Grotto

We loved our dinner at Grotto. It’s a cozy little place with a warm atmosphere and good service. The homemade focaccia and fresh pasta were amazing—simple, flavorful, and clearly made from scratch. Everything we ordered was delicious. Definitely a spot we’ll come back to.

This charming Italian restaurant is a hidden gem for those seeking a cozy and intimate dining experience. From the moment we stepped in, the warm ambiance and inviting decor set the perfect tone for a delightful meal. The service was impeccable, our waiter was both attentive and friendly, making sure we had everything we needed without being intrusive. We opted for the three-course meal, and every dish exceeded our expectations. The cheese fondue with steak tips and mushrooms was rich, creamy, and absolutely mouthwatering. The chicken parmigiana that followed was cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and topped with just the right amount of sauce and cheese. To end on a sweet note, the tiramisu was light, flavorful, and the perfect finale to an already fantastic meal. Whether you’re looking for a romantic date night spot or just a cozy place to enjoy outstanding Italian food, this restaurant is a must-visit. Highly recommended!

There’s something about walking down a few steps into a restaurant that makes you feel like you’re about to join a secret. Grotto has lived under Bowdoin Street for over two decades, a cozy little den of Italian comfort carved into the basement of a Beacon Hill building. You descend, the air shifts, and you’re met with candlelight flickering off brick walls. It’s charming, yes, but also a little too dark—romance is great, but I like to see what I’m eating. Still, it has that “hidden place you bring someone you actually care about” vibe, and enough space between tables to breathe without killing the intimacy. We came for Dine Out Boston, which, for Grotto, is just a formalized version of what they’ve been doing for years—three courses of Italian that aim to stick in your memory. Service was solid, unhurried, and confident. They’ve done this dance enough times to make it look easy. The Caesar Salad should have been an easy win—crisp romaine, Parmesan, croutons—but it leaned heavy on the dressing, which came across fishy enough to distract from the rest. The croutons were good, but overall it was an average start. The Duck Confit, though, was another story entirely. A crispy-skinned leg, tender underneath, riding a wave of blackberry sauce that might have been the single best bite of the night. The arugula brought just enough peppery bite to keep it all grounded. Then came the main event. The risotto was decadent—mushroom, truffle, and Reggiano melting together into something rich, earthy, and absolutely dialed in. It was the kind of dish that makes you stop mid-conversation, just to focus on what’s happening in your mouth. The short rib gnocchi was no slouch either. Tender meat, gnocchi that felt homemade, and gorgonzola that hit that perfect balance between tangy and indulgent. Dessert was a split decision. The sorbet was a welcome hit of bright, fruity refreshment after all that richness, but the thin little cookie next to it felt like an afterthought. The tiramisu, though—that was the closer this place deserved. Creamy mascarpone, espresso-soaked ladyfingers, cocoa in just the right amount, all served in an old-fashioned ice cream glass that gave it a little extra charm. And then, just like that, it’s over. For us, for the night, and soon, for Grotto itself. After 22 years, the lease is up and the doors will close. Places like this don’t come back the same way—they vanish into Boston restaurant lore, leaving behind memories of truffle risotto, blackberry duck, and the feeling of being in on something special. If you get the chance before they shut the lights off for good, go. It won’t be perfect, but it will be real. And that’s what counts.

We enjoyed 50/pp 3 course menu from Grotto! Great value! The food was delicious! Love the atmosphere of the restaurant! Chicken risotto and Tiramisu so good!

Outstanding Italian dining in Boston. The food was great, the service was outstanding, and the ambiance is made for a cozy evening dinner. I look forward to being back!

The food here was a mix of hits and misses. I had the Beef Wellington, which was delicious, but my friend’s chicken parm came with pasta that tasted stale and undercooked. Even the desserts were disappointing—the tiramisu wasn’t traditional at all and weirdly tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The worst part, though, was the terrible service from the white man waiter working dinner on 1/25/25. He seemed like he didn’t want to be there and was taking it out on us. His sassy attitude made the experience uncomfortable and unwelcoming. He probably didn’t care because we had a party of six, meaning gratuity was automatically applied. The food isn’t good enough to make up for service this bad. I won’t be coming back.

Took too long to share a review on one of my favorite spots in Boston for 15+ years. Grotto - you will be missed. There has not been another restaurant I've found reliable chicken Parmesan or meatballs at, amongst all the other things. Thanks for your consistency for so long. You will be lovingly missed!

