My wife and I ate at Vinoteca di Monica on Wednesday. Theirs is the best egg plant paresean my wife has ever eaten. I reveled in the squid ink pasta with scallops. The arugula and shaved parmesean with oil was a delectable appetizer. We passed on the wine (I know, that's ashame) because it was the middle of the day and we had a long subway ride back to our hotel. The meal was stupendous. It was as good as everything we ate on our recent trip to Torino, Florence, and the Waldensian valleys at Torre Pellice, Pralie, etc. The server was kind, efficient, and friendly. For everything, bravo. (Matt Matthews) read more

We went there for New Year's Eve dinner. It was an absolutely fabulous experience. First off you need a reservation, this place was filled and then some. As a side note, they had plenty of staff to manage the diners. The ambiance was very professional and positive. All the staff were happy and positive. We were sat at our table promptly, offered our choice of water and bread. The bread is home made, and divine. Drink order taken and served quickly -- a delicious prosecco. We went to our go to appetizer -- bruschetta. Perfect blend of tomatoes, arugula, cheese and bread. Onto dinner, I ordered the mushroom ravioli and she the shrimp scampi. This was ordered off menu and the kitchen prepared this dish superbly. She said the best scampi she's ever had. The mushroom ravioli was the best I have had in over 35 years. Perfectly prepared and sauced. Dessert was bread puddling and Creme Brule. She said the bread pudding was totally yummy. Ended with expressos. A perfect dinner to bring in the new year. read more

See all

Brought my 9yr old and they were so kind and food was delicious! The restaurant was warm and friendly- highly recommend!

Went for an early dinner here on Sunday around 3:30pm and we were able to get in right away especially since it was a rainy day. It's a cute small Italian restaurant. My boyfriend and I ordered the chicken Parmesan and it was more than enough for both of us to split and be full! They also serve you great fresh bread and our service was good. When we're in town again, we will definitely stop by. read more

Vinoteca di Monica - Chicken Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Overall had an enjoyable time at Vinoteca di Monica, ambience inside was lively and crowded so I would definitely recommend making a reservation. Ordered the veal parm which was solid, and the house bread and butter spread was a nice addition! They do have to enforce a seating time limit to accommodate additional guests, but they were incredibly kind and polite about it. The only thing was our table was smack in the middle of many tables and walking paths, and so I think sometimes that proximity and constant surrounding movement felt a bit precarious with waiters carrying food very close to our heads or some of our party having to get up to allow for a guest with accommodations to move past, so it would be helpful if they rethought their table arrangements to avoid this happening in the future. Food: 4/5 Price: 3.5/5 Ambience: 3.5/5 Service: 5/5 read more

Vinoteca di Monica - Veal Parm - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The food was delicious, but the waiter was unwelcoming and unkind. He assumed I couldn't afford the meal I ordered, and shamed my girlfriend and I on the amount of bread we ate. We had little to no space, all the tables were pushed together into one big cluster almost. The restaurant was also really cold. read more

Vinoteca di Monica - Tajarin con tartufi nero - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Initially settled on this place and was very pleasantly surprised. Was not very busy the morning we dined for an early lunch but the food and service were spectacular. Strongly recommend this restaurant. read more

Vinoteca di Monica - Monica's Original Italian Sub - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

Amazing incredible awesome !!!!! Love the great service . Pasta is all fresh and highly recommend

We had a dinner last night , our waiter was so indifferent. We barely had anyone come to our table to ask if we need anything between courses , I found a hair in my carpaccio, told the waiter he took a plate , no apology and brought a check right away ,. Did not ask if we want anything else . Our check had extra glass of wine when pointed out again no apology. Took a check and brought it back without a word. Would not recommend to anyone and good was just ok , not sure why so popular:( read more

The food is amazing and very delicious. The staff is very friendly and easy-going.. I waited about 30 minutes for my food.. The parking is really hard to find. It's a good place for a romantic dinner. The price is high.. But overall, the place is very nice and the food is so good so the price is worth it. read more

