Panza

Dinner was amazing! Our family was seated right near open window to the street. We enjoyed every dish we had (veal Parmesan, butternut squash ravioli, ziti, gnocchi and the short rib). Highly recommend!

Panza, nestled in the heart of Boston's Little Italy, might challenge your personal space with its tight seating arrangement, but it more than makes up for it with its culinary prowess. The intimate setting actually adds to the charm, creating a warm, cozy atmosphere that feels quintessentially Italian. A must-try starter is their bruschetta, which stands out from your typical fare. Topped with a sweet balsamic glaze, it strikes a perfect balance of flavors, leaving you craving more after every bite. The tomatoes are fresh, the basil is aromatic, and the glaze is just the right touch of sweetness. For the main course, the Braised Beef Short Rib is a showstopper. Tender, flavorful, and cooked to perfection, it falls apart beautifully at the touch of a fork, making each mouthful a rich and savory experience. The depth of flavor in the dish speaks to the skill and care in the kitchen. Panza is an absolute gem and a wicked pick for anyone looking for authentic Italian cuisine in Boston. Despite the close quarters, or perhaps because of them, dining here feels like being part of a special, bustling family meal. Whether you're a local or just passing through, Panza delivers a meal that's well worth the visit.

This was a complete hassle! It was hot, muggy, and the fan didn’t even work. Then on top of this, I was at work dinner, and they didn’t even allow us to split the checks at all! I understand only allowing maybe one but 0 splits for six people is ridiculous. Also so not get the Veal pasta, it is not worth the money at all. Plus when it came time for receipts they even made that an ordeal. However I will say my food was good which was lobster ravioli and calamari. Also no refills on a fountain drink was strange.

We have eaten here on our last 2 visits to Boston because it's so good. The food is amazing and the service is great as well. There is limited seating and it tends to be busy, so plan accordingly. We will be back for sure!

Excellent meal to top off a fun trip in Boston. Came from Chicago where we are inundated with Italian food so was happy to report that Panza kept us satisfied. In the busyness of North End, this place was worth the stop. Had a reservation and scored a seat outside in the blocked off street. Our server was helpful in breaking down some recommendations and then food came out one dish at a time but very fast. It was perfect pacing and excellent service overall. Nothing we ordered was a let down. I particularly enjoyed the veal chops, carbonara, and calamari.

Really good food & attentive & friendly staff- they could not be more helpful. I was a single diner midweek from UK & found the prices reasonable for Brits . Drink range & prices $10 a big glass of branded wine. I had the lobster ravioli. Perfection on a plate.

Great Italian eatery, we made reservations to be safe but the restaurant wasn’t full at 6pm on a Sunday. It was overflowing when we left a little after 7 though. We ordered the Lobster Ravioli which was amazing, the Dijon in the cream sauce balanced the flavors so well. The veal was also delicious and we enjoyed the coziness of the restaurant and excellent service.

Best Italian restaurant in town. It’s small and cozy and very busy. Service was great and nimble. Loved all the orders. The calamari, and the house salad were good. The mushroom and goat cheese spring rolls with honey drizzle is very creative and tasty and comes with zesty greens. The lobster ravioli is fantastic. The tarragon fettuccini is very tasty and so does the pappardelle with grilled shrimps. I am compelled to come back and try the rest of the menu.

Fried Calamari 4/5 Lobster Ravioli 5/5 Linguine Alla Pescatore 4/5 Came on a weekend night. Glad I came with a reservation, the place was packed and the atmosphere was bustling with excitement. The food~ The fired calamari was soft and tender with a creamy aioli sauce that had a slight kick. But I wished it was more crispy, started to feel slightly chewy and soft rather than crispy. The lobster ravioli was a great deal with large real lobster chunks. Sauce was creamy and had tomato that helped bring a little bit of lightness to the sauce. The Linguine Alla Pescatore had a good amount of seafood, but felt a little tough and overcooked. The sauce was really good and when sharing with a friend, helped cut through some of the lobster ravioli. The logistics~ The service felt really hectic, but can't blame them. The restaurant is small, packed, dark, and bustling. Not enough room for waiters and customers to really walk around comfortably, but the staff tries their best. It's right in little Italy, so parking is almost impossible. I parked closer to the government center area and walked.

