Incredible food. Every bite of the ravioli has me dreaming about the next. Best in Boston hands down

Omg! If you want fabulous home cooking in ginormous portions, this is where you gotta be! This is a small, neighborhood restaurant (I counted 34 of us seated inside) with additional seating on the sidewalk. Debbie, our server, was exceptional in every way. This is CASH ONLY (ATM inside) and there's one unisex restroom located inside the kitchen (I had to slink past the dishwasher), but so homey and quirky, I loved it! The fritto misto was amazeballs--calamari, shrimp AND scallops with lemon aioli. Chef's kiss. And the half order was huge. My Matriciana pasta (homemade rigatoni, carmelized onions, pancetta) was enormous and I got 2 leftover meals out of if. (Forgot to photograph). The veal Milanese was chop style and worthy of Fred Flintstone. Covered in a deliciously dressed arugula. Dessert? They had me at spumoni. So many locals come here and it's easy see why. Just fantastic! It's loud, but if you're Italian, you get it. #iykyk read more

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EVERY time I visit Boston I HAVE to have Rino's. ONE, the portions are insane and especially so for the prices. Order an entree and you get 2-3 meals or a family style sharing. Lobster Ravioli AMAZING! Decadent sauce, rich lobster flavor. Chicken Parm, top notch. Crispy and especially good with a side of fresh pasta. Short rib special as amazing as you can imagine - honestly the most tender, flavorful SR I've had and along side a blistered asparagus side - extra points. The in house special with mushroom Brandy sauce.... rich, SPILLING with three proteins. I LOVED our apps too. Calimari perfectly cooked and served with lemons and pepperoncinis (no dipping sauce) which we LOVED. I'll never order calimari without pepperonicinis again! Crabmeat stuffed Mushrooms, divine! I only wish they offered MORE half apps or a half entree bc I'd love to taste more without being UTTERLY overwhelmed by volume.. The AMOUNTS of food for the price point and quality are INSANE but we are getting on a plane for Los Angeles. We ate til we were BEYOND stuffed, just because. So top notch. Fresh, family style, rich, homemade sauces. My sister loves the pesto sauce eggplant app too! GO! Bring a big appetite or order a few dishes to share. The portions (esp in this INFLATION period) are unreal and you will love that. That being said, management offer MORE half app options. The 3 mushrooms half app were a great bite for us to try without an enormous good or money in. It is AlL so good but let ur customers try more to further bring them back!!!! Some of the mains (while welcomed and appreciated for it) were almost laughably big. But wow, flavors spot on. Bravo. You do Italian food JUSTICE! read more

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It was worth the visit! Let's start off with the host at the front door. She was polite n loud, Italian style. Which means she was happy and it showed in the way she communicated wait time and seating. I went on Friday evening and there were plenty of customers waiting to enjoy delicious cooked to order food. I got the veal over a bed of ziti. I am still amazed at that meal. It was literally a huge piece of veal with bone still attached. Enough for two people. I also got the arancini.. perfectly cooked and well made. It came with a dipping sauce that gave it the complete Italian home cooking feel. Rino's is a small corner restaurant with a huge Italian experience. Whether dining alone or with a group, you will not be disappointed coming here. Just remember one thing, Bring Cash only.. No CC here but they do have an ATM. "Goditi il tuo tempo" Enjoy your time!! read more

I used to watch Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives a fair bit growing up, and I remembered Rino's episode pretty vividly. It also happened to be a convenient coincidence that I moved within walking distance nearly two decades later and there's no excuse at this point to not make a visit. Let's just say expectations were high. We (party of two) put our names down at 6PM on a Friday night, and were told that there were two parties ahead of us and that they don't have a policy of handing out potential wait times. We took a lap around the block and ended up waiting until ~7:30PM to get seated at a nice table along the window. There were only a few tables, and it looked as though there were some larger parties in the room (a party of ~8 and another party of 15), and so that maybe contributed to the longer wait time. We ordered a 1/2 order of the scallops limoncello, followed by the chicken parm and the lobster ravioli. Everything tasted great, although I will say that it was maybe a touch on the saltier side. It wasn't off-putting and made it inedible, but might have been just a bit salty nonetheless. It was a bit cramped, but the energy was good and the wait staff were super friendly. When I was about to ask for the check, the waitress somehow convinced me to get the amaretto cake, which was honestly a great choice to end the meal with. Overall, the food was really great, and a bottle of Chianti for $30 for a sit-down meal in a restaurant is honestly a steal in this economy. Not sure if I would come back to dine-in given the long wait, but I would consider take out. read more