I was very pleased with this restaurant, so much so I would come back. I would go to try more of their food and drinks options. I thought the place was pretty affordable and our waiter was very kind and nice. I liked the ambiance and how intimate and small it was. My salmon meal was absolutely delicious that sauce it was in was amazing. The banana bread dessert so good!!! I gave a 4 only because the the caesar salad dressing tasted like mayo, my ravioli was great but it seems like the sauce it was sitting in was bacon fat which was not tasty and lastly my fiance meal was great but it just needed some black pepper and salt. Other than those minor things, I really enjoyed my time there.

This is a hidden gem for sure! Walked over from the gov center t stop- it didn't feel like the safest location especially since it was dark out when we went, but it was okay. We had a reservation and were seated immediately. The restaurant is tiny- tables are still nicely spaced but it's a packed space for sure- a little hard to hear each other speak. The complimentary bread was like nothing i've ever had- super rich, almost like a pound cake-baguette mashup, with a VERY strong olive flavored oil. We did the pre-fixe option and ordered the fonduta and duck confit to start. I thought the fonduta was nothing special- it was good steak but essentially felt like dipping steak and mushrooms in butter. The duck confit was AMAZING! Meat was falling off the bone, crispy outside but juicy meat, the sauce was delicious and a really big serving! Next, we both got the chicken under a brick- also a huge serving as well! The truffle flavor was strong but the dish overall was a little bland, but the seasoned parts were definitely delicious. To end, we got the tiramisu and cioccolato. The chocolate cake was rich, fudgy, and paired perfectly with the gelato. I found the tiramisu to be ok- the lady fingers were crunchy and it just wasn't for me. The service was amazing! Our server remembered our order seamlessly and was super friendly. The duck honestly really made my experience memorable. I am already thinking of the next time i'll be back!

The ambient lighting was romantic. I enjoyed their prix fixe menu items. Our waiter helped us pick our drinks to pair with our meals.

This place is cozy and amazing! Nice dim lighting and exposed brick. The service was pretty good as everyone that helped us was welcoming a polite. The food was great! I had the duck leg for appetizer and it was insanely good! You can tell the pasta is homemade! I enjoyed my Fra Diavolo with shrimp! Flavor was on point and the shrimp were a good size. I tried the sangria and was not a fan of it but switched to wine which worked. I will definitely be back!

Food was overall incredibly underwhelming and lacked any prominent flavor compared to what you would expect from a fine Italian restaurant. The short rib gnocchi, for example; while the gnocchi itself was plump and had good texture, and the short ribs were quite tender, the sauce tasted burned and was far too heavy on the red wine. And don't even get me started on what was undoubtedly the worst tiramisu I've ever had. I can admire their unique presentation of serving it like a sundae, but I could not excuse their stale ladyfingers, which just crumbled apart instead of being soft and soaked in expresso. As for the ambiance, the restaurant was crowded, small, and compact. I don't even want to get into the what the bathroom was like. Of course, what can you expect when the restaurant is literally underground? Overall, Boston has plenty of fantastic Italian restaurants. However, for what we were served and the amount we were charged, Grotto is definitely not one of them.

This place is such a hidden gem with warm and cozy vibes all around. Glad the cavatelle is a primi dish, if it were an entree...things would get out of hand because the only thing wrong with it, is that it's too good. Moved onto the bolognese (some of the finest in the city) and short rib gnocchi. Everything was well prepared and we appreciated the thoughtful touch of having heated plates for warm dishes, and cold plates for the dessert.

Really nice date night dinner spot. My wife booked it for my birthday and in short, the food was fantastic and the service spot on. Like a lot of restaurants in Boston, it's in the basement of a brownstone (so it felt) but the atmosphere inside is cozy enough and we were comfortable. We started with the cavatelle which was awesome (recommended by our waiter). Then we split the salmon and chicken parm. Salmon was very good but the chicken parm was very different.. it sat in a sweeter sauce and was smothered in parmesan. Was amazing and I would order again.

