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D'Amelios Off the Boat Italian & Seafood Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Italian Seafood, Italian [Edit]
26 Porter St(between London St & Bennington St)
East Boston, MA 02128
Neighbourhood: East Boston
(617) 561-8800
- Nearest Transit:
-
Bennington St @ Porter St (120)
Bennington St @ Porter St (120)
Meridian St @ Liverpool St (114, 116, 116/117, 117, 120, 121)
- Hours:
Tue-Sat 11 am - 10 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
47 reviews for D'Amelios Off the Boat Italian & Seafood Restaurant
Review Highlights
47 reviews in English
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Review from Melissa B.
Cambridge, MA
1/6/2012 3 Check-ins Here
This is my new favorite place. I am in love with the calamari scampi, chianti, and the crazy insane amount of seafood over fusilli with a lobster stock sauce. The staff is amazing, too.
This is also a good place to hide in the middle of the afternoon for an intimate lunch -- no one will find you in East Boston! At dinner, all the tables are packed..... -
Review from Joshua D.
Oakton, VA
4/9/2012
I came to this restaurant solely based on the Yelp reviews being really good (and its proximity to the airport hotel), and boy were all the good reviewers right!
I'll cover the positives first:
- Good atmosphere inside, though small.
- Mostly reasonably priced, considering my pasta dish had a generous helping of lobster, clams and scallops on top of it.
- Great variety in the menu.
- Service was very proactive and good.
- Food was absolutely amazingsauce; dee-licious!
A few negatives, though mostly negligible:
- Location is horrible -- we were scared for our lives walking through what must be the Boston ghetto to get here... some very shady looking characters around, and it's basically in an alley. NOT as close to the airport as you'd think going by mileage because you have to go out of your way to get under the interstate. Take a cab! (Oh, but they'll try to charge you the toll for them to go back to the city, even though you don't have to go in the tunnel to get here. Thanks, Boston!)
- Bread... the bread was OK, but it was cold white bread. Nothing imaginative about it, and seriously, we couldn't get warm bread?
- The place definitely gives off an amateur vibe at times. There were family members of the workers sitting by the kitchen eating. Just a few things that seemed sort of unprofessional.
- Inconsistent pricing. While I felt my pasta dish was priced pretty reasonably becuase of the amount of seafood in it, the other prices seemed to be a bit high. Like I believe it was $7 for TWO of the calamari meatballs. While these are certainly the must-try attraction, they don't quite warrant that price in my book.
Overall, D'Amelios was the best restaurant I experienced during my time in Boston. Unfortunately, being a tourist, I ate lunch downtown BEFORE I discovered Quincy Market, which was a total bummer. Some of those places may have taken the cake, but D'Amelios won this round. A really good place, despite a few sputters. Definitely give it a try, especially if you're on the airport side of the harbor. -
Review from Cat S.
Boston, MA
12/6/2011
This place was good. Came here with an Eversave coupon and two friends. It was basically empty when we got here and filled up quickly - we were glad that we made a reservation.
The bread before the meal was alright - I like bread to be served warm and it felt a little generic, but that's okay. Better than no bread at all!
Had the house red wine (pretty tasty), calamari meatballs (a special, very good), seafood alexia, frutti di mare, and fusilli angelo.
The meals were plentiful and the seafood tasted fresh. My broccoli rabe was (to my taste) overcooked and I felt that the sauce was somewhat bland on the Angelo. I tried my friend's Alexia and that was very good.
I enjoyed the meal but I wasn't blown away to the point where I'd rush back. The Eversave made it worth it but it felt expensive nonetheless for being a small seafood restaurant in Eastie. All in all - a good meal that I enjoyed. -
Review from Chris P.
Boston, MA
5/25/2012
One of my new favorite restaurants in the City. Price, service, and quality of food was superb. If you are a fan of seafood and pasta, get to D'Amelios!!
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Review from Bob C.
Freehold, NJ
5/2/2012
I would highly recommend for a date or business lunch or dinner. Quiet, traditional, great service and very small, quaint atmosphere. Food was only good for me as I should have ordered seafood as fellow reviewers recommended. I mean Bob, When do you order veal?
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Review from Eva H.
Winthrop, MA
4/20/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Food is amazing. Service is fantastic. Everything on the menu is fabulous. My boyfriend and I love coming here on FrIday nights to grab dinner. The service is always on point and my meal is always perfect. I love this place. Very small, I think 8 tables in total, but well worth any wait there is.
