On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Pizza, Italian, Burgers, Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhood: FenwayKenmore (Green)
Loading...
After only going once, i can tell that Canestaro is a good restaurant to know, given how squarely it fills a handful of needs. It's not so far removed from a standard pizza place, structurally, except that it has more seating space, and it's enough nicer than cafeteria booths that depending on what you need, it can either be a nice night out, or a faithful standby. There's a bar in the dining room that seems like it has a handful of regulars, odd though it is.
But an Italian restaurant lives and dies by the food, even for me (i am only a quarter Italian, truth be told). They have tasty bread, topped with bad-for-you cheese, which goes well with soaking up olive oil. The antipasto was a mountain of good stuff, not terribly cheap, but good value if you like meat and cheese and goodies. i had a beef lasagna special that was piping hot and extremely dense and flavorful; i wanted to finish it, but couldn't. These are all reasonably priced, most of it $15 or thereabouts. It's absolutely a good neighborhood option and will satisfy all but the most specific of Italian-food cravings.
I wish there was a 6-star option that I could give Canestaro's. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this place.
I went to college about 5 min away from Canestaro's and then spent a few years after graduation in Boston... so this means I went to Canestaros a lot. Probably every other month on average. MMMmm!
What do I love about Canestaros? Um, everything?
Since it's tucked away in Fenway area it is rarely packed - meaning: you can always get a table. One reason why I enjoy Canestaro's so much, is that it's unknown. During warmer months they also have a nice patio area. This place is great for a date, a big group or take-out even.
The bread is really good- a little bit of melted cheese on top - yum! For dinner, I always rotate between 2 main dishes - the Pollo Classico and the Penne Vodka. My mouth is watering thinking about these 2 dishes right now. Since those 2 dishes are so good, I've actually never ordered anything else from the menu! However, I bring everyone I know here so they've had more of the menu and no one has ever complained about their meal. I'm usually full beyond words, so I'm fairly certain I've never had dessert there. Maybe one day I can show restraint and save some room for dessert... maybe
A great neighborhood place with a huge menu. It's busy but very easy to do take out. Also a nice casual place to sit down and eat inside or on the nice patio outside. Literally steps from Fenway Park...
It's Italian food done well and it's not in the North End! Looking forward to a return visit.
First off, it is NOT a fancy ritzy Italian restaurant despite the way it looks on the website. The first thing you see when you enter are booths. There are tables with separate chairs when you go further inside... alongside a small bar and TVs showing sports games. I had expected something a bit more formal since I was going out to dinner with some friends but of course, it's about the food right?
Eh, even then it's nothing too out of the ordinary. Decently priced, decently made. It's good but nothing spectacular. The portions are what you pay for though. The only food I would rave about from this place is the Boston cream pie. I absolutely love Boston cream pie and it's amazing here.
In terms of location, it's a good place to go to if you're not in the mood to go all the way to North End for Italian food. The place is a little hidden and tucked away. It's in the middle of a residential neighborhood so the area is a quiet and the atmosphere is pretty laid back. Canestaro's is a good place to go to if you're around the area and want something away from the main street.
People who like this restaurant probably think Applebees is fine dinning, sorry! This place is the same as Cappy's but more expensive. When I left I felt like I had gained 80lbs and needed to throw up and take a nap. The place looks really nice from the outside, but don't let it fool you!! I ordered the Caprese salad- the tomatoes were pink and tasteless the mozzarella was tasteless. The REAL test of a bad restaurant is whether they screw up food that is meant to be foolproof, and yet again Canestaros strikes out with their soggy jalapeno poppers that you had to saturate with marinara sauce in order to extinguish their sour taste. EEEEEWWWWW!!! The calzone was alright- no huge problems there. I was ravenous when I went and would've eaten anything, but still regretted my experience.
In keeping with my unintentional weekend theme of eating Italian outside the North End, me and some friends ended up at Canestaro early Sunday evening. Even though it was raining, there was seating available outside under the awning, which is a welcome change for anyone who would like nothing more than to spend a warm Sunday afternoon munching on garlic bread and watching the rain fall.