Last night, my fiancé and I ventured into the world of Italian cuisine to celebrate her birthday at Grotto, and boy, did it leave us in a food coma worth every bite! The journey began with navigating parking options, which included street parking and parking lots. But to save yourself from the parking puzzle, I'd recommend hitching a ride with Uber and cruising right up to the door. Upon entering Grotto, we were greeted by a cozy, intimate space adorned with charming brick walls. The noise level occasionally spiked, thanks to some enthusiastic patrons who couldn't contain their love for Italian food (or perhaps they were shouting for joy over their dishes). Pro tip: a louder music volume might keep the chatterboxes in check. The service was swift, and we dove right into the Primi, Secondi, and Dolce menu at $46 per person. Here's a glimpse of our gastronomic extravaganza: My Order: * Garlic Soup (Black Truffle, Parmesan, Bread crumbs): like a warm hug from Nonna on a cold day * Carne (Grilled tenderloin, Parmesan Risotto, Asparagus, Red wine sauce): a symphony of tenderness, cheesiness, and deliciousness * Budino (Banana bread pudding, Spiced Walnuts and caramel, Salted Caramel ice cream): dessert heaven, need I say more? My Fiancé's Order: * Cavatelle (House prepared ricotta pasta, Sausage, Peas, Mushroom, Pancetta, Cream): Nana-approved goodness in every bite * Pesce (Seared farm-raised salmon in a creamy lemon and butter sauce, Grilled broccolini & spinach): cooked to fin-tastic perfection * Tiramisu (Ladyfingers, Mascarpone, Espresso, Cocoa, Whipped Cream): espresso-lly delightful, finger-lickin' good! Our taste buds were treated to a rollercoaster ride of flavors and textures, each dish an ode to the chef's mastery of Italian cuisine. The Carne's tender steak and heavenly Parmesan Risotto left me questioning if I'd stumbled into a dream, while my fiancé - an Italian food connoisseur - raved about the authenticity of her Cavatelle and the succulent salmon. As we reached the grand finale of our meal, the decadent Tiramisu and Banana Bread Pudding left us floating on a cloud of dessert bliss. Kudos to the chef for their excellent timing and attention to detail! And now, the cherry on top: the price. For all the food we ordered, plus 2 drinks each and a 20% gratuity, our total was a jaw-dropping $137.16. Talk about a steal for such an exquisite dining experience! In conclusion, Grotto has won us over with its humorously noisy charm, mouthwatering dishes, and wallet-friendly prices. If you're in the mood for Italian cuisine that will make you laugh, cry (tears of joy, of course), and come back for more, Grotto is the place to be. Buon appetito!

Lovely Dine-out week meal at Grotto! My friend and I split the beet and goat cheese spinach salad and the sweet potato ravioli (sans bacon), both of which were phenomal! I almost got too full eating both of these. For my main, I had the mushroom risotto, which was also good and came with a sizable portion, so I ended up taking some home. We paired our meals with glasses of house Chianti ($12). To finish, we split the tiramisu and chocolate cake, both of which were delicious. Can't wait to come back!

Went here for a date night and was a great setting for it! Got the duck confit (tasty and relatively cheap as an appetizer), the cozze mussels (whatever they put in the sauce was DIVINE, I wish I knew how to make it like that), the bolognese, and the spaghetti and meatballs (similar dishes in a sense, both flavorful with the spaghetti being more herby and light tasting while the bolognese was a richer and very tasty entree). Both pastas were much larger portions than we had expected, and we happily packed up any leftovers for another meal. Overall a great experience and would go there again! Also, they have 5$ off any appetizer, entree, and dessert combo as a bonus.

A quaint spot with a romantic ambiance. Perfect for a date night. Very impressed with the service and the food was out of this world! I ordered what I thought was a very basic dish, chicken parmigiana. It was anything buy basic! The chicken was stuffed with cheese and cooked to perfection, and I'm still dreaming of the delicious marinara. My boyfriend ordered the short rib gnocchi and equally enjoyed his dish. Our waiter suggested a bottle of wine which perfectly complemented our meals. We also had dessert and a first course. Very affordable for a nice night out.

Self explanatory review Go there located in a basement on Beacon Hill never crowded

Grotto is a cozy basement Italian restaurant with excellent service, reasonable prices and very tasty food. I loved my dishes - a garlic soup appetizer and the short rib gnocchi. Both were outstanding. I also enjoyed me Old Fashioned cocktail. My wife ordered the Fra Diavolo. While the pasta and sauce were amazing, the shrimp (which should be the stars of the dish) weren't noticeably fresh. She ended up eating everything else though, to her great satisfaction. We really enjoyed our evening overall and would be delighted to come back (especially to try the Wellington), but will probably skip the seafood.

