Award-winning restaurant featuring authentic, unique, Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.
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You’re not just getting dinner – you’re stepping into nearly 20 years of culinary tradition rooted in Italy’s Abruzzo region. Every dish tells a story, from our signature veal chop stuffed with prosciutto and fontina cheese to homemade lobster ravioli that guests drive across town for.
The moment you walk through our doors, you’ll understand why couples choose us for their most important celebrations and why families return generation after generation. This isn’t about filling up – it’s about experiencing the kind of authentic Italian hospitality that makes ordinary evenings extraordinary.
Your evening unfolds with live saxophone music floating through our elegant dining rooms, premium wines selected to complement each course, and service that anticipates your needs before you even realize them. This is what happens when authentic Italian tradition meets New England warmth.
Since 2004, we’ve been serving Cochituate and the greater Newton area with the kind of authentic Italian cuisine that transports you straight to the Abruzzo coastline. Our founder Anna Mountzuris built something special here – a place where traditional recipes meet the highest quality ingredients, where every pasta is made by hand, and where the rare truffle that gives us our name appears in dishes you won’t find anywhere else in Massachusetts.
We often bring chefs directly from Abruzzo because authenticity isn’t just a marketing word here – it’s how we operate. Our award-winning reputation comes from doing things the right way, every single time, for nearly two decades.
You’ll find us conveniently located in the heart of the area, much closer than driving all the way to Boston’s North End, but with the same level of culinary excellence that makes the trip worthwhile. This is your neighborhood’s answer to world-class Italian dining.
Your experience begins the moment you make your reservation – and we recommend calling ahead because word gets around about places like this. When you arrive, you’ll choose between our two distinct atmospheres: the elegant upstairs dining room with its chandeliers and panoramic windows, or our newly renovated downstairs space with its expansive bar and modern touches.
Our servers will guide you through a menu that showcases both beloved classics and regional specialties you probably haven’t tried before. Each dish is prepared to order using organic meats, fresh seafood, and vegetables that meet our exacting standards. The pasta is made in-house, the sauces are crafted from scratch, and even our bread is baked fresh daily.
Throughout your meal, you might catch the smooth sounds of our saxophone player on certain evenings, adding that extra layer of sophistication that turns dinner into an event. Our wine selection has been carefully curated to complement every dish, and our staff knows exactly which pairings will elevate your specific choices.
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When you dine with us, you’re getting access to authentic Abruzzese cuisine that you simply can’t find elsewhere in the Cochituate area. We’re talking about dishes featuring the rare truffle mushroom that grows only in Italy’s Abruzzo region – the same ingredient that inspired our name and appears in our signature pappardelle al tartufo and bone-in veal chop.
Your meal includes not just exceptional food, but the kind of service that comes from nearly 20 years of understanding exactly what makes a dining experience memorable. We’ve hosted everything from intimate date nights to milestone anniversary celebrations, and we know how to make each occasion feel special. Our upstairs private dining room can accommodate groups up to 45 for seated dinners or 55 for cocktail events, complete with full bar service and customized menus.
The Cochituate area has grown tremendously over the past two decades, but we’ve remained committed to the same standards that earned us our award-winning reputation. You’ll taste the difference in every homemade pasta dish, every perfectly prepared piece of fresh seafood, and every carefully crafted sauce that takes hours to develop the complex flavors our guests expect.
We specialize in authentic Abruzzese cuisine from Italy’s coastal Abruzzo region, which sets us apart from typical Italian-American restaurants. This means you’ll experience dishes featuring the rare truffle mushroom that grows only in Abruzzo, along with seafood-heavy preparations that reflect the region’s Mediterranean influence.
We often bring chefs directly from Abruzzo to maintain authenticity, and we’ve been perfecting these traditional recipes for nearly 20 years. Our signature dishes like the bone-in veal chop stuffed with prosciutto and fontina cheese, or our homemade lobster ravioli in vodka pink sauce, simply aren’t available at other local establishments.
The difference is immediately apparent in everything from our hand-made pasta to our carefully sourced organic ingredients and our commitment to traditional preparation methods that take significantly more time but deliver incomparable flavor.