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Review from Kathy C.
Winthrop, MA
The dining room fits about 20 people. ITs cozy, clean and nicely decorated. The service is friendly and fast. The food beats any North End restaurant and is fairly priced. I am a big fan of this place.
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Review from Philip M.
Glastonbury, CT
4/27/2012
We ended up here after checking into and airport hotel on Christmas Eve and deciding that we didn't want to head back into town for dinner. We are so glad we ventured out on this cold winter nite and found this hidden neighborhood gem. Our family had tuna, eggplant, and a few pasta dishes. The fish was fresh, and the pasta, sauce and eggplant were excellent. Even my Caesar salad was above average-- made with their own dressing. The service was very good and the prices were very fair, particularly for a city. We'll be back!!
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Review from Dave R.
Cleveland, OH
Updated - 11/20/2011
I just wanted to drop a quick line to confirm recent visits. When I found out I had to come back to Boston, D'Amelio's was my first thought of why I couldn't wait to go back. Yes, I'm fully aware of how sad that sounds but when you travel a lot and love Italian food like I do, it just fits. Not to mention the ridiculousness they serve on a plate. It's honestly that good.
Unfortunately, I was just closing in on becoming a regular before my trips were pushed to other cities - had I known earlier, I would've eaten there every night. Hope to be back soon. If you're anywhere close to Boston (heck, even if you're not), go here. There's no way you'll be disappointed.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/18/2010
This review is a little unfair because I was only there twice and got the same exact thing...which… Read more »
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Review from Tina S.
Boston, MA
5/11/2012
Went in last week for dinner after wanting to go here for a while. Was surprised by how tiny the place is (translation: had to whisper to keep my biznass private). We were 1 of 4 tables there on a Groupon that night (I know because the owner asked everyone what brought them there). An appetizer, 2 entrees and dessert were part of the deal. To summarize, the place was great. The service as well as the food were excellent. Only the bread was nothing special. For the appetizer, we selected the Shrimp Amalfi. Normally I would say $14.95 for only 3 pieces of shrimp on a bed of spinach and tons of portobello mushrooms is kinda steep, but it was so delicious that hey, who cares, right? I ordered the Fruit Di mare, which is steep at $26.95 compared to most Italian restaurants in the city, but dammit they sure got it right!!! The taste was sooo right! Only the haddock thrown into the seafood mix was weird. For dessert, we picked the Chocolate Bomba, which of course was better than the Chocolate bomba I have had at other Italian restaurants! Truly delicious and friendly.
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Review from Cynthia P.
Redondo Beach, CA
11/7/2011
We were sent to this restaurant by our hotel staff with no reservations. We walked there in the dark only to find out there was an hour wait without a reservation. The owner came out and talked to us as we were wondering where to go, as we were from Los Angeles.
She cleared-off a space for two next door where they do their delivery service and set up a beautiful service for two. The food was so amazing and I have never had fresh pasta with seafood that tasted so fabulous. I almost licked my plate! When we return to Boston again, this is the first place we will go, (with reservations)!
THANK YOU SO MUCH -
Review from Dave B.
Orlando, FL
9/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Family place, small, intimate. Food is fresh, really good. Homemade pasta and seafood. Off the boat is true.
Had the Alexia.3 shellfish in a creamy garlic sauce. As good as it gets.
Antonietta and husband Joeseph both in attendance on a Saturday night. Had to wait nextdoor in the takeaway place for 20 minutes for a table, well Worth the wait. -
Review from Charles H.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ
9/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a winner, all the other reviews are spot on. Excellent food, good friendly service and fresh seafood
I had the Seafood Marchi and. My friend had the Alexia. Both were excellent. There were many returning customers that the owners greeted by first names. Always a good sign. -
Review from Alysson A.
Boston, MA
12/10/2011
The food was great. Definitely one of the best Italian restaurants in town. Beats most restaurants I've been to in the North End. Unfortunately, it is also very pricey. This place is very small, so make sure to call and make a reservation or check if the wait is long.
The calamari meatballs are good, but I don't really recommend them as one of their best dishes. -
Review from Jens L.
Los Angeles, CA
1/15/2012
If you're headed to or near the airport, just eat here. Parking was fine and they prepared wonderful food with speed. Price to flavor ratio FTW.
