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Cantina Italiana

346 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113-1911 (North End)
617-723-4577
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Ranked #112 of 2,664 restaurants in Boston
Price range: $21 - $40
Cuisines: Italian
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Restaurant details
Good for: Families with children, Romance, Large groups, Local cuisine
Dining options: Lunch, Dinner, Reservations, Late Night
Dining style: Casual Dining
Neighborhood: North End
Cross street: Fleet Street
Transit: Closest stops are North Station and Haymarket
Description: A tradition in Boston’s historic North End. We have been serving generations of families,locals and tourists in the North End since 1931. People crave the taste of our food. Some say their mouths water just thinking about eating here. That’s why when we change even the slightest thing,they let us know it. Some things should stay just as they are.
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122 reviews from our community

79% Recommend
    64
    33
    15
    7
    3
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
Virginia
Top Contributor
75 reviews 75 reviews
56 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 33 cities Reviews in 33 cities
26 helpful votes 26 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed June 14, 2013 NEW

We couldn't decide where to eat in the North End. We wandered into Cantina Italiana for lunch and had a very nice meal. The service was wonderful; attentive and friendly. We come from an Italian family and town and we are particular about Italian food. My husband had the spaghetti and meatballs. He really enjoyed his meal! I had the... More

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See 6 more reviews by iliketotravel123 for Boston
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 28, 2013

From our appetizers to dinner the food was amazing! The calamari was tender and cooked to perfection. The meatballs melted in my mouth and were effortless to finish. The tomato sauce was so delicious it must have been homegrown tomatoes. I ordered the gnocchi(potato pasta) with wild mushroom and pancetta that was in a sauce that I wanted to slurp... More

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West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
8 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 24, 2013

While visiting the North End my friend and I stopped in for dinner. We were seated in the dinning area in an uncomfortable booth and not so clean. The wait staff is personnel and friendly. We did enjoy the calamari as an appetizer. For entrees we ordered the eggplant parmesan and veal Parmesan with a side of gnocchi. The marinara... More

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See 3 more reviews by PTP86 for Boston
Warren, Michigan
Senior Contributor
39 reviews 39 reviews
19 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 17 cities Reviews in 17 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 23, 2013

I have to say the North End was one of my favorite places in Boston. We wanted to get some real authentic Italian food. We read up on some of the reviews in the area and noticed this was the oldest restaurant in the North End. That was good enough for us. We were immediately greeted and seated. I have... More

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See 9 more reviews by red70d for Boston
Tacoma, Washington
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
4 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
21 helpful votes 21 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 8, 2013

I second the recommendation for the Bombolotti! I don't know if I'd take little kids here, but my 9 and 12 year old loved everything. We were wandering around the North End and had stopped into a little local pharmacy to get the kids some sunglasses. We asked the cashier (a local) where she would recommend, and she pointed us... More

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london
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
3 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
3 of 5 stars Reviewed April 4, 2013

Host was fab waiter was very attentive and explained everything on the menu, 2 of us out of our party of 6 order the specials we should have asked what the cost was. Most of the food was very good , Desserts very expensive , Coffee was nice . We went to celebrate my husbands 50th birthday the concierge had... More

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Portland ME
Senior Contributor
41 reviews 41 reviews
30 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
22 helpful votes 22 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed March 30, 2013

We were eager to have some authentic Italian food on our trip to Boston and so made a reservation at Cantina Italiana. We were warmly welcomed and found service to be quite attentive, although our waiter was a bit difficult to understand. The maitre'd circulated throughout the dining room often to welcome and check in with guests. We found the... More

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See 3 more reviews by starstruck101 for Boston
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
4 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 25, 2013

Cantina Italiana was recommended to me by a business partner over 10 years ago, and it has never disappointed. Our most recent experience, on 2/15/13 during a visit with my daughter at Boston College, was no exception. Their signature pasta, pinwheel-shaped bombolotti, was done perfectly (for all three of us). The service was outstanding, as usual, and the handle-bar mustachioed... More

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Lancaster, MA
Senior Contributor
30 reviews 30 reviews
11 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed February 19, 2013

Our hotel concierge recommended this place for being kid friendly. The host was friendly and seated us promptly. The 2 most important things for my kids are good service and good selection of meals for kids. They failed miserably at both. The waitress screwed up the order but failed to mention it until I called her out on a note... More

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See 3 more reviews by ParkTraveler for Boston
Boston
Top Contributor
104 reviews 104 reviews
72 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 50 cities Reviews in 50 cities
97 helpful votes 97 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed February 3, 2013

The host is friendly and makes every guest feel welcome. we arrived early and had the house Sangira which was very good. The bartender was also very nice and very efficient. The waiter and I had a language barrier which led to us getting the wrong appetizer. he had been pushing a special with meat and we wanted a caprese... More

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See 12 more reviews by newenglandgrl27 for Boston

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