Chianti Cafe

Ate at Chianti Café last Friday night. We sat at the bar, the service was not poor, the décor is very old and dark. Bread was not great, salad was OK. My husband got veal and it was the worst thing he has ever had, I ordered the pasta with pesto which seemed like it came out of a jar. Overpriced for lousy food! My brother went a few weeks before us and said it was terrible.

Several friends of ours who live on the North Shore and recently had their first babies told us about the Chianti Café and the famous labor-​inducing Pumpkin Ravioli. Last Saturday, my wife was six days past due and we had tried all of the other well-​known labor triggers, so we decided to drive to Beverly from Boston and try our luck. By 6 am the next morning my wife was having contractions and she delivered our son a few minutes before midnight on Sunday ¹²⁄₂₀. Was it the Pumpkin Ravioli that did it? We can’t say for certain, but for now we consider it the number one suspect! Happy Holidays!

We started with the pear pancetta which was ok but a little on the tough side. The arugula salad was small so if you’re planning to share it beware. I got the Osso Busso which was just okay, and my fiancé got the risotto di Mari which again was just okay. The food was bland…
The best part was the taramisu and espresso cocktail for dessert.
We waited around for the band which was a disappointment. We were expecting jazz music in a jazz bar and got a 50’s cover band.
Don’t waste your money.

Nice relaxing atmosphere but the food was disappointing. The frutti di Mari really had no flavor. My wife had the rizzoto and was also underwhelmed. The crème caramel was very good otherwise I would have to give Chianti only 2 stars.

Went last night with a group. A pop cover band was playing. Food was good but not for the price. The service was spotty and understaffed. I think it would be a good place for a couple to go when no band is playing. For the food anyways.

A bit disappointed on my second visit… first one wasn’t very memorable either.
If it wasn’t for their quality entertainment, I might not go there at all.
On my last visit, our waitress (bartender) wasn’t very attentive.
When you have to ask for water, and wait… then ask again, and wait… wait for drinks, wait, wait.
The food was average, service spotty… will return just for drinks at the bar next time I’m at the Cabot… which seems to make this place a captive audience.

I tried Chianti Café with a friend this past week after getting a recommendation. We went in on a Wednesday night around 6:30 and sat in the dining room. I like the dining room– a bit dark, but cozy! I appreciate that the décor takes the restaurant up a notch, but the food is very affordable.
We had the complimentary bread and garlic spread which tasted good, but would have been excellent if the bread was warm.
We each had a glass of Chianti (might as well!) and it was very nice.
We ordered the $ 20 pre fix meals, I got the vegetable risotto and she got the eggplant/​pasta dish. We both enjoyed our meals, although I would like to try other things on the menu. We passed on dessert but there were quite a few things that looked tasty! As we were leaving, love music was playing in the lounge bring enjoyed by a full room.
Staff was polite, informed and attentive. I will be coming back to Chianti.

Have been twice– sorry I had not found this place sooner. The music drew us in the first time (and second) but the food was a great addition. We sat in the bar to eat and enjoy the live entertainment. We all had a decent meal– there are some very different Italian dishes you do not see on Italian menus around Boston. The Spiedini was a great appetizer that also makes a good light meal. The calamari dish was far too strongly flavored– a good idea gone awry. It is butterflied, then breaded in parmesan and fried. The light lemon aioli was good idea but the parmesan was far too strong– if you order it definitely share it. The zucchini pasta is a great alternative and my friend loved it.
Have to say that both times I have been the service has been slow. We had to go to the bartender to get our drinks since the waitress never really came over. Same with the check.
The entertainment is top notch– they say they have been voted one the top 50 Jazz rooms in the country and I could agree. The room is intimate and the musical experience was wonderful.

Mouth watering food, exceptional service, and amazing jazz; all in 1 place! I’ve been going to Chianti for 20 years. It’s always fabulous. Highly recommended!

