Alta Strada- Wellesley

I was very impressed with this place. We’ve lived in the area for about 3 years and this is now my favorite Italian restaurant. It reminds me of my North End days. There’s a great cocktail selection. My husband got the house drink which was very good. You couldn’t taste the alcohol. We started with the garlic bread and meatballs. The Mariana is not as spicy as anticipated which was great as I’m not big on spice. The meatballs were small which was surprising because most please serve huge portions. But this was perfect with a great blend of ricotta. It made the sauce a little creamier which was amazing. For our entree I got the rigatoni with sausage and pink sauce. Oh. My. God. First I live sausage and it packed some heat but it was so fresh and so good. I just had to eat it all. My one suggestion is to have a little more selection on wine but other than that, it was a very lovely evening. The staff was super nice and attentive. I can’t wait to go back.

Pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. First of all I felt welcome and at home. The service is top notch and the food was excellent. The wine was exactly what I wanted. I'll have to back to get a better grasp on the menu items. I can highly recommend the Lune Pasta with mushrooms. The menu has starters, pasta, entrees, steaks. When the servers or any other asks you if you need anything else speak your mind. It's how we got bread to the table.

The amazing staff made it look like serving our party of 18 was easy. Relaxed, but attentive, is the vibe. Food? Insanely tasteful and fresh, and I don't have the most sophisticated pallette. It tasted like every ingredient in our meal was locally sourced that morning. Exceptional from start to finish... Worth every penny.

The Manager Guy went out of his way above and beyond to make our dinner enjoyable! The food and drink were both excellent. My husband had the lamb chops and I the bolognese. Will our server was kind, professional, and plain awesome! Kate, Priya and Lucie made up the fantastic team effort all very professional and so nice! Gaby the Host was extremely nice too. We have been here before and will continue to come bringing friends and family as this place is ran very well - fine tuned! Highly recommend!

Came back here for an anniversary dinner after many years and this spot is the same great food and service it always has been. Although very crowded on a Friday night, the service here is impeccable and the food is always really good. I told them ahead of time it was an anniversary dinner and they could not of made it more special. Very attentive and complimentary with even a glass of limoncello at the end. The menu here has not changed much from over ten years ago, same selections pretty much, pasta, steaks, seafood and of course chicken etc. The meatballs here are delicious and so is the chicken parm. The dessert again of my favorite mascarpone and wafers was also a nice treat. Prices are very reasonable here and this is a definite treat...highly recommended.

Enjoyed the most fabulous dinner with my mother and daughter! I can’t say enough about this amazing Italian restaurant! Everything brought to our table was delicious and the wine recommendation perfectly paired! The service was beyond incredible. Loved the ambiance! We will definitely be back!

My husband and I had dinner at Alta Strada over Memorial Day weekend and had a really pleasant experience. We ordered the garlic bread and meatballs for an app. I had the chicken milanese and my husband had the chicken parm for dinner. We also ordered drinks. Our waiter was great, very attentive. He recommended a white wine to go with the Chicken Milanese. All of the food was delicious! There was a slight accident when the woman (she might have been a runner from the kitchen) came to deliver the food. The chicken from my chicken milanese slide off the plate into my lap. She was incredibly apologetic, she felt awful! The server then came over to apologize and the GM also came over to apologize. Thankfully chicken Milanese isn't a very messy dish and I picked the chicken up pretty quickly. It didn't really get on my shirt. The girl quickly went off to the kitchen to have them cook me up a new dish. The food was delicious, the service was great. At the very end, the DM came over with his business card and told me that when I dry clean my shirt, to please send him the receipt so they would take care of it. That was very thoughtful! I won't need to do that as my shirt is machine washable, but I really appreciate how they reacted to the accident and how they were trying to make it right. I wasn't upset by the whole situation, it was truly an accident and the chicken barely touched my shirt. We would definitely go back there again, and would recommend it to others. The food and service were great!

