was some of the best I have ever had. Seriously. Get thee-self to Parla and enjoy yourselves. We did. read more

My fiancée and I moved to Boston a couple months ago. We made a pact right before we moved that we could not eat from the same place more than once in the first 30 days of us being in the city, in an attempt to force us to try numerous different places. We ate from 26 different establishments in that time, and Parla was by far at the top of the list. We enjoyed it so much that by the tail end of the first 30 days, we were just counting the nights until we could go to Parla again. It has everything for which we were looking: friendly and accommodating staff, great ambiance, amazingly consistent food, and a treasure trove of experimental cocktails. Parla is definitely our new go-to spot! read more

I would never have expected to find this sort of place in the North End. Most of the restaurants in this part of town are classic Italian red-sauce joints that wear their retro interior design and antiquated service style as badges of honor. Parla, by contrast, is hip and edgy in a pleasant and comforting manner, which is a tricky needle to thread indeed. The interior has that balance that is so difficult to strike, with numerous visual stimuli to occupy the eye and entertain, but without being the hackneyed junk on the walls of an 80's bistro. Also, take a look at the notebooks hidden in holsters below each table; ours had some pithy humor in it! Capable mixology is another rara avis in the North End, but again, Parla has innovative and delightful and delicious beverage options, without being pretentious or overly precious. The food is where this place really shines: most of the menu options are a twist on only favorites, but not in a silly, irksome way, but rather demonstrating true innovation. We were all torn between multiple options, and were able to balance our orders so that we could all try several things. Every one of our meals was superb, and it is nice that we have a reason to return: trying the other tempting choices that we couldn't have on this visit! Portion size was spot-on: a decent meal without being gluttonous. Parla is excellent, and I recommend it highly. read more

Great spot, we've been there a few times now and my favorite is the dungeon master drink - don't worry you don't play any game. Just toss the dice and you get a surprise drink. They do have a set list of drink for the numbers so it's not like the whim, it's more curated and delicious. I had some type of Negori and it was really good. We also had some small bites and pasta to share among 5 people. Delicious. We did stop by around dinner time and they didn't have any available table but was happy to take my number and reserve us a spot for 10pm. they will text you to let you know when it's ready. read more

Drinks are fine. Food is bringing down the rating. In the north end, they're serving "risotto" which was just rice in broth, and not even the right type of rice. Nothing I had, pasta or apps, impressed me compared to any of the restaurants on this block. I wouldn't come back for food, but maybe that's my mistake getting dinner at a place known mostly for drinks. read more

I really wanted to love this place. It's super small and cute. The menu is great with many choices especially for the seasoned industry vet or cocktail connoisseur. We had reservations for the bar. When we entered, the manager told us he gave our seats away (later I realize to his friends). We were ok with another table and graciously accepted. We then waited another 15 mins for the manager to return with water and then leave again without letting us order cocktails. Drinks were then ordered and brought another ten minutes later. We finally order our entree and said "manager " does not write anything down. He had already had his second shot (that I saw) by this time with the crowd at the bar. I believe it was a pickle back. Twenty minutes go by and he comes back with no apologies that he completely forgot what we ordered to eat. Literally, twenty minutes. At this point, I am still trying to be happy and not upset. When the food does come, he has ordered me the wrong omelette. I flag him down to tell him and he tells me to keep my plate there. He tells me to keep my cold potatoes and biscuit because the kitchen was upset with him that he had messed up the order. He brings my new omelette which isn't cooked because the poor kitchen guys wanted to get the hell out of the there as they were now closed. I witnessed him take two other shots by the time this all went down. We eat and order one more round. He brings my husband his drink, and not mine. Walks away. I say, may I have my drink, and his reply is, he forgot again. Obviously this manager/server was intoxicated. I have worked in the industry for twenty years. If I forgot a meal or a drink, it would then be on me. The fact he couldn't even own that he was so off point was upsetting. To spend $100 on BRUNCH, I think we should have been served a bit better. McDonald's would have been more apologetic. So overall we spent $120 to someone who was too drunk to even know that they ruined our time in the North End, nor care :( Your hangover must have just cleared up that you have finally responded. Again, this is not customer service. This response is inaccurate and completely snarky. I had to go on Yelp as there was no one to actually speak to you about your bad behavior. Also, in case you forgot again, I did order a High Life that you heard and then stated to me that you FORGOT. How would it be that I never ordered if you FORGOT? Also, how could we sit at the bar when all the four seats were taken as you said you gave the seats away and we need to wait to sit there. How about thank you for your patronage and spending such a great deal at our establishment? Again, unprofessional and, by reading all the other responses to the negative reviews, it is surprising anyone comes there at all. I am not shocked by your unjust attitude and think you should go back to training as support staff. I would love to know who owns this establishment and if they know about this kind of customer service provided to patrons. I don't think they would find it as amusing as you. Go take another shot as you write another gross response. Oh and by the way my name is Sarah not Karen. Funny though. read more

