Paolo’s Trattoria-Charlestown, MA

ATTENTION – UPDATE: Paolo’s is no longer on the streets of Charlestown, but is now home to Monument! Be sure to check that blog post right here on Critiquing Carnivore! Enjoy this post to get to know me as a writer though!

If you’re new to this blog, many of my posts are of places in Boston, MA. It’s where my family lives now and it’s quite easy to eat your way through the city. Boston is commonly recognized for their Italian food, the North End being the “Little Italy” of the small city. It doesn’t stop at the city, oh no, if you keep going a tad bit more north in the North End you’ll have to make the walk across the Charlestown Bridge into the city where Paul Revere started his famous ride, Charlestown. Although noted for the big tall Bunker Hill Monument, the food is also incredible. One place in particular is Paolo’s.

Located down Main Street just past the town center sits the tiny restaurant that is the local family favorite. Classic Italian food with a family atmosphere. More times than not there is a “usual” stopping in for a glass of wine or slice of pizza. And you can’t blame them. 

The staff is always the same smiling faces, you truly feel at home when you walk in. It’s the definition of local trattoria (exact definition is ‘an Italian restaurant serving simple food’). This trattoria does indeed serve the simple Italian dishes, but they have exciting mixes and it’s all extraordinary.

Let’s start with some pastas. Now, how could you come to New England and not have lobster?! One of the best ways to enjoy it is inside ravioli. These lobster ravioli, similar to the Orleans Inn version, is just slightly better. What makes it better is the sauce. This sauce is creamier and richer and that is the slight edge this ravioli has over the other. The second pasta dish I want to note was actually a special the night I went, but this could give you some ideas for home! This dish was gnocchi with sausage and spinach. The gnocchi was cooked perfectly and definitely homemade. The sausage was juicy and the smaller bites made it perfect. The spinach wasn’t over cooked which is always something I look out for. The mascarpone (soft, mild Italian cream cheese) sauce was extremely delectable and compliments all the components harmoniously. This gnocchi dish was perhaps one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had (in the United States). 😉

Now onto the pizza! Paolo’s has a great variety of pizza, a lot of cool combinations! I’ve had several different kinds of their pizza, but am highlighting two in this post. The first is their Gina pizza which features sweet Italian sausage, caramelized onions on top of plum tomato sauce and cheese. This is one of my favorite pizza concoctions on their menu, the sweet sausage and onions really compliment each other along with red and green peppers. It’s very colorful and eye catching which certainly adds to the appeal. 

The second pizza is the classic pepperoni cheese pizza. Trust me, this isn’t the ordinary pepperoni pizza. Since you don’t have all the delicious savory toppings it’s easier to really taste the cheese and sauce of the pizza. On this pizza I realized just how amazing the cheese they use is! It has a little sweetness to it that is so delicious I can’t even think of a better adjective to use to describe how delicious it was. I mean, all I can say is look at the photos and then buy yourself a ticket to Boston and get here. (Other pizzas worth noting include Paolo’s and Bolognese pizzas)

Paolo’s is like home, from the atmosphere to the people to the simple Italian cuisine. This little trattoria certainly deserves acclaimed recognition, but for now I’m happy to call it my home trattoria and I hope you can visit us here, too.