Caffe Pompei

We didn’t have time to wait for one of the crazy popular places on a summer Saturday night, so me and my husband wandered into the first place that didn’t require a reservation and had shellfish or vegetarian options for us pescatarians.
We got the mixed shellfish pasta (excellent) and the crab and lobster ravioli.
I… I can’t stop thinking about that ravioli. It was the best used of lobster and crab I’ve had since I moved to New England. Complete and utter heaven.

Walking around North End in the early morning, there aren’t very many places to grab a coffee (before Thinking Cup opens at 7am), but Caffe Pompei had an excellent macchiato ready for me in moments.

First, this place was bought by Frank De Pasquale so it will be renamed to «Trattoria Il Panino» but they are working on the legal stuff!
The service was great. We loved our waitress and she was very pleasant.
The food was delicious. I had the Lasagna and my friends had the steak and the lobster ravioli.
The prices were very good. Not very expensive.
Highly recommended.

Little late open dessert/​coffee/​and small plates restaurant. Their desserts were okay, nothing impressive. I ordered the almond gelato as well as their regular coffee. Both were decent and the service was great. However, I don’t recommend ordering from their appetizer menu, as their calamari was probably the saddest looking dish I have seen.

We were looking for a truly exceptional spot to eat in the North End. We were encouraged by a gentleman to go to Caffee Pompei.
We were immediately sat which was good. Bread that came was mealy and lack luster, it was dry and cold, no butter, no oil. I ordered the Pesta Pasta and my fiancé ordered the Chicken Parm.
Both of ours meals were good but not like «oh I can’t wait to eat the next bite». I ate ¼ of my meal and didn’t care to take the rest home,
Service was nice. The place was pleasant but the food needed work for sure.

I have been going here since the late 70’s. back then it was the go to place for after the clubs broke. usually when entertaining out of town guests, I would bring them here for Espresso or café.
So I just read on twitter that this place been sold and Frankie D is expanding his IL Panino. Anyone with memories of this place should hurry for one last Espresso and sit and remember when this place was the place to go at 2:00 A.M.

Visited for dinner and I’m glad I did. I know Café Pompeii is more known for their café side that’s open in the wee hours of the night, but this review is about their restaurant. My boyfriend and I ordered the calamari for an app, the Veal Nature with Mushrooms and Gnocchi Sorrentino.
I’ve had a lot of calamari and I think Café Pompeii’s version of it was so delicious, one of the best really. Lightly breaded, fresh seafood and marinara sauce, what much can you ask for? The entrees were good, but I’m still missing the calamari. My meal was a bit rich with the veal, beef broth sauce and sauteed mushrooms, but that’s not a bad thing! The gnocchi was good, but there wasn’t too much else going on. Delicious, but a lot simpler than the veal.
Definitely give this place a shot, will try to come back for a late night snack.

While walking through the North End we decided we wanted to grab some to-​go Italian food for the road. As we walked past this restaurant we saw their window stand and decided to give it a shot.
We ended up buying a few of their arancini balls and some croquettes. Both were huge portions and looked like a good deal for the price of $ 3 each.
When we finally got home we gave them a shot and we have to say that they were average but nothing special. Both of these fried foods left a nice stain in the paper bag but they seemed a bit over fried. The ratio of filling to the overall size was a bit small and the croquettes needed a bit more flavor.
That being said, these were great for quick pick up snacks and I could see myself stopping here after drinking in the area. The staff was also very polite.

Came here late night and the bouncer was beyond rude.
Went in to order a pizza and somehow they switch from taking cards to cash only… It’s funny how that happens only at late night.

If I could give it zero stars I would. Just saw a customer get disrespected by the two greeters at the podium. I don’t know why the hostesses are so miserable looking. I thought the point of having a restaurant was to ensure customer satisfaction? Maybe they are just angry because the busiest they get is after 2 am when it becomes filled with drunks who eat here not because it is good but because it is the only thing open.

This place sucks. The waiters are non-​compliant and the owner-​hostess, is rude. Our table ordered over $ 50 worth of pizza and wings, and they refused to serve us even one glass of TAP WATER. Money mongering, rude, and inconsiderate. Will NEVER return here and I live in the North End, nearby.

The food is mediocre at best, you’re basically blackmailed into eating here because nothing else is open. Service is terrible, don’t ask for your waiter, because you will be greeted with aggression, and when your waiter finally does arrive, he will greet you with a, «…[awkward silence] sooooo ya, do you want to order?» Uhm, yes. We would.

We stopped by this restaurant due to it being the first reasonably priced menu on Hanover. Big mistake. We should have spent the extra money on one of the other choices nearby.
I got linguine with white clam sauce. It was swimming in oil. Disgusting. The flavor itself was not heinous, though the portion of pasta was very small. I had more seafood than pasta, which is strange.
My boyfriend got the cheese ravioli Bolognese which he says was «just okay». Probably the best plate of the night.
Our friend, on the other hand, tried the seafood risotto. He ate a few bites and couldn’t continue. Seafood was chewy, rice was crunchy, and it was drenched in a red sauce that didn’t add a positive to the experience.
To top it off, when we got our bill we noticed that each can — yes, CAN — of soda cost $ 3. Ridiculous and frankly offensive markup.
We will never, ever return or recommend this establishment.
Oh, and the walls are filthy. I even took a picture. Gross.

