A Foodie's Guide To Boston's Historic North End

The North End is Boston's oldest residential neighborhood that's home to some of the city's richest history and best restaurants. Immigrants from all over the world put roots down in this storied waterfront area bringing culture and vibrancy to the city. By 1920, Italians made up about 90 percent of residents which gave rise to the nickname Little Italy.

Unsurprisingly, Italians made significant impacts on the North End's culinary culture. Many of its restaurants serve Italian cuisine or some variation of it. Aside from the tourist traps, this is the place to be if you're looking to indulge in some of the best meals in Massachusetts.

Some of its restaurants have even been named among the best in the entire country. The food in the area is so good that there are several food tours you can take to explore the scene. If food tours aren't your thing, you could just check our foodie's guide to the North End.

Countless news outlets all hail Mamma Maria as one of the North End's most iconic eateries. Time Out named it an "Ultimate Meal" in Boston, while Opentable listed it as one of the city's most romantic restaurants, giving it a five-star rating. Sitting just above what's possibly the oldest public square in the United States, you'll get sweeping views of streets where residents like Paul Revere and a very young Rose Kennedy roamed in earlier times.

The dining room in this restaurant is elegant enough for date night and relaxed enough for an evening of celebration. Mamma Maria offers seasonal, frequently changing menus of authentic Italian dishes made from simple ingredients sourced locally within New England. Winter and fall will reflect Northern Italian cuisine, while warmer months are heavier with seafood and evoke Italy's Southern region.

The roster of dishes looks as beautiful as it tastes and includes items like the white truffle pasta, a spaghetti alla chitarra in a Piemontese carbonara sauce topped with egg and generously laced with Alba white truffles, or the Osso Buco, which is also made in Northern Italian style and paired with saffron risotto. Lighter plates include the mozzarella and warm tomatoes with Apulia-crafted buffalo milk mozzarella, basil, and confit tomatoes. Make sure you save room for some of Mamma Maria's dulcet desserts, like the teacup cannoli with pistachio ricotta filling and fresh biscuit handcrafted by its pastry chef.

Bricco's innovative boutique Italian menu and carefully curated wine lists please palettes of even the most seasoned foodies. You'll also find some great cocktails here at its lively bar. Its espresso martini — oft-cited as one of Boston's best — reigns supreme in the North End with an icy layer over creamy perfectly shaken spirits. It is a boozy gift from above.

Bricco offers impressive plates of handcrafted pasta like its ricotta pillows with mushrooms and gnudi ricotta tossed with a truffle butter that will make you swoon. Entrees are equally enticing with offerings like veal valdostana which comes with a veal chop that's stuffed with pancetta and fontina and a side of twice-baked Yukon gold potatoes and oyster mushrooms. If you're looking for desserts, Bricco's are nothing short of perfect with confections like blueberry cheesecake or a trio of homemade sorbetto.

Yelpers, who gave the establishment a four-star rating, regularly praise Bricco's attentive and knowledgeable waitstaff. "Such a charming and well-thought-out restaurant! Wolmar served us and he was absolutely amazing. He brought us an amazing wine recommendation that we all loved. The pasta was incredible and very fresh. You could tell it was made in-house that day. ... I can't say enough good things about this place, you have to try it! If you need a wine recommendation you know who to ask," an elated customer wrote.

Customers have no qualms about waiting online for some of New England's freshest seafood at Neptune Oyster. It was named one of the top three most exciting restaurants in America by The New York Times, as one of America's best oyster bars by Food and Wine, and among the "21 Best Seafood Restaurants in America" by New York Post. This raw seafood bar and restaurant has wait times that can be several hours even after being open for more than two decades. Inside you'll find a tight-fit dining room filled with an often-energetic crowd.

The East Coast oysters are a revelation with several varieties, while their Maine lobster rolls will have you thinking about them for the rest of your life. The menu is filled with delightful dishes like the Neptune johnnycake, a cornmeal fried pancake topped off with Boston smoked bluefish, honey butter, and sturgeon caviar, or the Georges Bank sea scallops with duck confit, wild mushrooms, Chatham kelp butter, and Tuscan kale.

