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Haymarket (Orange)
North Station (Orange, Green)
Government Center (Blue, Green)
Mon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Stopped in here before the Bruins game last night and was very impressed.
To start I had the soup of the day which was a lentil chestnut soup which was about 10 times larger than I was expecting. The flavor was very interesting as I certainly don't eat chestnuts very often. For my main course I had the Ravioli Di Fichi Con Maiale which was really good. The fig filling was a little sweet, but the pork was super moist. Definitely a great flavor combination. My dining companion had the Tagliatelle Bolognese which was one of the best bolognese I've had in Boston. In fact I was a bit jealous since it definitely turned out to be better than my selection was. We also had a nice bottle of Montepulciano which was reasonably priced. They don't offer desert or coffee so plan accordingly although I didn't mind as I was in a rush to get to the game.
Overall a great North End location that does not suffer from Hanover St overexposure. So it was reasonably priced, not crowded full of dumb ass tourists and actually had high quality food. Worth a return a visit.
The art of creating a masterful gnocchi is the ability to create a unique and flavorful little ball of potato dough that dances delicately across your tastebuds, but more importantly, what makes a gnocchi truly good is the way it is dissolves in your mouth. Teeth should only be used to eat gnocchi out of habit. True gnocchi should pop like a delicate ball of cotten in your mouth and lazily melt away. Terramia knows this and delivers the goods.
I loved this dining experience. Everyone was wonderful, from the sweet as molassas owner (her name escapes me) to the masterful cooks who whipped up such a delictable dinner.
I started off with something unexpected on an Italian menu, a delicious tuna tartar, a chilled lump of pink lovlieness served over plum tomatoes and cucumber salad. Quite wonderful indeed. The broccolli raab was a little bland and way too bitter. I couldn't finish it, but I guess something had to be imperfect. I won't hold it against them.
My gnocchi, as I described in the first paragraph, was not a dissappointment. They were served in a creamy mushroom sauce with some oh-so-yummy cheeses. My father had the special, a sea bass and scallops which blew my mind. The sea bass was seared with a crust of peppery goodness. The scallops were some of the best I've ever tasted. I'd forgotten how much I love scallops after eating these, but then I remembered how easy it is for restaurants to make lousy scallops.
Sadly, after such a wonderful meal, no coffee or dessert was offered. The owner apologized, digressed and sent us on our gingerly way to Modern Pastry for a cannolli which would blow my mind-but that's a review for another time.
The concierge at the hotel got a big, big top for suggesting one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever experienced.
Tiny place. Something like 12 tables.
Totally worth it. Their pasta is on the aldente side, which is not normally how I like it, but I've not had a bad meal here yet.
They serve white bean puree with theior bread which is pretty delicious. I've been happy with their ravioli, bolognese and their spaghetti. I love their service - their waiters are always really friendly and nice.
I am not a fan of red meat but the Tagliatelle Bolognese here is EXQUISITE, believe me I repeatedly tried to cook/imitate their version at home ( I do think heavy cream is the key)
People thought this was:
This is one of the more elegant places in North End. Dishes are creative, and it's not your typical red-sauce Italian. It's a tiny space, so try not to be seated right by the door.
The white bean puree to start is pretty addictive. The fried lobster fritters are highly recommended if you like lobster and fried crispy balls.
The "ravioli" offers a generous portion of seafood in between the pasta layers, and the lobster cream sauce is very decadent. Risotto was actually perfectly creamy and tasted like it had been cooked slowly and correctly.
This is one of the more unique places in North End - less touristy, with good quality food. It's very romantic and good for a date, though I wouldn't recommend going in a large group.
Last night the boy and I went to Terramia for our 1 year anniversary. We both looked at several north end restaurants before choosing Terramia.
We LOVED:
The Raviolini Aperto, which is basically a giant ravioli filled with scallops, shrimp, and drenched in lobster cream sauce and slivers of zucchini. This dish was absolutely delicious. The pasta was cooked PERFECTLY. Truly, I've never had such perfectly cooked pasta. This was our favorite part of the meal (24$).
