Ristorante Saraceno

We had a delightful experience at Saraceno welcomed by Franco el capo di capi when it comes to knowledge of Italian pasta. My wife and I dropped off our son to College and wanted to celebrate the event going to one of the very best Italian in the North End. We were not disappointed. We started with two Proseccos then a some fried calamari. I love the tagliatelle con Sarde. They made it with a tomato based fragrant sauce with onions, fennel, raisins, pine nuts, anchovies, sardines, and olive oil. I was absolutely perfect. The pasta a la vongole with white wine was also to die for. Service was very pleasant and attentive. The atmosphere was the best as we were sitting in the front spoke to everyone around us who were all natives from Boston and returning customers. The food was amazing. We will be back! Mille grazie Franko!

As a frequent customer who's been to this restaurant at least 8 times, I have been disappointed the last couple of times I've gone, but this last experience was likely the strangest dining experience I've ever had. We had a reservation for 2 for a Saturday night date night and we dressed up for the occasion. We were lead up to the 3rd floor after walking past many available tables on the 2 main floors. The 3rd floor unfortunately is a completely different ambience, it was no longer nice white table clothes or a dimly lit romantic atmosphere, we ate on picnic table red and white checkered clothes with mismatched colored napkins etc, but I shrugged it off, trying not to be disappointed. We were the only people up there and it was dead quiet w/o music or chatter, which was odd, but I hoped that more people would eventually be sat up there to fill the eerie silence. I tried to stay positive and told myself that we got a "private dining experience". But then the waitress hovered us while we looked at and discussed the menu, standing about 3 feet behind my partner staring at me intensely, waiting for us to pick our choices and listening. I found it very difficult to focus and discuss choices but just picked as quickly as I could so we could move on. Once we ordered I was relieved because I thought we might get a little privacy but she stood there staring at me the entire 1.5 hours, listening to every word of our conversation, watching me eat every single bite of my meal. She left twice for about 30 seconds each time. Every time I looked up she was staring at me and again, she was only 3-4 feet away. No one else was ever seated up on the 3rd floor with us. I felt so incredibly uncomfortable, and we could not have any intimate conversation because she was clearly eavesdropping everything. There was a place for her around the corner where she could have sat while we ate to give us some time to enjoy the meal but she stayed put and stared directly at me the whole time, watching me. I kept nervously looking at her between bites hoping she would get the clue but she didn't. I'm still shaken up that this experience wasn't a dream, or a nightmare, and don't know that I'd go back there again for fear of this happening again. The food was decent and came out pretty quick, which was nice!

Food was delicious!!!! Been here twice now and got the tortellini both times! Definitely recommend making a reservation ahead of time because they can get busy. Very cute family owned vibe. The space is small but there are multiple levels which is cool too. Portions are a bit on the smaller side, so it is a little pricey but good overall. Also, if driving, I recommend parking in the Haymarket parking garage and validating at one of the North End restaurants! 3 hours and less it comes to $3 and just a short walk away.

Easy to find better...Simply, a lot of misses all around. While we wanted at least one of the dishes to sing, nothing did: stuffed mushrooms were uninspired (and we didn't get the ones we'd ordered), the tomatoes in the burrata weren't ripe enough, and neither dish was anything to write home about. The decor is, well, what's the word? Kitschy, I guess. What's more, there is no check in... I came in at my reservation time, stood inside the doorway, and it was :10m until a waiter, anyone made any eye contact with me (which was when I went to find someone, I bumped into the host who looked like she walked in off the street). You can do better than this for great pasta in the North End. I wish them well...

Came here after work with some coworkers and received exemplary service, even with such a huge party (almost 20 people!). The free bread and butter was delicious and our waiters were very sweet. The food was on the pricier side and the portions are smaller than your standard Italian place. Don't expect to be full if you want to split a plate but the dishes were all super delicious which validated the price. My personal favorite was the shrimp carbonara, which I highly recommend for any creamy pasta lovers !!!

We were in Boston with friends and multiple small children and decided that pasta in the north end would work for the kids. We selected Ristorante Saraceno because it had room for 7 at an earlier time so kids wouldn't need to be up so late. On entering and being taken to our seat, it was a long walk down stairs and through multiple rooms. We were put in the back of the basement room. This was nice because there was no one else so we didn't need to worry about the kids being loud. But the ceiling was extremely short and made me claustrophobic. The seafood pastas were good but the wines on the list were the wrong vintage. The wine that we did get wasn't great as it wasn't aged enough for a baralo. However after letting it breathe some, it was more astringent and becoming like vinegar. I don't think that the wine was carefully stored and might have been exposed to higher temperatures.

Made reservations, the owner was so incredibly rude and pushy. Did not even ask our names. We were brought down to a basement crammed with cheap tables, no moving air and the air so thick it was hard to breath. October in Boston, cold and raining outside it was so stiflingly hot that we asked to be moved to any other space in the restaurant. We were told "I have to ask the owner" and the owner quickly said no...meanwhile we watched multiple parties be seated. Eventually we left after being ignored by staff and treated so awfully. Not worth the experience for the low rated food anyway. Absolutely not a restaurant owner I want to support. We ended up at villa Francesca across the street. Sat at the bar because the tables were booked but it had lovely ambiance, very friendly and attentive staff and beautiful food.

Not worth the price! The food was mediocre and the restaurant was cramped. Do not recommend!

Food was a big disappointment. Pasta overcooked and mushy and overall just meh. Over priced for the quality, or rather lack there of.

Authentic Italian restaurant. Friendly staff and owners sat with their customers. Definitely a family environment.