Caffe Graffiti

Meh… disappointing
Let me start with what was great about this place:
The view of the city while sitting outside. Yup that’s it.
I should have known better and made a reservation somewhere else on a Saturday evening in the North End. This was the only place that we could find that had a table open… never a good sign.
Our waiter was more interested in smoking on the side of the building than remembering to bring our drinks or water. The food — blah. We started with the eggplant rollatini — rubbery and unimpressive. For dinner I had the shrimp scampi, it had absolutely no flavor… and the shrimp was dry. Desert you ask? No thank you!
I will not be making a second appearance here.

Came here hoping for a North End café with killer espresso and maybe some desserts after a big meal… expecting ambiance, a place for a good conversation, and some good coffee. Didn’t eat anything, the espresso wasn’t horrible but nothing amazing, and we made the mistake of sitting at the bar. With a barista/​bartender who wasn’t exactly a people-​person that day. It was a «meh» experience to be sure.
Worst part was watching him wipe up a milk spill then use the same nasty rag to clean the milk frother/​steamer. Is that standard practice?
After we left we walked a block over and passed by two other cafes that would have fit the bill perfectly! They’re out there, you just gotta look for them.

2 stars instead of one for the kindness of the waiter.
Normal Saturday night. My fiancé and I take a walk and then decide to grab something in North End.
The appetizer was a portion of calamari. A little bit over cooked, but eatable. Then the truth came:
I am a big fan of pizza, and in particular of the pizza margherita, the simplest of the pizzas, the one able to tell everything about the quality of the ingredients and the ability of the cook. Well, I got the idea while eating that pizza… I could not finish it and I even did not want to take it home. My question is: how could you add black peppercorn to a pizza margherita?
Disappointing.

Ambiance:
We decided to check this place after buying a «Groupon» type deal for half off. We ended up going for an early dinner at 5:30 as we were going to see a comedy show after. When we got there the windows were open and only a few tables were seated. The windows being open would have been great altough this was a chilly June evening. Lucky for my girlfriend, they ended up closing them halfway through our meal so she wasn’t shivering the whole time.
Food :
I got the special, a seafood risotto and my girlfriend got the chicken parm. The risotto was nice and creamy, tons of seafood, but for someone who loves seafood, thought it had a little too much of a seafood mix and taste. The presentation was great, but not eater friendly, I had to remove the tails from the shrimp and remove the shells.
Service:
Waiter was nice and quick. Food was out extremely fast and his recommendatons were good.
Overall:
Food was good, just a little expensive. They only had beer and wine. Not sure if I would go back.

I like that they let us sit and enjoy a meal without rushing us from the table. Perfect mid-​week outdoor spot when the weather is good.
Food is overpriced, but I guess you have to pay up for the location. Also, this is more than just pizzas, the Pasta is good too.
Great spot for impromptu groups, but call ahead, even if it’s 10 minutes so they can put some tables together for you.

I had lunch at Café Graffiti with a few of my friends over Memorial Day weekend, and I was impressed! I have an Italian mom and I was impressed — that’s how good my pasta was.
For some reason, they were only serving the dinner menu that day — perhaps because it was Sunday? Who knows. But I had the Fusilli di Casa, which was phenomenal. Most of the food on the menu is stuff I’d make at home, but when I’m home I don’t have the experience of people watching on a patio in the North End. When I say this, I am not minimizing the quality of their food — I am very picky about my Italian food and I refuse to recommend restaurants whose cooks can’t cook simple Italian food as well or better than I can.
I forget what my friends ordered for entrees, but they were all pleased. We split the bruschetta trio — I highly recommend it — just make sure you get to the white bean dip first, because it’s delicious and it’ll be gone before you know it. Friendly, attentive, and accomodating service. I will definitely go to Café Graffiti again.

I had the BEST cappuccino here. The only reason I’m reluctant to give it 5 stars is that I haven’t tried anything else but when my friend and I walked in on Saturday, we were promptly seated and given our drinks pretty quickly.
THE BEST cappuccino I’ve ever tasted. Please, if you’re a caffeine addict, you need to try this.

Went in during a snow storm, got the buywithme coupon… GREAT food! Nice atmosphere… overall an awesome experience.
Had the calamari, chicken parm, tiramisu and lobster tail (yeah, it was a bit much)…
The service was great too! Although since it was a storm, it wasn’t overly crowded!
Prices were very reasonable! Will definitely go back!

After reading the other reviews I think we can all agree that the service here is horrible. Our waiter was a very obnoxious little man indeed. The main reason we came here was because we looked at their lunch menu outside and, not being very hungry, wanted to order something quick and small. When he gave us the dinner menus I asked him if they had the lunch menu that was advertised outside and his only response was «No» before turning and walking away. If it wasn’t so cold outside we probably would have got up and left but we stayed and ordered some very ordinary Caesar salad and undercooked Calamari.
I doubt if we’d ever waste our time and money here again.

