La Cantina Italiana — Restaurant in Framingham

This was a bizarre dining adventure.

We were hoping for a smooth dining experience and we had anything but. Upon arriving, we smelled Clorox/bleach. Cleanliness is important, but it’s not the first smell one expects entering a supposedly Italian restaurant. In fact, we never had the sense that we were in an Italian restaurant. The host station was empty, and we had to approach the bar to be seated as there was no sign of a host.

The vibe/decor was a confused mishmash: breakfast diner, seaport bar, Olive Garden, event venue thrown into a blender. TVs loom over and overpower the dining area as well as the bar. The robots roaming the dining area were…interesting…though they felt as out of place as we did and added to the chaos. The ones with the kitty faces were cute.

The menu was a convoluted and confusing mess and has some of most ridiculous up-charges I have ever seen in my life. It’s a business, of course, but the naked nickel and diming was a huge turnoff, and clutters the menu. Food was of decent to good quality, though overpriced. The tomato in the caprese salad was not ripe; I had to cut out the yellow/greenish unripened centers of the three slices. Chicken piccata was well cooked, flavors a bit weak/bland. Quality/portion size did not justify $26.99 price. Spaghetti and meatballs were similarly of serviceable quality, though overpriced: meatballs were an extra $4.99 for two small unremarkable meatballs. The drinks were a relative highlight and not overpriced as was the food.

Come dessert time, we were presented the menu via iPad by our waitress, which was a change from the printed main menus. The lava cake was pictured with a scoop of ice cream, but a scoop of ice cream is listed as a $2 add on. We had to clarify that there would be an up-charge even though ice cream is included in the picture. This is a deceptive/misleading practice and, while may seem minor, speaks to the general sense we had of a business eager to nickel and dime their customers. By that point, we were completely over the experience and declined dessert.

Overall, this was a disaster, and we will not be back. If ownership/management reads this and cares for recommendations:

-Slim down/clean up the menu dramatically, and eliminate 80% of the ridiculous up-charges. People won’t shy away from true quality (when on offer), but this practice comes across as desperate/greedy and disrupts the legibility of the menu.

-Dim the lights a bit, put a few plants in to break up the space a bit, remove some of the looming (oversized) TVs from the dining room. It feels neither trendy/chic, nor inviting, as configured.

-The robots are very strange/gimmicky and speak to the general sense of confusion...

The North End Italian Food in Boston has a rival.

Imagine having a corporate visitor come from the West Coast, and wants to sample all the Italian food in the North End.

You then take this executive, to many spots, in the North End. Then you are told his Italian Grand Mother made the best sauce and meatballs ever.

You then take this executive to La Cantina, to challenge, the Grandmother myth. Enter La Cantina, gorgeous interior, friendly staff, positive vibe and the air is filled with the breeze of Italian red sauce, pasta, bread and so many things.

This executive now orders a steak and Ravioli and meatballs, hungry guy. He snares a piece of meatball then goes for the ravioli, rolls his eyes around looks up at Heaven and says, "Grandma, please forgive me, this sauce is better than yours," and tears up.

For the next four night's, "where should we go for dinner,?" Why La Cantina to test as much from the menu as possible, imagine that?

Pasta dishes, huge, selection huge, veal to die for, and the atmosphere, pure fun and a family oriented spot. For years this gem of a spot has satisfied so many people, and the pizza is killer too.

If you have not been to this spot, you're not alive. Get your fanny over to this spot, and there is Fanny's home made salad dressing and their salad will stun you, as to how a salad can leave you speechless with joy and, "taste bud Zen." The best Italian food west of Boston and better than Boston. Once you go, you will be hooked,...

The Good and the Bad. La Cantina was one of our regular spots many years ago until the restaurant was sold. Well we got curious with all the work being done and the ad for the Thursday Lobster Fest. We loved the nice clean and newly remodeled dining and waiting area. Very impressive wood work. Our waitress was absolutely great. I had the Shore Dinner with the optional salad and my wife had Chicken Marsala. The salads were very nicely prepared and an adequate size for the price. The house dressing was superb. All the food was brought in a timely manner. The Marsala was a good sized portion and tasted good except for a few stringy parts on the chicken. My meal included steamers, lobster, corn on the cob and a baked potato. The steamers were very clean and tasted very good. The corn was over done and could have been fresher, the baked potato was very good. The lobster tail was cut down the middle and 'pre-cracked' which I do not prefer as bits of shell always gets into the meat and the green stuff gets smeared on the tail meat. Some eat the green, I do not. The worst part is the lobster was very overcooked - yuck. Besides the lobster issue it was a good value for the amount of food you get from this meal. We seriously doubt we will...