Calamari meatballs were very original and delicious. I'm the sort to eat any extra sauce, although I found the meatball sauce to be too acidic on it's own. However, it's perfect to coat the meatballs in. Caesar salad was good, the lettuce was crispy and didn't seem like it'd been sitting in the dressing.
Fusili Marchi was phenomenal, the pasta tasted to me like it was fresh and not dried. I was sort of craving a boiled lobster dinner, and this filled that void. The lobster based sauce was wonderful in that it really tasted like lobster (something most sauces only aspire to), and the crab and shrimp and lobster tail topped it off.
The shrimp, scallop and haddock broil was also delicious, very simple and homey, but done right.The texture of all three were just perfect, and the whole dish had a rounded buttery flavor. It came with a pilaf that reminded me of dinners when I was young. -
Review from Alexandra S.
Hingham, MA
4/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
It was a Groupon deal that brought us to East Boston to this place that turned out to be a real gem.
It's quite a small space with seating for only about 24 or so people but it's lovely inside. It's quite intimate and you could be in someone's dining room. There's a painted wall mural that I liked, nice hanging lights which to me looked like big candles and an overall comfortable, casual feel. The food here is primarily seafood with an Italian focus.
We arrived around 8:15 for our 8:30 reservation. As we were early and our table wasn't ready yet we were asked to go next door to the storefront that still houses the original version of this place and is the take-out food area. There is a counter here and a few stools where we waited with our Peroni beers to be called back to the dining area.
While we waited, we got a chance to chat with Joe, who with his wife, owns the place. He's a local guy whose clearly proud of what he's created here. He was most congenial and chatty.
He was interested in us, where we came from and how we heard about his restaurant. Joe told us that he originally started with just this take-out area and it was apparently so wildly successful that he opened the restaurant to accommodate his growing legion of fans.
Right on time at 8:30, Joe told us our table was ready for us and we walked back over to the dining room where we were seated and warmly greeted by our waitperson. She brought us water, bread and olive oil and told us about the special appetizers. Somehow, I felt like I'd known her for years as we talked about the menu. I loved that.
We started with the crabcake appetizers which came with a creamy pesto-lemon dressing. They were out of this world. They were mostly crab with very little filler and a nicely browned exterier that had a pleasnat crunch. The sauce gave it a hit of lemony acid that was the perfect foil for the creamy crab. We were off to a great start.
I ordered the Fusilli Angelo. On top of the fusilli pasta was an assortment of shrimp and scallops in a white wine sauce. Hub got another mixed seafood dish over linguine.
Our meals were incredibly tasty, well-seasoned and the seafood was delicious and clearly fresh. The portions are large.
While I do like fusilli, I think I would have preferred this dish with linguine, perciatelli or bucatini. Nevertheless, I happily ate it all.
We were way too full for dessert but what we saw on other tables looked great.
The feeling here is homey, local, easy-going and extremely friendly.
Both hubby and I felt comfortable and content here.
Thanks to the Groupon which got us out of the 'burbs and into the city on a Saturday night for a date, we found a delightful place to which we'll definitely return.
I wanted to take photos of our food but in my opinion the place just was too full and too intimate to pull out the camera (smartphone or otherwise). It felt like it would have been intrusive to the other patrons sitting quite close to us to start snapping away.
So you'll just have to take my word for it that the place is pretty, the food presentation was great and it tasted delicious.
Oh...and the unisex bathroom was clean!Listed in: My Mediterranean, My Love, Mi Manca L'Italia
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Review from Anna B.
Boston, MA
4/4/2012
I have been to D'Amelio's several times since discovering it last summer with an Eversave deal and am in love. The food is just as good (if not better!) as any North End Italian restaurant you might try, and the prices are very reasonable. I love the baked haddock and chicken parm. Come with an appetite because the portions are HUGE! I'm glad to see that the restaurant is packed on Friday and Saturday nights because the owners are sweet and deserve the business!
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Review from Mike H.
Cambridge, MA
11/23/2011
I brought my girlfriend here several months ago with a Groupon. I'd been meaning to get around to writing up a review but kept forgetting. Overall: I think it was only OK. Definitely not bad. But also nowhere near as great as all these people giving it 5 stars think.
