Toscano Harvard Square

Comfortable atmosphere with dim lighting and tables that feel more private than they appear. Great quality food with generous portions and served by knowledgeable and friendly staff. Reservations are not required by suggested. If you order one of the pasta dishes I recommend sharing, the portions are generous.

Toscano delivered an absolutely delicious dining experience tonight for these two Jerseyans! From the moment we walked in, the upscale ambiance set the perfect tone – elegant yet welcoming. Every dish we ordered was a testament to quality and skill, and we found the existing rave reviews to be completely accurate. It's rare to find a place that truly lives up to its reputation, but Toscano exceeded our expectations. If we're ever back in the area, a return visit will be on our list. Highly recommend for a truly memorable meal!

I had the Tutto Pepe - similar to Steak au poivre and a tricolor salad. The salad was fresh, with a light drizzle of excellent aged balsamic. The steak was one of the best I have ever had. The decor and ambience are impressive. The glass in the lights and sconces is handmade.

I dined at Toscano in Harvard Square and it was a disappointing experience. I ordered the Rigatoni Norcina, hoping for a comforting pasta dish, but it was a letdown. The dish was excessively heavy, with the truffle oil overpowering every bite, masking any nuance in the sausage or cream sauce. It felt like a one-note, unenjoyable slog to get through. The atmosphere didn’t help—it was so loud with so many people packed in that I could barely hear my dining companions. The service was equally off-putting; our waiter seemed rushed and careless, practically throwing plates—like the bread—onto the table without a word. To top it off, I ordered a glass of rosé wine, only to find out it was $15 a glass—a pure ripoff for what tasted like a mediocre pour. The whole experience felt odd and unwelcoming, especially given Toscano's reputation. I feel deceived by the glowing reviews I’d read online, as this dinner was far from the enjoyable evening I’d expected.

Absolutely wonderful stop. A quaint atmosphere serving authentic dishes. Enjoyed the lunch menu with a small Caesar salad and swordfish, complete with a nice serving of Pannacotta. Creative cocktail selection. Enjoyed a couple southern peach drinks and a pear lichti martini. A worthwhile stop. Bona appetito!

Had an early dinner at Toscano this weekend, and it was overall pretty good. The service was prompt and kind. I went for the pappardelle white bolognese which was very flavorful if a tad heavy. My dining partner had the salmon and asparagus which he said was nice but only had three spears of asparagus. The bread was an interesting choice given they were warm yeasted rolls rather than a ciabatta or the like. A decent option in Cambridge, though by no means the only option.

This is a wonderful High in Italian restaurant in Harvard Square. I’ve never had so many incredible options for choices from the menu. Daniela, our server was an absolute delight and added to our overall dining experience. Highly recommend and look forward to coming back soon.

The food was delicious! I bought the seafood pasta, and the bread with olive oil was delicious. Definitely coming back!

Upscale Italian place by Harvard Sq. The food is pretty good. I especially like the pappardelle and my friend likes the pizzas. Their shrimps are also giant. The service is always formal and polite, and the restaurant is less likely to be busy than other similar places around the square. Overall, they're a regular choice for faculty-invited speaker dinners and other department events, and I prefer them over many of the other usual options!

Came for Dine Out Boston! Their lunch menu was a good deal at $36 since normal entrees are already around $30. Pasta and desserts were the best parts of the meal. Good service and upscale casual environment. * Apps: salmone affumicato, panzanella salad. The salmon was nicely smoked but a bit boring. Panzanella was meh but I generally don't like salads. * Entrees: rigatoni norcina, veal scaloppini. The rigatoni was perfectly al dente with the yummiest truffle cream sauce. SKIP the veal--so chewy and weird, almost like dog food. * Desserts: torta di mirtilli, panna cotta. Both nice but I preferred the panna cotta.

Service was slightly dismissive and rushed, obviously this guy had worked in restaurants a long time. Martini was serviceable, wine selection was decent. The real failing was the entrees. Nothing was made with care. The pizza had too much sauce and cheese. The dough was tasteless. The shrimp dish was WAY over cooked, the potatoes were under cooked. And, everything lacked enough salt. Save your money, go elsewhere.

