Al Dente Ristorante Review

Out of this world food. True Italian quinine. Blown away by the taste. Fantastic service.

So the food here was delicious! I got the pumpkin ravioli and it was absolutely to die for! The only reason I'm giving it four stars is because the service wasn't fantastic.
When we got to the restaurant a woman blocked us from entering and had us wait outside while she talked to someone to I guess figure out if there was a table for us, but the place was basically empty so I don't know why that was necessary. We also asked for drink refills a couple of times before we finally were able to get a refill.
None of this was like the end of the world and the food was good so I'd still recommend coming here.

Best Italian food in North end. Don't miss out on eggplant rollatini. The vodka sauce is delicious too.

delicious food, friendly staff. a little or .i'd the way but worth the trip. and their lemoncello is freaking amazing!!!!

3.5 stars - Feel kind of rush by our server. She came multiple time asking us are we ready to order. Food is very good. Big portion side. Gave us a free limoncello based drink at the end of the meal.

Best italian food in north end!

Best spinach crepes I've ever had and best chicken cacciatore

Great seafood, fresh, delicious pasta

Great staff, friendly, attentive, make you feel like family

Always good fresh food. Great homemade pasta. Never get a bad meal here

Nothing fresh of all three dishes we ordered mussels, house special gnocchi (with mushroom), bolagnase. Very disappointed experience! The mussels tasted like they ere preserved for a while, the mushroom soggy, and pasta anything but al dente penne overcomes, some broken; gnocchi under cooked.

Food was amazing! Definitely recommend it to everyone. It's a small restaurant and it was very loud with everyone talking but the food makes up for it.
We had reservations on a Saturday night during a street party, so needless to say we had to wait a little longer (20-30min), but Mike at the door was great and was talking to us while we waited.

Pretty good, chicken parm was piping hot and tender, very tasty. Sauce was an B+, I like a more flavorful sauce and it was a little on the light side. Bread was kinda stale tbh. No olive oil to dip or nice butter just the packets.

Don't get fooled by the bad bread; food, wine and service are perfect

Great food, customer service, and wine pairings. I'd recommend making a reservation since the place is small. I personally had the lobster ravioli and will definitely be back for more.

There are better places in the North End. Try again.

The pasta cooked to perfection! Excellent service and outstanding food. Would highly recommend to anyone seeking authentic Italian food in Boston. We did a search for restaurants in the area and found this place on a whim. It was packed but we still had a great time. Grazie!

Amazing amazing amazing food....highly recommend this Italian restaurant

The worst meal I ever had in Boston during this trip. Fast food quality and service. All of us had to leave our plate half full.

So cozy and lovely. The waitress was a doll. Super personable. Definitely will be visiting whenever I am in the area.

Good food. The gnocchi al dente was delicious. The seating is a bit tight but what do you expect on the North side?

Absolutely amazing hidden gem Italian restaurant in the North End. I make sure I stop here every time I m in Boston. You can tell they put their heart in their traditional Italian cooking. All the sauces are homemade, vodka sauce is my favorite. Highly recommend the homemade fusilli. Large portion sizes, come hungry! Kind staff and great wine list. What more could you ask for?

Food was good waitress attitude sucked. Reflected in her tip

Good was OK, but not worth traveling for based on local Italian restaurants that are just ad good with a better atmosphere and much more parking. Getting to this location is not easy on crossed, narrow back street. Parking near it is impossible. Small and a little on the noisy side.

The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. You won't be disappointed.

We got takeout here and we were blown away by how good the food was. We shared the shrimp and calamari in Fra Diavolo sauce and it was superb. We also had the meatballs and they were delicious. Can t wait to go back!

Excellent! Great food, yummy homemade pasta, warm and welcoming staff! Mangia bene!!

Tasty, but a bit overpriced for the quality of food you get. Definitely try the meatballs though, they're really great! And if you're over 21, you get a nice little cup of limoncello at the end of tour meal.

We found Al Dente on Open Table and made a reservation. They called us the day before to verify that we were still coming. They have a classic North-End feel. The selection and price were amazing. My wife and I both enjoyed our meal. I'd recommend calling ahead / making a reservation. It looks like the wait can get long from 6:30 - 7:30. We would definitely eat here again!