Atmosphere: I found it a little odd. The restaurant was just a single very small room with only a few tables. We arrived around 8:15 or so on a Friday and were just about the last ones to get there that night (there was only one other couple after us). They put us at a high table (think: table that works with bar chairs), which was a little strange because all the other tables in the restaurant were normal height. Fortunately, there was no wait at all, which is awesome. Unfortunately, there was no wait at all, which meant that we were one of only three groups left by 8:45. I don't know about you, but I find it odd when I'm one of only a couple people in a restaurant during near-prime hours.
Service: Very good. The staff was attentive and quick with everything we needed. There wasn't anything particularly excellent or poor on this front.
Food: Eh. I had the Fusili Marchi; my girlfriend had the Fusili Angelo. The pasta itself was very good, and the sauces were decent, but I found the seafood disappointing overall. The lobster tail and shrimp were average; the scallops tended toward good; but the crab was clearly either frozen or canned. I was really disappointed because so many reviews had raved about how fresh the seafood was, but the crabmeat was anything but. I grew up in Maryland and I know fresh crab. This was not fresh crab. So maybe my view was colored too much by that fact, but the pastas overall seemed like I could make them myself just by sauteing a bag of frozen mixed seafood in the right sauce. A little disappointing.
I wasn't disappointed overall, but I think that Boston has too many similarly priced Italian and seafood restaurants that outdo D'Amelio's for me to go back any time soon. -
Review from Liana K.
1/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
I love seafood! Problem is I always feel disappointed whenever I order a dish and it doesn't meet my expectations. Well not here!
I got the Zuppa Vincenzo- 22.95
"Shrimp, scallops, calamari, haddock, and clams sautéed with onions and garlic in a marinara sauce served over linguine"
It was perfect, lightly cooked well balanced fresh seafood! The marinara complimented the rest of the dish very well without overtaking the taste of seafood.
The restaurant itself is relatively small and reminds me of being in someone's kitchen. Each dish seems individually prepared with care to satisfy the hungry mouths that await it.
We used a buywithme when we were here. The owner and his wife (i think it was the owner) were very friendly to us and also mentioned how they will be doing a groupon soon as well, so if we liked it, we can get a deal there too. Brownie point for that! -
Review from Timothy D.
Melrose, MA
11/7/2011
What a great night. Small neighborhood place, friendly attentive staff and delicious food. For us it doesn't get much better on a casual night out. My shrimp in spinach and portobello mushrooms app was divine. My wife's caesar salad was as good as any we have had. I had fusili angelo and my wife the baked shrimp scampi. Both we excellent. Portions were generous without being obnoxious. It's not convenient for us - we could be in the North End in the same drive. But it was fun - and it's right at the entrance to the Callahan so you can always pop into town after dinner. I can't wait to go back and have the grilled octopus!
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Review from Elle S.
Quincy, MA
11/14/2011
I bought an EverSave for this place on a whim. I read the Yelp reviews that said this place was tiny and made a reservation. When my two friends and I arrived, we were seated at a standard dining table for four. We had just sat down when the waitress suddenly moved us to a tiny bar table with stools directly in front of the door, supposedly so "we wouldn't be right up against the other table and for more space" despite the table obviously being smaller. We sat down at the smaller table, only to be shuffled once again to a table right near the kitchen. The waitress eventually admitted that she had moved us from the table because a party of three added a person and there was no other place to seat them. I would have had no qualms about moving if the server had just been honest from the start, but being lied to and shuffled around three times really annoyed me.
Despite the musical chairs, the food was amazing. It was fresh, flavorful, and the portions were enormous.
I'd give one star for the service and five for the food. I'll get takeout from this restaurant in the future--it is cheaper than dining in--but the service was too poor for me to consider eating at the restaurant again. -
Review from Lindsay B.
Boston, MA
2/18/2011
We tried this place out after they offered a Buy With Me deal - I was even more excited about it because the place is walking distance for us. So we went last night, and this was easily one of the best seafood meals I've ever eaten. The boyfriend agreed.
I had the Seafood Alexia which was served with fresh homemade fusilli (ah-mazing!), huge scallops, shrimp, and tons of lobster meat in a garlic cream sauce which was to die for. Perfectly cooked, amazingly tasty - and perfectly priced for how much seafood you get on the plate. I also ordered a side of broccoli rabe and for like $6 you get the largest plate of veg known to man. My wonderful date had the Zuppa Vincenzo (shrimp, scallops, haddock and clams, he omitted the calamari over linguini), and I'm pretty sure he licked the plate when he was done...jury's still out on that. He had it with the white wine sauce and asked for 3 more pieces of bread just to sop up all the sauce (it'd be a sin to waste good sauce).
