We had a great time. The bartender was so talanted and professional with us. Amazing interior design and great atmosphere. We are definitely coming back. Eclectic and fancy! read more

Disappointed with my experience. Buyer beware: if sitting down for only drinks, staff adds on gratuity (even if only party of two!) Nice atmosphere and good cocktail menu, but they advertise that if you do t see something you like, "just ask! We will make it for you"...well, I asked for an extra dirty vodka martini. I was surprised when the waitress brought the drink over, it was purple. My boyfriend and I asked, and were told they were made with kalamata olives. Since this is not a traditional way to make a dirty martini, I would've expected the waitress to tell me that beforehand, but we drank then anyway. For the second round, I asked the second waitress who served us, if there was any way they can make me a traditional dirty martini with the green olives and olive juice...she returned with the same drink, and instead garnished with one green olive that "she had to look all over the restaurant for green olives"..., again, if this was an issue and they couldn't make what I asked for, I just wished they would've disclosed that. Then a gentleman who appeared to be the manager came over and gave us a plate of olives...."how nice!" I thought... When looking over the bill, they charged us for the olives, and as stated before, included 18% gratuity. I've never experienced this unless with a large party. Overall it's a cool vibe and decent place, but after that experience which could have been more pleasurable with communication from the wait staff and manager, I will not be going back. read more

Bebe and christian are superheros ... they just get it. They'll get your drinks right. Shoot swallow shoot swallow

Bartender Daniel is the absolute man. Not only does me make phenomenal drinks, but he is actually the coolest dude you've ever met. Parla is an absolute must if you like expertly crafted mixed drinks. Don't come if you're gonna be a loud douchebag and stay over 2 hours. Intellectuals only. read more

While in town for Labor Day weekend, Parla caught my eye as we were walking because of the interesting bar design. We asked a (very friendly) host/server/bartender if they served cocktails and he sat us immediately and brought menus. Being super nerdy, we decided to try the "Dungeon Master" campaign, which allows you to try uniquely compiled (and really tasty) mystery drinks by rolling a d20! Parla also has playful Italian dinners and I was so impressed by their ability to cook (not over-cook!) octopus, and the basil-cream broth in the mussel dish is the best I have ever encountered. I am generally not the biggest fan of "modern twists," as I love traditional Italian and Sicilian food, but these were wonderful! read more

Parla - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

If you like poor service and watery tomato sauce, you have found your match. We waited about 45 minutes to have our order taken, and the waiter was taken aback when we asked to order dinner, and then waited about another 45 minutes to an hour for our meals to arrive. My girlfriend had the pappardelle and I had the chicken parm, both had the same watery tomato sauce and were very sub par tasting for North End standards. We also were not given bread at any point during our meal except for right at the end of it when we were both done eating (thanks?) The drinks were fine. However, we had two 15$ drinks added to our tab that we did not have and the waiter again was not enthusiastic about correcting this clear error. Reading other reviews I have seen other people have items added to their tabs to meet some sort of "minimum"? AVOID AT ALL COSTS. read more

We were drawn in by the lure of the Dungeon Master but were pleasantly surprised to find a great little bar with some excellent cocktails, great food and top notch service. Hats off to the friendly staff for keeping our glasses full and our minds entertained. read more

Amazing bartenders, great drinks, awesome vibe. One of the only places in the north end that still has the small town feel. The deserved popularity of this place is bittersweet... on one hand, I wish fewer people knew about it so I could walk in and grab a drink without having to wait; on the other hand, I'm happy they're doing well and getting business they deserve. Intellectuals only. read more

