Review Ristorante Villa Francesca - Boston

Cozy little north end Italian restaurant...describes most. The food was VERY good. We had an eggplant appetizer, the swordfish with risotto, and an off-menu veal dish. All very flavorful and nicely presented. Plus, a great martini. I'd absolutely go back.

Another spectacular dining experience with a window table view of North End! We dined on the most delicious Steamed Mussels, Garlic Calamari, classic, Eggplant Mozzarella, Roasted Lambchop (special), and Fettuccine Lobster (special platter with endless clams and mussels). We return again and again, and it just keeps getting better and better! What a special dinner, amazing service, and kind staff. It's literally like being in Italy for a night! NOTE: Don't waste time trying to park. Arrive for a 5pm dinner on weekends and use public parking ($) on Commercial Street. You'll easily park and have just a 5 minute walk to dinner!

We were actually set on a different restaurant that was recommended to us, but walking by this place it was really aesthetic. So we changed our plans on the fly and were pleasantly surprised. The staff was very attentive, the food was fantastic and I hope to return one day.

Tiny place in the north end that has a great wine selection and even better food. The staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is perfect for families or with that special someone. The place does get packed, so reservations may be your best option as it does get busy.

Fabulous experience, oysters & swordfish were delicious, as well as the wine, well worth every penny!

Had a great cesar salad and spaghetti and meatballs here. Was feeling something simple and this place was the best find! We popped in at 7:30pm on a Saturday and they accommodated us without reservations almost immediately! It’s a cute place tucked off the main drag and Im glad we found it!

I went there for my birthday, and it was amazing. I love the food and the service.

If you want the best Italian experience then this is your spot. Amazing food along with very generous portions.

My family ate dinner here on Christmas Eve while visiting Boston and it was fantastic. My son and I love Italian food and are happy any chance we get to eat in a nice Italian restaurant. This place did not disappoint. The food was fantastic. The waitress suggested a nice inexpensive bottle of wine which was great. We sat in the lower level of the building which seemed like a little basement but the ambiance was still fantastic. Every table was booked and all the food coming out looked amazing. We didn't get it but I recommend trying the pasta dish that comes out and is put in a wheel of cheese (parmesan maybe). They mix the pasta while scraping fresh cheese from the wheel into it. It looked amazing. I had the Pesto Pasta and it was delicious. Would return to this restaurant anytime we are back in Boston.

Amazing food. The service was top notch. The atmosphere was great. The location was walking distance from so many iconic Boston landmarks. I had the lobster ravioli on the starter menu it was a perfect sized entree dish for me.

I had a Fettuccine Alfredo served on the table fresh from the wheel cheese pictured, it had a strong alcohol flavor that I didn't like but overall the experience and service was good, the appetizers were really good but not many vegetarian options

Absolutely amazing food! Service was subpar. I would think a newer trained server would have more of an idea of what's on his menu when paying prices we did. Was a bit of a turn off on returning again.

This was an excellent place for a small dinner party. We came here for a reception and it definitely made the cut for such an event. The food was good, but a smaller variety of options (like, who do they only have one type of lasagna? And without meat sauce nonetheless?). And there is no "kid menu" here, so if you have a picky eater or someone with special dietary needs, this is not the place for you since their menu is limited. But overall a solid 4.5!

Went with a group of 7 for restaurant week. As with any North End restaurant it's a tight fit. We were seated quickly. It took a bit for the waitress to get back to us to order drinks. Then took her a while to come back so we could order our meals. The time between meals took more time than I thought it should. The food was tasty but a little cooler than we wanted. All in all we would go back.

My Mom and I were lucky enough to eat supper there while visiting Boston...best Chicken Parm I've ever had!! And our waiter and waitress were wonderful!!

Delicious meal with attentive staff. The hostess was greeted us at the door, she was warm and welcoming. Our waitress, Jennifer, was personable and efficient. She attended our every need and was knowledgeable of the menu and bar offerings. Dinner was tender and flavorful. Well done Villa Francesca!

Excellent food. They even made me gnocchi with Alfredo and capers, which is not on the menu. Service was fantastic. I would highly recommend it.

Good size portions at a good price. You do not leave feeling hungry. Great service and attentive staff. The chicken parm was exceptional. Nice place and filled with happy chatter just like you would expect when people are having a excellent meal.

Francesca's never disappoints. Hosted a party of 30 and every aspect of the event was perfect. Food, staff, attention to detail. People all raved about their meal. The salad (dressing) is to die for! Please sell it to go!!