Since the place was almost empty, we had our choice of tables inside. Canestaro has plenty of tables and a nice, relaxed ambiance. Service was pretty slow considering how few people were there, but the waitress was friendly. The bread we got after we ordered was almost cold, but still tasted good so I couldn't really complain. For dinner, I had the BBQ Chicken Pizza, which was well-made but far from the best I've ever had. The gorgonzola and onion burger my boyfriend had looked delicious, though, as did the stuffed shells our friend got. While I'm not completely sold on this place, yet, I will certainly give it another try in the future.
I think Canestaro is pretty much the same as you're local Bertucci's. It's a great place to go eat if you're in the neighborhood. Simple meals that don't let you down. I wish they'd give more food for the portions. It's a good place to go to if you want a casual dinner. Nothing fancy. The food, like I said, is similar to something like Bertucci's. It's easy to get a table, and there is outdoor seating (the chairs are a bit uncomfortable). I see a lot of families and couples eating here. I've heard some terrible stories about the service though, which are so terrible I shouldn't go into, but I've never experienced that here. If summary, if you want a simple place at a reasonable price, this is it.
Canestaro is a real find. It's reasonably priced, classic Italian food, the kind of place that Boston is missing, because everything Italian is centered in the North End, which is often too crowded/far/expensive to be worth it. Here, there's never a wait, and during warm months, there's outdoor seating, which is a treat all in itself.
The menu is full of Italian staples, and the eggplant parm is the best I've ever had. There are also tons of pizza options, and the caramelized onion and gorganzola pizza is truly amazing. My husband calls their tomato sauce "the best sauce on planet earth" - it's fresh and flavorful. There are always at least 3 specials, and when there with my in-laws, they raved about the mussels from the specials menu. In fact, they had stopped in Boston on their way to Italy, and when they got back, they said the best Italian food they had the whole trip was with us at Canestaros.
What else? Attentive if not overly friendly service. Their wine list is decent, with a few reasonably priced options (under $30). And the bread they bring out is great - foccacia-y, and often warm from the oven.
Not going to lie - I was a little disappointed.
The setup of the place is cute and has a lot of potential. It was pretty dead when we got there with only one other table occupied, but then again it was 6 PM on a Wednesday night.
Our server was pretty quick to check on us and attentive throughout, but in general, she seemed to be annoyed with the world which did not help set a pleasant atmosphere for the place.
I had a cheese-less pizza (I am noticing a theme in my reviews here.....hhmmm) and my date had a chicken pasta dish, we also split some fries. Sadly, I think the best part of both our meals was the french fries. The pizza was OK, but nothing worth writing home about (yet oddly, here I am writing about it...) and while he said the chicken/pasta was not bad, it was not the best.
On the plus side - the drink menu looked pretty comprehensive and extremely reasonable in price. Also, there were other things on the menu of the basic burger and fries variety that might taste pretty good.
I had heard good things and held relatively high hopes for this place so I was a little bummed. Overall, I guess a $40 dinner for two is not bad, but based on reviews I was hoping for better.
It's a cold winter night. You're curled up on the couch under a blanket (or a Snuggie, if you have self respect) watching 80s movies on TBS. You don't want to move, let alone let your feet touch the cold hardwood floor. But your stomach is a rumblin' and grumblin.' Who you gonna call?
Canestaro!
Cannestaro falls into that "Yummy delivery Italian food for when you need to fill your belly," category. Don't expect gourmet food cooked to perfection. Often the meat is a little dry and the produce isn't super fresh. But the Sausage Delight (Italian sausage with roasted peppers, garlic, tomatoes and mozzarella tossed in penne) tastes so damn good on the abovementioned winter night. And you only have to get up off the couch to answer the door.
Yum. We were looking for an Italian place near Fenway/House of Blues, and Yelp steered me toward Canestaro, for which I am grateful.
We arrived around 5:45 on a Sunday evening and were the first people inside. The interior is cozy and relaxed. Mozzarella sticks were the standard pizza joint fare, but tasty. I had the gnocchi, which were tasty - the tomato sauce with basil was the best part. My wife had the ravioli which were super delicious - just the thing for a cold foggy evening such as the night we went.
I walked away from Canestaro very happy. Then I went to see Morrissey at the House Of Blues, and there was an awkward moment where I wasn't sure if it was okay to still be that happy from dinner...