To anyone expecting the reservation system at Panza to work: forget it. Your reservation means nothing--they'll seat walk-ins first because the waitress doesn't check reservations at all. I booked a table three weeks in advance since I was visiting from California and didn't want to waste time waiting for dinner. When I arrived, I gave my name and reservation to the waitress, but she didn't follow up or let me know how long I'd need to wait. I understand they get busy on Friday nights, so I waited patiently, but after 20 minutes with no updates, I asked the waitress how much longer it would be--and she asked for my name again. Turns out, she never checked my reservation in the first place. Her attitude was also off, almost like discrimination. I don't understand why Panza even takes reservations if they don't honor them. Why not just go first come, first served like other North End restaurants, so people who want a guaranteed table can go elsewhere?

Solid spot in the busy North End. They accept credit cards and reservations, so that was nice. The serving sizes are huge. We dude a few apps and 3 entrees for four men. Service is a bit rushed and keeps things moving, but this feels natural. Overall a good experience and would recommend. I would go back!

The gnocchi and the sauce itself was very good, but the meat was slightly chewy. However, the service was very good and our server was very friendly. The restaurant itself was cute and cozy.

We probably ordered the wrong things but we ordered their special-- pumpkin gnocchi and it was absolutely terrible. Couldnt even eat 1/4th of it. The penne with chicken and brocc was awful. the sauce was like water and the chicken was llike rubber. We were so disappointe.

I'd go 4 1/2, but I can't. Good was really good. The service was adequate (reason for a 1/2 star off). The waitress did everything right and the food came out quickly and she checked on us, she was just very very quiet and soft spoken and far from exuberant. Like most of the North End, it's small with the best seat being in the window, especially on nice days. Again, great food as you would expect. One note, Yelp said they opened early, but their website said 4pm. It wasn't busy, which was surprising and maybe that's why. Good job Yelp.

Located in the North End on Hanover Street, this authentic Italian eatery offers something for everyone. The restaurant is cozy but was able to accommodate our party of 7 as walk-ins. We were seated close to the front windows which were open as it was a very warm day. We started with a platter of calamari which was delicious and fried to crunchy perfection. I opted for linguini carbonara and was pleased with the balance of flavors and portion size (who doesn't enjoy leftovers?). The gnocchi bolognese was also fresh and delicious. My only regret was that I found the fresh bread and dipping oil irresistible before our meals arrived. (I actually could have made a meal out of that alone). Overall, our experience was very good.

The mussels are fire the lobster ravioli is fire squash, ravioli fire mushroom, ravioli amazing everything was great honestly thank you for putting up with my entire family. We kept dropping everything and spilling water all over the place. My nieces kept going through the open window and you guys were great thank you again. We will definitely come back. I love the North End. This is one of my favorite spots. Highly recommend it foods amazing. It's a very small place but it's very worth it in my opinion.

Came here for reservations with 3 of my friends. I came a little later than the rest so they were already seated by the windows as well as a handful of other tables. For appetizers we shared their bruschetta, mussels, and fried calamari. The tomato and basil mixture was light and bright on the well toasted hearty bread. Mussels were plump and flavorful in the white wine sauce. Pretty standard fried calamari with slices of banana peppers too. Since we ordered so many appetizers for 4 people, we opted for only 3 entrees to share including the seafood risotto, linguine carbonara, and braised beef short rib dinner. The seafood risotto had a considerable portion of clams, shrimp, and veggies. It was perfectly cooked with an ideal texture. The carbonara was creamy and decadent. Even the short rib was jam packed with flavor with the soft wedges of polenta. Overall, my friends and I had a wonderful time from the delicious food to the wonderful service. We walked out super full and incredibly happy. Would love to come again and recommend others to check them out too!