The service was impeccable. Finally a server with the finesse and grace to answer the questions you ask with helpful information catered to what you asked. The food was prepared perfectly. My wife's salmon was tender, juicy, and fully cooked without being dry. My pasta and risotto were also great. The bacon flavor was fantastic. And the seafood risotto was so creamy and mellow. This restaurant is a great place for a date or a good time with friends. My wife suggested going here because we walked by and the aroma was as so fantastic. I can see why this place is tops on people's lists.

Not bad - I liked the dressy/quiet atmosphere where you can actually hear the person from across the table. It's a solid place for a sit-down lunch or dinner in the Harvard area, plus relatively abundant street parking. Food-wise, the spaghetti pomodoro I ordered was all right. Good-sized portion and presentation but in terms of flavor, the dish was lacking ... something. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's a simple pasta dish that relies heavily on the quality of the tomato sauce. I found the spaghetti too much on the dry side and in desperate need of the grated cheese and basil and the black pepper I added. All in all, if you're looking for a lighter pasta on the menu, I'd suggest this one but I liked my friend's spaghetti vongole much more. Overall, just okay; I'd come back to try some of the other dishes like the scallops and white chocolate/blueberry tart.

The restaurant itself is beautiful, ... a great location, clean and classy. They have windows that open to the street and just has a nice vibe. 5 stars for ambience. The food was just Ok. The best dish we had was the grilled squid, although we had a much better version in the North End the previous day. Oysters were a bit small, but fresh. Risotto was just Ok, and the pizza was pretty bad as other people have said. Overall, maybe 3 stars for the food. Our waiter looked like Stanley Tucci from the Devil wears Prada. He was a bit overbearing and just didn't make us feel welcome, which I almost never complain about. In general, if they are polite and do their job, I'm OK with it. At one point, the busboy cleaned our appetizer plates and asked if we wanted to keep our unfinished bread. I said we did. The waiter came by a few minutes later and snatched it away saying "you don't need that". What?! Just weird. I've never had a waiter ever do that ... even at the French Laundry, they ask you what you want, not make the decision for you and take away your food. Towards the end of our meal, but not at the end, he looked at my wife's pizza and said "I can pack that up when you're ready to go". WTF? We are still eating here, and the waiter is basically telling us to get out ... absolutely weird. The dude absolutely had a weird attitude. So overall, just based on the service , I should probably give it 1 star, but the ambiance and food pulled it up (although mostly the ambiance).

One of the best Italian restaurant in the Boston area! The risotto was very moist and full of mushroom. Highly recommend the pizza. The decoration was like walking into a small Tuscan wine cellar. It's very suitable for celebration and friend gathering.

This place is great for the indecisive and for people that like to try as many things as possible. I've never been to an Italian restaurant where they could do 50/50 on two pastas! The food was so tasty and you could taste the freshness of the ingredients. For example, the black truffle in the rigatoni and freshly made ground sausage is a flavor bomb. The pappardelle ricotta, cream, and veal was unbelievable - one of those close your eyes on the first bite vibes. The meatball appetizer is a must get with the combination of various ground meats. I'll be coming back to try the other stuff on the menu! It's definitely a good date night spot with an open kitchen, not-too-dim lighting, and not-too-loud music. Our waitress Daniella was so nice and made us want to stay there a while. I only wish they asked us if we wanted bread. Also food was just a little too salty. Fine dining without the super priciness imo.

Food was not good. They put a lot of vinegar to salad and I can't eat it. Stake was also very dry and overhited. One good thing, they removed stake and salad from the bill.