I used to live in the building next to Canestaro. It was a great place to go during the week and get something decent to eat.
Sadly this is one of the last remaining Fenway neighborhood establishments. I am glad that the horrible fire this winter that wiped the other Peterborough St. businesses did not make it all the way down to Canestaro.
This is an especially nice place to go before a Red Sox game, look to snag an outside seat.
No, this is not a misplaced North End italian eatery. The waitresses don't pretend to speak italian and ordering a Bud Light here is completely acceptable. Think Chicken Parm, Ravioli and Pizza. Sure there are some higher end specialty items on the menu but they do a tremendous job on the simple items. This is the type of Italian restaurant that will remind you of your childhood. You will leave full and you wont have that sick feeling from dropping half of your paycheck.
For more Restaurants and Bars Near Fenway Park visit my website at http://www.thecrosshai...
Really great home-style Italian cooking. I was so surprised that the takeout we brought to Framingham was still HOT when we arrived. Very friendly staff and casual, low-key atmosphere. Started with a calzone which was to die for...(we ate it in the car because we were too hungry to wait), had some perfectly cooked pasta and ended with a fabulous tiramisu.
Good food for a great price, but I recommend walking there because driving to Peterborough for the first time can be tricky!
Not too shabby. The outdoor seating is definitely a bonus. Our server was attentive and friendly and the food was above average, but not amazing. If you're in the area, check it out. I recommend the pasta and the bruschetta.
Canestaro is a great place to come before a Red Sox game - super close to the park, QUIET, and busy, but not packed to the gills.
I arrived after my mom and brother, who had already ordered (and were just getting) their ravioli. I was already starving, so watching them eat what looked like amazing ravioli derailed my "salad to save money after eating out all week" plan. I eventually chose the gnocchi basilico, which was fantastic - gnocchi in a well-made pomodoro sauce (and I love - and make - all sauces tomato) liberally sprinkled with fresh basil.
The service was fine, nothing exceptional...except that the waitress pronounced gnocchi "no-chee." Just a pet peeve as a former student (I use that term loosely) of Italian...but no big deal.
It took everything in my power to break away from the gravitational pull of El Pelon, the center of my universe, and explore Canestaros, the uncharted region just down the way. Easy to miss, as it seems to have snuck its way into a residential neighborhood and is shrouded by the surrounding foliage. Perhaps winter will give up its hiding spot.
Olly olly oxen free!
Upon rolling up, we were tempted to situate ourselves amongst the outdoor seating, but as we went in to find a host..the A/C air...was just...so nice.
We plopped down at a two top with the crowd ranging from blue collar Norman Rockwellesque man dates and a handful of bohemian college kids with rolled up bike messenger pant legs and old lady sunglasses. A few minutes into our meal, the groups disappated and we were left to talk about life, liberty, and the pusuit of vajayjays as loud as we wanted.
Do you want a drink? I want a drink. Upon my lady's request, we ordered a "gargantuan" pitcher of sangria. Did the waitress have to even ask if 6 glasses of the sweet nectar was 'OK' for the two of us?
We continued to oggle the menu as she prepared our Stanley Cup of bevvie in the background.
Not an easy task. We figured that sharing would be the best route to tackle a menu full of everything good in the world like a great selection of apps, pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and salads. I had heard rave reviews of the pasta which helped us narrow down the field to about 30 or so. I'm so picky with penne ala vodka(see also:last meal on earth) and really wanted a protein, alfredo anything sounded good, but so does spinach gnocchi.....chicken marsala.... Exasperated and seconds before malfunction, we thought it would be best to ask our waitress for help. She highly recommended the Tortellini Bellisimo, which is fresh cheese tortellini topped with sauteed chicken breast in a rich tomato and caper cream sauce...hold the capers.
Agreed, I hate anything that looks like rabbit poop.
And since we are light eaters.. we went for the mussells appetizer(daily special), caprese salad, garlic bread, side of spinach, and a boston cream pie. -hiccup-
Everything was great. The sangria was oh-so refreshing on this summery day, but I will have to come back for the more wintry beverages like nuts n' berries, or any of the other chocolate/chambord related drinks. Well, and who am I to pass up a pretty decent wine list as well.
