Artu

Food: Outstanding.
Service: on point but a bit rude.
Being servers in the restaurant industry, we know what it is like to get tables later in the evening, but we still know that they are guests in our place of employment. Our server knew what he was talking about and politely got us what we wanted. Two glasses of prosecco, $ 56 bottle of wine, two appetizers, both specials, and a charcuterie plate. Towards the end of our meal, we found ourselves to be the only customers left. It was 9:45 and the other server, an older woman, kept complaining about our presence; even to the point of us overhearing her audibly swearing about our being there. Now getting rare chances for a nice, pleasant evening out, we appreciate our server’s patience for a Monday night, but it was rude and unnecessary for a different employee to be complaining about our time and money being spent there. We will not be returning or referring.

I went for lunch and the prices were great and the food was very tasty. I had one of the sandwiches and it was very good. It looked like their dinner prices were very expensive though.

I am visiting Boston for a night-​I took upon myself to try as much of Northend that I could. I found this place walking around and caught my eyes. Had a Sagniovese di Romagna and was the highlight of my night, simply wonderful-​if you’re for a place to have wine, I would fully recommend it. The appetizer I tried, «the country bread», was on the lackluster side of antipasto. I’m no chef, but everyone can take bread and put «ham and cheese» on it. Maybe another antipasto option would have satisfied my desire of Northend.

Delicious! From one who knows food and has sampled the best in the SanFrancisco Bay Area. From the fragrant virgin olive oil to the al dente cooked fusilli; lunch was delicious and fresh. Locally sourced lettuce greens all tender and delicious with a light vinaigrette. I would recommend this little gem to friends who visit Boston.

So amazing!!! They came thru and served us even though it was late and every place in the area was open but shut their kitchen and wouldn’t budge. Service was amazing and she even was bartender so had to run around and manage all. Best gnocchi I’ve ever had with delicious meatballs. Overall amazing and would definitely come back!

Been a fan of Artu for a while, but my experiences as of late have been rough. The food has been on the decline. The service has, too. They love to cater to regulars and restaurant industry pals in the bar. Fine. No big deal. It can feel a bit like you don’t have the «secret password» and you’re an outsider, but I’ve rolled with it because they have decent pasta and I like to stop in for a quick dinner at the bar on my way home. But today I hit my limit. There were three men in the bar SCREAMING at one another (they were right next to each other) while my two friends and I attempted to have a quick lunch. At 2:45 in the afternoon. The AFTERNOON. Not 2:45 a.m. 2:45 p.m. They were obviously friends with other staff in the restaurant — knew first names, acted like they owned the place. The bartender was pouring them shots of fireball when they were clearly already very intoxicated. My friends and I eventually just stopped trying to talk to each other it was so loud with their yelling. Other patrons did the same. These men then took cell phone pictures of us and others in the bar. I assume to intimidate us because they could tell we were annoyed. On their way out one of these men pulled my friends hair. Literally. Yanked her ponytail. I still wasn’t faulting the restaurant at this point. Even though the bartender was serving shots to people who really didn’t need them. I let the bartender know what the men had done to my friend. She shrugged and said they’d left. I got our bill and we’d been charged for an additional glass of wine. Maybe give the check a quick proofread if you know the customers are already having a bad experience? I’m realizing this is typical of Artu. They are lackluster on the hospitality front. They are becoming more lackluster on the food front. Last weekend I sat at the end of the bar to have a quick dinner and saw a man in the kitchen clear his throat and spit it in a stream across the kitchen space right by the pass onto the floor. This restaurant caters to regulars who want to get drunk and tourists who don’t know any better. I won’t be back. And they won’t care.

I went to Artu with a friend last Saturday evening. The service was EXCELLENT. Our server was friendly, helpful, professional. And the food was great. My only complaint was that we were seated by the window, the door was open (it was a warm day), and there were two women outside smoking — and we could smell the smoke. However, our server noticed our discomfort and immediately offered to reseat us. We decided not to move, mainly because I had gone to the ladies room and realized you could still smell the cigarette smoke at the other end of the restaurant — probably because the door was open — so changing our seats would not have made much difference. Eventually, the women moved away and we ended up having a delightful meal. I would definitely go to Artu again, both because the service was better than in most places and because the food was delicious.

My husband planned an amazing surprise birthday dinner for myself and all my friends at Artu this past weekend. Let me tell you it was amazing!!! They were on top of everything. The drinks came out fast and the appetizers were great. We all ordered our food and it came out in a timely manner. All 23 of us absolutely loved the food!!! It was delicious and I can’t wait to go back!!! The staff was incredible and made my night even that much more special :)

I came here for simply for a late night snack and the experience was beyond exceptional! They pointed me in the right direction of what to try and the bartender Jenna even went to the extent of giving me her personal balsamic glaze to assure that my experience was the best it could be!

Choose this place to have dinner during my bachelor party. The food was subpar for what the prices were asking. The chicken parm was dry and flavorless but the appetizers were good. On the otherhand, the location was nice. The rustic feel was great!

Had such a wonderful experience here last night. The service was quick and pleasant, the food was amazing (my boyfriend told me that the chicken parm has to be the best he’s ever had… and that says a lot because he orders chicken parm EVERYWHERE) The drinks were PERFECT! I loved my martini and the specialty cosmo he ordered was so good.
Overall, I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a date night or even a group thing. It’s a great place!

