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A close-up photo of meatballs in marinara sauce sitting in a white bowl.
The calamari meatballs at the Daily Catch in the North End.
Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Where to Eat in Boston’s North End

The best bakeries, pizzerias, and restaurants in the Hub’s Little Italy

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The calamari meatballs at the Daily Catch in the North End.
| Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Boston loves Italian food, and there’s no better neighborhood to find the stuff than the North End. In this hub of marinara, a diner can find handmade ricotta gnocchi, margherita pizza, arancini, veal saltimbocca, and so much more. The old Italian proverb “chi mangia bene, vive bene” (which translates roughly to “those who eat well live well”) is a way of life for restaurants and diners in the North End.

From Hanover Street to Salem Street to North Square Park, this neighborhood boasts an incredibly high concentration of Italian American restaurants, trattorias, delis, and bakeries. One can wine and dine in style over an eight-course dinner or casually snack on pizza and cannoli while sightseeing.

Start your exploration of the North End with these excellent spots.

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Table Boston

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From its humble beginnings as a sneaky outpost towards the end of Hanover St, chef-owner Jen Royle has shot Table to the top of the North End food scene for its unorthodox approach to dining. Dinner is served family-style over seven courses (which might include limoncello shrimp, homemade tortellini, and torta al burro for dessert), Wednesday through Saturday. There’s also a six-course Sunday supper, which makes you feel as if you’re at an Italian nonna’s kitchen table. The Sunday supper might feature dishes like ricotta gnocchi and pollo alla milanese, and meals appropriately have sorbetto breaks to prepare eaters for the next course.

Next door, sibling shop Table Mercato offers a wide selection of house-made and imported goodies, and Table Caffé serves coffee and homemade gelato across the street.

Regina Pizzeria

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A tried and true North End hot spot, Regina has been dishing out some of the city’s best pizzas for almost a century. Original owner Luigi D’Auria brought the flavors of Naples to Boston when he opened Regina in 1926. (D’Auria eventually sold Regina to the Polcari family in 1946.) Regina’s pies are cooked in the same oven that they were all those years ago — it was coal-fired in the beginning but switched to gas in the 1930s — and are known for having a charred outer crust and dough that ferments for up to six days. There are multiple locations around greater Boston, but the best way to experience Regina is sitting at its booths (or its bar) in the North End.

The exterior window of the original Regina Pizzeria location in Boston’s North End includes red and green neon signage that says “Regina,” as well as printed red, green, and white signage reading “Pizza to Go,” “Pizzeria Regina,” and “Beer & Wine.”
The original Regina Pizzeria location in Boston’s North End.
Terrence B. Doyle/Eater Boston

Bova's Bakery

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That feeling when it’s 2 a.m. and you need pizza, cannoli, calzones, arancini or all of the above... not to worry, Bova’s Bakery is open. Since 1926, Bova’s has been the go-to spot of the neighborhood, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Bova’s selection is a smorgasbord of all things Italian — there’s biscotti, cuccidati (Sicilian fig cookies), calzones, pizza, sandwiches, Champagne cookies, and an overwhelming selection of other baked goods.

The must-order, however, is Bova’s Florentine cannoli: A thin, Florentine-style cookie is shaped into a cylinder and pumped full of sweet ricotta cheese. The crown for the best cannoli in the North End is up for debate, but Bova’s is in the conversation.

View of a pastry case in an old-fashioned Italian bakery, with rows of cannoli and other treats behind glass.
Bova’s Bakery’s pastry case, including cookies, cannoli, eclairs, and more.
Katie Chudy/Eater Boston

Bencotto

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The name of this southern Italian-inspired restaurant translates to “well-cooked.” With origins in Sicily, Bencotto’s menu centers around Mediterranean-style seafood dishes with some inspiration from Italian American cuisine. If pizza is more your thing, Bencotto serves it up two ways: Roman-style with a crispy crust and a bit of char, and Neapolitan-style, with a fluffy crust that is yeasty and slightly charred. Sample a couple of pizzas along with a few of the antipasti, like the shrimp Grand Marnier, asparagus frittata, and pumpkin ravioli with crispy pancetta in brown butter sage sauce.