EDIT: Dropping to one star. Pettish service AND management. Yikes. If leaving five star reviews for excellent service and one star reviews for poor service makes me "epitomize the yelper", bring it on! Check out my other reviews. I'm happy to dole out praise when it is earned. Good luck with your business! I'm not interested in giving you any more of my money or time. They get two stars because the food/drinks were slightly better than good. The environment was also great. However, the service ruined it for me. We came in on a Friday night with a reservation. It took us 20 minutes to get water and over half an hour to even put in a drink order. Before it was over we were laughing at how bad the service was. Is this Dick's Last Resort? Our waitress was rude and unhelpful, to a degree I've never experienced. We had to literally go into my boyfriend's medical history for her to believe he had a food allergy. She had the nerve to ask if he had a legitimate allergy or if he just didn't like what we were asking her to omit. I had to look her in the eyes and say, "He is missing an internal organ and will be doubled over in pain if he has that. Can we not?" before she would agree to put an altered order through. The boyfriend ended up getting the mussels and a couple of cocktails, and he said all of the above were great, once they finally came out. I'm vegan. Their website states that they can/will accommodate vegans if you let them know. Wellllllll... I asked about this, and the waitress informed me, with a delightful eyeroll, that all of the salads could be made vegan. Welllllll, no shit, Sherlock. I could have figured that one out. I'm not butthurt about the fact that the menu isn't overtly accommodating to plant-based eaters. Any vegan is used to that. It's fine. It's a fact of life. I would have probably still come in for the cocktails. What I'm miffed at is the fact that they went out of their way to outline their vegan-friendliness on the website, but they did little more than withhold salad toppings to make it happen. I'd have grabbed a snack before dinner, or an extra order of the sprouts app, if I'd known I was staring down the barrel of a bland bowl of baby greens. Our waitress was even noticeably rude to other tables/customers, so I'm glad it wasn't just us, though. Another group came in, clearly stating that they had a reservation in the next 30 minutes and asked if it was possible to be seated early. It's a small place, so this wasn't possible. That's fine. No worries there. Where my issue with this comes in? The couple then asked where they could run nearby to grab a quick drink and wait. Our waitress LITERALLY SCOFFED at them and gave them a "Well as you can see, WE'RE full." and walked away. We were there for another hour at least past this point (because everything took forever), and the couple never came back. I can't say I blame them. I think Parla is coasting on their cocktail menu at this point, but that's not even good enough for me to overlook the pettish service and go back. read more

The food was really very, very good. But i couldn't help but wonder if they have an adult night. The place was full of kids, the servers were very young. The wrong dish was brought to my date and had to be replaced. Seemed more like a college bar than a fine Italian restaurant. Again while the food was really good we won't be returning. read more

Parla is by far one of the best new restaurants to make its debut into the North End this summer! Their staff is so welcoming accompanied by an intimate setting makes you really feel like you are in little Italy. But it's not just your average italian restaurant, it has the look and feel of a speakeasy which is nothing I've ever come across in the North End or really any End for the matter, making Parla have its own unique feel unlike any other place around. Not only was I impressed by the decor but the food really rocked my socks off! Their menu takes a unique twist on many of my favorited items and I must say Hats off to their chef for making my dining experience and A++ one! I would highly recommend Parla to anyone who has yet to venture over there! P.S. They also had one of the most unique and interesting bathrooms I have come across! Kudos to the designer of that one! read more

Amazing food, great drinks, and I absolutely love the ambience. The atmosphere truly sets it apart. The Fire&Blood jalapeño cocktail really packs a punch, I would highly recommend it! read more

Went to Parla after getting a TravelZoo voucher for a 5 course meal. Having looked at the more recent Yelp reviews, I was skeptical, but it was well priced for 5 courses and it had been some time since I was out to the North End. Our party of four could not have been more impressed. The cocktails were great, the wine was great, the food was excellent, and the server was attentive, fun, and knowledgeable (thanks, Pano!). The restaurant was fairly empty until probably 8:30/9:00pm, and the wait for food may have been a bit longer than most would expect given that. However, we welcomed the chance to spread out our courses a bit more, and cocktail service was quick. The chef took some liberties with the menu to serve our five courses, which was great fun. Dishes pulled together elements of multiple dishes on the menu and gave a great sample of what to expect from the restaurant in general - arancini, arugula salad with ricotta salata and pepitas, seafood stew, duck breast over pasta with a white truffle cream sauce, and housemade doughnuts. y.u.m. Portion sizes were deceptive - there was a lot of food packed into the small sized bowls! The one oddity that stands out was that there were no to-go containers available in the restaurant (seems odd). However, Pano ran next door so that we could take home what we didn't finish from our lovely meal. All in all, a fabulous meal and great dining experience. I don't doubt we'll be back. read more

My boyfriend and I really enjoyed eating here. We first stopped in to just have some drinks, I got a ginger beer but my boyfriend got the Dungeon Master, which is a sort of game where you roll a D20 and get a drink that corresponds to the number from a sort of secret menu. The lower half of the die gets you a nice, palatable drink, where the higher numbers will get you a weird one. By the time my boyfriend had a second one, I decided that we should probably get some food in him. The first thing we ordered was the Caciotta Dei Boschi, which is a semi-soft sheep's cheese. It was served with some bread and olive oil. I do wish that they served a bit more bread because, by the time we had all of the bread, we still had plenty of cheese and oil. For dinner, I got the vegetable gnocchi. Now, it had ricotta on it and I'm intolerant to whey but that's my bad for not reading the menu. I'm also not usually big on gnocchi but I enjoyed it regardless. The sauce was delicious with the gnocchi and the vegetables were nice. I just ate around the ricotta, only eating one bit to test it out. It was salty and delicious but it was best that I just ate one little piece. It was easy to eat around and I just need to read the menu better from here on out. My boyfriend got the Ramen and he enjoyed it. The pork belly was good and the broth was excellent, although they could've done with more broth and a bit less of the spaghetti. The broth was the best part of it. Our service was wonderful. The bartenders were both very nice, and the male bartender was very helpful in describing the drinks to my boyfriend. He enjoyed all of them as well, the cocktails were interesting as well as well crafted. We oddly didn't have any trouble getting in, despite it being a Friday, although we got there somewhat early. We got lucky though, I'd definitely make a reservation as the place is a bit small and would be difficult to walk in and get a table if it's busy. I'd definitely recommend this place and I know that I'll be going back there. read more