Always enjoy going to Toscano for a nice lunch, as they have a well-lit space, great service, and delicious food. The food is consistently prepared to a high quality. I love their complimentary bread with olive oil (could eat an entire basket myself) and often start with the calamari in gratella -- grilled squid with frisée salad and mustard sauce. For our mains, we got the gamberi (like a shrimp scampi with chopped tomatoes, shrimp, and tagliatelle), and the sea scallops. The sea scallops were cooked in a way I've never had before -- seared in a delicate white wine sauce with fresh leeks and sautéed spinach. It was quite a generous portion size. The only slight disappointment was the dessert, as we ordered the frutti di bosco thinking it would be a berry tart, only to receive a cup of berries with some sauce drizzled on top -- definitely not worth $11! Food: 1. Complimentary bread (4.5/5) 2. Calamari in gratella (4/5) 3. Tagliatelle gamberi (4.5/5) 4. Capesante sea scallops (4/5) Dessert: 1. Frutti di bosco (3/5) Drinks: 1. Cappuccino (4/5)

Toscano has a very cute environment, and we loved sitting next to the big windows that let in tons of light. The staff was also very nice and attentive! Food is where they fell a bit short, however. We started with the cheese plate- the cheeses were fine but the plating with apple and pear slices looked like something you'd make at home. The margherita pizza was just okay. Finally, the crab pasta we got was pretty good, but not good enough to go back for.

Excellent Italian food. Service is excellent. Wine selection very good. My daughter is Vegan and made her a very good ziti aglio olio with spinach and garlic. Pasta is delicious. Great desserts. Best Italian food in the area.

Tried this place for the first time via takeout! We were craving Italian food and figured we'd try this place out since we've literally never been! I was pleasantly surprised with how much we enjoyed our meal. My goal is to try it in person next time! Would recommend if you're craving Italian on a weekday night.

I always walk by this place and it looks so cute and bustling with guests. I was excited to try it but left disappointed. Ambiance is lively and classy. Reservations are recommended. But the food left more to be desired. We got the meatball appetizer which was pretty good! But our two entrees, the gnocchi quattro formaggi and the penne strascicate were bland. The penne in particular had no flavor - we felt both dishes were lacking and were dishes that you could make at home but better.

Really happy we stopped here. They were able to seat us and they do take reservations on open table if you need to schedule something out. They've got gluten free, vegan and vegetarian options. My partner was able to split her dish Into 2 different meals to try another pasta dish. The baked eggplant was large enough to split for 3 people. My mushroom risotto, was delicious and a very large plate. I recommend splitting meals since the portions are decently sized and they even split the desert for us which was delicious! I'd come back just for that. Lots of wine options to pair with your meal. Walking distance to the university and other shops around Cambridge.

Wow. What a great and unexpected find near Harvard University. I almost didn't stop here thinking that any restaurant near a university wouldn't tailor to my tastes (yeah, I'm a bit of a picky foodie) but boy, I love to be smacked into reality and be reminded not to make such silly assumptions. This place had excellent dishes all around. The filet mignon with truffle oil and foies gras combination really blew it out of the ballpark. Even their balsamic glaze was worthy of a picture to be had for home. Our waiter Sampson was also extremely friendly and attentive. Check this place out and let me know what you think ok

We felt very welcomed when we walked in and brought to our table. Water and menus were brought to table immediately. I was surprised that my glass of wine wasn't the usual 5 or 6 ounces. It was 9 ounces. That's what they do! We had the pasta with wild boar sauce as a starter followed by the mixed seafood grill. Don't get me started about the biscotti with Vin Santo dessert wine. I may go back just for that.

Nice ambience for a Friday night catch-up dinner with girlfriends. Beet salad was not memorable. Orecchiette dish also not memorable. Service was excellent.

My mom and I traveled to Boston for a family wedding and our flight was cancelled coming back to Denver. So we spent a fun day in Cambridge and stumbled upon this spot. We ordered takeout and it was 5 stars so imagine that eating there would be 6 stars! I got the white bolognese with pappardelle and my mom got the mushroom risotto. We spilt the burrata. Yum!! Everything was packaged perfectly. The bread was warm, there was freshly grated parm and we were so happy eating this in our hotel bed. The inside of the restaurant is dark and very tasteful. Perfect upscale Italian vibe. I can't wait to try this again when we're in the area.

With the wife! We decided to have an impromptu date night. The ambiance is warm, intimate and welcome. The service is attentive, kind and knowledgeable. We didn't think the food was that great. The meatballs were the star of the show and the tomato sauce was excellent! The Caesar salad was just okay, as was the cheese plate however the truffle honey was a phenomenal quality. The wine choices were great as well. A moscato d'asti and a Lambrusco. The veal special was not very tender, and the sliced carrots on the plate weren't the greatest addition. My wife's filet mignon special was just okay as well. The sauce made the dish. The filet was under seasoned however as was the potatoes. Still a lovely restaurant overall.

