I know this restaurant is highly regarded, so perhaps we visited on an off night. We were greeted warmly by the hostess, and since we arrived early for our reservation, we were directed to wait in the bar area. We prefer sitting at the bar and had been advised to make a reservation as a backup in case it was busy. When two seats opened up, we wanted to be respectful of bar etiquette, so I checked with the hostess. I explained it was our first visit and asked whether we could take the open seats. I was told, rather abruptly, to just go back and wait and that they would come get us. I was still unsure whether we were waiting for bar seats or our table reservation. I didn’t feel comfortable asking again, so my husband did. It made for an awkward moment, but ultimately we were seated at the bar shortly after. The bartenders and servers were excellent—truly outstanding—and their service is the reason I gave this place three stars. The guests next to us were also incredibly friendly and offered great recommendations when they heard it was our first time. We started with the crabcake appetizer, which was exceptional. I would return for that and the cocktails alone. My husband ordered the NY Strip medium rare+, and I ordered the pork chop dinner, with creamed spinach and caramelized onions as sides—our usual steakhouse choices. Unfortunately, the steak arrived extremely rare, though it was corrected quickly. Even then, it lacked seasoning and overall flavor. My pork chop was just okay, and for the price, I’ve had much better elsewhere. The sides were the biggest disappointment. The creamed spinach was the worst we’ve ever had, and the onions tasted heavily sugared rather than truly caramelized—two completely different profiles. Overall, we left disappointed, especially given the restaurant’s strong reputation.
Kerry
Food was excellent, as always. Server was not attentive as he was focused on larger parties and we were a party of two. Unfortunately, that's what happens in restaurants, I guess. The bigger of the party, the bigger the check, the bigger the tip. It was my husband's birthday, and while I saw our server bringing complementary desserts to other tables, he did not offer to do so for us. Not sure why you are asked whether you're celebrating an occasion if there is no intention for the restaurant to help you celebrate it. Lastly, I had an OpenTable rewards card that I was trying to redeem and neither server nor the manager knew how that worked. It took an additional 15 minutes for them to figure out, after coming back to the table several times telling me they were not associated or affiliated with OpenTable, despite the fact that they exclusively use them for their reservation system. We have done this restaurant many times and had amazing experiences; this was just not one of them. We'll give it another shot after the holidays.
phil
Food was great, they have the best steaks on the North Shore. Was busy for a Monday night, but service was impeccable.
Joseph
5 Star all around. Incredible service, food and atmosphere. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a wonderful evening out.
Jeremy
Phenomenal experience. Our server Caroline was amazing! Hands down one of the best birthday dinners I've had!
Melanie
The only feedback I wanted to provide is we had a reservation and the host tried to put us at the worst table in the restaurant right near the hallway/kitchen when there were many 4 tops available in the better sections of the restaurant. My husband went and told her and had us moved.
Gillian
Everything was 10/10- Food, vibe, service. Our server Teddy was like our own personal sommelier, making the best recommendations on wine pairings and overall creating the best experience. Also...cornbread casserole. Wow. 🤯
Nota
We so enjoyed everything about our dinner experience at Pellana. I had the 10-oz. filet and my partner had the Surf 'n Turf: Filet with Baked Stuffed Lobster. Both were exceptional. We split a Caesar salad, asked for extra anchovies and ordered sides of Caramelized Onions and Baked Sweet Potato. Jim, our server, was attentive and pleasant. We decided that we want to go back soon and experience this restaurant again.
John Fucci
The service and atmosphere was what you’d expect from a high end restaurant. Unfortunately I could have purchased a better sirloin at Stop & Shop. About 1/3 of it was gristle and fat. I spent the majority of my time cutting it out.
The sides and appetizers were good and the chef did a good job cooking it to order. When I explained my dissatisfaction with the steak to the waitress she said I should have sent it back. So my option was to sit there and watch the rest of my party eat while they cooked another steak or keep cutting.
I was never offered anything to compensate for my poor meal. When paying just south of a thousand for six people, I would expect better.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Aditya Sood
Eden was very welcoming, Kali was awesome, and nick was great as well The food and drink were top notch and the service was phenomenal especially considering the fact that I was just a walk in
Service and ambiance was excellent. Lobster Mac and cheese, pumpkin cheesecake, lobster 🦞 tail and claw was good. The stuffing and the steak was ok, its like they didnt put any salt or pepper on it minimum. We were starving so we ate it anyway but oh well next time back to STK instead for the price.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
MIKE GRAHAM
Exceptional in all aspects.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Darren Chambers
Pellana’s is an elegant restaurant with top-notch service and absolutely delicious food. The menu offers a wide variety of choices, and everything we ordered was perfectly prepared and beautifully presented. This has by far been the best experience I’ve ever had at a steakhouse, the service was exceptional, the food was amazing, and the entire atmosphere was warm and inviting.
