Great new restaurant! It's a small and cozy restaurant, with amazing attention to detail. The food is incredible! I had the burrata frita for an app, the flank steak for my main, and the best s'more dish in history! I had such a great experience I went for the Gatsby brunch a couple of days after, and it was one of the best brunches I've had!! -it also has one of the most unique bathrooms, almost worth going there just to see it read more

O.m.g. so amazing! We had the special, lobster ravioli and a few great drinks, kiss from a rose and scofflaw were our favs! read more

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

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Stopped in on my birthday weekend for drinks with some friends and had the best time! We sat at the bar and the bartender was extremely friendly and he answered all of our questions happily. Highly recommend sitting at the bar just to be able to watch them make the drinks. We each got the "Dungeon Master" - a must-try kind of thing - you roll a 20 sided die and get the corresponding drink on the list and there are no take backs. They have a cordials license (as opposed to a liquor license) which makes for some really interesting drinks. The bartender and server gave us a free round of birthday shots and took some with us, too! We didn't eat any food here, but I would definitely go back just for the bar experience. read more

Super fun spot to hang out in, but my 5 stars go to their awesome bartender Christian. He made me the most delicious mocktail I've ever had on a complete whim. Aside from his mad skills, he put real effort into concocting a drink that was catered just to my tastebuds! Super fun to chat with and overall such a cool guy. More people in restaurants need to be like Christian and actually care about the customer. Thank you for making my night and proving that "non-alcoholic drinks don't have to be boring" - I mean look at this work of art! read more

Parla - Custom mocktail by Christian! - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I live in the north end and I've been there 4 times. Every time I had to wait about 30 minutes after sitting down to get a mere glass of wine. They have enough waiters but they are always behind the counter talking to each other and ignoring the clients. Out of the 4 times I've been there I only had good service once, and it was when I was sitting at their bar and ordered a bottle of wine. read more

I fall more in love with this place each time I visit. I live in the North End and am not a pasta enthusiast, so any restaurant that isn't strictly Italian food is such a welcome change. I've been to Parla a handful of times now because I can't get enough of their Bee Sting Julep (made with habanero infused whiskey which is perfectly HOT with the slightest sweet- can't wait to enjoy this when/if summer ever comes and the windows will be opened) and each time I find myself ordering something different to eat on the menu. First it was the oxtail arancini, which was surprisingly good because there was so much meat and not much rice, which is my ideal ratio. Over the next few visits I've ordered or tried (off a friend's plate) the fava bean soup (chilled and delicious), the carbonara (I know I said I'm not much of a pasta person but this changed me. Like physically, I'm a different and better person for having eaten 3 bites of this), the bone marrow (also amazing, wish it came with more crostini bread to spread it on), and I switch off between ordering the Fire+Blood cocktail and the Bee Sting Julep. Atmosphere is very Gatsby-esque-- beautiful, old-fashioned and makes you feel like you're part of a secret society in a way I can't quite describe. Anyway, go here. It's good. read more

I came here with a group of friends. Everything was very good, food-wise, but the service was fairly dismal. The waitstaff basically ignored us most of the time and we had to flag them down whenever we wanted anything. I thought our server was just overworked until my friend pointed out the three women standing around behind the bar, so not sure what was up with that. It's a little different than other places in the North End, definitely. It's got a more modern, upscale feel, and the space is much smaller than some of the big, older places (though some of the older spots are quite small as well). It's right across the street from Modern Pastry, so we popped in there for dessert rather than waiting another hour. Overall: the food was good enough that I would consider coming again if I had hours to spare, but not if I had any other appointments or plans afterward. read more

We were here for The Great Gatsby Brunch 3 weeks ago. Everything came together nicely. We walked in, and there was a great table open. There are not many tables here, so I can see brunch getting too crowded too fast. Our service was exceptional. Very attentive. Recommended drinks and great brunch plates. Our waitress also took our phone and a charger behind the bar to get "the juice back." Food and brunch drinks were great. The bloody mary is a little different, with the olives and vegetables mixed into the drink. Also: The music is perfect. It made for a great way to start our Sunday in Boston! read more

Mind bending cocktail journey. Philip made us feel at home and helped guide us through the hilarious and creative menu. We started with the haterade and it was the best cocktail we've had in Boston and trust us, we've been sampling ;). We also ordered the meatballs, which tasted like they were made by the Italian Grandma you don't have but wished you did. The cheese and meat platter had an awesome assortment of cheese we had never tried. Deliciousness all around!! read more

We went to Parla for a Sunday brunch, which I feel was a bad decision. It was not very crowded, and there were only limited options on the menu for brunch. I think it would be a much livelier place with a greater selection on any regular night. read more

