Haven’t had much time to surf the web for the North End / Waterfront news this past week? Not to worry – we have gathered all relevant articles from alternative news sources and compiled them for you in this simple, convenient post.
Is dining in the North End worth the wait?
Any North End resident knows that walking down Hanover Street on a weekend night means you’ll have to not only dodge people passing by on the sidewalk, but you’ll have to work your way through the long restaurant lines. Cold weather, summer heat, rain, and even wintry weather doesn’t stop people from waiting for their North End favorites. Read The Boston Globe and determine for yourself if the experience is worth the wait?
Boston and Melbourne: Separated at Birth?
In many respects, Boston is a one-of-a-kind city. Could it be similar to another city? Furthermore, a city in Australia? Everything from having spring holidays featuring sporting events, to a plethora of prestigious Universities and Lygon Street which feels like Boston’s North End. Read The Huffington Post which compares Boston and Melbourne to being”sister cities on opposite sides of the globe.”
Tenoch Mexican wins over naysayers in the North End
One of the newest additions to the North End’s bustling restaurant scene, Tenoch on Lewis Street has become a big hit with locals and visitors. Business was not always this smooth and easy, moving into the North End to open a restaurant had its fair share of obstacles. Continue reading at The Boston Globe.
5 free things to do in historic Boston
There are many things to do when visiting cities, with all the history that Boston resident’s are constantly surrounded by, it’s easy to forget of the strong roots of these streets. Taking a stroll through the common, walking the freedom trail, Harvard, Faneuil Hall, and Sam Adam’s brewery are among many attractions to take advantage of when visiting. Read more at, My San Antonio.
Pizza Week 2014 at Boston Eater
Richie Zapata on 18 Years at Regina Pizzeria
Now with 21 locations, Regina’s Pizza will always be a North End Classic. Not only is this one of the oldest pizza places around, the North End’s Regina’s still has the original oven and their stores still use the original recipe. Longtime supervisor Richie Zapata about this North End classic, which has spread to over 20 New England locations over the years.
Ernesto’s Anthony Radzikowski on the Upcoming Expansion to Somerville’s Assembly Row
In case you haven’t heard the news, the 20-year-old North End pizzeria Ernesto’s is opening a new location at Somerville’s Assembly Row. Read about the business from day 1 to where they are now, get the inside story on their expansion and future plans for Ernesto’s.
Boston Chefs on Their Favorite ‘Hidden’ Pizzas
There are not many places to hide Pizza in the North End, but that isn’t the case throughout the rest of the city. Regardless, a few votes still went to North End establishments: Parziale Bakery’s pizza squares and Artu’s pizza (only offered at the bar) caught attention from chefs around the city.
Boston Chefs on Their Favorite Calzones
It’s no surprise that the North End was well represented here, with two votes in favor of Galleria Umberto. Also read Phil Frattarolli’s vote for his favorite calzone.
Did you find additional North End / Waterfront news? Add the link in the comment section below. And as always, feel free to share your thoughts!
80 percent of the restaurants in this neighborhood are average or less.. They only make money because they are in the north end.. My family has been here over 100 years and there’s only a handful of restaurants that are worth going too
Well Mike My Family has been here for over 100 years and yes there are only a handful of restaurants that are really Italian if that I guess you have to come Italy anyway different regions in italy cook different like Sicilian vilanese shakadane and so on I am very good friends with restaurant ownerd
your family being here for 100 yrs qualifies you to be a restaurant critic how?
i haven’t lived here 100 years, but ever since i saw a certain restaurant that usually has long lines recieve its delivery of frozen pasta, i have questioned the authencity of all of it.
And…based on this observation you are going to generalize about all of them? Many restaurants use frozen pasta. So what? if they claim it is homemade and you have proof it is commercially prepared and frozen…do not order pasta in that restaurant.
And, you don’t have to be a restaurant critic to offer an opinion on weather a restaurant is over priced & overrated.You seem to be taking this very personal so my question is what restaurant do you own?
Not a one. not related to an owner. do not work at one. You know what they say ” never assume because you make an ___ out of you and me” . I just think it is ludicrous to make statements like “my family has lived here 100 yrs and there are only a handful of restaurants worth going to” or “I saw a restaurant get frozen pasta delivered so I question the authenticity of it all”. I thought my mother was the best Italian cook in the world. You might not have liked her cooking at all and thought your mother’s is/was the best. The point is…it is a matter of individual taste. I like certain restaurants in the North End and not some others but that does not mean the others are not authentic or not worth going there to eat. Somebody else might love them.
I use sites like Trip Adviser & Yelp that offer reviews from just regular people who I trust more than a professional critic some who get “comped” by owners with free meals or Bruins or Celtic tickets for a good review.There is a well known family that I wont name that have a TV show that have been getting freebies for favorable reviews for years.The Kowloon on Rte 1 in Saugus is one of their favorite spots.