La Famiglia Giorgio's

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“It’s like being at Nonna’s” is printed on the menus at La Famiglia Giorgio’s. What sets the Roman-inspired restaurant apart is the quality of its fresh pasta. Everything is good here, but “Little Al’s favorite,” which consists of chicken cutlet, broccoli, and gnocchi tossed in a pink vodka sauce, is compulsory. Classics like chicken and eggplant parmesan are among the best versions in the city. La Famiglia Giorgio’s wine list is vast, with hundreds of bottles to choose from. A note on accessibility: The entrance has two steps.

Mike's Pastry

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When it comes to Boston’s best cannoli, everyone has an opinion. Some say Modern (see below), but others swear by Mike’s. Whichever you prefer, you can’t really go wrong. Fair warning: You will absolutely have to wait in line at Mike’s. This is the original, but one can find other locations at Somerville’s Assembly Row development, in Cambridge’s Harvard Square, and at the Hub Hall food hall in Boston’s West End.

A pastry case in an old Italian shop features several rolls of cannolis. A white box with blue text that reads Mike’s Pastry sits atop the case.
Mike’s Pastry.
Katie Chudy/Eater Boston

The Daily Catch

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The name says it all. There’s good pasta, and there’s good seafood, and then there’s the Daily Catch. The Daily Catch was originally opened by North End local Paul Freddura, who initially named this hole in the wall on Hanover Street the Calamari Café (apt, given that its calamari is perhaps the best in the city). Squid still plays a big part at the Daily Catch, especially in the dishes served with squid ink pasta. The black linguine carries with it the slightly briny, umami taste of the sea and goes great with aglio olio. For more than 45 years, the seafood at the Daily Catch has been sourced locally from fishmongers at the Boston Fish Pier, which is less than a mile away. There’s also a location on Boston’s waterfront and another in Brookline.

The Lobster Fra Diavolo is served in a large frying pan at The Daily Catch in the North End.
Lobster Fra Diavolo at the Daily Catch.
Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Caffe Vittoria

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After you’ve feasted at your favorite trattoria or walked up and down Hanover Street browsing pastry-filled windows, you’ll want to step into Caffe Vittoria for a cappuccino. Decorated with vintage espresso machines, celebrity photos, and memorabilia from the Bel Paese, Caffe Vittoria has been serving coffee and pastries since 1929. There’s an unwritten rule in Italy that mandates cappuccino should not be ordered in the afternoon — but this isn’t Italy. Enjoy a cappuccino, tiramisù, or an affogato– hot espresso poured over creamy gelato. For those who want something a little boozy, the babà rum cake is a good choice with Neopolitan origins.

Mamma Maria

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In the intersection of classic red-sauce dining and Boston’s historic old charm, find Mamma Maria, an exemplary model of good food in Boston. Overlooking the cobblestones of Boston’s oldest city square on North Street, Mamma Maria’s gorgeous storefront reels you in. As is done in Italy, expect an ever-changing menu — Mamma Maria focuses on seasonality, taking the best from what the local markets have available, like pumpkin for their pumpkin gnocchi with sea scallops. The bar is not to be missed, featuring artisanal cocktails with local liqueurs, including Boston’s own Black Infusions vodka.

Carmelina's

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Carmelina’s has massive windows that open directly to Hanover Street and a beautiful open kitchen. Its “Sunday macaroni” is served every day and comes with meatballs, sausage, and beef rib in a tomato sauce finished with a dollop of whipped ricotta. It is the star of the show at Carmelina’s, which aims to serve “traditional Sicilian comfort food with a Mediterranean twist.”

Closeup overhead view of a plate of mussels in a red sauce with a green herb garnish
Mussels at Carmelina’s.
Carmelina’s

Galleria Umberto

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Tip: Get to Galleria Umberto on the earlier side, because once it sells out of its Sicilian-style square slices and fist-sized arancini, the doors shut for the day. This is some of the best pizza in the city, or anywhere. This very casual spot is open for lunch Monday through Saturday.

