Boston's North End Restaurants
 

Only in town for one night - a Monday. Are Italian restaurants in North End open on Monday nights?

Yes.

Opentable is a good resource for restaurants' schedules. http://www.opentable.com/start.aspx?m=7

ALso check boston.menupages.com for menu listings and customer reviews.

Best spot to check for evaluations is the Chowhound website. Here's some research I did in the area:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/448599

That is an amazing review!

Did there used to be a restaurant in the North end called, I think, The European? Like 20 years ago?

European is long gone.

I forget the details but I think they kept prices down by not paying their meals tax or contributing to their employees' social security. Anyway, one morning, the door was chained shut and plastered with notices from various sheriffs and US marshals.

^ LOL. That's actually sort of funny. Strikes me as so authentically Italian because of all the tax avoidance stuff that goes on in Italy.

According to my friend who grew up in the North End, the European was also a standing excuse for staying home sick from school.

"Why weren't you in school yesterday?"

"I was sick"

"What was it, a cold, flu, headache"

"I ate at the European"

"Ooohhhh" (no further questions LOL)

You guys are really taking me back to my 20s. The European was great fun back in the days when our expectations were low and when the only "celebrity" chef was our dear departed Julia Child.

But to the OP, the Open Table suggestion is a good one.

I know a lot of people discourage this but when in a strange place, we sometimes like to just poke around and see what looks interesting to us. It is *not* the best way to get a good meal but it is fun and makes it all more of an adventure.

Ah yes, the old European. I loved it as a child... especially when they put the scary fortune telling machine out front. It was like a big, square, lion's head that you stuck your hand in for your fortune...lol
That was in the last few years of the old stand-by


Today, there are many great places to eat in the North End but you absolutely can't beat a sausage pizza at Pizzeria Regina. Sadly, many people know the name by the little chains that have shown up in shopping malls. The real deal is on a level FAR above those spin-offs. The best pizza in Boston? Perhaps... a toss-up, for me, between Regina's and Santarpio's... but you absolutely must stop for a bite at Regina's if you dine in the North End.

Man... now I am craving that sausage pizza! =)