The salad was light, perfect for splitting and definitely strayed from my vegetable drawer bagged hearts of romaine at home.
It takes a lot to impress me when it comes to pasta with the 80+ restaurants in the North End, but Canestaros reminds me a lot of Mother Anna's with great italian food for a reasonable price. The tortellini and cream sauce was really something different and was licked dry by us alley cats.
The mussells had a bit of a kick, in a great way and were served in an enormous saucer, unable to finish..but always room for dessert.
Which leads us to the Boston Cream pie which was light, fluffy, and admittedly a bit of a blur as I raced myself to finish off the sangria before heading off to our nightivities.
I can't just leave a wounded soldier!
and then i was happily shirtcanned.
:Q..
Eh, it's good if you're looking for a greasy food fix.
It's cool because they have an outdoor patio, so if you're on a date--go here on a nice night, and eat outside.
It's a little hard to find; we got lost, but that's ok.
The prices were alright...affordable.
In a nutshell, this place looks a little fancy, but they serve diner food. And they have huge TVs inside playing the Sox game.
LOVE THIS FOOD. PERIOD.
Dining area isn't all that great, but it's the food that really tickles your tastebuds.
Penne Alla Vodka
Gorgonzola and Mushroom burger
Steak tips
Stuffed Shells
Spinach Gnocci
WONDERFUL
Dear Sweet Jeebus. How have I been missing out on Canestaro's for this long? And here I consider myself the resident expert on all things Italian in the city of Boston. Mea culpa, Canestaro's...mea culpa.
It takes a lot to impress me when it comes to Italian food. After all, it's in my blood. (Seriously, if you cut me, I bleed marinara.) That said, I'm impressed.
I'm really picky about my sauces. Their tomato sauce is excellent. Just sweet enough and very flavorful.
The Chicken Napoleon is my fave on the menu. Grilled chicken topped with thin, perfect eggplant and smoked mozzarella? Yum. Also, I have to add that they are VERY accomodating. I asked to substitute veal (sorry, PETA) in place of chicken for the Napoleon and they were happy to do it. Granted, it was a couple bucks extra, but many places just won't sub these days, so I was thrilled. (And, I might add, the veal was perfectly seasoned and prepared.)
Wine selection is on the smaller side, but there are some nice selections on the menu, and the bottles average $18 - $26. Combine that with entrees around the $14-$16 range, and you can have an excellent meal without breaking the bank (*cough* North End *cough*).
Saw a couple of reviews stating that portions were not in line with the pricing, but I beg to differ. They're not going to be Vinny Testa's Biggie sized platters, but I've never walked away hungry from this place, and I found the pricing to be very reasonable.
Canestaro's is in Fenway, so, as you might guess, parking is a bitch because there are two "public" parking spots on that street. I recommend going when the Sox aren't in town playing, so you can park over by Fenway Park and walk the block or two over. (It's pretty much right behind that McDonald's you'll see on Boylston.)
Highly recommended.
NOTE: This is ONLY a review of their pizza delivery. I have only had delivery from this place, and never ordered anything other than pizza and root beer.
(UPDATE: I tried their French Fries. WOW! They are GREAT!!!!!! Get them with your pizza! For some reason, the already awesome flavor of the French Fries is enhanced by the pizza. Now don't get me wrong, I would not put these fries in my top five all-time favorite French Fries, but they might make it to the top ten.)
(ANOTHER UPDATE: The Fries are $3.50 (which is a lot, I think), and the most recent time I ordered them, the jerks gave me only about half the amount of fries I usually get. I'm not ordering the fries again from there I think. They're not THAT good.)
The main things you need to know about this place are that they make fairly decent pizza and they have a wide delivery range in Boston (the latter being a huge plus when you live in a neighborhood of Boston where there are very few pizza delivery places and they all suck). The second-to-main thing you need to know about this place is that the quality of its pizza toppings is inconsistent.
The pizza varies. Sometimes it is exquisite (not Pizzeria Regina exquisite, but very good). Sometimes it is eh. If you don't count the toppings, I have never had a bad pizza here.
The toppings are another matter. The quality of the pizza toppings here is remarkably inconsistent but tending towards lousy.
The pineapples are these huge gross chunks, seemingly not cooked with the pizza itself.