Honestly, when I read all of the negative reviews, I figured we had made a serious mistake in coming to Caffe Graffiti for an early lunch. BUT it was cold, we were hungry, and there was very little else open in the North End at almost noon on a Sunday, so in we came. As we were entering, an older gentleman standing outside assured us that we had made a good choice, and that we’d have «the best cappuccino in town», which was very cute. Apparently he’s a die-​hard regular, which is cool in my book.
We seated ourselves in one of the few open tables, (which turned out to be horribly wobbly, so we ended up moving as soon as another table was clean), and looked over the somewhat limited brunch menu. I quickly decided on the lobster croissant (I’m guessing this is Caffe Graffiti’s version of the lobster roll), and my husband opted for a general 2 eggs breakfast with a couple of sides.
I do have to say that service was surly at best. When our server finally came over to our table, she simply stared at us until we stuttered uncomfortably through our orders, then she picked up the menus and left. I don’t believe she actually uttered any words, and forget about a smile.
However, the cappuccinos were good, my husband enjoyed his breakfast, and my lobster croissant was pretty freaking good (there was fresh basil on it, which was a nice touch), so I’m still going to give 3 stars, even with crappy service. I will forgive a lot if there’s good lobster involved. Plus, the owner (?) or someone did come to our table to see how we liked our meal.
The area where we sat had plenty of windows overlooking Boston, exposed brick walls, granite topped tables and wood floors. It was cozy, inviting, and let in plenty of winter light, which was nice.
Prices were reasonable, and we left full and happy… and were thanked by the hostess as we left. I don’t know that we’d be back again, but it wasn’t the mistake I feared, so Caffe Graffiti is indeed A-​OK to me.

Really terrible. The service was terrible, and the server was obnoxious. The wine list is seriously lacking– we tried every glass of red on their list, and they were all bad. They ran out of the only good beer on the menu after 1 bottle.
When we finally got menus, it wasn’t the same as the one on the website. Very few vegetarian options, and even though they have a full bar– we couldn’t get drinks at the table.
This may be the first restaurant you see as you walk into the North End, but there are 500 better ones right behind it.

What the hell? I came to the North End for THIS?
In short — the meal was average at best, WAAAY overpriced [cashing in on the North End ‘brand’] and super cramped on the inside. The waitstaff, or «Frank» the owner is a great guy with good intentions. But he should have stuck to the pastry business.
One plus — is that the coffee was awesome and very authentic.
Also — if any Mafioso reads this and disagrees, please don’t kill me.

SHORT VERSION: GLAD I had a ½ PRICE PRE-​PAID CARD…
This place was empty and the waiter was still impatient & annoyed.
We wanted to eat outdoors, but arrived to find their patio EMPTY. The waiter tells us we should eat inside, because it’s getting cold out, and other diners have moved inside. SO… we let him lead us in…
…to another EMPTY DINING ROOM! Where are these «other diners?» Despite the lack of work for the waiter, he still gave off an air of IRRITATION, ATTITUDE & ANNOYANCE.
I was served 6 or 8 RAVIOLI… FOR A DINNER PORTION. I’m a small girl, and I left hungry. SALAD WAS NOT INCLUDED. The prices were NOT CHEAP. The ravioli was NOT MEMORABLE. The atmosphere was NON-​EXISTENT.

«Hi, welcome to our completely empty restuarant. Just apps and some drinks? please feel free to stand at our bar and look out over our completely empty patio that we are reserving for people who are planning on ordering dinner (but apparently are just not going to show up)»
Shoving everyone to a small bar area if they don’t commit to having a full meal, forcing them to gaze at a fully empty restaurant and patio — well that’s just plain dumb business sense. especially when this guy walked in, laughed at the hostess for such a ridiculous rule, then promptly walked across the street and sunk a solid $ 70 into their competitions’ till.

Groupon expiration for this place was approaching fast, so the boyfriend and I stopped by for an impromptu brunch one gorgeous Sunday. And can I just say I am so glad I did not pay a cent for this meal.
Service was utterly abysmal. Had to seat ourselves, were ignored by staff, finally served by horribly bitchy, unsmiling waitress (why am I dropping the subjects in these clauses… I don’t know…), endured awful coffee-​flavored cocktail with too much ice and zero flavor (besides coffee). And it wasn’t just us. All the guests in tables around us were looking lost, then annoyed at the complete lack of service.
The food was decent but it’s so simplistic an amputated monkey could make it. I had the Carbonara with a side of home fries. Noodles that clearly came out of a box, potato pieces that clearly came out of a package – yeah, nothing to write home about. The boy had the Scramble with a side of smokehouse sausage. Again, nothing remarkable in any way (they didn’t have jam for the accompanying toast, much to his disappointment).
Paid with our Groupon and left without a single «thank you» from the several staff members milling about. Yeah, I won’t be coming back. Shit-​ty service, thy name is Caffe Graffiti.

