Carlo’s Cucina Italiana

Delicious food. Had the Oso Bucco con risotto special — fantastic. Friendly people too and a cool setting. Recommend 100%.

incredibly good. nice feel. cozy. but oh man then food was spot-​on. pink sauce pink sauce pink sauce. do it.

What a wonderful, little, Italian restaurant. The service is great, as is the food, while the prices are reasonable. We started with the Gamberi (Shrimp) Grand Marnier (which should not be missed), and continued on the Veal Marsala and Linguine Frutti di Mare. Everything was superb.

We told to try this place by the recommendation from Jack Eichel of Buffalo sabers Best food we had on our whole Boston trip

Came in at a rather odd lunch time (3 pm) and was pleasantly surprised to find a hidden gem in allston that wasn’t asian food. People say this place parallels that of the places in north shore and I for one agree as well, except this place is also much cheaper. I ordered the special for the day which was mussels and tilapia with pasta and spicy red sauce. I found everything to be absolutely delicious. The tilapia wasn’t over cooked but was filled with flavor from the tomatoes to the garlic to the onions. Everything on my plate was perfect. I rarely give 5 stars but I truly believe this place deserves 5 stars fantastic

Absolutely loved Carlos’. I went with my boyfriend last week and it was a wonderful experience. Although the seating was cramped the service was fast and the food exquisite. We shared a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and he got the Fruti de Mar which featured homemade pasta and amazing flavors of the sea. Highly recommend the Fruti de Mar

You do not have to go to the North End to get Boston’s best Italian food. This place is on par with North End’s best places, and easily knocks out the rest.
Parking and driving is a lot less hectic than North End, where I literally want to pull out my hair, avoiding cars/​pedestrians, while trying to navigate down narrow one-​way streets in futile search. Parking in Allston is no piece of cake either, but 10x better than North End.
Enough of the logistics.
Their food is amazing! Best bruschetta I’ve ever had. They use very fresh tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and perfectly toasted bread. Their fusilli (corkscrew pasta) is to die for. I love it on their broccoli and sausage. They have succulent tortellini. I was a bit hesitant, since there was no meat on their tomato tortellini, but it was a winner!
I can’t wait to come back and try more of their pasta dishes. And of course, get bruschetta every single time.

Who says you need to go to North End for good Italian food?! As of right now, Carlo’s is my Italian food go-​to in Boston. This small and intimate restaurant is right in the heart of Allston, and is the perfect place for you to get your pasta fix in a neighborhood dominated by Asian, Middle Eastern and Indian food spots. Since everyone in my family likes to share their food with one another when we go out to eat, I got to try a bunch of different dishes. Something that I found to be consistent in all the dishes was the freshness of the pasta, which tasted like it was made in-​house! I ordered the Butternut Squash Ravioli with Shrimp and a Butter Sage sauce (a daily special) which was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had; the shrimp was incredible, and everything about the dish was rich and flavourful. I also got a chance to try the Lobster Ravioli, the Veal Osso Buco (another daily special) and the Fettuccine Marysa; all of them were fantastic, and very generous portion sizes. Our server did a great job at recommending dishes and was quick to refill our water glasses when we ran low. I found the owner and our server very pleasant, which definitely added to the experience. Overall, I had such a great time at Carlo’s and can’t believe it’s taken me this long to eat there!

Authentic Italian food, made with fresh ingredients and reliable attentive friendly wait staff. Prices are reasonable, parking is a nightmare. One of the best restaurants in Boston, it’s an unknown gem out in the wilds of Allston. The menu is creative, but not too trendy or precious.
Be prepared to wait, or make a reservation. The restaurant is small, and it gets a little noisy when it’s full. This place gets packed, but it’s completely worth the wait. It’s nice for lunch, too.

The food is AMAZING!!! Definitely gives you a piece of the North End right in Allston. The family is very friendly and you can tell they take pride in their business and aim to give you the best service! But, back to the food… I ordered calamari as an appatizer and the Lobster Ravioli w/​Salmon dish… SOOOOO GOOOOOD!!! Everything was cooked perfectly! Huge portions (so of course I took some home)! Even with a college sports team of 27 people who arrived right before us, we still got our food in a timely manner.
Only tiny issues were that we were placed in a really tight corner on the basement level, and they only had ⁴⁄₅ wines available by the glass so I didn’t get anything besides water to drink. Other than that, I’ll definitely return! =)

The best Italian food around!!! Restaurant is cute and tiny. I have been at least 10 times. Staff is always pleasant and helpful. Portions are huge!!! I love all the food from
dessert! You can not go wrong here. They will accommodate your cravings by adding meats to pasta or switching sauces. I can’t say enough good things about this place. Be prepared for a wait Most nights and weekends, if you do have to wait it’s totally worth it!!!

Absolutely everything was fantastic. If you want Italian and don’t want to deal with the lines of the North End, come here. It’s the same energy as a North End restaurant, with food every bit the equal of the best places. Service was friendly and attentive, too!
If you walk in and nobody is at the front, before the curtain, either wait a little, or poke your head through and catch someone’s attention and you’ll be helped shortly.
Get the lobster.
Get the fettuccine marysa.
Just go here and get something. You will be happy you did.

The best ever I had the chefs spacial with lobster and a terimisu, the best ahh I’m making this my usual spot to come relax and enjoy a great meal and a special thanks to Irene she’s was my hottest and very very helpful and great.!!

