Filippo Restaurant
283 Causeway St, Boston, MA, 02114
Filippo Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Boston for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Boston for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Boston for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
283 Causeway St
Boston, MA, 02114 - Phone (617) 742-4143
- Website https://www.filipporistorante.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :4:00 pm - 10:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Classy
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
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Sean A.
Went there as it was the closest Italian restaurant to my hotel in Charlestown. Excellent food, although the service was a little slow. (In defense of the waitress, I learned it was only her sixth day, and she was older, so that lightened my opinion of her quite a bit) I ordered the Braciolettine di Vitello al limone, a veal dish stuffed with prosciutto in a lemon sauce, and it was to die for. In general the atmosphere a bit dingy, the staff a bit brusk, but worth it for the excellent food I had.
(4)Jon S.
Good good and real good service. I had the veal parm which is a good size piece. The fried calamari was also very good as well. This is a good north end restaurant off of Hanover Street.
(4)Heidi Z.
I walk by this place on my way to and from work and, with the big windows that open onto the sidewalk, it looks like a great place to stop. Last night after I picked my husband up at the airport we gave this place a chance. Here's my breakdown: The bread: As another Yelper stated, stale. Usually my husband and I crush a basket of bread and at Bertucci's we even get refills. Why? Because we love warm, crusty, soft bread. This had the "crusty" part but the other factors were missing. The service: Pleasant but brusque. We also had to wait until we got our check for water refills (my husband usually puts away 2 glasses of water and a Diet Coke, so he was parched). The appetizer: We ordered the caprese salad, which was underwhelming. It looked like dried basil sprinkled on top and there was no balsamic. Not terrible, just not noteworthy either. The entrees: These were actually terrible. My husband ordered the pesto gnocchi and I ordered some combination of chicken parm + eggplant + mozzarella with pasta of the day and red sauce. After trying to choke down his overcooked gnocchi and day-old/bottled/flavorless pesto, my husband gave up and came over to my meal. Let it be known this man rarely leaves food on his plate, so for him to bail on his meal not even halfway through after trying to flavor it up with salt and pepper, it's a bad sign. On my first bite of chicken I thought, "This tastes like frozen chicken. Or cafeteria chicken." The pasta and sauce were mediocre for me, but my husband thought the sauce was flavorless and probably the worst he'd ever had. In closing, as we walked away I said to my husband, "I'm glad we live in Boston because if we were visiting for just a few days, I would be incredibly sad that we wasted our Italian meal here." After living in Boston for 6 years, I can finally say I've had my first bad meal in the North End.
(2)Joe G.
Food is aleays good and the nostalgia in the place like original seats from the Boston Garden. If you have never been and you know anything about Boston soorts and politics you must pay this spot a visit. Just be prepared the service is not always the best
(3)Lydia T.
The Filippo experience is best if your server is Lulu! Our party of four received expert and on point advice about what and how much to order. Filippo's versions of eggplant parm and chicken picatta are amazing-don't be intimidated by the Italian menu because Lulu will translate for you. This is our go to pre-concert place, just across from the Garden.
(4)Richard C.
It's old school Italian which means those who say things like it's a bad value, it's not authentic don't understand because they've an unalterable fixed idea of what they want. They're better off at Olive Garden. Here, they serve up handmade Italian food. Like it. Otherwise, don't come.
(4)Vivian C.
A friend wanted to try Filippo with a restaurant.com certificate in hand, so I was game. We went for lunch one weekday, and upon walking through the entrance, were thoroughly confused - there was a set of stairs going down and a door beside it, and we weren't sure what to do. Fortunately, a gentleman popped his head out the door and asked if we needed help - aha! Take the door! Once inside, we walked past the bar to our right and were directed to one of the booths by the window overlooking the bridge. The lunch menu was a list of options printed down one side of a double side laminated menu. After flirting with the idea of the Gnocchi Pesto $9.95, I decided on the Melanzane al Forno $9.50 (Eggplant with fresh mozzarella and imported parmigiano cheese baked with a sauce of sammarzano tomato. Served with pasta del giorno.) for a bit of veggie in my meal, while my dc selected the Spezzatino Abruzzese $9.50 (Chicken in a light butter and cream sauce with penne.) that I had also been considering. Our lunches were preceded by a plate of thin sliced bread and a cup of pesto dipping sauce that did fine at passing the time but the bread itself was kind of plain. Entrees, however, arrived shortly after, with 5 folded slices of eggplant fanned out on the plate accompanied by some red sauced penne. The chicken dish was similarly penned, but the chunks of chicken were tender and tasty. The tubes, though not quite al dente, was not mushy either - they retained just enough bite to be satisfactory. Pasta portions were a bit on the light side. A heavier eater would have surely either left hungry or wanting an appetizer. To finish off the meal, and to reach the certificate's required minimum, we ordered their tiramisu made in house. No menu was provided but rather the options of desserts were verbally rattled off by our server. The little custard cup of airy cream that arrived was rather light in various forms of the word and cost $6.95. Presentation was cute, but not the best version of the dessert I've ever had, and rather expensive for the portion. Service was pleasant enough, though we had the place all to ourselves for much of the time, till the clientele population of the establishment was doubled briefly by the arrival of another party. Note: Their lunch menu is not provided on their website.
(2)Kristen D.
So..was a little disappointed with this one. I had a restaurant.com certificate so we decided to try our luck on a Friday night. Well, the place I think has two floors, so maybe there were more folks dining downstairs (doubtful), but the main room we were sitting in was dead. Granted, it was freezing outside and no events going on at the TD Garden that night, so maybe they normally are a little busier. Anyways - our waiter was nice, along with everyone else working. The menu wasn't quite what I was expecting - it just didn't seem authentic. The bread was very good, as was the caprese we had as a starter. I ordered the scampi for my meal, and it just seemed like pasta in a bowl of butter with way too much parsley, 6 shrimp on top. The shrimp were good. My boyfriend had the lobster ravioli, which didn't have much filling and were drowning in a red tomato sauce. The prices are decent, but the portions also aren't much. Many other places in the North End I would go to before this one again I think.
(2)Allison B.
Not worth your money. There are SO many other great restaurants in the North End & even cheaper. In the caprese salad, the tomatoes were not ripe, which of course pretty much makes the entire salad. Trust me, there are several other restaurants well worth your time and money in the North End!!
(2)Plum L.
My daughter and I stopped there after a long day of traveling to Boston . We were hoping for a good Italian meal. There was one other table of four just sitting as we arrived. The one waiter in the place waited on them and never acknowledged us. We waited twenty minutes with no acknowledgement so we left hungry . We don't recommend this place based on nonexistent service.
(1)Kristine A.
This place is actually a decent size & has all kinds of nifty photos on the wall. The service was good & Lulu was pretty funny & entertaining. Well I don't understand why when you order something it doesn't come out the way it's stated. Had I known the description isn't 100% accurate I would've chosen something else. It wasn't very tasty to begin with but ate it anyway. The bread dipping sauce was amazing though even got more of it to put on my entree. I am not a fan of all the veal on the menu either but in the North end it generally come w/ the territory.
(2)Jessica N.
Came here for a group dinner the night before the Marathon and it served it's purpose but I've had better elsewhere in Boston. Salad and Caprese - just ok Red sauce/Penne - was good White sauce/gemelli - sub-par. felt grainy, bland, and overcooked peas Chicken - was just ok Eggplant Parmigiana - left a lot to be desired. What was good - desert! Yummy cream puff and eclairs Served it's purpose but probably wouldn't personally be back.
(2)Rob B.
Weird vibe, took 10 minutes to make two drinks and we were the only ones at the bar, and I think the bartender did not like to make tequila drinks. Actually I don't think the bartender likes anything at all We decided not to stay for food The lights at the at were cool Drinks were way over priced!
(1)Jack G.