The spinach is a little too slimy sometimes, but sometimes good.
The fresh basil wasn't anything to write home about.
The sausage varies from "good" to "eh, okay."
The bacon is sometimes gross.
The meatballs vary from "divine" to "utterly icky."
The chicken, the one time my girlfriend and I had it, was pretty good.
And so on.
The quality of the cheese can vary too, sometimes -- but I have never had truly bad cheese from this place.
The other main drawback to this place is that they close so early for a place that delivers pizza -- 11pm, EVERY NIGHT. That really stinks, and seems like an unwise business decision for a major city with a lot of college students (not that I am one).
As for the delivery itself: It varies. Sometimes they arrive early or on time. More often, lately, they seem to be arriving later and later, sometimes taking over a half-hour longer than the phone estimate. I am not sure how the blame should be distributed as between the people who make the estimate to begin with and the actual delivery staff (and when tipping, I almost always give the delivery person a generous benefit of the doubt), but I am sure that whoever's fault it is, it detracts from customer satisfaction.
Very often, the delivery person does not handle the pizza with care, so that the cheese has mostly glopped over to one side of the pizza. The most recent pizza my girlfriend and I got from this place though had the cheese perfectly distributed.
As an additional drawback: They're kind of expensive. Sometimes I elect to not get a pizza from here even when I'm in the mood and they're the only good delivery option because I simply don't want to spend $20-25 for a mere pizza. Admittedly, much of that is paying for the convenience of delivering to my neighborhood, but nonetheless, I have to be money-conscious.
Overall, as a pizza delivery place, this is an inconsistent but mostly okay place, so long as you don't care too much about quality of the non-cheese toppings. It is very convenient so long as you don't crave pizza after 11pm. My rating for this place is a very solid three stars, subject to go up if they markedly improve and demonstrate more consistency.
I have recently discovered a new place which delivers pizza to my area, so if this place turns out to be better (haven't tried it yet), Canestaro may entirely lose my business.
Small, hard to get find, and good luck with parking! Exactly why it is one of the Fenway's hidden gems.
I came here with a party of seven on Monday night and we practically had the place to ourselves. They were very patients and understanding with our straggling group as everyone was coming from different places and not everyone had been there before. The atmosphere is very calming, with deep red walls, a wooden bar, and dim lighting with a lot of natural lighting coming in from the street. And while fancier than a "grab an go" pizzaria (you can't grab a slice here by the way), it is not so fancy that you wouldn't feel comfortable just walking in after passing it on the street. Its a casual sit down Italian eatery that could either be romantic for a date or a great place to meet and catch up with friends. Its also helpful that Canestaro's is not loud, with soft rock playing at a very low decibel.
Once we were all there the waitress was prompt at refilling our water glasses and even got us a second basket of their amazing homemade cheese bread sticks! We split three of the gourmet pizzas, and the favorite was the bqq chicken followed closely by the gorgonzola and onion. All in all, great service, amazing pizza, and if you are splitting pizzas its actually a pretty cheap sit down dinner!
As soon as we sat down and got the menu, we knew we would have a hard time deciding what to get. I hate getting sandwiches at sit-down restaurants, but even those sounded good. The waitress made her rounds a couple times to see if we were ready to order, but we awkwardly had to say no.
I finally settled on the pesto-crusted salmon with rice pilaf and asparagus, and my friend chose the napoleon (chicken, eggplant, tomato sauce with pasta). Both were delicious, although I like my pilaf to have very subtle flavor, and this one had a little too much butter or something in it.
I love how it's located smack in the middle of all these apartments. Especially during this time of year, when you can sit outside on the patio and watch as 5 BU guys struggle to move a large TV from their apartment to a truck. Free entertainment.
Like their prices, like their food, the quirky waitress was cool, and I only wish I had a second stomach so I could try their desserts.
I had a weird ritual whenever I watched "The Sopranos".
- A bottle of Chianti? checked.
- Pasta dish from Canestaro? Checked.
I really craved for pasta whenever I watched "The Sopranos". I could make some but I didn't want to taste mediocre crap made by me. I wanted a good one. And that was the beginning of getting pasta dish from this place.
