In August 2025, I visited Lydia Shire’s Scampo inside the Liberty Hotel — and the experience was a delight.
The evening began with three golden breadsticks served alongside a thick, velvety fava bean dip brightened with basil and olive oil, arranged in the shape of a leaf. It set the tone for a meal that was both elegant and playful.
For my Caesar salad, the server asked if anchovies were okay. Absolutely — a true Caesar should have them. Crisp romaine, a tangy dressing, and the briny anchovies made it one of the best Caesars I’ve ever tasted.
The corn soup was a creamy, sunshine-yellow bowl of comfort, accompanied by a tiny, salty sandwich — so naturally, I dunked it right into the soup. It was marvelous.
For the main course, I chose the spaghetti Bolognese. The server suggested a half portion, but I’m glad I went for the full. It arrived perfectly sauced and deeply satisfying. On the side, I ordered fried peas, a house favorite, served with two dipping sauces. They were as addictive as they sound.
To drink, I had a blackberry sparkling mocktail — refreshing and slightly tart. And for dessert, I opted for a root beer float. While the dessert took about 30 minutes to arrive after ordering, the rest of the service was attentive, with multiple staff members checking in to see if I wanted a drink earlier in the meal.
Despite the wait at the end, this dinner reminded me why Lydia Shire is a Boston legend: bold flavors, confident execution, and a touch of whimsy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Joyce
The service was amazing! Our server was so kind and we went here for a bday dinner and we had a wonderful experience dining here.
Cacio e pepe - It was rich and flavorful 🍝 8/10.
Spaghettini w snow crab & alex's homemade salsa matcha - I loved the snow crab with the pasta 🦀🍝! The crab wasn't fishy at all and very fresh and tender. It paired so well woth the pasta. The pasta was flavorful and not too salty. 9/10.
xtra cold crisp butter lettuce salad w/ peach & warm parmesan custard - We tried this as a starter and it was a light and healthy yet flavorful starter. The parmesan custard was almost like a soft tofu and paired so well with the peach, tomato and butter lettuce. 8/10
We got the lemon sorbet with I think was basil on top 🍨 and it was a refreshing dessert.
Overall, the service was great and the food was pretty good too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michelle Majdoch
Brian was an amazing, patiently explained the menu. Delicious food, great atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kuldeep Jadeja
Was great! Food was also lovely.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steve Schlussel
We went here with a party of 8 for my wife’s birthday. The service was excellent and waiter very knowledgeable and willing to answer multiple questions about different menu items. The appetizers were good. The mains came and my wife’s gnocchi was COLD. We sent it back while everyone else ate their food. A second attempt at the gnocchi was barely warmer and an obvious attempt to reheat the meal rather than remake it. When it finally came out hot everyone was done with their meal. At a restaurant in this price range it should have triggered at minimum an apology from management and a removal from bill but that didn’t happen. A simple offer of a dessert for my wife’s birthday (which was mentioned on several occasions) would’ve at least acknowledged the situation but that opportunity was wasted as well. There are too many options in Boston to recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Florian Slavicek
A beautiful restaurant in a very luxurious Hotel above, but the food can’t hold the ambient. We had a special pizza with lobster, the pizza was thin but very fat and when you eaten it it felt like you are eating white bread, no real taste! A Italian would not allow to name this pizza, I had spaghetti vongole, it was ok, pasta was not overlooked but also not really aldente, the sauce was also very buttery, I had I think 150ml of sauce left on my plate. Overall ok restaurant but for the price it’s not worth to go. We paid 83 dollars for two main dishes and a bottle of water. Sorry but for this hotel this restaurant can’t hold up the level.
About the waiter, he was nice but when we finished he was talking 10 minutes with the lady from the front desk, he was not asking me why we left some pizza on the plate!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Daniel Webb
Pretty stellar. High end quality and service at mid-high prices. Highly recommend.
Oh and Brian was a great server, fantastic service. Why does this menu have a restaurant when he already knows what you should order.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aarti Sharda
Overall I wouldn't recommend We went to celebrate my 21st birthday from the UK and I was quite disappointed in the service. To start its location is very cool in a converted prison but after that I wouldn't say there is any reason to visit. Inside the restaurant was okay. The lady helping us didn't seem to want to help in comparison to how she was interacting with the other tables. In regard to the food I did find it a little salty (I ordered the lobster meatballs) Overall, considering the price you are paying I don't think it's worth it and I would not go with the intention of celebrating an event!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Jennifer Yilmaz
One of my favorite places to dine while staying at The Liberty Hotel
Slowest service ever at the bar. Sat for 15 minutes before bartender decided to bring a drink or take food order. Wine she proposed to pour, a barolo, was from a bottle opened a full day ago. Somewhat ridiculous for a hotel restaurant bar. If any bar for that matter.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 1
Sue Ippolito
Had the most amazing appetizer and meal. The appetizer was a Belgium waffle with warm lobster and a honey miso sauce. It was to die for. My husband and I each had small plates of Bolognese and Carbonara. Both dishes were done to perfection and so flavorful..The portions were large and we couldn't finish them. Unfortunately we didn't have room for desert. Cant wait to go back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ben Goldberg
The place itself is nice. The food was not. The corn soup tasted very faintly of corn, mainly of cream. The pasta dishes were extremely oily— I probably had 5+ tablespoons of unemulsified oil left in my plate of cacio e Pepe
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Peter Marra
Went to restaurant because saw it in Chronicle. Not impressed. Had lobster meatball spaghetti…meatballs were so watery. Very hard to understand staff…language barrier Wouldn’t recommend
In August 2025, I visited Lydia Shire’s Scampo inside the Liberty Hotel — and the experience was a delight.