They have This Thing. It is 3 different types of pasta (carbonara, linguine with red sauce, & tortellini with pesto) that they flip a pie crust over, then bake. Seriously. You think that you've died & gone to carb heaven. I forget what they call it (something Italian, I think), but I was borderline comatose by the time I got 1/3 through The Vesuvius of Semolina. However....it was just OK. More for show than taste, I'm afraid. I will probably not go back, truth be told, the Pasta Giant kind of scared me. Other memorable thing: the older Italian waiter who was, of course, from the area of Italy that my SO's family hails from. Wonder of wonders. The fact that we were the only ones in the place at the time not only virtually ensured a steady stream of tales from the Old Country, but a second bottle of vino for me. Molto bene!
(2)Chris L.
This place was terrible !! 1st and last time to this restaurant....they served my salad with a napkin in it and when i told them quietly so it wouldnt draw attention to other customers the waitress made a joke yelling across the restaurant saying I told them not to put a napkin in your entree....unbelievable that she would say this with other customers listening. Then the entree came and the food was terrible I couldn't believe I was eating food of this terrible quality in the north end.....I would stay far away from this place.....
(1)Steven R.
I went here with my parents during their visit and it was honestly not very memorable. I felt like I could have made everything we ordered, but better, and it was way too expensive to be so typical. It's not like it was bad, but it was certainly far from delicious. Just standard, which for what we were expecting, was disappointing.
(3)Fat G.
Fat G. coming back to the Yelp world after a long hiatus. Been checking out some places, in conjunction with Restaurant.com . I snagged myself a certificate and went to check out Filippo Restaurant in the North End. The place is off the Green Line/Orange Line near North Station. It wasn't too bad to find. I went with a friend for lunch and off we went. Our server sat us down in a spot that prevented me from seeing the outside street. (There are many glass windows peering towards Causeway.) That was a bummer, especially when the entire restaurant was basically empty at lunchtime. Anyways, we ordered our food. Along the way, there was pressure to order more and get other things from the menu by the server. We ordered the eggplant with penne, the chicken with penne, and tiramisu. Honestly, I think I could have made the same things at home. Portion sizes were small - the tiramisu was in a mini-glass and cost $6. The eggplant and chicken dishes were roughly $10, not including tip or tax. Tastewise, they were ok, nothing special. Overall, I'd prefer a more hospitable environment and something more filling.
(1)Victor H.
OK, this is old school Italian and I'm not talking northern Italian, which most are accustomed to eating, so there are some differences. So their idea for pasta is as a separate course, but because we are Americans and don't really understand the old world Italian....we tend not to be happy if we have to order pasta as a separate course. Now I am not trying to offend anyone here, I'm just discussing my perceptions. Back to the food: the salad was excellent with a tangy white Italian dressing and summer greens, cucumber and tomatoes. The bread was a nice rustic old world baked with a side of herb olive oil. Now the olive oil is refrigerated, so u may want to let it sit a few minutes. However, that may prove a bit long because they bring the appetizers and/or main meal quickly (another Americanized fast paced change. In Italy, meals are leisure not rushed, unlike the US). So, I had the cacciatore which was outstanding! It had a rich sauce with peppers and onions. the portion was more than enough. This is an old school Italian restaurant with great ambiance. Final note: if you want pasta al dente, ask for it that way. Like most American restaurants, they try to bring food out quickly which sometime means some items are a bit over cooked. this place should not be overlooked....given it a chance. I ate their twice to assess the consistency and was not disappointed.
(4)Shelley T.
WORST DINING EXPERIENCE OF OUR LIVES--please read. Ppl that go here are prob first timers like us. Once and never again ! This place doesn't even deserve 1 star. From the very start we should have left. Got awful customer service when we first walked in. 7pm on a nice night on a Saturday any good Restuarant should be packed.....this place had prob 4-5 tables sitting. That should have been a sign right there. But we decided to give it a shot. Our waiter didn't even speak good English and barely asked how we were as he dumped our glasses full of water. Then another guy puts down stale sliced bread. I asked for butter from my waiter and he rolled his eyes at me. Then I asked for lemons and its was pretty much the same face. Then our waiter comes back and finally asks if we want something else to drink. Finally we order some calamari appetizer. It was edible but nothing special. Just right out of a freezer bag. Prob the worst I've had. He ended up taking half of it away because we couldn't even eat the bigger rubbery pieces. We were obviously still hungry, but couldn't finish our appetizer....that doesn't make sense, right ? We then ordered dinner. Our waiter asked if we wanted both our meals with a side salad or pasta. We figured it would come with pasta but I guess you pick. So we both said we would like our meals over the pasta. Mine was chicken with lemon capers mushroom and artichokes. (I forget the name) seemed like it would be yummy : /. My fiancé got chicken marsala. In the meantime, still hungry... I asked for bread that wasn't stale. We actually got some fresh bread which wasn't too bad. So then our meal comes out and mines over pasta as I asked but my fiancé is chicken marsala on the plate and then a side of pasta with sauce. (Weird.....I thought we made it clear we wanted it both over pasta). He said that is was a communication error. Oh why? Because he doesn't even speak great English or you just suck as a waiter. Or both ! So that was a waiter fuck up. I use to waitress, so I get it, mistakes happen....so he didn't send it back we just dealt with it. Now we start our meals. The chicken looks kinda un-trimmed and funky. I eat a piece and it was quite nasty. So I started eating the over cooked pasta drenched in this "lemon wine butter" sauce. It tasted like it was cooked in a dirty pan. I'm not even kidding ! My fiancé was gross too. I didn't try it because he warned me not too. It didn't look great and his side pasta barely had any sauce on it, and again over cooked. So our waiter clearly can tell we aren't enjoying our selves or are meals. Also during our entire meal, he stood literally 5 feet hawking over our table. So he had 2 other tables at most that obviously didn't need any help either. Maybe he should have looked and poured me more water while he was watching us. That would have possibly been helpful. But he knows I'm frustrated and not happy. So as we continue to push around the food on our plates and debate whether we should ask for a manager or cut our losses.....our waiter comes over and says "it doesn't appear your enjoying your meals". As I reply "no, not at all. We just want to leave". He then started picking up our plates and insisted that we not pay !!!!! WHAT ? So instead of apologizing or even having a manager come over he insisted we just not pay if we weren't happy. We insisted to pay for the appetizer (which was gross anyways) and the beer we ordered but he did not want anything. So, I ended up leaving $10 on the table and we walked out. So then we left and went to dinner somewhere else....as we were still hungry. AGAIN....WORST DINING EXPERIENCE OF OUR LIVES.
(1)Judie C.
I'm amazed at the negative reviews out here. I opted to take my husband here for his birthday for online reason and that is I had a coupon from Restaurant.com . Okay, I pinch pennies. From the phone call I had with Bill to waddling out the door, everything in this place was 5 star quality. First of all, Bill greeted us at the door and remembered my call. THEN, we were seated by LuLu, probably the funniest, nicest and hard work ingest waitress I've ever seen. We were lost at the names and descriptions of the dishes. I mean isn't this supposed to be about spaghetti? But Lulu offered her opinion on several of the dishes and started us out with a plate of sausages covered in a light tomato sauce, not to spicy for me, which is a huge consideration. I'm sorry I can't tell you what we ate because I can't remember the names and they're not on the on line menu. But mine was a chicken rolled over mozzarella and cooked in an orange sauce. My husband had a special veal dish he described to Lulu and she knew exactly what it was. Each came with a basic green salad and the most wonderful dressing. Although Lulu said it was a creamy Italian, it had just a touch of a Ceasary taste and I loved it. Lulu was right on the ball and we were never without bread, water and clean napkins. You have to come in here with a casual mind set, because you're not going to be pampered. Lulu is going to tell you which fork to use with each meal and you better not get it wrong. :-) (to Lance P. from NY - you may command respect, but with an attitude like that you probably don't get much of it) My husband was served a special dessert for his birthday, we had the tiramisu, which was grand, but then, I've never met a tiramisu I didn't love. Then without thinking a thing about our sad waistlines, we ordered the lemon cake. As I said we waddled back to the station, but it was worth it. My husband wants to know how anymore of the certificates I have....quite a few. See you soon, Lulu!
