The absolute attention to detail is something you never knew that you needed in your dining experience until you have had the pleasure of dining at Massimos. The new chef is absolutely stellar. The sommelier is the best in Portsmouth.
Steve Bartlett
Love this restaurant, always very helpful staff, great, really, great food. Best to get reservations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Laurie M.
A must stop if a local or tourist. We live in downtown Boston and I must say this is in my top 5 restaurants. The food is top notch and easily competes and wins against many other restaurants in Boston. We sat at the bar as we prefer casual elegance and Peter was very knowledgeable and gave excellent suggestions and service. A wonderful evening and we thank you.
Greta Martinez
Extremely professional, personable, wonderful staff. Food is delicious, wine options are fantastic.. Their dining room brought me back to Italy. Massimo is very friendly and makes you feel welcome.Only note I would mention is that my husband and I felt the bread could use some work. For being an authentic Italian restaurant, higher quality bread is a must! With good quality olive oil.Would absolutely recommend for a special occasion dinner!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Allison C.
We Absolutely loved our meals. The carbonara was amazing! The staff was also exceptional from the hostess to the servers, so knowledgeable and friendly.
shell b
MASSIMO'S! Always makes our meal feel like a flavor vacation, great food,service, and atmosphere! Went there tonight with our son and it was as expected and more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lynn SW
This was my first time here and will definitely be back. There were 11 of us and the service was outstanding, the apps were great and dinner & dessert were delicious!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mark Soltys
I must say, Ristorante Massimo stands shoulder to shoulder with the best in Boston's renowned North End. Each bite of the food was a celebration of authenticity andtradition. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My partner and I made a reservation a few weeks in advance as this place is popular. It was worth the wait! It felt like we were back in Italy with the downstairs dining, menu selections and wait staff. The food is on the more expensive side so be aware. I highly recommend the cicchetti for starters. My partner and I went with their homemade pasta dishes for our main entree and both were extremely satisfied. We finished off the meal with the tartufo and were blown away. I believe anything you get here will be delicious and we are eager to return!
ShannonC
My husband and I went there celebrating our 10th anniversary and they made it SO memorable. They gave us a sweet gift of champagne glasses and glass tea lite candle holders, placed us in a very romantic seat and treated us fantastically!! Food was AMAZING and the wine was delicious! We will be going back year after year!
Best restaurant in Portsmouth!  If you are fortunate enough, the owner, Massimo, will come to your table and introduce himself. Exceptionally good food that has remained delicious throughout the many years Massimo has been in existence.
ChrisK
With all the wonderful restaurants in Portsmouth it has taken us a few years to get back to Ristorante Massimo. Boy was that a mistake. Still as charming as ever and the latest menu was incredible. I won't go plate by plate - but I will call out the Capesante con Ceci Antipasti. I have never had scallops done to such perfection. Never. The wine selection offered a variety of price points by the glass or bottle. If you go, please make the time to enjoy your meal. To get through each course of the menu (which we often do not make time for) made for a 2.5 hour dining sanctuary.
Myles Falvella
It's rare that any restaurant deserves a 5 star rating, but Massimo's certainly does. We typically go here for special occasions...this month: Valentine's day.Food was perfect, atmosphere romantic and subdued, service impeccable.They have never disappointed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta
Nicole Cloutier
We went here to celebrate our engagement. I had never been but we received a gift card. Firstly, the service was outstanding. Tiana was lovely and she gave us a complimentary champagne toast for the occasion. The food was not nearly as good as I anticipated. Nonna’s meatballs tasted like Spaghettio meatballs; bland and mushy. Sadly, the ricotta underneath was the star. The salad with the burratta was good, but the vinegrette was poured onto the plate and not anywhere to be seen on the salad itself, so we found ourselves dragging along each bite to get some much needed acid. The veal chop was cooked perfectly and the polenta was great but the roasted root vegetables were undercooked and crunchy. Finally, the highly recommended cabonara. It was so horribly underwhelming. Swimming in cream and somehow lacking salt even though it’s covered in pancetta. It was so lacking in flavor that all I could taste was truffles and heavy cream. Lastly, they brought out a delicious cannoli with a candle for us that was the star of the show. Thank goodness for that. Overall, the service was outstanding and the atmosphere romantic but the food left so much to be desired that I’m not sure we’ll be back unless for a glass of wine and dessert.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Complimentary Cannoli
Lisa Cioffi
It’s our 3rd visit and it never disappoints! I love the cozy feel with romantic vibes and of course the amazing food!
