Ristorante Saraceno

Your place was recommended by a family member! Your food, service, and restaurant went above and beyond my expectations!

Food was average and service was fine. Typical north end restaurant.

Food was incredible and the service was outstanding. The walk to the basement was a little different, but once we got to our table it was great. Felt like I was visiting family in Italy for dinner. Celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary and will be back for more!

Not bad. Lasagna was a bit tough on a few bites. Sauce was great. Great waiter, good service. Timely.

This restaurant looks small. However, they have tables in the larger basement. We were seated at the table surrounded by wines. The food and service are good. We wished the pasta more al dente.

The food was absolutely amazing! We went in a group of 7 and everyone devoured and loved the food. They were also super nice when we called and said there was bad traffic and were very accommodating. While they couldn't separate the checks, they were nice about letting us know so we could venmo and put it on one card to pay. Also super attentive with refilling water and bread. The waiter was also nice and recommending certain dishes. It had a very inviting decor and makes for a great place to go for a special occasion. Loved that they had nice table clothes!

Second time here. Service continues to be 5 Star. Staff is caring and attentive. Everything tastes good. Wish they carried some good bourbon... but the wine selection is great!

Right when we walked in, things were a little odd. The restaurant is three floors but when you walk in on the first floor, there isn’t a host to greet you or anyone directing you where to go. My group just wandered up the stairs where we ran into a busser who ended up seating us after we asked where we should go for a reservation. I immediately noticed that there wasn’t any music playing or background sound so the whole place was awkwardly quiet. It made the whole meal uncomfortable as all the tables were so close together- that combined with the lack of music everyone could hear each other. The food here was good but compared to other restaurants in the area, portion sizes were small but priced the same. I would recommend the pasta with clam sauce as well as the piccata if you have to end up at this restaurant

The service was TERRIBLE! I thought my group of four hit it off with our waitress at first and she seemed as though she’d be attentive to us since there were only a few other parties on our floor. I was wrong. We ordered our food right as she brought everyone drinks but four tables who sat down after we ordered our food received theirs before us. Working as a waitress in the past, I know food delays aren’t typically a servers fault but what happened next leads me to believe she just forgot to put in our order. She came by to refill waters and having been gone so long, we also finished our wine and ordered a second bottle with her. 15 more minutes passed without food or the wine so I got up to investigate. I found her standing by the kitchen just chatting with other wait staff. When I inquired about the wine she got snappy with me asking if I really ordered the wine with her. YES OF COURSE ARE YOU KIDDING ME. When we finally got our food an hour after ordering then eventually the bill, she did apologize for the inconvenience and took one $8 drinks off the bill as if that was doing us a favor.

A bad experience overall that seemed to drag on for far too long.

I didn’t realize that they have multiple levels when I made our reservation. While we were taken exactly on time for our reservation, we were lead down several stairs and through various rooms until we got to a small basement room with low ceilings. It took forever for our waiter to come and we actually got up and got our own menus. It also took a long time for our drinks, salad and then meals. Despite the fact that our waiter said the house wine and prosecco was $12 per glass we were charged several dollars more per glass. The chicken picatta and Marsala do not come with pasta. Strange.
The food was okay, but no fresh grated Parmesan table side. Had to ask for some and then got the kind you can buy in a store.

Varied selection of entrees. Good service and great location.

Our waiter, Sergio, was the best!! He handled our large party (10) with ease. Food was absolutely delicious, highly recommended.

Great ambience, service was fast and fantastic. Thanks for making my trip a fun one!

Portions are small and were just ok. Nothing great about the experience.

Consistently delicious. Hands down the best fettuccine bolognese anywhere! And what character the restaurant has, every floor and dining area is unique. A go-to whenever we visit the North End.

We were there to celebrate my birthday. Amazing food and ambiance. Service was at the ready, but not intrusive. Great overall experience. Can’t wait to return!

Great little place, very authentic

We were seated in what felt like a dungeon. Everyone had to walk by our table to use the restroom. The smell in that area was AWFUL. It smelled like a porta potty. Also, there was no Pinot Noir listed on the wine list and no wine sold by the glass (we were told) however the table next to us ordered a glass of Chardonnay from the same waitress. Will never go back or recommend this place to anyone.

Still good - they have the best spaghetti with clams in the North End!

It was good food and an enjoyable evening

Delicious homemade pasta! Great atmosphere. Love this place. It makes me feel like home... in Italy!

We were entertaining family from out of town and dined at Ristorante Saraceno. Although our reservations were at 6:00pm through Open Table, due to a scheduling conflict we arrived almost two hours early and we were still seated promptly. Our waitress was very friendly and explained all of the specials and answered questions about the menu. Service was quick, and the food was delicious! I had the Shrimp Scampi which was cooked perfectly and not overly fancy like others in the area tend to do. It's scampi, I just want garlic, oil, and shrimp. No need to dress it up and charge me $100. My wife had the Chicken Marsala that she said was wonderful. My brother and his wife both had pasta dishes that they raved about. All in all, a great deal for good food which is rare on Hanover St. I will be back for sure and looking forward to exploring other dishes on the menu. Well done!