(5)Jane D.
My friend had a rest.com gift cert and we were going to be in Boston, and both of us love the N End/Italian food but I can't say I had a good meal. great service though... waiter super attentive I started with a caprese - not fresh mozz & unripe tomatoes - bad choice on my part the toms r not in season!... but the mozz... ragazzi, siete al north end!!! then got linguine mare e monti - basically calamari & mushrooms in a spicy red marinara - but had no flavor, wasn't spicy and worst off the pasta was NOT al dente... shame on you !!! my friend did love her chix marsala - app she didn't love tho (roasted peppers & eggplant)...no bread with it, niente!!! I think there are better dest in n end...
(2)Krisha C.
THE WORST FOOD SERVICE I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED!! My family and I went to Filippo to celebrate mothers day and a graduation and we had no idea how horrible this would be. We only went here because of a coupon that I had received from another site. When we walked in, even though the restaurant only had two tables taken, the host made us wait for 15 minutes before he would seat us while he just sat and talked to the bartender. When we were finally seated our waitress was rude, sarcastic, and urged people in my party to order the most expensive thing on the menu. She even told my sister who is a VEGETARIAN to order a meat dish just because "she must rarely get [her] parents to buy her a meal and she should milk them for all theyre worth". Then she proceeded to not bring out a drink that my boyfriends sister ordered but still charged us for it on the receipt. She also brought out out the food at least 5 minutes between each other. The food was either too salty or too oily or both. The noodles in my sisters pasta were not fully cooked and when we told the waitress this she said its the "Italian way". The pesto was bland, the veal was undercooked, and the chicken was cold on the inside as if it had been reheated. The calamari was rubbery and smelled like onion rings, the caprese was soggy and the soda was watered down. Once she and another waitress decided we were done they took all of the plates off the table when we were in mid-bite. After when we were getting out cash to leave the tip she old us we should"be ashamed of ourselves for leaving $20 on an $100". When my mother confronted her on her rude remark and over all HORRIBLE service she abruptly stormed off and went to smoke a cigarette. When we asked the host to speak with the manager he completely ignored us and said that the manager wasnt there and he was unable to contact him. As we left the restaurant the waitress blew smoke at us and said we shouldnt walk so close to her if we didnt want smoke in our face. We we told her she was rude she just said "its a Boston thing honey." Nonetheless I nor my family will EVER go to this place again. I wish I could give this place less than 1 star.
(1)Stephanie R.
I don't know why this place has such low review scores from everyone else. I thought it was pretty good for reasonably priced North End food. I think with the North End, if you're looking for reasonably priced, there's a certain degree of quality difference you can expect, and honestly I didn't really notice that much quality difference between what I get at a higher end restaurant versus Filippo, except that the portions were 10x larger than I'm used to. I had the Chicken and Eggplant Parm and I have to say it was delicious! It was a huge piece of chicken, a layer of mozzarella, a thin layer of breaded eggplant, and another layer of cheese with a delicious house red sauce on it. I thought it was fantastic! The atmosphere was extremely cute and the service was really fast. Overall, I would definitely come here again!
(4)Ed H.
We had a reception Friday December 5 for 37 people in the upstairs room. It had its own bar with plenty of space for our guests to mingle before sitting down for dinner. Floor to ceiling windows provided a view towards Charlestown and the Bunker Hill Monument. Bill (from Filippo) could not have been better at making sure everything went as planned. He arranged to have some cheese and seasoned bread for our guests to nibble while having a drink or two before sitting down to dinner. He helped set up a large screen TV to show a video. The sit down 4 course dinner had plenty of food. Chicken Marsala and sausage for the main course is always a hit. He accommodated the vegetarians in our group. Flippo was reasonably priced and a great spot for our gathering.
(4)Angie B.
I admire the long-running family/generational restaurant concept with thousands of photos of the owner and all the VIPs of the world who have dined there just as much as the next guy, but the food quality probably vanished with the 70s guy with no shirt photo. I asked a woman waitstaffer where the bathroom was, she didn't even look up from the counter to mumble "downstairs". The place was packed with extended families with parties of 10 or more, and rowdy concert-goers for pre-party before a TD Garden show. The barstool occupiers looked like a casting call for a Martin Scorsese movie. Our waiter was an old pro and served us fast and well. The food was passable. I did have fun looking at all the pics of 70s icons with the owner in his various clothing choices though out the years.
(2)Mike D.
Food was great. Everything was fresh and delicious. Service sucked and they throw white linens on Rubbermaid plastic tables. Wine was good too.
(3)Heather M.
If you like surly waitstaff and mediocre Italian "you'll get it when you get honey" then this place is for you. Is close to the garden so that's a plus for dinner prior to events but plan on 2 hours as "the kitchen got backed up and we had a rush, sorry I forgot your wine"
(2)Sunny R.
My boyfriend and I drunkenly stumbled into Filippo last week and sat at the bar for a couple more drinks and a quick appetizer. We were immediately greeted by Billy the bartender who was amazing and extremely friendly. Most importantly he made delicious drinks! We weren't too sure about the food after reading the other Yelp reviews, but we ordered the mozzarella appetizer anyway and it was absolutely phenomenal! So phenomenal that we also ordered the Pollo Cacciatore. We were pleasantly surprised at how delicious the food was and how attentive Billy was. Thanks Billy! =)
(4)Lisa A.
Delicious pasta fagioli and entrees overall! Lobster ravioli is another favorite. Only downside is that you need to order your pasta separately from your fish or meat entree, but if you are not worried about paying more per person then it is definitely worth it.
(4)Jessica S.
I ate here because it was an option on restaurant.com for me to use a gift card there. The menu was really nice -- lots of choices without being overwhelming -- and the price was right, so I figured it would be a nice spot for a birthday dinner for my boyfriend. It was confusing when we walked in, as the sign outside says "Fillipos, second floor" but the stairs were roped off. We went in the door where the bar was, and found out THAT was the main dining area, not upstairs. We were greeted immediately and seated quickly. Waters came fast and the wine list, though short, had a decent selection by the bottle... not many by the glass. When my boyfriend asked the waitress what beers they had on draft, she simply said, "Nothing." After an awkward second or two of silence, he had to ask, "So, what beer DO you have?" at which point she answered with a list of bottled beer. (Not much selection, either: Bud, Bud Light, Heineken, and some Italian import.) The rest of our experience with the waitress was a similar game -- short yes or no answers from her... it was like pulling teeth. A bit through our appetizer, we noticed that never once had she looked at my boyfriend, even when talking to him, and even speaking to him was infrequent -- everything was directed towards me. It was very strange and slightly awkward. Eventually we found it to be kind of funny, but to folks without my sense of humor, it could be seen as very rude. We also felt very rushed during our meal. Our waitress kept peeking around the corner at our table, then turning away, as if waiting for our dishes to be empty. (There were only 2 other tables with patrons at them, mind you, so it wasn't busy at all.) I was hoping to have a long, relaxing meal to enjoy my boyfriend's birthday, but we were seated at 6:30 and out before 7:15. On the flip-side, our food was absolutely delicious and we enjoyed every bite from appetizer (fried mozzarella with proscuitto) to entree (my lobster ravioli special was jaw-droppingly amazing, and my boyfriend talked about the gnocchi with meat sauce for days after our dinner!) to dessert (limoncello cake was so refreshing). If only the waitstaff was as enjoyable. I doubt we'll return to Filippos, as there are an infinite number of Italian restaurants in better spots (with better atmosphere and staff) in the North End.
