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Abbondanza Ristorante
- Nearest Transit:
-
Main St @ Forest Ave (105, 106, 99)
202 Main St (105, 106, 110, 99)
Main St @ Winthrop St (105, 106, 99)
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
A wonderfully crafted 3-course menu for only $39! A wide & delicious selection of appetizers, entrees, and desserts from the regular menu.
24 reviews for Abbondanza Ristorante
Review Highlights
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"...lunches at this small Zagat rated family owned restaurant." In 3 reviews -
"My favorites were always the Veal dishes." In 3 reviews -
"...with fresh mozzarella, basil, prosciutto and tomatoes (it's..." In 3 reviews
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23 reviews in English
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Review from Clare J.
Cambridge, MA
4/28/2012
As good or better than the North End. No frills inside but more importantly, this offers incredible, authentic Italian food.
We ordered the Eggplant Rollatini appetizer (worth 5 stars by itself)- it was the best I have ever had, hands down. It was a mouthgasm of perfectly tender eggplant filled with creamy ricotta, parm, fresh basil and spinach, swimming in a zesty, clearly homemade, fragrant tomato sauce.
The Grilled Calamari Salad was a beautiful platter of romaine lettuce with a generous serving of beautifully seasoned, tender, delicately grilled baby octupi, roasted red peppers, a mildly spicy pepper, and high grade balsamic vinegar (not oily, tasteless dressing, but pure... rich... balsamic). Wonderful texture and flavor. Friendly service and quality you would expect from the dozens of awards on the walls. What a gem, can't wait to go back! -
Review from Justin Gwailo H.
Boston, MA
10/31/2011 5 photos
Best Italian outside North End. You don't have to go to North End anymore for those who live in Everett, Malden, & Chelsea. We've been here 3-times this year & never disappointed!
Each time we ordered the Special Grilled Calamari as an appetizer (to die for!). For main course, I had Vitello ala Marsala, Fileto Ripieno (Haddock w/ Crab meat), and Rollo di Vitello (Veal Roast stuffed w/ Prosciutto). Dessert we had limoncello and orange gellato!!! -
Review from Joe P.
Boston, MA
10/31/2011
Arrived one evening almost closing time, and they still took us without hesitation. Service was impeccable. Since the owner is an Italian immigrant, that probably explain the warm hospitality and wonderful Italian meals.
My favorites were always the Veal dishes. They were REAL veal meats, not veal patties. I also absolutely loved the Grilled Squid appetizer (seasonal). Always fresh, warm bread too! -
Review from Silvia V.
Belmont, MA
11/22/2011
I can't believe I haven't reviewed Abbondanza until now even though I had many, many lunches at this small Zagat rated family owned restaurant. I work close by and every now and then my girlfriends and I decide to spend our precious lunch hour at Abbondanza.
I've tried most of their menu items. The chef uses lots of garlic and it often overpowers the pasta sauces. I like to have the grilled salmon, bistecca or the panini with fresh mozzarella, basil, prosciutto and tomatoes (it's so big that you can have two lunches out of it). The food is pretty consistent. The seafood is good.
My only complaint is that every time we eat there, our lunch becomes an hour and half long gig. It doesn't matter if we're the only diners or if the restaurant is full, it takes a long time for our food to arrive. -
Review from Kerri C.
Malden, MA
2/25/2012
Abbondanza is like a little hidden gem in Everett. Keep in mind, if you are in a rush or have plans at a certain time, this may not be your best choice. The food takes a longggg time to come out. I actually like this quality though, I feel as though you get a chance to actually enjoy the courses and digest before another full plate is brought out to you. I have never had a complaint about the food or the service, and the desserts are also delicious. Prices tend to be a bit on the high side but the quality of the food absolutely matches them.
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Review from Katie L.
Melrose, MA
4/15/2012
I have dined in and have had delivery, I have never been disappointed. Their portions are filling, prices are great and the staff is always pleasant. I highly recommend Abbondanza!
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Review from M R.
Malden, MA
5/11/2012
The atmosphere is good for a date (not fancy but not too casual), the staff is friendly but a bit confused. I think by the time I had left every staff member had waited on my table at least once. Prices were fair. I like that a salad comes with the dinner entree but dressing choices are super limited as in either their house dressing or oil and vinegar. Portion sizes are pretty decent. Personally, I am a member of the clean plate club and I left there a little hungry. I ordered the chicken caccitore, which is only on the lunch menu but if you ask nicely they will make it for as a dinner dish. The chicken was plentiful, pasta was a bit soft, and there were hardly any peppers or onions in my meal. Lastly, the house Merlot wine was by far the worst wine I have ever had...and I drink wine happily out of the box (read: cheap), but this stuff was no good. However, there are lots of Zagat reviews and such hanging on their walls so maybe I was just there at a bad time? It was not the worst dining experience but far from the best.
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Review from B M.
Jamaica Plain, MA
2/20/2011
My review is based on the rating ... it was OK. I came here for a quick lunch and it didn't match the price tag. Quality was above-average, quantity was average and wait time was below average. We were the only people at the restaurant and it took 45-minutes. I wouldn't want to witness a busy day.