Parla - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Very disappointing experience. So many wonderful restaurants in the North End I have no idea why this gets such complimentary reviews. If you want to go dining and feel like you are not welcomed than this fits the bill. read more

phil is a fantastic waiter and bartender, a total babe, we will not accept service by another individual by patronizing parla in our lifetimes, ande love him, total king and a half. loverboy.x 3/6 5 read more

Parla is one of a kind; the space is super intimate with a chill speak easy vibe and unique decor. It's a small space which makes for a cozy setting and they had a solid playlist going. The staff is super personable and passionate about their menu. The 3 of us did a family style spread and recommend: Cocktails: Boulevardier & Moscow Mule Apps: Burrata, Calamari, Charcuterie plate Dinner: Herbed Lamb Pappardelle & Spaghetti Carbonara Our only regret is that we didn't order the special, Butternut Squash Ravioli, which smelled so good! Thanks Matt, Suzie and Parla team for a memorable evening! read more

Parla is a great addition to the North End. It's definitely skewed towards "millenials" with its techno playlist (almost too minimal at times) and modern speakeasy vibe. The food was pretty good, the service was very good/attentive and the drinks were good as well. Food - 3.5 stars: Overall the menu here is creative and fairly affordable. The only entree I've had was the seafood brodetto which is a type of seafood stew with light broth. It didn't set my world on fire, but it did have a good amount of seafood for the price. The rest of the menu looks really interesting and tasty so I will have to come back to try more. For the small plates, I had the Wild boar meatballs, mussels and Shrimp with polenta. The meatballs were tasty, filling and a good value. The mussels came with a spicy broth (not enough broth for my taste) with red chili peppers and panchetta Drinks - 4 stars: They have several good craft beer options which is hard to find in the N. End. The cocktails are interesting and creative, partly due out of necessity since they only have a cordials license have to have some type of sugar in each cocktail (except for rum because of it's sugar content). Service - 4 star: Paolo, the manager, seems to be holding this place together. He waited on us or was involved in waiting on us on both occasions. Despite that fact that it looked like several people were being trained, I had no major qualms with the service or timing of the food. Request: Can you please post an updated menu online, possibly on your website instead of Facebook, or at least have a more up to date menu on Facebook. read more

What an awesome little spot on a busy busy street. Don't overlook this place! New inventive Italian. Great ambience and decor, great detail right down to the bathrooms. Inventive cocktail menu with tons of awesome mixology make for delicious drinks. The menu has a lot of great choices, all freshly prepared and thinking outside of the box. We had the ahi tuna carpaccio, fried burrata, scallop with pasta entree, and prosciutto wrapped chicken. The chef has came up with some really creative touches for each individual dish. I especially loved the basil puffs served with the amazing ahi tuna and the scallops with pasta....I think it was a special but WOW, so good! Met the chef, awesome guy and stoked for him! Props to this new little spot on thinking outside of the box on a highly saturated street. Good luck Parla! read more

Would give ZERO stars but that is not an option. A terrible and disappointing experience. Walked in with a party of 6 and denied service by the host who blatantly singled out the female in our group, saying she could only be served water. Sexist and racist. Not deserving of anyone's business!!! Cross the street and go to Bricco instead! They welcome people of all races and genders. read more

Visiting here from Miami, the ambiance is amazing, the drinks are creative, and the service was amazing. This is a spot I see myself coming to if I ever come to Boston again. A must try spot, Patrick was amazing, great service! read more

New to yelp but could not help but make Parla my first review. I came here with my friends for just drinks and could not have been any more satisfied. Our bartender, BeBe, made the most amazing drinks, a pro mixologist and our server, Suzy, was just the friendliest and the most helpful. Definitely going to be coming back for this experience again soon! :) read more

Fabulous cocktails!!! If you want a real espresso martini like the ones from Italy this is your place to go! Ask for the Italian rockslide but the Secret name is Italian rockstar (the bartender Matt will know what you are talking about) they use nespresso espresso and I officially can't go back to the fake ones!!! The food is also great I personally love the Brussels read more

Amazing atmosphere. The vibes here are great. Some of the best mixology I have seen. Super creative. If you are looking for something unique and a great give I highly recommend. The staff is incredible. Friendly, personable, and kind. They poured us extra shots and gave us desert just on the house. Great service! Must see! read more