(2)Amy B.
Really fun positive experience! Food was great, wine was great and LULU was the best!!! Thanks for the great service :) Amy, Wendy and Marty
(4)Anindita D.
I would go back there again and again for lulu . She is amazing . More than food service matters to me . The food was average but it's close to my home . She made us feel so comfortable . We always talk about going there because we were very happy . Perfect for lunch or dinner anytime .
(4)Jonathan W.
Came here after we couldn't be seated at a different restaurant. I knew nothing about it and was hoping for something tolerable. I was very happy we ended up here. The atmosphere was of that of a small, genuine Italian place. The pictures on the walls of the owner with a myriad of famous faces just added to this. The wait staff was very fun (i.e. talkative, helpful, funny, crass, etc). The food was good and so was the drink. I'd try it again for sure.
(4)Tammy L.
We were originally booked for Panza. Last minute stuff came up and we had to cancel our reservation there. We still wanted to eat in the neighborhood so we walked and walked and stumbled upon this artfully decorated restaurant. Might I add that it was VERY empty on a Saturday night? That should have been a sign but it was getting dark and we were famished. We went in and there was another sign that should been apparent. They looked at us as if they had NEVER seen any Asian girls. I know That Look when I see it. We should have left then but it was my friend's birthday and it looked like it was going to rain outside. So we stayed and this is where the horror story begins, kids. We were brought to a table near the window. Our server seemed like a friendly woman and she was, don't get me wrong. She was very blunt with her opinions on which entree to order and told us what not to order because it was bad. We liked that about her, really. What we all hated was that she threw a question at me that should NEVER be appropriate or acceptable in any restaurant. Server: Where are you from? Me (already know where this was going): Oh, I'm from Boston. Server: No, no, where are you from? Me (through gritted teeth and fake polite smile): I was born in Boston but my parents are from Hong Kong. I WAS FLIPPING THE TABLES AT HER IN MY HEAD, GUYS. Needless to say, we didn't give her a lot of tip. The only thing that made up for this crappy place was their restroom. Interesting drawings and pictures. The food? You have plenty of other options in that area, guys. Don't ever give up your reservation at any restaurant there. You don't want to end up dining here.
(1)David N.
I do not know why this place has such low review scores from other members of the Yelp Community. The Service was very pleasant with Lulu being our server. She did not need to write anything down she memorized our order perfectly. The bread and oil were a pleasant Surprise. The Appetizers were large proportioned and absolutely crave worthy. I came in with a Party of 4. The Mozzarella Carrozza and though it was huge I found myself wanting another after the last bite. another member of my party had the Biancaneve and it looked superb. The Entrees were Large and tasty. I had the Francesco 2 . The Sauce complimenting the dish as well as the olives mushrooms and melted Mozzarella was a unique flavor that took my taste buds to the moon. I was ready to give this restaurant 5 stars had I not noticed some areas of the floor needing a good sweep and the lack there of a drink menu.
(4)Sarah Q.
Worst restaurant I have tried in a long time. My friend found a Groupon so we decided to give it a try - there's a reason it was on Groupon, people. We are a group of 6 college-aged women out for a girls' night out. When we arrived at the restaurant, our first turn off should have been the fact that it was completely empty. We sat down and asked our waitress if we could all do individual checks, since 3 of us were there on business and were planning on using our corporate cards. She was so rude to us and made a huge deal about how it was an inconvenience to her, so we decided to break it up into two separate groups. She told us we could do 1 group of 2 people & use 1 method of payment, & then do another group of 4 people, use the Groupon, & use 2 credit cards. She still seemed very disgruntled, but we felt that would be fine. Then came the food. We ordered the bruschetta (both the regular one & the 'fancy' one to start), and were very disappointed by that. We all felt that the bread tasted like they had bought it from Costco & simply spread olive oil and cold mozzarella on top. Not what we were expecting. Then we ordered our entrees, I ordered the pesto gnocchi, and couldn't even eat half of it. I felt like I was eating pine trees. It definitely wasn't a basily, fresh pesto that I was used to. When we went to pay, our waitress was still disgruntled but did as we asked regarding the credit cards. However, on the bill she was supposed to split down the middle, she charged the same card twice. When we informed our waitress, she snapped, "This is why we only use one credit card." We will not be going back there, and will make sure to spread the word that no one should spend even the Groupon amount on this place. Horrible, horrible service, quite possibly the worst I've ever received.
(1)Tess S.
Service was terrible. I had told the waiter about a lactose dietary restriction and was then (very rudely) blamed for "not clearly explaining" that "no cheese" meant no cheese. My mom had an eggplant fish which she said was good but not exceptional. Overall the food was meh, I felt awkward and it was nothing special. I would not go back.
(2)Ralf S.
70s style Italian food. Huge portions, too much cheese. You are better of cooking for yourself.
(2)Theodore B.
Quaint lil Italian restaurant just a stones throw away from north station in the north end
(3)Jeff K.
It's Time. Everyone should hear that expression one time in their life. "Honey, I think it's time we get divorced" , "kids, I think it's time you move out" or even "I think it's time you take a shower, you smell. This restaurant needs to hear... "It's time to close your doors". Had a Yelp deal. Owner refused to honor it. Waiter was an ass. We all had a fun time because of his shitty attitude. Food, mediocre at best. Never would return. Place was empty, staff and manager mean.
(1)Jennifer P.
I visited Boston for a day trip with my boyfriend and wanted to end the day with a meal in North End "Little Italy" craving an Italian meal after a lot of walking around. I was pleasantly surprised. Lulu was very sweet and welcoming and the atmosphere was very charming. I am very picky on how I like my chicken Marsala done and I have to say bravo for a job well done. My boyfriend enjoyed his breaded veal and eggplant meal too. Everything tasted authentically Italian homemade like I remember my family cooking when I was younger. The pizzelle cookies as a finishing touch was a nice surprise too. I rarely go to establishments where extras are given and the end of the meal on the house. I would return here again when I plan my next trip to the area for a game or perhaps in the fall for a ghost tour :)
(4)Zach H.
Went here for a group birthday dinner and was thoroughly underwhelmed. The food was so-so, not great and the service was decent. Our water hardly spoke English and seemed a bit aloof, but was very friendly. The veal was tough and pretty much flavorless, but the other dishes seemed better. The atmosphere in the restaurant felt more like the kind of place you'd have dinner with your grandparents, not a group of young adults. Not a horrible experience, but with all the great dining options in the North End, I doubt we'll be back.
(2)Jeff C.
I had a restaurant.com gift certificate to use and chose this restaurant based on the menu on their website. This was my first mistake. First of all, the menu at the table was VERY different than the one online. My friend wanted the Veal Parmisian but when ordered was told they don't do that here. Granted it wasn't on their menu here but they had it on their website menu and what Italian place doesn't serve Veal Parmisian! He ended up getting the Chicken Parmisian and I had the Tortellini Arturo and the food wasn't awful which helped a little. The service left a lot to the imagination. Our waiter was an older Italian gentleman and we had to try and get his attention as when he wandered by he wouldn't make eye contact. They cleared plates almost as soon as they were clean and there was barely anyone in the restaurant! On a Friday night! Adding insult to injury, where we sat there was a Zagat Survey review from 2007 that also made note that they were typically dead in here.. 7 years later it's the same! My friend ordered the tiramisu for dessert and was not impressed. We also had a hassle trying to use the gift certificate but that can be attributed more to the fact restaurant.com's system is fairly confusing. Overall I suggest finding a different place to spend your hard-earned money (or gift certificate)
(2)Emma D.