Overall, a nice small restaurant. But, for the price and better foods, try others. -
Review from Steven L.
Cambridge, MA
11/2/2011
Everything is top notch here.
Just as good as anything you get in the city and far cheaper.
Salads, Seafood, Pasta, Tripe!
All excellent.
The place is cute and service is great.
Excellent italian food. -
Review from Kelly A.
10/17/2008
My friends have come to rely on me for recommendations for Friday night dining, and Yelp led me to this Everett spot.
We got there early, around 6, and we were one of only three parties. We got bread quickly, which was warm and good. Then a waitress came over and read no fewer than ten entree specials, all of which were complicated and came with different side dishes. Like, really? If you're going to have that many specials, why don't you just print them out? I couldn't concentrate on any of them long enough to figure out if I wanted them before she went on to the next one. Annoying.
Anyways, I got a glass of wine, which was a little pricey but good. I ordered the gnocchi and was somewhat disappointed. I saw one of the other reviewers on Yelp said the gnocchi was the best she'd ever had, so I had high hopes, but they were somewhat of a let down. Not to say they were bad, but they certainly weren't in my top ten gnocchi dishes and they were far from the best I'd ever had. I should have opted for the fusilli with broccoli rapi.
My dining guests seemed semi-pleased with their food.
My biggest problem, though, was the service. We had somewhere to be, and it was clear that we were done with our meals. We had to ask for our check not once, not twice, but THREE times before it came, and that all took more than twenty minutes. It's not because they were swamped with people or shorthanded or anything; there were four waitresses on and only six occupied tables by the time we were done. I just find that kind of service pretty unacceptable. We ended up being late for our engagement because of it.
So while the food was ok, I don't think Abbondanza is a place I would return to. There are just too many better places out there. -
Review from Julia F.
4/5/2010 1 Check-in Here
This place is so cute and small (apparently it has a downstairs...?) and the walls as you enter are stacked with framed reviews and ZAGAT commendations for the amazing food they serve.
I came here earlier in the year with my boyfriend and his brother. His brother lives right around the corner and has ordered from here and eaten here several times. He wanted to treat us to the best Italian food within walking distance from his house. Sooo... we drove here!
The menu was uncomplicated, in that it was orderly, and all of the dishes sounded amazing. I asked Pat for recommendations, and he said everything he'd tried was amazing. Not helpful in picking an entree, but nice to hear all the same.
I was astounded that I liked everything that came to the table. All of the people who served us were really really nice. There was a younger woman who kept up with our water and cleaned up after each course, and our main waitress, who offered the specials at a pace you could actually comprehend (something that most waitresses DON'T DO!) and made sure we had everything from bread to tiramisu! We met the owner, can't remember his name at this point, but he helped us get a good red wine (which Pat and I polished off two bottles of.... fairly easily...) and was quick with the grappa and lemoncello shots at the end of the meal.
We had sauted calimari (which is sooooo much better than when it's fried!) with hot peppers. It was amazing. It made up for every iffy-to-bad experience I've had with calimari in the past... which happened to be allll my experiences had been. I got veal with cheese and avocado. Surprisingly good. My boyfriend got veal with cheese and prosciutto and more cheese. His brother got fruitti del mare - also good.
I can't wait to go back and taste some more items off the menu (you could go for two months, I think without eating the same thing twice, and that would probably include lunches!) it's a bit pricey, but I feel like I could make an acception for a date night or something like that.Listed in: take me out!, mambo italiano
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Review from Marrielle O.
Boston, MA
5/21/2011
I came here with a group of girls for a get together. I was overly pleased with everything about this restaurant. Service was so kind, food was out of this world and the atmosphere so beautiful.
We started off with some cocktails...the owner made them himself! delicious!! Then we got a few appetizers: Fried Calamari, Eggplant Rollatini, & Clams Casino. AMAZING. For dinner I ordered the stuffed veal chop special with vegetables and mashed potatoes & it also came with a side of pasta. This dinner was to die for, I will absolutely make sure to get it again. The pasta tasted so fresh along with the sauce, and the veal chop so tasty. For dessert my friends and I all got the tiramisu and canolies. These dessert recipes are a family secret for a reason!
Overall, we love this restaurant && we will be back AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! -
Review from Dan L.
Marblehead, MA
3/9/2010
We found Abbondanza via a coupon we received in the mail (Buy 1 dinner entree, get 1 free. Up to $12 value). Unfortunately I didn't see a single meal on menu that was $12 or less. Prices were average, $15-$19.00 for most meals.
The atmosphere was cute. It has that warm, family-style feel to it, which I've grown to like more than the fancy Italian spots where you know you're overpaying for the food. The waitress gave us a rundown of the specials and I was lucky if I could remember the first 3. There were about 10 specials and we would've been better off receiving a specials menu.
I ordered the grilled tuna with grilled onions & peppers served over linguini. The meal was delicious. I was a little taken back by the price, $25, when the bill came, particularly because the rest of the menu was significantly less expensive. I'm glad I didn't get the swordfish!
