Award-winning restaurant featuring authentic, unique, Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.
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You’re tired of the same old seafood places. Overpriced chains with frozen fish. “Italian” restaurants that barely know what real Mediterranean cuisine looks like.
Here’s what changes when you find authentic Abruzzese seafood cuisine. You taste lobster ravioli made fresh that morning, stuffed with real lobster meat, finished in vodka pink sauce with fresh crab. You get linguini loaded with five types of shellfish – shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari, scallops – in garlic white wine sauce that actually has depth.
Every dish gets made to order using ingredients we’d serve our own families. No heat lamps. No shortcuts. Just the kind of seafood restaurant Melrose, MA has been missing until now.
Since 2004, we’ve specialized in something most Italian restaurants won’t touch – authentic Abruzzese coastal cuisine. While others stick to safe chicken parm and basic pasta, we focus on the sophisticated seafood dishes from Italy’s Adriatic coast.
Owner Anna Mountzuris built this concept around her heritage and the rare truffle mushrooms that give us our name. Our chefs train in Mediterranean techniques that turn New England’s freshest catches into dishes you simply can’t find elsewhere in Melrose, MA.
You don’t need to fight Boston traffic or circle for parking to get restaurant-quality Italian seafood anymore. Melrose residents have made us their go-to for date nights, anniversaries, and when they want something special without the city hassle.
Every morning starts with selecting the day’s best catches. We’re talking day-boat scallops, live lobsters, fish that was swimming yesterday. If it doesn’t meet our standards, it doesn’t make it to your plate.
Your order gets prepared from scratch using traditional Abruzzese techniques. That lobster fra diavolo? We’re building the sauce while your pasta cooks. The pan-seared branzino? It hits the pan when you’re ready for it, not sitting under lights waiting for pickup.
Your server walks you through wines specifically chosen to complement Mediterranean flavors. We’re not just throwing together a wine list – these bottles work with our seafood preparations. The result is what you’d expect from a quality seafood restaurant in Melrose, MA: fresh ingredients, skilled preparation, proper pairings.
Ready to get started?
Real Abruzzese seafood cuisine that you won’t find at other Melrose, MA restaurants. We’re talking homemade lobster ravioli with fresh crab meat and arugula. Seafood risotto with five types of shellfish in white wine sauce. Pan-seared halibut with Mediterranean vegetables done right.
Our menu shifts with the seasons and best available catches, but core specialties stay consistent. That linguini frutti di mare that keeps customers coming back for twenty years. The grilled calamari that shows off our Mediterranean preparation style. Fresh preparations that highlight ingredients instead of hiding them under heavy sauces.
You choose between intimate upstairs dining with chandeliers and elegant atmosphere, or casual downstairs seating with our full bar. Whether you’re celebrating something special or just want excellent seafood on a Tuesday, we’ve built spaces that work. Plus, unlike Boston restaurants, you actually get convenient parking and reasonable wait times.
We specialize in Abruzzese cuisine from Italy’s Adriatic coast – completely different from typical Italian-American food. The Abruzzo region produces sophisticated seafood dishes and rare truffle mushrooms that give us our name.
Our chefs understand these specific Mediterranean techniques. We create dishes like lobster fra diavolo, seafood risotto with five shellfish types, and homemade pasta with fresh lobster meat. Most Italian restaurants in Melrose focus on basic chicken parm and spaghetti with meatballs.
You won’t find our signature preparations anywhere else locally because we’re the only restaurant in Melrose, MA specializing in this coastal Italian cuisine. It requires real skill and premium ingredients – which is why we’ve maintained our reputation for nearly two decades.
We source seafood daily from suppliers who understand our quality standards. Day-boat scallops, live lobsters, fish caught within 24-48 hours maximum. Our kitchen team inspects every delivery personally.
If the seafood doesn’t meet our standards, it doesn’t make it to your plate. We’ve built these supplier relationships over twenty years, so they know exactly what we expect for freshness and sustainability.
This daily sourcing means our menu changes based on best available catches, but it also means you get seafood at peak freshness every visit. That’s crucial for dishes like our crudo preparations and signature seafood combinations where ingredient quality really shows.
Our lobster ravioli is what people remember months later – homemade pasta stuffed with fresh lobster meat in vodka pink sauce with crab meat and arugula. It’s what they bring friends back to try.
The linguini frutti di mare showcases our style perfectly – linguini with shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari, and scallops in garlic white wine sauce with a touch of spice. It’s our take on classic Italian seafood pasta using the freshest New England shellfish.
For authentic Abruzzese cuisine, try our seafood risotto or pan-seared branzino with Mediterranean vegetables. Start with our grilled calamari appetizer – it’s been on our menu since we opened and demonstrates our Mediterranean preparation style. Pair any of these with our Italian wines, and you’ll understand why Melrose residents choose us for special occasions.
Everything gets prepared to order, so we handle most dietary restrictions and preparation preferences easily. We regularly accommodate gluten-free requests, dairy-free preparations, and specific cooking methods for seafood dishes.
If you have shellfish allergies but want fresh fish preparations, we’ll guide you to non-shellfish options and prevent cross-contamination. We also offer lighter preparations – grilled instead of sautéed, sauce on the side, olive oil instead of butter.
Our servers discuss ingredients and preparation methods, and our kitchen staff modifies dishes while maintaining authentic flavors. We’ve served Melrose families for nearly two decades, so we understand different needs and preferences. Just mention requirements when you make your reservation or arrive.
Call us directly and book at least a few days ahead for weekend dining, especially if you want our upstairs dining room with elegant atmosphere. Friday and Saturday evenings typically book solid.
We hold some tables for walk-ins, but weekend wait times can hit 45 minutes to over an hour during peak hours. If you’re flexible, earlier seating (5:30-6:30 PM) or later seating (after 8:30 PM) usually has better availability.
For special occasions, mention that when you reserve. We can accommodate special seating requests or help with wine selection. Our downstairs area with the bar is more casual and sometimes has better last-minute availability, but upstairs provides that special occasion atmosphere for celebrations.
You get sophisticated Italian seafood cuisine without Boston hassles – no circling for parking, no hour-plus waits, no rushed service because we need your table back.
Our Abruzzese specialization differs from generic seafood restaurants. While chains like Legal Sea Foods focus on New England classics, we’re doing complex Mediterranean preparations that require specialized knowledge. Our lobster ravioli, seafood risotto, and signature pasta dishes aren’t available at typical seafood chains.
The intimacy creates a different experience too. We know regular customers, our servers can explain dishes and wine pairings properly, and you’re not just another table in a massive dining room. Melrose residents tell us they prefer our neighborhood restaurant feeling while maintaining fine dining quality over larger, impersonal Boston seafood restaurants.
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