Nice cozy family owned restaurant. We enjoyed all of our dinners, we will be back. Servers were friendly and prices were fair.

I was looking for an Italian restaurant that wasn't super busy (on a weekend, the day of a Celtics game) and this one fit the bill, with an open front door too. I was greeted promptly and the host and servers were welcoming. I especially...loved that it was in the heart of the North End but with a relaxing ambience where I didn't feel rushed. I had the gnocchi special with marinara and would get it again for sure -- it was a sizeable portion and the sauce was bright and not too thin but not too thick, overall a great dish (if a bit pricey in my opinion, but I think the price is comparable to other North End restaurants, and in any case it was quality food). I'd recommend this place!More

We enjoyed our dinner here. Service was prompt, though not overly welcoming. My husband enjoyed the eggplant parmesan that came with a side of pasta or a salad. My L'Osteria chicken had a tasty lemon flavored sauce, mushrooms, mozzarella and prosciutto, again including pasta or...salad. We opted for pasta sides and purchased side salads. The side salads were a good size for the $7 charge and were fresh. The side of pasta seemed like store-bought ziti with a rather watery and skimpy sauce. Bread was plentiful and fresh, the butter cold and hard. There are no fountain sodas and $3 per can for soda seemed too high. Dessert was on the menu but we opted to go to Bova Bakery nearby to pick something up there. For the food we ordered, including a generous tip, the price seemed pretty high for what we received, but I guess that's where things are at restaurants these days!More

Have been here before and blown away. Moved away and came back for visit; sought it out. Disappointing - cold bread and not served with olive oil and herbs but packaged butter; parm in shaker; veal over-cooked but tasty mushroom sauce; tariasuma seemed pre-packaged. Clearly...very busy - shortcuts diluted the dining experience. I would seek another small restaurant in the future.More

L'Osteria is a North End old style Italian restaurant where we have been a couple of times over the years. It's a quaint dining establishment that serves the many traditional dishes (Chicken parm, Chicken Scampi) as well as those occasional specials (Gnocchi Bolgnese). We had...reservations for 5:30, showed up on time and were seated very quickly. We were a party of 13, with 6 children under 7. Even though L'Osteria doesn't have a traditional children's menu, all of the kids like pasta/sauce/meatballs. So we decided to chance it when we were planning our day in Boston. Joanne, our waitress, was fabulous. Very attentive, always seemed to know when to come in the fray that is our family, even had the kitchen whip up some chocolate milk for the kids. Plenty of warm freshly made bread to go around. I had the chicken parm and a house salad. Lightly breaded with a tasty sauce, just how I like it. My wife had the Lobster Ravioli/salad and said it was excellent. Both the salads were very fresh and the dressing didn't overpower. Other meals were another chicken parm ('good size serving and taste'), a Chicken Scampi ('very tasty'), the Gnocchi special ('Outstanding') and Chicken Francese ('Very light and tasty'). Joanne suggested a couple servings of ziti and a side of meatballs for the kids to split, which they seemingly enjoyed since they ate everything. That worked out great as some eat more than the others and we could custom serve their plates. Overall, a great dinner out with the entire family. We'll be back soon! Thank you so much for a great dinner out and for serving our family with professionalism and class!More

Made reservation in advance. After being seated We were informed many dishes not available. . This was not our first visit but was our last. Something is very wrong. Staff seemed frustrated and uncaring. Food was less than marginal. Maybe they are going to close....Sad.More

What a fantastic place and great find! This is an old school traditional Italian restaurant. A very casual place with great food. My wife and I dined there. For the antipasti we split a house salad and the sauted broccoli, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and vinegar...peppers. The latter was sauted in olive oil garlic and white wine. The salad had a homemade oil and vinegar based dressing. Totally awesome as the above referenced saute. My wife had a veal dish in white wine, mushrooms and artichoke hearts. I had the scrod with a light tomato sauce which included anchovies and black olives. What a great combination. We each got a side pasta with meals. We enjoyed the food and experience. You have to try this place.More

Nothing was good, service terrible, food mediocre to poor, atmosphere lacking. Tourist trap. Shrimp cocktail was a F minus, tiny shrimp in an unappealing presentation. Veal Marsala was the worst I have ever had, tough and w a starchy gravy. The server was overwhelmed and...unresponsive and deserved no tip but got one anyways . Don’t go!More

We made a reservation at a restaurant on busy Hanover St. and when we arrived it was obvious that it would be a long wait, and it was freezing, so we went looking for a safe haven, and found L'Osteria. A table was available and...we had a warm welcome. Good traditional Italian food, affordable Tuscan wine, what more did we need? Washed down with a couple of lemoncellos. Recommended.More

Met colleagues in Boston earlier this week for dinner and they chose L'Osteria. The restaurant looks like an old world gem and is located at the corner of Salem Street and Cooper Street in Boston's North End. Even inside L'Osteria exudes charm and comfort. The...food and wine menus includes standard staples with a few nuggets of differentiation. I ordered the chicken bracchioletini and a glass of Montepulciano. Our meals were all delivered and beautifully plated in a reasonable amount of time. Everything was good but it was not the stand out dining experience I had expected given the atmosphere. I think the primary problem was our waitress. She could not answer questions, was just slow to come around to take orders, did not know what desserts they had available, and also seemed bothered by our request for separate checks (due to our expense requirements) even though we told her upfront that we needed separate checks. We all gave her a 20% tip, but she did not deserve anywhere near that... I would probably give L'Osteria another chance but there are so many other Italian restaurants in the North End that going back won't be my first choice on the next trip.More

Waited 2 hours for our food. Manager was an arrogant B**** Finally left without eating. We will never be coming back.

There are many Italian restaurants to choose from in the North End. However, I wasn’t able to find another that served Shrimp Francese. I’ve been a fan of this dish ever since I went to a little Italian restaurant in The Bronx (in Riverdale), now...closed. Josepina was exquisite. The food was so good that a (in)famous former Mayor wanted to dine there, and his staff told them to get ready. Ah, but he didn’t have a reservation, they were full up, so that was impossible. Did the restaurant realize he was The Mayor? But the answer was: Does the Mayor realize this is Josepina’s? The restaurant won. And it didn’t close years later for lack of business, trust me. But I continue to search for an excellent Shrimp Francese. I’m happy to say, I found one. And that’s why I’m writing now. You must try it. It is the perfect balance between the lemon and the butter and the delicately breaded shrimp. Very hard to do. L’Osteria does it very well! And their excellent staff will confirm that it will be well complemented by a glass of their house Pinot Grigio.More