Geppetto — Restaurant in Cambridge

Geppetto is tucked away in the center of the Lechmere shopping area. We had a reservation for 6 but were 30 min late due to MBTA struggles; thankfully they were super nice about it. We were seated at an elegant circular table booth. The food came out very quickly (as it was made), so we had a table full of food in no time.

A lot of things on the menu looked really good so we just dove in. Overall a lot of the dishes we ordered were quite cheesy/rich, so I much preferred the lighter dishes.

Delicious, would get again Cod cioppino ($38) - The broth for this dish is perfect -- light, savory, and very seafood forward. The cod was also great - flaky and somehow had a crispy crust. I also really enjoyed the bay scallops in the broth. The other seafood (shrimp, mussel, clam) didn't stand out as much, and may have been a bit overcooked. This was a super tasty dish. Grilled focaccia ($2) - We got one piece of focaccia which came with a small bowl of white truffle bean dip. Wow this was great! The bean dip was delicious -- smooth but not heavy, lovely truffle flavor. The bread was just a vehicle for the bean dip deliciousness. Beef carpaccio ($20) - I had no idea what to expect, but wow this was delicious! The smoked wagyu beef was very thinly sliced and tasted like a cross between smoked salmon and prosciutto. The toppings were delicious as well, with interesting textural contrast. It's pricey, but worth it.

Good, might get again Porcini lasagna ($26) - I'm a sucker for porcini mushrooms, and they definitely did them justice with this lasagna. There were crispy parts on the top and bottom and delicious compacted layers of mushroom. There was also a lot of cheese surrounding it which I avoided. Seared brussels sprouts ($10) - Hot and tasty brussels sprouts, who can complain! I appreciated that there was no sweetness in these, as I have come to expect of restaurant brussels sprouts.

Meh, wouldn't get again Pull apart garlic bread ($10) - I was enticed by the concept, but was disappointed by the result. The bread wasn't as fresh/soft as we would've wanted. It was also sitting a pool of cheese, and that was a lot. Lobster fra diavolo ($32) - I didn't like the seasoning for this pasta. It was overly acidic. The lobster had good flavor but was a bit overcooked. It comes with half of a lobster tail (in the shell) and some cut up claw meat in the pasta sauce. I've definitely had better lobster pastas.

We also got the Cosmopolitan ($15), which was fine, nothing special, and the pineapple orange guava sorbetto ($9), which was pretty good (though I wasn't a fan of the candied orange pieces). We also didn't realize that the gelato toppings costed extra ($1 each), because the menu didn't clearly indicate that.

Overall, I tried some tasty things here. I think their textures and flavors are generally very good, though many of the things we got were a bit too rich for me. Some of the seafood was also a bit overcooked. I would say the restaurant felt pretty similar to Moeca in terms of price point and types of dishes, but Geppetto food felt heavier on average, and the seafood wasn't as on point. The restaurant has great ambience and service, and some fun dishes that I haven't...

Geppetto was not a restaurant I was expecting to love, but after trying most of the menu in a frenzied bacchanalia among friends, I am very happy we went. We had to wait half an hour past our reservation time, but the restaurant and staff more than made up for it with complimentary dishes and wonderful service.

The garlic bread was flavorful, with an enjoyable texture. The fried mozzarella I could do without; the flavor was good but not memorable, but it was beautiful to look at. The grilled focaccia with eggplant dip was fantastic and had wonderful carbonization and roast flavor.

The endive Caesar was crisp and flavorful, as long as you enjoy anchovies. I would give the chopped salad a pass; the ingredients are each good, but I wasn't convinced that they all worked together in terms of flavor, texture, or concept. There was only one dish that our table thought was bad: a burnt broccolini (I think?) dish that was aggressively bitter and I thought tasted reminiscent of hot nail polish, while my partner disagreed, and said it reminded her of Molotov cocktails. Nevertheless, this is the one item I would avoid without reservation.

The campanelle was delicious, with a nice crisp texture on top. The mafaldine was savory and gave the flavors of a very comforting and home-y stew. The rigatoni bolognese was also very savory, and was of the tomato-lite style, which was an interesting and welcome change.

The desserts were beyond excellent. The sorbet was tangy and aromatic. The best was a cheesecake that is difficult to describe adequately; plated to look like a breakfast with toast and egg, and even with basil and tomato hints throughout, but sweet and textured and ... somehow... It all worked amazingly well together. Truly an unforgettable dish.

Do yourself a favor...

[UPDATE: The restaurant did reach out to me personally and offered their sincerest apologies for the service around this visit. The management staff does seem to show concern for their guests' input and has taken the time to personally contact me, apologize, and attempt to make this right. THAT is more than many places do today. Because of this concern and for fairness to them, I will give them another chance. My next return trip to Boston this fall will see a return visit at Gepetto and see if the experience has changed. If they truly do care about all their patrons and desire to present them with the best dining experience possible. I will provide another update and amended review at that time]

So here it is. The food amazing. Prepared the way I like to prepare food. Old world classics with a lovely twist. Atmosphere was great...a nice slightly upscale quirkiness to it. The host fantastic. My waitress was beyond subpar. Of all my places in Boston that I visit every year when I return home, this was the WORST service. Look, I get this place has an air of pretentiousness. That's fine. New upscale Italian restaurant and me being from Massachusetts, I assume some rudeness from people wherever I go, but honestly Boston is always pleasant to me. My waitress was beyond rude, whether an assumed label placed on me or not, I can't say, but she put a dark cloud over part of my Boston visit. I almost always tip 50% if service is deserving, so sorry honey, you missed out on that one.

Overall, just go to the North End. Real Italian food made like my grandmother used to, zero pretentiousness, and family style...