Amazing service but terrible food. The bruschetta was fine but not worth the price at all. The mushroom pasta left a nauseating aftertaste in my mouth. Gave two stars instead of one due to the attentive waitstaff.

First time. The ambiance we nice. We had a high top for two in the bar area. Ordered drinks which didn't come until after the salad. Bar was backed up but didn't need the salad to come out seconds after ordering. The couple next to us mentioned that the service was off tonight and wondered if it was due to the holidays. They ordered a glass of wine but that didn't come until the end of their meal. We were dressed up for a night out, but was done in an hour which is a pet peeve of mine. They might have been making up for the slow bar, but everything else came quickly. The food was great and definitely will bring us back again. Hopefully, next time it will be a better overall experience. The crème caramel was awesome - it's flan not crème brûlée in case you have questions.

My friend and I came here for an early dinner after spending some time in Charlestown Navy Yard. We ordered the bruschetta (not pictured), I had the smoked bacon pasta dish, and for dessert ordered the vanilla custard with berries. Bruschetta was good, the pasta dish was excellent - love the sauce! The dessert was ok, personally I needed it to be more sweeter :) Overall ambiance, service, and food was great!

Staff were friendly, service decent. Food was expensive and really not worth the money, even at half the price. Person eating dinner with me said their pasta would have been better if they made at home from a can of sauce, and their pasta was way over cooked. My pizza wasn't actually pizza dough, it was closer to Pita chips in flavour and consistency. So inside was soggy, outside basically a thick cracker. Never have I had a pizza like it before. Toppings were over cooked, speck shouldn't be crunchy like bacon. Wine selection was ok, though too much American wine by the glass for my liking in an expensive Italian restaurant. Not bad, just unnecessary when so much awesome Italian wine is out there. Was it the worst meal I've had? No, but far from the best, and at this price point def more of an insult to my wallet than not.

The ambience is very nice here. Parking is limited to meter parking which can be tricky depending on the time of day. The prices were standard for the location and setting. I didn't feel like the food was anything special. While it was good, it wasn't the best pasta sauce or bruschetta in Cambridge. The service was pretty good. There was an interesting card given to us at tipping time. I felt like that was unusual and rather odd. What made it more odd was that it was reminding us to tip in 11+ languages. I feel like anyone who is dining in Cambridge at a nice Italian restaurant like this will already know to leave a standard tip. Then again, times are tough and I appreciate them not adding a bunch of kitchen/staff extra charges to the bill. I don't think it's necessary for them to remind us... in 11+ languages. While I admire that Cambridge attracts visitors from all over the world, I'm not certain that a tipping reminder in one's native language would make them anymore inclined to tip more.

My sister and I visited last night for dine-out week! Toscano is a lovely little Italy restaurant in Harvard Square. There is street parking available or it's a 30 minute commute if you take the red line. The service was great and the restroom is clean. The food was good, but I didn't order anything on the menu that was out of this world. My sister noticed that they shaved the asparagus and that the salmon was well-cooked. I was surprised when I saw the tiramisu, I thought it was scoop of ice cream at first glance. It was rich and divine! I would need to try their normal menu to give a higher rating.

Perfect for a quiet dinner. The ambiance is perfect for conversation complimented by the food and service. The grilled calamari was excellent, followed by the Caesar salad which was fresh with the right amount of dressing enhanced by the fresh black pepper and very good grated parmesan cheese. The main course comprised two entrees the chicken with prosciutto and then the peppercorn-encrusted beef tenderloin. Great flavor profiles for both through the sauce for the beef was a tad rich. Limited beer selection but a large wine offering. All in all highly recommended.

Loved everything about it. A short walk from the Harvard train station. Nice calm setting. We were seated right away. Started with a red Sangria. I loved it. Just what I was craving. Then ordered the Bruschetta. Very flavorful and fresh. We ordered Pappa al Pododoro. It was thicker than my daughter is use to. She didn't eat it all. Still took it home for the next day. Out main entrées were the Tutto Pepe and Rigatoni Toscano. My friend was happy with the Rigatoni. I absolutely loved the Tutto Pepe. I ordered it medium. It was perfect. Full of flavor. It felt like it melt in my mouth. I would order it 100 times again.