I'll start by saying the food is really good here. I got bolognese with baby rigatoni instead of gnocchi and it was a great portion and delicious bites. However, the reason for the 3 star rating is because 1) the host was incredible rude and 2) the restaurant is incredibly cramped. Starting with 1, we had a 5:30 reservation for 5 people. Two of us got there early and our table was ready but they made the 2 wait outside until the other 3 were present. Once we were all together, we asked to be seated and the host said "I only see 3 of you" to which I told him the other 2 were outside because there's nowhere to stand. He looked at me like I was crazy. After 45 minutes he came back and told us "I don't want to rush you but we need the table" while my cousin was still drinking her wine. I understand wanting to move tables quickly but it's inappropriate to ask people to leave while they're still finishing the meal. About #2- the restaurant is really cramped and even though we sat near the back, it was still uncomfortably close to everyone else.

Should have read reviews before coming here. There is absolutely no point in making a reservation here. We made a reservation at 7pm and even arrived 5 minutes early. This was for a group of 4 and we were all came together. It was completely full inside the restaurant and they told us to wait in line, even with the people who did not have reservations! Ridiculous!! They don't save tables or try to seat you first if you make a reservation. We waited for 35 minutes past our reservation time before we had enough and went to eat at Giacomo's across the street. Highly recommend going there instead. Even though they don't take reservations at Giacomo's, you'll be seated earlier there without a reservation than here at Panza WITH a reservation. I would never try dining here again.

Super cozy Italian restaurant on Hanover street in the North End. Came here around lunch time after seeing they had a lunch menu, but learned they only had a dinner menu when we arrived. The food was good, pretty standard for the North End and similar to the other restaurants.

My favorite Italian in the North End. The restaurant is very small, like many others in the area, but it fills up and can sometimes have a wait time even with a reservation. My favorite dish is the butternut squash ravioli, also loved the bruschetta

The food was so good! The staff was really attentive. Small restaurant but it was hopping. Also, very fast with food but never felt rushed.

Night before Boston Marathon...you know what that means...carbo-load! The place was understandably packed full of other runners with the same idea - to eat as much pasta as possible before race day. We made a reservation a few months in advance, figuring this would be the case, and I'm very glad we did. Even with our reservation we had to wait a bit before we got our table! But once we were seated, the staff were quick to get our orders and make sure we were good to go. I ordered the carbonara and, for awareness, I am a big carbonara snob. So all in all this wasn't my favorite carbonara I've ever had. It was good but like I said...I'm a snob. I wish I had gotten their pesto ravioli instead. I saw a dish of it after I ordered and that looked soooo good. Next time... My friends also ordered a variety of pastas and all thought they were fantastic. So I'm thinking I may just need to try a different dish. The inside is very quaint and cozy. Feels super authentic, small space, tightly packed tables... I loved it. Very Italian. So if you're looking for a spot to try some Boston Italian food in little Italy, give this place a go! Also...they give you some really, really good bread as an appetizer, so there's a little extra perk to go (in case you needed one).

August 30 8pm. Whats the point of reserving a table at my preferred time and date if the restaurant make us wait for an extra 30 minutes? Or maybe its just the waitress that mistreated us. We told the lady waiter our name and replied that she will check. 20 minutes go by and we are still waiting outside in the cold. This waiter even saw us waiting outside the entire time while serving the tables. We ask her how longer we need to wait again and asks us what our name is. Are you serious? If this is not poor service what is it? I understand that it was a busy Friday night because of the long weekend and orientation week. But we came from LA and made reservations 3 weeks ago. We had a blast the moment we landed to Boston but her attitude ruined our day. If a customer gives you the reserved time and date just go check and if there's a wait list just tell them to wait a few more minutes. It's not a big deal. It's a big deal if a customer gives you the information, you forget about them, and let 4 more parties in.

4 star - Ambiance - quaint, little restaurant that's clean and relatively quiet during a weekday lunch Food - the lobster ravioli was quite good. I could find lobster chunks in the filling and though there was nothing especially spectacular about the dish, it was well balanced and I was able to finish the entire plate. I'd love to try some of their other dishes next time.

Came in on a Sunday afternoon for a late lunch. The mussels in white sauce were some of the best i've ever had. The lobster ravioli was delicious.

Very good. Quality bread, fresh salad and nice and tasty portions. Very good and kind service. One of the better recent North End dining experiences.

