Florentine Cafe

The North End last night was lively, full of people and great energy. Florentine is at the heart of it all. Across from St Leonard's church on Hanover St, this lovely restaurant features some of the best and classics of Italian cuisine. All delicious! Great service - thank you Andre, and a fantastic and vibrant ambiance. Not a wallet killer either!!

My recent visit to this establishment was quite disappointing. We waited around five minutes for anyone to even acknowledge us, let alone offer a table. When we were finally addressed, we were offered a table right in a high-traffic area, next to the staff's pathway and directly beside the restrooms. No, thank you. I have too much self-respect to sit right next to a bathroom while trying to enjoy a meal or a drink. We promptly left.

Food was fine-nothing special especially for its high prices. I got the linguine shrimp and it desperately needed more flavor. I tasted the other pasta dishes and they were pretty average too. Drinks are very expensive too - espresso martini $19 and spritz $15. Service itself was fine, our waiter came only to give us bread and the check, nothing special there either. Was a little annoyed because they kind of rushed our dinner and had us out really fast. The restaurant itself is very small, dark, and very very packed.

This was my first visit here. It was very cute inside. The waitress was great she checked on us often and answered all our questions when ordering. The espresso Martini was delicious. Our table bread was crisp and ho it had the perfect texture. We got mussels for our appetizer. The sauce was perfect. I had the lobster fra diablo for my entree I felt my lobster was a bit undercooked it looked different from any lobster I’ve ever eaten The waitress took it back. But when she brought it back she said the cook heated my food. The same lobster was on my plate and still didn’t look good. That was the only thing I didn’t like about the visit it threw the rest of the meal off. Might give it another shot next time I’m around there

The food was mouth watering, especially the shrimp scampi. The brushetta was amazing and the service was perfect. The atmosphere made all my worries disappear. Thank you 😊

Great corner cafe on busy Hanover Street in the North End. Small, cozy, nice bar, where I dined solo prior to a show at TD Garden, only a ten minute walk from the restaurant. Bartender quickly whipped up a delicious drink ($17 seems high even for Boston, so took away one star), and my shrimp scampi was perfect, five huge shrimp cooked just right, and the addition of roasted tomato and shaved parm were a nice touch. Would return and arrive early as I did this time to avoid waiting in line for a seat.

Delicious food & drinks! Love the atmosphere. Rushed out by hostess to leave after an hour even though we didn’t even get appetizers or dessert.

The food is not palatable. Don’t go here. When you ask for chicken with a dish (in my case, fusilli alla vodka), they give you breaded chicken which totally doesn’t work well with alla vodka at all. It was gross. I couldn’t even eat it. No one filled up our waters and I tried multiple times to flag someone down, and even many servers made eye contact with me. Even our own server didn’t assist us. It seems as if they were too busy assisting the non POC guests because I felt like POC guests were treated different. They sat us next to an open window on a cold day and our food got cold. The food is bland, the service is horrible.

Had a fabulous lunch at Florentine Cafe when exploring Little Italy recently. We decided to split 2 appetizers (bruschetta and carpaccio), along with Caesar salads; and we shared a bottle of wine. My friend loved his carpaccio, and my Caesar was one of my favorites ever. Only complaint is that I'd prefer more cheese on the bruschetta. Service was great, and we enjoyed sitting at the open windows looking out on a beautiful day!

Absolutely great experience all around! I came here on a date and the food, the location and service were all great! We walked by a couple times and eventually caved and decided to eat lunch here. We sat by a window, the weather was perfect and the flowers in the little planter were so pretty. It was just picture perfect. Drinks/apps: I went with their florentine spritz cocktail, which was sweet and refreshing. My bf is a fan of espresso martinis, his was great and not super strong. We also got a burrata which came with a delicious orange sauce, it tasted like roasted veggies and went great with the cheese and toasted bread. The oysters were on the small side, but came with a variety of sauces and tasted wonderfully like the sea. Entrees: I realized i was in the mood for some ravioli and went with the Ravioli di aragosta. Loved it, great dish, literally nothing else to say. The raviolis are huge, stuffed with cheese and lobster, and smothered in a creamy sauce which was full of lobster pieces, you definitely get what you pay for. My bf got the Agnello alle erbe, which was a herb encrusted lambchop. It tasted amazing, I only wish it was a little bigger! It also came with perfectly seasoned + roasted veggies. Dessert: no dessert because we were so full. TL;DR: north end has the best restaurant selection in Boston, its hard to pick! I would definitely recommend this place, especially on a sunny day where you can sit by the window. Gorgeous view of the peace garden across the road and lots of passerby staring at your food with jealousy. Come here and enjoy life!