I was so happy to find this place in Eastie. I love Rino's, but it's always so hard to get in. From here on out, D'Amelio's it is! A wonderful alternative, indeed. -
Review from Judy M.
Boston, MA
4/3/2011
Relatives recently gave D'Amelios high praise, so I thought I'd check it out. Small, homey layout with a North End feel. Friendly, attentive staff. We shared a crispy, crunchy, cheesy caesar salad for two. My son chose the Zuppa Vincenzo with marina sauce and was totally impressed with the variety of seafood and the delicious sauce. I had the Penne Cantante - yum! Clams were small and perfect and the lobtail tail, served split in half in its shell was sweet and juicy, all served in a fantastic wine, garlic, red pepper sauce. Portions were sizable and we came close to cleaning our plates -- it was difficult to put the fork down! We'll be back.
Being so close to Tunnel and/or the T, it's a great destination for dinner when catching a show downtown. Avoid the crowds in the theatre district and dine here before crossing the harbor. -
Review from Tom J.
Peabody, MA
2/26/2012
We were looking for a nice place to eat after picking up family at the airport. Off the Boat had 4 stars on Yelp so I decided to give it a try and was so glad we did. The location is very easy (Just past the east Boston tunnel tolls) with plenty of on street or public lots (behind building). The restaurant is very small - about 8-10 tables. Make sure you have a reservation if you are going at night. Wine list was good with great prices. We had the Chicken Parm, and the Chicken Marsala. Both dishes were outstanding. Service was fantastic and not rushed. We finished up with an ice cream dessert concoction that was a great way to end the dinner. We had enough left over food for a full lunch the next day. We will be coming back.
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Review from Win O.
Boston, MA
6/25/2011
D'Amelio's might just be my new favorite for delicious and cheap seafood! We had the:
-Fried calamari (with yummy chili peppers)
-Fusili Marchi (red sauce, crab and lobster)
-Fusili Alexia (cream sauce, generous portions of tender scallops, shrimp, lobster)
-Mussels Yanos (spaghetti in scampi broth)
-Limoncello Ice-cream (lemon gelato with limoncello center)
and everything was AMAZING. We also learned that the pasta's made in-house.
1 star deducted for negative attitude. Our server was pleasant until she realized that we came using groupons, following which she became cold and dismissive after spending 5 minutes scrutinizing our voucher. I had no idea why, because we tipped generously on the full bill. As we were leaving, she avoid eye contact but my cheerful fellow diners said thank you. We were followed up with a begrudging "you're welcome". Service role-reversal, much? -
Review from Teddy S.
Framingham, MA
7/14/2010
Tried this place last night with my family (7 of us). We had a great time. The place is as described - small, casual and friendly (great waitress). She was completely accomodating to everyone's meal requests (we had a mix of lactose and sodium related dietary restrictions).
For the food - everything tasted fresh and we tried appetizers, main course and desserts. For starters - Shrimp Scampi, Calamari and Mussels were all done well. Nothing was overcooked and it all tasted fresh. To me, Calamari is a test. Far too often - it tastes as though it had been sitting in a freezer and heated in a microwave. Last night tasted fresh and not like ordering it at a typical restaurant.
For dinner, I tried last nights veal special (in a sage butter with mozzaarella cheese on top) with penne pasta. I'm a seafood fanatic and planned to get seafood, but something sounded right about the veal dish. 5 minutes after ordering the plate, I heard the sound from the kitchen of the chef pounding out the veal. Hearing it in the small restaurant added to the atmosphere. It was a great choice. All others had seafood dishes (different shrimp, tuna and cod dinners) and were equally pleased.
We did not plan on dessert until the options were presented. We shared three desserts; sorbet, ice-cream and a cannoli. The ice cream and sorbet dishers were served as large round scoops coated in a hard chocolate shell, From not planning on dessert to watching the three quickly disappear, my recommendation is to leave a bit of room and try them.
We will deffinately be back. If you want properly cooked seafood (and veal) at fair prices, give it a try. you will be pleased. -
Review from Jennifer O.
