Arancini Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Woburn

First of all, I believe in supporting small business and we definitely plan on going back, especially because of the BYOB. However, I do think there are some areas of improvement.

Cons: The place is very small. Maybe about 400 to 500 square feet. There are about a dozen tables but they are very small. We arrived for dinner at 7:30 and it was extremely loud. They could do a bit more decorative touches. Especially the ceiling. They need to decide what to do. Some sections have some black foam that looks like sound insulation. The rest of it is cracked plaster. Kind of unappealing. A crack on the front window and the neon "open" sign also detract. They have a couple of tables on the small sidewalk outside but it is right on Main Street not enough removed from traffic in my opinion.

The food: we were served bread and olive oil. The olive oil was excellent. The bread was okay. Too soft and slightly sweet for my taste. (I like more of a crusty Focaccia type). The arancini was very good, however I could barely taste any ground beef. The eggplant rollotoni (please forgive spelling) was very good as well. Measured, with a very good sauce - not smothered- but one or two corners were a bit dry. My chicken piccata was very good. Plenty of chicken. well prepared and seasoned with Al dente pasta. I would have liked a few more capers -my preference- and it was plentiful -providing lunch on the subsequent day. Not the best I ever had but very good.

My wife ordered the shrimp scampi but she was not crazy about it - drowned in overly watery broth.

The Italian couple we dined with had the salmon with risotto, and although I did not taste it, it got high marks. I could tell the risotto was prepared well. (A bit on the starchy side the way I like it). The seafood fra Diablo (I might be butchering it also) looked good with large sea scallops and reportedly had some kick to it.

The tiramisu was excellent very light. The cannolis were slightly disappointing. Although the shell was fresh and had a perfect crunch the ricotta was too light and not substantive enough. A telltale sign .... one was left uneaten. Our friends seemed to enjoy and devour the Oreo cheesecake which also had a very good presentation.

The pros: after about 8 :00 the crowd thinned out and the place got quieter. The night time softer lighting also created a nicer ambiance. The staff was very nice and attentive without being disruptive. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and it helps saving $$$ on the drinks.

We plan on going back maybe on a weekday, a casual outing, Or to maybe enjoy some apps and wine. Not sure if I would go back for a special occasion.

I am wholeheartedly rooting for the place. They could do so much more with it. And I would love for it to become our hidden gem like Stanza...

Wow, wow, and wow again! What a treat that my dear friend Christine and I happened upon this GEM! At first glance it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but when you step inside it’s like entering a whole new world. It is elegant and beautiful, a fantastic combination of fine dining with an atmosphere like coming home. Such a quaint spot with the best quality Italian food I have ever had. Cristiano was the kindest server on the planet, so attentive, and so welcoming! As a worker in the food service industry, I was blown away!

First off, drinks. To our surprise, Arancini has a BYOB policy (SO COOL! People had brought their own bottles of wine to accompany their meals). Other than that, they offer your typical sodas, some juice, and a variety of sparkling and still water options.

Let’s talk food. Right away, they bring fresh, warm, house-made bread, with fantastically seasoned dipping oil. Other than that, we started off with the Caesar salad and the friend mozzarella appetizer. The Caesar salad (despite it being just about the most basic thing that someone can order) was so well put together. It had just the right amount of dressing, and fresh grated, high quality parmesan cheese!

The mozzarella app was quite possible the tastiest thing I have ever put in my mouth. Oh my god, it just about dissolved in my mouth. Imagine the best mozzarella sticks you’ve ever had in your life, but the cheese is so high quality and it is freshly battered and friend minutes before it is brought to your table. Never frozen - just made hot and fresh for you to eat. Don’t even get me started on the marinara sauce. Again, clearly house-made and so fresh. I could’ve had it as a soup!

For a main meal I had the most delicious fettuccini Alfredo. The sauce was TO DIE FOR. The pasta was perfectly cooked (I didn’t know pasta could even taste like that ). I asked for chicken in the pasta and… oh. my. god. I have no words. I mean I can attempt to describe it but I won’t do it justice. Tender, JUICY, and you KNOW it’s authentic because the chicken was battered in egg. I was drooling before I took a single bite. I also added broccoli and it was SO PERFECT. The whole meal, it was just the best food I have ever had I swear.

PLEASE give this place a shot! You’ll probably want a reservation because I don’t think there are more than 10 tables there! It’s small but mighty. Thank you Cristiano for making this...

I ordered take out from here. Got a fettuccini Alfredo with chicken and a Caesar salad. All I can really say is blah.. The pasta was a bit Al dente and I don’t know how to explain this but the sauce had an aftertaste like movie theater popcorn.. very strange.. it just didn’t taste like a typical Alfredo sauce and did NOT look like the photo on their menu. (It’s the sole reason I got it). There were 2 huge pieces of breaded chicken but was a bit tough and on the dry side. The Caesar salad had probably 3.5 croutons in it and lacking cheese. Just a big (and I mean big, rough chopped) bowl of romaine. My boyfriend went to pick this up for me and said it looked nice inside so I’ll give it a 4, but they continuously gave him a hard time because he couldn’t provide the accurate name for pickup. While I appreciate the quadruple check, he gave you my first/last name and the order I placed.. it didn’t match my google identification (which is only my initials..) probably won’t...