We liked:
The cheeses in our antipasto. Creamy, delicious. We also got the torta, which is a goat cheese tart with caramelized onions, tomato, and shredded greens on top. The torta was a little heavy I thought, although the goat cheese was sooo good.
We didn't particularly care for:
The pollo. It was 26$ for a stuffed chicken breast atop mashed potatoes and spinach. The chicken was roasted well, but it wasn't seasoned very well and the potato mash was completely bland. garlic? salt and pepper? i don't know, just a few suggestions I guess. Waaayyy overpriced, but we expected that.
The wine. Wine list was pretty crappy. Our pino noir reflected that.
Other reasons for not tacking on the extra star include confusion about what waiter was ours (3 waiters introduced themselves and each told us the daily specials, we kind of sat there awkwardly waiting for someone to take our order), the overpricing, also I got gnocchi that was waaayyy too oily.
Overall though it as a pleasant experience!
People thought this was:
I think the food here is the best in the North End.
Amazing menu, good implementation. Lobster fritters had great presentation, but thought was just ok (lots of lobster, but why fry lobster). Halibut special was good though a tad too salty. Bread dip was great. Would certainly go again. Prices seemed normal for apps and pastas and pretty cheap for mains. Note, beer & wine only. Wines by the glass were all only $8, but not a big list maybe 4 reds and 4 whites.
Last night my husband and I spent our 8/11* anniversary at Terramia
Still wonderful, still beautiful, still a memorably fantastic evening.
We love their buffalo mozzarella, which is more of a burrata than a traditional moz. Creamy inside, perfect outside, super duper yummy!
I had it with a bit of antipasto (ask and you shall receive is the creed at Terramia!) and my husband had a very nice, very simple (the way we both like it) green salad, and together it was the perfect light starter.
For apps we had a sort of loose take on a ravioli- two sheets of fresh pasta filled with shrimp and scallops and covered in the most amazing lobster reduction blended with marscapone. Definitely the highlight of the meal! It was absolute perfection!
Our mains were great too, but after the lobster sauce love fest we were pretty stuffed so I feel like we couldn't really give them the attention they deserved :-)
8 years on and Terramia still gets a big thumbs up and five stars from this happy couple.
Yay!
One tip- If you are planning on going make sure you make a reservation or you probably won't get in.
*Quite literally 8/11- we were married 8 years ago, met 11 years ago :-)
People thought this was:
I love Terramia, full stop
We went there the night we got married for dinner, and we go there for…
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They started us off with a white bean puree in olive oil to spread on the bread, which was a nice light start to the meal.
A number of appetizers seemed to be dressed with a similar balsamic vinegar reduction. I enjoyed the fried vegetables that came with the lobster fritters ($18, served 5 to an order), but the fritters themselves were unexpectedly more fluffy than crispy, though filled with chunky bits of the crustasean.
The $24 plate of Raviolini Aperto (Giant Open Faced Ravioli with Sea Scallops, Shrimp and Fresh Zucchini in a Lobster Mascarpone Cream) consisted of two large sheets of al dente pasta sandwiching 2-3 each scallops & shrimp drenched in this yummy rich creamy lobster sauce. Oh yeah!
The $8 side plate of Broccoli Rabe was quite sizeable and well-prepared.
Went here for Restaurant Week and I enjoyed it. The pear and endive salad was very good, I liked my ravioli, and the swordfish and crab over mashed potatoes was tasty as well. Service was friendly and ambiance was cramped but cozy.
Docking a point because the bread was as cold as ice.
I wouldn't go back--but if you forced me to I would ONLY get the pasta and I would ask for tomato cream sauce AGAIN even though it's not on the menu and they rolled their eyes at me.
Not very good. Way too many other restaurants in the north end to try. Don't waste your time.
1. Frittelle Di Aragosta (lobster fritters).
These are supposedly their specialty--they were horrible. All we could taste was the oil it was fried in. 90% batter. Topped with a heaping pile of fried vegetable strings. Fried beyond vegetable recognition--tasted salty & fried, that was it. Balsamic glaze was bitter.
2. Torta (tomato, onion, goat cheese tart).
Very thick & sweet. Tasted like warm jam pie. Menu says it comes with a "micro sald"--that turned out to be 2 pieces of lettuce.
