The Florentine Cafe

“We stopped into Florentine Cafe on a Tuesday afternoon before the dinner rush and were seated right away. It felt good to slow down for a minute after taking the train in from Beachmont for a day of pastries and walking. The bread came out warm and we asked for the oil which is always the right move in an Italian spot. Simple but solid. The lobster ravioli was rich and flavorful. I am not sure if the pasta is made in house. Fresh pasta has a specific bite to it and I did not notice that here but the dish was still very good. The seafood fettuccine was also strong with generous pieces of shrimp, scallops, mussels, and clams. Clean seasoning. No heavy sauces covering anything up. We sat by the window and people watched. The North End has changed a lot since the days my grandparents had their shop on Cooper but it is still a place that feels familiar. We even bumped into my cousin after dinner which made the whole visit feel even more personal. Food was great, pricing is high but that is the North End. Five stars for the experience and five stars for the food on this visit.”

“Food and drinks were delicious. I got the carbonara. Only thing I didn't like was the way they handle the phone. I was trying to change my reservation and everything was so rushed, then they didn't even change it so I had to call back to ensure we even had a reservation. Other than that its nice in there and the waiter was good!”

“The drink was a little too strong for my liking but the food was delicious, everything tasted very fresh. I was dining solo and was able to get a bar seat. The staff were also very friendly.”

“I had the lobster ravioli and it was very good - a lot of lobster! The sauce was tasty, as was the bread they served before. I was there on a slow, cold Tuesday night. Several staff just standing around…. I sat at the bar and it was training night, so an experienced bartender was training a friendly, new lady behind the bar. There was a bar back as well and about 6 of us in total at the bar. My food came fairly quickly from a runner, and for the next 30 minutes no one said a word to me. No “How is everything?” “Need anything?”. Most employees were just talking to each other, even the servers congregating at the end of the bar. It was slow, but my service experience was not great, wondering if inattentive service is a norm? Anyway, love the inside decor, it’s in a great location and the food was very good. I’ll give it another try at some point”

“My friend was hungry while we were in the area so we stopped in here for a quick bite. The food was pretty standard American Italian food. They start you off with complimentary bread which was fine. Although, it was a bit dry or felt like it might've been sitting out. I went with something light and got the arugula salad for my meal since I wasn't very hungry. My friend ordered the eggplant parmigiana. The salad was fine although it was a little small for the price. My friend liked his eggplant parm but I think it could've had more flavor and been crispier since it was fairly soggy. We were seated by the windows which was nice since the weather was pretty favorable. The staff were also pretty friendly.”