Palatine, IL
2/9/2012
We are from out of town and wanted some decent seafood, much to our surprise the food was delicious!! The restaurant is VERY tiny, but it was with the 15 mins. wait. We also had our three year old with us and the server was kind enough to offer her a glass of milk and ordered her some homemade chicken strips with French fries. My daughter was very pleased and I was impressed because not a lot of restaurants go out of their way to serve kids.
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Review from Pete S.
Beverly, MA
11/27/2011
Ate @ D'Amelio's with my wife and 2 adult children and everyone loved it. The lobster tail, crabmeat, and scallops over pasta were all terrific. The place is small but the staff was very accomodating. Looking forward to a return visiit
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Review from Julie R.
Updated - 12/19/2009
It had been a while since I got the delicious takeout. I was curious about the new dining room that opened in there so went last night to check it out for dinner.
The menu was pretty much the same as the take out version. I was really surprised to see they jacked up the prices an extra $5 an entree for eating in the dining room. My standby fusilli Angelo was now $22 a plate. Ugh..
We had some bread brought over, it was cold and hard. We got 2 appetizers and decided to split an entree. For appetizers the calamari was just OK. It didn't have a good kick to it, besides the red peppers mixed it. It also came out with no lemon or aioli so we asked what was available and she said we could have tarter sauce or marinara. We chose the marinara. Good sauce.
The shrimp, mushrooms and spinach appetizer was good. I do wish it was a better portion. For $12 we only had 3 shrimp on top of a bed of spinach and mushrooms. Not up to par with the price I'd say.
The entree was the best part. The Cantante had penne with scallops, lobster tails and clams.I enjoyed all the fresh seafood inside it. The twin lobster tails were small but did the trick. The broth under the pasta was like a white wine butter sauce.
Service was really slow. We were the only people dining the first half of the meal. After our apps were taken away it was a very long wait. It was dead in there so it was disappointing. The server was very nice however. I give the dining in experience 3 stars and the takeout 5 stars still.Listed in: East Boston Gems
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/9/2008
The best seafood take-out ever!! I thought it was a fish market for the longest time. One day I went… Read more »
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Review from Ben K.
Boston, MA
9/24/2011
I am astounded at how good this place is!
Our party of 4 had a 6pm reservation, we got right in.
We shared the Shrimp Arasomthing app, and the portion was perfect. We each got a gigantic shrimp with a spoonful of spinach and mushrooms that were so tender and perfectly seasoned with garlic.
My wife had the fuscili with scallops shrimp lobster tail and rabe, and I had the fuscili with shrimp crab lobster tail. My mom and her husband both had the Veal Capri(?-with artichokes olives rotini). Nobody was dissapointed. The food came out quickly. A lot of people seemed to know each other, a real family establishment. It's small but don't let that put you off.
The 4 of us shared the "Exotic Bamba" for desert and I had a cappicino. I always say, you have to judge an Italian place by their cappicino and they passed the test.
I couldn't ask for anything more and we will be back.
I highly suggest you check them out if you're in East Boston. -
Review from senor G.
Boston, MA
1/7/2012
Ate here last night for the 3rd time, consistently awesome. The specials are to die for the frutti di mar is packed with seafood and the sauce amazing. Excellent service too!
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Review from Melissa C.
Somerville, MA
8/18/2011
Similar to what others have said this place is great.
Small place with one wait person doing all the work but its a cute atmosphere so we soaked it all in.
Food is terrific and the amount of seafood they give you, for a modest price, is amazing. I had tons lobster, huge scallops and shrimp in the Seafood Alexia.
Will definately return again -
Review from Sugartime X.
Boston, MA
6/12/2011
Ithought the place was cozy and clean. The food was very good but not great. Lacked a little garlic but fresh. The portions were ok. Worth a visit
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Review from Jamie M.
Braintree, MA
5/20/2011
Got some Buywithme coupons after seeing the deal, and then reading reviews on Yelp.
Great options for "healthy" apps. I hate places that only have fried or super cheesy apps. We got the Shrimp Amalfi (3 large shrimp with spinach and plenty of mushrooms). It was flavored nicely and we enjoyed the bread with it.
It was hard to choose an entree with all the enticing options. I noticed a lot of them were a mix of seafood, but not many veggies added. My sister went with the Fussili Angelo because it had brocolini in addition to the seafood. It also had a buttery sauce which she really enjoyed. I got the Alexia but with the Cantante sauce. I loved it. Not sure if I would wanna try anything else bc the heat of the chili flakes and the wine sauce with some parmesan was perfect for me. I do not like scampi/butter style sauces. Btw- the fussili was delicious. My mom got the Lobster Guiseppi. After the waitress told her it's definitely hot, she asked them to tone it down a bit. It still came out with a good kick, and after a few bites, you could feel the heat, and that's exactly how she wanted it.