My boyfriend’s sister chose to have her birthday lunch at Artu. We were a group of seven people in total, which was easily accommodated on a Saturday afternoon (very surprising). My first impression upon walking in started out positive and took a quick turn to the negative.
Upon walking in and making my way to a separate part of one of their dining areas, I was finally greeted by a frantic host. The host seemed frantic, chased me with menus and tried to pinpoint my reason for visiting the restaurant. She acted as if I was an invader and was confused when I mentioned I was meeting family. Luckily enough, I managed to catch sight of my family and b-​lined it to our table.
Once seated, our server came over and introduced herself. She was minimally polite and sugar coated her willingness to help us with our menu selections. Needless to say, I wasn’t impressed.
Each one of the group of us ordered a different dish. I ordered the pasta carbonara, which was not that good. The only delicious part of my entrée was the pasta itself. The sauce was lacking in flavor and the pancetta needed to be cooked longer. I have had my fair share of carbonara, whether it is homemade or in a restaurant… I was let down. I was expecting a delicious, creamy bowl of pasta carbonara (considering we were in the North End of Boston, that wasn’t too much to ask), which was not what I got. To put it in a nutshell, I was let down.
The food was slightly over priced and mediocre at best. I feel like there are better Italian eateries in the North End that was equally priced with higher quality dishes. Not to mention, the staff was gossiping amongst one another within close proximity to the diners, which is unprofessional and classless. I was not impressed and did not leave wanting to come back.

Absolutely the BEST meal we’ve had in Boston. The staff was so welcoming & helpful. Dave was our waiter and he knew the menu well & helped us decide what to eat. He also talked to us about things to do and places to go around Boston. He was delightful! Our seafood was very fresh. I had shrimp, lobster & scallops in a fettuccine pasta with a mild habanero creamy sauce over it. The habanero isn’t overpowering. Doesn’t blow your you head off. It’s perfect! My husband had the clams & linguini with sundried tomatoes. Also, very fresh. We will go back! I recommend everyone try Artu. No wait… we walked right in and was seated. Don’t let that fool you on the food waiting for you inside! You will not regret it

Nailed valentines dinner. Gnocchi and meatballs were great. Meatballs were some of the best I’ve had in the north end. A little cramped but that’s the norm. Cool atmosphere. «Reasonably» priced. Service was good not great but having done my fair share of food service jobs I’m a quick to give the benefit of the doubt.

We chose Artu for dinner after a show at the Garden. My family from New York was in town and we all prefer to eat later than earlier. Artu had a reservation at 10:45 open, so it was perfect.
We really lucked out as we were so pleased with our experience. The server was so friendly and patient, the food was delicious, and it was a good atmosphere. There is a busy bar, but the tables are a bit above it so the noise really wasn’t a problem.
We were very happy that we were able to sit and enjoy a 2 hour dinner so late, and not feel pressured or rushed to eat and leave. I’m so happy we stumbled upon Artu, and we will definitely be back!

We stumbled upon Artu and decided to go in to have wine and appetizers. The dinning room had a pleasant atmosphere. The service was very friendly and polite. We were not disappointed with the wine but we had an issue with our food. After having a decent Burrata with tomatoes we went ahead to order the Grilled Octopus. After the first bite we noticed that somethings was wrong… it tasted and smelled like rotten fish. Our server was quick to remove the plate and didn’t charge for the meal. After this we decided to finish our wine and take our hunger someplace else.

This restaurant treats you like family. Everyone was so friendly, helpful and answered every question we had about the best dishes on their menu. They even shared their favorite things to do in the North End. We really felt like we were having a true Italian meal. Next time you’re in Boston, make sure you make Artu your stop for Italian food!

The food is pretty average here, but for the North End standard, I’d say they’re below average. I got the homemade spaghetti and my fiancé got the gnocchi with meatballs. They all tasted like something I’d find on Route 1 in Saugus, which is to say, the quality is just meh.
But, we were served by Prudenzia. This woman, who is in her 70s, has the energy of a 21 year old. She is a riot. If you’re a tourist and you ate at the Daily Catch or Giacomo, you might’ve experienced much better food, but you didn’t get served by Prudenzia. This woman embodies everything about the North End. She is hilarious and so friendly. It made our Über ride from Medford to North End all worth it. If it wasn’t for her, I would’ve rated this restaurant ²⁄₅ stars. Seriously. She’s that good.
Plus, this place has no line or wait. You walk in, eat, drink lots of wine, laugh, enjoy each other’s company and get served by Prudenzia. You can’t do that in any top rated restaurants in the North End.

We had a nice light meal here. Three of us shared the Caesar salad, Caprese salad, country bread with tomato, prosciutto and smoked mozzarella and the special pasta of the day, Lobster ravioli with shrimp in a creamy tomato touched sauce.
The service was excellent– everyone greeted us and was very caring. Our waiter even gave us a list of others restaurants to try in the area.
The only weak spot was the slightly under ripe tomatoes in the Caprese.

3 friends and I came here on a Tuesday night during restaurant week. The food wasn’t exceptional in any way.
I had the corn chowder soup which was more soup than chowder, the fettuccine with lobster meat, scallops, shrimp etc. Which wasn’t superb. felt very dry.
The dessert was amazing!!! Figs with honey and vanilla ice cream.
Once you sit they bring bread and butter and only if you ask for olive oil will they bring it with vinegar. Surprising for an Italian place… Overall, pleasant place, close to Haymarket and north station.
Nice ambiance, drinks and average Italian food. I wouldn’t come here for a special occasion, only for a casual/​easy going night out.