Parla — Restaurant in Boston

Heightened anticipation but wasn't realized. I had my eye on this place for months (once even to painfully cancel a reservation because of a work conflict!!!). The looks of the atmosphere, bespoke cocktails and interesting fusion style food really draws one in when looking at the website and posts on Google Maps. Also the North End location is a draw, what's not to like about that?!!! Unfortunately, and despite my best efforts, I was ultimately underwhelmed. The staff were very friendly but didn't seem to coordinate with each other well which was off putting at times. I ordered a sparkling wine (they had Cava on the menu) which was fine and my partner ordered a Manhattan which was good too and somewhat interesting because we like the Black Walnut bitters. The food (duck leg, NOT plural 'legs') and the calamari were, I'm sorry to say, very disappointing. Especially the duck. I will admit that I had very high expectations so perhaps that was on me. The calamari were good but nothing extraordinary. For the price, not worth it. Again, to be fair, my expectations were high. So take that for what it is worth. Especially considering that we hardly experienced a large range of the menu. It is definitely something that could vary and/or improve and I would go back there EXCEPT for the "House Rules." If the pleasant but creepily uncoordinated servers were off-putting, the house rules were exponentially so. Among other things, these rules suggest that under 20% tip is rude, tell the customers how to talk, act, and behave. Certainly it is fair to inform unknowing tourists about the draconian and owner-centric tipping system. But to insult the customer by a passive aggressive list of rules in order to prop up that system is beyond the pale. 1. If those rules simply hadn't been there I would have considered returning for a drink, if nothing else. 2. The fact that they were there and they condescendingly suggested that this system should be taken for granted AND in a specific way so that the owners do not have to pay a living wage was the final straw. And though it is difficult in the restaurant industry to compete (obviously, look at all the restaurants within a block of Parla) and there are no perfect alternatives, there ARE possibilities. Just one example is the restaurant group that owns Tres Gatos and Casa Verde in Jamaica Plain. Check it out. The tipping system that allows owners to pay ridiculously low wages in order to compete (and let SOME servers make quite a lot of money) is a bad one in any case (obviously in my opinion). It is intolerable when it is shoved down our throats wrapped in a gratuitous sheen of "educating the customer." That is not virtue. It is self-serving nonsense. THAT is rude. I hope to hear better things from Parla in the future. It really is a good concept, one that I hope is implemented in...

We were here to have drinks with friends, as we were in from out of town. Normally this type of restaurant is EXACTLY my vibe - exquisite craft cocktails, a curated atmosphere, and a menu worth leisurely experiencing.

However, our experience was less than ideal.

The menu notes a mandatory 20% tip because of the $3-something server wage. I appreciate you standing up for servers, but the minimum wage is actually lower for servers where I'm from and yet we'd never use the tone found in the menu to share this (and I say this as someone who comes from a family of servers). A better approach would be language educating about tips without the condescension.

While the food was good, we were forced to inhale it because the restaurant needed to turn the tables for reservations. We didn't overstay a customary restaurant visit time by any stretch, but were forced out of our seats about 15 minutes after receiving our entrees due to the restaurant's bookings. We witnessed no less than 3 other tables receive similar treatment, with one table being moved to a new seat mid-meal! Not to mention, we weren't informed of this quick turn prior to ordering, otherwise we would have just had drinks and eaten elsewhere. We had fully planned to try the cannolis on the menu for dessert but there was no way we'd have had time!

Due to the full nature of the restaurant, one of the servers put a "we're closed" sign in the front window and locked the door. As we were leaving, we actually watched someone with a reservation have to stand outside and call the restaurant because of the locked door / closed sign. Certainly not what I want to experience when I have a reservation.

I respect what you're trying to curate and as a fellow business owner I love seeing that you're busy even on off nights...but woah did the service and some of the language leave a lot to be desired here. I'm in Boston often for business (and am actually here for three straight weeks this go around) but I won't be back. As you said in your menu, there are 1,000+ other bars/restaurants in the city and I'll happily take my business there (and recommend that others do the same).

Edited to address Parla's response: Wow. Your menu calls for no passive aggressive behaviour but your review response does just that. We would have loved to address these concerns in person but there were two different people handling our table and none stayed long enough to chat. We definitely weren't notified of the quick table turn until about 15 minutes before you needed the first half of the table (we were seated at a divideable four-top). All in all, less than impressed and our review...

DINNER REVIEW

My girlfriend and I walked in here on Wednesday night around 8 PM for dinner and were seated immediately, right next to what would be the window but there was no window!). I had heard good things about this place and it seemed like they had some modern takes on classic Italian dishes. This is not your typical North End Italian restaurant.

SETTING: This place is small and has a cute bar in the back. It maybe seats 20 people. You will definitely be able to hear the conversations of the people next to you so don't plan to come here if you're looking to have a private conversation.

DRINKS: We didn't order any but I have heard great things about the drinks. They have this dice you can roll where each number corresponds to a drink so you can let fate choose your drink.

FOOD: The menu is small for a North End restaurant (which I like) but it definitely has some things you wouldn't find on a classic old-school Italian restaurant menu (i.e. ceviche, patatas bravas, chicken & waffles). They also refer to a certain section of the menu as "(Biggie) Smalls" and they have a picture of Notorious B.I.G. So again, not your typical North End Italian restaurant.

Fresh Burrata - You cannot go wrong with burrata and this was no exception. It came with fresh bread and tomatoes and pumpkin seeds. Would definitely order these again.

Ricotta Fritters - These were yummy fried dough/cheese balls but there were only 4 to the serving which I thought was somewhat skimpy for $9. I would skip these.

House Made Pappardelle - fresh pasta with a delicious homemade lamb ragu. My only wish with this was that it was a bigger serving.

Overall, it was a great experience but I would want to check out other places in the North End before coming back. Don't come here if you're looking for...