Although we didn't have a reservation we got seated right away. We had the delicious Fried Calamari, we loved it and highly recommend it. Then we split the Linguine allá pescatore, scallops and calamari were good but the shrimp was overcooked. We also enjoyed the free bread. Overall it was good.

My new favorite Italian place in Boston north end!! I've been to a few of the super highly rated / popular places but have liked Panza more. This is where I'd take people who are visiting. HUGE portions, great taste and great value! Must get: - lobster ravioli: WOW. The sauce is SO good. Whenever I get lobster ravioli I worry that it's gonna come out with like 4 pieces of ravioli that have no lobster taste whatsoever, but this place is different. Portion is HUGE. Lobster taste is distinct and delicious. I've ordered this twice, and each time we've used the bread to literally wipe all the sauce off the plate cuz it's so good! This was my favorite dish. Linguine Alla Pescatore - filled with tender seafood. Delicious red sauce that's slightly spicy. Loved it!!! Also got twice Baked ziti: the presentation of this dish is a feast for the eyes. Meatballs are also extremely tasty and savory. Definitely on the heavier side but fills that cheese and pasta craving I usually have when I go eat Italian food. Would probably skip the calamari. Will get packed Friday/Saturday dinner so will need a resy but even then unfortunately may wait. Didn't have a wait lunch time when I went!

The food is exquisite at a great price. The ambiance is picturesque. The service is wonderful. You have to try it! Get the pasta.

Would not recommend. We had a reservation and did not get seated until 45 min after our reservation time. They basically do not have a hostess and have a waitress checking people in. No point to even have a reservation at this place. Once we did finally got seated our waiter was extremely rushed. You are all crammed into the tiny restaurant, the noise level is very loud & the food is mediocre. Would recommend going elsewhere in the North End for Italian.

Wonderful service, not too busy, great street-side atmosphere. Highly recommend the Freeform Lasagna with black peppercorn pasta.

Stumbled upon this spot after being turned away from several other north end restaurants that had multi-hour wait times. We managed to snag one of the last open tables just before a rush. The server was friendly and helpful, steering us away from ordering too large a portion of calimari. And, speaking of portions, "generous" would be an understatement. All the pasta dishes were really tasty. Once the place got busy and a line accumulated, we did feel somewhat rushed, in that, as soon as we were done, they abruptly cleaned off our table, delivered and collected our check and hovered. Understandable given the relatively small size of the place, but kind of annoying. With that, we'd definitely go back!

I love the Italian food in Boston! Panza is a comfort Italian dining. It's small, packed so make sure you make reservations. I mean they won't seat you on time so you'll still have to wait 30 minutes or so, but with reservations they don't turn you away. Saturday nights are crazy busy. We got their spicy mussels, Caesar salad, seafood pasta and I think my husband got rigatoni and sausage. We also ordered a bottle of the wine, which was extremely affordable. The food portions huge! So tasty too. I love their spicy marinara. Everything was fresh and tasty!

I second some of the things said about making reservations -- despite reserving a time we still had to wait a bit for a table as the restaurant had limited seating. Not as long as others, but it did make it feel like we didn't really have a table "reserved." However, the food was great! I got the spinach ravioli which was vegetarian. It is QUITE heavy as can be seen from the photo so even though the volume wasn't huge I took leftovers home -- not a bad thing necessarily, just not what I would eat most of the time. The girls I went with all seemed to really enjoy their dishes as well.

There were huge portions (you'll have enough leftovers for a full meal) and service was fairly quick. As with most north end places, you barely have room to breathe in the space between chairs of you and your neighboring table. The fried calamari was very good, and the carbonara was alright, but felt a little heavy if that makes sense? I think a little more acid would have broken through that.

I have not physically been in the restaurant but ordered from them last night on Door Dash. OMG so delicious! We had linquine and clams and the lobster ravioli! OMG so so good and really good portions for delivery! Will probably try to go to the restaurant itself but will for sure order Door Dash from them again. Highly recommend! MANGIA!!!!

Wonderful meal here! Very fair priced for north end. We loved the bruschetta and the baked ziti. The special of the night was a ravioli with sausage and broccoli rabe in a smoked tomato mozzarella sauce. Note: this restaurant is small so not good for larger groups. Also be prepared to wait even if you have a reservation.