Vinoteca di Monica - oyster dinner - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The restaurant was really nice inside and the candles on the table made a nice atmosphere. The bread was really good and we got many free refills of it. I got the haddock and the lemon flavor was delicious. Our waiter was a little weird but not anything too crazy. Overall, I would go back. read more

This was my favorite meal in Boston. More to the point, this was the site of the best martini I have ever had. And I've had enough of them that saying that is a pretty big deal. Seriously, I'm thinking of having a plaque made to put by their front door. If you like martinis, get the City Hall martini. I normally get my martinis with gin, bit this vodka martini with blue cheese olives was worth the gamble of letting the bartender do his thing. The old fashioned was also met with raves. I didn't taste it because I was busy drinking the best. Martini. Ever. We were there on a Sunday afternoon. Too late for brunch, too early for dinner, and too tired to keep walking. We immediately liked the vibe, friendly and super attentive service, upscale but not uppity. We had a variety of appetizers and salads, and everything was delicious. The capicolla e fichi pizzette stood out. Goat cheese, caramelized onions, capicolla, and figs. This will be the first restaurant on the list when we go back to Boston. Looking forward to more of the menu and another martini for the ages. read more

See all

Sometimes an old favorite is the right, comfortable choice. We stopped here for a delicious Italian lunch and were happy we did. The involtini were tasty, and both entrees were tasty and filling. I don't make my own pasta with little neck clams, so aim always happy when I can order some that I know will be properly prepared. My son's carbonara was also excellent - rich in an Italian way (not so heavy as an American interpretation of the dish). I find Italian wine hard to know and reliably order, so I'm happy when I can rely on the experience of the wait staff. read more

See all

The flavor of the pasta was just fine nothing extraordinary. All the pastas came with a giant spring of rosemary which I personally hate and adds a weird and unappetizing pairing to seafood dishes. Seafood pasta does come with a lot of seafood though. read more

Vinoteca di Monica - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This place wasn't too crowded on a weeknight so we were seated immediately! The ambiance inside is on the fancier side and cozy. They give you a bowl of free bread with a butter spread. The bread is very nice and high quality I ordered the Bavette with calamari pasta. Since they use the homemade pasta from Monica's, the pasta is really good. The texture is perfect! The portion of calamari is also very generous. I just wish the pasta had a bit more complex of a flavor profile. But the ingredients were still fresh! So overall nice dining experience read more

Vinoteca di Monica - Bavette con Calamari - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

Delicious option for authentic Italian in the North End of Boston! PRICE: This isn't the cheapest option, but you're paying for the experience. The bill for two cocktails, two entrees, and a dessert came out to around $130 including tip. DRINKS: Had the chance to try their fall cocktails. Huge fan of the Apple Smash, a whiskey based cocktail. Such a perfect fall flavor! FOOD: I loved my nudi verdi. I thought they were cheesy and a cool take on gnocchi pasta. I did enjoy the sage butter, but I felt the dish was missing something. Perhaps the portion could also be just a bit bigger as I did finish feeling hungry. DESSERT: Quite disappointed by the tiramisu. While I was expecting a traditional creamy version, this was heavier on the ladyfingers/cakiness. Wouldn't order again. Overall this is a cute dining experience with satisfying food. I wouldn't up to 5 stars as I feel I'm just missing the final oomph-- but definitely not a bad choice! read more

See all

TLDR: solid pasta Came middle of the afternoon on a cold Sunday day and was promptly seated. They were very accommodating to our child and food was excellent. The restaurant has its own shop next door for fresh pasta and we took some home with us after our meal. Would recommend! read more

The service was outstanding and their menu has some great choices. We had the fried olives, pappardelle bolognese and spinach pappardelle with chicken and mushrooms. The food was tasty and really good! Next door is Monica's Pasta Shop to purchase pasta to cook at home. We loved the ambiance and choice of music with some 70s and 80s classics. read more

Vinoteca di Monica - Spinach Pappardelle - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

Amazing Italian restaurant, great dining experience and cute cozy vibes. All the pastas are made fresh daily, and the food was delicious! Our server Alejandra was courteous and gave us excellent recommendations, the Chicken parmigiana was bomb.com! Had a lovely time here celebrating and reconnecting with friends! Located off the main strip but still in the North End, you should def give this place a try, reservations can be made in advance. read more

