Polcari's Restaurant — Restaurant in Woburn

This will be long - so summary - Pizza excellent. Service horrible, infection control concerns.

I will start by saying the host was very pleasant and helpful. It was a Wednesday night at 7:30 and was going to be a 20 min wait so he offered for us to go upstairs. We went up and although at first when I saw karaoke, I was worried we stayed. There were some women who sang with beautiful voices and a child who was wonderful. It wasn't very busy, but the bartender who is also the server seemed very frazzled from the moment she came over to us. I always give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they have something personal going on and had a bad day. Unfortunately things got worse. We ordered a watermelon/blueberry sangria(I don't recommend) and a beer. We wanted to put our food order in right away but didn't get a chance. We ordered a cheese pizza and an Italian Sausage calzone. It took a while but the karaoke singers kept us entertained. I noted that they brought DIRTY dishes TO the bar and the bartender had to load them into a dishwasher I assume. She didn't wash her hands after that and before making the next drink and serving food. We were brought very large calzone and pizza and didn't see her again until I had stacked the dishes. (We were seated in front of the bar.) The Calzone had Green peppers in it, which my husband can't eat. It was our fault for not asking, but most places list "peppers" on the menu and this one just had "vegetables". We asked for just a box for left over pizza. We were going to leave it at that, assuming it was our fault. I would have left and probably not have gone back, but only because of the infection control issue I saw and general lack of customer service. You would think she would have been concerned we didn't eat the calzone(see photo of calzone when we were "finished"), but instead she became accusatory. I had to get up and walk out in front of the singer and leave before I said something not so nice to her. I went down stairs while my husband paid the bill. She said, "I'm sorry I upset you as I walked away. " She didn't offer to take the item off the bill, but after seeing how upset I was my husband asked her to. Her comment was "Well, did you read the menu?" When he told her it didn't say peppers, she said, "Yes it does. in a sarcastic tone" We went back and forth - so much for Customer is always right (by the way we were - see photo of menu). I assume it was the manager asked if everything was alright while I was downstairs as she walked down the steps and I said, well she probably needs some customer service retraining. Her response was I apologized, how many times can I say I'm sorry without ever looking up at me. She truly did not appear the least bit sorry. The manager didn't ask any questions about what had happened and I was there for another 3-5 minutes waiting for my husband to come down the elevator, and he didn't say a word to me.

I rarely write a negative review, and will usually address any concerns with management, but by the end of this, anything I said was going to not be very nice. He had ample opportunity to ask me and he chose not to.

My suggestion for customers you come here. Eat in the restaurant, not at the bar. It looked very nice. The pizza was very good. If you have any immune system issues, I would consider another place, as I don't think their staff follow good infection control procedures.

Side note - for those that may need accessible information. My husband travels in a wheelchair. No handicapped spots available on a Wed night at 7:30, but plenty of other spots in the lot that had room next to them for him to get wheelchair out. There is one handicap spot faded but a sign that says do not park here - Valet (not sure what is up with that, no Valet in sight and not sure why you would use one). Parking lot has a bit of a hill to get to the ramp. If you do want to go upstairs to the bar, there is an elevator, the very nice host...

Polcari’s: A Local’s Table, Served Loud and Proud Some places change with the times. Polcari’s doesn’t—and that’s exactly why we keep coming back. It’s been the heartbeat of Italian-American comfort in Woburn: big plates, bold flavors, and the kind of atmosphere where the louder the table, the better the meal. Three different rooms to enjoy and a huge fireplace throwing some flickering light. The custom signage, lamp posts inside making it look outside was a twist.

You don’t just eat here—you gather. Families, regulars, first-timers who become lifers. The food’s built for sharing, the portions are generous, and the kitchen moves with such precision I asked them to slow down—just to savor the craft. They laughed. Fast is second nature when tradition runs this deep. The head chef was like make it right and watching dishes before leaving the kitchen.

What I Order—And What I Tell Friends to Try: Sweet Sausage Cavatappi: Not just good-looking—it’s rich, creamy, and hits every note.

Antipasto: A spread of meats, cheeses, olives, and marinated vegetables that sets the tone for a proper family meal.

Artichoke Margherita: Lemon garlic sauce over sautéed spinach—bright, balanced, and quietly addictive.

Eggplant Rollatini or Chicken Florentine: Both bring heat and heart, layered with cheese and sauce that’s clearly made with pride.

Chicken Parmesan? Always a winner. But the Piccata and Marsala are where the chefs flex their finesse.

The Reginas Specialty Pizza? Light sauce spicy sweet and Italian oil on the crust that’s been perfected over generations. The perfect dough how its created and the resting time before cooking matters. It’s Legend approaching 100 years and is well known in pizza circles. In other words, not just the red sauce. Crunchy crust you could hear crackling when cutting, fresh toppings, and a sauce Whether it’s the Buffalo Chicken or tomato Create-Your-Own, this is the kind of pie that makes you proud to be from Massachusetts. Best tip I’ve ever gotten? Bring a spare pizza home. It’ll disappear by morning.

More Than a Meal—It’s a Community Hub: Kids Eat Free Mondays (with entrée purchase)—a lifesaver for families.

Trivia Nights & Karaoke—always something happening, always someone singing Sinatra.

Bar Lunch Menu—even on a slow day, it’s buzzing.

Events & Special Occasions—they handle it all, and the menu’s big enough to please every palate.

Polcari’s is low-key, high-flavor, and deeply rooted in the kind of hospitality that doesn’t need to be taught—it’s inherited. It’s where we recharge, reconnect, and remember that food isn’t just...

Service is always slow, so we expected it, but our experience tonight was comical.

We arrived at 6:15, early for our reservation, and were seated promptly. As we have been many times and know how slow service can be, we told our server we were also ready to order when she came over for our drink order. We think we are doing great, order in by 6:30

I tried to order a sausage bianco calzone with just sausage and peppers instead of the roasted vegetables.

Around 6:45 the waitress comes back with our drinks.

35 minutes after putting in our food order, the food came out. The other 3 meals for our table were correct and the runner had a plate of sausage and peppers for me. Being that it was oriented on the tray closest to her, she tried to serve me first. When I said it wasn’t what I ordered, the runner left without a word and didn’t give anyone else their food.

After a few minutes of nothing, I decided to serve everyone else their meals. A server walking by started to help as I got to the last dish, and also took the incorrect sausage and peppers back to the kitchen.

A couple more minutes go by and the manager comes over to apologize, confirm what I actually tried to order, said he was going to expedite it, and said he was taking my meal off the bill.(Thank you)

By now, it is around 7:12. As time proceeds to slow to a crawl, we get a couple reassurances that my calzone will be right out.

7:30 still nothing.

7:40 our waitress brings the bill and asks if I still want the calzone. (?!?!) I look at the bill, and the sausage and pepper dinner is reversed, but the calzone is still on the bill. I got up and spoke to the manager and he corrected the oversight.

7:45 (yes 1.5 hours and still no food for me) comes and I am getting visibly antsy and my wife convinces me to stay 5 more minutes.

At 7:50 I give up, grab my daughter’s leftovers and head for the door. By some stroke of luck, because my daughter took some time to put her crayons in the box before leaving, the calzone actually came. I would this out while I was waiting for the valet to retrieve my truck.

On the way home, we’re driving and my kids pointed out we were on the road that goes by our go-to pizza & sub shop when we order in at home. My wife joked that Polcari’s could have taken our order, call said sub shop, sent a driver there and back 2 towns over and gotten me food...