I've also had pizzas from this place. Delicious but not spectacular. However, pasta dish was spectacular.
Both Alfredo and marinara sauce are diabolically delicious. My favorite is "sausage delight" so far.
I feel very grateful to have this place in my neighborhood.
GREAT FOOD! I really loved the chicken piccata. Service needs some work tho.
Craving calzones I searched yelp for some advice and Canestaro was the best and closest option. First, its a little tricky to find because of the one way streets but they have parking which is nice since the streets seemed packed. I would love to comeback when it's warm because their patio looks very pleasant - I love outdoor seating and always forget that peterborough has lots of options.
The interior is definitely comfortable; even the menus have an italian and 50's feel that is inviting. We started with their mussels appetizer that has a tomato broth. It seems to be a signature because it was on the main menu and the specials and it should be. For me, the broth that mussels are served with is key and it was delicious!
I, of course, had a calzone with ricotta, onions and sausage. It was exactly what I wanted - delicious. My friend had their penne vodka. Thankfully she's nice and let me have a taste. It was stupendous! Next time, I already know what to order.
My only complaint is their wine by the glass selection is not very good with only about 4 available. If you combined this menu with Ivy's wine menu you'd have my summer hang out.
You know what I miss in San Francisco? Simple good Italian food. Boston has no shortage of it. Right around the corner from my friend's apartment is this cute, lovely place. They are open late which is perfect for night owls! Just be sure to get in around 10:30pm if you want to dine in.
While they serve a variety of pastas, sandwiches and burgers, my BF and I opted for the pizza. We had the gorgonzola and & onion pizza which features roast garlic, caramelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes, gorgonzola with mozzarella. My mouth is salivating just reminiscing how good that pizza was. The tangy sun-dried tomatoes were complimented by the sweetness of the onions and garlic. And that cheese? Yum. Now if you really wanted to set me off my rocket, the addition of walnuts would have made this pizza gourmet. But I'm not complaining at all. It was delicious as is!
They have outdoor seating which I can't get enough of, especially on warm nights. There was a game at Fenway so every now and then, our night was punctuated with the sounds of excited Red Sox fans. The restaurant was also broadcasting the game on the televisions mounted from the ceiling and it was interesting to see that there was a delay in what was happening live a few blocks over and what was shown on TV. But that's neither here nor there.
Our server wasn't of drinking age but she was still able to recommend a good wine. Wine with pizza and a Red Fox fan cheering orchestra? That's a classy evening, if you ask me.
Canestaros is a cute, small restaurant that's slightly off the beaten path. I have never encountered a wait here, but it's never been empty either. It has a romantic feel to it (but maybe that's because my first time there was on a date?) I have never been disappointed by the food, and they are always okay with me substituting alfredo sauce for the red sauce on the gnocchi.
The outdoor patio is also very nice, and I have never had the issue of wait staff "forgetting" about us out there.
Reasons I love this place:
1) Yummy pizza, pasta and sandwiches
2) Super-nice owner and staff
3) Patio
4) Great desserts.
I had been to Canestaro once before and ordered pizza, it was really good and I loved the cozy and charming atmosphere of the restaurant. So when I had to choose a location for my birthday dinner, I thought that Canestaro would be a good choice, not too expensive or busy but with a great atmophere and delicious food. This place didn't let me down. We made a reservation for ten people and arrived at seven, and there were only a few other groups there (it was a Tuesday night). Everyone in my party ordered a different pasta dish and one person ordered a pizza, and everyone loved their meals; every plate was empty at the end of the night even though the portions were substantial. I had the fettucini alfredo and it was honestly up there among the best I've had. I'm drooling thinking about it.
Anyway, the staff was lovely, the restaurant is cozy and beautiful with its signature white christmas lights, and the food is delicious and reasonably priced. They have a great variety of food, including pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and other italian dishes. I didn't try the dessert because I was too stuffed, but I did have a yummy hot chocolate. None of my friends had heard of this place before and all of them commented on how great it was, and I think Canestaro has a bunch of new fans.
Try it out, its as good as anything in the North End, and not as expensive as you'll find in many of the restaurants there.
Canestaro is a cute little Italian restaurant tucked away in the Fenway area. They are famous for their green awning with hanging Christmas lights. They also have a great outdoor patio large enough for big groups.