A slice of cheese pizza and an open arancino, stuffed with rice, cheese, beef, and peas, on a simple round metal tray.
Arancini and a slice of cheese at Umberto.
Terrence B. Doyle/Eater Boston

Ristorante Limoncello

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Tucked away on the less-frequented North Street, parallel to the notorious Hanover Street, Limoncello is a must-eat destination within the North End’s food scene, perfect for date nights, family get-togethers, or the single diner looking for the company of a good meal. Limoncello excels at setting the ambiance of how Italians really eat: Start with some wine, their Calabrian-style antipasto, then move onto the main attraction of “Rosette Al Montasio,” homemade pappardelle arranged like roses and cooked with prosciutto, cheese, tomato, and truffle. Of course, it all ends with a shot of homemade limoncello.

Modern Pastry

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Modern is hard to miss, with its neon sign and brightly lit windows showing off cannoli, cakes, and other sweet treats. The cannoli at Modern are piped with ricotta filling fresh to order — a key factor that sets it apart from its touristy neighbor previously mentioned. Modern is also home to the city’s best lobster tail, which is a take on sfogliatella, perhaps the most famous dessert from Naples. Pair your baked goods with a cappuccino, and take some tiramisu and/or amaretto cake for the road. There’s a location in Medford, too.

Neptune Oyster

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It’s hard to write anything about Neptune that hasn’t already been written. There’s going to be a line, you’re going to have to wait in that line, but after you wait in that line, you’re going to have one of the best meals you can possibly have in Boston. And yes, the lobster roll is that good.

A lobster roll with a side of fries and ketchup sits on a white plate on a marble bar.
Neptune Oyster’s hot lobster roll with butter.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

The bread at Bricco Panetteria is the main draw to this group which includes a restaurant, salumeria, and the aforementioned panetteria. But the restaurant itself serves excellent contemporary Italian cuisine, and the salumeria has great prepared foods — and the city’s best panini.

Sausages hang from the ceiling above a pastry case filled with meats and cheeses.
Bricco’s salumeria.
Bricco

Mare Oyster Bar

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Mare is the Italian word for sea, and restaurateur Frank DePasquale brings the briny flavors of Italy to Boston at this chic oyster bar. The outdoor patio features a retractable roof for those hotter summer months, as well as fire pits that set the ideal ambiance for a date night. While the name-sake oysters are fantastically fresh, the menu stretches far beyond a raw bar. Tired of the numerous red-sauce spots saturating the neighborhood? Get the octopus positano — grilled octopus with burrata and basil pesto with eggplant a funghetto. Grappa and bourbon lovers will appreciate Mare’s extensive selection of nightcaps.

A sunny outdoor deck with long red banquettes, umbrellas, and outdoor firepits.
Outdoor firepits at Mare Oyster Bar.
Mare Oyster Bar

Table Boston

From its humble beginnings as a sneaky outpost towards the end of Hanover St, chef-owner Jen Royle has shot Table to the top of the North End food scene for its unorthodox approach to dining. Dinner is served family-style over seven courses (which might include limoncello shrimp, homemade tortellini, and torta al burro for dessert), Wednesday through Saturday. There’s also a six-course Sunday supper, which makes you feel as if you’re at an Italian nonna’s kitchen table. The Sunday supper might feature dishes like ricotta gnocchi and pollo alla milanese, and meals appropriately have sorbetto breaks to prepare eaters for the next course.

Next door, sibling shop Table Mercato offers a wide selection of house-made and imported goodies, and Table Caffé serves coffee and homemade gelato across the street.

Regina Pizzeria

A tried and true North End hot spot, Regina has been dishing out some of the city’s best pizzas for almost a century. Original owner Luigi D’Auria brought the flavors of Naples to Boston when he opened Regina in 1926. (D’Auria eventually sold Regina to the Polcari family in 1946.) Regina’s pies are cooked in the same oven that they were all those years ago — it was coal-fired in the beginning but switched to gas in the 1930s — and are known for having a charred outer crust and dough that ferments for up to six days. There are multiple locations around greater Boston, but the best way to experience Regina is sitting at its booths (or its bar) in the North End.

