I should have left after finding hair stuck in between my bread but I brushed it off cause its one of the only few places with gnocchi pesto. The gnocchi was so disappointing. It looked like they rolled a whole lined of dough and chopped it up so they weren't individually rolled. They also tasted like just water and flour dumplings thrown into pesto sauce. The staff didnt seem like they wanted be there. They didnt check on me and I waited a while to get my check. The place itself is cute but thats about it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Regina Lee
The food is crazy amazing！！！i order a special scallop risotto which is the best risotto i ever have
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steven
We had an excellent meal by enjoying delicious meatballs with a rich marinara sauce, tasty chicken with delicate veggies and mashed potatoes as well as a lovely porcini mushroom ravioli dish. Great service, wonderful portions, large portions and a very good value. Also the lemon drop martini, chianti and lemoncello complimented our meal. I would highly recommend dining here.
Anya
The food was delicious the service was terrible. There was only one other guest in the whole restaurant, aside from our group, so it was not because they were busy. 1) never offered a second glass of wine 2) never offered dessert 3) we asked for a meal split in the kitchen and waitress seemed to feel this was a very unreasonable request, and really looked like she brought back less food after she finally took it back to split. (But I'm not sure) 4) at end of our meal (which was not late since we didn't have option for more drinks and dessert and other table was still there) they sprayed some very strong chemical cleaning agents so the whole place smelled. A think a subtle hint to leave. Thank you to the chef for great food though! Maybe you'll have a better experience and the waitress just had an off night.
DJ Weakley
Amazing Italian.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jillian
Super small and tight space. Not a real great ambiance at all. Food was good. Not awesome but it was fine.
Matt Watson
Had a great date night! This spot is off the main drag and has great Italian food. I almost always order veal parmigiana when I eat italian food. This was the most tender and best one I’ve ever had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sean
Food was great , server was good , price was good . Place is very small so tables are 6” apart and there is no privacy. We had finished dinner and paid the bill . We then put our coats on and were getting ready to leave when the people at the table next to us asked about local places . We were telling them where to go and the manager came over and basically asked us to leave because he needed the table . The time between paying the bill and when he asks us to leave was about 8 mins . Our total time at the restaurant was 1 hr and 15 mins for dinner on a Friday night . We fully understand the need to turn tables in a busy restaurant but the manager would have had to have his eyes closed to not see and understand we were already leaving . Totally unacceptable!
Michelle Kim
We live within a block of this place, trust us when we say we’ve been to all the restaurants here. The quality, service, and price point of Isabella is insane. We had the fried calamari and clams to start- 9.5/10. Veal pasta, branzino entree and scallop risotto special for dinner- 9.9/10. Bottle of red wine they nailed for both of our tastes- 10/10. The only reason we didn’t rank everything 10/10 is because otherwise you wouldn’t believe us. Make the rsvp, go to Isabella. You’re welcome. Also the best street you can take top tier pictures while you wait for a table, just saying. NOT cash only (+)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Serge
Service felt a bit rushed as if they were just trying to turn tables over which for what we are spending devalued the experience. The bruschetta was a miss but the pastas were good.
Food was delicious. Service was great. Nice smaller restaurant. Even recommended an outstanding super Tuscan. Will definitely go there again.
Blaine Harmon
We stopped in for some real Italian food and enjoyed the Chicken Parmesan and the Chicken Caccciatore. I can't tell you which was better since they were so good.
Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mac Mead
My friend and I attempted to sit down and have a small afternoon meal at this restaurant and we’re kicked out due to not wanting to order a large meal. It was the middle of the afternoon and there were only two other tables of customers. We wanted to order coffee and dessert to start, and maybe try an appetizer or two. However, when we went to order, the waiter was rude and told us we could not order coffee and dessert because “this is a restaurant. not a coffee shop.” I have never been kicked out of a restaurant for not spending enough money before, especially when it is slow. I would not recommend going to this establishment.