I had a gift certificate to this place so we gave it a try prior to a Celtics game since it was walking distance to The Garden. The bread was good. The dipping oil was excellent. We got fried calamari as an appetizer--it was very good. We also got parmigiano reggiano as an appetizer. I've purchased better reggiano at Costco. Had our dinner ended there it would have been a great meal. The entrees left something to be desired. I got a tortellini dish with tomato sauce, olives, mushroom and shrimp. It was so spicy that it was almost intolerable (and I LOVE hot, spicy foods)....this was too spicy to enjoy--I'm talking chemical hot! My husband got a pork dish--the portion was enormous--but the taste was ok at best. My son got a sirloin steak in a red sauce. He enjoyed this dish. He ordered his steak medium rare and it was definitely cooked to order. My daughter got the penne pasta with marinara sauce. She thought it was ok. For dessert we got a mandarin sorbet and a chocolate cake to share. The sorbet had a great presentation--a tangerine with sorbet inside. Flavor wasn't as great as presentation. I thought it had a bit of freezer burn. The chocolate cake--AWFUL. Most definitely thawed out and freezer burned. It was dry and hard. I would be ashamed to serve it to my guests at my home. What's worse is that when we got the bill the waiter wrote in his own tip!! I know that with parties of 8 or more the restaurant will typically add the tip. We were a party of 4. Very disappointed and would never return to this restaurant.
(1)Nancy O.
The food was not great. I had the Shrimp scamp. No flavor. My honey had chicken parm. Oopsie they forgot the mozzarella. Service from the blond older fella was absolutely the worst! We were glad to be in town for the night after a great show at the Charles Playhouse. Blue man group rocked. Filippos flopped. Don't bother.
(1)Dan C.
I would strongly consider alternatives given my recent experience at Fillipo's Restaurant. The critical reviews from my fellow yelpers regarding this establishment are wholly justified. I was excited about this restaurant because of it's location near the North End. The idea of homemade pasta, fresh bread, and delicious Italian food enticed our group of friends to make a reservation on Friday evening. Of course, having a $50 gift card was a motive all in itself. Thankfully that helped with the bill, because this place was about as tasteful as the bank bailout in 2008. We sensed an environment on the brink of desperation upon entrance. A retreat would have been warranted, but the gift card needed to be used. The Decor had the ambiance of the Addam's Family Mansion. The lone cook in the kitchen resembled Uncle Fester. The friendless of their service staff was similar to a 19th century bar saloon: No recommendations, No specials, and No smile. Just order. How about that fresh bread? For starters, where is it? It's always concerning when you need to hunt down the waiter for a basket of bread. The dipping oil was mediocre, but that summarized my experience so far, until the entrees came to the table. The server "auctioned" off our entrees. I suppose the memorization of 5 dinners was too much to ask for the 19th century bar saloon mentality. My entree was without question the worst "Fruiti Di Mari" ever ordered for several reasons. First, the sole tasted like it was stored in the freezer for a hundred years. Second, the clams touted little flavor. Third, the shrimp was clearly frozen; requiring a chainsaw to chomp through it. Forth, the tomato base broth was about as lifeless as a corpse, though I suppose it's fitting given the Addam's Family Decor. Finally, I specifically requested 'spicy', but the kick was flatter than an ironboard. The rest of my group expressed disappointment with their entrees. Frankly, it's amazing a trip to the ER was avoided. The icing on the cake? Clearing individual entrees before everyone was finished! I just love the professionalism. I did mange to peak into the Kitchen to find out what Uncle Fester was doing. In the North End (i.e. Al Dentes, Carmens, etc); you normally hear chefs vocally issuing orders and moving quickly to push out entrees. What happened at Filippos? I witnessed a lone cook moving about as fast at Betty White using a stroller. Overall, this is a prime candidate for Kitchen Nightmares. I may send a personal note to Gordon Ramsey to please save this establishment, though it may ultimately be best to close the doors permanently. My dear friends rallied in spirit, had desert and wine elsewhere, and enjoyed the night regardless of this restaurant nightmare.
(1)Christine S.
Hubby and I had a great dinner at Filippo's tonight. Lulu was a great waitress! She even shook our hands and gave us each a kiss - loved it! We both ordered veal and it was delicious - very tender and not overly fried. The wine seemed a bit overpriced, but overall a great diving experience.
(4)Jing Z.
Very good Italian dishes. We have chicken and linguini, salad and bread. We like them so much that nothing is left!! It's said that Clinton has also been here. Lol
(4)Donna M.
I really, really, wanted to like this place. I did read all the reviews, and knew it could go either way. I went with friends who have been before, and really liked it. So I thought I would give it a chance. Big mistake. It was before a concert at the Garden, on a weeknight. The place was very crowded, fortunately we had reservations. Our waitress was nice, but very rushed - to the point of confusion. She told us over and over how understaffed they were that night. At first, we all felt bad for her, but after awhile it came off as passing the buck for shoddy service. We ordered drinks and an appetizer. We did receive the drinks, after having to tell the waitress what was in a cosmo, because the bartender was too busy to make them, so she made them. We placed our main course orders while waiting for our appetizer. We waited quite a while for our food. Then she brings out the main dishes. One of the dishes was not what my friend had ordered. The waitress apologized, and took it back to the kitchen. Two minutes later, she came back with the same dish! My friend just took it, and said "whatever". We did not want to be late for the concert. My dish of pasta with eggplant and chicken was pretty good. As for the appetizer, never did receive it. The waitress once again apologized, blaming it once again on being short staffed. To try to make up for it, she brought us out one slice of chocolate cake that we did not even ask for, that she told us was on the house. Like that would make our bad experience better somehow. Well no one wanted the cake, but two of us decided to at least try it. Well, as one reviewer had warned, the cake was ice cold, and tasted like it had freezer burn. Yuck! Worse cake ever. I was honestly glad to leave. Too bad, I was hoping to be able to report a good experience.
(1)Athena L.
We had a blast Saturday night at Filippo. It was a very "homie" environment with attentive wait staff. It was extremely reasonably priced for the North End! We plan on going back soon :)
(3)Mara M.
Went to this restaurant with friends I hadn't seen in years on my first night in Boston. Our food was truly terrible; the traturro noodles were flavorless and doughy and the pesto sauce was weak. I had just flown 6 hours and was ravenous and could barely swallow three bites. My three friends couldn't eat their food either. Our waitress came over and made us very uncomfortable about not finishing the meal, informing us "wasting food is a sin". We didn't have the heart to tell her how disgusting it was. She sighed and gave us the bill, demanding to know where we were from. We told her and she just looked at us before walking away. On the way out, we thanked her, and she grabbed each of us and kissed our cheeks. It was very cute and you could tell the restaurant was very important to her, and we realized she was probably offended that we didn't enjoy the meal. The upside of dining here was all the laughs our group had together about how bizarre it all was. The servers are nice people, but the food was not good. The point is there are lots of wonderful places to eat in Boston, and you don't need to go here.
(1)Kevin D.
Came across this place recently and had a great dinner. Old-school type place, and not as busy as some of the other places along the avenue, but for a quality Italian in the North End, or before a game at the Garden, don't overlook this place. Exceptional service, great wine selection and quality food. Will definitely visit this one again when in Boston.
(4)Ellen H.
Came here on a Friday night because I had a Restaurant.com certificate. Made reservations (which is nice; not all places in the North End will take them!).. but I should have been alarmed when we came at 8:30 and the place was EMPTY except one table... I did love the down-home-authentic decor and overall vibe; very unpretentious and one of my favorites when it comes to Italian restaurants. Unfortunately, we were seated by an emergency door that let in a hefty draft throughout the meal, so much so that I left my jacket on. Our waiter was the real deal but not overly concerned with great service, just going through the motions. The bread was pretty much WONDERBREAD! Ack! Pre-sliced white bread!? Omg an Italian-fare SIN! Ate it anyway.. the herbs & oil mix was good, but would have loved to have had Parmesan WITH the bread and oil and not as we were finishing up. I got the Biancaneve, a tortellini and cheese soup, which was the highlight of the meal hands down. For entrees, I had the pesto gnocchi and my date got the tortellini quattro formaggi with chicken added. His came in a very light garlic wine sauce but was still good. Mine was almost inedible with the amount of basil in the pesto. While I appreciate a homemade sauce of any kind, the balance here was way off and it was just not enjoyable. I can never dump on an Italian meal TOO much, but this was probably close to the bottom of the list: prepackaged bread, awful pesto, drafty seats, so-so service... I probably won't come back, especially with so much competition in such a small area.