Another fantastic North End restaurant. You can pretty much walk into any Italian restaurant in North End and end up with amazing food. The only difference is that Panza has distinctly large portion sizes! Spare Ribs: Super tender, falling off the bone. Grilled to a crisp on the outside. Nice marinade, too! Baked Ziti: This was my favorite, but all of the dishes were close. For some reason, they used penne instead of ziti. The meatballs were delicious, the pasta had a nice chew (although these weren't the best pasta noodles I've had in North End). The sauce was excellent. Linguine Alla Pescatore: We got this in a fra diavolo sauce and it was delicious. The seafood was all very tender, and they did NOT skimp out at all. Linguine & Littleneck Clams: We got this in a white sauce, just so we could try all their sauces. We have concluded that ALL of their sauces are equally good! We had 3 dishes and an appetizer between 4 of us and it was too much food. 3 entrees are definitely enough for 4 people! I liked their huge serving sizes. They are definitely fairly priced, and their food is great. Their pasta noodles themselves weren't the best, but they are still really tasty nonetheless. Service was friendly and fast.

June 2022. My friend and I had just gotten off of a cruise. I've been to Boston and in all honesty, had some of the best Italian food there ever! I'm from the NY/NJ area. We were in the hotel room and wanted to get Italian delivered. I ordered from Panza based on the reviews and little did I realize, I'd been there and left a review years ago. Ironically, I ordered the very same meal that I'd had before. The veal parmigiana was amazing! Hands down one of the best I've ever had. Got the meatballs. Still not a fan. Not a lot of taste to them. Despite that, the sauce was great!!!

Chicken parm with spaghetti: Chicken was tender, tomato sauce had great flavor, pasta cooked perfectly, mozzarella cheese was fresh Calamari: Outstanding. Fresh, hot, tasty Only complaint is that I ordered takeout and they told me it would be an hour but when I got there 50 min later, it looked like the food had been sitting for 20 min so the food wasn't very hot.

Absolutely amazing. Taking the top spot on the list of North End restaurants ! Lobster Ravioli

The food here is amazing and the atmosphere is great for a north end visit. Best carbonara out there! Nice place to order a bottle of wine and enjoy company. Staff were great and very professional. Good prices for a more traditional dinner. 10/10

Beautiful, fresh ingredients, correct ingredients for standard Italian, but a flare for unique ingredients on home-made ravioli.. Lasagna is simple loose noodles, but ingredients are yummy. Reasonable prices on food and wine compared to Giacomo across the street($$$) GREAT open- air window dining. Sweet service & they take cards*

The food was very ok and if that's all you're looking for you may like this place. The service left much to be desired. We felt rushed from the second we sat down and were only seated 30 minutes before they started asking if we needed boxes and if we were ready for the check. The waiters were very aggressive about taking our plates away, we had to tell them no we are still working on it 3+ times in the span of 10 minutes. I totally understand wanting to turn tables over for people waiting but we were only there an hour from the time we walked in the door to the time we walked out. Just not the dining experience I was hoping for tonight.

Super cute spot right in the heart of the North End. The space is tiny and the line got pretty long, but we had a reservation and got seated on time. I tried the spinach and ricotta ravioli which was tasty. We also got the Linguine alla Pescatore which was delicious. Huge portions and decent service - it was busy so our server was running around everywhere which was expected. Overall great spot, I would go back!!

Excellent food! Amazing service and great location. I would highly recommend this North End restaurant!

I went to this place for my anniversary dinner. Its a cozy place, the server directed us to a seating quickly. There were people who came after us, who had to wait. We ordered the Wild mushroom and goat cheese spring roll. I am not usually a fan of honey based sauces, but it went very well with the spring rolls. The spring roll in itself was good. We also ordered Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli, loved loved it. They make their own pasta, the sauce was extremely creamy with a little tanginess of sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts gave it a lovely crunch. If you are a vegetarian, please just go for it. I am a little disappointed with the service, the flatware were dirty, water was dirty, the whole service felt very very rushed, it felt like we gulped everything too quickly. I would visit again if they let me enjoy my meal.