As a near by resident I have given this restaurant numerous tries and I can officially say I am done.
From the moment you walk in you are greeted by a hostess who is on her phone. She acts like you are an inconvenience to her texts. The place is honestly confusing and the staff is beyond rude. If I want to get something to go but sit down at a table near by while I wait that should be no problem, especially when the restaurant is half empty. A PAYING customer should never be yelled at, told what to do or embarrassed in front of other customers. We were mortified. I would avoid this place at all costs.
Needless to say, we took our food to go ate it at home and hours later I was sick in the bathroom. Stay away from the oily, no flavor ziti with meat sauce.
The food here is not good enough to be treated badly. There are so many other late night spots.

Solid late night Italian food. Excellent spaghetti carbonara. Desserts were just ok.
Line out the door at 2:15 am Saturday night

I have been to Pompei a hundred times, I always go there after a night of drinking for pizza and I’ve always had a fine experience. Last night was an absolute disaster. I’m disgusted and i will never go back. Nor will my friends. There was a BOUNCER outside of the restaurant. Its a hole in the wall italian place, why is there a bouncer? the restaurant was basically empty but he made us wait out side in the cold and told us we had to get the pizza to go. There were a ton of open tables, and people were getting pizza and sitting. So we decided to sit. The bouncer came in, yelled us in front of everyone, swore at us, and told us we had to get the pizza to go. I was shocked. It was the most insane experience i’ve ever had at a restaurant. I will NEVER go back.
Hey Pompei, youre not a night club, get rid of the rude bouncer! Hes ruining your business

One of the more «meh» restaurants in the North End. I was here a while back with friends and ordered a pasta primavera dish. The consensus among us was that the food was pretty mediocre. I seem to recall that the service was fine.
We didn’t have a bad experience, but with so many great places to eat in Boston why settle for someplace «meh»?

I’ve been to Café Pompeii on at least 5 occasions, 2 walking out due to the horrible hospitality and service.
1^st Visit — my son and I were the only table, front doors open to the busy September Hannover foot traffic and an amazing thunderstorm that broke open halfway through our meal. Service was good, and the lasagna and seafood linguini were solid choices.
2^nd Visit — 4 of us, 2 visiting from out of town, with 2 other tables occupied. Service was good, food was good, but nothing memorable.
3^rd Visit — treating my parents and kids, 6 total, and the place was empty. It was a summer evening, but the temp was high 60s and the staff refused to open the doors to the street, because the AC was on… although the open entryway to the café portion of the restaurant was open to the street. We left and had a GREAT meal sitting outside at Fiore… a bit more spendy but excellent service, atmosphere, and amazing food all around.
4^th Visit — gelato with my 3 kids; was own off by the neon haired hostess, proceeded to the back where 3 staff members ignored us as they talked about cars and chicks. Walked out and they didn’t care in the least.
5^th Visit — if you’re looking for pizza after a night out, you can get it here… although I would have kept walking, a friend of mine stopped and once again the neon haired hostess was rude and could care less that we were there as customers.
The prices are some of the most reasonable in the North End, and the food hasn’t disappointed. The dining room always seems to be empty, so if you’re looking for a place with no wait and don’t have an expectation of good service, Café Pompeii is a suitable choice. The feeling I’ve received from the staff is they really have no care where you spend your money…

Ouch. This place was… bad. I’m going to try to remain as courteous as possible, but I do want to be honest.
Café Pompeii has always intrigued me for a number of reasons: their cool name, their prime location on Hanover, and their expansive dining room that is constantly full. Eventually I caved and came here for dinner one night with my ex. While I can’t blame Café Pompeii on our break-​up, I can account the restaurant as a proof of his poor taste.
We were seated near the window by a disinterested hostess with vibrant hair and were eventually greeted by the sloppily-​dressed store manager. The staff presentation was beyond lacking, and it didn’t bode well for the meal that would eventually come and be forced down. I ordered a pretty simple dish — eggplant parm. Nothing crazy or special or aggressively expensive. Perhaps I should have invested a few more dollars in my meal because this fiscally responsible dish was of cheap quality.
The marinara sauce was oil and very thin. It barely stuck to my pasta, which was such a hunger turn-​off for me. While the eggplant was not bad, a majority of the flavor is coming from the sauce, and all I could think about was how I could manipulate my fork-​spook combination to ensure that I ingested as much sauce as possible.
I failed, but it was a failure that, in retrospect, I was very grateful for. If I had more of that meal than what I had actually consumed, I could have gone home sicker than I already was.
Perhaps this was the downfall of my relationship with my ex…

We came here after a night out in the Fanueil Hall area. This was the place to go since they are open late, which is (sadly) a rarity in Boston.
We were promptly seated upon our arrival. We ordered a pizza with different toppings, and it was delicious. The standard pepperoni was m favorite. It was not too thin or thick, the perfect consistency, and it was piping hot. I also liked that it wasn’t too greasy.
The convenience of the time along with a decent meal at 1 a.m. are enough to bring me back again.