(2)Andres L.
I will never ever come back here again. I've made italian better than this place from my cooking class in high school. Never will return. With that being said, the only positive note was the hospitality. I saw a review saying a lady asked "where he was from" and my friends and I all experienced this. We are multi racial. But we didn't see it as racist. She just really wanted to know. Got to meet the chef, spoke about politics, life, etc. I was visiting Boston so this was kind of a cool experience.
(1)Maria V.
Can't beat the value! It's at the far end of North End and that's probably why it's more reasonable in price. I wanted something not on the menu and they were very accommodating. We were 6 and all enjoyed our meals, good portions and the oil and bread was great! Service was ok, not great but again for the value I would go back. It was a beautiful night and we walked to Hanover St. 10 min walk and had dessert and coffee at Mike's. Parking was a 5 minute walk and worth it for $3.00 on a weekend.
(3)Vanessa Z.
I can see why this restaurant only has 2 stars! Went there for the 1st time and was there early enough before the rush can even begin. Walk in and its very empty like only 2 tables used in the main room. We got asked if we had reservations and we said no so they just said ok walk-in and sat us literally behind the bar ALL the way to the last table. I mean they couldn't sit us in the beginning tables of that room but the end. We truly felt discriminated and when asked if the main room was for reservations the owner himself said "oh its for people coming in" confused we were left uncomfortable and again he did ask whats the matter if we want to be sat in the front we said no its ok because we were ready to leave. Always go by the star rating when deciding to eat. There's always a reason why they get low stars.
(1)Sara L.
Went here for dinner before a Celtics game. I think that's how this place finds all of its sucker patrons. I have to say, I came here with a sense of humor after reading the Yelp reviews and sort of knowing what I was up against (wasn't my choice; I was meeting people here, otherwise I would have changed venues). The food? It wasn't THAT bad, but I've certainly had better, and seeing how its basically on the outskirts of the North End, you certainly don't have to go far to find it. I guess if you're comparing quality to price, us patrons are certainly getting the short end of the stick here. The decor? Yeah, it kinda looks like it probably did when it established itself back in the day. But I can let that slide; you can't judge a book by its cover, and the same goes for a restaurant. The service? This is when my sense of humor came in handy. We basically had a honey badger of a waitress: she really didn't give a $h*t!! Smacked her gum the entire time. Laughed at her mistakes and lack of professionalism. Had no idea what dish she brought out and had to take it back to ask the kitchen. Disappeared when we needed a water refill or the check. Offered items she didn't even have. Thank god my table was able to just laugh about it and enjoy each other's company. Honey badger would be a great waitress at Dick's Last Resort. They should recruit her. If you find yourself in the position I was, having no choice but to go here, just eat a sandwich before you arrive and go with your expectations set reallllly low. Then maybe you'll find you're able to laugh about it, and you might somehow enjoy it!
(2)Marcia S.
We three ladies came to Boston for the 2012 Marathon. Two of us had heard of Filippo's restaurant from people who loved it, so we had positive attitudes going in. We did have some trouble finding it, as the directions we had were mistaken. So we called the restaurant's number an the infamous Lulu gave us flawless directions to get there. We felt it was well-worth the extra 30 minutes of walking in Little Italy. We didn't order drinks, only one Italian beer for two of us to split. It was fine. No appetizers, either, and for dinner, the three of us split two entrees: the Spezzatino all'Abruzzese (penne and chicken in a butter sauce). This was wonderful! Fresh, al dente, great sauce, hot and steamy. The other dish was a vegetarian dish that had spiral noodles, eggplant. onions, sweet red peppers and a white sauce that was even better than the butter sauce. It, too was hot and fresh and delicious. Our service was fine, Lulu is fabulous. Price was reasonable. When we arrived, while waiting 3 minutes to be seated (it was 8:00pm) a woman came up to us from the street saying, " Run! Eat anywhere but here! This is awful!" We asked her why she was eating there?! We took our friends' recommendation over hers, and are glad we did.
(4)John H.
I had a banquet luncheon there today. Food was okay. Chicken parm, two kinds of pasta. I think it was rigatoni and shells. Not bad. Desert was okay too.
(3)Gail M.
Very attentive service from Lulu, the hostess/waitress with a great local accent. She even offered to take our picture when she saw our camera on the table. Pretty good home-made pasta, cooked al dente. We enjoyed a window table after our long Freedom Trail tour.
(4)Kyle D.
I ate some dinner here for the first time while waiting for a train. The only time I would go back is if I was waiting for a train. Don't go out of your way to try this place. This restaurant has a nice seating area and accomdations but one can feel a little clastrophobic after being in this place for a couple of minutes. They give you a lot of food but it isn't exactly fine dining italian food. I ordered the veal. It was not good. I have had better veal from the super market or your grocers freezer. The pasta was also in abundance like the supersized veal, but it did not taste like it was homemade. Finally, I was unimpressed with the sauce. There was a lot of cheese on the veal though. When the waiter asked if I wanted more cheese, I said it seemed like there was enough on there. Try other places in the North End before you try this place. They have pictures here of former presidents trying this restaurant, but I assure you, the glory days of this italian restaurant are over.
(2)Geoff D.
For the north end of Boston the food was very average. If you are in the north end you can find plenty of other italian places way better. This place is good for groups though.
(2)Cecilia T.
We came here for our Boston Marathon Team dinner last year and this year - both times the food was really not great but I felt this year was especially bad! We paid $40 per person to receive undercooked penne with marinara, a garlic sauce shell pasta with just a bit of chicken and veggies, a dry sausage platter and dry chicken platter, etc etc. For a carbo loading marathon fanatic, the fact that my appetite wasn't great for pasta just says something about the restaurant... In addition, the wait staff at the bar didn't seem to know the party details. The girls at my table that came earlier than me were charged for their juices. I'd thought the non alcoholic beverages were covered under our party package, so I asked up front - the bartender was like "your orange juice is $5 but then the lady next to him said "no, it's free." How can you not tell your bartender the details of the package! At the end of the night, I asked the waitress if there was decaf because i saw a big coffee pot and she answered rather rudely, "No, we don't have decaf." Geez, just a simple question! The dessert was probably the only ok thing - an icecream cake slice with a couple of italian(?) cookies on the side. Who knew. I can't believe i paid $40 for this. The girls on my team that came last year opted out of coming to the team dinner this year because of their experience last year - i wish i did the same!
(1)M G.
Fresh baked bread? Perfectly cooked calimari? Service with a smile? If you cherish these tenets of dining, then don't bother eating at Filippo! We were seated quickly since the place was pretty empty. Our waitress had a pleasant, go F yourself attitude. After about two minutes of looking at the reasonably priced menu, she asked us if we were ready to order...we ordered wine and were asked again if we were ready to order. Not the way you'd like to start a meal. We ordered about five minutes later, our fried calimari appetizer came out quickly, probably because whoever cooked it couldn't give a F*ck if it was any good. The calimari were rubbery, the tomato sauce watery and the very sad bed of ice berg lettuce it sat on...brown and wilted in some places. Once our meals came, we asked for some bread...they brought out stale garlic bread. I was a little annoyed, but ate my entree which was pretty good (risotto mare e monte). My fiancee's pesto gnocchi had a poor texture, slightly gummy. Will not be coming back...unless I have a craving for rubbery calimari served by a leather skinned waitress.
