Scampo — Restaurant in Boston

I would like to start this review with a shout out to our waiter, Rodrigo. He was attentive to me and my bf the whole night and helped resurrect our experience with Scampos. He is excellent at his job, 12/10 in hospitality. He was 5 star for his service in particular.

The food was also incredible. Everything on the menu seems to be delicious and the seafood is fresh. I really enjoyed the lobster pizza and pomodoro. My boyfriend had the nightly special of sea bass per Rodrigo's request, which was spectacular.

The rest of this review reflects why I likely will not return. My boyfriend made a reservation for 8pm which we were on time for. We were informed by the host that a table wouldn't be available for another 20 minutes and didn't offer even an apology. We were allowed to sit at the bar during our wait though, which we didn't mind. The bartender (despite the bar not being busy) didn't attend to us for 10 minutes and when she did, essentially tossed us some drink menus. She then asked for ID- which I understand is perfectly normal, we both just haven't been ID-ed in ages as we are both over 25. Given that the restaurant had a primarily 30+ crowd, I suppose we stood out. I unfortunately forgot my ID, so I understood I couldn't drink because of this. My boyfriend has an out of state ID, and the bartender then requested a secondary form of ID as it wasn't a Massachusetts ID and according to her, was Massachusetts' liquor law. I have personally never experienced this and neither had my bf, and we both have out of state IDs. He gave her a secondary form, in which she then had to run around to get her manager to confirm and the manager then asked for a credit card as a THIRD form of ID. Mind you, we watched her continue to pour drinks and serve while she held my boyfriend's cards as well. The manager finally confirmed that my boyfriend could drink, but again, no apology or real sincerity in how we were handled. I'm unsure how this double ID practice continues to operate here given that it's in a hotel and I imagine many patrons are traveling. Maybe they are just following a law many other places omit, but regardless, the situation was handled poorly.

The ambiance of the restaurant is romantic and sweet, but many of the elements (given the price) are in need of the repairs. The tables are rickety and there's rips in many of the chairs.

Overall, the food is amazing. A great place on paper for a date, but I was dissatisfied with the service. I don't consider myself a "Karen" and understand that people can't control laws, I just wish the hang ups in our experience were handled with more...

We had a great experience in jail for dinner on my birthday :-) My wife surprised me with the evening out; she had to spill the surprise because I was going to get into town before she was, so I arrived at the Liberty for the first time with no idea where I was going. Despite the subtle signs that Scampo was to my left I knew I had an hour to kill, so I followed the escalators up towards the live music (as I will ALWAYS do). They opened out into a broad atrium bar - The Clink, I take it - where a very skilled trio was laying down jazz standards. One Hendricks G&T and several standards later (including a particularly funky Green Dolphin Street) I realized it was our reservation time, so I made my way down to find Scampo.

I was ushered in to a cozy - yet prison basement - dining space with lovely decor and a buzz of attentive hosts. I wouldn’t have called it a “family” restaurant, but right next to me was a table with a mom and her 2-3 year old in a high chair… a very well mannered kid from all evidence. Our server Juan was fantastic, knowledgeable about the menu and drinks, friendly and authentic. My wife arrived shortly before our tuna tartare which was delicious, though served with too few taro chips (Juan promptly took care of that for us). The seafood we each ordered was terrific - the plates were all scraped clean, garnishes and all - and the cocktails were interesting and well made.

While we didn’t have room for dessert my wife more or less insisted, since she had checked ahead of time and discovered there was a particular chocolate confection that she thought I would like. I did. It was supposed to have cone with a candle and sparkler, she told me, but it was just as tasty without, and it too vanished completely.

Excellent evening all told: good food, good drink, good music, good company. Thanks for a great birthday venue Scampo...

Mar, 2018: while the food at Scampo is fabulous, honestly everything suffers when the restaurant is swamped. Even the pizzas lose their sense of being works of art. If you can avoid the busy nights, you'll have a better dinner.

Scampo is a beautiful restaurant with exceptional food. The dishes are gorgeously presented, well thought out, and the ingredients are fresh, seasonal, and responsibly sourced. I've learned so much about root vegetables from that kitchen that my own food will never be the same.

It's not inexpensive, but pizzas start at $20, which is what I pay to eat slices on the street in Harvard Square. (Yum, Otto's!)

Scampo has a lot to offer that other Boston restaurants don't. It's in a hotel (the beautiful Liberty) and so they are open early for lunch and stay open until 11 or 12 pm (depending on the day of the week).They don't close between lunch and dinner (this is so important) and they have plenty of beautiful bar seating, which means that you stand a good chance of getting fed without a reservation.

The restaurant is adjacent to Beacon Hill, the Charles River park, and just steps from the T. Find them at the Charles/MGH stop on the Red Line. It's an easy hop from almost anywhere, a nice walk from the park, and just a few stops from Harvard or MIT.

If you have too much to drink, there are rooms available upstairs, lounges in the hotel (it has three bars) or bellmen outside the door who can call you a taxi.

I'd recommend this place to anyone except those looking for fast service ( or a French restaurant in Back Bay, as some reviewers seem focused on, oddly). To those who mentioned that the bar is slow - it's true, they are. I have no idea why. If you want fast drinks, though, you can always sit at the...