The evening began with three golden breadsticks served alongside a thick, velvety fava bean dip brightened with basil and olive oil, arranged in the shape of a leaf. It set the tone for a meal that was both elegant and playful.
For my Caesar salad, the server asked if anchovies were okay. Absolutely — a true Caesar should have them. Crisp romaine, a tangy dressing, and the briny anchovies made it one of the best Caesars I’ve ever tasted.
The corn soup was a creamy, sunshine-yellow bowl of comfort, accompanied by a tiny, salty sandwich — so naturally, I dunked it right into the soup. It was marvelous.
For the main course, I chose the spaghetti Bolognese. The server suggested a half portion, but I’m glad I went for the full. It arrived perfectly sauced and deeply satisfying. On the side, I ordered fried peas, a house favorite, served with two dipping sauces. They were as addictive as they sound.
To drink, I had a blackberry sparkling mocktail — refreshing and slightly tart. And for dessert, I opted for a root beer float. While the dessert took about 30 minutes to arrive after ordering, the rest of the service was attentive, with multiple staff members checking in to see if I wanted a drink earlier in the meal.
Despite the wait at the end, this dinner reminded me why Lydia Shire is a Boston legend: bold flavors, confident execution, and a touch of whimsy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
The service was amazing! Our server was so kind and we went here for a bday dinner and we had a wonderful experience dining here.
Cacio e pepe - It was rich and flavorful 🍝 8/10.
Spaghettini w snow crab & alex's homemade salsa matcha - I loved the snow crab with the pasta 🦀🍝! The crab wasn't fishy at all and very fresh and tender. It paired so well woth the pasta. The pasta was flavorful and not too salty. 9/10.
xtra cold crisp butter lettuce salad w/ peach & warm parmesan custard - We tried this as a starter and it was a light and healthy yet flavorful starter. The parmesan custard was almost like a soft tofu and paired so well with the peach, tomato and butter lettuce. 8/10
We got the lemon sorbet with I think was basil on top 🍨 and it was a refreshing dessert.
Overall, the service was great and the food was pretty good too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian was an amazing, patiently explained the menu. Delicious food, great atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Was great! Food was also lovely.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We went here with a party of 8 for my wife’s birthday. The service was excellent and waiter very knowledgeable and willing to answer multiple questions about different menu items. The appetizers were good. The mains came and my wife’s gnocchi was COLD. We sent it back while everyone else ate their food. A second attempt at the gnocchi was barely warmer and an obvious attempt to reheat the meal rather than remake it. When it finally came out hot everyone was done with their meal. At a restaurant in this price range it should have triggered at minimum an apology from management and a removal from bill but that didn’t happen.
A simple offer of a dessert for my wife’s birthday (which was mentioned on several occasions) would’ve at least acknowledged the situation but that opportunity was wasted as well. There are too many options in Boston to recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
A beautiful restaurant in a very luxurious Hotel above, but the food can’t hold the ambient. We had a special pizza with lobster, the pizza was thin but very fat and when you eaten it it felt like you are eating white bread, no real taste! A Italian would not allow to name this pizza, I had spaghetti vongole, it was ok, pasta was not overlooked but also not really aldente, the sauce was also very buttery, I had I think 150ml of sauce left on my plate. Overall ok restaurant but for the price it’s not worth to go. We paid 83 dollars for two main dishes and a bottle of water. Sorry but for this hotel this restaurant can’t hold up the level.
About the waiter, he was nice but when we finished he was talking 10 minutes with the lady from the front desk, he was not asking me why we left some pizza on the plate!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Pretty stellar. High end quality and service at mid-high prices. Highly recommend.
Oh and Brian was a great server, fantastic service. Why does this menu have a restaurant when he already knows what you should order.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Overall I wouldn't recommend
We went to celebrate my 21st birthday from the UK and I was quite disappointed in the service.
To start its location is very cool in a converted prison but after that I wouldn't say there is any reason to visit. Inside the restaurant was okay. The lady helping us didn't seem to want to help in comparison to how she was interacting with the other tables.
In regard to the food I did find it a little salty (I ordered the lobster meatballs)
Overall, considering the price you are paying I don't think it's worth it and I would not go with the intention of celebrating an event!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
One of my favorite places to dine while staying at The Liberty Hotel
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Exceptional food. The salmon was magnificent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Splendid food, excellent service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Slowest service ever at the bar. Sat for 15 minutes before bartender decided to bring a drink or take food order. Wine she proposed to pour, a barolo, was from a bottle opened a full day ago. Somewhat ridiculous for a hotel restaurant bar. If any bar for that matter.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 1
Had the most amazing appetizer and meal. The appetizer was a Belgium waffle with warm lobster and a honey miso sauce. It was to die for. My husband and I each had small plates of Bolognese and Carbonara. Both dishes were done to perfection and so flavorful..The portions were large and we couldn't finish them. Unfortunately we didn't have room for desert. Cant wait to go back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The place itself is nice. The food was not. The corn soup tasted very faintly of corn, mainly of cream. The pasta dishes were extremely oily— I probably had 5+ tablespoons of unemulsified oil left in my plate of cacio e Pepe
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Went to restaurant because saw it in Chronicle. Not impressed. Had lobster meatball spaghetti…meatballs were so watery. Very hard to understand staff…language barrier
Wouldn’t recommend
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Loading...