My brother put Parla on my radar a few months ago and I've been dying to try it out. So I set it up to go there for dinner and drinks for my birthday. While looking at the website I noticed they have a Gatsby themed brunch so I figured what the heck, let's do a back-to-back celebration. I was a little stressed trying to get my large group to arrive on time bc it's obvious on the website that punctuality is pretty important. Finally got the group there a hair after the reservation but we were seated, treated very well, and had the best experience over a few hours there. Many of us decided to roll the 20-sided die to determine our drinks, which frankly was the biggest draw for me. It was a blast! The cocktails were great and hugely varied. Our server took the time to chat with us about what was in the drinks..it was fun to vibe with him about the creativity that went into crafting each drink. The apps were delicious and we were all well-fed. When the entrees came out we were in indulgent heaven. Lobster ravs and chicken saltimbocca were favorites. Ended with a final roll of the die and cinnamon beignets which they had put a lit candle in to celebrate my birthday. Daniel brought our check along with a taste of the housemade key lime pie limoncello. What a treat this place is!! Couldn't have been happier with the experience. Thank goodness because I'd already had a set reservation with a different group of friends for brunch. That was also delightful. The food is so, so tasty. The bloody Mary was a tad spicy for me, but dang. The complex flavors they developed in there were awesome! All this to say, highly recommend. Make a reservation, show up on time with your full party, and just jump in to the full experience they create for you at Parla! read more

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Thank you for a lovely evening after a long flight in from Los Angeles. Even after showing up 45 mins early to reservations you seated us by the window as request in my reservation along with fully explaining how your menu could accommodate my dairy aversions. Loved the hipster vibe and kind service. Attentive and personable. Love the small space environment. Exactly what I was after for a North End experience. Custom drinks were great. Loved the brussel sprouts and meatballs. read more

I can't recommend the Dungeon Master program enough. It's an extremely fun way to experience some of the most inventive and innovative cocktails in the city. Matt and his crew are literal wizards behind the bar. read more

BEWARE: Bartender is a complete asshole. This is my first review on yelp and it is because in the past four years of living in Boston, I've never had a such a bad experience and therefore have never felt compelled to leave a bad review. It's interesting to me that there are similar reviews here about the bartenders and it's even more interesting how the manager replies to their comments. With a party of 5 we all sat at the bar ready to order our drinks, the way we were sat and given menus was cold to begin with but it was dismissed in my head. Because of a medical condition that I had I could not drink and in solidarity neither did my boyfriend- for this reason we ordered our drinks virgin. For some reason this seemed to slight the bar tender. Microagressions were definitely made the whole time we were there but we just ignored them. The "brush" soda drink he made for me was nasty and same with my boyfriends drink. I didn't complain but when the bartender asked us how our drinks were my boyfriend said that I didn't like mine. I'm not one to complain but I think we all wanted to see how the bartender would react. He just took my drink off the counter threw it out didn't say anything to me and didn't even ask me if I wanted something else. His whole rude attitude was comical in our eyes. We also saw the other male bartender being rude to the people at the table next to us, he was talking to them harshly and said "I don't mean to be rude BUT " , when someone uses that line you already know... Anyways - save yourselves from an awkward evening ! read more

The North End can be a real battleground. Tourists left and right, cars crowding the streets, and most importantly, scores of restaurants tempting you. It's a jungle. So many spots, so many similar names, so many long lines, and so much red sauce. So. Much. Red. Sauce. And then there's Parla The menu is quirky but in the best possible way. They only have a limited liquor license, yet they have found a way to come up with dozens of creative drink options. They only offer a few appetizer and entree options but they hit a home run. Burrata that had a sweetness that snuck up on you. Arancini with a kick. Ricotta balls. We had the steak tips entree and it was like the one non-red gravy dishes my nonna made on Sunday afternoons. Waitstaff was excellent, decor was top notch. It's my new go-to in the North End. read more

I came for dinner during the North End holiday stroll on Friday night and didn't expect to find a table, Parla was a cozy retreat from the chilly night with a warm greeting from the dapper server/host and showed us to a lovely table. We enjoyed the shrub/sodas - they were quite flavorful and creative, my only tip is that they are $6 and although the slanted glass and metal straw are a charming touch, there was so much ice, three sips and you're done. The crispy polenta app was tasty with a lemony dipping sauce. We tried the butternut squash ravioli and the lobster ravioli. Both were generous portions and priced the same, but I think I won at dinner with my lobster ravioli. I have never had lobster ravioli actually have big chunks of lobster and actually taste like lobster! Well done Parla- I will return for a repeat performance for sure. Fun decor and great vibe. They might want to switch to a fragrant free table cleaner however- the tables are close to each other and when a neighboring table is cleaned while you are eating, the spray has a very strong scent that interrupted the magical lobster experience temporarily. read more

Parla - Polenta - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Excellent cocktails! We came for the drinks - which we were not disappointed by! I definitely recommend a drink with their homemade shrubs!! We were not too hungry, but were primarily interested in drinking... so we ordered the burrata and the meatballs - 2 great small plates. The atmosphere of the restaurant is cute and quaint. A small place - so a reservation is probably your best bet at getting a table. read more