My wife and I were tired after a long day of touring Boston and wanted to try some pizza in little Italy.
We got a seat by the open window and it was awesome watching the people of Boston walk by on a beautiful day.
I ordered a Diet Coke and we got a pizza with proshuetto witout cheese (My wife doesn’t like cheese on her pizza)
The pizza came out like a flat bread and it was amazing. Thin crispy crust with a nice sauce. I added grated parmesan and hot peppers and it made it fantastic.
The service was fantastic and an overall great dinner.

So as promised I returned to Café Graffitti to try out the actual café section. It could not have been a better evening. We were lucky enough to be seated by an open window overlooking the city.
My boyfriend and I split the Caprice’s pizza and chicken Cesar salad. Both were absolutely delicious. The chicken came out hot on the salad (I happen to hate cold chicken) and the dressing was thick and creamy. The pizza was also pretty tasty, all the ingredients were fresh.
The service was decent, but it is the ambiance that makes this place. It has a little bit of an «high end» feeling without losing the café vibe. Definitely a great place to grab a drink, whether it is coffee or wine. Just make sure if you want dinner, you specify you want to eat in the café!

Middle of it all
Crisis of identity?
Great dinner for two
Hit up this North End re-​invention on a Friday night, and found it to seemingly be in the midst of an identity crisis. It’s not a typical café with pastry and coffee, not quite a bar with tv’s and appetizers, and not entirely a restaurant. I’d definitely head back here again, provided I could sit in the more intimate back area away from the bar, metal tables and bright lights.
The restaurant personality of Caffe Graffiti is quite nice, encompassing about 10 tables in a darker back area presided over by a wall-​sized arched brick window overlooking the street. The food is typical, pasta chicken and seafood in mammoth portions for under $ 17.
The calamari appetizer is tasty, crispy without a hint of sogginess. I could do without the vegetables mixed in though, because if I wanted vegetable tempura I would have ordered that. It’s kind of hard to tell sometimes if it’s a cauliflower of small piece of calamari.
I had the Rigatoni Boscaiola, which was perfectly cooked, but a bit too saucy for my liking. Of course, I foolishly finished the whole thing and slipped into a food coma, unable to even get in a second glass of wine.
Despite a lack of room for more wine, when in a Caffe that neglects to serve coffee, instead opting only for espresso beverages, one must see what’s up. The espresso shot was sweet with only a touch of bitterness, and sugar wasn’t really necessary. I love that it’s served in the traditional way, without even a hint of an offer for cream.
It’s strange, because its seems that despite being on the visible front of the North End, we had no problem finding a seat on a Friday night at 8. They take reservations, but if you’re shut out of other places in the area, you’ll most likely find perch here. Our server, Frankie, was super friendly to myself and my ladyfriend, and was really enjoyable overall.

A couple of weeks ago GroupOn had a deal that was good for $ 40 worth of food for only $ 20 at Caffe Graffiti and I was excited to visit. So last Friday night my boyfriend and I ventured into the North End. I lucked out and parked outside which was definitely a high point.
We had eaten a late lunch that day, so we planning to maybe split an app, have dessert and maybe a drink or two. I told the hostess this, but when the waiter realized he seemed a little miffed that we were not ordering dinner. He actually seemed grouchy the whole time. Mind you the place was empty, so he should have been glad to be waiting on anyone.
For a beverage we each ordered the Pomegranate Fizz. It was pretty good, but definitely low alcohol content. I think they waved the St. Germain over it. We decided to order the fried calamari to which our waiter proclaimed «good choice, no one else makes it like us.» Well, he was right, but not in a good way… we were served what appeared to be a large portion of fried calamari but upon closer examination you could see that they «fill» the order with fried vegetables (Cauliflower, carrots, peppers, etc). I would not have minded the addition of the vegetables but for the fact they were drenched in lemon and salt making them unpleasant to eat.
Throughout our time there, I mentioned to the waiter that we wanted dessert. However, he never asked us if we wanted it and after ordering a second round of drinks (cordial of Sambuca and a SoCo Sour) he brought us the check. I had to remind him we wanted to dessert.
At that point we should have just left, but the Baccio Gelato was calling my name, so we had some. That was all that looked appealing to me in the case (they do not have a dessert menu).
Sad to say I will not be adding Caffe Graffiti to my elite list of favorite spots in the North End.

Great North End location.
Best Café Mocha in North End. Owner is nice and interesting to chat with. Don’t expect brewed coffee here-​this is European as in-​espresso drinks only.
The first time we walk into Café Graffiti:
We all walk in, me, my wife, two girls. I’m looking up at the menu, kids are checking the place out. I walk up to the counter. Behind the counter is the owner. Probably 6’6″, big guy, tatts all over, could be intimidating to some. My daughter walks up to the counter and looks up at him. At the time she was 9.
Huge dude with tatts looks down at her, holds out fist, tosses head back slightly: «Sup?»
Little girl makes fist, raps it on huge dude’s fist, tosses head back slightly: «Sup.»
We’ve been going here ever since.
Great location to relax and people watch.
Very warm and welcoming atmosphere, I go here every time I’m in the North End (which is pretty regularly)