Rino's Place - Chicken parm - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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What a delightful place. My friends and I were stuffed, with lots left over. The pasta is made onsite and you can taste the difference. The textures are real and the flavoring of the food is rich. The atmosphere is on the louder side, but that is likely due to the restaurant's size: it had the feel of slightly above a neighborhood regular spot. Expect $25-$45 for entrees and there is plenty to choose from in between. The servers are attentive without being intrusive. I will definitely be back. read more

Rino's Place - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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No frills, family style Italian. Absolutely delicious! Fast friendly service. Be sure to get the tiramisu! read more

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Stumbled upon this quaint, corner Italian joint in the heart of East Boston. All female staff, w/ that wonderful Boston accent and super friendly. Large menu, hard to grip up when I was rolling solo. But they helped me through it. Tiny place, top notch service and huge portions. All done right. A repeat for me. read more

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8 years later and Rino's did not disappoint. Great service and food were just as good as our first visit. Homemade pasta was delish and chicken parmigiana was tender and not overly breaded. Everything about our meal was perfect. Finished off with the carrot cake and limoncello mascarpone cake. They were both moist and very tasty. Hope it's not another 8 years before we return. read more

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Large portions and great food. Highly recommend getting the calamari. I ordered rhe lobster ravioli and was surprised by the large portions. The service was quick, although they wont seat you until you havw youe whole party. On a wednesday night it was quite empty. No parking. Good vibes, very mom-n-pop. read more

Rino's Place - Calamari - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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The food was great. Large portions. The lobster raviolis were probably the best I've had. Staff was very nice.

This place was recommended by a lady at the airport who told us all the celebrities come to this restaurant when they're in town. However, our experience was different than expected. Once seated, the utensils and glasses were a bit dirty so we asked for other ones. Our server told us each person has to order a dish but when the food came out, the portions were HUGE. The food smelled delicious, but I could only eat a couple bites with how salty it was. read more

Rino's Place - risotto, baby octopus and new zealand mussels, bolognese - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Awesome restaurant. Great food huge portions. You will wait for seating but it's worth it. You will decently bring home food. read more

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Warning - HUGE portion. 1 plate of pasta easily share with two. The pasta was excellent but if you take it home and reheat, the texture was not as good. Fried calamari was excellent. Not too oily and the battered is light and crunchy. Flavored well. The pickled chili was delighted and I don't eat chili. Pasta Al Forno was very good. Meat balls were ok. Home made linguine with clams. Best dishes imo because it's not as heavy as the others. Risotto with scallops - excellent and very fresh scallops but it's on the heavy side because of the buttery sauce. Rack of lamb - delicious. Not gamey. Great sauce. Lemoncello cake was good. Refreshing lemon taste. read more

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Good food and generous portions, but as some other reviews have mentioned, chef should go lighter with the salt. read more

Tucked into a corner is this unsuspecting cozy Italian restaurant. We didn't pick this location knowing it had been featured on TV. So color us surprised when we sat down and saw a poster stating diners, drive ins, and dives had been there. We showed up at 1130 and were quickly seated. I should mention their site says they only do lunch hours on Friday. My son ordered the chicken parmigiana and I ordered the lobster ravioli. My dish was the star on the table. It had so much flavor and maintained a tender lobster. My son's dish was really good. The only wish was that the cutlet had a bit more flavor. Personal preference of course needs to be noted there. The service was speedy and attentive. read more

Rino's Place - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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This is my favorite Italian place I've ever been to. Rino's is a humble hole in the wall that rivals any upscale eatery. The food is made with generations of expertise and dedication. I am glad that this chef serves East Boston at affordable prices and consistent quality. The raviolis are my favorite plate of food I can buy at any restaurant. The wait staff is very kind and serves with professionalism and effectiveness. I've gone well out of my way to eat here. If I'm in Boston, I'm trying to go to Rino's. God bless. read more

Rino's Place - Ravioli with a meatball. - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

too expensive for what it is. of course prices have changed, however it seems that rino's prices have gotten higher with smaller portions. It's nothing to write home about, not easy to get to, and you can get better quality and portions at surrounding Italian spots. Not what it once was. read more

Awesome Italian food, friendly service great recommendations on dishes, small location with big Italian vibe, highly recommend this location. Cash only restaurant and Guy Fieri liked this place and I understand why. Wish I could give them more than five stars. read more

OTC OFF THE CHARTS Unreal Lobster Ravioli best anywhere in the world Bruschetta Calamari shrimp scampi apps superb Gnocchi Chicken Parm Marsala amazing DONT MISS THIS LICAL EAST BOSTON PLACE featured on DDD show Cash only super reasonable read more

Rino's Place - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This place has been on my Boston bucket list for a long time and my only regret is not coming sooner! We got there around 2:20PM on Saturday and were the second party in line. Doors opened promptly at 3 and we were seated right away. The restaurant itself is quite small, having only a handful of tables. Service was extremely attentive and I always appreciate restaurants that keep a bottle of water on the table. A cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese served before your entrees arrive is chefs kiss. The menu was diverse and they had plenty of specials as well. I liked the options to have half portion appetizers, so we could still try a few things before our entrees. Portions were generous and everything came out piping hot. A quick walk from the blue line and looking for an excuse to come back soon! read more

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Very salty entrees. Maybe I came on a bad day but all I can taste is salt. Owners need to step it up and train their cooks better. I do not recommend if you don't like salty food. read more

I'm going to give this place the benefit of the doubt and hope it was an off day but the experience I had here wasn't what I was expecting unfortunately. This place was recommended by a local and they raved about how this was a must eat spot if we were in Boston, how celebrities would go here, etc. We were staying near the area, so we decided to check it out! Before coming here and checking reviews, we've already seen how big the portions were already and initially decided to do family style and share dishes. When ordering, the server told us that each person needed to get an entree. So keep that in mind when coming here. All of our utensils and glassware were noticeably dirty so we asked for replacements. They grabbed the dishes from the table next to us. Once the food came, the Bolognese pasta was extremelyyyy salty. I wanted to think that maybe my taste palette was different or not adjusted to the seasonings here but I wasn't the only one who felt this way. We got leftovers to-go and even trying the food at home it still felt overly salty for what pasta flavors should be. A bit disappointed since we were excited about this place and reading other good reviews prior to coming. read more

We had reservations, arrived early where we were told no more than a 5 minute window. The hostess came out 10 minutes after our call time and said they were waiting for 2 tables to clear, a friend asked if the parties had paid their checks. Not only had they not paid, they had not received their food! We asked if we could sit in the empty two parking spaces on the streets blocked off for their table and chairs and were told NO! Once we got in, 45 min after our call time, our waitress was very nice and while the portions were huge, it was very salty and a couple of our group chose not to even take the left overs, it was that salty. One person had the lobster and did not like it at all, one had the red sauce with chicken parm and did not like it either. Won't be back, over rated, it was better years ago. read more

The best food. In boston, you want great italian food go to rinos the best there is better than any restaurant in the north and barring.None the best read more

This is a unique family owned restaurant. They allow you to bring in gluten-free pasta and they will make it with any other dishes. I tried to sneak garlic bread in, but they wouldn't bake that. I tried the linguine and clam sauce was outstanding. The anti pasta platter was amazing. The Caprese salad was good. You need to go try this place overall we give it five stars. Service was good and the atmosphere is great. Get there early. It fills up fast. read more

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American Italian at its best. Family owned, great service, massive portions, I mean not much else to say. It's a quaint place and they don't rush you thru your meal so there maybe a wait but it's worth it. You'll have enough pasta for the whole week. Lobster ravioli was made with love. read more

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A few things you should know before you attempt to visit: Street parking is very limited in the area and is permit only M-F from 6pm to 8am. Also, the restaurant's inside dining space is small. I believe there are only 10 tables (though I did see some outdoor tables as well). I'd suggest arriving as early as possible and/or expect to wait in a line outside. One of the staff even has the message 'Yes, you have to wait outside' imprinted on the back of her shirt, lol You've been forewarned! This is a cash only establishment. They have an ATM. I arrived 30 minutes before opening on a Saturday and was the second person in line and was very pleased that I was able to get in and get a great seat at the front window. Enjoyed my meal and wine tremendously! Started off with asparagus wrapped with prosciutto topped with goat cheese and drizzled with balsamic glaze. It was delicious. I thought it was going to be warm, but it was cold, but still good. Paired a Pinot Grigio with lobster ravioli - which was absolutely wonderful. Loved the rich flavor of the fresh plum tomato brandy cream sauce! Amazing food, great service and warm ambience! read more

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I've heard great things about the lobster ravioli here so my roommate and I decided to order it to go so we could split it, mostly because cause it's $43 and you can't split meals at the restaurant. This ravioli was filled with lobster, the sauce was a very lite tomato based sauce. Personally I prefer a more seasoned and creamy lobster ravioli at a lower price point. However, the servings here are huge, the food is definitely quality. I would definitely come back and try something else. read more

Amazing food, great atmosphere, the whole staff makes you feel welcomed, get there early because there's usually a wait, we waited an hour and a half but it was well worth it, we had a bottle of Chianti Classico which was excellent and we shared a chicken Marsala and a pasta al forno with rigatoni and for dessert we shared a tiramisu. If you're in Boston make sure you check this place out, 10 / 10. Increíble la experiencia en este restaurante, muy buen servicio por parte de la familia de Rinos. Lleguen temprano que nos tocó esperar hora y media pero si que valió la pena. Empezamos la noche con una botella de Chianti Classico y de platillos pedimos Chicken Marsala y Pasta al Forno con rigatoni y de postre compartimos un tiramisu. Si andan en Boston dense una vuelta que les va encantar, 10 / 10. read more