We ordered a special for dessert. It was a big ball of peanut butter ice cream with a caramel center and chocolate outside coating. AWESOME. Plenty for 3 of us to split.
Nice clean bathroom, genuine waitress, and very fair pricing. Our Mark West Pinot Noir was $28.
Negatives:
-Location. We had to pay the $3.50 toll to leave East Boston and head back to the south shore. We were able to find free street parking tho! I would love to go back but who knows when that'll happen. If I lived down the street this would definitely be a regular for dining in and taking out.
-Small restaurant but not too packed when we went (7pm on a Thurs). So I would suggest making reservations just in case. -
Review from Dan L.
Marblehead, MA
2/16/2010
A client recommended meeting at this hidden gem and I was skeptical as I drove by and saw the take out business. Little did I realize the small, sit-down restaurant would provide a great atmosphere and phenomenal value.
The food is fresh and the prices are phenomenal. I had lobster tail, shrimp & scallops for $21.00. Most restaurants would charge that for just a shrimp and scallops meal.
If you are looking for a nice, low key meal and have a knack for seafood. I highly recommend Off the Boat. And definitely try the bruchetta! -
Review from Shawn L.
3/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great food and service..small and cozy atmosphere. Convenient to the airport so if you don't have time to go to the heart of Boston you can still have some good east coast seafood.
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Review from Alex R.
Newton, MA
11/14/2011
Simply amazing! My girl friend and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary here. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was very pleasant, and the service was great as well! We can't wait to come back! Thank you!
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Review from Malena L.
Cambridge, MA
It's about time someone recognizes this hole in the wall! Off The Boat is a tiny seafood joint on East Boston and probably, one of the best choices there for a delicious, reasonable meal.
We had passed by it on several occasions until one day we got too hungry to walk any further. What a surprise! We were greeted by probably the coolest dude at a counter in all of East Boston. He's this Italian American, that if you let him, he'll provide joyful conversation. Anyways, we deliberated for a while (everything sounded delicious) and finally we went for the Penne Cantante (delicious penne with clams, scallops, lobster meat, sauteed in a spicy garlic and oil sauce...MOUTH-WATERING, YES, and all for $13.95). The meal was prepared swiftly by this Italian lady with an attitude (which, if you know me, I love!) and it came with crusty bread, butter and Parmesan cheese on the side. What can I tell you? As soon as we opened the container, we devoured the penne faster than you can say FANCULO (yet another offensive word for my increasingly foul vocabulary).
Ever since that magical night, we've become regulars: we come in there, I talk to the guy at the counter (if you are reading this, you're my favorite East Bostonian), while the lady makes our meal; we discuss the brilliant future we both hope for East Boston; I get super excited about the bread (my favorite part is drenching it in their delicious sauces); he hands us our meal; we walk home while I sniff the bag all the way there; we devour!
Meals are big enough for 2 people and they recently added daily specials (we tried the Tuna dish...I have no words!) and they are working on fixing the place right next to them, which will have capacity for around 30 people.
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES! -
Review from gayle v.
Lynnfield, MA
10/21/2011
I met Kristen, one of the servers at D'Amelios while giving her a Pedicure and I decided to try the restaurant..From growing up in East Boston this Family owned restaurant was a blast from the past..So with some co-workers we ordered the shrimp appetizer and the escargot..AMAZING! I ordered the The Seafood Alexia..DELICIOUS!!I felt like I was having dinner in my family's home..We are definately going back and bringing more friends along for the wonderful experience..Thanks Antonetta for not only serving Fresh Authentic Italian food, but making you feel so welcomed and part of your Family...Bravo..
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Review from Rasta p.
Boston, MA
8/16/2010
Fantastic fresh seafood. parking is bad but worth the trip.went for lunch and we were the only customers. The bread was fresh and crusty,excellent seasond olive oil. resonably price for dinner but they should offer reduced prices for lunch. i had the scallop roll which was served on a crusty roll overflowinf with swee,moistt fresh scallops ans a load of perfect fries and homemade tater sauce and not to mention great cole slaw. Check this place out.
