Viale

The food was amazing and the portions were reasonable for finer dining. The volume of music was perfect and I was able to hear my friend throughout our dinner. The waiters always made rounds to make sure we did not meet anything else. Overall great experience. The only thing that may put off some people is that their menu is small, but they seem to be helpful in accommodating dietary restrictions. Can’t wait to go back when they have their octopus again.

Limited menu for me equals expectations of perfectly cooked meal. Small portions but heavy handed on the salt. I had the gnocchi with braised wild boar. Very salty. The price was higher than expected.

We had a birthday celebration for a 25-year old daughter, hosted by her mom. Her boyfriend, same age, and her brother, 21, were also in attendance. The pizzas we ordered for appetizers were scrumptious and just right for keeping the hungry horrors away while we waited for the rest of our order. The boyfriend is still talking about the pesto pizza two days later. The oysters were super fresh and the sauces served with them were just right. We ordered a fantastic Erbaluce white wine with the pizza and oysters, sounds unusual but they went together well, and the birthday girl appreciated it very much. The menu was posted online and looking it over in advance was very helpful, especially for the appetizers and the wine menu. The primi piatti were limited in choices and the brother with lactose intolerance was more limited than mom had expected, but he was also the designated driver and the coffee was good! We asked for the red wine to be decanted before serving, which was also accomodated and the non-red wine drinkers were happy. Some of us shared plates, and that was accomodated well. The dishes were served au point, the fish and vegetables were not overcooked. The arugula salad was sublime. Also wonderful were the desserts -- the olive oil cake and rhubarb dressing and ice cream is miraviglioso! The only tricky part was that even though we had made a reservation about a week in advance, we had a 4-top table in the middle of the floor, and we arrived exactly on time, and asked for an alternative spot table, but it was not possible due to full seating capacity in the dining room. We were in the middle of the traffic pattern. It felt like every person, wait staff and diners, walking past our table was grazing my chair, and it happened many times because it was a busy early Sunday evening dinner hour.

nice food maybe a little pricey given plate sizes - overall pretty good

We’re regulars because we love this restaurant. We have plenty of choices in Cambridge, but we seek to gravitate to Viale because we know we’ll have a great meal in a friendly ambiance.

Great spot! Been here 20x and keep coming bacn

Consistently good food with exceptional service. Can't go wrong with Viale.

I enjoyed my time there immensely!

We loved the food: three fish dishes - - to include a special, the arugula salad, and oysters to start. A nice bottle of French Sauvignon Blanc accompanied our dishes. The ambiance was great and conducive for conversation. Will definitely return with friends again.

I love Viale. It has been our neighborhood go-to for several years. I was thrilled to find some new items on the menu, and they were over the top good. Two salad dishes were extraordinary-- the smoky beet salad, and the shaved brussels sprouts were both creative and yummy. I had the blue cod, with wild mushrooms and asparagus, and it was perfectly done.
My only complaint was the noise. I have eaten at Viale probably 30 times in the past five years, and I have never experienced the level of deafening noise that greeted us when we arrived at 7:00 PM. There was some sort of after-work party going on at the bar, and it overflowed from the bar into the general space. Our waiter was great at moving us to the quietest corner we could find. We were there for a 75th birthday celebration, and our nerves were really jangled by the time people quieted down. I hope that was an isolated experience, as I really rely on Viale for a reliably good meal with friends.

We had a business meeting with 7. At first the small and limited menu was not a big hit but then the drinks and food came out and everything was awesome and extremely tasty. 5 stars in my book. Very plesantly suprised.

Viale is a terrific neighborhood restaurant in Central Square with wonderful food and great service. We are regulars.

Gnocchi is very good. Chicken is fantastic. Hostess was fine, but didn't smile. Parking is awful in that area.

Very good main dish (salmon). Soup was OK. Felt that pricing was high relative to portions we received for our lunch.

First visit for me and very good experience
Steve provided outstanding service
Great happy hours oysters
Meatballs also excellent
All very good

For some reason, the restaurant wasn’t aware of our reservation even though I received a confirmation. It was early in the evening, so we had no problem getting seated.

Our waitperson was especially great making sure that an order placed was dairy-free. We really appreciated that. All of our meals were very good.

We had a lovely business dinner. Everyone's food came out together and was uniformly delicious. One person in our party needed something special, and it was accommodated easily. The wine was lovely, and the server attentive. It was quiet enough so we could talk without hearing others or feeling we could be heard. Just a perfect evening.

This is totally a neighborhood gem. The menu is not huge but that’s why it’s so consistently good. Totally an under the radar kind of place for the quality and creative touches that make the food there so good. They have a roasted chicken dinner that is to die for and that’s no easy feat. For me, that’s the true test of a great chef. Making even roasted chicken taste special. The wood fired oven is my favorite thing but that’s because I’m not a pasta eater. Others at my table had pasta and said it was fantastic. I’m a big fan of Viale! Oh- and to top it all off, they offer $1 oysters every day from 5-7 pm!! Menu prices are very reasonable for Boston/Cambridge.
Was crazy busy last time I ate there so servers were a little under the weeds but still super pleasant and we probably waited 5 extra minutes compared to a normal night so all good.
Try this place if you haven’t and if you live in the neighborhood then make sure to eat there often because it really has become a wonderful part of this neighborhood.