Side Note: My friend left a review earlier and the owner responded saying she is a liar. That is no way to run a business.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Brittany Meeker
We made a reservation at Isabella’s in Boston for 7:00 PM and appreciated that they were able to seat us early at 6:20. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended, aside from the food, which was great with no complaints.
From the moment we sat down, it felt like we were an inconvenience simply because we had our 3-year-old with us. It started with the stroller…we were asked to fold it up (which we completely understood, given the small space), but then they also asked if we could take it downstairs, even though there was extra space next to our table by the wall. We left it neatly by the wall, but the tone of the request already made us feel unwelcome.
Throughout the meal, we couldn’t help but notice how differently we were treated compared to other guests. Our son was quiet, sitting in his chair the whole time, yet the staff’s attitude toward us felt noticeably cold.
When it came time for dessert, we had brought a small cupcake for our son’s birthday. After politely asking for a plate for the cupcake, the girl rolled her eyes and went to tell our waiter, who came over and said, in a rude tone, “No, you cannot open that.” Nowhere in the restaurant or on the menu does it say that outside food isn’t allowed, and if that’s their policy, that’s fine—but the attitude and lack of kindness were completely unnecessary.
We’re visiting from Texas, and this restaurant came highly recommended by locals, so it’s a shame that what could have been a wonderful dining experience was spoiled by the rude and unwelcoming staff. The food was delicious, but sadly, the service left a lasting negative impression.
UPDATE to owners response:
I want to clarify that we completely understood and respected the rule about not opening an outside dessert, that was never the issue. We were simply unaware of the rule, as it wasn’t listed anywhere. The concern was with how it was handled. The unnecessary eye roll, the tone in which we were spoken to, and the lack of the same friendly interaction we saw other guests receive made us feel unwelcome. We understand policies and space limitations, but the delivery and attitude made all the difference in our experience.
This owner obviously hates any sort of constructive criticism as he/she always seems be so defensive and rude in any of the reviews where they are not in their favor.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Chris Scarpa
AMAZING ALL AROUND! Four of us dined together. We each had different main courses and we all loved them! Appetizers too were delicious! Service was exceptional! Thank You!
I should have left after finding hair stuck in between my bread but I brushed it off cause its one of the only few places with gnocchi pesto. The gnocchi was so disappointing. It looked like they rolled a whole lined of dough and chopped it up so they weren't individually rolled. They also tasted like just water and flour dumplings thrown into pesto sauce. The staff didnt seem like they wanted be there. They didnt check on me and I waited a while to get my check. The place itself is cute but thats about it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
The food is crazy amazing！！！i order a special scallop risotto which is the best risotto i ever have
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had an excellent meal by enjoying delicious meatballs with a rich marinara sauce, tasty chicken with delicate veggies and mashed potatoes as well as a lovely porcini mushroom ravioli dish. Great service, wonderful portions, large portions and a very good value. Also the lemon drop martini, chianti and lemoncello complimented our meal. I would highly recommend dining here.
The food was delicious the service was terrible. There was only one other guest in the whole restaurant, aside from our group, so it was not because they were busy. 1) never offered a second glass of wine 2) never offered dessert 3) we asked for a meal split in the kitchen and waitress seemed to feel this was a very unreasonable request, and really looked like she brought back less food after she finally took it back to split. (But I'm not sure) 4) at end of our meal (which was not late since we didn't have option for more drinks and dessert and other table was still there) they sprayed some very strong chemical cleaning agents so the whole place smelled. A think a subtle hint to leave. Thank you to the chef for great food though! Maybe you'll have a better experience and the waitress just had an off night.
Amazing Italian.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Super small and tight space. Not a real great ambiance at all. Food was good. Not awesome but it was fine.