Very cool hidden spot in beacon hill. Quite and intimate. Service and food are great. Relaxed.

Was in Boston for my husbands surgery. I heard great things about Grotto. Couldn't eat there due to the surgery. However we had food delivered. Food was very good. Portions were extremely small. I did read later that the delivery portion are much smaller, but at a greater price. Also, found a long black strand of hair in my risotto......so as far as getting take out...try going instead?

This place was wonderful! It's located in a cellar like atmosphere. Super tiny but very cozy. The food was so yummy! We shared a truffle soup of some sort that was delicous. We then had the bolognese and the chicken parm. Let me say that both dishes, though very different, are fantastic! The bolognese was the perfect size, and the meat was juicy and tender and full of flavor. It was delicous. The chicken parm; that is the star of the night. Our waiter did inform us that it was made very different, and it was. But it was maybe a he most perfect chicken parm I have ever tasted. The light crunch on the outside, the juicy chicken on the inside and the cheese and the sauce. Just perfect! The tiramisu was good. The only thing I would say as far as anything on the down side is the temperature at which our red wine was served. It was very warm i believe because of the temp in the restaurant and the fact that it's close to the kitchen. That was alittle eek because warm wine doesn't go well. Otherwise it was a great time and we will be back!

Came here last weekend as two couples on a double date! Ambiance 5/5 Super intimate, and cozy location that really only seats 20-30 people. Definitely make a reservation, Friday night was booked. Food 5/5 We shared the Caesar salad, beet salad, meatballs, and then each couple enjoyed one short rib gnocchi and the tagliatelle. The portions were generous, and the food was authentic and delicious. Even the Caesar salad was balanced and yummy. We enjoyed every item alongside Negronis and two bottles of wine. The result was a reasonable bill for the amount we ordered. We all split the Tiramisu which was a perfect sweet ending to our meal Service 4/5 It was kind of hit or miss, we had different people waiting on us and sometimes they went MIA and were difficult to find. Our servers didn't really offer much by way of explaining popular menu options or wines. Would definitely come back, overall a very nice experience!

Truly one of the best meals we have ever had! We stumbled across this place on Yelp and wanted to give it a shot after seeing the images of the food! We are soooo happy we chose it! It feels like an intimate hole in the wall, and the service was great. We loved the fixed meal format - with three courses of your choosing. The amount of food we got was an incredible value! I had the fonduta, bolognese, and the molten chocolate cake. My husband had the duck, gnocchi, and the bread pudding. Every single thing was SO good!

Beware: Ask questions about the price of their so-called "pre-fix" menu before ordering. They seem to have printed the menu in the most confusing way possible in order to trick you into thinking that the pre-fix menu is an all-inclusive fixed price, but in reality you're paying full price for each course. I even asked the waiter for clarification and he acted coy, which should've been a sign for me to keep asking questions, but I didn't, and then my friend and I ended up paying double what we expected.

What a wonderful experience! This little hole-in-the-wall place is a hidden gem! The service was great, and the ambiance was fantastic. But the food and the drinks were the real stars. We started with a couple of cocktails- the "Centriolo" (a tart and delicious Gin drink) and a pear-spiced Manhattan- both were excellent! We had a wonderful Caesar salad, and followed that up with the "Patata Dolce" (sweet potato ravioli) that was amazing! The "secondi" was a grilled tenderloin on a bed of Parmesan risotto, with a red wine sauce... simply exquisite. Finally, we shared a banana bread pudding with a caramel ice cream topping. A perfect end to a perfect meal! We will recommend this to anyone we know who is heading to Boston. Skip the fancier, named Italian places in the North End, and head over to the Grotto. You will be happy you did so!!

The craziest part about the food here is how hot and steamy it comes out. Seriously, the second you dig into your pasta, be prepared for your pores to open and to get that $100 facial for free. We came here for dineout and hand to use the railing to get back up the stairs to street level after the meal. Stuffed!!! Everything was fabulous, only regret was eating too much bread and I couldn't finish my dessert (not in character for me at all). But it's so tempting to keep asking for bread to mop up all the sauces that come on every plate.

Absolutely precious little place to go to. Be prepared for a very big spending night, bottles of wine start at $55. Everything we had was amazing, and the staff was very cheeky. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. It's a small place and feels intimate.

