Alfonso's Trattoria — Restaurant in Somerville

I can't sit here and claim that this place is akin to one of the top-tier eateries in Little Italy or anything, but for what it is, it delivers. This is an establishment that I would characterize as more of a family-friendly, blue-collar Italian restaurant - no frills, just solid food. My Millennial Chum and I stopped by on Monday after admittedly looking around the downtown area for a solid 20 minutes for any place that was open. Honestly, this wasn't a second or even a third choice, but I give them credit for being open - Monday holidays are just not ideal for impulsive dining-out experiences.

The Meatball Sundae ($8) in the app section immediately caught our attention and we agreed to split that. The waiter issued a disclaimer that it was literally just one meatball (always appreciate the heads up) but it was actually perfect for two cagey vets who know that loading up on carbs right at the beginning of an Italian meal can waylay the rest of it. Interesting presentation (one of the main reasons we ordered it) and a juicy, tender meatball as the centerpiece.

I was fresh off an elliptical workout so I felt frisky enough to dive into some hardcore carbs on the second day of the year and went with the lunch portion of the Cheese Tortellini entrée ($13). If this is the lunch portion, I can't even imagine the size of the mountain that shows up for dinner - HUGE serving, and this was a rare instance where I actually had leftovers for lunch the next day that held up very well. I liked the rose sauce, which seemed to basically be vodka sauce or close to it, and the tortellini was cooked perfectly. Quite tasty.

Even with all of that, the star of the show may have been the dessert, which was a slice of cake with a lemony/vanilla cream layer in the middle. Perfect palate cleanser - light and delicious with a subtle caramel drizzle for flavoring and like the appetizer, ended up being an ideal portion. I think another inch of cake and I would have had to roll out of the restaurant.

The service was excellent. We had a good feeling 30 seconds in when the waiter walked by and told us he would be with us in a minute or two - good communication from beginning to end. Everyone was very friendly/personable, and I don't recall having to wait a significant period of time for anything.

Somerville is teeming with edgy places these days, and it's no surprise that it's constantly in the mix for best NJ downtown. This is the kind of establishment that gets overlooked amongst the sushi restaurants and high class brunch eateries - but don't sleep...

The best, not so "hidden gems" of Somerville!

If you're planning a bar crawl or just need s solid meal at a splendid price, Alfonso's is the place to be blown away by their delicious pizzas and drink menu!

Split the Spicy Grandpa pizza, a must-try, with a marvelous combination of flavors. The lightest hint of spice followed by a sweet honey taste came forth with each bite. The crust was crispy and the different cheeses certainly made everything just so delightful. If you are looking to try a unique style of pizza, I would highly recommend the Spicy Grandpa! My friends had the Shrimp Scampi pizza, which looked equally delicious and had the big shrimp pieces on it, and could get those hints of garlic from across the table.

The wine selection at Alfonso's is also worth mentioning as we split a full bottle between three people of the house Cabernet, which equated to about two glasses per person, and a solid option for Cab Sauv fans.

In their bar area, it sounded like they had a live DJ performing for their Friday night crowd. Nothing crazy as it didn't seem to carry over into the main dining area, so you can still have a conversation on a late night and not feel like you're shouting across the table at each other, making for a better environment for all ages. There was still a good amount of families and kids out while we were there from 8-9:30 PM.

The hospitality from the staff was sociable. They had a busy night but were able to check in multiple times to see if we needed anything and were patient with my friends' mother. I think initially our wait for 4 was only about 15 minutes and they have a simple text service that gives you the heads up if you want to check in and walk around Main Street for a bit to wander and see the rest of...

We are long time customers and have even brought friends here. The food is quite good. Just yesterday we had dinner there and we had Annie as a server. Things did not go well from the start. We told her to bring us focaccia bread with the usual bread & butter they offer. Right away she said they ran out if it (we’ve heard that many times in the last year). My husband and I we both ordered chicken yolanda which comes with pasta. I asked for linguine and although I asked for the pasta to be well cooked, it came out al dente which is hard, and difficult for me to digest. After we finished we realized we never got the salad that is included. We had to ask for it and had it after the main food. When the bill came I noticed I was charged $3.95 for seltzer water. I was surprised because many restaurants don’t charge for that. By the time you add tax & tip, you pay $5 for essentially water with gas. What happened after, finally really put us off. Since the server screwed up and never brought the salad before the main course like she’s supposed to and we were now eating it at the end, Annie the waitress kept coming to grab the payment. She saw we were eating but yet came a total of 4 times. She kept interrupting and we kept saying we didn’t do it yet. On the fourth time I finally had enough of her and the pressure she was putting on us and I told her she was too much and I don’t want her coming to the table again until we’re done. In a very obnoxious tone she said “got it”. We were so put off I’m not sure we’ll be rushing back there even though we’re long time patrons. To our disappointment we also found out they no longer do the 1/2 price special on Mondays like they used to. My rating is 3 stars because the food is good but I would give 1 star...