"The oysters are a SHOW STOPPER!! Each had a different taste but the most fresh you'll ever get. My husband and I tried every oyster. They give a generous amount of lime with cocktail sauce and horseradish. And the vinegar. The oysters are 100% our favorite in the area. We also tried the lobster bisque. The presentation was beautiful and it tasted just as good. Very creamy and the lobster was fresh. A must try," a customer on Yelp, where Neptune Oyster has four and a half stars, wrote.

The small and simple dining room at Giacomo's North End is almost always packed with satisfied or soon-to-be satisfied customers. Named as one of the 20 best Italian restaurants in the U.S. by Tasting Table, this dining room is a cozy and laidback space perfect for a family dinner. The menu's classic Italian dishes with hefty portions are very rich; remember to loosen your pants before you sit down to eat. 

The offerings may be customary, with appetizers like eggplant rollatini and entrees like chicken parmigiana, but they are faultless. You'll keep coming back over and over for the daily specials and fresh homemade pasta covered in drinkable sauces like the garlic cream sauce over fettuccine with peas and prosciutto.

You'll find countless photos on social media of happy faces of friends and family dining with their loved ones right before they dig in. You can tell this place is a good time. Giacomo's has a four-and-a-half-star rating on Tripadvisor and four-star rating on Yelp.

Amongst a sea of seafood and slices, Crudo definitely stands out in the North End with its sushi and nouveau Japanese menu. Not only is it a welcome addition for hungry patrons looking for diversity, but it's also just really good. Its bi-level dining room houses two separate bars with a hip atmosphere giving it a very social vibe. This extends to its menu with izakayas-style plates that are meant to be shared. It's likely why the restaurant's motto is "Sushi, Sake, Socialize."

Crudo's menu has Japanese favorites like gyoza. But you'll also find updated versions of dishes like General Ken's chicken that comes with fried pieces of chicken, bamboo shoots, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, and onion in house sauce, or the Red Light District chicken with crisp pieces of poultry tossed with carrots, pineapple, and onion in a sweet and sour sesame sauce.

Crudo also offers á la carte tacos and pad thai, along with a long list of traditional and signature sushi rolls. You'll definitely want to imbibe in some sake like the citrusy and herbal living jewel, or one of its "elixirs" — i.e. cocktails like the lychee & lemontini. This establishment has a four-star rating on both Yelp and Tripadvisor with customers on the former site calling it "Boston North End DELICIOUSNESS, POW!" and "A little piece of delight in the lively North End!"

Carmelina's has been serving Sicilian comfort food at its finest since 2012. The restaurant was named as one of Yelp's "Top 100 Places to Eat" in the U.S. in 2020. Its cuisine comes straight out of the family cookbook of executive chef Damien DiPaola who put his own flair on these handed-down recipes to bring them into the modern age. The dining room's intimate ambiance feels just as familiar with family photos on the wall and an open kitchen so you can see what's cooking. Just like at Nonna's house.

DiPaola's flourishes, like a chicken parmigiana that uses smoked mozzarella instead of plain, offer up special kicks of flavor. You'll find fun and filling dishes like the crazy alfredo with chicken, soppressata, sausage, and sweet roasted red peppers over fettuccine in a spicy alfredo sauce, and the Bronx tale — a bowl of penne with a tomato sauce that's slow-cooked topped with Sulmona sausage and Mimmo's.

"Of the dozen or so places I have eaten in the north end during my Boston marathon trips, Carmelina's beat them all," one satisfied customer wrote on Yelp.

There are a lot of fancy to fine dining options in the North End, but sometimes you just want a quick bite to eat. That doesn't mean that a quick bite can't be amazingly delicious. That's where Ernesto's Pizzeria comes in. Beloved by tourists and locals alike, the "old world" pizza joint serves heavenly hot and fresh slices that will bring a happy tear to your eye. With more than 30 years of operation under its belt, the pizzeria has grown into a Boston icon with a second location in Somerville.

Ernesto's only offers its extra-large 18-inch pies with four massive-sized slices. There's also garden, Caesar, and Greek salads on the menu. Specialty pizzas include mouthwatering options like the Saint Anthony with a ricotta base, garlic, tomato, artichoke hearts, and cheese; there's also the Caribbean Shrimp, a white pie with pineapple, sweet and spicy shrimp, hot sauce, and green peppers. You can also create your own from a list of more than 20 toppings.