Stopped in for lunch before attending a show at Loeb Theater. Greeted and seated promptly. Server came by a few minutes later and took our drink order. The menu offers plenty to choose from including various s pasta s, seafood choices, meat entrees, salads and appetizers. Trying to keep it quick we ordered the spaghetti pomodoro. (Classics fresh tomato sauce with basil). Bread with olive oil was delivered to the table and they were soft and delicious. The spaghetti arrived minutes later piping hot with a nice amount of sauce nicely presented topped with fresh basil. Spaghetti was cooked perfectly and the sauce had great flavor and the added touch of the basil made for a very tasty dish. Service was great and next time we are back in Cambridge we'll allow more time to try other items on the menu.

This place is wonderful. Stellar food and the service is outstanding. One of our favorites for a special date night.

Excellent sword fish with grilled vegetables ( lunch $32). Smooth, polite, and professional service. Elegant decor,linen table clothes. Just a nice place. Waiter mentioned 2 daily specials (one sounded wonderful) but did NOT tell us the $- so in principle I didn't order.

We came for Dine Out Boston. I think it would have been a different experience ordering from the regular menu. We got a recommended Chardonnay that paired really well with the meal and had fun. Enjoyed the risotto, but my favorite was the dessert: the panna cotta. Next time I want to get the beautiful looking berry tart.

A road trip to Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA brings back some fond memories. Love love Harvard Square and the food scene is quite interesting. A little bit of everything for everyone. Here's a couple of dishes that I'm gonna review at Toscano. Roasted eggplant appetizer - it was a great start to this dining experience. The eggplant was yummy and the cheese was super gooey as it melted on the eggplant. Thumbs up! My entree was a missed unfortunately. I ordered the tagliatelle porcini. It was lackluster and had no flavors whatsoever. I was kind of disappointed to say the least. My fiancé ordered the spaghetti pomodoro and that was a bust too. The pasta was fresh but the red sauce was basic. Pretty much nothing to rave about. For dessert, I ordered the tiramisu. I wasn't a fan of that as well. Flavor was off putting and it was my least favorite dish.

Good service and ambiance. Dodd came fast, but good. They were not busy at the time though. Hit my tummy. Yummy yummy.

Awesome ambiance and delicious food. Our waiter was just awesome and had great recommendations. We ate so much & took home even more. If I'm ever in Boston again I'll be back!

Had a nice dinner here again last night been a few years since we have been back. The food was delicious and fresh, perfectly made classic cocktails. Service was friendly but a little overwhelmed, they tried their best though. Star off because we were on a romantic date and were sat next to a large and pretty loud group, would have enjoyed our meal more if we didn't have to shout.

So good. Have to get the white rigatoni. Every bite was amazing. Caesar Salad was good. Absolutely reccomend

3 to almost 4. Service slow. Management was friendly. Food was ok- tasty. The back room dining area had a closed in feeling. We had fish. The vino blanco was just okay. It seems that most businesses today struggle w good solid services. I may go back.(; D patnod Lic Ac Camb.

What a great local place! I travel for business up to Cambridge every few months and Toscanini is a must for dinner. Food is excellent, service is super friendly and it is always a great experience! A must try!

Classy Italian spot in Harvard Square with high quality dishes - perfect for a nice lunch out or date night. We came for restaurant week lunch ($25 for three courses) and tried a variety of items - Barbine Rosse (beet and gorgonzola appetizer), Scaloppini Pizzaiola (Veal with tomato sauce), Rigatoni Norcini (sausage and truffle pasta), and Tiramisu for dessert. Portions were delicate but filling. Everything was delicious, fresh, beautifully presented, and wonderfully flavored. Polite Service. Definitely Recommend :)

Every dish was amazing and we loved the service. Steak was particularly good and the shrimp salad, while it looked mundane was actually really good (best shrimp i had in this area). Definitely good for dates and worth the visit if you happen to be in town.

