Carmelina's

Getting a reservation at Carmelina’s in the North End was incredibly difficult. It is a smaller restaurant and very much in demand, but we managed to secure a booking and we are so glad we did.

The food was outstanding from start to finish. We began with the Fried Calamari, which was perfectly tender and lightly crisp. For mains, we ordered the Lobster Ravioli, which had a nice kick and was generously stuffed with lobster. Each ravioli was packed with filling and topped with large shrimp, making the dish feel indulgent and thoughtfully prepared.

We also had the Frutti di Mare, which was incredibly flavourful. All of the seafood tasted fresh and was cooked perfectly. Every dish felt vibrant and well balanced.

It is easy to see why this spot is always jammed packed. The quality speaks for itself. We cannot wait to return the next time we are in Boston.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere here. We visited on a Sunday, and they mentioned there might be a bit of a wait, possibly around 45 minutes, but assured us that people tend to eat quickly. We left our name, and they kindly texted us for confirmation. To our delight, we only had to wait about 8 minutes. The entire experience was quite pleasant. The service was exceptional, with our server offering excellent recommendations on the dishes. The bread and olive oil were particularly delightful, some of the best we’ve had. While the food wasn’t exactly our preferred style of pasta, it was still tasty. I enjoyed it, though I found the Scampi a bit too soaking, which I believe is their style rather than my personal taste. We also tried the Penne Capricciose, which was really good. Overall, the food was decent, and the service was outstanding. The dishes weren’t quite the pasta we were hoping for, but we still had a lovely time.

We had high expectations for our meal given reviews but were left feeling disappointed from our experience. While the reservation website mentions the small seating area we didn’t expect to be sharing a 6 person bar-top table with another party of 3. We felt quite crowded and cramped touching elbows with the other party. Service also felt quite rushed including bread already at our table that was cold.

The lobster ravioli and Sunday penne pasta were yummy but didn’t blow us away for the price. Portions were quite sizeable though and easy to split.

Additionally we arrived to our reservation early to check-in and see how our table was. They told us to promptly come back at the top of the hour as they couldn’t seat us before then. We went across the street to a cafe to spend the 30 minutes but were called back urgently within 10 minutes that our table was available.

All in all for the price of the meal we expected more of a luxury and customer service experience and felt something was lacking.

If you’re looking for a place for exceptional pasta, this is the spot. Every dish we tried was fantastic, made fresh to order with incredible care. The pasta was perfectly cooked—tender, silky, and full of flavor—while the sauces were rich, balanced, and complemented each dish beautifully. You could really taste the freshness of the ingredients and the attention to detail in every bite. Each pasta dish felt thoughtfully prepared, bursting with flavor and warmth, making it clear that this is a place where pasta is truly celebrated. A must-visit for anyone who loves authentic, delicious Italian cuisine.

Just had a really lovely dinner here! We made the reservations so far in advance and it was absolutely worth it. I am definitely adding this place to my notable list of restaurants in the North End.

For starters, the meatballs are a must. Truly some of the best I’ve had—the sauce was incredible and the meat was so tender. My favorite entree might have been the mushroom penne. The breadcrumbs were amazing and it was rich. They didn’t skimp on the mushrooms either!