This may have been our 5th or 6th time dining at Viale. It's a consistently great meal! I called ahead to ask about ordering off the menu because I am on fairly restrictive new diet. The very kind person who took my call went through options and made an effort to understand my parameters. When we arrived, I mentioned this convo to the host and we were all set. I can't have any grain, sugar or dairy. This makes eating out nearly impossible. I had an elegant delicious meal at Viale! I had grilled rabe with their insanely tasty wild boar bolognese over it and the cauliflower with white anchovies (?) appetizer. I have no complaints. It was absolutely wonderful! Thank you Viale!

We were there for a casual Sunday brunch. There was a nice set of choices. Service was good, not too noisy. A good neighborhood place.

Went with a large group, everything was delicious and reasonably priced. Will be going back for sure!

Food is well done. Only criticisms to pasta needs to be eaten hot (quickly) as its got quite a bit of fat for richness which, when it cools coagulates and thats not pleasant. Wine choice was super and the service friendly and helpful. Oh and the oysters, outstanding. A most enjoyable pre-theatre meal.

Great food. Nice staff. Great proximity to Central Square Theater. Gluten free pasta available.

Very tasty food! The service was great, our waiter let us taste 2 different wines before choosing which was nice. Able to carry on a conversation easily. I would go back.

Yummy yummy in my tummy

Impressed by their limited time special offer on raw oysters! We ordered two dozens and all of them were fresh and savory. Will be back soon lol

Wonderful food! The fried califlower was one of the best califlower dishes we have had. The touch of pickled anchoy is very clever and balanced out the dish. The veal sugo that came with the ragatoni was also surprisingly wholesome and flavorful without being salty. Finally, I loved the orange spiced mascaphone paired with vanilla ice cream and olive oil cake. Great dessert! Overall exceeded expectation.

Wow! The food was amazing. Creative, complex, colorful and delicious. Also, they were so accommodating to a member of my party that had gluten sensitivity. I sent friends there the next day and they also raved! New favorite restaurant.

Good bread, good wine value, great starter, mixed results on the two entreés—the pasta with mussels was outstanding, grilled monkfish was perfectly cooked but a bit dull. The afogatos were a good finish. The service was good but sometimes perfunctory. Great value for restaurant week.

Came for dine out Boston last Sunday and were told they did not do it on Sunday. Manager kindly made exception for us, thank you!

Food is exceptional. Will come back later.

Service was the worst I've experienced recently.
We came for the $1 oyster deal sat at the table 15 minutes prior to 7pm, when deal ends) the waitress was very unpleasant and kept pushing us to get drinks. When it was time to her food she wasn't there and we had to wait quite a while.
She finally came to the table and when I asked fi get the $1 oysters, she scolded me that thurs feeal is looking fine (it was 7:02pm).
At the rest of the feeal she almost threw the food at us, was best unpleasant , and when she picked up the dishes from the table she spilled food on me. No sorry or a smile there too...
Yikes.

The food here is always well prepared and delicious and the cocktail options are both imaginative and well-balanced The ambiance is casual while maintaining a noise level that allows for easy conversation. Its a nice place for a date of for dinner with friends.

Great food, service, vibes — very enjoyable evening

We went for the dineoutboston menu and it was of great value. Service was good and prompt. Great ambiance and good for date nights. Happy hours oysters were at $1 each and they were fresh but tasted so- so. For a $1 each, they were acceptable. Bread were surprisingly soft and fragrant and it would be nice to have more than 1. We ordered each a small plate, big plate/ entree and a dessert. I had the viale meatballs which were juicy and well marinated. My hub had the broccoli rabe which was top notched. The charrness of the grilled broc brought out the sweetness of the green veggie and i regretted not ordering that. For the entree, we had potato gnocchi and steak respectively. Both had their own merits and were well executed. Gnocchi were chewy and soft and the steak were cook to perfection. I would say that the food were above average but were nothing of an exception and easily forgettable.

The mushroom parpadelle was fantastic! The smoked beets were also delicious although a little wet on the greens with too much dressing. The cauliflower sounded better than it tasted; just average in flavor but great on texture. Service was professional but attentive.

Loved this place! Great food - everyone was so nice!

Dining at Viale was not a memorable experience. Food was prepared and served with indifference. There are loads of very good dining options out there, and unfortunately Viale isn’t one of them. It’s not worth a return visit.

My go to spot for all my business meals. Great location, phenomenal food. I don’t have to impress my clients, I let Vials do that for me!!!

Really nice upscale-casual spot. Good service with great food. The wild boar gnocchi dish was fantastic.

Imaginative menu, rather rich food -- too good!! Fine service. And each time we go, we find parking fairly easily. Plus -- very close to Central Square Theatre, so if you're going to a show there, Viale is a great place for dinner beforehand.