The exterior window of the original Regina Pizzeria location in Boston’s North End includes red and green neon signage that says “Regina,” as well as printed red, green, and white signage reading “Pizza to Go,” “Pizzeria Regina,” and “Beer & Wine.”
The original Regina Pizzeria location in Boston’s North End.
Terrence B. Doyle/Eater Boston

Bova's Bakery

That feeling when it’s 2 a.m. and you need pizza, cannoli, calzones, arancini or all of the above... not to worry, Bova’s Bakery is open. Since 1926, Bova’s has been the go-to spot of the neighborhood, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Bova’s selection is a smorgasbord of all things Italian — there’s biscotti, cuccidati (Sicilian fig cookies), calzones, pizza, sandwiches, Champagne cookies, and an overwhelming selection of other baked goods.

The must-order, however, is Bova’s Florentine cannoli: A thin, Florentine-style cookie is shaped into a cylinder and pumped full of sweet ricotta cheese. The crown for the best cannoli in the North End is up for debate, but Bova’s is in the conversation.

View of a pastry case in an old-fashioned Italian bakery, with rows of cannoli and other treats behind glass.
Bova’s Bakery’s pastry case, including cookies, cannoli, eclairs, and more.
Katie Chudy/Eater Boston

Bencotto

The name of this southern Italian-inspired restaurant translates to “well-cooked.” With origins in Sicily, Bencotto’s menu centers around Mediterranean-style seafood dishes with some inspiration from Italian American cuisine. If pizza is more your thing, Bencotto serves it up two ways: Roman-style with a crispy crust and a bit of char, and Neapolitan-style, with a fluffy crust that is yeasty and slightly charred. Sample a couple of pizzas along with a few of the antipasti, like the shrimp Grand Marnier, asparagus frittata, and pumpkin ravioli with crispy pancetta in brown butter sage sauce.

La Famiglia Giorgio's

“It’s like being at Nonna’s” is printed on the menus at La Famiglia Giorgio’s. What sets the Roman-inspired restaurant apart is the quality of its fresh pasta. Everything is good here, but “Little Al’s favorite,” which consists of chicken cutlet, broccoli, and gnocchi tossed in a pink vodka sauce, is compulsory. Classics like chicken and eggplant parmesan are among the best versions in the city. La Famiglia Giorgio’s wine list is vast, with hundreds of bottles to choose from. A note on accessibility: The entrance has two steps.

Mike's Pastry

When it comes to Boston’s best cannoli, everyone has an opinion. Some say Modern (see below), but others swear by Mike’s. Whichever you prefer, you can’t really go wrong. Fair warning: You will absolutely have to wait in line at Mike’s. This is the original, but one can find other locations at Somerville’s Assembly Row development, in Cambridge’s Harvard Square, and at the Hub Hall food hall in Boston’s West End.

A pastry case in an old Italian shop features several rolls of cannolis. A white box with blue text that reads Mike’s Pastry sits atop the case.
Mike’s Pastry.
Katie Chudy/Eater Boston

The Daily Catch

The name says it all. There’s good pasta, and there’s good seafood, and then there’s the Daily Catch. The Daily Catch was originally opened by North End local Paul Freddura, who initially named this hole in the wall on Hanover Street the Calamari Café (apt, given that its calamari is perhaps the best in the city). Squid still plays a big part at the Daily Catch, especially in the dishes served with squid ink pasta. The black linguine carries with it the slightly briny, umami taste of the sea and goes great with aglio olio. For more than 45 years, the seafood at the Daily Catch has been sourced locally from fishmongers at the Boston Fish Pier, which is less than a mile away. There’s also a location on Boston’s waterfront and another in Brookline.

The Lobster Fra Diavolo is served in a large frying pan at The Daily Catch in the North End.
Lobster Fra Diavolo at the Daily Catch.
Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Caffe Vittoria

After you’ve feasted at your favorite trattoria or walked up and down Hanover Street browsing pastry-filled windows, you’ll want to step into Caffe Vittoria for a cappuccino. Decorated with vintage espresso machines, celebrity photos, and memorabilia from the Bel Paese, Caffe Vittoria has been serving coffee and pastries since 1929. There’s an unwritten rule in Italy that mandates cappuccino should not be ordered in the afternoon — but this isn’t Italy. Enjoy a cappuccino, tiramisù, or an affogato– hot espresso poured over creamy gelato. For those who want something a little boozy, the babà rum cake is a good choice with Neopolitan origins.