Such a nice small restaurant in the North End. Excellent menu and everything is worth every penny! I can t wait to go back.

Favorite place to eat in Boston's north end. Great food and service.

Service was mediocre. We went for my birthday. They were told twice it was my birthday. The waitress didn't even say happy birthday. Ok I can get over that. But the food did not measure up. It was ok. But not for price. We got the "home made" pasta. It was doughy not "al dente". If you have another option, I would go with something else

Love their food and staff. Very reasonably priced too. Best value in the North End.

Food was amazing! Definitely recommend it to everyone. It's a small restaurant and it was very loud with everyone talking but the food makes up for it.
We had reservations on a Saturday night during a street party, so needless to say we had to wait a little longer (20-30min), but Mike at the door was great and was talking to us while we waited.

One of the worst meals i ve ever had. If you want terrible carbonara that s really just pasta with some cheese sitting in a pool of butter this is the place for you. No place should charge $18+ for such a pathetic excuse for food.

We enjoyed this authentic Italian experience in Old Boston. They had delicious salads, fresh-made pasta dishes, and fun service. All in an atmosphere that feels very much Italian and old Boston. I would recommend this to anyone looking for delicious Italian cuisine, with a good wine list, served in a fun and authentic atmosphere. I enjoyed the ravioli, my spouse enjoyed pasta carbonara, and our two children had other pasta dishes. They are very generous portions, so be wary if you don't come with us a salad appetite!

Great atmosphere, excellent service, and forever a customer

Best chicken Alfredo ever! Joanne and the atmosphere was authentic and delightful! Will definitely go back when I come back to town.

Great food and service. Very accommodating. Can make any dish gluten free. Annette is an awesome waitress. What you would want a server to be. Can't wait to go back.

Good Italian food for the North End experience. If you want to eat before 9:00 p.m. reservations are recommended if you don't want to wait a bit. After nine the crowd dies down. The dining area is small so seating can get a bit cramped. The tiny pour of limoncello that comes with the bill is a nice touch. I've never had a bad plate here. The wine list trends more towards the reds than white.

A place where fruit flies reside and join you for your meal.
Not sure if this was a recent thing for them.
The server was nice enough to waive our portion of the meal which came to the table when we requested we would like to leave.
Customer service was good and the server was helpful.
They have a decent selection of red & white wines and even found Mozart(an European chocolate vodka)

Service was great. I got the gnocchi with sausage added, and it was a little bland for my taste. My husband says his cheese lasagna was also bland.

The food was great, service needs a little bit improvement.

Their website doesn't tell you the parking address.
We had a reservation, but were about 15 minutes late due to parking. They say us at a table for 2 as we walked in with 1 chair on 1 end and 1 on the side.
Neither my wife or I was having it.
We walked across the street.

Showed up on a Saturday night at 8:30, no reservations but Joe put us on the list. Got a table 15 minutes later and we had a great meal and evening. Had the gnocchis and lobster pasta. Both were delicious and cooked just right.
Great ambiance in a family like setting.
I hope Marge is feeling better.

The portions are bountiful, the food is delicious! Must recommend the mussels and gnocchi ! Cozy atmosphere and the servers know their way around the menu, ask for Annette - she s amazing! Great wine recommendation, spot on for what I asked. Great experience, a must hit for italian.

The fresh pasta is unbelievable. Staff are very friendly. Highly recommend if you are looking for genuine Italian food.

It's crowded, small, and nothing really to look at BUT THE FOOD IS AMAZING! Reservations are a must WELL in advance! Get the fresh pasta! Superb!

Great food, clean establishment, fast service, decent prices. I'll be back.

Best chicken Alfredo ever! Joanne and the atmosphere was authentic and delightful! Will definitely go back when I come back to town.

Love this place. Excellent fresh pasta and food. Highly recommend.

Fresh and tasty, good salads and sandwiches. Very good location. Loved the food and atmosphere. Great.

Great food, clean establishment, fast service, decent prices. I'll be back.

Such good pasta! Great atmosphere, wonderful staff and even better food. Can't wait to go back some day!

This place is amazing! Large portions good food and a solid pasta! Amazing choice for the night, not a bad place I. North end, this place stays true to that statement!
Highly recommended! Service was so so, but food was delicious!!
Wine selection is good and well paired!