Once again a solid experience! The linguine Vongole was delicious and fresh, the pasta was perfectly al dente and there was a generous quantity of seafood. The drinks weren't super strong again but were very refreshing. I highly recommend Florentine for girls nights, dates, family dinners- the vibe is perfect for every occasion

The Florentine is right on the corner of the heart of Hanover street so if you're looking for the perfect people watching view, or simply the fresh summer breeze in the best spot- Florentine is it! Love coming in here for drinks, and their brunch is great too (I haven't had it in a while but its still as yummy as its ever been). Service was super friendly was always, and it was a great time with my family. Will definitely be back!

Great location. Kind bartender. Came for lunch at the bar and it was relaxing with great people watching! Loved everything. Especially the Caesar salad.

My recent visit to this establishment was quite disappointing. We waited around five minutes for anyone to even acknowledge us, let alone offer a table. When we were finally addressed, we were offered a table right in a high-traffic area, next to the staff's pathway and directly beside the restrooms. No, thank you. I have too much self-respect to sit right next to a bathroom while trying to enjoy a meal or a drink. We promptly left.

Great atmosphere and food. For appetizers got the oysters and caprese. For entree the chicken parm and it was delicious.

This place was absolutely incredible. I was in town this past Thursday and Sunday for my friend's bachelorette (I flew in from Oklahoma City!) and this was my very first time in Boston. I got off my flight and took a Lyft straight here. Staff helped me with my luggage and sat us down to a lovely table by the railings and flower beds on the side that had perfect people-watching foods. I was very impressed by the service, ambiance, and food. I met up with two other bridesmaids from our crew for a late lunch around 2 pm and we shared some dishes including the Caesar salad, fusili a la vodka, and burrata appetizer. With the lunch also came some complimentary bread and seasoned oil. Everything was tasty and such great quality. The food at Florentine Cafe was so delicious that I had to come back on my way back to OKC, so I convinced my friends to come on Sunday - we were here around 11 am and their brunch menu was available - but they still had pasta which we were excited about! We shared the delicious Caesar salad, fettucini with peas, mushrooms, and pink sauce, and eggplant parmesan with pesto cream sauce - very unique and extremely satisfying. Florentine Cafe you have my heart. I will be back in the near future!

My husband and I came here recently to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, we were seated by the window and since it was a gorgeous sunny day the windows were all open! Our meal was delicious and we split a bottle of red wine with dinner, which was superb. Our waitress was fantastic too. We plan on coming back soon, the North End is my favorite place to eat, I am Italian so the area holds so many special memories from my childhood.

I met up with my aunt and cousin for lunch before they headed to Logan. We had an amazing lunch at a table in the window. The service was absolutely perfect and I had the best Caesar salad with chicken that I have ever had. Period. My cousin had a pasta dish and added a chicken cutlet and it was supreme. Highly recommend.

Come here for the espresso martinis! They are my favorite I have had in the city. The host was saying they are the best she has ever had, I agree! It's a perfect location to grab a drink post dinner or pre dinner. can't speak to the food but will have to come back to try some. The space has big windows that are nice in the summer to open. Lots of people standing around at the bar and a big TV so we could watch some March madness games. But it's by no means a sports bar. The servers were a little skeptical of us and we got ID twice- although we were 25 with valid IDs. Take that as a compliment I guess but did get the feeling they didn't like us. Thats ok! We still had a great night and drinks.

We came here on a date night after seeing the gorgeous decor on TikTok. Reservations were easy to make and we were seated promptly on the street level. We were pretty bummed that the aforementioned decor we saw on TikTok was the basement, and no one was really being seated down there. Next time, I would request the basement specifically! The garlic bread was a 2.5/5 (warm and soft, not garlicky at all), but both our meals and dessert were 4/5. I like that they have a lot of vegetarian options-- one of the only places in the city that does Pasta Allá Norma!