Went here for Valentine's Day, despite the restaurant being quite cramped with tables almost on top of each other, I still felt like I could have a conversation without the table next to me listening in. I will say though that if lack of personal space is an issue i would probably skip this one, just isn't a deal breaker for me. Loved the calamari, so crispy. The Pinot Grigio and espresso martini were also great, and for dinner I got the bolognese which was another love. The homemade pasta is what put this place over the edge for me from 4 to 5 stars. Would return! read more

See all

Great ambiance and antipasto. I wish we could have stayed longer to have a full meal there, but we would definitely go back! read more

Vinoteca di Monica - Menu - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

This was my second time here and I was disappointed. - we made a reservation and was seated in the corner of the back room. Extremely tight space and also blocked by a column. Impossible for any adult to sit there comfortably. It's very cheap to separate the space that way to maximize headcount. I recommend the restaurant to reduce a table in that back room by the restroom - service was nice and observed the difficulty with seating. The waiter offered us a better table - salad was good but it was so overpriced and small portions. - calamari was delicious! A highlight of the meal - pizza was disappointing. We had several bites and didn't touch anymore - bolognese was okay Overall not really worth it. Though I like the vibe read more

See all

Fabulous food and service. The Antipasta special and huge and filled with fabulous tastes. The pears were incredible. The lobster risotto was well prepared. The only reason they did not get that 5th star is that the scallops in the shrimp and scallop linguini dish were way over cooked. The service was awesome. The white bean dip with the bread was down right inspired. I will be attempting to recreate that at home. read more

See all

While on a business trip in Boston, I decided to visit this restaurant recommended by the hotel staff. Securing a reservation was effortless, and the service was notably attentive with quick food delivery. We began our meal with a glass of wine each--I opted for the delightful Sauvignon Blanc, and my dinner companion enjoyed the Chianti. To start, we had the warm, fluffy bread served with a white bean dip. While the dip wasn't quite to my taste, substituting olive oil and balsamic vinegar proved to be a satisfying alternative. The calamari, unfortunately, didn't leave a lasting impression and could have benefited from more seasoning. Conversely, the burrata was exceptional--the best I've ever had. It was bursting with flavor and perfectly portioned for sharing. Literally SO good! For the main course, I chose the carbonara, a decision I didn't regret. I'd rate it a solid 8 out of 10; however, a touch more salt and additional sauce would have elevated the dish further. all in all, the dining experience was pleasant overall, especially recommended for those exploring Boston's North End. read more

See all

New favorite pizza flavor unlocked. Figs, caramelized onions, goat cheese, capicola. The seafood linguine and squid ink pasta were outstanding. Views were nice. Music was a bit loud. read more

Ambiance was middle of the road (3/5) as it was pretty empty inside but nothing that stands out substantially in a negative or positive way. Service was middle of the road as well (2.5/5) i only knock it a bit because even though it was relatively a dead night the service wasn't very attentive. The server was a nice guy though. Food (2/5) was just too salty. I love an appreciate heavy seasoning and salty food but the saltiness was just too much. My wife is a pasta lover and i have rarely ever seen her just give up on a pasta. This is unfortunate and i had high hopes for this place. We even tried to pinpoint if it was just the breading or the sauce, or the pasta but all parts were guilty of being extra salty. read more

Vinoteca di Monica - Shrimp and Shrimp & Scallop Fradiavolo - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

We. Ever taste the food but the service is absolutely awful we have not a good time, they take like 20 minutes just for take the order and then we wait more than an hour for the food never show up we cancel and go, never had any issues before like this is not a good experience Ambience 5 of 10 sorry but is the truth read more

Tasty. From the bread to the appetizers to the entries. The waitstaff were super friendly. The tables were comfortable. Worth a try. read more

Vinoteca di Monica - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

The spinach pappardelle had fresh made pasta, a nice sauce and abundant mushrooms. Unfortunately, the chicken was over cooked and dry. The ambiance is pleasant and service adequate thought the matredi wanted to hide is in the back at first, telling us that all the gid tables were reserved (they weren't). read more