Walk into the shop on any given day and you'll find an array of freshly baked specialty slices behind the case waiting for you to enjoy. Ernesto's Pizzeria has a four-and-a-half-star rating on Tripadvisor and a four-star rating on Yelp. "Stopped by here on a Friday night since Regina's down the street was very packed. The pizza at Ernesto's did not dissapoint! The crust is perfectly crispy and the toppings/flavors are very tasty. ... I tried a veggie, mushroom, and margherita pizza and all were great. the slices were also very generous," said a Yelper who gave the restaurant a five-star rating.

Boston Sail Loft Cafe & Bar soared into Boston Harbor in 1984 offering an incredible waterfront dining experience with its floor-to-ceiling windows and succulent seafood. If there's one thing you just have to try here it's the famous, thick, chunky, and glorious New England clam chowder. This creamy herbed deliciousness is poured into a mug until it spills over the sides and is topped with oyster crackers.

Pro tip: Look both ways before you start licking the side of your cup to sop up every last drop. It's so good that it won the title of the best chowder in the city from Boston Magazine in 2018 and 2019. Boston Sail Loft even ships it internationally on Goldbelly.

You can check the daily specials on their website. The standard menu offers beautiful big red lobsters, which come whole or chopped in a roll or mixed in mac and cheese, mussels, or salad. If you're not in the mood for seafood, try a burger, sandwich, or your favorite pub appetizer. They also have a nice list of classic salads. Boston Sail Loft's has a family-friendly and casual atmosphere with four and a half stars on Yelp and Tripadvisor.

Can you visit Boston's North End without stopping at Mike's Pastry? You can, but you shouldn't. You'd be doing your tastebuds a grave disservice. Its famous cannoli are something to be rejoiced. Two words: Nutella cannoli. Yes, not only do they sell classic versions of your favorite Italian pastry tubes, but they also make all different kinds of flavors, like key lime and pistachio.

Take one look at Mike's Pastry's array of authentic Italian pastries and you'll instantly understand why the shop has become a Boston tradition visited by presidents, tourists, and locals. It's got biscotti, cookies, and has offered seasonal items like pizza rustica for Easter and struffoli for Christmas.

The goodies at Mike's Pastry also ship on Goldbelly. "This is by far the best dessert shop we've ever been to. They have a huge selection of cookies, cheesecakes, brownies, pies, and cannolis. Everything we got there was delicious. The Raspberry Roll was my favorite," wrote a customer on Tripadvisor where the shop has four and a half stars.

Getting a seat at this swanky North End spot can be a feat as Strega's intimate chandelier-strung dining room has fed visiting celebrities like "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos" star Lorraine Bracco, singer and actor Justin Timberlake, and NBA stars LeBron James and Steph Curry.

The restaurant opened in 2003 offering contemporary Italian fare like its Gnocco Fritto, prepared with mortadella, fried rosemary, grated cheese, and hot honey; That's Amore, a spicy alla vodka pasta that is spun in a gooey parmesan wheel at the table, and the Pollo Limoncello that gets splashed with white wine and topped with capers over gemelli. The wild mushroom risotto and the Mediterranean branzino are also both interesting and delicious dishes. Strega has a dynamite cocktail menu including sips like the Heartbreaker with strawberry puree, prosecco, vodka and orange liquor, and the Apple Cider Sangrida. Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays.

Mare Oyster Bar stands as another top North End option for enjoying the fruit of New England's watery depths. It's owned by restaurateur Frank DePasquale who also runs Bricco and several other Boston eateries. With its raw bar and modern Italian menu where seafood is the star, this restaurant serves up plates that are true works of art. The dining room is clean, bright, and airy, and it also has a lovely glass-encased patio with firepits and a retractable roof.

Mare's raw bar is stocked with littleneck clams, shrimp, lobster, crab, and oysters that taste like they were plucked from the sea that morning. Appetizers include memorable dishes like the popular trio of crudo with tuna, salmon, or kampachi; the zucchini blossoms with lobster, ricotta, and mixed greens, and other pre-entre options.

Seafood plates include a lobster roll, salmon, lobster, swordfish, tuna, zuppa di mare, branzino, and grigliata di pesce. You can also go with wagyu burger, rack of lamb, veal chops, chicken, or filet mignon. Sides include items like shishito peppers and lobster mashed potatoes. Mare also has a long list of signature desserts and coffees.

Static Media owns and operates Daily Meal and Tasting Table.