Our first visit to Chianti was quite disappointing. We were waiting for a couple of other people to join us so we ordered drinks and a couple of appetizers to start off. Things started out on the wrong foot when a couple of the women in our group sent back Sangria because it was terrible. We had the buffalo chicken meatballs which were okay and the olive plate which was just a plate of mediocre olives swimming in tasteless oil. Of the dishes at the table nobody had a really good meal. It was a mix of okay and bad. The worst of the bunch was the Eggplant Paradiso (Eggplant Parmesan variation), that any chain Italian restaurant could outperform. The Chicken Bosciola, (chicken with mushrooms and pasta in a wine sauce) was also quite bad. Most plates went back half full and when the waitress asked if anyone wanted the rest wrapped up it was a chorus of no’s. This is usually a good signal for the server to recognize that the meals were not good. She had never come back to ask so that would have been her only way to know.
The service was also quite poor. Our waitress disappeared for long periods of time and our glasses stayed empty.
The highlight was definitely the band that went on around 9 PM. I might go back for a drink and the entertainment but not for the food.

This used to be one of my favorites but recently has become rather mediocre in menu, preparation and especially wait staff, who seem bored, unenthusiastic and poorly trained. With all The other choices near by I’d choose another.

Best service ever, and the food was out of this world. Don’t let the décor fool you, this spot is a total gem.

Fantastic!!! Great choice for vegans as they have a zucchini pasta on the menu. If you call a few days in advance and let them know you are a vegan they will coordinate with the restaurant across the street and bring you vegan desserts etc. also there is live music! Great place to eat as a vegan with non-​vegan friends!

A great place to relax, have a cocktail and listen to jazz/​blues. I like that the jazz lounge is separate from the regular dining room.
The staff is always friendly and attentive. Food and drinks are always good.

Great service! great jazz! great food!

This once exceptional restaurant in downtown Beverly has surely lost it. Food that had always been highly flavorful has fallen in taste to the point of being bland and a recent visit turned out to be one of the lousiest dining experiences imaginable. The service was so slow it became comical highlighted by a 25 minute wait at my table nursing a glass of water before ordering a first drink. My meal, a pretentious chicken dish murdered by thousands of mushrooms, needed a lot of salt before it became even remotely tasty. It had been about two years since I’d been to Chianti. As I left this time, I couldn’t help but wonder «what went wrong?»

Great vibe and ambiance (love the veranda in the back). Wine list is small but good. Appetizers, especially the calamari, are great.
Main dishes and service? Eh.
I ordered the bolognese, which tasted extremely acidic and almost a bit sour. I asked the waitress what was in it, and she replies «bolognese is in it». Um, ok. I asked her again, then she fumbles for the menu to read off the description. I could have done that. I asked her, finally, to check with the chef. She comes back and says, «he told me he makes it like he always makes it». Still not an answer to the question «what is in this?»
She took it off the bill, without me asking, which I’ll giver her credit for. But she was overall a bit gruff. We also asked her about the hazelnut cake that is posted on the restaurant’s Unilocal page. She replied, «I’ve never heard of that, we’ve never had that as long as I’ve been here, and we only have what’s on the menu». Again, it’s one thing to not have the item, but you could at least acknowledge that it exists as it is the FIRST PICTURE ON YOUR Unilocal PAGE!!!
I’d go back and sit at the bar for a glass of wine and that ethereal calamari. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll find out what was in that weirdly-​tasting bolognese as well as try the mysterious hazelnut cake.

I was here a couple weeks ago with my mother for dinner. I’ve been before but mostly for snacks and drinks with the music.
First I love the energy and ambiance. The service is amazing, we had Sarah who is amazingly sweet, attentive and with good suggestions yet not overbearing. Major kudos.
We started with burrata cheese tomato dish which was delicious. I had the New York jazz smash or someone like that for a cocktail. I know they had bourbon and a red wine floater, f-​ing amazing. My mother said they made one of the best dirty martinis she has had out.
My mom had the chicken piccata on special, and I had the pumpkin tortellini in a Gorgonzola cream sauce with pears and walnuts. Both were epic. Great spot.
The live jazz is amazing too. Cute date spot (go to the bar or bar area have drinks and test out a first date here live music and drinks perfect).

You will certainly leave feeling fortunate to see some incredible musicians performing here. It’s too bad they aren’t in charge of the kitchen. The menu is a bore and the food lacks taste & talent. It’s a shame. I can’t imagine his often things are sent back.
Drinks are good. Service is sub par if not indifferent.

Ambience — love it
Prices– very very expensive
Food — good, but not excellent for the price
Parking– tough on Cabot, recommend Judson st lot.
I think for 2 pasta dishes with 2 beers each it was just shy of $ 100.