Tonino

This is my fourth review of this place in the last couple of years. I haven't been here in months, and second I have a seat at the bar, the owner, Luke, calls my name. It was five o'clock, and he took the time to say hello to me while prepping for what was obviously going to be a busy evening.The food is spectacular, and everyone goes so far out of their way to make you feel welcome. This isn't something for which you can pay an employee. This is character. The Tagliggo Cappelletti is their signature dish. I also had the evening's special. 'AOP' Oil, Garlic and Chilli in Tomato Confit.This is the best Italian restaurant in Boston. Trust me, I've tried them all.Check out my Facebook group:Great Expections: Boston's Best Restaurants.

A truly amazing place. The breads are definitely a must, my favorite being the pepperoni and hot honey. It's crunchy and soft somehow just a great starter. The peach salad is super refreshing, using all local veggies. Seems like you can't go wrong with any pasta there but my favorites are the Taleggio Cappelletti (Make sure to eat them whole!) and the Chitarra & Clams. BUT...Do not leave without having The Cheesecake!The starters and entrees and nothing compared to this cheesecake. This cheesecake haunts my dreams. I go through my life just waiting for another opportunity to have this cheesecake. I cannot stress enough how sweet refreshing and fluffy this cheesecake is. ...The Cheesecake

Wow! After our visit last night, Tonino has secured a place in my top 5 restaurants in Boston.The restaurant is a bit hard to find as there are no major signs outside, which almost makes it feel like a little secret. The interior is very cozy and dimly lit, with small tables next to each other. We were greeted by an amazing hostess and our server for the night. Her service was impeccable: engaging, friendly, not overbearing, and extremely knowledgeable about both the food and beverage menus. Here is a breakdown of all the food we ordered:Sugar Snap Caesar: A refreshing, elevated version of a Caesar salad. The salted ricotta along with the garlic breadcrumbs added a very nice flavor and texture to the crunchy sugar snap peas. This was one of our favorite dishes of the night.Pizza Bianca: A deconstructed pizza consisting of crusty bread served with warm ricotta cheese drizzled with hot honey. The sweetness from the hot honey complemented the lemony ricotta well.Countneck Clams: A savory combo of clams and guanciale served in a delicious Calabrian chili garlic sauce topped with basil. More than the clams, I thought the guanciale was the real highlight of this dish. A great dish, but a bit more basil or a side of bread would have helped balance the saltiness.Taleggio Cappelletti: A burst of warm, savory taleggio cheese balanced with the light sweetness from the aged balsamic drizzle. Perfection! Definitely a must-order.Tiramisu: A small bite of traditional tiramisu enhanced by cocoa bits on top. Sweet but not overly sweet. The perfect way to end the night.We truly had a wonderful experience during our visit. Tonino is definitely worth the trip, and we can't wait to come back and try other items from the menu.

All the well-deserved buzz won't prepare you for how truly incredible this place is -- everything is so thoughtful, considered and delicious. I was in town for a special reunion trip with my mom and Tonino was the perfect cherry on top to make it all the more perfect a time. We couldn't believe how lucky we were to snag reservation through Resy waitlist. Everyone was so kind and thoughtful -- it's such a skill to make everyone feel included, valued and appreciated, especially when it's a packed house on a busy weekend night. Our server offered to put together a pizza bianca dip sampler for us because we couldn't pick just one dip, and someone offered us drink menu/wine list while we sat waiting for our table to be ready, which was so dang thoughtful and really sweet. The taleggio cappelleti with aged Balsamic was everything I dreamed of -- and salivated over -- and more, my only regret is not having a bigger stomach to eat more after finishing that and our appetizer as my mom's dish, the cavatelli with broccoli rabe, pecorino and Italian sausage was incredible too and desserts sound amazing :) The eggplant caponata, ricotta with hot honey and stracciatella with whipped 'nduja, Calabrian chili and basil dips are all individually worthy of writing home about, we literally licked our plates clean. Can't wait to make it back and save room for dessert, fingers crossed we make it back up to Boston soon. Thank you to everyone at Tonino for making a special weekend all the more memorable and lovely, my mom and I are both so delighted and earnestly grateful to all of the team behind such a wonderful, welcoming and lovely spot