Excellent drink menu! The dill cucumber Moscow mule is differently amazing. Small and cozy place. Note the menu posted on Yelp is different, idk if they just changed it. read more

Best brunch in Boston as of the time of this review. The food was awesome and creative with a Ron Swanson theme. The ability to Swansonize your drink is also a plus (50% more and an order of bacon). read more

Food took 50 minutes to come out, when it did come out was cold, staff very blasé and unprofessional, flirting, smoking cigarettes on the job, etc. food portions are tiny and the food is not an Italian standard of decent cuisine. Don't eat here. read more

It's probably the worst service I've ever received and pretty much paid to get disrespected. They try to imbibe Brooklyn-cool vibes but given all that they aren't chill. If anything the word chauvinist comes to mind. Reading the nature of the reviews it's pretty accurate about the quality of their service. Upon asking for recommendations as it's an overwhelming cocktail menu the guy responds "it's terrible that why it's on the menu, what do you think?" and was extremely snarky with every question asked. Not funny! He never checked in and had issues with talking with a straight face. Meanwhile on the table over, underage kids were drinking who were sneering about how easy it was to get a drink without an id. This gentleman also never talked with a straight face to any women but was comfortable talking to an underage, shit faced, double fisting boy. And also, disgusting food. Drinks were decent! As two women we felt extremely uncomfortable and disrespected to say the least. Re to Matt: Given your past record of engaging with people who are commenting, I am not going to participate further. With that being said please see your cameras. You can see no one was carded next to us and neither were we. Friday, 14th December, approximately 9:30pm. read more

What a wonderful little place! Tucked into Boston's North End, Parla is a wonderful restaurant/bar with funky drinks, tasty bites, and a super friendly staff. A vast menu, simple pricing, and quality food makes this place a great spot to pop into before a hockey or basketball game, or just for a nice drink and dinner out on the town. They serve brunch as well, but we haven't been for that yet - definitely planning on doing so, however! read more

Stumbled into this little gem a few months back. The staff was (and is) incredibly charming and knowledgeable. For those looking for a change of pace and a bit of excitement, I highly recommend the Dungeon Master--roll a 20-sided die and get the corresponding mystery drink! You get a card to keep track of the drinks you've had and everything. I've been back a few times (including on my birthday) and they never disappoint. read more

The brunch here is AMAZING. The service unfortunately sucks. But I really think the food was worth it. Make reservations. And remember that there is no where to park in the north end. read more

Parla - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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I'm so happy my friend brought me to this bar! Definitely the best place on the block. The cocktails were original and top quality and the servers were so attentive and lovely folks all around. Can't wait to come back and try their brunch on the weekends. Highly recommend the Parla Mule with the Cantaloupe Mint Shrub. read more

Conceptually appealing, drink menu outstanding, execution on cocktails great. Service was friendly but inattentive. Requesting things multiple times, wondering where The serversh went, hearing about that they just got done with a busy rush on three occasions as an excuse for poor service. Appetizers were good and came up quick. Entrée one was spot on which was the butternut squash raviolis. The second entrée ordered mixed seafood brodetto, not cooked properly, or seasoned properly. This entrée initially was taken as very average until I ate a raw clam which I immediately spit into my napkin. At that point it started to dawn on me that the overly powered shellfish taste in my food came from some of the clams being completely raw. With my mind occupied in conversation in the remainder off put by what I had just eaten it was not mentioned to the inattentive server. I can appreciate how hard people in the restaurant business work, I wish they worked here, I also wish this server invested in a better deodorant, that was the icing on the cake of why more cocktails and or desserts were not ordered. Cute place, good cocktails. There are many other restaurants I would take my chances on in the North end of Boston. read more