This is a great Italian restaurant. Fantastic service and hospitality. Excellent wine list . One of the best Caesar salads and chicken parmigiana. The red sauce is outstanding as well as the pizza only found on the kids menu ? Great vibe and comfortable setting make this place a hit.

Consistently excellent. Our go-to neighborhood restaurant for dinner. Food is always great, servers are so nice and attentive. Really my favorite place around these parts. And they've done such a nice job with their outdoor patio, complete with heat lamps. I eat here with my teenage kids and my elderly parents, everyone loves it.

Amazing food & great service from Gabriella!!

Great service and good food. I will definitely recommend reserving in advance. Because it is popular and gets busy in the evenings. Family friendly atmosphere.

Very tasty food, not a super loud restaurant, gluten free pasta is available to substitute for the mains, and there's a gluten free tiramisu made from almond flour--it was delicious. The waitstaff were prompt and polite and gave great suggestions. Easy to make reservations.

Literally one of the best prepared meals I've had in ages. The food is outstanding. Wine list is wonderful as well. A modern twist on authentic Italian cuisine but nothing is pretentious or out of the norm. Just creative, delicious and worth every penny. Matt is behind the bar and he is fantastic. Him and everyone right down to the bussers are excellent.

Came here for an anniversary dinner and absolutely loved it. The service was fantastic and the food was perfect. Got the filet mignon which came with an irresistible wine sauce. The potatoes and asparagus that came with it were also some of the best I’ve had. Cooked to perfection! Would definitely come back for any special occasion.

I have been coming here for years and have always had a great experience. The food is fantastic and the staff is always so friendly. We recently went here for our first date night in a while after having our child and Chris was our server. He made our experience even more enjoyable. He is very nice, attentive, and a joy to have as a server!

Had a great dinner at Alta Strada last night. The food was delicious from Cesar salad to garlic bread (best ever!) to chicken Milanese to spaghetti. Everything was delicious and prepared wonderfully. Service was very good. The restaurant is charming. We sat outside on a beautiful summer night. The only reason I gave AS 4 stars instead of 5 was the periodic smell of foul trash. The dumpster must be near the back deck and periodically we smelled trash. Next time we’ll sit inside.

A charming Italian restaurant in Wellesley We have been pleasantly surprised with Alta Strada. A recent visit was welcoming, congenial and relaxed. Further to this point, our family of four dined on the patio, which bolstered the appeal for fine-casual dining. Despite located in the back parking area, its terrace was adequately cached but still airy, providing for a comfortable and intimate experience. We appreciated the attentive staff. The recommended specials, which provided an authentic Italian experience. Worth a visit if not heading to the North Shore or Boston.

Well located Italian restaurant in Wellesley city center with ample parking in the rear and street parking in the front. Outdoor seating is available in the rear. Overall, a good experience. I think food is pretty good. Service was good. Servers checked in adequately. My only gripe was that they didn’t serve any bread, which in my mind quite odd. We did see other tables with bread so we inquired about it. The response was shocking. They said they were out of bread but will check if they can scrape some up for us. How does an Italian restaurant run out of bread during dinner time? It makes no sense.

I will echo what some of the other folks on here are saying in that this restaurant feels expensive for what is delivered. I am certainly no stranger to fine dining, and I will pay a premium price for premium food/service/experience. It is to be expected. I also don’t feel that huge sides should necessarily come with a dish, and that some dishes justify their price tags. All that said… I feel some sort of side should accompany a main course like a fish dish. I don’t need a giant plate of potatoes, but I ordered the broccolini on the side. My friend did not order the broccolini with his branzino, and he just received a plate with a fish on it. It seems a bit odd to me that they wouldn’t put any sort of accompaniment with it. Often chefs pride themselves on what side to pair with the fish or beef or poultry. Again, I’m not wanting a huge plate full of food, but some sort of side with the main dish (carefully considered by the chef to complement the main dish) is to be expected. To be fair, the waiter told me there were no side, and that is why I asked for broccolini. It was not a surprise, but a $42 dish should have a little green offering! (Capers and parsley don’t count) ;) Now for the good points. Fish was fresh and cooked perfectly!! It was served filleted but with head and tail on. I love a whole fish! My husband enjoyed his chicken parm, but did not feel it warranted the $29 price tag. I mean… it’s chicken parm. It should hover in the $10 to $20 range unless it is spectacularly large or comes with a bunch of sides (neither applied here). Service was fair. We were meeting friends we had not seen since Covid, and it was difficult for the waiter to navigate our excitement and our talking.