Our waiter was very friendly and kind. Great seating and decor as well. We had good service, though the food was not the most spectacular given the price. However, the panna cotta was delicious!

Great place, love the pasta here! We get grilled calamari, share the pasta for the table, raffia Tagliatelle, pappardelle, risotto and usually spilt the steaks.

I absolutely love Italian food. I've been going to Toscano for years and I'm so glad it survived the pandemic and is still in Harvard Square. My favorite is the grilled shrimp, the Gamberoni Alla Brace appetizer or grilled shrimp served with one of the yummy salads. It definitely has that tasty grilled flavor and I always order it as an appetizer. Next up, I used to get the Tagliatelle or the Pappardelle - served with whatever it came with because I love their pasta. Now I'm trying to go low carb and I love the Branzino Al Forno. I've always ordered Branzino, type of sea bass, and usually get it served whole and deboned. At Toscano, it's served with two filets. The white wine and garlicky sauce is very tasty. For dessert, I get the tiramisu. I recently got to split the panna cotta and it just melts. I enjoy dessert with their cappuccino. It's my favorite cappuccino! every time I get it elsewhere, it's just not the same. I rarely get reservations ahead of time, so I'm usually at one of the high tables. Service has always been professional. Take out is definitely not as nice as dining in as the dining experience is lovely. What can I say though, it's still worth it to get takeout!

The best part of the meal was the bread and amazing balsamic glaze. Couldn't get enough of it. The bread crust was perfect and the rolls were warm. Tasty pasta dishes served quickly and hot. Had the papardelle pasta with sauces that were a little different but good. The Bianca white cheese sauce was very good. House special papardelle was good, can't quite place the spices used, some not the usual Italian herbs, at least not what the American version of Italian is used to. First time here so impression only on these two dishes. It's very busy on the weekends so plan ahead with reservations in the evening. There is some bar seating if you want to chance it.

The staff was friendly and professional, but also may have been the highlight of our time there. The food wasn't bad by any stretch, but the menu seemed like it was in need of a refresh. With restaurants like Giulia and Benedetto, as well as the enclave of high-quality joints in the North End and all the suburban red sauce places providing steady pressure, I feel like Italian restaurants in Boston are constantly being pushed to do better. Toscano seems like it has avoided that pressure to iterate and change. The pappardelle I had boasted well-cooked pasta but a sauce that needed some fresh flavors in it to cut through the richness. The chicken dish I also tried a bit of tasted like it would've been a head-turner in the 90s but not today. The ambiance was white tablecloth, which honestly can take away from the experience in an Italian place unless the food is killer. And I think that's what happened here. I'm probably going to go back, and soon, since I'm nearby and I walked out full the first time. But this isn't the Italian place I'd take folks if I could chose between all of them.

Great ambience, lots of sparkle in chandeliers and mirrors around, marble bar, very attentive service by bartender, full drink menu including signature cocktails, food is excellent all around, pasta perfect al dente, disagree with the negative review of the tiramisu was superb, don't normally leave restaurant reviews anymore but felt inspired to do so with gratitude, prices NYC-pricey, par for the course, BUT....... I look around and who's there..not that it isn't comfortably "enough" filled, but not exactly a hive or hotspot of energy in the dining clientele, a lot of bored tourists, seems like a lot of checked-out people, no fashion on display, no dates it seemed, parents with precocious children on meal plans, STAID STAID STAID Harvard crowd, no zing..but it's always that way, this is probably the nicest restatuant in Harvard Square, and it's not their fault if the only local signs of life are stodgy retired professors on pension blah blah. Worth every penny and I'd do it again. Just need a better cast of characters!

The place and vibe is good. However, in party when I asked for place for breastfeeding my baby I was told that they can place a chair in handicap bathroom. We are 2022 and women are still asked to be in bacteria filled bathroom for breastfeeding.

My new favorite spot in Harvard Square, classy and the food is quite good. The Panna Cotta is absolutely delicious!

Came here for Boston restaurant week and was quite pleased with the experience. The ambiance is very nice, and the dishes are pretty solid, but nothing spectacular. It's probably the best Italian in Harvard Square, but can't compare to Italian places in North End. If you come, definitely get the Rigatoni Norcina!