Very adorable place in the North End!! I went alone so I sat at the bar and it was nice to talk to the bartender to get to know recs. The fussili Alla vodka with chicken and pistachio martini (more dessert like) were really good and filling! The chicken was also cooked well but you can add other toppings as well from the menu. I had leftovers for the next day too. The flowers outside gave a very European feel. Definitely recommend!

(Some bitterness ahead) picked this place partially due to all of the reviews mentioning fresh complimentary bread, did not receive any. As we were leaving we saw other tables had received some so it's obviously still a thing but just lacking consistency in service. Cool vibes though. Entrees were average.

I ate the chicken parmigiana at Florentine and thought it was great. Excellent taste to the sauce and cheese $ lightly breaded perfectly. Very good bread with olive oil served.

This was an amazing experience!! Alexa with our server and there's nothing she could've done any better she was the best !! My husband and I on our 25th wedding anniversary came to the north side of Boston for dinner. We had zucchini flowers with regards linguine with their marinara sauce, which was amazing. My husband had Fuzuli with meatballs. The bread was excellent. It was our 25th wedding anniversary. She was so sweet to take photos of us and they gave us a slice of tiramisu that said happy anniversary. The food is delicious the prices are incredibly reasonable. We left her over 25% tip. And our next time in Boston, we can't wait to come back ! Also, I wanna give a shout out to the bartender Tom, he was great ! I wasn't sure about a beer that I wanted and he was super helpful and didn't let me commit to it if I didn't like it .

Stumbled upon this place for dinner to shelter from the pouring rain and could not be more glad we did! We ordered a bunch of apps to share and I'd love to recommend the meatballs and the zuppa-- both blew us away! We sat at the bar and enjoyed watching all the espresso martinis and aperol spritz's being whipped up in front of us. We also loved their complimentary bread and olive oil Our server/bar tender was super nice and we got to chat a little over our delish bottle of Chianti ($65). So grateful to have found Florentine and most definitely will be back.

We had a reservation and were seated quickly. That when the service ended. All the servers were just hanging by the kitchen. Finally someone came over and took our order. We received our drinks and food about 15 minutes later and never saw the server again until we flagged him down to get the bill. The bread was above average. The food was nothing special. The meatballs were fair at best and the sauce was bland. The squash blossoms were solid but 2 for $19 was just too much for the portion size. The eggplant parm suffered from the same boring sauce and needed more of it. The portion was large but it just wasn't anything special. Not horrible food but no reason to return.

My fav Italian place north end. Lobster rav, vodka pasta, calamari/shrimp, everything I've had here has been delicious.

Came here for lunch and honestly the food here was delicious. The linguini scampi might be one of the best scampis I've ever had in my life. Delicious flavor, good sized plate, plenty of sauce. The bruschetta was great too. Just two pieces but it was fine for an appetizer. The complimentary bread was also good and soft. The waiter wasn't the friendliest, just very to the point. The ambiance upstairs was nice, nothing fancy but the open windows were pleasant. Wanted to eat downstairs but didn't realize that opens for dinner. Would absolutely go again for the scampi alone.

A little surprised by the mixed reviews but we took out of towners here and everyone was happy with the food. We had intended to go to another restaurant thinking 5 pm dinner on a Sunday we would have a good chance to get a table for an early dinner. Popular restaurants(Daily Catch, Carmelina's) were filled quickly. Our goal then became to find a place that could fit 7 of us around 5pm walk-in. I'll admit I was a little guarded that the restaurant could seat us so quickly compared other places but at this point, we would have gone anywhere. We were pleasantly surprised of our good fortune! We ordered zucchini flowers and fried calamari/shrimp - all enjoyed. The zucchini flowers were cut up for the adults to share(I'd imagine eating a whole stuffed one would be filling!). Bread was warm and fresh with a flavorful dipping oil. Lots of sharing of food at our table: shrimp scampi, lobster ravioli, gnocchi, pasta bolognese. Lobster ravioli was filed with plenty of lobster and had a creamy sauce. Gnocchi were light and pillowy. Shrimp scampi was lemony and garlicky. The sauce for the bolognese tasted like it's been simmering for hours. Overall great dinner, I did however think at times my dish was a little salty(ravioli) but I assumed maybe it had a tad too much cheese. It definitely wasn't too salty where I couldn't finish.