Really great staff and unforgettable food! Yum yum yum! Fondu and chicken parm are a must! Small quaint space, cute for a date night!

The atmosphere in in a basement. Very tight seating. The food was very good. The portions are small for the price but very high quality . The service is outstanding very accommodating. I would recommend this restaurant as a win win restaurant

Was refused an entree because we hit the 2 hour time limit, even though our waitress didn't come to our table in the 45 minutes after we received our appetizer. She then showed up to tell us we were getting kicked out for another reservation, and when we tried to order our entree, she only offered dessert. The manager then came over and was extremely rude, even saying "we should have flagged someone over". Why is that our job??!! Also, we tried!!! Would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. We were there for a special occasion (graduation dinner) and we wrote that we wanted a beef wellington and it was for a graduation. We had already paid over $175 in food/beverages to just get kicked out, after we had said we wanted multiple courses and kept a menu. We didn't get checked on from the time I took the picture til we got kicked out right before 8.

Awful food. Dry wellington. Sandy escargot. Unsalted bolognese. Gnocchi the size of boulder. Mashed potatoes were 7/10. Everything else was awful.

Grotto is one of our favorite neighborhood haunts. Tucked away in a basement on Bowdoin Street, behind the Statehouse, one is unlikely to stumble across it by chance. The bread leaves rather a bit to be desired, being rather sugary and fluffy; I wish they could steal the boulanger from Ma Maison on Cambridge Street to improve this aspect of their otherwise-excellent food. The wine list is filled with unfamiliar gems, and while not cheap, in general one gets one's money's worth. The food is consistently divine, with a solid selection of pastas, meat, and fish. The cavatelli appetizer is consistently excellent. Service is a bit of a wildcard: they are generally staffed with a skeleton crew, and even when half-empty, time between visits from a server can be prolonged. That said, the servers are most often friendly, capable, and helpful. The dim and intimate surroundings make this a lovely location for a romantic dinner; I also enjoy the musical selections of classics from the mid and late 20th century.

What I can say.... The food is fantastic, the wine unbelievable, the service is 10 stars... Me and my wife had a exceptional night... Just fabulous... I high recommend for everyone wanting to enjoy the authentic Italian cuisine...

We were walking to another restaurant and passed by Grotto. The restaurant caught my eyes immediately with how cozy the ambience looks. We decided to give Grotto a try and it didn't disappoint. The Fonduta was the best appetizer and the star of the night. The tenderloin tips and mushroom dipping in the fondue with truffle oils, everything was perfect. Pasta was also good very good. The shrimp in my Fra Diavolo was so crunchy and fresh. We were on a rush so didn't have time to try out desserts or drinks. Definitely will come back and try out other dishes on the menu.

Extremely rude wait staff and the most horrific mouse sighting scurrying around the main floor near the end of our meal. Staff turned away and went into the back, pretending not to acknowledge the screaming customers. Did not even offer to check in, apologize, nor offer any sort of compensation for the appalling and terrifying mouse sighting experience. Even after calling the restaurant, the staff was extremely dismissive, and claimed that "it's Boston, we're in a basement, there's a lot of mouse around here." That is no excuse for a restaurant serving customers! First and last I'll be dining there, and do not recommend for anyone, especially for dining in. Awful experience.

I've been to the Grotto a bunch of times and always had an excellent meal so when I saw the chance to order through door dash I jumped at the opportunity. I expected the same quality of food I've had when dining there, but this was horrible. Not only was the portion size a complete and utter joke for spending $30 on the chicken parm, but it also was over cooked and tasted horrible. Such a disappointment. Seems like they just added take out service to make additional money without holding the dishes to the same standard they have with in person dining. Definitely won't order from them again.

It is always great to. Grotto is tucked into our neighborhood, and in my opinion one of the best Italian restaurants in the city.

Hidden gem of Boston. The mood is sexy, mature and elegant. The food is absolutely delicious and perfect every single time. And the staff is very knowledgeable and considerate. This is one of my go to places since I live close by and it's better than any north end restaurant I've been to.

Outstanding food and service. We ate here Thursday night. I had the short rib gnocchi and my wife had the risotto. We both agreed to come back after we left.