The absolute attention to detail is something you never knew that you needed in your dining experience until you have had the pleasure of dining at Massimos. The new chef is absolutely stellar. The sommelier is the best in Portsmouth.
Love this restaurant, always very helpful staff, great, really, great food. Best to get reservations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A must stop if a local or tourist. We live in downtown Boston and I must say this is in my top 5 restaurants. The food is top notch and easily competes and wins against many other restaurants in Boston. We sat at the bar as we prefer casual elegance and Peter was very knowledgeable and gave excellent suggestions and service. A wonderful evening and we thank you.
Extremely professional, personable, wonderful staff. Food is delicious, wine options are fantastic.. Their dining room brought me back to Italy. Massimo is very friendly and makes you feel welcome.Only note I would mention is that my husband and I felt the bread could use some work. For being an authentic Italian restaurant, higher quality bread is a must! With good quality olive oil.Would absolutely recommend for a special occasion dinner!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We Absolutely loved our meals. The carbonara was amazing! The staff was also exceptional from the hostess to the servers, so knowledgeable and friendly.
MASSIMO'S! Always makes our meal feel like a flavor vacation, great food,service, and atmosphere! Went there tonight with our son and it was as expected and more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was my first time here and will definitely be back. There were 11 of us and the service was outstanding, the apps were great and dinner & dessert were delicious!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I must say, Ristorante Massimo stands shoulder to shoulder with the best in Boston's renowned North End. Each bite of the food was a celebration of authenticity andtradition. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My partner and I made a reservation a few weeks in advance as this place is popular. It was worth the wait! It felt like we were back in Italy with the downstairs dining, menu selections and wait staff. The food is on the more expensive side so be aware. I highly recommend the cicchetti for starters. My partner and I went with their homemade pasta dishes for our main entree and both were extremely satisfied. We finished off the meal with the tartufo and were blown away. I believe anything you get here will be delicious and we are eager to return!
My husband and I went there celebrating our 10th anniversary and they made it SO memorable. They gave us a sweet gift of champagne glasses and glass tea lite candle holders, placed us in a very romantic seat and treated us fantastically!! Food was AMAZING and the wine was delicious! We will be going back year after year!
Restaurantji Recommends
Best restaurant in Portsmouth!  If you are fortunate enough, the owner, Massimo, will come to your table and introduce himself. Exceptionally good food that has remained delicious throughout the many years Massimo has been in existence.
With all the wonderful restaurants in Portsmouth it has taken us a few years to get back to Ristorante Massimo. Boy was that a mistake. Still as charming as ever and the latest menu was incredible. I won't go plate by plate - but I will call out the Capesante con Ceci Antipasti. I have never had scallops done to such perfection. Never. The wine selection offered a variety of price points by the glass or bottle. If you go, please make the time to enjoy your meal. To get through each course of the menu (which we often do not make time for) made for a 2.5 hour dining sanctuary.
It's rare that any restaurant deserves a 5 star rating, but Massimo's certainly does. We typically go here for special occasions...this month: Valentine's day.Food was perfect, atmosphere romantic and subdued, service impeccable.They have never disappointed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta
We went here to celebrate our engagement. I had never been but we received a gift card. Firstly, the service was outstanding. Tiana was lovely and she gave us a complimentary champagne toast for the occasion. The food was not nearly as good as I anticipated. Nonna’s meatballs tasted like Spaghettio meatballs; bland and mushy. Sadly, the ricotta underneath was the star. The salad with the burratta was good, but the vinegrette was poured onto the plate and not anywhere to be seen on the salad itself, so we found ourselves dragging along each bite to get some much needed acid. The veal chop was cooked perfectly and the polenta was great but the roasted root vegetables were undercooked and crunchy. Finally, the highly recommended cabonara. It was so horribly underwhelming. Swimming in cream and somehow lacking salt even though it’s covered in pancetta. It was so lacking in flavor that all I could taste was truffles and heavy cream. Lastly, they brought out a delicious cannoli with a candle for us that was the star of the show. Thank goodness for that. Overall, the service was outstanding and the atmosphere romantic but the food left so much to be desired that I’m not sure we’ll be back unless for a glass of wine and dessert.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Complimentary Cannoli
It’s our 3rd visit and it never disappoints! I love the cozy feel with romantic vibes and of course the amazing food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chocolate Truffle Cake, Carbonara Pasta, Seared Scallops