(2)Rachel B.
Very average food. It was the service that sticks in my mind however. Perhaps the guy was having a bad day...regardless he has to be one of the rudest waiters I've ever met. Don't even consider this place. Not worth it at all. Service was very slow and it was overpriced
(2)A K.
I really didn't want to hate on this place, but I almost think it's my duty to warn other people from coming here. We, too, had a restaurant.com gift card and the reason we landed on this place was it accepted the card on Saturday nights and alcohol counts toward the $100 of which we had to spend $50. We thought a good way to get to the hundred was getting the $28 focaccia e battello. Holy smokes it was bad. The calamari was so rubbery, it was inedible. It was like they found a decent bread recipe, and they found a way to overcharge you for it. I am shocked still that neither one of us got sick from that dish. For dinner I was torn between the Tortellini Arturo and the Spezzatino all'Abruzzese. Both had interesting descriptions, so I asked if I could split the difference and get the tortellini with chicken added on. The waitress informed me that would ruin the flavor of that dish and to instead get the Spezzatino because it was awesome. It was ziti with a crap sauce of lemon and parsley I'm guessing because it was a weird green color and no real flavor besides being sour. My girlfriend got the veal saltimbocca which is served with a side of pasta. When she ordered the dish, nobody asked how she wanted the pasta. When the dish came out, she was served the veal dish with a side of linguine with RED SAUCE. Who orders saltimbocca and wants it with a side of pasta in a red sauce?? And why not just ask before you give it to somebody? We didn't have to get dessert because our waitress was keeping an eye on our tab and she told us we were over $100 and we could stop. I would never recommend this place to anyone, and moreover, I would now never tell anyone that it's hard to go wrong in the North End.
(1)Kristen C.
Worst restaurant I have ever been to. Ever. So incredibly rude. Do not eat here if you are a vegetarian!
(1)Ben K.
My wife and I ate here on 5/2/12. We had a Restaurant.com Certificate and were slightly worried based on the previous reviews. Having been there and back again, we've decided that you should ignore them all and don't be put off. We started with the Mozzerella layered with prosciutto. The cheese was fresh, the sauce was homemade, and while it's hard to ignore that you are getting a 6 inch circle of cheese and isn't the sexiest presentation on earth, If you can't love a fresh piece of fried cheese with salty meat on the inside-I am certain that you and I will not get along. For Wine, we choose the house Red. It was better than I was expecting. The "Wonderbread" you've seen in previous reviews? It's a thinly sliced crusty fresh Italian Bread. There's nothing wonderbread about it. The herb and oil mix was delightful. My wife had the Shrimp Francavillese, which was a generous portion of Shrimp, probably about 10-14. The pasta and garlic butter sauce met with her approval. I had the Veal Piccata, i took half of it and the side of pasta to have for lunch the next day. Very tender, no complaints. To finish off, we tried a piece of hazelnut cake, I can't even put into words how amazing it was. Served warm with a sauce that was not described to us, so good. Now here's the thing, we went early. About 5:30pm. There was one other table, they seemed like they are there twice a week. Let me tell you, it was perfect! Quiet, almost like I reserved the place for just us. If you want nouveau cuisine, I'm not sure why you'd go to an old school Italian joint on the edge of the North End. But if you're looking for nouveau cuisine, you will 100% be disappoint. No issues with cleanliness. Our server was an older discrete gentleman, no issues with him either. My wife and I loved this place and plan to suggest it to my father when he visits later this month.
(4)Glenn B.
Romantic party of two ate here for New Year's Eve. I was very unsure about how this would go, based solely on the decor! Every INCH of wall space & ceilings was covered with photos of the owner with celebrities. It needs a good clean, and was odd for a first-time diner to the restaurant. Our server LuLu was fantastic. Very attentive, but didn't impose. Appetizer sounded good on the menu - a fried mozerella dish. It arrived on the table looking like a puck of fried mozerella, hard to cut,hard to eat, not great. Wine, however, was wonderful! Main courses were incredible. I had a chicken with asparagus dish. My boyfriend ordered the lobster & shrimp ravioli special! He could not put his fork down. There was no comparison between the appetizer and entree. We ordered a piece of the Nutella cake to split - and were not disappointed! Ask your server for their recommendations, many of them are seasoned professionals - white collared shirt and all! Great food - overwhelming decor! Would definately eat here again.
(3)Donnie G.
My wife and I have been a fan of Filippo's for a long time. We actually got engaged here many years ago and have celebrated many birthdays and anniversary's here. Sadly, the place is but a ghost of its former self. When we entered, we started towards the second floor only to be informed that this was a private party. We were seated on the first floor, presented with menus and then had our setups brusquely slapped down on the table by our waiter, who clearly was worn out from serving the people upstairs. I ordered Ziti Ammazzana while my wife ordered Chicken Zingarella. The dishes took a little while to prepare and then were presented. The Ammazzana wasn't good at all - it contained bits of broccoli that had probably been hanging around the kitchen all day - over cooked, grey and mushy. The ziti wasn't done al dente - it was a little soft. My wife's chicken was somewhat overdone and dried out. At a cost of over $70 including tip, not to mention what it costs to park in the North End, you're better off staying out in the burbs and getting much better quality and value for the money. The service was also very inattentive as well. We won't be back to Filippo's.
(1)Valerie S.
I went to a retirement dinner here last night. We were in a function room upstairs, and the food was served family style. Everything was delicious, and the wait staff was amazing! I was first greeted by Jerry, who showed me where the coat room was. Throughout the evening, he checked in on everyone to make sure we were all happy. Nicole tended bar, and made a top-notch martini. She also helped serve the tables. She was fun, and added to the spirit of the room. Lulu was also terrific. She was very friendly and attentive. They didn't hover over us, and actually blended in like part of the family. An added bonus is the location. It's a very easy walk from North Station to catch a train home. I will definitely return, and look forward to trying other dishes from the menu.
(4)Joanna C.
I went at 8:30 on Friday May 8 and there was only one other couple in the place....dressed up teenagers. I should have known from their youth that their palates weren't refined enough to know better and refused to eat there myself. But sometimes, when other people make the plans, you get stuck going to places you don't want to. The two ladies I was meeting for dinner had already arrived, so when I showed up looking for them, the waitress was kind enough to take me to them. She immediately asked what wine I wanted while walking with me. I told her I didn't know as I hadn't seen a list yet. I sat down and she handed me a wine list. She checked in with the only other table in the place while my friends and I were talking. She again came over and asked what I wanted to drink. I let her know that I hadn't had enough time to choose.....it had been less than 3 minutes since she first asked. My dinner companions and I chatted some more and had barely agreed on ordering bruschetta before the aggressive waitress returned and asked again what I wanted to drink. She offered suggestions. I told her I still needed time. Seriously, no more than 10 minutes had passed since I walked in the door! The next time she asked I became very indignant and she was taken aback by my very flustered response. I should have just told her that I didn't want any of her freakin' wine but I ended up ordering some red to go with my dinner. We were given some bland oil and forgettable bread before our flavorless bruscetta arrived. Not worth the hassle of trying to figure out what to split with friends. I had some calamari pirata over spaghetti with red sauce and olives. The flavor of the red sauce was good but the calamari was very overcooked and chewy. While I was there, I noticed many pictures of presidents on the walls and thought to my self, no one should have to eat this food let alone leaders of the free world! If you're considering going, DON'T!
(1)Ron V.
Lulu, our server was just great. My wife had the dinner special veal chop, it was superb. I had a seafood dish with salmon, mussels, shrimp calamari over linguini....it was fantastic. Plenty of large shrimp could not finish. The restaurant has been around for years, an old fashion north end gem, absence of the upscale decore of some of the new eateries located in the area...but the food made up for the dated look. Great food, great service!!!
