Review Parla - Boston

The ambiance felt like I was in a Harry Potter movie, the staff was sweet and I really enjoyed this bar! I probably stayed longer than I should’ve but it was too good to leave early! I also made new friends!! 😁

The food was excellent, Unlike most of the disappointing restaurants in the North End! Drinks were fun and creative. We did their dungeon master drink game, and it was fun actually. But good luck if you land on 15! The only criticism is that some tables got free shots and some did not, I am not sure of the criteria for the shots!

My bartender was great. The cocktail was fantastic. I loved the atmosphere. I was by myself so the nice chat with the bartender and being able to doodle/read the doodles in the menus was a nice plus.

Do you want fancy cocktails? Do you want great food? Do you want to be a dungeon master drinker? Parla has all of it in the atmosphere of a small speakeasy hole in the wall. The food selection is amazing and they have delicious options. They have a "Dungeon Master" challenge where you roll a D20 and whatever number it lands on is what you get. You'll get a card and after you drink all 20 drinks, you'll get the choice to have them curate a drink based on which ones you like and then name it yourself and add it to the menu. The only reason I'm giving a 4 star review is that the food portions are a little small for the price and some of the drinks I got weren't very good. That is personal preference however but be aware that you could get a drink that has a liquor base that you don't like. Gotta deal with what the dice rolled for you though! Also side note, they have these cute little booklets the menus come in that you can add your own message or poem or drawing in. Just ask for a pen!

A great spot for brunch if you are visiting Boston! It is very small so you need to make a reservation if you plan on visiting, make sure you ask to see the drink menu as it is super unique!!

Hip, tiny spot for creative cocktails in the north end. Huge, quirky menu with a hilariously fun “TLDR” option where you (literally) roll the dice for a drink. Excellent service, reservations recommended. Will be back for sure!

Came here for date night and had a fun time! Rolling for random cocktails was a blast, and drinks we got were good, if not a little strange. A little pricey, but that's the North End for ya. Looking forward to coming back and rolling again!

What a fun, funky, spectacular little place! Make a reservation if you don't want to wait, but we never had to wait more than 15 minutes even at the busiest time. The staff here is absolutely The Best and astoundingly knowledgeable about all things mixology. Do the "Dungeon Master" dice rolling to discover some surprising new drinks! Highly recommended.

Such an experience!! Everything about this place was just so much fun - the menu, the drinks, the little notebooks hidden in the tables, etc. The concept of rolling the 20-sided die to choose your drink is so fun and adventurous, but it goes even beyond that! You’re given a card to track your progress so I’m intensely motivated to get all 20 just for my competitiveness’ sake, but if you do get all 20 they craft you a custom cocktail and you have access to “the bucket list” which is 17 drinks for $99 (must have a group of at least 4 to do) so how cool is that?! I went with a group of 5 and we ended up getting 8 of the 20 secret cocktails - some are really out there, but honestly none tasted bad. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. You can “Swansonize” a drink which means they give you 50% more of the cocktail you order plus they give you a side of bacon for free (the bacon was so good). If you’re looking for a really fun experience and delicious food this is definitely the spot.

Great cocktails! I usually go there for their dungeon master, to try different drinks. Almost all my drinks have been great. Loved the concept of dungeon master, I take all my friends visiting me in Boston to this place and everyone had LOVED it!

Cozy and romantic bar/restaurant with epic cocktail menu and creative, original Italian cuisine sharply different from the cookie cutter places all around it. Cute small plates as well as full mains.

Unexpected treat. Stumbled onto this restaurant in the North End during a visit to Boston and had the best chicken of my life plus a great cocktail. Has a nice wide selection of beers and wine, and the service was spectacular. Awesome interior design and just a real cool atmosphere.

THE BEST place in the north end! It's a must see eat and drink. Cocktails are inventive and delicious.

i tried to avoid the north end as much as i could, but the newly opened parla looked decent to me so we went i check it out after a longgggg week of work. left: bootleg old-fashioned – black mission fig infused rye, angostura bitters, demerara sugar, orange, luxardo cherry (the cocktail of champions, aspiring don draper types) right: sword swallower – ancho reyes, cinzano dry, st. germain, grapefruit bitters, lemon i didnt like both of the cocktails Truffle “Capuccino” – fresh black truffle, lobster demi, crab meat cauliflower espuma it tasted like a creamy crab soup, i really liked this. Braised Oxtail Arancini crispy fried rice balls, oxtail, peas Crispy Duck Breast sweet potato two ways, roasted baby carrots, foraged grape gastrique the meat was very tender, was cooked just right Lamb Leg Fettuccine house made fettuccine, braised leg of lamb, english peas, wild mushrooms, pecorino-romano Mixed Seafood Brodetto 1/2 maine lobster, littleneck clams, maine mussels, fish of the day, tomato fume, black garlic bread, garden herbs Ramen Noodle “Carbonara” slow roasted karabuta pork belly, chilies, poached egg, broccoli rabè, guanciale dashi, parmesan more like a brothless mazemen. the pork belly tasted fried rather than slow roasted. the texture of the noodles were actually not bad, pretty al dente. pan seared sea scallops – ricotta gnocchi, brown butter sauce, toasted garlic green beans, salsify espuma, herbs the butter sauce was a bit too oily. the scallops were nicely seared but unfortunately they were sandy. although i didnt enjoy the cocktails, the food at parla was decent overall. service was slow and inattentive. after dinner, we walked down to mike’s pastry to get some cannoli and cakes and ate at thinking cup next door to parla with coffee and green tea latte. Parla 230 Hanover St Boston, MA 02113 b/t Richmond St & Board Aly in North End Phone number (617) 367-2824 parlaboston Filed under: Food in Boston Tagged: best , boston , boston food , boston food blogs ,

A recent girls' night brought me to the North End to check out Parla. I arrived in the area a little early and walked around, listening to cheers and cries as seemingly everyone watched a World Cup game. I stopped into neighborhood favorites, Cocoanuts and Salumeria Italiana, and then I headed over to the Wine Bottega to meet my friends for a pre-dinner rosé tasting. After we sipped and sampled about 15 rosés, and purchased a couple of bottles each to bring home, we headed down Hanover Street to Parla. The small, intimate restaurant is in the former Il Vilaggio spot and has been called an Italian-themed speakeasy. The dining room is small and rectangular, with a bar along the back, and -- in this weather -- an open window along the front, perfect for people watching. While taking in the artwork on the walls, we ordered some cocktails and narrowed down the choices on the dinner menu until we decided on a handful of dishes to share. First to arrive was the burrata fritta, or fried burra

Parla is a hip new addition to the North End. Located among the mainstays on Hanover Street, it's tiny and tucked away with a cozy bar in the back, pressed tin ceilings overhead and vintage artwork lending a 1920's vibe.