Villa Francesca

We had a 6:15 pm reservation. We arrived about 5 minutes prior to our reservation. When the host greeted us, he told us to wait inside or outside for our table to be ready. There was no sense of our table being ready anytime soon and the host didn't seem to care that we had to wait. There were a lot of people outside waiting. We waited inside and when we saw two seats open up at the bar we grabbed them. We can't say how long the wait would have been since we grabbed the seats at the bar. We had concert plans and assumed that a 6:15 pm reservation meant that we would be seated at 6:15 pm. The food was OK and the service was OK as well. The bar staff was doing there best to make drinks and serve food to the people at the bar. There are way too many other great restaurants in the North End. We won't be back

The food was delicious, but the service was terrible. The wait is long even when you have a reservation. Water not refilled, dessert with no silverware(we had to ask for it). You are one more number in this restaurant. Turn over the table is most important for them. I will not come back.

Villa Francesca is always a positive experience. Great Italian food, nice ambiance, and excellent service. You might even get a singing waiter. Five stars!

Don't rely on your Open Table reservation slot. This place runs 30 to 45 minutes behind the reservations and the service is extremely unfriendly. I inquired about the wait time to the male hostess and he was extremely condescending and rude. We only came to this place as a last resort because it was a weekend and we didn't plan in advance. The food is sub par and the prices are not reflective of the quality. Save your money - go around the corner to the myriad of other Italian restaurants that have better food and service for the same price. I would never come back to this place.

I would rate this restaurant a "C". It is not great but not bad either. We had an 8:30 reservation, finally seated around 9:20. They work hard here to try and accommodate everyone, which is the main issue I saw that night. Over promise and under deliver. They take too many reservations and/or walk ins and try to accommodate everyone and end up falling short on the whole experience. The chicken parm was good, the pasta dishes are ok, and one of us had the Sole and it was served cold. After waiting so long for everything, we did not complain. We were never offered bread, had to ask the for the bottle of sparkling water we had ordered. Service overall was minimal. Probably the best thing this restaurant has going for it is LOCATION and it is charming looking. If you truly want a great meal I would skip.

We had a reservation for 8:15 through open table and were not seated until 9:00. The whole reason for using open table is to avoid this kind of situation and the restaurant did a terrible job of handling the customers that were forced to wait on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant for 45 minutes to an hour. If the food had been spectacular I could understand, but it was not. The Calamari was overcooked and tough . The restaurant boasts the best Calamari in Boston. Granted the sauce was very nice.

As part of a celebratory weekend we booked a reservation at this restaurant. I don't know why, as the host didn't really care whether you had a reservation or not. We arrived on time and were told we would be called when the table was ready. After inquiries at fifteen and thirty minutes after our reservation time, we were told our table was almost ready. Interestingly, several tables both large and small, were seated in the meantime and I saw that they had later reservations than we did. One table didn't even have reservations. The host was poorly organized and not very bright as he kept referring to me by another name even after I corrected him several times. Sadly the host also doesn't understand the first thing about hospitality. If you can't seat someone within a reasonable time frame, it is customary to offer them a cocktail or appetizer while they wait. After 45 minutes we were finally seated at a table in the basement. Things did not improve as the service and food were solidly mediocre. I do not recommend this restaurant for any occasion.

I’m almost 60 years old...I’ve spent the past 38 years traveling around the world, I’ve dined at the most exalted and the poorest places imaginable...I’ve NEVER had a worse experience than Villa Whatever. Had a 7pm reservation for my family...arrived at 7:07 pm. Incredibly rude, arrogant (for what reason, I’m not sure) ‘host’ told me, verbatim, ‘you go wait outside with the others, 45 minutes minimum, you are late!’ When I tried to speak with this ‘host’ he ACTUALLY waved me off with his hand. Unbelievable, front man for a cheesy, over-priced red sauce slophouse...STAY AWAY, TOTAL TOURIST TRAP.

Felt very rushed by the waiter. Not a place to go and enjoy a leisurely meal. Clearly just wanted to turn tables as quickly as possible.

Although we had a group of 10, we were disappointed with the server and service
We were rushed, shorted on bread and general table service requests , which I attribute to the young server , Alex, not the management. It had been awhile since eating there, menu was limited and food was average . Staff did not seem to care.