Mamma Maria

In the intersection of classic red-sauce dining and Boston’s historic old charm, find Mamma Maria, an exemplary model of good food in Boston. Overlooking the cobblestones of Boston’s oldest city square on North Street, Mamma Maria’s gorgeous storefront reels you in. As is done in Italy, expect an ever-changing menu — Mamma Maria focuses on seasonality, taking the best from what the local markets have available, like pumpkin for their pumpkin gnocchi with sea scallops. The bar is not to be missed, featuring artisanal cocktails with local liqueurs, including Boston’s own Black Infusions vodka.

Carmelina's

Carmelina’s has massive windows that open directly to Hanover Street and a beautiful open kitchen. Its “Sunday macaroni” is served every day and comes with meatballs, sausage, and beef rib in a tomato sauce finished with a dollop of whipped ricotta. It is the star of the show at Carmelina’s, which aims to serve “traditional Sicilian comfort food with a Mediterranean twist.”

Closeup overhead view of a plate of mussels in a red sauce with a green herb garnish
Mussels at Carmelina’s.
Carmelina’s

Galleria Umberto

Tip: Get to Galleria Umberto on the earlier side, because once it sells out of its Sicilian-style square slices and fist-sized arancini, the doors shut for the day. This is some of the best pizza in the city, or anywhere. This very casual spot is open for lunch Monday through Saturday.

A slice of cheese pizza and an open arancino, stuffed with rice, cheese, beef, and peas, on a simple round metal tray.
Arancini and a slice of cheese at Umberto.
Terrence B. Doyle/Eater Boston

Ristorante Limoncello

Tucked away on the less-frequented North Street, parallel to the notorious Hanover Street, Limoncello is a must-eat destination within the North End’s food scene, perfect for date nights, family get-togethers, or the single diner looking for the company of a good meal. Limoncello excels at setting the ambiance of how Italians really eat: Start with some wine, their Calabrian-style antipasto, then move onto the main attraction of “Rosette Al Montasio,” homemade pappardelle arranged like roses and cooked with prosciutto, cheese, tomato, and truffle. Of course, it all ends with a shot of homemade limoncello.

Modern Pastry

Modern is hard to miss, with its neon sign and brightly lit windows showing off cannoli, cakes, and other sweet treats. The cannoli at Modern are piped with ricotta filling fresh to order — a key factor that sets it apart from its touristy neighbor previously mentioned. Modern is also home to the city’s best lobster tail, which is a take on sfogliatella, perhaps the most famous dessert from Naples. Pair your baked goods with a cappuccino, and take some tiramisu and/or amaretto cake for the road. There’s a location in Medford, too.

Neptune Oyster

It’s hard to write anything about Neptune that hasn’t already been written. There’s going to be a line, you’re going to have to wait in that line, but after you wait in that line, you’re going to have one of the best meals you can possibly have in Boston. And yes, the lobster roll is that good.

A lobster roll with a side of fries and ketchup sits on a white plate on a marble bar.
Neptune Oyster’s hot lobster roll with butter.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

Bricco

The bread at Bricco Panetteria is the main draw to this group which includes a restaurant, salumeria, and the aforementioned panetteria. But the restaurant itself serves excellent contemporary Italian cuisine, and the salumeria has great prepared foods — and the city’s best panini.

Sausages hang from the ceiling above a pastry case filled with meats and cheeses.
Bricco’s salumeria.
Bricco

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Mare Oyster Bar

Mare is the Italian word for sea, and restaurateur Frank DePasquale brings the briny flavors of Italy to Boston at this chic oyster bar. The outdoor patio features a retractable roof for those hotter summer months, as well as fire pits that set the ideal ambiance for a date night. While the name-sake oysters are fantastically fresh, the menu stretches far beyond a raw bar. Tired of the numerous red-sauce spots saturating the neighborhood? Get the octopus positano — grilled octopus with burrata and basil pesto with eggplant a funghetto. Grappa and bourbon lovers will appreciate Mare’s extensive selection of nightcaps.

A sunny outdoor deck with long red banquettes, umbrellas, and outdoor firepits.
Outdoor firepits at Mare Oyster Bar.
Mare Oyster Bar

Related Maps