(4)Robbo O.
They were able to seat my pal and me last night, an hour before the Springsteen concert without a reservation. That let me know right there this place was not going to be special. And it wasn't. It was, as the British like to say, ordinary. Not terrible, by any means, but no place I'd make a point to return to for a meal. The Brushetta was below par - in fairness, April isn't the best time to get good tomatoes, but there was no excuse for the thin, dry slices of bread (the same as served with olive oil to every table) that made the base of the appetizer. The Breaolo Milanese was flavor-free, though fortunately the serving was meager in size. A waste of $10. My entree, Abbondanza Abbruzzo, was sufficiently bland that it took a visual inspection to distinguish between the polenta and the mozzerella and to confirm the dish did indeed have the advertised pepperoni. The prices are reasonable by north-end standards. The service was also pleasant. The dining area is small, and our table was unfortunately situated right next to the cooler, such that when waitstaff let the door fall shut, I was audience to the resulting SLAM! - a half dozen times a minute when the room was hopping. Perhaps I just ordered boring items that no restaurant can make shine, but since the menu here was not that compelling in the first place, I'm inclined to visit every other restaurant in the north end before giving Filippo's another go.
(2)Frank B.
I've been a fan for several years now .Our first trip was unexpected, on the night of a concert we tried the usual pubs and fare, but glad to have found this gem. First of all the staff are friendly and helpful with choices getting our order quickly so that we could make the concert. As we were seated the smell of Marcella made my decision easy,great choice. Everything from appetizers, bruschetta and antipasto midioevale made this meal was as much a part of the evening as was the concert (Bob Seger) On each of our many returns we have found each choice from the menu a to be the perfect choice. Save room for the tirasmisu. When the weather is warm the windows slide open for a almost outdoor experience.
(5)Alice M.
The worst dining experience I've had in Boston filled with up-sells and upsets. Let me talk you through this hellish Italian journey... We went to Filippo's to celebrate two birthdays in our friend group. They had set up a special table for us in the back. 6 of us arrived on time and the waiter kept bothering us asking when the other 4 would show up. He kept pressuring the birthday girl to order appetizers for the whole table--she said no. Two girls ended up ordering salads and our waiter very angrily said, "See! You should have just ordered appetizers for everyone!" Clearly his logic was flawed because only 20% of us wanted an appetizer. We were asked by our waiter before we all ordered, "Would you like some homemade bread to start?" Of course we said yes to free bread. But alas, it wasn't free! We got charged TWENTY dollars for doused-in-oil focaccia bread. It was horrible, and worse, not free. Our waiter then got mad at us when we only ordered two bottles of wine, didn't ever bring one of our Diet Cokes, nearly sexually harassed every girl at our table (asked one of us if we were texting our boyfriend for action that night). Overall, the worst dining experience yet. Oh, and the food? Nothing special. Undercooked, overcooked, and covered in oil. We were going to complain and tip our sexist waiter only 10%, until we saw that they tacked on included gratuity of 20%. Never going back. Never.
(1)John O.
If your reading this I assume you are interested in having a nice meal at a nice restaurant with a friendly server. Filippos is not the place for you. Within minutes of entering for dinner, the waitress made it clear that we would be engaging in a battle of who could care less. Unfortunately my friend had his heart set on this place so we held out hoping that the server was just having a momentary lapse in hospitality. This was not to be. She went so far as to point out who had gotten good meals amongst those in our group, indicating the rest of us would likely not be happy. Who does that? The bread they serve resembles what you would buy in a store for sandwiches, the meals were thrown together without taking any care to see what was going into them (i had pieces of someone elses order in my dish), and the service was atrocious. I could go on in great detail but I don't want to give Filippos the satisfaction of getting that much attention, they don't deserve to stay in business, don't reward them with yours!
(1)Gabriel B.
This is a great place for drinks, wines, and split appetizers - I think the entrees are a little on the steep side, considering all the other Italian choices in the North End, but still a decent place. Just be careful...the waiters love opening bottles in a rather auto-pilot kind of way.
(4)Kimberly B.
This place, Filippo, was the WORST. Our reservation was for 5:30. We got stuck in traffic and called and told them we'd be about 10 minutes late. We arrived at 5:40PM and the host, if you could call him that, grunted that we should have showed up at 6:00. Our name was on the top of the reservation list on his computer. Still, he kept seating people before us because clearly he didn't want to "waste" a table on a party of two - especially two females. Finally, at 6:40PM, we were seated at a makeshift table. It was really the serving counter for the waitstaff. Waiters and waitresses kept putting down drinks from the bar for other customers at our table while they rushed around. It was actually pretty funny. Our waitress, Lulu, was the best thing about this restaurant. She saw how were being treated and did get us in and out in time to make our concert. I'm sure the guy at the front doesn't treat her any better than he did us. I will never return to this restaurant.
(1)Stellina M.
This is a unique restaurant. You have to go there just to dine among the frescoes on the ceiling. The owner Filippo Frattaroli is a consumate restaurateur and knows his clientele. Great service and ambiance, food is traditional Italian, very very good! The wine list is amazing! Lots of famous locals go there!
(4)Matt L.
Visited here with family members and had been searching for a good Itialian spot in this area over run by small Itialian restaurants. There were so many to choose from, I just picked the one more on the outskirts of the very crowded area. This spot has since I have heard changed from restaurant to more functions only, but still has the restaurant part. The place sits at more the gateway to the North End near the old Boston Garden and has a parking garage right next store so you are not struggling with the constant parkign issue down here. The place looks nice on the outside but even better on the inside, very cozy and intimate with marble and paintings on the ceiling (there was a lighted map of Italy on one part) and bottles of wine lining walls on another part. It is tight seating in here and there is also an upstairs part for the functions. The claim to fame here is that the owner has a certain family style cooking he learned in Italy. The menu dictates this and has selections that are both inventive and look great! The service is very personal and attentive, we couldnt ask for anything better, with a great wine list as well. The food is delicious and speaks for itself, with the right amount of spices and flavor to make this place a must visit! I highly recommend this place. Make sure to make reservations as it gets crowded here. The prices were normal as well for this area which is relatively high priced!
(4)Julia C.
I love this restaurant and you always meet somebody famous that is dining there. Filippo knows how to do his own P.R's. The rooms upstairs is wall to wall murals of "biblical" scenes? or are they frescoes? That makes it special!
(4)John Paul N.
(We ate here Feb 7th.) I wish I had a longer review of Filippo than this, but in all honesty, maybe it doesn't deserve anything longer than a brief recap. We went to this Italian restaurant, located on the edge of North End on Causeway St, to meet up with a couple of friends. (Shout out to Tom and Cynthia!) Entering the restaurant a little later than our 7:30 reservation (that was made on an automated phone service with no confirmation) there was a quiet bar to the right and an empty eating area to the right. We were lead around the bar, and there was another dining area with a few groups talking and eating loudly. The decorations are a bit over the top, but in a nice way. Tons of family pictures and news articles from their town in Italy. Then menu ranged from $5 appetizers to a $200 call a day in advanced dish. All the typical Italian dishes are there, along with some Filippo specialties. A very large menu indeed. One thing that stood out was the rental property of the owners in Italy that one could inquire about for a vacation rental. That's definitely something you don't see in most North End Restaurant. I'd breakdown what everyone had, but really, I don't remember much now. That's not to say the food was bad. It was all good to very good. The Veal Parm that I ordered was like nearly all veal parms in the North End, very respectful and had all the familiar flavors. This wasn't blow your socks off food, but it was good. I wasn't a big fan of our peanut butter and chocolate dessert. A little too heavy to finish the night. The prices are very resonable here, especially compared to some places on Hanover Street. If I had to go to Olive Garden or here, I'd definitely choose Filippo. But I'd give other North End places a try before going back again. I give Filippo a 3 out of 5.
(3)