Great service. I would neither rave nor complain about the food. It was good, fresh, but not as memorable as I was hoping based on other reviews.

The food is excellent, although the menu options are limited. The restaurant is one room and very noisy, but still pleasant. The staff is eager to please and sometimes not very experienced. Our server did not know what new were requesting when we asked for 3 separate courses. The one;y disappointment other than that was they ran out of bread!

I came here a couple of time. The food taste and quality were consistent. I like the ambiance, the staff are nice and friendly. There are good variety of food to choose from. I had chick Parmasan. It is was nice and juicy, it was done just write. The wine list has a good selection.

I was definitely underwhelmed by the food. chicken Milanese had no seasoning or flavor and was not crispy . I've had better eggplant parm almost anywhere. Beet carpaccio was bland. Also one appetizer, two entrées , and one glass of wine cost us $100 before tip -which just seems outrageous. I know food is expensive when eating out now, but I don't know. Even for Wellesley this seems excessive. The space is beautiful and the staff was incredible, but I don't see myself going back .

It pains me to post this because I really Iiked this place. I rarely go back and update reviews, but something changed BIG TIME here. Apparently, the "head chef" is totally OK with sending out an overcooked $70 NY strip that was completely unseasoned, coated in oil, and had absolutely no crust on it whatsoever. My wife had a chicken milanese that was rock hard, and looked to be recycled from either a previous night or refried from earlier in the day. The meat was hard and darkened... We both sent these back and I got a chicken parm that was also a gross, firm texture and the meat was dark. The breading was soggy and falling off, and the whole plate was drowned in sauce

I have been here more times than I would like to reveal. I used to come here almost weekly. The service and food is hit or miss. Its quite cute inside, they have a nice bar and open kitchen. The market downstairs is great. I am not a huge pasta fan but definitely think that is what is best here. People rave about the mushroom filled lune and the Grandma's eggplant can be quite good. I have had some really horrible service here- just plain rude and unattentive for an high end restaurant. Other times the service has been great. None of their fish dishes have been particularly spectacular for me. In the end, I think I have come to the conclusion that this amount of money is better spent at a better restaurant in Boston or Cambridge.

Average italian food, not worth the price. Limited menu. Great atmosphere and location, but with all the other choices around I probably wouldn't go back. Service was slow.

Ok. Appetizers were pretty good. Nice bread. Chicken Milanese was too thick and rubbery. Should be thin with a crunchy bite. Wine was good. Pasta about what you'd expect. Too expensive for what was on offer, but ok. Convenient location.

Dined here with a small group a few weeks ago. It was the first time dining here and we were not impressed. The food was pretty standard, no specials. Food was just good. There really isn't any atmosphere- just a sea of tables in a square room. We had a view of people working the kitchen stove in the back and it wasn't something you would want to view. Our waiter was an older man who really was not adept at service. He did not ask how our meals were and we needed to ask for water refills. Little to no interaction. When the bill was delivered, he hovered around the table. It was uncomfortable. Deserts were unremarkable so we passed. Instead, we opted for ice cream down the road. That was a fun experience. Search for other Italian alternatives before coming here.

I will say that the chefs hand is too heavy with the truffle oil. the dishes are underwhelming. Out dated and dark atmosphere. Underwhelming desserts. Overpriced drinks. Not what it was years ago The chef is clearly inspired and knowledgeable about true Italian dishes, yet they just aren’t tasting good. Pls relax with the truffle oil , it’s supposed to be used few and far between. Service is really good.

