L’Impasto

L’Impasto is a tiny little spot on Mass Ave. that’s perfect for a cozy dinner on a chilly winter night.
The menu boasts many traditional Italian options. It is skewed a bit more toward the carnivore than the seafood lover or vegetarian but there are options to be had for sure. The bread served to the table was beautiful to look at and definitely a legit loaf of herbed focaccia. The Pappardalle Integrali Con Funghi was a very hearty portion with whole wheat pappardelle and plenty of meaty mushrooms. I opted out of the truffle oil on this dish but admittedly, it greatly benefited from the drizzle I added later that night to my midnight snack leftovers.
Service was friendly but as another Unilocaler mentioned, a bit awkward. Nothing in particular worth pin-​pointing, though. The wine list was limited in my opinion and they were out of Chianti for the evening which at an Italian restaurant is rather annoying.
Overall, the décor is lovely — cozy, intimate and warm and the food is authentic and delicious so I’d definitely recommend L’Impasto.

We usually head to the North End when we’re in Boston however we decided to try something different this time. We couldn’t have had a better meal. They say you can tell a good Italian restaurant by the bread… and this was so true! After we sat down they brought out a bread basket with the most delicous cheesy bread… crispy on the outside, soft and cheesy inside. We split a mixed salad which was big enough for 4 of us to share as a light starter. We couldn’t decide between all the unique pasta dishes but we all ended up with the paccheri with wild boar ragu. The pasta (homemade) was cooked perfectly al dente (we heard a woman at the table next to us complain to the waitress that the pasta was chewy… Guess she was used to spaghetti-o’s). A nice size portion too. Very small wine list but it was all about the food here. Compliments to our very friendly waitress (Leah), the owner who really knows how to cook a great pasta dish and even the lovely lady who was there to constantly refill out water glasses. Highly recommend this restaurant however, just hope we can get a table the next time we’re in town!

We came to quickly hate the pompous attitudes and mediocre food at Tremonte’s, so when others who agreed with us sent us to Arcenia’s, we were hopeful. Hands down the best, freshest, and most delicious Italian food we have had in years. And from a family who truly love what they’re doing, who truly love seeing our faces as we relish in the flavors they bring to the table. Food cooked with love and caring is unmistakable. Without question on par with the best the North End has to offer. Veal Francese, stuffed squid, shrimp Scampi, chicken parm, and (holy cow) figs and prosciutto, I am in heaven. And the panicotta with fresh berries? Needless to say order extra spoons for sharing. I look forward to the total exploration of their menu in the coming year. See you next Friday!

This is our new favorite Italian restaurant, (going to Giacomos in the North End and waiting in line gets tiring sometimes!)… It’s a hole-​in-​the-​wall meets fine-​dining experience. Great place to take a foodie friend. In the winter, the door opens to let in an uncomfortable cold chill to anyone sitting right there– I wish they could do something about that. But it doesn’t stop us from going there any opportunity we get. I recently had the daily special Pork shank on white beans in sauce… Just DELISH! And my husband loved what he got too! The Tiramisu is our favorite ever!!! Don’t wait to try it– a neighborhood gem for sure.

Authentic Italian food! Extremely fresh tomato sauce. They bake their own bread. You can taste the fresh ingredients in every dish. Waitress was warm and friendly.

Totally solid Italian fare with a few inspired elements. Lots of heartier game meats like wild boar, venison, and duck. Pesto cheese ravioli was perfectly balanced in flavor and texture. Quail risotto was reviewed as «good but too cheesy.» Mussels come with a delightful dipping sauce, perfect for dunking the excellent bread. Charcuterie plate is mostly cheese toast with a few pieces of cured meats at the side.
Wine list is very small but well-​paired to the food and reasonably priced.
I have already identified 3 or 4 more entrees I need to try here. Definitely going back.