Ordered the Frutta Di Mare and the Tomato Capresse, Excellent dishes, fast and friendly service !!

We have been to this restaurant on many occasions, from a last minute decision to go to the North End, to a mid-afternoon lunch before a flight, to a celebration of an 83rd birthday. We are never disappointed. The menu is extensive and the food is always good. There are all the traditional favorites, spaghetti and clams, fruitti di mare, seafood, the usual chicken and veal dishes, gnocchi, etc. But there are also other less traditional choices and always fabulous specials - in fact there were 4 dinner specials including veal osso bucco and veal chops. They have a very nice wine list, with reasonably priced bottles of house wine and a large selection of other wines. For our most recent visit, my niece wanted to bring in a cake from a bakery for her grandmother's birthday. I was hesitant because so many restaurants do not allow that, and I knew she would be crushed. They were more than happy to accommodate us, and I really appreciated that. Try out Ristorante Saraceno - you will not be disappointed.

Food was amazing, service was outstanding, the pricing was reasonable. I had a seafood fra diablo that was delicious! Overall- fantastic!

Nice lil restaurant. Service was excellent and food was really good. Anti pasta was awesome as well as my veal. 4 stars only cause wife’s classic Italian meal of lasagna was sub par. Not bad by any means but not close to my meal with was the best veal I’ve had in long time I think it was called Roma saltimbocca or something. Lasagna was just very salty and not much other flavor. Also it tight quarters so cute small place but your squeezed in pretty good. Last just wished the stepped up bread game on table, maybe warm it with olive oil

Love this place, we visit every year from Seattle, pasta always good but the shrimp & lobster over cooked & tough ... disappointing. Front end woman not friendly. Not sure they cared we had a reservation, our server Jose was exceptional.

Thank you Frankie for spoiling us ! The wine was superb! The capresse salad was the best! But the limoncello topped it all off! Loved the downpour of the rain too!!!

North End gastronomic delight

Visiting my college town for the weekend and what an amazing night in the north end! The food was incredible. I had the arrabiata and Caesar and am thrilled at the sauce. And the Italian bread and Caesar were divine. We will be back again soon hopefully!

Had reservations about dining here initially as it’s hard to choose. However each entree did exceed our expectations. Kind of old world upstairs but still a great spot. Would definitely recommend. Overall great dining experience

Thank you Frank and staff! We had a wonderful time as always.

Fantastic Italian menu and service was above expectations

Made a reservation several days prior to bring out of town relatives to Saraceno. While walking through the North End we decided to eat a little earlier, particularly because we were told we could sit on roof deck. We were taken to second level, then told there was a party on the roof deck. Didn't really believe it, but didn't make a fuss. Server friendly but incredibly slow and we sat for over 15 minutes with empty plates and empty wine glasses while servers chit-chatted with each other. Food was only fair. Wine list was sorely lacking in mid-priced range and "house" wine by glass was expensive and not great. Did not strike any of us as an authentic North End restaurant.

Food was very good but ask for the roof top table and was told it was booked for a big party

The restaurant is small but quaint. The staff was friendly and accommodating.

Wonderful Italian family dining experience. Great food, good wine and awesome ambiance! Loved this place! Our entire group was so happy! Thank you!!

I took my girlfriend here, I randomly picked a restaurant in the north end. we arrived and this fresh off the boat italian guy tells the hostess to bring us to the top. we go up 3 flights of stairs to a beautiful roof seating area with vines and grapes. it was beautiful and unexpected. Food was outstanding as well

We were seated promptly for our reservation. The food was good, the service was fine, but nothing stood out about this experience for us. As compared to our other North End dinners during this vacation, this place seemed to lack any personality. We were seated close to the kitchen entrance and had to witness the servers being admonished by the "boss" during the entire meal. Kind of stressful. Again, the food was good (fish special, and two pasta dishes) and I would recommend trying it, but the overall experience and price of the meal was disappointing.

I was ravenous after skipping lunch and opting for an early dinner (my reservation was set for 4:30pm). The spaghetti amatriciana did not disappoint! I started with the house salad which was crisp and cold and delicious and then had this simple entree of spaghetti and sauce with bacon which was hearty, fresh, perfect. Ambience was delightful. Sitting at table in window allowed for ample people watching as I ate. The server was very gracious and respectful of my meal time, giving me space to enjoy without feeling rushed even though I was solo. I liked seeing obvious regulars coming in to eat on a regular summer Tuesday; very good sign when repeat customers are present and visibly / audibly enthusiastic, warm greetings from staff etc. I can tell the spot is a local staple. I especially loved it when the front was opened to the sidewalk letting in the evening air and energy of the street outside.

This restaurant was very disappointing. The broccoli was soggy the potatoes were dried out and the fish that I ordered was overcooked. It also needs a good steam cleaning everything from the menus which had food all over them and had not been wiped clean to the bathroom which was disgusting .