il Casale Lexington — Restaurant in Lexington

Met a friend who recommended this place since it was equidistant. She had been here before and thought it was good. Our experience was totally ruined because there were mice scurrying on the floor underneath the seats! My friend saw something run by and kept looking at the floor, which made me nervous as wr thrn both picked up our purses off the floors. Then we tried to give it the benefit of the doubt that it was not a mouse. But then after we finished our meal, she saw it run by again and pointed it out to us. Our raised voices caught the attention of the 2 men at the close by table who said that they had been seeing the mice as well. When we told the waiter, he minimized it and said someone had already told him and he had informed the owner who was going to call pest control the next day. He apologized for the experience but offered nothing, which was very poor customer service for such an awful experience. I will not be coming back and hope this will forward folks who might be wary of mice in a restaurant.

Regarsing the food, we shared the calamari, which was fine. Batter was too heavy for my preference and marina was bland. The battered zucchini was different and interesting although I would have preferred to get more calamari than filler fried veggies. I got the short rib ravioli which was tasty although I'm grossed out now about where it was prepared and whether the mice are running rampant in the kitchen. We skipped dessert since we were eager to leave after seeing the mice. Not really sure if this incident was a one off like the waiter said but there are plenty of places to eat so I will not return, especially given how the staf and ownerf seemed to take...

This was a pretty disappointing experience. I had looked at the menu beforehand and everything sounded great, however I did notice that the prices were higher than most Boston area restaurants, including the North End. I had high expectations for the quality of food. Fast forward to receiving our food - I could tell just by the looks that most of it had been sitting out and would not be hot. At our table of 6, only one dish was hot. They took them back and reheated them (they didn't re-make, which was ok considering we had already waited a while. However given the price point, I'd maaaybe expect them to re-fire or to take a dish or two off the bill)

I ordered the Spaghetti ai Frutti di Marre. On the Instagram it looked like a brothy safron-y yellow sauce, though when I got it, it was a red tomato-based sauce. This was also one of the menu items on the online menu without an image. I think that Instagram picture was from 2022, so not super recent, but given the modern times we are in, I'd expect the restaurant to update their photos if a menu item changes.

I likely will not return given that I can find a better meal elsewhere for a more reasonable price with and better ambiance too, though I hope the restaurant takes this...

Each time I visit Il Casale, it gets better! I've eaten at Il Casale on several occasions, and I always enjoy it. My favorite appetizers (aka sfizi, or small plates) are the bruschetta and the meatballs. The pasta is made in-house, so it is always fresh. I love the chicken entree because it is a crispy, juicy chicken cutlet over fresh chopped tomatoes and basil. Perfect. The classic lasagna blends excellent red sauce with meats and plenty of melted cheese. I enjoy sampling a new cocktail each time, and the wait staff are always great with wine recommendations. Even my two young children enjoy eating here, with many children's menu choices. The wait staff (Hugo especially) are friendly and helpful with my children, despite my kids' occasional, energetic table behavior. It's a casual, nice place to eat with delicious, high-quality food. Don't forget the florentine cookies or gelato for dessert. I can't...