Love love it here but this time was very disappointed with lack of communication... asked for chicken to my dish was told be an upcharge which is fine expected like $6-8 not an additional $15 on top of the $13 for the dish! Extremely disappointed with the lack of communication.

The meatballs were the size of baseballs, the sauce was top shelf all the way homemade pasta couldn't ask for more and the bread was fresh out of the oven. Five stars very well worth going to for a wonderful traditional Italian meal.

Oh my, the lobster ravioli was the best I’ve ever had!!!

The staff were delightful and the lobster ravioli was sublime!!

Great food service was very good too definitely recommend if you're ever in Boston

Birthday Fun 58 🎂🎉 a wonderful couple from Philadelphia Barbara & George, then Eva & Matt from London sat next to us...the place is intimate & cozy...Edwin our server superb ...the food was exceptional ❣️❣️ Thank you Villa Francesca and Michelle, my beautiful daughter for a memorable evening...

Absolutley loved the food delicious! The staff was very kind and polite. Great experience will definitely be back.

We absolutely loved our visit and our server Amber was wonderful. The fresh pasta was amazing!

Best meal in my entire life!! The atmosphere was just as great as the food! Lovely!

I've been going to Francesca's for over 15 years and it has never disappointed. The food is amazing, excellent wine selection and the service has always been wonderful.

Excellent calamari appetizer, average salad, blend veal parmigiana and inedible pasta with pesto. Keep searching in the neighborhood.

This place is Always Fantastic !!!! You order - they cook - you leave in Love with the place !!! ���

Very accommodating, great service and great food. Try the shrimp stuffed veal.

The food and service was excellent. I would love to return. The calamari and fruit Di mare were the best.

So good!! Drinks were awesome and dinner was romantic outside , all of the food was absolutely delicious �. Lots of food too��

My favorite North End Resturant. Had an amazing meal. Never disppoints,

My girlfriend and I loved the place the food was excellent it was an intimate setting, and the caramel custard dessert was luxurious!

The food is amazing! The staff is so friendly. You really can't beat it.

Husband said the lasagna was the best he ever had! Service was excellent. Ambiance was great.

We were there 7/30/17 and had a fabulous meal with great service. Would definitely go back....

Really great service & good food💖

Nice atmosphere, fantastic service, tasty food and great wine!

Delicious dinner had by all would definitely enjoy it again when in the neighborhood. Waitress was especially nice.

Went for dinner - very average service. Left waiting at the door while the hostess chatted to staff, Not welcomed by waitress ( all other tables nearby were), not offered Parmesan or ground pepper etc and couldn't get anyone's attention to get any . The staff didn't care and we believe it was because we looked like tourists - very unsatisfactory when all tables nearby were treated differently. Would not recommend to any tourist unless you want to be ignored and treated second rate .

Not going back. In my opinion, the beer was stale and flat, the house wine was $10 for a 1/4 glass, and the food was ordinary.

Worst Dining Experience in 2014. My worst experience of 2014. Parked my car in a valet space in front of the restaurant in the pouring rain. No valet in sight. The hostess let me in the front door and I pointed out that my car was there and I was not bringing my coat inside. She sat me and my husband with our 10 friends. Decent meal. Came up and my car was missing! Hostess never looked for us for valet hook up. The City of Boston towed my car. No-one notified me that this was happening. 1:30 am, soaked to the bone, and $438 later (including cab fare, towing charges and Parking ticket) we finally got home. There were 3 possible police stations and no-one could tell me which one. Hostess played dumb but finally felt bad enough for me that she did give me Boston Valet phone number and owner did help narrow it down to 2 stations in about 45 minutes. Cab to Police to get a release, cab to EAST BOSTON to get to the tow company which was hard to find. Remember now -- we do not have our coats or umbrellas on December 6th in drenching rain -- we walked across the street twice and finally spotted it behind with only one unlit sign. SO I call the owner, Thomas Salmeron who contradicted himself in telling me what I should have done = 1. I should have given the key to the hostess and 2. The hostess cannot take car keys that it is up to me to wait for the valet who I never saw until after dinner when my car was already gone. Owner disavowed himself of any responsibility, showed no compassion or offered no consideration and then hung up on me. What a guy! What a restaurant! After going to Francesca's for 20 years, I will never go back and neither will my 10 friends. An absolute NIGHTMARE!!!!!!! Yucky food and drafty basement worse than most in old houses.

