Parla XXI Cocktail Bar Opens at Somerville’s Assembly Row | Eater Boston

"Tucked into Boston’s North End and opened in 2014 where Il Villaggio once stood, Parla is an intimate, speakeasy-style cocktail restaurant with a small dining room and just four bar seats, known for a fun, rustic vibe and a heavy focus on creative cocktails despite being limited by one of Boston’s cordial licenses. That restriction pushed the team toward shrubs and shrub-based drinks, which inform the original location’s cocktail program and its Dungeon Master mug-club-like experience of 20 original cocktails. The menu features small plates like braised oxtail arancini and venison meatballs alongside pastas and larger entrees, there’s plenty of whiskey on offer, and the spot shares some items with the new Parla XXI (beignets, patatas bravas, and steak, though prepared differently)." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal