Standard Italian

The martini was fantastic! I loved the unique presentation—served in a separate glass jar, nestled in an ice bowl, which kept it perfectly chilled. Our group of 7 had a wonderful time, and 4 of us ordered the lobster pasta. While it’s understandable that the chef might prepare the pasta in a larger batch for such a popular dish, I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed that my plate had noticeably less lobster meat compared to the others. That said, the flavors were absolutely delicious, and overall, we had a great experience.

A safe but solid pivot from Garrett Harker. “Standard Italian.” This time, Harker didn’t aim for bold or creative. After a few months experimenting with the seafood/oyster bar concept at All That Fish Oyster, it seems he’s settled on Boston’s tried-and-true formula for success: an Italian restaurant with solid pasta and good vibes. At first, I thought location played a role, but really, as long as it isn’t another North End clone, it gets a spotlight. Personally, I preferred his first concept, but shame he had to pivot to something more generic. Compared to the oyster bar, the menu here felt uninspired. There were a few playful snacks designed to pair with cocktails and wine, like the parm-onion dip and oysters, but little in the way of creativity or inventive dishes. Still, my favorite from the small plates was the parm-onion dip with trout roe. The oysters, which came free with our martini (a happy hour special before 6:30?), were served with a ginger-apple mignonette, but its intense peppery aftertaste made it feel less refreshing. The roasted clam had an overwhelming ocean aroma, and the pancetta was so tough I initially thought I’d bitten into a shell. The tripe was tender, but the chickpeas in the broth were undercooked, which threw off the texture. The entrées were better. Harker took particular pride in the lasagna, and it delivered. Arguably on par with the one at MIDA (my favorite in Boston). The Porchetta was another one of my favorites. Perfectly crispy skin—not too hard, but easy to bite through. The caramelized onion & apple (?) sauce and spicy harissa balanced the pork fat. The bucatini was solid, with a perfect al dente bite, though the diavolo sauce lacked intensity—a bit more reduction would have amped up the tanginess and heat. Overall, a solid meal. Definitely coming back for the vibes and without a doubt, for that lasagna and porchetta.

Standard Italian is an excellent modern Italian restaurant. They make stellar pasta in-house, with a selection of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. I went twice in one week for two different occasions. I’m glad I’ve gotten to try a majority of their pasta dishes, as well as their appetizers, salumi selections, plus some large protein plates. Everything is very sharable, but also can serve for one. I especially enjoyed their rye campanelle and lasagna with classic ragú. Because the restaurant is associated with Eastern Standard and Equal Measure, they also serve excellent cocktails and have amazing service. Definitely make sure you try the tiramisu.

I was eagerly anticipating checking out Standard Italian, and it lived up to all the expectations! Sitting at the bar, the bartender was super knowledgeable and engaging and made one of the best martinis I’ve ever seen! The food was truly amazing. I was in awe of the porchetta that I ordered. Also had bay scallop ceviche that was out of this world! Looking forward to visiting on a Sunday to check out Chicken Parm night! All to say, I will definitely be going back to Standard Italian VERY soon!

Long wait for our table but the food was flavorful! Tasty margaritas and a solid selection for the fish faithful on a Friday. The local fisherman’s stew (pictured) and squid ink pasta was a hearty combination that will put me to sleep.

Absolutely loved Standard Italian! Such a great new spot in the Fenway/Brookline neighborhood. The food was incredibly delicious and the drinks were phenomenal. The bar program across all of the Harker restaurants is exceptional. Highly recommend the Origin Story (so refreshing) and the Espresso Martini. The lasagna was the best I’ve ever had—can’t be beat. We will definitely be coming back and highly recommend Standard Italian to everyone!

Stopped into Standard Italian during a Red Sox doubleheader, and despite the crowds, this place didn’t miss a beat. The restaurant was packed, but the staff handled the rush like seasoned pros — efficient, calm, and totally in control. Our server was sharp, friendly, and impressively knowledgeable about the menu, answering every question with confidence and enthusiasm. The food? Absolutely delivered. Every plate looked incredible — and tasted even better. Rich flavors, perfect execution, and a real sense of craft in the kitchen. We skipped the pasta and went for a few other menu highlights alongside some perfectly mixed martinis. Cocktails were balanced and cold, just the way they should be — a great pairing for the night. Honestly, better than a lot of what you’ll find in the North End, and that’s saying something in Boston. Whether you're catching a game or just looking for quality Italian in the city, Standard Italian is a standout.

The flavors here are on point! Do yourself a favor and share a variety of things. Unique takes on classic fare. And this is one of the best martini bars to boot. Second time here and won’t be the last!

Stopped into Standard Italian during a Red Sox doubleheader, and despite the crowds, this place didn't miss a beat. The restaurant was packed, but the staff handled the rush like seasoned pros -- efficient, calm, and totally in control. Our server was sharp, friendly, and impressively knowledgeable about the menu, answering every question with confidence and enthusiasm. The food? Absolutely delivered. Every plate looked incredible -- and tasted even better. Rich flavors, perfect execution, and a real sense of craft in the kitchen. We skipped the pasta and went for a few other menu highlights alongside some perfectly mixed martinis. Cocktails were balanced and cold, just the way they should be -- a great pairing for the night. Honestly, better than a lot of what you'll find in the North End, and that's saying something in Boston. Whether you're catching a game or just looking for quality Italian in the city, Standard Italian is a standout.

Standard Italian. The name writes this review for me. This place is okay. The food is okay. The dining room is okay. The service is okay. I hope the concept was to hit the very middle of the restaurant Venn diagram because that is exactly where it is for me. Standard Italian might be a good place to go if you are in the area for a Red Sox game and you want some quick Italian-style dinner. But it is NOT a place to put on your list and go out of your way for. We started out with a bread service of cacio e pepe bread. If the menu had not used the phrase "cacio e pepe," I would not have known that is what it was striving to be. My appetizer was the Arancini. I got served 3 of largest Arancini balls I have ever seen. Now, to be fair, they were identical, perfectly round and not greasy. Thumbs up. But, it was probably the most bland arancini I have ever had. And the inside was not the luxurious risotto I hoped for; rather, it was dry and tasteless. A waste of the calories. Plus these Arancini balls were huge. Also, there was not enough tomato sauce for all 3 of them. Note to the chef: if your Arancini is bland, please put a lot of tomato sauce so I can add some flavor to this dish. I got the lasagne for my main course. This was the best dish of the night. The layers were perfectly done, everything was perfectly in place, the piece looked like it had been cut with a laser. But, when all was said and done, the lasagne lacked something. Probably flavor. I guess the bottom line on Standard Italian is that this restaurant and its menu lack the very thing that you crave when you go Italian - saucy, drippy, messy, cheesy, homemade goodness. Every dish just was too neutral. Go crazy, get some tomato sauce on your pants and definitely ADD SOME FLAVOR!!! I hate to hate on this place more but the service was lacking too. Our waitress just wanted a job. She didn't care if it was in an Italian restaurant or a Dick's Sporting Good store or a doctor's office. Give me a job, any job! Bottom line - I cannot recommend Standard Italian.

Standard Italian is Eastern Standard's cousin tucked away in the corner of the Bower building. If you're facing ES, just look to your left for this gem. We were first in the door for dinner at around 5p and had the place to ourselves-- but not for long. By 6, almost every seat in this cozy and stylish dining room (complete with individual mini fire pits!) was occupied. The food here is delicious and you can sample a small chunk complementary with your martini during their happy hour 5-6:30. We feasted on a selection of appetizers and cocktails - beautiful presentation and delicious taste. They were able to make me a girly martini - the Parisian (I think). Tasted basically like bubblegum! On our way out, Jackson treated us to another beverage and even made a small to go sample for our friend who had already left to get the car. That's service right there! Looking forward to trying some pasta on my next visit to Boston. I can see this place sticking around for years to come.

We went here for my husbands birthday. It wasn't terrible but just over priced average Italian. The service was very subpar to put it nicely. I'd prefer a more authentic restaurant than this. The inside is beautiful, very social media feeling

Fairly new restaurant that is the sister of eastern standard and located right behind it. Went for the 5-6:30 deal where you get a free app with a martini purchase. Menu and prices similar to those in the north end. Nice ambiance

Really interesting vibe to the sister restaurant of Eastern Standard, Branch Line and Shy Bird. It's got a rustic lodge ambiance. The restaurant feels fairly new. The food and service were superb. They give generous portions. They were highlighting their martini menu and had a special where they offered a complimentary stuzzichini with the drink. I had the Dirty Trick and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was strong but not too strong. The olive notes really were noticeable but it was less salty than your typical dirty martini. The Speck was great. It was a crowd pleaser within our table. I tried the Squid Ink bucatini and the Porchetta. Both were great. Ended up taking some food home since the portions were big. Loved the cracklings on the pork. Another solid restaurant by Garrett Hawker.

I'm hard pressed to understand why the last review stated this place was great! RUN, don't walk from this place. Food was bizarre and very mediocre. Who ever puts rhubard on Chicken milenese? Overpriced for a warehouse environment with concrete floors and a cold atmosphere. Oh, and $5 for a tiny basket of bread. What kind of Italian place doesn't have bread? One bright spot...the staff was wonderful actually! Very pleasant, welcoming and kind. But all 4 of us agreed it was a waste of money. Wish I could recoup what I spent. Management should be ashamed,

We love Eastern Standard and finally got to try Standard Italian. They took my allergies very seriously and marked up a menu for me. I really enjoyed the vegetarian rye campanelle with Brussels and cauliflower (the pasta was perfectly cooked). My husband thought the porchetta was fine, but he probably wouldn't get it again. He really liked scallop crudo. The tiramisu wasn't our favorite.

So we got off to a rough start but the staff at eastern standard surely made up for it as did the excellent food. After reading the online menu which said how they can do GF pasta I was told by our waiter they had no gluten free pasta, and limited other choices. With this being a special Valentine's Day date this was a bit of a letdown. Our first round of drinks, an excellent dirty martini for myself, came quickly but after that we were left alone for 45 min without any server coming over. I noticed our first waiter was behind the bar making drinks for the whole time so maybe a staffing issue. After flagging down another team member of the staff, she was extremely apologetic and awesome. She confirmed they did actually have GF pasta! I got this with the braised rabbit pappardelle (rigatoni in my case) and my girlfriend got the duck agnolotti special. Because of the wait they surprised us with the fisherman's stew on the house. All dishes were excellent with the braised rabbit being a standout. The antipasto plate also came with a solid amount of meat and was not only beautifully presented but delicious . The sauce on my pasta was wine based and the rabbit was perfectly cooked into a velvety ragu of sorts. I wish the bowl was never ending. To top it off we were given complimentary glasses of Prosecco to close out our night. All in all the staff and food more than made up for the initial hiccups. I will 100% be back and can't wait

Meh. Something is amiss with this spot and review system. Either the other patrons who have reviewed this spot do not know what good Italian food tastes like or we hit a (very) off night with the kitchen. We remarked on how bland each of the three pasta dishes we ordered were. We tried the campanelle, lasagna and amatraciana. Each was benign. Good Italian pasta dishes should always be full of flavor. What we were served was not! Within the past week we visited Fox & Knife and Delfino. Recently been to Tonino. The only similarity which our Standard meal had with those other spots was in name only. Our side of mushrooms was way over-salted. What they call focaccia was a dense bread which reminded us of a German vollkorn. Def not a light traditional focaccia. The clam appy was fine. The meatballs were very good.