Server was nice. Didn’t know the still water would be $8. Kind of crazy. Food was NOT authentic Italian food. It was ridiculous. I had heard great things so I figured I’d give it a try. First off, ordered the chicken parm and asked for the vodka sauce and was told you can’t substitute the sauce. Odd. Chicken parm also comes with broccoli instead of pasta which I’ve never seen or heard of— maybe just me. The meal came with a paper thin piece of mozzarella and drowning in sauce. Literally could not see the chicken. This would be fine if the sauce was good, but it wasn’t. At all. It was literally crushed tomatoes with about a gallon of extra virgin olive oil. You could literally see a thick layer of oil sitting on top. Not to mention the chicken was dry as a bone. My girlfriend got the bolognese and it was basically flavorless. I will say the pasta itself was fresh and well cooked. But a half decent sauce would have been nice to go with it. I’ve never written a review but this needed one. Needless to say I did eat the full meal— otherwise it would have been $160 (including tip) down the drain for two mediocre dishes, 3 drinks and a Caesar salad.

This was my third time at this restaurant and I was extremely disappointed. The service was great in the beginning and the waitress was very knowledgeable about wine. Once the food came, no one ever came back to check on us. My wine was empty when I started eating my meal. There was a manager going around to certain tables to chat with people and we were not one of them. We were able to flag someone down for another glass of wine and clear our plates. They brought our glass of wine over with the check. No one ever came to get the check from us, so we had to physically go inside the restaurant and hand this to someone. I understand there are short staffing issues which is everywhere but to see a manager pick and choice which tables he wants to chat at is absolutely ridiculous. My meal was extremely salty. I will never go here again.

Went here with my wife for our anniversary. Regretted doing so within the first 10 minutes. Had a reservation and were sat within 5 minutes. Good. It is one giant room and quite loud, completely packed with families and couples. Clearly seems popular. We got to our table at around 6:50 pm. Got taken care of on the water front quickly. Our waiter arrived and took our drink order. He seemed overwhelmed and lacked any enthusiasm whatsoever. The floor was oddly slippery, to the point where my chair was literally moving under me as I sat. Asked the waiter for some napkins that I could put under the legs. He said 'sure'. After a while someone else delivered our drinks. Wife's martini was fine, my non-alcoholic lime rickey was entirely undrinkable. I don't need it to be too sweet, but there was enough acid to clean a battery. Decided not to drink and send it back or get it fixed. No waiter. Good 15 minutes now. Flagged down the person who served our drinks and asked for the rickey to be fixed. Also put in our order in since it was possible we never would see our waiter again. Drink got fixed and returned, became palatable. Appetizers arrived. Wife's watermelon salad was interesting and had a good balance of flavors. My crudo was unimpressive and overpriced, but presentation was tastefully done. Still no waiter. It is 7:30 now. If the place serves bread and oil, we never got them. Wife is hungry and cranky. Couple behind us were seated and were already on their entrees. Grrr. Waiter shows up randomly. No napkin for the chair. Completely forgot - nice. Informed us our food will be there shortly. 7:55 the entrees arrive. 1+ hour after we got seated. Nice. The couple behind us who arrived after us, paid and left already. Sigh. Food arrives. Entrees were great. Wife's raviolis and my halibut were very well done. The second the waiter shows up again we immediately ask for the check, pay and get the hell out. It was around 8:30. I don't have the check in front of me, but the prices were a bit out of control. 15 dollar martini and 18 dollar crudo, were just annoying. Usually, when I read reviews and people complaining about the service I roll my eyes. But let me tell you, slow and unresponsive service can straight up ruin the dinner. It did this time. Never coming back.

Have dined here a few times before, but las Wednesday had a bad experience. The wait was long, got the wrong drink and had to wait 30 mins for the right one. The foccacia and spreads had no flavor. A friend has a pasta dish that was salty and didnt taste good. Service was slow. Will not go back.

