Faccia a Faccia

We were surprised at how spacious the restaurant is for a place on Newbury. And just downstairs is bar pallino, a wine bar, which appears quite intimate. Although we enjoyed our meal, we concluded that some dishes were overpriced, some over salted, and others too small. Highlights were certainly the hamachi crudo, octopus, iberico secreto (we were lucky to have gotten the last one for the night before being sold out), and the branzino (the pesto and salsa verde was chefs kiss).The lamb ribs were actually really good as well.The sicilian crudo was extremely salty. The $48 price tag skirt steak was the smallest piece of steak ever served (aside from wagyu). It reminded me of two beef skewers. It had good flavor profile, but a little over salted as well. We also had the burrata, stuffed olives. For pastas, we got the agnolotti alla norma, maltagliati nerano, sweet corn risotto, and paccheri bolognese. All were good but were not blown away. For dessert, we got the affogato (can't go wrong), baked sorrentina (great for sharing), and panna cotta (tiny). All delicious. Espresso martini (comes dark, but can also accommodate for creamy).Dimas, our server was excellent. Had a great dinner overall.

If it's busy and you end up downstairs all the red wine including the Cabernet is pretty unpalatable. I had to muscle through a light colored grape juice they offered. Just because it's from Italy or France doesn't mean it's good. The only red wine you can drink is the Bordeaux and frankly I've had better. They need to rethink the wine list at both upstairs and downstairs in my opinion. I'm sorry to say that it was truly a struggle to find something decent. Tiramisu was really good as well as the focaccia bread no complaints on the food!

We were seated promptly at 5 pm and the dining room was not very busy. We ordered promptly and my 6 year old granddaughter's small plate of plain spaghetti arrived shortly after. Unfortunately, our entree of chicken Milanese took another 45 minutes to arrive, long after my granddaughter finished her dinner. The chicken was also dry and disappointing . When the bill arrived, I noticed an overcharge on a drink and the small side plate of kids spaghetti at $22 was overpriced. The manager adjusted the wrong charge but would not help us out on the pasta cost. Between the timing, a chipped water glass and lack of proper silverware, we left with a bad taste. Our waitress was lovely but we were not otherwise impressed. Will not be back.

A little on the pricier side, but the vibes of the outdoor patio and the food were both worth it! For gluten free people: mostly everything on the menu is (somehow) gluten free and absolutely delicious. Their GF pasta was great! Definitely would come back here on a date night.

Wow the food was amazing here. My favorite was surprisingly the squid ink pasta! The texture def was off putting at first but the taste was so good. The ravioli was delicious and the ribs as well. The tuna tartare wasn't your usual chip and dip style. It had a thin cracker layered with the tuna? It was different for sure. The service was wonderful our waiter was attentive and gave us the specials and recommendations. The ambiance is very loungey. Dim litted and very relaxing. They also have a bar downstairs which was fun to go to after dinner. A bit small tho but very cozy. Highly recommend !

A very cute Italian restaurant on Newbury street. Came here to celebrate a friend's milestone. The ambience is intimate, elevated but cozy - it seemed like a popular date night spot. We split a small plate and two entrees (the ravioli pasta and the steak). The presentation of all the dishes was lovely, and tasted high quality. Initially I was skeptical if we had ordered enough because the portion sizes look small, but it ended up being the perfect amount for two. The service was very attentive. A great spot if you're looking for a dinner option on the bougier side.

Truly incredible! The Bloody Mary was absolutely amazing, all homemade, fresh ingredients. We ordered many small plates and shared, all were to die for!

Food: Branzino was really soft inside and crispy outside. Went well with potatoes and salsa was delicious. Cacio e pepe: Way too salty for me unfortunately. The flavor was too strong for me and I felt like I wanted to pour water to dilute the saltiness. Overall, staff were friendly. Food was on bit pricier side.

The food is pricey but (mostly) delicious! We had a weekday night reservation and got seated right away. Ambiance is perfect for a date or gals night. Food came out promptly, and service was good throughout the night. We ordered way too much food for 2 people, but it was nice to try so many things!Starters- Grandma bread: yummy pesto focaccia. Wish it were free though.- Carcioffi fritti: skip it. Just some fried stuff that we couldn't finish. Needs a sauce for dipping.- Lamb ribs: my favorite dish of the night. So tender and slightly sweet with the date BBQ sauce. Pastas- Squid ink trottle: get this! The cheesiness/creaminess mixed with the perfectly al dente pasta was chef's kiss.- Sweet corn risotto: SKIP. A big portion but the flavor was very one-note: SALTY.Desserts- Baked sorrentina: the best! Loved all that toasted meringue. Quite large so I'd recommend sharing this.- Rhubarb hibiscus gelato: tasted more like vanilla than anything else. Wish it had more rhubarb flavor.- Tiramisu: did not try as I don't like coffee. My partner could not finish it though.

Shared the Farmer's Market salad, Maltagliate Negrone pasta dish and Chicken Milanese and they were all phenomenal. The portions were massive which made the pricing significantly better, and the service was quick and reliable. The aesthetic of the restaurant was chill and relaxed, yet elegant. It would be great for drinks with friends, dates, or a work meeting if earlier in the day as it had gotten quite dark once the sun went down. I'm shocked this only had 3.7 stars.