Michaeld are you saying that the Kowloon on Rt.1 doesn’t have great food?
Not at all Former North Ender I was just trying to give a clue on the identity of the family who I mentioned without naming them who make a living & get “comped” for giving favorable reviews of dining establishments.
I eat out 7 nights a week, and I can honestly tell you that the No.End is a Tourist Trap like
Little Italy in N.Y.C. is. If you can count 5 restaurants in the area that are really good you are
lucky. One must also take into consideration, we all have different taste. I have sat in
restaurants & have heard people comment on how great the food was & I looked at my
husband in amazement because I thought they were out of their minds. I truly believe in my heart, most
people don’t have any idea what they are eating. Some people think the more you pay the
better it is going to be, NOT TRUE, and others look for the cheaper place, and I do not think
they are getting quality products.
According to a lot of people Del Frisco’s is great, over priced, I can deal with, taste horrible.
I would put Umbria on Franklin Street up against any of these so-called Steak Houses.
There is Prime Meat & Choice, which is cheaper, there is Dry Aged & Wet, and there is the
Butcher who the restaurant people trust & you can still get a lousy piece of meat.
THE VERY BEST DEAL FOR GOOD FOOD & PRICE is Rino’s in East Boston, but you have
to go in between lunch & dinner, it is always crowded.
Terramia, Lucca, Carmen, Monica’s Trattoria, Vinoteca de Monica, Prezza, Quattro, Daily Catch, Pomodoro.
That’s 9 that are really good….and I wasn’t even trying that hard.
I’ve never had a bad meal or experience at either of the Monica’s. Giacomo’s is good if you go at the right time and don’t mind being rushed out of there. There are a LOT of bad restaurants in this neighborhood though. I’d say about 70-80% in my opinion.
North End Resident, you could open a can of Franco American spaghetti & meatballs and serve it to some of the tourists and visitors & they would think that their having an authentic Italian dinner.
MichaelD,
My favorite restaurants in the No. End are as follows:
Limoncello’s Best Meatballs, Raviolis, Stuffed Peppers & Stuffed Artichokes
MaMa Maria’s Great Osso Bucco (veal shank), good scallops
Taranta Best Pork Chop in the City
Artu The Best Burger in the No. End & and a Cozy Bar
I think Toscano’s in Beacon Hill is by far, the best Italian Restaurant in Boston and by far
the most CONSISTENT, and the service is Outstanding, and the Prices are not
outrageous. This restaurant doesn’t have to rely on Tourist, 70% of their business is
Neighborhood People & they are busy every night & they don’t have to payoff the
Concierge at the Hotels to recommend them, their reputation speaks for itself.
North End Resident, i too like Limoncello’s & MaMa Maria’s & on your advice will try Toscano’s .Thanks.
I think the best way to judge the quality & the best endorsement there is of a restaurant is if the locals dine there.
Personally, my family has lived in the north end for 5 generations and i remember when there were only a handful of restaurants in the neighborhood and you couldnt go wrong at any one of them. now, i think its disgusting when i see this every night: the first wave of visitors in the neighborhood are the rude people who come for dinner and double park their fancy cars and blocking the sidewalks so they can go drop their money at these restaurants, which begins the blocking of traffic causing endless hours of car horns beep beeping, disturbing the peace, followed by the 2nd wave of visitors in the neighborhood which is the filthy college students and young “professionals” who come to drink and carouse the streets with their rowdy screams and hollers, urinating the the streets and in the alley ways, drunken fights breaking out, people hanging out in the street making noise, police sirons, and then wake up to step out in the morning in the piles of vomit on the sidewalk and pools of urination in the alley ways.
I’m pretty done with the hatred of outsiders by the old and entitled “real” North Enders. You are all very happy to take visitors, students and yuppies money from a variety of sources. And a lot of that money do you gladly take.
If you have lived here 13 years, you must know that Rosa’s description is pretty accurate. For some reason, many people who visit our neighborhood in the evening feel entitled to behave badly. It is true that certain business owners profit from this party atmosphere. However, the average resident does not. It is not a hatred of outsiders – it is a matter of expecting basic courtesy. People who make some effort to respect the neighborhood find North Enders to be very welcoming.
It’s not just “old & entitled real North Enders” as the 13 year resident who mentions that he or she is an Italian perhaps implying that it’s only Italians that are fed up with the well documented booze fueled incidents that ocurr here on a much too regular basis and as Timothy Danaos wrote it is about courtesy & respecting the neighborhood & it’s residents & preventing the NE into turning into another Allston.