We were visiting from Texas and this food was fabulous! Would highly recommend!! The service was the best couldn't ask for better!!

Had the chicken eggplant parm. It was delicious. Food here is always delicious but I've notice that serving size is noticeably smaller than in the past.

A typical North End Italian place! I loved the servers and food runners. They were very kind, very considerate! The only complaint i has with this place was the seating and how crowded and small it was. People were running into each other all over. Food quality was amazing!

Service was great. I got the gnocchi with sausage added, and it was a little bland for my taste. My husband says his cheese lasagna was also bland.

My wife and I come all the way from Miami,Florida to eat here. This place is authentic Italian food and the staff is just incredible. Lobster ravioli is our favorite dish. Great area as well to walk around and enjoy Boston.

italian food and the atmosphere here is very good. Next time I'll be back with my friends. It has a nice interior. Food is like a restaurant in Jacksonville I loved.

Try one of the four homemade pastas with the vokda or alfredo sauce. You will not be disappointed. Great for those who like the hustle and bustle, fast paced feel.

Got the Gnocchi Al Dente and I LOVED IT!
Easy recommendation

Small, cozy italian food done right. The only downside about this resaturant, for me at least, was the seafood pasta options were a bit lacking, but what they do have is amazing.

The homemade pasta is great, quick excellent service

Great food. Would be 5 stars but the service is kind of rude at times.

Delicious food, huge portions! The staff are so friendly and make you feel like this is your own neighborhood restaurant. Small dining area with a casual space, a great little spot in the north end!

They graciously squeezed us in on a very busy night, and the food and service were excellent. I especially liked the Chicken Venensia!

You won't be disappointed... amazing Italian cuisine, awesome portions, friendly staff and great service... come hungry, leave full and ready for the game at the Garden! Their Peroni beer on tap is also as fresh as it gets. Loved this place, would definitely go again.

Food is amazing, service is great, only thing that can be improved is finding a way to help bigger parties settle the check. It was frustrating to have an incredible meal with friends end in a sour note trying to figure out the check since Al dente only allows up to 4 cards. Stop at the atm before dinner.

Excellent Italian. A normal lunch spot for me and or the work crew!

The customer service was amazing she got one shred of cheese on my plate when I didn t want extra cheese and offered to take it back. It is off the main road so it isn t touristy. Lisa is the best.

Horrible Italian food... just an edge above Olive Garden. Bad service. Al Dente? The pasta are overcooked! The pork chop had taste of refrigeratored ice, and the seafood saffron risotto had no saffron taste at all. Also, all other customers got the complementary dessert, but not our table... makes me wonder whether it has to do with some sort of color discrimination... hmmm... I wonder. But to be fair, even without this experience, the food itself deserves a 1. Avoid this place if you can.

Great atmosphere, excellent service, and forever a customer

great homemade pasta! been coming here for years and the service and food always lives up to expectations. fun place to take friends who want to explore the north end.

This place came highly recommended so we decided to have dinner here. It was a very disappointing experience! We came in an hour and a half prior to close and the servers seemed like they could not wait to get rid of us and close down for the night. The food was okay. A little too rich for our liking. The only thing that was decent was the Fra Diavolo. Everything else fell short. The Carbonara reeked of rotten cheese. Our party of 6 agreed that we should have gone elsewhere. The ambience is very dark and cosy. The restaurant does not seem to be very clean and so the darkness helps to conceal that. They sat us in a corner where it was very hard to get in and out, especially for those needing to go to the restroom. Not a fan.

Excellent food in large portions at a very reasonable price. Attentive service and fine hospitality. For a place just two blocks from the main drag in the North End, the place is worth finding.

Shrimp & Scallops a la Vodka --- phenomenal dish. Always a line at this place. Will be back nevertheless

The food is incredible and they offer a great spread. Even if you have certain dietary restrictions, they can usually accommodate to make something for you. The wait staff was really friendly and helpful. The area is small which makes for a crowded environment which could add to the experience for some. It also took about 30 minutes for us to get our table despite a reservation.

OMG SO GOOD!!!! I had the tenderloin meal and it was seriously AMAZING!!