I have nothing bad to say about this place, 6 people got different entrees and every single one of them was great. The price is also good, not super cheap but a good middle ground price for a Boston North End restaurant. The ambiance is perfect and if you get a chance to check out the bar in the basement, it is a super cute little spot. Very popular on weekends to go out. Also our service was great and entrees came out very quick.

We made prior reservations to come here for my daughter's birthday. When we arrived our table was ready. The service was great! It's smaller inside with limited tables so make reservations. I definitely recommend coming here. We all enjoyed our dishes. Everything was fresh and delicious!

The food was delicious - the shrimp scampi was citrus-y and light and the rigatoni was rich and flavorful. Also, I love how dense their bread is. We visited on a Monday night so it was pretty quiet, but there were some big groups hanging out. I liked that this restaurant didn't feel as cramped. Our server was also kind and attentive.

Bar only review: Nice ambience with open windows. Enjoy time sitting at the bar. Did not eat any food, but the plates around us looked great! Bartenders were great and fun vibes all around. Nice spot for a pre dinner drink in the heart of North end.

Everywhere on a Saturday night was extremely busy. We just wanted to grab a drink at the bar before our dinner. We saw Florentine had one bar stool open, which is fine, one sit and one stand. We got their house martini. I was afraid that it was extremely dirty because it looked extremely green, cloudy and murky. To our surprise it wasn't. It must just be the lighting of some kind of strong brine color but it was perfect. So we definitely enjoyed our house martini.

We originally wanted to go to another restaurant, but they were fully booked. We walked further down the street and found this place. Glad that we did. Food was good. For our appetizer, we ordered infritto misto, it had fried calamari, a couple of shrimps and zucchini. For our main dishes, we ordered Linguine Vongolle and Salmon. The clams were big and fresh. Salmon was fresh and was cooked perfectly. I forgot the name of our drink, but it was good. Service was good.

Excellent eggplant parm app. The bread and olive oil that comes to the table was amazing. No complaints at all. Warm inside; I wish I didn't have my sweater on.

The vibe of this restaurant was absolutely amazing! Very lively and a great place to chat with the girls or even go on a date! Very cute on the inside and the outside! Food was good but service was a little bit slow.

Very great Italian restaurant in Boston. We ordered a little bit of everything and enjoyed a great girls night out! The service was quick and the ambiance is fast past and a little loud. A little pricey!

Fabulous brunch with old friends, the lobster omelette was delicious & reasonably priced. Yummy Aperol Spritz & Espresso Martini. Great service, with a street side view....so glad went back to one of very favorite spots in the North End!

Best food and cocktails I've had in a long time. The meatballs were... incredible!! I will be going back, new north end staple

Stopped at the bar for drinks. Had some frito misto- perfect! Light batter. Shrimp, calamari and some veggies. Served with cocktail sauce and tartar sauce. Great service at the bar.

Small little Italian joint with great food. Best bread - soft on top with a crunchy bottom. Meatball and bruschetta appetizers were delicious.

Absolutely top notch! We spent five days in Boston, all in the North Inn and this was by far the best food, service and packed restaurant. We ate dinner twice and various times visiting the bar. Alexa & Monica were the best witnesses, friendly and very accommodating young ladies, whose suggestions were perfect. The food was delicious, perfectly presented. Let's not forget Martine the bartender. Friendly and an expert with cocktails. We had our last dinner here tonight and sad to leave this beautiful neighborhood.

A very boston-Italian dining experience with wide open windows to the street. You can walk in without reservations and be served food and drinks at the bar, but you'll need a reservation if you'd like a table. The bar tenders were super friendly and conversed with everyone. They even gave my friend and I free limoncellos for our birthday celebration. Their Pinot Grigio was alright and their pasta was decent. It was probably just a fluke but my pasta cabañera was undercooked. Otherwise a great experience.

Our food and service was fabulous. This is a very cute restaurant on Hanover in the North End. We came here for lunch and had the branzino and the ravioli di aragosta. Both were excellent. The fish was cooked perfectly, and the ravioli had plenty of lobster and a delicious cream sauce.