I have walked by this place a zillion times in my neighborhood but never prioritized making it here and now I'm not sure why I haven't.This was EASILY one of the best meals I've had in awhile. Every single bite and sip was outstanding. The service was truly second to none; the staff is knowledgeable without sounding stuffy (which I appreciate deeply). It's almost 24 hours later and I am still thinking about the pizza. Going forward, I am definitely going to prioritize heading over here for special occasions and the occasional splurge.

Some of the best Italian food I had in Boston, probably top 5. Tonino really blew my mind and every dish was so flavorful, tasty, and cooked perfectly.The place is small and intimate so I would recommend reservations. It has a really nice neighborhood restaurant feel. I got to have a slice of pepperoni and hot honey pizza, the rigatoni, cavatelli, and countneck clams. The pizza was incredible, really crispy and flavorful. The clam appetizer was also incredible - Tonino has some of the best guanciale I ever had. Whoever decided to include guanciale with the clam dish is a genius. Both pastas were incredible and it's hard to decide which one was better... so get both!

Looking forward to coming back soon! My partner and I shared a whole Margherita pizza, whole eggplant & ricotta pizza, slice of pepperoni & hot honey, and tiramisu -TASTE: 4/5 - favorite pizza was the eggplant & ricotta, followed by the salty pepperoni & hot honey. All of the pizzas were topped w tasty basil. Excited to sample the pastas next time TEXTURE: 5/5 - never had Sicilian-style pizza before, and really enjoyed the change of a focaccia-like crust; the middle slices were easier and quicker to eat than the thick corner slices though lol.The tiramisu popped off, starting w its plating in a bowl lol and featuring a thick mascarpone filling and generous shaved cocoa, plus salt for a nice contrast, on top. I don't think any other tiramisus can compare now!PRICE: 4/5 - total came to $90 including a 5% kitchen appreciation fee, tax, and tipSERVING SIZE: 5/5 - the rectangular pizza was hearty, and we took half of our meal home for leftovers. Glad the pizzas come in whole (full pizza w eight slices) and slice (quarter pizza w two slices) optionsSERVICE: 4/5 - as stated on the website, reservations are two months out; we made our June 17 reservation via Resy back on April 19, and arrived at 5pm (opening) on a Monday. Our waitress was friendly and super helpful in describing the menu throughout our mealATMOSPHERE: 4/5 - narrow space w a lot of character; the art hanging on the walls even extends to the lovely bathroom. The tight space makes for close quarters w neighboring tables, heads up!PARKING: 4/5 - got a free street spot a block or two down on Centre St

Tonino is a GEM! The food is outstanding but it's the TEAM that makes the experience a perfect experience. I can't say enough about our visit. Make sure you get the ricotta and honey dip with the pizza Bianca. And make sure you order a few pastas 'cause they're all outstanding. If you're like me and hate sitting for too long they make their desserts in to-go formats. I don't even like tiramisu but you need to get it. It's the best dessert in Boston. Tens Tens Tens across the board.

Everything was amazing! Food, service, drinks. We are looking forward to coming back soon!

This actually might be one of my favorite restaurants of all time.I was lucky enough to have been in town when my Bostonian friend already had a reservation she made 2 months out. The server is incredibly friendly and attentive. The vibe is classy and intimate. Everything is on point. Cocktails are delicious, bread is delicious, pizza is delicious, pasta is delicious. Have you ever had the perfect amount of cheese burst in your mouth? Or taste mushrooms so flavorful they taste like they were sautéed on the pan seconds before? I really don't think you can go wrong with anything you order.