Refused to let my girlfriend and I share an entree which is what we always do. We try to keep portion size within normal limits. Completely rigid on the subject- pure greed. Will never be back. Sent all the left over food back to the manager. We own a restaurant and respect our customers. You won't get that here. Told them it wasn't about the money, would order plenty of wine. Just don't want the food coma. Didn't matter to the manager,

Appalling Behavior. I don't usually leave reviews but It's a shame that this restaurant is a part of the historic north end restaurants. Our party didn't even eat the food because we were so turned off from the "manager/owner" who is apparently a server as well. He belittles his guests that are waiting for a table and the way he speaks to female guests and employees is just appalling. <br/><br/>Long story short- we had a 7:30 reservation for 9 people. We got there at 7 - obviously early - we told the hosts we were there but they said they couldn't seat us yet (understandable). We told them we would go next door for a drink because their bar was full- they said that's fine. We came back at 7:30 and our table wasn't ready yet. Meanwhile one of the females in our party heard the host tell the "owner/manager/server" that they gave our table away already to another party of 9. He then started yelling at the host and when he saw that the person in our party was standing right there he started yelling at the host in Italian. The person in our party asked the manager to be honest on how long the wait will be because if it’s going to be another hour we will just go somewhere else. He responded 10 min – which we were fine with. 15 min goes by and we see the manager so we ask how our table is looking. WELL- he didn’t like that. He started raising his voice and calling the female “lady”, stating that if we can’t wait ten min then we can go somewhere else. She responded to him by stating that she heard the host tell him our table was given away to another party of 9 so just be honest on the wait time- that’s all she wanted. He then proceeded to call her a liar and get even louder, talking down to the females that were waiting to drop money on his restaurant. The anger in this man’s eyes over asking a simple question on a wait time for a reservation (that was made a week prior) was unreal. <br/><br/>Whatever happened to the guest is always right rule? The truth is always nice. A cocktail on the house or an appetizer would have suffice to keep the guests happy and wanting to continue to eat there – instead we got lies and a face full of yelling. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL – I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND THIS RESTURANT TO ANYONE – AND FELLOW RESTURANTS IN THE NORTHEND SHOULD BE ASHAMED THAT THIS RESTURANT IS THEIR NEIGHBOR.<br/><br/>We then headed over to Florentine Café where they welcomed us with open arms and we told them the story about Villa Francesca and they worked their magic to get us in on a reasonable wait time since we didn’t have reservations. Highly recommended.

Worst Service Ever from Owner. DO NOT WAIST YOUR MONEY UNLESS YOU LIKE BEING BERADED BY MANAGER/OWNER WHEN GOING OUT TO EAT. Worst dining experience I have ever had in my life - the "manager/owner" literally argued with my party in front of the entire room of guests because they gave our table/reservation away after having had it booked for two weeks and waiting 45 minutes to be lied to that our table was never ready. The most unprofessional, rude, and obnoxious staff I have ever dealt with in my life. I worked in the industry for 5+ years serving and managing and this was by far the worst experience I have ever had. This place deserves negative stars for the way they treated my and the rest of my guests. Appalling really that place like this gets any credit from anyone whatsoever. Worst dining experience of my life - would never even recommend using this place to go the bathroom.

Average quality at premium price. Anyone who has eaten at an authentic Italian resterant knows this place is no better than the Olive Garden but at 2x the price. The lobster ravioli was precooked and soggy. I never ate red snapper that had the consistency of swordfish. Service is mediocre at best and we waited 45 minutes between services, on a Wednesday night. The coffee was not included in the seafood dinner and came at $5 / cup bringing our bill to 110 per person with wine.<br/><br/>The cannolis were good, but that was all.

The food was very good. Our server "Edwin" was a complete schmuck! He rolled his eyes when my sister ordered a salad, rolled his eyes again when my dad asked for cheese for his entree! Never checked on us, never asked if we needed another drink, nothing! Absolutely RUDE! Never AGAIN!

Great food.... ABSOLUTELY AWFUL service. Awesome food- delicious authentic Italian and seafood. ABSOLUTELY THE WORST SERVICE I have experienced. I visited Boston from out of town and it was a miserable experience.... EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED

The service was excellent! The food amazing! We loved the pasta-all of it!<br/>Excellent clams too!

Bad reviews or not, to me that means there've just been that many people that have visited there. <br/>This was, hands-down, the best Italian food I have ever had. <br/>Started with the calamari and lobster ravioli. Wow. My girlfriend and I were fighting over the last ravioli. She had the veal and I got the shrimp linguine. They were both prepared perfectly and we definitely needed the bread for the leftover sauce. <br/>Can't recommend this place enough.