I was really excited to try this restaurant. I booked a 4 top for 8:30 and we arrived at 8:23, 7 minutes prior to our tables reservation. Not only was the front of the house incredibly condescending and rude to my friends, they told us to wait outside until our table is ready (it was 23 degrees). Mind you, there was a seat open at the bar, but they wouldnt let us order drinks until our table was ready. 7 MINUTES EARLY. They lost out on our table because being treated like that is unacceptable. I guess our money isnt that important to the servers who lost out on the $50 tip we left Bricco across the street. I really hope the host learns that speaking to customers and kicking them out of the restaurant for being punctual is unacceptable - any other instance of timeliness would be appreciated. Your elitism in the North End of all places - where majoirty of the restaurants are about enjoying good food with good people is a poor business model. Seriously disappointed. read more

When I was at the restaurant, I had a good time. The drinks were inventive and tasty, the cheese plate was delicious and seemed to be a pretty good value, and the meatballs were tasty though small. It was my experience following the meal that was the issue. My friend and I asked to split the check. Unbeknownst to me, my credit card was run once for the full bill and once for my half of the bill. I noticed the charge while checking my credit card statement a few days later and called Parla. They said that they would have canceled the first charge that same night and that it should disappear from my statement, and that I should call my card company just in case. Okay... it was annoying to spend more time and effort on something that wasn't my mistake in the first place, but fine. I waited a few more days for this mythical cancellation of the incorrect charge, but it soon became clear that no credit was forthcoming, so I finally had to call my credit card company to dispute the charge. In my situation, it was a little annoying and inconvenient, especially because Parla did nothing to rectify their mistake and gave me incorrect information. However, I'm lucky that I used a credit card and thus no money ever left my bank account. The incorrect charge was over $100, which for some people would be a lot to suddenly disappear from their checking account. Mistakes happen, but Parla didn't handle this one well. It wouldn't prevent me from giving them another chance, but I won't be seeking them out either. (The other moral of the story: always review your credit and debit card statements!) Edited to add: After I posted my review, the owner sent me a nice apology, which I appreciated. Since I was originally irked about a perceived lack of customer service, I'm bumping up my review from 3 stars to 4. read more

Dropped in on a whim - looked inviting. We sat at the bar. The cocktails were unique and quite good. Ordered the mussels and lobster ravioli special. The ravioli were very, very good (my wife knows Italian food and declared them excellent). The mussels were darn fine too. It's a slightly non traditional approach to the food so if you're looking for uber traditional it's not quite that but excellent if you are looking for Italian with an interesting twist. I would come back without hesitation. The only caveat was the servers were initially pretty quiet. But in their defense I now live on the west coast and service out there is typically very gregarious and it could quite well be my expectation was out of sync with the east coast. The owner stopped by the bar and chatted with us for a bit an even bought us a round - nice guy and very interested in taking care of his customers. I'd send friends here. read more

The food here is really quite good, and it's a welcome change from the more traditional restaurants on the street. It feels like a restaurant from Manhattan with a reservation list spanning many weeks. Try the lamb fettuccini or the steak, we were very pleased. I ate every bite of the al dente pasta, and I almost Never finish my pasta. read more

I have been to several restaurants in the North End of Boston, and Parla has a distinctively different style than all the rest. This restaurant combines traditional Italian with a modern trendy vibe. I was truly pleased with the service, food, and drinks. Starting with the service, we were greeted warmly and received phenomenal service throughout the meal. The staff had awesome recommendations that were well thought out. They were impressively knowledgeable. The cocktails were awesome. I started out with a standard moscow mule, but then tried the "summer mule" which had rubarb and other ingredients, and couldn't help ordering another one it was so good. I also had an after dinner digestive and it was really helpful. The food was top notch. The chef did an amazing job with all courses. The vegetable gnochi was delicious and what was left over kept very nicely. I will be frequenting this restaurant. read more

Went for dinner because we were looking for something light. For a small place, it was LOUD. Even when most of the people left it was still loud. Small plates, but still high prices. Burrata plate was good (hard to screw up); salumi & formagi board was uninspired; sirloin steak tips were ok. This place is more about drinks (except beer) than food, with a huge wall of spirits behind the bar and a huge part of the menu dedicated to different drinks. read more

Best speakeasy. Unpretentious right to the point Prohibition style delicious friendly, Accommodating

With the surfeit of stellar cocktail bars in the city, if I had to pick a few favorites, Parla makes the list--a combination of great cocktails, 1920's panache, attentive yet unobtrusive service, and an intimate ambiance. We visited during a Saturday, summer day--the place was servicing only one table of four. The bar was empty (lucky for us) A couple mixed drinks and IPA brews later we were on our way. We had a lovely day we had here--We will return! read more

Had an amazing dinner at parla last week! Such a fun , unique spot with great drinks and delicious food ! I can't wait to visit again soon !! read more