Love the food but I always ask for leftovers and they never get returned???? Are the servers just eating the leftovers in the back?? Because that is gross

We journeyed to Grotto on foot for two reasons. First, this restaurant was in the Beacon Hill area where we had been walking on foot all day. And second, according to the ratings, people seem to love this place. I called and left a message hoping for a reservation and was promptly called back by a very kind and accomodating woman. She told us that she would have a table avaialbe for us when we arrived. The outside of the building looked unimpressive since Grotto is in a basement. As soon as my wife saw it, she said, "NOPE!" meaning that she had no plans to go inside. I laughed and said, "Come on. We are here so let's at least look inside." As soon as we looked inside, my wife was all in. :) The atmosphere was quaint and inviting. Ther service was attentive and kind. The food was phenomenal! We are still talking about what we had for dinner there. Go to Grotto. You won't be sorry.

Very unique and cool restaurant! Service was great and the food was spectacular! Would highly recommend!

Be careful going down the stairs and be sure to make a reservation. Awesome and unique Italian and fun dishes. My husband loved the escargot and the beef wellington. I loved the oysters and the fra diablo with shrimp. Great cocktails and wine list.

I am a bit torn in this review. TL:DR: food good, place kinda dirty First the bad: the table was sticky! The bathroom had an abundance of urine on the floor. And if you are seated near the door, prepare for it to be open through much of the meal, due to a run of takeout/Uber eats/ patron waiting for tables etc. They have tried to ameliorate this with a curtain, but it is mostly open as well for the same reasons. The positive: food was good, traditional, and in healthy servings. Better than average for sure. The total: this place is not cheap - 27-35$ for an entree. Wine is 15$/glass. I would expect more at this price tag and a family dinner comes out at 400$ easy. The feeling of "dirty" was hard to shake.

Great experience having an evening at the Grotto & already can't wait to come back. Started with the *Fonduta which is essentially fondue with steak tips, mushrooms and heavenly beautifully melted cheese fondue. The second starter was a sweet potato ravioli with brown butter sauce that was a lovely treat that had a great but not overwhelming bacon flavor and was great balance of sweet and savory. The Bolognese was amazing and was served hot and fresh out of the kitchen, there is love in this bolognese and it tastes delicious! Last but not least the Wellington, the reason we came to the Grotto in search of Boston's finest beef Wellington. This Wellington favors mushrooms in its classic crusted rendition and definitely melts in the mouth. The search continues, however a great addition to the rankings. Will definitely be back, I can't wait to try literally any of the other dishes here because I know they gotta be good. I recommend reservations as the place is intimate but that's its charm. Highly recommend! 5/5

This place is so cute! It's a little hidden gem. You walk in from the street and go straight underground to a small little dining area with maybe a dozen tables. It's dark/candle lit. Perfect for a date night. I wouldn't recommend it for large groups as the space probably only holds 40 or so people max. It was cozy and relatively quiet. Big wine selection. Service was great and our server was very attentive. I went with her suggestion on the 1st and 2nd course and was happy I did! I got the patata dolce (Sweet Potato Ravioli) as a 1st course/appetizer. It was a smaller size of pasta and was sooooooo yummy. I wish it was bigger as an entree! So savory I loved it. For my main course I got the Carne which was a steak tenderloin with 3 pieces of asparagus and Parmesan risotto. The risotto was delicious as well! It tasted as if it had a bit of truffle in there as well, though I didn't see that on the menu description. It was a good size and I was soooo full. Which made me sad because I so badly wanted to try a dessert. My 2 friends both got different dishes and both loved them as well. We were visiting from out of town but I wish we could go back! I definitely recommend Grotto.

The food is awesome. The Carne, the short ribs are to die for. The service is great. This is definitely a must visit in Boston

This was one of the best Italian restaurants I've been to in a while. The atmospehere inside was quant and charming. Almost made me feel like I was in lady and the tramp! If you are going to get dessert make sure you splurge and get the chocolate lava cake. It was decadent!