Everything was above and beyond what I expected, from start to finish. Superior food, outstanding service, and a wonderful ambiance make Pellana’s a true gem. I will definitely be back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lenny Goldwasser
The food and the service were top notch better than any restaurant in Boston better than excellent
I know this restaurant is highly regarded, so perhaps we visited on an off night. We were greeted warmly by the hostess, and since we arrived early for our reservation, we were directed to wait in the bar area. We prefer sitting at the bar and had been advised to make a reservation as a backup in case it was busy. When two seats opened up, we wanted to be respectful of bar etiquette, so I checked with the hostess. I explained it was our first visit and asked whether we could take the open seats. I was told, rather abruptly, to just go back and wait and that they would come get us. I was still unsure whether we were waiting for bar seats or our table reservation. I didn’t feel comfortable asking again, so my husband did. It made for an awkward moment, but ultimately we were seated at the bar shortly after. The bartenders and servers were excellent—truly outstanding—and their service is the reason I gave this place three stars. The guests next to us were also incredibly friendly and offered great recommendations when they heard it was our first time. We started with the crabcake appetizer, which was exceptional. I would return for that and the cocktails alone. My husband ordered the NY Strip medium rare+, and I ordered the pork chop dinner, with creamed spinach and caramelized onions as sides—our usual steakhouse choices. Unfortunately, the steak arrived extremely rare, though it was corrected quickly. Even then, it lacked seasoning and overall flavor. My pork chop was just okay, and for the price, I’ve had much better elsewhere. The sides were the biggest disappointment. The creamed spinach was the worst we’ve ever had, and the onions tasted heavily sugared rather than truly caramelized—two completely different profiles. Overall, we left disappointed, especially given the restaurant’s strong reputation.
Food was excellent, as always. Server was not attentive as he was focused on larger parties and we were a party of two. Unfortunately, that's what happens in restaurants, I guess. The bigger of the party, the bigger the check, the bigger the tip. It was my husband's birthday, and while I saw our server bringing complementary desserts to other tables, he did not offer to do so for us. Not sure why you are asked whether you're celebrating an occasion if there is no intention for the restaurant to help you celebrate it. Lastly, I had an OpenTable rewards card that I was trying to redeem and neither server nor the manager knew how that worked. It took an additional 15 minutes for them to figure out, after coming back to the table several times telling me they were not associated or affiliated with OpenTable, despite the fact that they exclusively use them for their reservation system. We have done this restaurant many times and had amazing experiences; this was just not one of them. We'll give it another shot after the holidays.
Food was great, they have the best steaks on the North Shore. Was busy for a Monday night, but service was impeccable.
5 Star all around. Incredible service, food and atmosphere. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a wonderful evening out.
Phenomenal experience. Our server Caroline was amazing! Hands down one of the best birthday dinners I've had!
The only feedback I wanted to provide is we had a reservation and the host tried to put us at the worst table in the restaurant right near the hallway/kitchen when there were many 4 tops available in the better sections of the restaurant. My husband went and told her and had us moved.
Everything was 10/10- Food, vibe, service. Our server Teddy was like our own personal sommelier, making the best recommendations on wine pairings and overall creating the best experience. Also...cornbread casserole. Wow. 🤯
We so enjoyed everything about our dinner experience at Pellana. I had the 10-oz. filet and my partner had the Surf 'n Turf: Filet with Baked Stuffed Lobster. Both were exceptional. We split a Caesar salad, asked for extra anchovies and ordered sides of Caramelized Onions and Baked Sweet Potato. Jim, our server, was attentive and pleasant. We decided that we want to go back soon and experience this restaurant again.
The service and atmosphere was what you’d expect from a high end restaurant. Unfortunately I could have purchased a better sirloin at Stop & Shop. About 1/3 of it was gristle and fat. I spent the majority of my time cutting it out.
The sides and appetizers were good and the chef did a good job cooking it to order. When I explained my dissatisfaction with the steak to the waitress she said I should have sent it back. So my option was to sit there and watch the rest of my party eat while they cooked another steak or keep cutting.
I was never offered anything to compensate for my poor meal. When paying just south of a thousand for six people, I would expect better.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Eden was very welcoming, Kali was awesome, and nick was great as well
The food and drink were top notch and the service was phenomenal especially considering the fact that I was just a walk in
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
By far the best steakhouse in the North Shore.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Service and ambiance was excellent. Lobster Mac and cheese, pumpkin cheesecake, lobster 🦞 tail and claw was good. The stuffing and the steak was ok, its like they didnt put any salt or pepper on it minimum. We were starving so we ate it anyway but oh well next time back to STK instead for the price.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Exceptional in all aspects.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pellana’s is an elegant restaurant with top-notch service and absolutely delicious food. The menu offers a wide variety of choices, and everything we ordered was perfectly prepared and beautifully presented. This has by far been the best experience I’ve ever had at a steakhouse, the service was exceptional, the food was amazing, and the entire atmosphere was warm and inviting.
Everything was above and beyond what I expected, from start to finish. Superior food, outstanding service, and a wonderful ambiance make Pellana’s a true gem. I will definitely be back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food and the service were top notch better than any restaurant in Boston better than excellent
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
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