3. Spaghetti in tomato cream sauce.
This I ordered off the menu--thinking that an italian restaurant that makes fresh pasta and has tomato sauce could easily accomodate this request. They did, but after some eye rolling and fussing. As much as I hate to admit it, this was delicious. Pasta was very fresh, and the tomato sauce was creamy but not too thick.
4. Tagliatelle Bolognese (pasta with meat sauce.)
Salty. Again, the pasta was fresh and therefore great. But the meat sauce, which was supposed to be a mix of veal, beef & pork, was ordinary at best.
5. Decor/Ambiance. Romantic--tiny. We had the great misfortune of being seated next to an extremely loud man who was embarrasing his dinner date every second by asking nearby diners if he could try our meals, and then letting out an ear-piercing laugh that left you wondering whether that was supposed to be a joke or whether he really meant it. After the 4th outburst we just stared in disbelief.
6. Service. Poor. The waiter didn't spill anything or insult us, but he also put up a fight when I asked for spaghetti (which is on the menu) with a tomato cream sauce (which was not on the menu but come on--this is the north end, what italian chef can't whip this up?) Anyways, after complaining and rolling his eyes at me he disappeared for the night. He also complained when we said we'd like to order apps first and then order entrees after we finished the apps--romantic restaurant, date night, we thought we'd enjoy a leisurely dinner. Nope. This guy was all about turn and burn and get the next check in our seats.
It is my wont to spend New Year's eve eating a ridiculously good meal at a price I normally couldn't afford. I don't like to really eat like that the rest of the year, but New Year's is special. Plus, New Year's often has so much hype that I like to plan something unflappably good. For me, an amazing, special meal is always a good experience.
This year, I chose Terramia, a small and cozy Italian restaurant in Boston's North End that had solidly good reviews but that wasn't exorbitant. (In my mind, any meal that costs more than $100 per person before drinks and tips is exorbitant.) They had a prix fixe menu of four courses, including prosecco and an amuse bouche.
I know some people don't like prix fixe menus, but they appeals to me in two ways. One, I know from working in a restaurant that prix fixe meals make things a lot easier on staff, which I feel pretty good about on a holiday that everyone celebrates. Secondly, I like being surprised! There are always things on a prix fixe menu that I wouldn't choose for myself, but I tend to like almost anything, and I like the idea that the chef has given thought to exciting combinations for me.
In the case of Terramia, many of the courses had a choice, so my date and I swore solemnly that we would not order any of the same things, so as to be able to taste as many options as possible. It made choosing the wine tricky, but the meal was phenomenal.
The Amuse Bouche was a "Crostini Con Funghi," which meant toasted bread with mushroom spread on top. Although my date Catherine and I both tsked-tsked the size of the amuse (should be small enough to eat in one bite), we both really liked it. The goat cheese and truffle oil in the pistachio pesto didn't hurt.
For the Antipasti, Catherine had "Anatra" (no idea what that means--but it was smoked duck breast) while I had the "Zuppa Di Funghi E Castagne" (wild mushroom and chestnut soup with truffle oil and goat cheese). I liked Catherine's duck okay, but the soup changed my life. I'd never had chestnuts in a soup before! The whole thing was smoky and warm and creamy and basically utterly delicious.
For the Primi, Catherine went with the risotto (with rock shrimp and crab meat) and I dove into the homemade fig ravioli. Both quite good. The figs were a surprising sweetness, but they blended well with the pork and mushrooms. (If you're seeing a mushroom theme here, you're catching on to why I picked the place.)
For the Secondi, I went straight for the rack of lamb, which had all sorts of traditionally delicious things (caramelized onions, reduction, etc), though no mushrooms. Catherine had the Chilean Sea Bass, which I was pretty jealous of; normally I don't order seafood at non-seafood restaurants, since it's so often dry and flavorless. But Catherine's bass was amazing. Could have been the lobster reduction, but my personal hunch is that it was fresh and cooked to perfection.