I’m having a hard time understanding how anyone can provide a positive review for this place but my greatest criticism is that the owner is erratic and, as such, may actually be able to produce a decent plate from time to time. Many of the past reviews reference the quirky nature of the service, but here are the highlights (in order) of our first time experience:
The ‘busboy’ filled 4 out of 6 glasses of water and then walked away.
The ‘busboy’ brought the wine glass over to the table by holding it with his finger inside the glass.
The bread was homemade and very good.
The appetizers were excellent — we had burrata and an antipasti.
The entrees had two things in common — they were tasteless (salt can bring out flavor) and some were not delivered hot.
The chef/​owner seems to like putting micro greens on everything. Not bad, just strange for casual Italian.
A previous reviewer mentioned how great the tiramisu was. Nothing could be further from the truth unless your tiramisu recipe calls for throwing a handful of lady fingers into a bowl of espresso and topping it with cream and slice strawberries (with the stem-​top included!). It was drenched, tasteless and an insult to all of us that actually know how to make tiramisu.
The cannoli cream included candied orange rind — not unusual but not to my liking.
With all of that, I told the waiter that the tiramisu was terrible and that I wanted to give it back. I also told him I would be responsible for the cannoli. The waiter returned the tiramisu to the chef who proceeded to yell about it in Italian. He was unbelievably disrespectful to us and everyone else in the restaurant that had to listen to his rant. He refused to take the $ 8 charge off of our check and, in so doing, cemented the fact that we will never step foot in his strange world ever again.
Stay away from this place!!! Go to Carlos in Allston or Giacomo’s and you will be treated with respect and have a much better dining experience.

Let me start off and say I was super excited by the fact this place is run by italians. After the appetizers which consisted of buratta and antipasti (pretty good by the way) I was super disappointed with the rest of the meal. I had the duck ragu and also tried the wild boar ragu. Both lacked flavor and came out warm not hot. They lacked seasoning and had to salt and pepper it myself. Very odd seeing as these two meats can be gamey. After that I was hoping dessert would redeem itself. Dessert was terrible, the Tiramisu was literally swimming in espresso and inedible. The cannoli was just as bad. The waiter refused to take the desserts off the bill after just tasting one bite and sending it back. The chef was convinced that’s how it should be so too bad. This was not very hospitable and the man bringing food out dipped his fingers in the food and water glasses. Just terrible I would have written a good review if they made it right but they refused. If you’re looking at this review, might want to lay off the micro greens on literally everything.

I went there for dinner with a couple of friends last night, we decided to order a glass of wine each and an app before we decide on entrée. After 40 min the first 2 glassses finally arrive, my friend had to wait 50 min. Apps took over an hour. Many of the other tables were experiencing similar bad service levels. Food was good but with service this bad it is just not worth it. Stay away.

For once, a restaurant where the next table is not 2 inches away from you. And for once, you can actually focus on the conversation at YOUR table not the next one. L’Impasto is a small unsuspecting Italian place on Mass Ave. Not close to anything interesting. Not in the restaurant cluster. It is just there. There. I never thought of venturing down Mass Ave for L’Impasto until that cold cold winter night. And oh my god we had lived in Porter Square for 4 years, so we have wasted 4 years not coming here.
The preamble is way too long. Now the food. The menu is long enough but keep you quite interested. For each dish you can sort of imagine what it should be, but you will still be curious. We never had bad dishes here after coming here twice for dinner. They won’t blow your mind and make you want to go make friends with the chef (you actually see the chef from your table), but it’s overall delicious and well-​executed. The tiramisu we got was OK but definitely huge. Easily for four people. Service is nice, laid-​back, and friendly, as it never gets super crowded here. They could have crammed in a few more tables, but they left it roomy as it is.
Excellent food. Good service. Romantic.

Okay, here’s the review I wish I’d read before going here…
The service might be weird. (Friendly, but weird.)
Journey and Foreigner songs might be playing really loud.
You might be awkwardly asked if you made a reservation when there are zero tables with people in them.
Your server might not know that when you want a linguine-​type pasta, lasagna and manicotti are not great suggestions.
But the food.
The food will be insane. The randomness of the entire dining experience will be null. Because the food is so frickin good.
Other notes… Three people work here: The owner/​chef, a dishwasher, and one server/​hostess/​busser. Service will not be perfect or especially speedy, but not for lack of hustle. The chef is the owner who is very Italian. Even the bread is killer and seemingl made daily.
Also, the server we had was brand new as of a few weeks ago, per a quick chat with her, so I’d grain-​of-​salt any comments on the prior service, as it seems there’s only this new girl now. She needed a bit of training on the menu, but was otherwise very responsive.
This is not a first date restaurant or somewhere inherently romantic per se, but definitely a fun option for a unique ‘neighborhood’ experience and phenomenal Italian dishes. We’ll be back.

An intimate authentic Italian dining experience. One of my favorites! House made pasta, fresh warm bread, and only the best ingredients. Every dish is delicious! The service is superb, that includes Chef Passini. Yes! He cooks, hosts, and serves!