Had a great date night! This spot is off the main drag and has great Italian food. I almost always order veal parmigiana when I eat italian food. This was the most tender and best one I’ve ever had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was great , server was good , price was good . Place is very small so tables are 6” apart and there is no privacy. We had finished dinner and paid the bill . We then put our coats on and were getting ready to leave when the people at the table next to us asked about local places . We were telling them where to go and the manager came over and basically asked us to leave because he needed the table . The time between paying the bill and when he asks us to leave was about 8 mins . Our total time at the restaurant was 1 hr and 15 mins for dinner on a Friday night . We fully understand the need to turn tables in a busy restaurant but the manager would have had to have his eyes closed to not see and understand we were already leaving . Totally unacceptable!
We live within a block of this place, trust us when we say we’ve been to all the restaurants here. The quality, service, and price point of Isabella is insane. We had the fried calamari and clams to start- 9.5/10. Veal pasta, branzino entree and scallop risotto special for dinner- 9.9/10. Bottle of red wine they nailed for both of our tastes- 10/10. The only reason we didn’t rank everything 10/10 is because otherwise you wouldn’t believe us. Make the rsvp, go to Isabella. You’re welcome. Also the best street you can take top tier pictures while you wait for a table, just saying. NOT cash only (+)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Service felt a bit rushed as if they were just trying to turn tables over which for what we are spending devalued the experience. The bruschetta was a miss but the pastas were good.
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was delicious. Service was great. Nice smaller restaurant. Even recommended an outstanding super Tuscan. Will definitely go there again.
We stopped in for some real Italian food and enjoyed the Chicken Parmesan and the Chicken Caccciatore. I can't tell you which was better since they were so good.
Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My friend and I attempted to sit down and have a small afternoon meal at this restaurant and we’re kicked out due to not wanting to order a large meal. It was the middle of the afternoon and there were only two other tables of customers. We wanted to order coffee and dessert to start, and maybe try an appetizer or two. However, when we went to order, the waiter was rude and told us we could not order coffee and dessert because “this is a restaurant. not a coffee shop.” I have never been kicked out of a restaurant for not spending enough money before, especially when it is slow. I would not recommend going to this establishment.
Side Note: My friend left a review earlier and the owner responded saying she is a liar. That is no way to run a business.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We made a reservation at Isabella’s in Boston for 7:00 PM and appreciated that they were able to seat us early at 6:20. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended, aside from the food, which was great with no complaints.
From the moment we sat down, it felt like we were an inconvenience simply because we had our 3-year-old with us. It started with the stroller…we were asked to fold it up (which we completely understood, given the small space), but then they also asked if we could take it downstairs, even though there was extra space next to our table by the wall. We left it neatly by the wall, but the tone of the request already made us feel unwelcome.
Throughout the meal, we couldn’t help but notice how differently we were treated compared to other guests. Our son was quiet, sitting in his chair the whole time, yet the staff’s attitude toward us felt noticeably cold.
When it came time for dessert, we had brought a small cupcake for our son’s birthday. After politely asking for a plate for the cupcake, the girl rolled her eyes and went to tell our waiter, who came over and said, in a rude tone, “No, you cannot open that.” Nowhere in the restaurant or on the menu does it say that outside food isn’t allowed, and if that’s their policy, that’s fine—but the attitude and lack of kindness were completely unnecessary.
We’re visiting from Texas, and this restaurant came highly recommended by locals, so it’s a shame that what could have been a wonderful dining experience was spoiled by the rude and unwelcoming staff. The food was delicious, but sadly, the service left a lasting negative impression.
UPDATE to owners response:
I want to clarify that we completely understood and respected the rule about not opening an outside dessert, that was never the issue. We were simply unaware of the rule, as it wasn’t listed anywhere. The concern was with how it was handled. The unnecessary eye roll, the tone in which we were spoken to, and the lack of the same friendly interaction we saw other guests receive made us feel unwelcome. We understand policies and space limitations, but the delivery and attitude made all the difference in our experience.
This owner obviously hates any sort of constructive criticism as he/she always seems be so defensive and rude in any of the reviews where they are not in their favor.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
AMAZING ALL AROUND! Four of us dined together. We each had different main courses and we all loved them! Appetizers too were delicious! Service was exceptional! Thank You!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loading...