Pazza on Porter — Restaurant in Boston

Extremely disappointing! I have pretty high hopes after reading the reviews, looking at the photos and reading the menu.

We arrived yesterday, a Thursday, evening and there were all of 3 tables sat and the bar was mostly full. The hostess/person who greet us was very sweet (no issues here) and got us to our table. To my surprise I had been to this restaurant in years past when it was under a different name. I assume the management and staff are completely different because our experience was SIGNIFICANTLY worse than it was when we had dinned at the previous restaurant at this location.

It look 10 min for our waitress to arrive. We placed our entire order at 1 time to try to make it quicker and easier but sadly it got worse. Fried ravioli was okay, much better with the sauce, my pork chop was overcooked and beyond crispy along all its edges (I struggled cutting it with the butter knife that was provided), my partners food, short ribs, was much better. We didn't get drinks until we nearly finished our entrees (I'll note again we put drink orders in with the food). To add insult to injury I had a clear view of the bartender in front of me who chatting vigorously with folks at the bar, not pouring or making drinks.

That, when we finally got our drinks at the end of the meal we had to ask for our waitress for the check twice and only managed to get out of there after flagging down the lady who sat us.

This place hits a couple of notes well but service beyond the hostess left so much to be desired. Truly disappointing, especially at the...

First and foremost, ask for Billy; if Billy isn't available, comeback and try another day.

Billy is on top of things. He's friendly, energetic, and knowledgeable. It was my first time here, and I walked out feeling like he's a friend and excited to come back because of the service he provided.

As for the food, I would recommend Pazza for drinks, appetizers, and some food. I say SOME food because unfortunately the Panseared Lamb Lollipops didn't live up to expectations. The risotto was a bit just like wet rice and the lambs needed some more seasoning. The Alla Pazza also required some more salt but it wasn't bad; unfortunately "not bad" shouldn't be the standard to achieve. Now that the not-so-great is out of the way, I will say the Steak Tips and Pazza Burger were great and I would definitely order them again.

For drinks, my table ordered the Raffaele's Old Fashioned, Nobody Likes a Shady Beach, E-Mule-ioooo, and the Buona Notte. When it comes to the drinks, all of them were great, to be honest, and why we'll come back for drinks any time were craving something good. Lastly, the restaurant would drop a pitcher of water, which helped avoid the annoying situations of being without water for a while and trying to get the server's attention for more.

The vibes for the restaurant are great for social environments and what has helped with my rating of the restaurant.

We'll be back to give brunch a try, and of course,...

Was excited to try this restaurant but was honestly disappointed. The quick summary is that the flavor and value just isn't there. For a more detailed review, see below.

Service: Service was decent. Some dishes took a bit longer but nothing to be mad over. We were here on a sunday when there is only one server working so honestly I really wouldn't put too much weight on the service; our server was great despite being the only one there. Good for him for hustling as the only one - he has great energy.

Atmosphere: love the atmosphere, patio area is super nice and cozy. Nothing bad to say here.

Drinks: I got the Buena notte and really liked it. My only complaint is that it felt like it was a small drink, but regardless, still good.

Food: This is where I would say they lacked the most. The food isn't bad, but i'd say it's just a solid okay. We ordered the chicken wings, peach salad and calamari for appetizers. Wings and Salad lacked flavor but the calamari was at least good; not the best I've had but it satisfies a calamari dish. For mains we got the burger, lamb chops, steak tips and the Alla Pazza pasta. Burger and Steak tips were good but the lamb chops (and rissotto it came with) and Alla Pazza all lacked flavor and were just not impressive.

Overall, I would come back for drinks and apps, and to maybe give their brunch menu a shot, but otherwise, it was not a...