How is it obviouse new rsidents arent going to cook Italian food? I did not grow up with traditional Italian meals, but I love going into the local shops in the north end, buying fresh ingredients ans gettings tips from the staff on different meals to try. You are generalizing.
The closing of so many old businesses that specialized in Italian products speaks for itself, it’s already changed a lot. If the same number of residents were cooking Italian food, many of those businesses would not have closed. Your exception clearly does not represent the majority of people.
What shops have closed? I know some that have opened as well. Pasquale’s pasta shop, the Bricco bakery (though not technically Italian food). I don’t know of any that have closed.
What demographic favors the heroin in the neighborhood? The people I see buying or messed up aren’t college kids or yuppies… Disrespect of the North End comes in many forms. What I’m tired of are the generalizations and sweeping comments and it’s always written about the “newcomers”. I don’t think that’s fair. As to rowdy tourists and people who come to eat here who litter and make noise- what do you expect with 100 restaurants in this small area? You can’t have it both ways.
yes the north end has changed so much it is not the same north end as when I grew up in it.. who is to really blame ? people that owned buildings had the American dream they wanted the house with the yard with the fig tree and tomato plants. other north enders had to leave because of family fueds. I for one never thought id leave the north end I just took it for granted that because my family had 3 other generations living there I would to.. restraunts so many its like Chinatown in boston.. for the dirt the rats I blame the restraunts because there are so many now and the big dig disrupted the rats lifes so they moosied over to the north end and are having a feast with the trash from the restraunts. there are some great restraunts and stores that sell cold cuts there also are some that suck.. someone mentioned frozen raviolis.. shock? also gasp boxed macaroni! kellys roast beef has frozen seafood! I say when a restraint closes down don’t give a liscense for a new one….weed some out..thats half the problem .. I could count on my hand how many pizza places and restraunts there were 50 years ago..i really hope by spring between the trash problem.. the restraunts and tourist and the dog poop it gets better for the residents.. ahhh ill always have my memories of growing up in the north end back in the day.. it was fun clean safe..
JoAnn, like you I was boirn & raised here & loved it but lets be honest a lot of former residents left the neighborhood because they gave up trying to raise a family in tiny cold water flats,with no heat or hot water, no showers & a bathroom that was out in the hallway which you had to share with every other family on the floor.so I have great memories of growing up here but there were hard times.The neighborhood was a gold mine for property but many landlord’s did not have a vision & sold out & missed out.
I respectfully disagree. I feel that it is the demographics that have shifted from families to singles (professionals or students) in addition to people’s busier lifestyles that has changed, not the fact that less people are cooking Italian food, but that less people are cooking, period.
You can say the dynamics have changed in every neighborhood not just the North End. Bad schools made families move from the city to the suburbs. Now I’m sure it is tough to stay in the city with a family given how expensive it is…
Truth be told in some neighborhoods It wasn’t bad schools the term is called white flight. It started when forced busing was instituted which took kids out of their neighborhood schools and sent them to bad schools in bad neighborhoods.Parents reacted by fleeing to the suburbs.
Thank god we can have some Mex in the neighborhood finally.
Tenoch has been here for over a month. Authentic Mexican
13 YR. RESIDENT, You are so right about the over abundance of restaurants in our
small overly congested neighborhood, thanks to Mayor Menino, who gave these restaurants
Carte Blanche. I want to correct you, try saying we have close to 200 restaurants and they are
still looking to put in more, where there were never restaurants. The rats that now look like
Cats are never leaving this area, they have the largest selections of restaurants in less
than a 1/2 mile sq. radius, more than any other neighborhood in Boston. We can only
hope that Marty Walsh does not pick up where Menino left off, and puts in a 3 30 a.m. liq. extension
to add to the Trash, Noise & Quality of Life Problems. Trust me when I tell you, Little Italy in
N.Y.C. is not filthy like our Little No. End, and the Police Protection far surpasses ours.
The North End does not have 200 restaurants. Menupages.com has about 100 listed menus…and a lot of these don’t even qualify as restaurants (Bova’s? Boston Super Dog?).
http://boston.menupages.com/restaurants/downtown-north-end/north-end/all-cuisines/
The cheese shop closed but I think that was due to other… issues. Not necessarily lack of demand. Pasquale’s just moved. Local Roots on Hanover closed but that wasn’t open very long and was more produce than anything.
BOSGUY22 I am very sorry, I was missed informed when I heard it was almost 200 restaurants,
but even 100 are far too many for this very small congested area. I was just informed that
quite a few long existing restaurants on Mulberry St. were closing and I hope that happens
here. Bosguy22 think about, why would the rats leave the area they have the largest
selections of restaurants, more than any part of the city. I am sorry I feel like this, but
I feel like this area got bombarded by far too many restaurants for the size of the area.
Thank you for the list, I am sure it will come in handy in the future.