Walked in on a beautiful Sat nite in September around 530 pm. Sat at bar and had a great experience with our bartender Alexis and Veronica our waitress. Very pleasant and helpful with menu. Fresh Italian bread with slabs of butter started us off. Apps were the meatballs and eggplant. Both were awesome. Love the marinara. Entrees were a shrimp and scallop fra diavolo. Judge sea scallops and decent size shrimp cooked perfectly in a spicy red sauce that was incredible. Needless to say I ate the whole plate. The bolognese I'm told was also very good. The Chicken Marsala looked very good and plentiful. No one walked out hungry. The cannolis were fresh , tiramisu good and the crème brûlée insanely good. We like to try different restaurants in North end and this is by far one of if not on the top of my list. read more

See all

Strap in cause this review is not gonna be pretty. Did a lot of research before I picked this place for a Saturday night dinner in the north end. I'd like to tell you this ended well but far from it. If you want the summary - don't waste a penny here. It is quite possibly the worst Italian restaurant in the north end of Boston which is the bastion of great Italian cooking. I certainly didn't believe that would be the case given the jampacked nature of people we saw here. We did not get off to an auspicious start. 7:45 reservations, and when we showed up, the maître d' told us they are having some issues getting the tables turned over and it would might be another 15 to 20 minutes. We were finally seated an hour later than our reservation time -with all the excuses about how people weren't coming in on time and staying too long. Frankly, it looked to me like they had seriously overbooked. We weren't the only ones there were multiple people waiting and not happy- some just ended up walking away. As I later learned by reading other reviews they literally show availability when people with existing reservations have been waiting to be seated. That should've been an indicator, but unfortunately I did not heed it. I figured with all the people trying to get in that the food would be worth the wait. I could not have been more wrong. We ordered the Caprese salad with buffalo mozzarella as an app. For entrees my wife got the lamb Ragu over spiral pasta and I got the most expensive dish on the pasta menu - described as a ribbon pasta with a cream sauce, truffle oil and fresh sliced truffles. $65 was the market price on this dish. Now the fun begins. They brought bread for the table - it was OK. Not warm not particularly flavorful. Again, not some thing that you typically are going to judge the meal by. Caprese salad was decent - the buffalo mozzarella was good and the tomatoes were OK. They could've gone the extra mile and added a single extra slice of tomato to make it easy to split between us, but hey again, that's just a nice touch that they didn't think of. Still not the end of the world. Then the entrées came out. Lamb Ragu looked OK. My dish - which was described as hand cut ribbons of pasta with fresh, sliced black truffles - came out as some black truffles sliced over spaghetti? noodles. I flagged the maître d' as he was walking by and I asked him why I was being served spaghetti rather than the "hand cut ribbon" pasta. His answer was one for the books, "I know it looks like spaghetti but it's kind of flat on one side if you look at carefully". I held it up and - it looks like #8 spaghetti. He offered to return it to the kitchen and make it with a pappardelle pasta instead - which I agreed to. But again that's not the end of the story. My wife started in on the lamb, Ragu, and was not very impressed and offered if I wanted to taste it. If you've ever had Ragu what you expect is a rich and delicious sauce - this tasted like water down tomato paste. Not good. About the time that she was finishing they brought out my redone dish. I took the first bite and knew that this was not going to end well. I've had fresh truffles many times before, and I am very familiar with what they taste like. A rich, earthy flavor. This dish was flavorless, and even worse the truffles were bitter! Just in case my taste buds were off I asked my wife to take a taste, and she had the same reaction- bitter. If you are unfortunate enough to make a reservation here, and go through with it, don't say, I didn't warn you. They have the distinction of being the worst Italian I've ever had much less in the north end of Boston. The only The only reason I gave two stars was because it least they were apologetic, and took off the appetizer. I informed them about the issue with bitter tasteless truffles, and the response was. "thank you for letting us know" Frankly, every penny, I paid on the meal was a waste. Too Some extent I blame myself for not recognizing the warning signs. But now you know... be forewarned. read more