Food was delicious, though experience was ruined by our server. She only spoke to us twice. First, to take our order. Lastly, to give us our check. She visited the other tables around up multiple times, asking how the food was and checking in, but not us. Very disappointed.

Excellent service and friendly staff, nice looking restaurant and great atmosphere. The food on the other hand is below average, hence my review. This is the second time we go there, as a party of 4 for a total of 8 different meals, and it was underwhelming across the board: overcooked chicken, well presented but average tasting pasta plates, the « house » garlic bread was just bad. In summery, it’s a great looking restaurant with great atmosphere and staff, but if you’re in search of good authentic Italian food, this overpriced restaurant is not it.

This place was disappointing to say the least. I went to the logan airport location as i was traveling. This was not authentic or even good imitation italian food. I got the mushroom rosemary pizza was was just terrible. It tasted like the pizza from my 7th grade cafeteria. The cheese is cheap and tasteless, there was not even a slight hint of Rosemary at all and im confused as to why this wasnt a white sauce. The red just trough me off the whole time. And the sauce doesnt even matter because the crust was unforgiving. Clearly premade and outsourced and just chewy. The smash burger was good, meaty and just what you want, but they gave me like 10 fries … why? I also got 2 glasses of wine which were good. For 60$ i feel this was expensive based soley on the quality. I should not be paying 60$ for seriously mediocre “italian” food.

The restaurant has a short menu and limited options. Good choice if you are a wine drinker (triple as expensive compared to other restaurants though) but won't enjoy the food a lot. Also the quality and portions of the meals don't justify the prices at all!

Why this place is popular I have no idea… Plain. Bland. And sad. And then out of fries….so those meals came with chips or salad. Almost no chips came with the meal- and the salad, which was good but extraordinary small- especially to replace fries when they were out. (Imagine opting out of pasta, and order, and then getting down graded half way through your wait time, to then get a small portion of chips or a few leafs of lettuce. Most ingredients in all meals were processed ready to heat and eat foods, - how disappointing to get, with their reputation, you would expect actual cooking. I did like their pizza dough and sauce, but pizza was weird in general. Pizza came out “rare” in terms of fired pizza- which upped my score- however most fans of that style expect scorch, and that was non-existent, frustrating my party who expected a good pizza. My advice is to avoid- if you want that type of cooking go find an Old Country Buffet and smuggle in some Digiorno. * note*. Serve rating is not indicative of our waiter, but the process of finding out what they were out of, the overall seating process, and a long winded lecture the front if the house gave another patron, only to then find out they had the wrong info and retract said lecture… Disappointed, maybe they will close soon and an Olive Garden will go there or maybe upgrade to some Spegetti-o’s.

We had a reservation and got seated right away. On our way to our table I asked the waitress if the music was always so loud. Blaring alternative music at 930pm in an upscale Italian restaurant? The wait staff service was great. The food was great. Lighting and decor were nice. But who wants to listen to blasting music when you’re out for a nice late evening dinner? We will not return to this restaurant. (Ps. We are big time music lovers just totally wrong fine dining music here)

First time trying this restaurant and looking at the prices, I had high expectations! We ordered to go, food was prepared and ready to be picked up at promised time. We ordered eggplant Parm, chicken Parm, seared salmon and gnocchi. First problem was, when I was double checking the order on a table, the content of the eggplant parm were all shifted to the side of the box, like all of them all the way to the side. No biggie The major issue I had was the food were so SALTY! Not just one dish, all of them were so salty that you cannot taste anything else but saltiness. To a point that burns your lips! We threw away half of the food and I don't think they seem edible. For a meal that cost more than $130, underwhelming is an understatement. The Italian food at our local restaurant is a lot better than this place and definitely cost less. The wait staff at the front helping me to get my order was very friendly, that's the one plus I can think of the experience here. I don't think I will go back to this restaurant to be honest.