Excellent, we were hesitant to go here because of the bad reviews, thankfully we decided to give it a try. The staff was great, very friendly. We asked for a table near a window and the host gladly sat us at a great window table. We were greeted right away by our server. The food was excellent, service was great, this place tops my favorite list. Cant wait to go back.

Missing something. Recommended by our hotel, but I should have been wary of two things -- no wait, and servers were not Italian. The food was fine and the ambiance nice, but it could have been any nice restaurant serving Italian food anywhere, not the authentic, warm, mangia!, North End Italian experience I was looking for. If you're not Italian, you won't notice anything missing. If you are Italian, you will. Also, I felt most items were overpriced. An okay meal, but not a memorable experience.

Every one was great but the Manager is an idiot!. A group of us ate here on Sunday during the Italian soccer game. All of us are soccer fans split between England and Italy. We had a very good meal and the wait staff and bartender were great. This was Sunday in the middle of the day and there was just our table of 8 and a handful of people at the bar. Everybody in the place was engrossed in the game.<br/><br/>After the eight of us had drinks, appetizers, salads, dinners, deserts and coffee and ran up a decent bill the game went into a shootout. We very politely asked the bartender if he could turn on the sound for the end of the game. He was very nice and said we had to ask the manager. When one of the people asked the manager if the volume could be turned up for the end of the game all hell broke lose. The manager was completely out of line and went off on the person in our group in front of everyone saying he had more important things to do and that there were other customers.<br/><br/>The person he yelled at is one of the nicest people I know and was completely taken aback by the situation. We watched the end in silence and then left knowing we would never return to that restaurant ever again, we have too many good choices to ever waste time at Villa Francesca. It was a shame because until that point the meal had been extremely enjoyable. There is no way that manager should be treating customers like that and if it was my place I would be looking for a new one.

A Great Place. When I lived in MA I would travel into Boston to eat here a few times a year and I NEVER left disappointed. I was on a weekend trip to Boston 2 wekends ago and brought friends of mine here and once again, they delivered! This place is one of my top 5 places to eat in Boston!

Fabulous the lobster ravioli is to die for! I low absolutely love this restiraunt!

Neither Good Nor Bad. Our dinner here was basically okay - we did like the warm interior with its brick arches and pressed tin ceiling, and it did have a very busy vibe. My starter was the lobster ravioli and they were fantastic - fat pillows of pasta stuffed with more lobster meat than I am used to seeing. Unfortunately my main course was not quite as good - the Veal Francesca was a random mish-mash of high quality veal, canned black olives, canned artichokes, white button mushrooms, in a tart lemony sauce. It was okay but I've had far better in this neighborhood. My dessert was a delicious but oh-so-tiny cannolu (singular of cannoli according to Wikipedia) prepared and filled at our table - it was a nice ending to an average meal.

The veal stuffed with crab did not taste fresh and was cold. The spaghetti with pesto and pine nuts was swimming in oil oil. Not a pleasant earring experience.

Located in Boston’s historic North End, Ristorante Villa-Francesca is an authentic Italian spot with quite a reputation. They’ve been in business for over 35 years! On this particular visit, I was in Boston on business. The executives decided to take everyone out after a hard day’s work and picked this restaurant. I was relieved to get away from seafood-only restaurants, hoping to take a break from clam chowder and feast on pasta for once. It took us a good two hours to get there from the hotel in Friday night traffic, but when we pulled up to a building, I was delighted that it looked like something out of old Italy. The brick building, heavy wooden doors, huge windows, and patio filled with flower boxes were inviting. The downside was that the place was packed to the guilds and we were going to have to wait quite awhile for a party of twenty.

Although the pasta was fresh with homemade flavor, my entrée was a little plain. My coworkers' enjoyed their dishes of Pollo Ambruzzo and Spaghetti Pesto better than I did. With so many authentic Italian restaurants within the Little Italy section of town, there was nothing outstanding about Villa Francesca that would make me come back again.

All and all, this was a fabulous time! I will definitely head back to Villa Francesca the next time I am craving some delicious, homemade pasta.

I love my Boston blogger friends. There’s nothing quite like a night out eating and drinking with them, and when you add in a delicious, hospitable North End restaurant like Villa Francesca, you have the best Monday night ever.

Villa Francesca's positive vibes encompasses this block, there is no doubt about it.

One of the things that I love about blogging is that I get the opportunity to meet a lot of wonderful people who share the same passions that I do. If you read my blog, you know that I love food - whether eating it or cooking it - and I love talking about

I. Am. Full. I didn't think it could happen (I'm not really known for being one to just kick food around on my plate) but tonight I found myself being faced with giant plates of deliciousness after deliciousness and without fail, every single time I found