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Truly Fantastic! At age 60, I've dined at a lot of restaurants around the world. I cannot think of a better meal than the one that I had last night at Rino's Place. Rino's is a place where you can trust the chef's ingenuity and skill. Our waitress recommended their tomato, burrata, prosciutto, and basil appetizer. The mix of flavors is akin to a well-orchestrated symphony. Ditto for the Rino's special of mushroom brandy sauce, veal, shrimp, and chicken over pasta. Rino's Place well exceeds the hype...highly recommended. read more

HUGE portions of delicious pasta! Rino's is a small cash only establishment has a very authentic feel with a straightforward menu and delish simplistic food! The restaurant is small and lively so can be a bit loud at times but has a fun feel. Service is efficient despite the busy crowd but mostly just checks in for essentials. Definetly a great bang for your buck, I had yummy leftovers for days! read more

Rino's Place - Pasta Al Forno - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

i've been coming here for around 12 years - i originally discovered it on DDD and made a pitstop while traveling for work and was hooked immediately. now i take every opportunity to return that i can! the lobster ravioli is my go to favorite dish, recently also addicted to the wild board app. i was alone so i had to "limit" my order this time but you cannot go wrong with anything they have. tony little place. the servers have been the same over the last 12 years. real down to earth people. total family vibes. this place is the real deal! read more

Rino's Place - Lobster Ravioli. my favorite. - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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I wouldn't recommend this place at all! I gave one star because that's no worse options! This place has the most horrible service. We went there for Valentine's Day dinner, we were sat at the table that is most close to the door, it was extremely cold. We asked twice to move us to a table that is open and further away from the door, they told us "no" both times very rudely saying they are going to use the table soon. However, the entire time we were there, the table was open until we left, never used. They also do absolutely nothing in keeping the customers comfortable, they have no care, they were very arrogant. Also the waitress that was waiting on our table was very rude and had an attitude that whole time. The food was okay. read more

Came in last night to celebrate my best friend's birthday and Rino's confirmed what I have already known for a long time: you will not get a better dining experience anywhere in the city of Boston! Every single bite of food from the appetizers to dessert was a religious experience. Our server was amazing! Every time she left the table, we couldn't help but say to each other, "she's the best kind of server to have!" Everyone is so kind and welcoming that we felt right at home. If you're in the mood for Italian food, you are wasting your time going anywhere else! 10/10 read more

Always loved this place for years nothings chsnged , food is always delicious and service is always friendly

What can I say that hadn't already been said? Homemade, handmade but at a level exceeding most all other homes and hands. This place is rightly famous. They do it right, they do it day in and day out, EVERYTHING on the menu is stellar and if you don't experience Rinos for yourself, you missed out, period. read more

So they only take cash and reservations are for parties greater than 6. Opens at 3:00 on Saturdays. We entered an empty restaurant at 3:00. We had a reservation. Smaller parties are first come first serve. By 3:40 the restaurant was full and the wait list was 7 parties deep. It's a small place, cozy and warm. Staff is attentive and helpful. My advice is show up early and arrive hungry. The food is fantastic and they give you large, take some home portions. We started with arancini, calamari and bruschetta. All were very good. The arancini was golden brown on the outside and creamy inside. The calamari was light and crisp. The bruschetta was large, well toasted bread with a fresh tomato, basil olive oil dressing. I had to shrimp, scallops and lobster tail special. All expertly prepared. The sauce was red, pasta Al dente. Highly recommended read more

We went there over the weekend for a family celebration and was not disappointed. The food was excellent and the servings quite large. Service was also excellent. It is a neat, old school Italian Restaurant venue. No frills, but plenty of character. read more

I've been going to Reno's Place on Saratoga Street, East Boston for over 30 years, and it used to be one of the best Italian restaurants around. Unfortunately, something has changed--and not for the better. My last two visits were terrible. My lobster raviolis were soggy, had barely any lobster, and what little there was came out dry and tough. My wife's veal parmesan was so chewy she could hardly eat it. For dishes now priced in the high $30s and low $40s, this level of quality is unacceptable. Reno's has always been a challenge--tiny seating , long waits, freezing outside in the winter, and almost no parking in a heavily restricted neighborhood. For decades, the great food made all of that worth it. Now, with the quality dropping this far, it simply isn't anymore. After three decades of loyal visits and many family celebrations, I'm extremely disappointed and don't know what has happened to this restaurant. I doubt that I will be going back. read more