Absolutely – we’ve been the go-to destination for celebrations in the Cochituate area for nearly two decades. Our upstairs dining room provides an elegant private space that accommodates up to 45 guests for seated dinners or 55 for cocktail-style events, complete with full bar service.
We specialize in creating customized menus for everything from intimate anniversary dinners to milestone birthday celebrations, wedding receptions, and corporate events. Our team handles all the coordination and planning to ensure your event runs smoothly, and we’re known for those special touches like complimentary birthday cakes and personalized service that make occasions truly memorable.
Many of our guests have been celebrating their most important moments with us for years, and we understand how to make each event feel unique and special. The combination of our authentic Italian cuisine, elegant atmosphere, and experienced event coordination makes us the natural choice for any celebration worth remembering.
Our pricing reflects the quality of ingredients and level of preparation that goes into every dish – you’re investing in nearly 20 years of culinary excellence and authentic Italian ingredients that many restaurants simply don’t offer. Expect to spend more than you would at casual dining establishments, but significantly less than you’d pay for comparable quality in Boston’s North End.
The value comes from our homemade pasta, fresh seafood, organic meats, and specialty ingredients like the Abruzzo truffles that appear in our signature dishes. Every sauce is made from scratch, every pasta is hand-formed, and every dish is prepared to order using traditional techniques that require considerable time and skill.
Most guests find the experience well worth the investment, especially when you factor in our elegant atmosphere, live saxophone music on select evenings, extensive premium wine selection, and the kind of service that comes from decades of experience in fine dining. We’re not the cheapest option in the area, but we’re consistently rated as one of the best values for authentic Italian fine dining.
We strongly recommend making reservations at least a few days in advance, especially for weekend evenings and special occasions. Our reputation for authentic Italian cuisine and elegant atmosphere means we fill up quickly, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights when our saxophone player performs.
For special events like Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, or other holidays, we suggest calling even further ahead – sometimes weeks in advance. If you’re planning a private event in our upstairs dining room, we recommend booking at least a month ahead to ensure availability and allow time for menu customization.
That said, we do our best to accommodate walk-ins when possible, and we maintain a limited number of bar seats for guests who don’t mind a more casual seating arrangement. Our staff is experienced at managing reservations efficiently, so even during busy periods, we work hard to honor your reserved time and get your evening started smoothly.
Our signature bone-in double-cut veal chop stuffed with prosciutto and fontina cheese, topped with mushrooms and port wine reduction, consistently ranks as our most requested dish. This preparation showcases traditional Abruzzese techniques and premium ingredients that you simply won’t find at other local restaurants.
The homemade lobster ravioli in vodka pink sauce with crab meat and arugula is another guest favorite that demonstrates our commitment to fresh, made-to-order pasta. Our pappardelle al tartufo features the rare truffle mushroom that gives our restaurant its name – it’s a true taste of the Abruzzo region that inspired our cuisine.
For seafood lovers, our linguini with shrimp, rock shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari, and scallops in a slightly spicy cherry tomato sauce represents the Mediterranean influence of coastal Italian cooking. These dishes require hours of preparation and use ingredients that we source specifically for their authenticity and quality, which is why they’ve remained guest favorites for nearly two decades.
We’ve created two distinct atmospheres to suit different moods and occasions. Our elegant upstairs dining room features chandeliers, large windows with golden drapes, and an intimate setting perfect for romantic dinners and special celebrations. The newly renovated downstairs space offers a more modern feel with an expansive bar area and sophisticated lighting.
On select evenings, particularly Tuesdays, our live saxophone player adds that extra layer of sophistication that transforms dinner into a truly memorable experience. The music is perfectly balanced – present enough to enhance the atmosphere without interfering with conversation.
Our staff understands the importance of special occasions and consistently goes above and beyond with personal touches like complimentary birthday cakes, anniversary acknowledgments, and the kind of attentive but unobtrusive service that allows you to focus on your companion and the moment. After nearly 20 years of hosting celebrations, we’ve perfected the art of making every evening feel special, whether it’s your first date or your 50th anniversary.
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