For dessert, I was torn. The "Piastra del Formaggio" (cheese plate) sounded perfect, but that was what Catherine was itching for. The only other option was tiramisu, which I've never really liked. Too heavy. But we had this deal going not to order the same thing, so I bit my tongue and ordered it. Boy, was I glad I did. I have never, ever, ever eaten such delicious tiramisu! Everything was light and sweet and perfect. It practically floated up to my mouth. A delicious ending to a fantastic meal.
I went the other day and had an awful time. They sat a party of five at a tiny table for four, right in front of the door. Uh huh, knees-bumping and cold wind. Not a good start.
Then all their dishes with mushrooms had these little hard pits in them. Yeah, that's both my starter and main course. How can a restaurant not know that they're cooking pits into hard things that feel like bits of teeth in your mouth? The waiter wasn't even that concerned and just stood there saying "yup, that's what they are." Only after complaining to the manager did it come off the bill.
Finally, the lady at the next table, in my lap, was wearing buckets of nasty perfume and only after an acclimation period of about 15 minutes could I breathe naturally.
I want to believe all the good reviews, but I had a terrible experience here.
People thought this was:
Went to Terramia last night, with a few friends (it was my suggestion). I've lived in the North End for years and something about the outside of the place is not all that inviting (and there are so many other good places around) so I never made it before last night. But, I had heard some good things about Terramia lately (although surprisingly there aren't many reviews on Yelp) and decided to give it a try.
First things first, the food was very good. We each had something from the pasta section of the menu (risotto, ravioli, tagliatelle) and we split an antipasto for the table to start.
Now, for the not so good:
- The place is small and it lacks a certain North End charm, I think.
- The wine options by the glass were limited and we didn't order bottles because some wanted red & some wanted white.
- My biggest complaint though - the place is overpriced!
$23 for a vegetable risotto
$13 for a Caprese salad
$38 for a veal chop
$26 for chicken breast
And, they charge $10 per person for the family style antipasto.
Oh, and one other thing. They charge a 20% gratuity for parties of 5 or more (which we were). We would have tipped 20% anyway --- we always do. But, I was kind of put off by the fact that they automatically charge a 20% gratuity for our party of 5 when the standard everywhere else is to add 18% for a party of 6 or more.
So, although it was an enjoyable meal there are just too many other places in the North End that have better atmosphere and a better value. I don't see myself going back.
This was the best food I've ever had in the North End. The tiny place gives the best service and is very understated and off the beaten path.
People thought this was:
How can you rate a place "Average" if you say the food is excellent? It's small, the wine list is good, it's homely and intimate. My stomach loves it here.
People thought this was:
Actually, my husband's halibut was pretty good, but not $32 good. My artichoke ravioli was so-so at best. Very salty mushroomy sauce, with no hint of the truffle mentioned on the menu. Service was okay. Atmosphere is thoroughly unremarkable - they played bad pop music on a radio while we were there on a Sunday evening around 8 pm. Wine by the glass is a dismal selection. Bill was highly offensive considering all these things.
The best in the North End!! Everything from the food to the ambiance. Perfect for a romantic evening with your sweetheart or for a small party without really little kids. You can't beat the Lobster Tails with the raspberry vinaigrette for an appetizer...MMMMM. Of course you can enjoy the delicious daily specials too. Yea, it's a small menu but it''s a small restaurant!! There are 130 different Italian restaurants in the North End. I'm sure you can find a Chicken Parm somewhere else!!
People thought this was:
This is my absolute favourite place to eat. My boyfriend and I are regulars and will fight anyone who attempts to sully its name. Authentic dishes made properly are hard to find, but Terramia serves it up with knowledgeable hosts and a romantic atmosphere. If you love your honey, take them to Terramia. You won't have to say a word, but they'll know you love them.
People thought this was:
I took clients here once and they loved it. I thought it was nice, but there is no waiting space as it is a very small place. We had to wait outside since they were running late. Thank God it was summer! Food was good but a bit pricey. I prefer Prezza or Ristorante Fiore.
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Hands down, one of the best Italian places in the North End. Try the Bistecca or the Pork.
Neighborhood: North End
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: North End
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: North End
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North End
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North End
Category: Italian
Green Tea, The West Side Lounge, La Luna Cafe,…
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