I arrived at Parla on its opening night for a late dinner with my broseph. IT WAS NOT A DATE. As I was quickly greeted by the friendly hostess adorned with prohibition era attire complete with brown leather suspenders that secured her well-draped trousers, I felt a real 1920s NYC vibe from the high quality finishings and 250 year old reclaimed wood decor (I ended up sitting next to one of the interior designers that informed me she sourced the wood herself). On to the cuisine. I started with the Fire & Blood cocktail. Its made with house-infused jalapeno tequila, smoked mezcal, and blood orange. If youre into spicy tequila drinks, this has your name written all over it. The perfect amount of burn that didnt have me lunging for the glass water bottle left on my table to refill my glass at my leisure. Next we ordered an enticing array of small plates, or piatti piccoli if you Parla in Italiano. We sampled the Braised Oxtail Arancini, which was a deep fried rice ball swirled with tender oxtail and peas. Superb. I cant tell you how stoked I was to see oxtail on a menu here in Boston. Its not a common ingredient around here and I hadnt had any in years, especially prepared like this. We also devoured the Wild boar meatballs with speed comparable that of which a wild boar is capable of charging at you while youre trying to land it on your dinner plate. Again, the meat was tender and flavorful and the marinara sauce with freshly shaved parm was a great complement. Then came the Buratta Fritta which was similar to a fried mozzarella ball but burratta cheese is like the gorgeous lovechild of mozzarella and ricotta, being creamy and oozy with a bit of saltiness, and the red pepper balsamic puree that accompanied created a cheeseball perfection. The last delectable item we enjoyed were the steamed mussels. Swimming in a bath of a gently spiced creamy basil sauce with palate pleasing cubes of pancetta, after briskfully plucking each delicious mollusk from its shell and disposing it in the provided bowl, I was left frantically searching for a vehicle to absorb the leftover pancetta prizes from the bowl into my mouth. The chef must be familiar with my predicament because he had provided a couple pieces of bread to assist with this. Its a breath of fresh air to see such a unique establishment pop up in a place like the North End where were used to seeing the same traditional dishes in every restaurant. This place is top notch and it has the gusto to seem like its gonna be around for a while. PS. To the lady who rated this place as two stars and claims to have contracted food poisoning from items that were served to 100 other people opening night. Are you sure you dont work across the street at Fresca or something? lol. Also, if I could offer up another possibility for you to ponder, it is maybe there are other aspects of your diet, more specifically, your apparent frequent ingestion of male reproductive fluids that could have contributed to your illness that evening. :) read more

Absolutely fantastic!!! Small restaurant, wonderful staff, amazing food. I ordered the Ramen Noodle "carbonara" with crispy pork belly. Delicious. My fellow diners enjoyed the gnocchi and vermicelli. Great wine list, prices that you would expect for the North End. It was busy for a Saturday night, but we were able to get a desired 8:30 reservation. Bottom Line: If in Boston again, I will definitely plan on returning and suggest that you do the same!! read more

The bartenders here act like it's a privilege for you to be their customer. The drinks are over priced. Better off skipping this one and heading to a place that would be happier to serve you. read more

I've never seen a bartender/manager be so rude to his customers before. My friend had a question about our bill, and politely asked the bartender about it, and his response was so rude and disrespectful that I, and the rest of my friends, felt the need to say something. But our saying something only seemed to spur this guy on. He tried to intimidate us, "pay the bill, or don't pay the bill, but I will call the cops," even yelled "go write a Yelp review!" So, here's my review, buddy. After the interaction with him at his bar reading his replies to other posted reviews, I can tell this guy enjoys treating people badly and causing conflict. Terrible qualities to have as a server. If you want to get yelled at and threatened, this is the place for you. If you want to be treated kindly and enjoy your evening, go anywhere else but here. read more

The service here was worse than bad. I've been in the service industry for 15 years and the man behind the bar (who seemed to be the manager) was a pompous, righteous prick. We were being rushed the whole time we were there and were charged a 21% gratuity on 6 drinks. The irony is that we, a group of educated and cultured young women, always do leave a minimum of 20%. That wasn't the issue. It was just the entire bad vibe and pushiness of the sleezy service as a whole. NOT worth your money or time. If you want to have pleasant service, go ANYWHERE else. This management needs a serious lesson in customer service and manners in general. read more

Had a blast at parla. Great staff service. Bebe was amazing and served me the best French 75 I've ever had. I will always stop here when I come to Boston. You should too. read more

I've actually never left a bad review anywhere but we came here for my best friends' birthday and were treated so poorly. There were 9 of us for a Twins' birthday and the waiter not only got upset with one of us ordering a house cab, but we were told not to take pictures because of the "ambience", and that we needed to order a flavored mule and couldn't have a regular one. A few of the women with us have frequented here often and have not had a favorable opinion of this particular server. It's unfortunate because the space is great and one of the few places open late in the north end but the service we received will keep me from coming back. read more