Food, Atmosphere, Staff Excellent! So much so we went again a second night . Food and Wine were Amazing! Felt like I was sitting back in a little cafe back in Roma.

Underwhelming at best. The way the tables are arranged on their bottom floor makes you feel like a massively out of place and uncomfortable. I constantly had people bumping into me. The service was not great, multiple times our table was ignored by the waiters. Albeit they seemed to be fairly busy, but note entirely concerned with customer service. The food was okay! Not great, not awful. I will note their gluten free menu is extremely limited, and the staff knew very little about how to handle allergies. I'm fairly certain there are better Italian places in the North End for your meal.

We came in late which I try not to do, and we ordered chicken parm. It was delicious, and the service was great.

Great place Great food Great drinks great Service ! The bread was fresh. We had the recommended martini expresso witch was delish ! The chicken parmisiano was great as well and the lobster

Food was delicious, service was great, and seating by the window on a beautiful day in Boston was wonderful ! Two of us had lobster ravioli and one had lasagna. We also split zucchini flower app which was very tasty.

It was a beautiful day in the North End and we sat at a lovely table with open windows. I ordered shrimp scampi made with gluten free gnocchi. Delicious. Others in our party had chicken parmigiana, rigatoni bolognese and fusilli alla vodka. Everyone loved their meals.

Not bad, could be better. Nice atmosphere, although crowded/close seating to other tables in the basement. A woman holding a child tumbled down the stairs behind me and nearly missed landing on me! Meatballs were excellent, really delicious. Lobster pasta dish was just OK. I wish they had specified either on the menu or by the server that it would require shucking! Not quite what we were in the mood for, it was really messy with tomato sauce all over. Service was whatever, not very attentive or helpful.

Good food good service. Chicken park was excellent. Quaint atmosphere. With all the choices in area give this one a shot

This is usually our go-to spot for espresso martinis and brunch (which we already knew were really good), but we finally tried their regular menu for lunch and every item we ordered was fantastic. The bread they start off with was right out of the oven and tasted great with the olive oil. The highlights were the fritto misto, gnocchi vaccinara and lobster fra diavolo. The lobster that came with the pasta was a good size and all the seafood we ordered tasted really fresh. We'll definitely be coming back!

Of all the restaurants I ate at in Boston, this one was the best. I would go back every time I visit. We had dinner reservations and were seated next to an open window, giving us the feel of being a part of Little Italy. Our waitress was extremely helpful and nice and attentive. We started off with wine and the burrata appetizer, which was very fresh and flavorful but not too filling. I got their moscato- amazing. For the entree I got the chicken Parmesan, and it was SO good I felt guilty for not being able to finish it. The portion size was just so big. We also got the lobster ravioli, and that was probably the best dish out of all of them. The sauce was to die for and the lobster made a unique filling. I'm only deducting a star because it got really loud at times, but the food was well worth the money.

This restaurant from the outside is very cute; the flowers lining the window seating make it stand out among the other restaurants around it. The interior design is very historic, almost transporting you to the early 20th century, with a corresponding music choice. I definitely loved the ambiance, despite the noise level, but the service was disappointing. We were seated directly behind the hostess, where the servers surprisingly often hovered around. Some seemed that they would rather talk the evening away than pay any attention to their tables. Despite noticeably having not been waited on, with menus still sitting on the table and having only water glasses filled, it took 15 minutes of waiting and a comment to the hostess before someone appeared at our table. We ordered the zucchini flowers to split and the two rigatoni pasta dishes as our mains. The zucchini flowers came fried and filled with a heavy cream sauce, making for a very heavy appetizer, which nearly filled me up before my pasta even came. The Rigatoni alla Nonna was good, the ratio of eggplant and tomato sauce was generous, although it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. I could probably make an equally as good, if not better one at home. My boyfriend was very disappointed in his Rigatoni Bolognese, saying the meat sauce was under-seasoned. I was very underwhelmed with this dinner choice. I'm glad to have tried it and now know I will be seeking out other dinner options next time I'm in North End.

The food and the service are amazing. But the seat is very packed and the general environment is a bit too noisy to talk with friends.