The reason for the 3 stars is that I didn't feel that the food was superb. The chicken marsala was good but I feel that I've had better in the North End. The same with their chicken parmesan sandwich. My tiramisu also did not amaze me which was such a disappointment. If you are looking for Italian food and not willing to make a trek to the North End then I would suggest this place but I do feel that it is worth the 30 minute T ride in order to receive amazing food.
I live in Fenway, just 5 minutes walk away from Canestaro's, for almost a year now. I've always wanted to try coming here for some time now, and just went this past weekend, or I should say yesterday, April 12 around 8pm, during the last inning of the Red Sox and Yankees game.
So, my first complaint is, the noise. I understand that it is a small restaurant on a Saturday night, and I also understand, yes a Red Sox-Yankees game, very very exciting. What I don't understand, is the need to bang fists on the table and yell at the top of your lungs. I felt like I was in a room dining with a bunch of children. If I wanted to yell to talk to someone right in front of me, I would've gone to a night club. Yes, it was that loud. And correct me if I'm wrong, but when I think small, Italian joint, I think of a quieter place.
Second complaint, we arrived just before 8pm, did not get sat until 9pm. We were told it would probably be another 10 minutes, because the empty table was for the party of six, who had a reservation at 8pm. We waited 30 minutes, and another couple had walked in, and they were seated right away at the bar area. What I didn't understand was, why weren't we asked if we wanted to sit in the bar area? I would gladly sat there. I was so hungry I could eat anything anywhere at this point. We finally get seated (the party of six never came). After we sit down, another couple sits down behind us and 10 minutes later a larger party sits beside us. The server takes our order last. I think she forgot the order we sat down, because I heard her say "shit" when she saw us after she took the other table's order. Not pleased.
Alas, the food was not amazing, but not awful either. I'm not picky when it comes to italian food and pasta, but how hard is it to mess up a pasta dish? I barely had enough marinara to cover my penne. sigh. But at this point, I'm so hungry I would eat anything, sauce or no sauce. haha. So we ended up ordering buschetta (bread not crispy enough but was flavorful), 2 pasta entrees (both okay..), and cannoli (which was pretty darn good).
In conclusion, the only thing I might come back for is the cannoli. The End.
What has taken me so long to write this review? It's not like I'm not there at least once a month!
Canestaro's is the closest thing to a neighborhood restaurant I'll ever have in Boston - and I don't live anywhere near the Fenway. The staff are great and friendly and always willing to split one of their large salads for my wife & I.
The best item of all is a pizza (great chewy, nearly salty crust) with eggplant on it. Not large chunks of mushy eggplant, mind you - but delicate slices of it lightly breaded and fried. On top of a pizza? Absolutely! I was once a skeptic, but now my entire office is hooked on it.
I have yet to have a bad meal at Canestaro's. It's my favorite place to go in the summertime when you can sit outside on the patio with friends and enjoy a relaxing meal. There are fancier places where you can do that, but none will make you feel like home the way Canestaro's does.
Been here twice. Pizza once and Chicken Napoleon the other time. Both were legit. The staff is friendly and good if not busy. I haven't been there when it was busy. Between this and Trattoria next street over, there's some great Italian in the area.
Writing that last review got me thinking a lot about Canestaro, so I decided to give them another try. We got a pizza and salad, and it was pretty good. The pizza was definitely better than the last few times we went. I do think the large has gotten smaller over the past year (or maybe I'm just getting bigger....)
However, I'm sticking with my 3 star rating. While I was sitting there waiting for my takeout order there was a waitress complaining about having to seat and serve a table - I obviously don't know the background - but who wants to hear that griping when you are at a restaurant ! It definitely doesn't make me feel welcome and seems like a more appropriate conversation for an area without customers.
And then when my order came out that same waitress tried to give it to someone else who just came in to pick up his take-out. He kept trying to confirm that it was his order (he had ordered something completely different - thankfully) and she was impatient and just trying to have him take it. It was strange.
Again the guy who I think owns it was floating around and he's always great, as was the person who initially took my order.
It's just for the price, it doesn't seem worth the hassle.
This place used to be great, but I think there was a change in management over the past year.