Made the mistake of going here to grab drinks friday evening before dinner. Will not be going back. When we arrived we were told that since we didn't have a reservation "they would see what they could do" (we called a few times thursday attempting to make that reservation but got no answer). The place was half empty so they sat us at an open table. Service was slow and one guy in particular was fairly rude to us - i think it had to do with the reservation we tried unsuccessfully to make. We had been there for about an hour when the rude gentleman brings us our check - out of the blue. Since he could barely be bothered to wait on us i asked him at that time if he would bring me another drink. He replied that we had to leave in 7 minutes and he would only bring me another drink if I could drink it fast. At this point the place is even more empty than it was when we first arrived. We are very annoyed at this point - the service has been slow, server is rude, the place is empty, and he is kicking us out. i am a very good tipper and i pride myself on that. i've never not left a tip before this experience, but i left nothing here. it was that bad. i left a note in place of the tip explaining why i felt compelled to leave nothing and the guy chased us out in the street to yell at me. unbelievable. Don't waste your time here. We were treated like shit because we didn't have a reservation. It's not my fault you don't know how to treat customers and can't answer your phone during regular business hours! read more

Yeah worth a visit. Not a lot of people check this one out but I'd recommend you hop on by and see if something on the menu catches your eye. Good stuff here. read more

Kick ass drinks by some of the most talented bartenders in the city. Will not disappoint for cocktails, snacks or a full meal. Short but sweet food menu. Drinks especially creative. read more

We look forward to coming and having drinks at the bar. The bartender is phenomenal - knowledgeable and personable. Not only are the drinks delicious but the desserts are amazing to split. People watching and chatting at the small intimate bar are some of our favorite things. Parla is a great addition to the old school charm of the north end mixed with new age mixed cocktails that are out of this world all thanks to Phil! read more

Amazing brunch! I love this place!! Excellent cocktails and the lobster Benedict was delicious!!!

My family and I ate at this place during labor day weekend. We ordered 2 appetizers and 3 different entres from the dinner menu. The waiter entered entres incorrectly and we ended up with two dishes that were the same and one dish different. We addressed the issue and the manager just snatched the dish out of our table and walked off rudely and disrespectfully. He did not come by later to apologize. We do not recommend this place to tourists and visitors who wish to enjoy food with respect. read more

Just amazing. Cocktails to food to kick ass service in a cozy prohibition styled space. Dan is fantastic.

My girlfriend and I have lived in the North End for 2+ years and Boston for 4+ years.... nobody in the city makes a better drink than the folks at Parla. They do the basics well (had a delicious espresso martini and old fashioned) and their speciality drinks make you want to step out of your comfort zone. It's obvious that they possess superior skills behind the bar. The food is a great blend of Italian North End and classic American comfort. Friendly, down to earth staff. We mentioned we were North End residents and we chatted with a member of the staff at length about all the best food and drink spots in the area. They're clearly very passionate about the neighborhood they operate in and have great respect for the area's best. We took a glance at the brunch menu as well which only confirmed that our next visit to Parla would be right around the corner. Can't recommend enough read more

We had a fantastic dinner at Parla last night before the Bob Seger concert at TD! It took close to 2 hours to get into city from RI. My husband received a text 30 minutes before the reservation to confirm. He called to say we were confirmed but may be 5 minutes late. The person he spoke to was so nice and thanked my husband for the heads up! Thanked him again when we were seated. The food was wonderful! Meatballs and crispy polenta to start. There were 4 in our group. 2 chicken parm, 1 lobster ravioli and 1 carbonara. All delicious! I disagree about criticism on the portions...they were perfect and I was full and certainly did not want to throw food out as leftovers were not an option. The staff was attentive and friendly and I personally saw them accommodate several diners without reservations. The whole experience put our group in a good mood before which was great concert (we were laughing pretty loudly and when I apologized to our server she told me they love to see people having fun). I highly recommend Parla! read more

Very pleased by the hospitality and service here. After missing brunch the week before, we returned to a delicious meal and some of the best brunch drinks you'll find in Boston! From coffee drinks to a mimosa menu, craft cocktails or the always good Bloody Mary, there is something for everyone! I love the variety here, as sometimes brunch can get monotonous; but Parla has a creative menu and you won't be disappointed. My only wish would be for another egg dish or two, as I plan on returning here often as my newest neighborhood brunch spot! Thanks Parla! read more