This tiny restaurant will have a wait during peak times but it's worth it - I found service to be fast and food came out quick too, the menu is diverse and nice wine by the glass and sangria options. The lobster ravioli is as excellent as everyone says, generous portions for everything. Would recommend to anyone and I hope to visit again in a future trip

Overall: I don't often eat at Italian restaurants because it's so expensive for something I can usually make at home, but I would come back to Boston just to eat at Panza. It is unassuming and wasn't very busy when we stopped by for dinner, but the food and price point were both fantastic. Food: 5 Linguine Carbonara: This was one of the best versions of this simple dish that I've had. Although a very rich dish, it didn't feel overly heavy. The thick cuts of pancetta were perfectly fried to a crisp, and the onions still had a little bit of a bite to them but they were sweet and added the right touch of lightness to this rich dish. Linguine & Clams in White Sauce: This is also a very simple dish but it was executed so well. They were very generous with the amount of clams. The dish came with clams in shell and clam meat mixed into the pasta. The sauce was amazing. It had a strong seafood flavor and was very rich without being overwhelming. Their portions are quite large, and these 2 pastas was more than enough for 3 people. Service: 5 We came early on a weekday so there was no wait and we were the only customers aside from 1 other table. The waiter was very attentive and refilled our waters promptly. They were also nice enough to split our bill three ways. Ambiance: 4 Panza is a small unassuming shop in the Italian north end with only a handful of tables, but it has its own charm and it was clean.

Food is decent but staff holds true to the other reviews I've read. No point in making a reservation, they don't follow through. Came for lunch and felt we were more of an inconvenience than anything. Rushed, rude and wish we would have spent our money somewhere that appreciated us as customers.

After seeing all the hype about this place, I was very excited to try another amazing North End restaurant, but I was rather disappointed by our meal given the fame of the Italian food in the area. Like most restaurants in the area, the vibe is quite casual and intimate. The service was pretty fast and they tended to our party well, even though they were quite busy. The free bread was bomb and the portions are huge, but the dishes we ordered were very mediocre. The linguine pescatore was kind of bland and the seafood was overcooked. The gnocchi special (gnocchi with braised short rib) had a delicious meat and the sauce was not bad, but the pasta was not even gnocchi! Given the stiff competition in the area, I would probably choose to go to another North End establishment for Italian food.

Panza is a cute little Italian restaurant in the North End! It has a great atmosphere, the service is excellent and the portions are large.

The food at this restaurant was amazing! The atmosphere of the area is great. We started with Caesar salad and the braised short ribs; the braised short ribs was super tender and delicious and I try Caesar salads pretty much everywhere I go and this was hands down my favorite of any Caesar salad I've ever eaten. For dinner, had the ziti and my husband had the veal parmigiana and said it's the best he's had in a really long time. Highly recommend!

We made a reservation for 3 people here and we were glad we did because the restaurant was packed (both indoor and outdoor seating). They were definitely busy on a Thursday night. Service was slow, the waiters ignored us for a good while but we eventually were able to get our orders in and have our food out in a timely manner. We had the calamari as an appetizer which was okay. I ordered the baked ziti and it was a generous portion filled with pasta cheese and two big meatballs. It was so much it was a second meal. My friend ordered the carbonara and it was very tasty as the carbonara was not super creamy, which made me wish I ordered that as an alternative. Overall I enjoyed Panza due to the generous portions and tasty food. Although service could somewhat be improved, I had a great time dining in at this place.

Food was very solid for the price that it was. Service was great too for a 6pm dinner we were in and out in 40 minutes

Me and a friend came here for dinner the other night. The waiters were nice. The restaurant was small which made it feel more homey. At first they brought out bread which was amazing. We both ordered sangria which was good but very strong. I got the beef and veal tortellini and my friend got the baked ziti. There was so much food we ended up being able to take half of each of our dishes home which was great. However I think the dishes were just okay. Compared to some of the other restaurants in the north end, this one's food was just okay. Great price for how much food you get and the bread really was fantastic but over all I think there are better Italian places in the North End.