Josephine
Italian · Somerville · $
Italian · Mediterranean · Somerville, MA · $
Parla XXI is a speakeasy-style bar and restaurant with an authentic neighborhood vibe. From the custom décor to the depth of the cocktail program, no detail is too small to be given our attention. Our famous North End location is a magnet for those seeking a departure from the average and we're looking forward to bringing the same creativity to the residents and visitors of Assembly Row. Parla XXI's menu is a curious and whimsical departure from traditional Italian-American fare with Mediterranean influences. On the other hand, we're not to much bothered with having a core culinary identity so long as the dishes are unpretentious and satisfying and add up to an enjoyable and sociable meal. Our cocktail programs features all original cocktails made by the staff with many different homemade syrups and infusions to accommodate all palates.
“It was a wonderful experience, romantic ambience with roses on every table. perfect valentine date night. food and cocktails were on point. server was really nice too.”
“I had such a wonderful experience here for the first time! The food was absolutely delicious. We started off with 3 appetizers. We tried the Burrata, Crispy Brussels Sprouts and the Polpette. We then followed it up with our main dishes - Pecorino Chicken and Lobster Ravioli. Overall, we would definitely come here again! Our server Tuane was very helpful, sweet and cheerful. She answered all of our questions and made us feel very welcomed.”
“Lively and cozy ambiance! We were enticed to come here by the dice roll mystery drink concept and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of both the drinks and the food. We had so much fun trying each others’ drinks and trying to guess what was in them. We started with the lamb skewers which were tasty and then I had the shrimp scampi, which had a delicious sauce and my friends had the lamb pappardelle and octopus which were equally delicious. Our server Tuane was so attentive and gave great descriptions of our drinks. Highly recommend! 🐉 ⚔️”
“I just had my first experience at Parla tonight and it was so much better than I could have hoped for! I had the pleasure of eating a shrimp burger (I know!) and it was amazing. The blend of flavors with the sauces and the shrimp patty was incredible. I also started my journey to become a Dungeon Master — it was so cool! My drink was number 6, and I can’t wait to continue my journey. Special thanks to manager Luana and my server Tuane who were so kind and knowledgeable about it all! I’m definitely becoming a regular from now on!”
“I recently dined at Parla XXI and had a mixed experience. The lamb was excellent—definitely the highlight of the meal, and I would come back just to sit at the bar and order it again. The burrata, however, was lacking flavor, and the calamari was quite salty; I also didn’t quite understand the use of mustard in that dish. The octopus was good overall but slightly overcooked. On a positive note, the vegetables across all plates were well-prepared and enjoyable. Service was friendly but somewhat disorganized. It took a while for our server to initially check in for drinks, and by the time she came over, we were already ready to order food. We ordered four dishes but only received two at first. After finishing those, it took some time for the plates to be cleared, and when we followed up about the remaining dishes, the server returned several minutes later to explain she had intentionally delayed putting them in due to our table size. While appreciated in theory, this wasn’t communicated upfront and left us waiting. At that point, we decided not to order anything further and opted to leave after the remaining dishes arrived. Overall, there were some strong dishes and good intentions, but the execution—especially on timing and communication—could use improvement.”
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