We…
Read more »
This place has the best Itilain'o food ! I have been to many places around the Fenway area - but this place by far is fantastic.
The prices are decent and the service was great.
If you want some great sauce and great pasta - highly recommend.
My fiancee and I went here last weekend before seeing a movie. They had both indoor and outdoor seating but it was a hot day so we opted to sit indoors where there was air-conditioning. I had a pasta dish, the sausage delight, and it was great! The pasta was cooked perfectly (not over-cooked, which is a major pet peeve I have) and the sauce was very fresh and flavorful tasting. My man had a burger and fries. He said the burger was cooked to the right temperature and the fries were really good (I tried one and thought they could of used some salt, but that is an easy fix). We split a piece of cheesecake (which was goooood) for desert. The service was fine and the atmosphere was comfortable. We will definitely be back to Canestaro!
I met up with friends this weekend to check out Canestaro. It was a pretty forgettable meal. I had such high hopes for this place too, after having spotted what I would consider my Italian heaven dish - ziti with chicken, eggplant and fresh mozzerella. Well, it was only ok.
The ziti reminded me of my mom's pasta. If you ever tried my mom's pasta, you'd know that's not a compliment. I used to think pasta is supposed to taste bad till I worked as a waitress at some mafia-owned place. Now I have high standards for my pasta. Canestaro did not meet those standards. I felt shorted on the eggplant. The eggplant and the chicken were fine but nothing excellent. The fresh mozzerella was pretty good.
I kind of wish we had chosen another place to eat.
Wow! What a pleasant surprise!
The website for this restaurant boasts of free parking, which I [incorrectly] interpreted to mean that there'd be someone willing to park your vehicle out-of-sight for only the *expectation* of a tip - however, there's an actual, honest-to-goodness parking lot behind Canestaro!
The restaurant itself is nothing short of adorable. The lighting was bright enough to allow us to view the menu, yet dim enough so we didn't feel as though we were being blinded by Golden Arches. ;) The menu provided ample options which will please a wide variety of diners, yet was concise enough to be manageable by visitors as well as the staff.
Service was friendly and efficient, without suffocating us.
The food was delicious, even though our meal choices strayed from what we suspect is the signature selection: Pizza.
(We're anxiously anticipating an occasion when we can return to rectify that - their pizza prices and toppings piqued our interest!]
Eaten here two more times so I figured I'd update. Was both pleasantly surprised and slightly annoyed.
Pros:
Good entree - got the spinach gnocchi and the grilled chicken I added was actually grilled chicken. I usually never add chicken because the texture is always odd.
Good pizza - ordered a medium pizza in Dec. Honestly forgot what I got on it, but it was great. Last time I had pizza it was a large and the dough wasn't cooked all the way, so this was definitely a step up.
Good coffee. I had Italian coffee. I liked.
Cons:
We were the only people in the entire restaurant for 2/3 of our stay and we had to wait forever for service. The waitress was obviously bored and looking for something to do. Here's a hint, take our order, bring me my food, and fill up my water glass in a timely manner.
She forgot to put in the garlic bread order, not a big deal. Then she felt bad so put it in and didn't charge us. Except that it wasn't garlic bread. It was bread with some oily looking stuff on it that just tasted like slightly toasted bread. I guess that's a draw, because it's free. But still.
Entree with chicken was a bit pricey at $17. But still good. It was like $16 for a medium pizza. Kind of steep if you ask me. It's like $1 a topping or something. And they don't have smalls.
All in all, this place is still the same to me - acceptable, and I'll probably go there more often since half of Peterborough burnt down last month :'(. It still leaves a nagging feeling though.
I live across the street so I'm sure I'll be frequenting this place in the future, but I wasn't… Read more »
We get delivery from here all time for work. Great pizzas (love the Greek pizza and bbq chicken) Great service and decent prices. I just had 2 slices---yum!
Neighborhood: Fenway
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Fenway
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Fenway
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Fenway
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Allston/Brighton
Category: Italian
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Take the #55 bus from Copley to Fenway. This small…
These places, the proud, the few, have been deemed…
Here's where my buddies and I like to go before…
My visit to Boston, MA from July 31 to Aug 7,…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
I LOVE pizza. Cheese HATES me. How will we…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