We did have to wait quite a bit to receive our check, but weren't in a rush. That problem could be easily resolved by having additional staff working.
All in all I'd say it's a 3+. It was a good meal with a few drawbacks. I'll probably go back because it's just up the street, but it's not the first place I'd bring a group. -
Review from Matthew H.
Brookline, MA
4/24/2010
I have eaten here quite a few times and the food is very high quality. The owners are actually from Italy (not Italian-Americans) and it shows in their food. All of the pastas are made from scratch and you can really taste it in every bite. The only problem is that the food is very oily, to the point that the pasta is practically dripping in oil. If they toned down the oil several notches, this place would easily get a 5-star rating from me.
As for service...it's ok, nothing special. Same with the atmosphere. And the food is almost really terrific...it's like a beautiful girl trapped inside a chubby girl's body. If only it could shed that one thing holding it back from perfection.... -
Review from Angela S.
Malden, MA
7/8/2008
This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants! They have the best gnocchi and tortellini that I have ever had. I would also recommend the pork chops with vinegar peppers and potatoes. They serve nice bread and salads with each meal. The service is good and I don't believe that the food is too overpriced but it is not cheap either. The restaurant is a bit small but the food is delicious.
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Review from Laura M.
North Waltham, MA
1/23/2007
Very very good! We made reservations for 830, but didn't need them and actually got to sit at like 815. I got the idea of this restaurant from my Entertainment book and it such a great choice. The salad dressing was so yummy especially dipped in the bread. Great Italian food in a small restaurant where everyone seems to know each other.
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Review from Mark W.
4/7/2010 1 photo
Thank you fellow yelpers for introducing me to Abbondanza. The service was excellent and the food was terrific. The chef love his vinegar peppers it seems to be in every dish, but it still taste GREAT.
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Review from Dale S.
Everett, MA
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Review from Sugartime X.
Boston, MA
7/10/2010
Service was good, atmosphere ok, food nothing extraordinary.... sauce needs some work
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Review from Luckie L.
Boston, MA
I love Italian food and decided to give this restaurant a try.. With plenty of Zagat awards hanging on the wall and a good review from Phantom Gourmet, I was really giving this spot high hopes.. The decor is elegant and very formal.. There's a bar that seats no more than 5.. The floor was beautifully tiled and the counter top for the bar was very classy.. The place is a hole in the wall and the floor plan is very tight.. The service was excellent but the food took way to long to come out.. The bread that was brought to our table was the size of a loaf of bread.. A little to much in my opinion for a table of two.. But then again, I guess having more is better than not having enough.. I just hate to see food going to waste.. I ordered the seafood scampi with pasta that was accompanied with a glass of merlot.. The seafood consisted of lobster, shrimp, and scallops.. The red wine wasn't one of my favorites.. It took at least 30-45 mins for the entree to make it to the table.. The pasta, in my opinion had way to much olive oil rather than white wine.. It was only half of lobster which was sliced right down the middle.. It was overcooked and it tasted more like batter than a actual lobster.. The scallops were also overcooked and was very chewy in texture.. The shrimp seemed to be okay but then again how hard is it to mess up shrimp..? After I finished my entree I decided to take a piece of bread and soak up some of the olive oil that was flooded in my plate.. It tasted better that way rather than with butter.. So, overall a very elegant restaurant but for the price and the long wait for my entree wasn't worth it..
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Review from Thomas J.
Boston, MA
10/7/2010
I've eaten here several times as well as gotten take out. Their take out menu is larger and generally cheaper than if you came in. Being on a busy section of Main street, parking is usually difficult, unless you don't mind parking up the hill a few blocks away. Seating is limited inside. I've heard there was a downstairs but have never been. Around dinner time this place gets down right crammed. It's so tightly packed that you will not be able to pull out a chair to stand up. The food is the reason this place gets 4 stars despite its location and size. True italian food cooked right, and in a home style way. Its the kind of place you just KNOW it was all hand made without a pretentious chef, just some cook who knows what they're doing and is doing it right. The cost is average, and the portions are good. You'll definately be full, but don't get dessert its the one thing not made on site, ordered on mass from some dessert company and usually tastes like it was ordered a few weeks ago. All is all the place is nice, and you have to go at least once for the experience.
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Review from b w.
Cambridge, MA
6/25/2010
Good service, large menu, nice interior, but items were extremely overpriced, and the flavors were lacking.
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Review from nicole s.
Everett, MA
1/13/2010
me and husband eat in once a week and this is our place of choice in everett. My husband loves thier fried haddock and I love the baked haddock. so good and 10 dollars.. and the fish is always fresh. I have ordered salads and steak tips very very good. I have gotten the eggplant but they don't peel the eggplant so i won't order it again. i like when it is peeled. We have also eat inside the resturant see how close to home it is.. take out is cheaper then eating at the resturant the the prices are outrages so we don't mind if we want to eat out. give it a try it is well worth it..
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