Another post on here reminded me that there are a few somewhat recent openings in the North End that I’d been meaning to try. I was wondering if anyone has been and could offer some insight into how worthwhile they are:
Carmelina’s
Scopa
Rigoletto
Parla
il Molo
And then there are places I’ve long seen praise for, like Taranta and Prezza on the higher end, as well as l’Osteria and Pomodoro for Italian American. Are they still as good as ever?
I haven’t returned to the North End in several years, except to revisit Regina repeatedly and sometimes Tenoch, but I have tried Trattoria di Monica, Antico Forno, Terramia, Galleria Umberto, Maurizio’s, and Mamma Maria, none of which felt truly outstanding, though for the first and last of these it may well have been that we didn’t order the right things.
fwiw a friend of mine just last week went to some Taste of the North End event which he said was a ripoff and mostly mediocre, but he had really good things to say about the two offerings from Prezza.
My husband and I went to Carmelina’s several months back. We enjoyed ourselves and thought the food was very good and reasonably-priced. The pasta was all house-made and al dente. It is a small place and the tables are close together and it can get loud. Service is efficient if a bit brusque. We would go back for our cheapish date night, but not for a quieter, more leisurely night out. I’m pretty sure I read recently that they are moving to a larger space in the North End.
I agree that Trattoria di Monica and Mamma Maria are very good but not outstanding. I have yet to try Prezza but hope to do so in the not-to-distant future.