Italian food perfectly rendered. You all Bostonians, this lasagna is the best I’ve ever had. I’m used to red sauce and beef in my lasagnas, and now that I’ve had L’Impasto, I don’t think there’s any turning back from the white dish of flavorful spinach, juicy pork, and saucy bechamel. Our friend Megan who took us here has been there six times, only ever had the lasagna, and never had an regrets.
The other food was not /​as good/​, but it was still militantly better than any Italian I’ve had before, even in NYC. Megan’s fiancé ordered an al dente wild board meaty ravioli and the chef okayed an off the menu veal parmesan for my man D. We split a fresh mozzarella with balsamic and cherry tomatoes as an appetizer and two $ 30 bottles of wine.
The server was an older gentleman who served the entire eight top dining room, gave us great recommendations, and made us feel welcome. I cannot recommend this place enough.

I’ve been here a few more times since my last review. The last couple times were fine but slightly disappointing in some aspects. The specials (which we always went for) were unavailable the last two times we went. This could just be bad luck, but usually the specials are always great and a slam dunk option. Also, I haven’t seen the owner around lately, so service seemed a bit slower than usual. The owner seems to have a very keen eye and passion in his work (I assume he is the owner at least), so the place seems like it’s been missing something the past 3 or so times I’ve been there.
That being said, I’ll try again soon and I know I’ll have a great meal, hoping to bump it back up to five stars.

What can I say about L’Impasto? It is a tiny little spot in a nondescript area of Cambridge, almost in Arlington, but it might as well be in the North End. Outside is calm, but inside is bustling like any good Italian restaurant should be. It was everything I had hoped for, and it was an excellent spot for a date as well.
The food and service were both top-​notch, and best of all, the bill was not eye-​popping. It was very reasonably priced, particularly for the quality.
Highly recommended!

We had another wonderful meal at L’Impasto last week. I tried the eggplant cannelloni and it was delicious – rich, cheesy, and just the right size portion. It’s filling without being heavy. It came to the table just browned enough on top (not burnt like the lasagna I had last time). Definitely a must-​try!
We had the burrata again as an appetizer. It remains a great way to start the meal. All of the ingredients tasted really fresh and it was beautifully presented. The complimentary bread is yummy, too. For dessert we tried the cannoli, which I have to say was kind of dry and unremarkable. But everything else was so good it didn’t really matter. Our server was, once again, delightful.
We came on a Saturday evening and were a little surprised to find that the place was packed. (Has word gotten out that this is a hidden gem?) Luckily we were able to snag a table outside. Because it was a pleasant summer night – and because the inside of this very small restaurant can get quite hot – it was a good decision, though be aware that alcohol can’t be served outside. Anyway, one of the charms of this place is that it’s small and cozy, but do keep in mind that seating is limited and I’m not sure if they take reservations.

Great experience. A tiny place with lots of character. Not quite a hole in the wall, but not ornate either. Comfortable. The house wine was excellent as was the homemade bread. Our waitress was wonderful and knew when to approach with great information and when to stay out of the way.
My boyfriend and I each got different styles of ravioli and both were fantastic. We definitely plan on coming back. It’s the perfect quiet place for date night.

Pretty average. The service was quite good — fast, friendly, responsive. The bread was actually excellent and the salad was delicious.
Both pasta dishes — lasagna and gnocchetti — were fairly bland. We were not impressed and didn’t really want to finish them.

They have homemade pasta offerings, which is basically a homerun in my book. The portions are fair for the pricing, but at first glance look like not quite enough, but the richness of the food really fills you up.
Teeny tiny adorable. So, nice for a casual and intimate dinner. Not crowded. Not for kids. One waitress (no one else could fit, really). Bingo.
Different pasta offerings: bucatini (hollow spaghetti, so fun!!) Pappardelle (… next visit will add to this list.

Leave your carb concerns at the door when visiting L’Impasto because their bread and pastas are absolutely fantastic. The tiny interior of L’Impasto makes it perfect for a date night or very small gathering. Go elsewhere with a large party. The ambiance can’t be described as anything but cozy. The free bread is deliciously fresh and it is perfectly complemented by the olive oil and balsamic vinegar at each table. There were a few specials to supplement the regular menu, so there should be something for everyone.
We ordered the fried zucchini flowers with ricotta and arugula salad as an appetizer. The lightly salted crust was very tasty, although there was a much higher ratio of fried batter compared to the actual zucchini flower. Nonetheless I enjoyed the dish. My boyfriend ordered the salmon special which was cooked just right and double the size of any piece of salmon I’ve seen served elsewhere. I had the gnocchetti pasta with lamb ragu that warmed me right up on a cold night. We were too full for dessert.
Towards the end of the meal the kitchen offered us a gigantic piece of rosemary focaccia bread to take home for our patience in waiting for the bill to arrive. We really appreciated the gesture and hope to be back soon.