Fantastic meal and experience. My children and I celebrated my 80th birthday, my sons 56, my son in Law’s 69 and my daughter in laws 50. We live in Seattle, Phoenix, and New York to celebrate 10 days in Boston and the cape. Celebrating our last night together at this restaurant and it was a perfect finale to such a great time together.

Great restaurant, good food
best part was our waiter, Brian !!! he was a gem

Only issue was we made reservations for 730 didn’t get seated until 845 that’s a big issue for me may not go back because of it.

Our waiter had no personality, mumbled through off menu items. He did not even ask what kind of pasta we wanted with our dinners!

It was a 30 year old memory that brought us back to Francesca's. THANK YOU for not letting us down. The veal was stellar. The cannoli was just as we remembered. And the service was spectacular. THANK YOU.

Food was okay - not bad but not good. In a neighborhood with so many really good Italian restaurants, this was a surprise.

Our server was sweet, but not efficient - had to ask for bread, mixed up our order twice, didn’t have recommendations re the menu.

It was a disappointment.

This place was awesome. It came highly recommended, and definitely lived up to expectation. Try the lobster ravioli it was wonderful!

Good food ( not great ) but well worth stopping by.. the mixed antipasta was the highlight as were the every helpful and lovely staff..

Great value compared to the price gouging that does go on in Little Italy at the north end.

Outstanding food and service!



We are I’ll be back again for sure

Did not enjoy our meal .... had high expectations for the north end but this place certainly did not deliver on taste or service.... still waiting for a few glasses of wine that never arrived

But a beautiful atmosphere

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary at Villa Francesca. It is very quaint and romantic but the tables are soooo close together. The service was great but the food was just okay.

would have been a five all around but heard twice while we sat that orders were really screwed up....will go again

Great food and service. Nice friendly staff accommodated seating location request.

Our server didn't speak English well and it was hard to communicate. Took a while to get our first cocktail. The food was outstanding though

We loved the atmosphere but my food was lousy. I picked the wrong thing I guess :/

We came back after almost 20 years only to be seated in the c

Never fails. Good drinks, good food, and good atmosphere!

Terrible food. Been there a bunch of times and it’s never been bad like this.

This was restaurant was recommended by friends on our visit to Boston.
Fun old Italian place with great food. You have to try the lobster diablo with a full lobster and even pasta.
Not cheap but well worth the effort and right in the heat or the north end, Italian district.

Love to go to North End, but it is hard to get a table to accommodate a larger group. Villa Francesca was able to seat 7 of us for a family bday dinner! Great food and chocolate fountain cake is a must!

I specifically called the restaurant and spoke to the manager on Saturday regarding reservations. Stating that I was handicapped and recently had back surgery and would require parking prior to making the reservation. They assured me I would have parking. Parking was not available upon arrival or at any of their affiliated valets.

There was an up charge at an affiliated valet a bit of a distance away from the restaurant costing $50.00

I spoke with the manager directly about it
And his affect was flat
he was more interested in eating his plate of pasta at the bar and made no effort to compensate me for the difference in valet charges or even acknowledge that it was a problem for handicap person
Not even an apology

Went for restaurant week, it was very slow service, took 45 minutes to get bread and almost an hour to get appetizers. The AC was not on in the restaurant and the fans were turned off, it was very hot in there. Food was decent, probably would have liked it more had it not taken so long

This restaurant Was highly recommended for its food. And the food was very good but not good enough to overcome the horrible service and the mistakes the kitchen and the waitress made in serving us.

If you are looking for authentic Italian cuisine this is the place to go. Their reputation and years in service speak volumes.

Always a favorite in the North End. Been coming here since 1984. Authentic.

Amazing as always! I've been going there for years, and it never disappoints.

We had a fantastic time at Villa Fransesca! Large table of 13, including rambunctious little ones and they handled us great! Food was outstanding, drinks were tasty, and overall experience was phenomenal! Thank you!!

Fantastic, great options and top notch service... it’s in the north end, can’t get any better than that!

food was ok not great, I had steak which was not cooked the way I liked it. Service was excellent , a little disappointed in the meal overall

Food was good but overall service was very slow and lacking. Was there for over 2hrs for a lunch meal waiting for meals.