If you are looking at North End restaurants trying to decide where to go for good Italian – forget the North End, skip the crowds and crazy parking, and just GO HERE!
Food: Amazing. We had the fried calamari (the one sauteed with peppers, olives, and artichoke), the antipasto, the veal special, the salmon, the eggplant Cristiano, and a sausage/​broccoli rabe dish. Every single component of every dish was delicious. For dessert we had the chocolate bomba and the flan (homemade with a fantastic caramel sauce). If I absolutely had to pick out flaws – the bread served at the beginning of the meal was a little tough, and the eggplant had a bit too much cheese on it for my taste.
Service: The servers are incredibly warm, funny, personable, and welcoming. You will feel like family by the time you leave. The owners introduce themselves. We got hugs on the way out! A very special experience.
Atmosphere: Here is one area I would recommend improvement, but I won’t take away a star because the food and service matter so much more to me. The walls are green and the ceiling is blue, which is fine – but they use a combo of fluorescent and incandescent lighting. This makes for a strange blue-​green glow over the room when it’s dark outside and I was distracted by this the entire time.
Bottom line: I will get over the funky lighting and recommend this place to all my friends and this will be my go-​to place to take family when they come to visit!

Delicious Italian food in Allston. I got the fusilli, which was homemade and so good, and carbonara for sauce. I will come back here.
I did not give it 5 stars because it smelled a little weird, like cigarettes and sweat, but that might’ve been because the window was open.

I faithfully ordered from here for lunch at least once a month. I always got the chicken broccoli ziti. The sauce is home made, the chicken is cut perfect and the broccoli isn’t overcooked.
But then I moved to Allston and decided to order for dinner…
I called in to pick up my order, the place was crowded and the lady completely forgot about my order.
When I received it, she shoved it at me and walked away. When I got home, the food was cold, the sauce was clumpy and it tasted disgusting. I tossed it, couldn’t even finish it.
I stopped going there after that. I’m so sad I had to let go of my favorite Italian place.
Ps. They are hesitant to take credit cards if you aren’t spending enough. –_–

Solid Italian food. We came 15 mins before they closed and still received good service. Our waitress was friendly and helpful in recommending dishes. I had the chicken parmigiana which was delicious. My wife had the lasagna. It didn’t have much meat in it (actually I felt like there was no meat in it at all). It tasted like cheese and noodles. We sent the dish back and got a salad to replace it. This is a good place to get a decent meal. A nice place to go for date night.

My nose is super duper sensitive these days so I was instantly hit with the pungent smell of cumin as soon as we hit the door… ¡No Bueno!
I was looking forward to a manicotti dish and should have browsed the menu before we came so I would not be disappointed. I settled with the lasagna although I was afraid the pork and veal would not agree with me and I was right :-/​
We were served with room temperature bread and olive oil that was very flavorful and delicious. Definitely 4 stars in my book.
After taking my lasagna back, I ordered the house salad so I would have something on my stomach. The salad was really good and the dressing was even better. I give this place 4 stars because they tried their best to accommodate me although we arrived 15 mins before they closed.

I’ve been to Carlo’s twice as it’s a favorite of my Italian parents.
The place is small and gets PACKED. Barely any elbow room. The second time we went, we were seated in the even tinier «basement» area. In once sense, it’s nicer because it’s quieter, but it’s a bit awkward as there are only 2 – 3 tables down there. In addition, my mom was seated in extremely close proximity to a door to the kitchen, which was bothersome as people kept going in and out.
However, the staff are incredibly friendly and ready to make conversation or joke with everyone.
The bread and olive oil to start is great, and the portions, as others have noted, are large. Easily 2 – 3 meals per plate. My first visit I opted for the Chicken Parmigiana, which was just alright – the chicken was a bit tough, but the sauce and breading were good. My second trip I went with the Tortellini, which was slightly better, but I felt like the pasta/​cheese ratio was off in that there was too much pasta.
My sisters and mom are big fans of the Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina, and I’ll definitely go with that on subsequent trips. The flavor is pretty good, maybe could be better, but the texture is awesome. Fluffy and soft!
If you’re looking for a nice Italian place for a date or a bit more formal occasion, Carlo’s isn’t a bad choice. Definitely make a reservation if going at beak dinner hours or with a large group.

Food: 4 stars
Service: 2.5 stars
Was in the mood for good Italian and my date suggested this cute establishment in Allston. Of course I didn’t agree until I read the Unilocal reviews and was surprised I haven’t been here before. The reviews sounded great, nice menu.
We got there on the late side, around 9pm. I was bothered by the fact they only had beer and wine. Well that’s all they had on their menu … I later saw Frangelico, Grand Marnier and other bottles at the bar that I did not see on their list. Oh well we got beer and wine, it was fine. We were greeted with bread and super fresh olive oil. Started with the Ceasar and that was great but even the server said «It’s hard to mess up a salad».
I got the chicken parm which was HUGE and delicious. I didn’t really care for the penne — not a whole lot of flavor and zero cheese. It didn’t say what kind of pasta it came with on the menu and I would have gotten the fusilli instead if I had a choice. As I said portions were large, I had half mine to take home. My date got the shrimp scampi and cleaned the plate.
Everything was great until toward the end of the meal the staff was getting ready to go before we finished! The servers were super loud and really unprofessional. They were singing, complaining about other staff, it was like we weren’t there! Our server was generally nice but the staff as a whole was unimpressive. I don’t think a manager was on duty. With all the other fabulous places on Brighton Ave I doubt we’ll be back.