Really fantastic cocktails...one of the best Old Fashioneds I've had in a long time. Nice atmosphere, easy going vibe. The manager, Morgan, is a sweet heart and works to make sure the staff is giving everyone personal attention. It's a new and very interesting addition to the North End. We only had some apps, the Arancini and the Mussels, both were pretty good. Didn't stay for dinner because we went across town for that. Side note: The playlist for music is fantastic! Ask them for the spotify playlist! So good. read more

I came with friends for drinks and had a great gin and tonic. Intriguing menu so I ordered the beef tongue bruschetta because it scared me and it turned out to be one of the best things I have tasted in a long time! Tender warm meat on crisp bread with yellow tomatoes it was perfect. 2 pieces for $8 was just the right amount. I will definitely come back to try more of the interesting fare! read more

Went to Parla for the first time today and they were so friendly and welcoming!! We always want to try something new in the north end !! They definitely go the extra mile for you!! We don't find that very often these days!! two girls from New Hampshire love them! the drinks were great (thank you Shawn!) the food was amazing will definitely be back there soon!! read more

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Food and drinks were amazing and service was great. Great alternative to the classic north end restaurant, Italian food but a little more modern. read more

I went on a Sunday night. Very cutesy-hip vibe that is trying way too hard but probably pleases the drunk girls eating brunch crowd. The food was over-priced, over-cooked, and not very flavorful. The small plates were $9 each, and we had the meatballs and the crispy polenta. The meatballs were decent, but three small ones for that price seems a bit much. The crispy polenta triangels were similar. For an entree I had the parpadelle in a lamb ragu. The meat was really overcooked and tough, the sauce was much too sweet, and the pasta was gummy and obviously store-bought. My date had the fried chicken and waffles. It had battered white meat chicken triangles that were also cooked to death and dry, over green apple slices and soggy belgian waffle pieces. None of it had much flavor either. There was one waiter to cover the place, which was not enough even with the small size. He was a bit hard to understand at times, had too many tables to cover and was hard to get a hold of to order, and tried to write our orders down on a little pad of yellow sticky notes. He got one of our entree orders wrong so we had to wait quite some time for our second entree to come out. We were comped our first order of drinks as a make-up, which was good of them. The drinks were overly complicated and had cutesy names. I got an "old-fashioned" and it pretty much tasted like straight campari. The waiter and manager were both easy to deal with about the issue we had and seemed nice and handled it the best way they could have, but I really don't see any circumstances under which I would go back. Edit: I have one correction. From his response below, it turns out the manager actually is a dick. And an excuse maker. So good for him. read more

I walked in to grab a drink and an app with a girlfriend after a day of shopping and was rudely spoken to by waitstaff who was ending their shift at the bar and very unwilling to share their space. The two staff members were occupying the two middle seats at the bar and were disgruntled to move over and accommodate two patrons. When we asked to get drinks the off duty staff member said "is one of you planning on sitting down at a table because you both can't stand here". When the bartender pointed out that her and the other off duty employee could simply move over to rectify the situation she gave us a dirty look. My friend and I felt how unwelcome our presence was and promptly left. I won't be returning to an establishment with such rude staff. read more

I love the "roll the dice" concept of ordering a drink if you choose. It gives you the opportunity to try something new or if you are indecisive, it makes the decision for you! I rolled the dice and was concocted an interesting drink of habanero vodka, chocolate liquor, with egg to add frothiness. They are a bit pricey at $14 a roll so keep that in mind because it is addictive and you will want to roll again! read more

Perfect little spot for dinner on a summer day in the North End. Simple dinner menu well executed. Creative cocktails.

On Tuesday we called and setup a reservation for 7 pm for 4 people on Saturday night. They sent us txt message to confirm our reservation on Saturday night. I called the restaurant multiple times to ask about valet (none) with no answer. When we got to the door there was a sign that said they were closed until further notice due to a technical issue. A 1 star review for a complete lack of customer service. All was not lost on the night though, we went to Lucca next door and rediscovered an old favorite! I would give Parla another chance because it does look cool from outside and the pictures of their drinks look tasty (not that you can see a menu on their website). Update: Parla did contact us to say they had a pipe burst unexpectedly so kudos to them for getting back to us. We still have the gone though and it's on the list. read more

This place rocks. Two of the popular spots had lines out the door, so we decided to try out this place. IPA beers on the menu and that makes me happy. Tried the meatballs for an appetizer, very good. Ordered my son's the Lamb Fettuccine and I couldn't stop picking at it. The wife and I had the special, lobster ravioli. My son could stop picking at our plates. Over all this place was awesome. read more

Parla - Full bar - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

They were able to accommodate party of 5 without reservation for Sunday brunch. Dockside Benedict was awesome. French toast was also great. I rarely write reviews but I highly recommend this place. Oh and you have to try the Cold Brewtini. read more