See all

We had a reservation here last night and were seated within five minutes. The food was very good. The service was... not great. The server's attitude was condescending at best. Nobody stopped by to refill our water glasses or ask if we wanted a refill of our wine glasses; we had to flag someone down and it still took 10 minutes to get a refill. But the biggest issue by far was that staff here acted as though they wanted to throw us out of the restaurant. The waitstaff literally pulled the plates from the table as we were still eating and dropped off the check without asking us first. I don't quite understand the urgency and lack of attention as we'd had a later reservation (8 pm) and we'd only been there an hour by the time they were trying to get us to leave. It is odd to come here and read reviews on Yelp extolling the service; our experience was so jarring that my partner left a note on the back of the receipt asking that they refrain from removing people's plates before asking if we were finished. The food itself was very good, and we would consider coming back if we'd had a better experience with the waitstaff. read more

Tucked in the heart of Boston's North End, Vinoteca di Monica has a dining area with plenty of seating as it winds all the way through the back and an inviting bar. It's perfect for a relaxed and social meal. There a plenty of windows for a breeze on a nice day and letting the light fill into the room. The menu features classic Italian dishes made with quality ingredients. While the flavors may not be overpowering, you can taste the freshness in every bite. A special shout-out goes to the white bean dip served with bread - a simple yet delightful starter that left a lasting impression. read more

Vinoteca di Monica - Tajarin con Piselli e Prosciutto - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

We had reservations and sat right on time. Alexis was fabulous as a waiter and he gave a fabulous recommendation too. We got the Caprese Salad, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Grilled Chicken (Spaghetti with Olive Oil & Red Peppers) and Ravioli di Funghu (Mushroom Ravioli) and spent the whole dinner talking about how delicious is was. Would certainly recommend and come again! read more

This was our final dinner in Boston before heading home and it was a fabulous choice, the staff was absolutely incredible and the restaurant is exceptionally clean. The food was authentic and the portions were very reasonable. In the bar area they have great big screens and we enjoyed watching the NFL playoff game there. They have a phenomenal dessert selection and my party of five tried them all. The salmon was especially well prepared and I'd recommend it to anyone that enjoys a well prepared fish. We stayed for several hours and nobody rushed us out. If I was a local, I'd be back frequently. read more

See all

I wish I could review the food, but on my last day in Boston we decided to go for Italian. We showed up 40 minutes before closing time and they told me they were already closed. There were still a few tables dining. They told me to come back tomorrow. But after that interaction even if I could I would not. read more

Price Fixe Lunch Menu with Wine Pairings was good from start to finish. The service was excellent and the restaurant atmosphere was very cozy. read more

See all

Really disappointed when we went to this restaurant for my birthday. I really wanted to love my food but just did not. We had an awesome window table but other than that, it was simply average. Other great places to eat in north end and won't be back. read more

Food was good as usual. Have been several times. Waiter was dismissive and rude. Main course took longer than it should have. Waiter avoided us instead of letting us know it was delayed or coming soon. When it came it didn't come with the substitute pasta we asked for and said they don't normally offer substitution or allow for sharing a dish during busy Saturday nights. That would have been fine but didn't tell us when we ordered or we would have ordered something different. Instead he basically made it our fault. Didn't even say enjoy your dinner or even check back on us and just avoided us completely. read more

I was recently in Boston for two back-to-back conferences focused on clinical trials and of course, when in Boston, the craving for great Italian food in the North End is a naturally occurring event. Using Yelp, . . . . . . of course, we discovered Vinoteca di Monica (my daughter's name is Monica) and, . . . . . . . . WOW, what w wonderful, dining experience, from the great food, the wine, the desserts, but especially our waitress, Albana, who, was not only tremendous, but so much fun. She made great food a great, memorable, exciting dining experience. Our team actually ate there 2x during our business trip, . . . . . . and the reason was Albana and her embracing us with her kindness and her sense of humor and how she made us feel like family. I can't wait to ge back to Boston to go back to Vinoteca di Monica read more

See all