Went with a friend for dinner last night. It was my 2nd time at this small, underground restaurant. I initially found out about it because I looked up romantic restaurants in Boston to go to with my boo. So far, I've been to Grotto with a vendor and a female friend. Lol! I've made reservations online both times, but they have been unnecessary. Both times have been at 5 or 5:30 on a weeknight and there's been 1 other party there when I've arrived. I'm sure it gets busier later on and on the weekends. First of all - the drinks here are dynamite! I don't remember what I had the first time I was here, but last night, I ordered an old fashioned that they make with Bully Boy and it was soooo good. My friend is doing dry January and she was like "Uh... I smell your old fashioned and I want it so bad". haha. Too bad for you! I savored that bad boy. If my friend was drinking and didn't have to catch a bus back to NH, I would have had another one. I don't know who is back there making drinks (there is no bar area in the front), but they do an amazing job. There are 2 prix fixe dinner options with appetizer, entree and dessert. It's $36 for a pasta entree or $42 for a meat entree. I can't eat that much food, so my friend and I shared the mussels appetizer and got our own a la carte entrees. The mussels were good. $10 for a serving that could have been a bit bigger. For my entree, I got the lobster fra diavolo. I love me some lobster and some spicy red sauce. The pasta was very fresh and the lobster was good. Downside was that a chunk of the lobster had shell in it, so - tried as I might to separate the lobster from shell in my mouth, I ultimately had to spit it out and waste a chunk of lobster meat. No bueno. My friend got the gnocchi and she loved it. She gulped it down and had to wait for me to finish my pasta! I wish they let people split the prix fixe. If we could have shared the appetizer and dessert parts and then I had my own entree, that would have been perfect, but there's a line on the menu that says no sharing. I didn't want to be that person who tries to get away with some nonsense, so we wen't without dessert. The vibe is definitely on the romantic side. The restaurant is tiny and underground, it was quiet and they played soft jazz. Lights were low - food was good, drinks were strong. It's all anyone needs to get their booty on. Next time, maybe I'll actually bring my other half!

I went this weekend with a friend for dinner, the hostess was lost somewhere in the back for 10 minutes...so we weren't seated on time, but she was friendly. When we sat down we see that AUTOMATICALLY there is a 20% tip applied to your bill regardless of party size.... Which MAKES SENSE why the 2 male waiters (bald with clear glasses & other with mask) were RUDE and not attentive. They know they'll be receiving their tip regardless... they really need to change this or find friendly staff. Food was decent. Not the best shrimp fra diaviolo I've had or worst.

Everything was so yummy. Small restaurant but nice intimate armosphere. Food came out quick n was full of flavors. 10/10 meal

Really disappointing. The bread was tasteless and mealy. Tiramisu was gray paste in a cup. The spaghetti and meatballs had weird melted cheddar or something over the top like a plate of nachos. The red sauce was watery and just tasted like bell pepper. The cocktail program is really weird. They'll give you the full liquor cocktails (with whiskey, gin, vodka) that are on the menu but if you ask for something else using the same ingredients (like a basic martini) they say no they only have a cordial license...? Makes no sense. Not sure how this place has the great reputation it seems to have but won't be back.

Yep, Grotto is located at or beneath street level at Bowdoin Street, which is not far from the Capitol Dome and the State House. It's fancy Italian which is really great for lunch. Oops. They have a nice lunch menu with set prices for one or two courses. Three of us at the table landed on the bolognaise for lunch, which was a delicious choice. It didn't look like much because it was served on a huge dish but the pasta already tossed with sauce turned out to be a very good portion. Rich, meaty, garlicky and delicious, I nabbed the last piece of bread from the basket to scoop up the little bit of sauce that was left. Delicious. It's not a very big restaurant - maybe a dozen tables of two- and four-tops - but they do a fine lunch and I'd bet, a better dinner.

Made the trip on a Fri night. Then we were told their kitchen was already closed. That was at least one hour before their official closing time. Sloppy.

Grotto deserves to be on Boston's greatest restaurants list because it serves some of the most delicious tasting and generously portioned food at a very affordable price point. I've gone through many places on that top restaurants list (Oleana, Sarma, Kava, Neptune Oyster, etc) and my experience at Grotto surpassed every single one of them. 1/ Food (6/5) - for $39 you can order a set appetizer, entree, and dessert and this is a complete steal given the portion size and quality of the dishes. Everything here tastes freaking amazing and the sauces have some next level dimension of flavor unbeknownst to me before coming here. We ordered the duck confit, sweet potato ravioli, gnocchi, cavatelli, banana pudding, and warm chocolate cake and everything was 5/5 delicious. 2/ Ambiance (4/5) - it's a small restaurant located in the basement of a building but that adds to the charm. It's dim and super intimate. 3/ Service (4/5) - the manager is extremely gracious and caring, especially when it comes to food allergies. The service is very proactive, though the place is very busy so it's definitely more on the mechanical side.