Canestaro Restaurant

Best Boston Italian restaurant near Fenway

Tucked away on a quiet side street near Boston's Fenway Park, Canestaro Restaurant seems at first to be just an attractive neighborhood Boston Italian restaurant, perhaps known only to locals for its yummy home-style (assuming you have a great cook at home) Italian food. 

But its closeness to Fenway, the museums, Symphony Hall, the hospitals, and nearby colleges - Wheelock, Emmanuel, Simmons, plus Boston University and Northeastern just a few blocks - away means that that it draws fans from all directions. 

And Canestaro fans come again and again.  Once you taste the food here, you'll understand why.

What should you order at Canestaro Restaurant?

Despite its great location, Canestaro's food is what brings back happy customers again and again. 

High quality ingredients and a skilled chef mean that you're likely to leave convinced that whatever you had was some of the best Italian food you've ever eaten. 

If you stop by this attractive casual restaurant near Fenway Park before or after a Red Sox game for a quick bite and drink, you may be primarily interested in the appetizers - favorites like wings with barbeque sauce and blue cheese, fried calamari, and bruschetta. 

You'll also find a great selection of Sam Adams beers and ales, as well as other local beers.  The wine list also has some nice reasonably-priced selections, or you can opt for one of the specialty cocktails and other drinks.

But if you're there for a meal, you may want to go light on the appetizers and zero in on some of their fabulous specialities. 

Try the Italian wedding soup, an antipasto platter that could be a whole meal especially if you also order some garlic bread, and the great caprese salad. 

I especially like that you can pair a regular or Caesar salad with marinated chicken or steak tips, or grilled salmon or shrimp.

The menu offers a wide range of classic Italian pastas - chicken Marsala with linguine, penne with creamy tomato sauce and vodka, veal piccata over linguini, spinach gnocchi with mushrooms and tomatoes in a creamy garlic sauce. 

Charbroiled entrees also include tempting options - steaks, fresh seafoods, a mixed grill with shrimp, steak tips, and chicken, and mussels steamed in beer and garlic with fresh herbs and marinara sauce.

You can also choose from a big selection of sandwiches and charbroiled burgers.  You'll see many favorites, including Italian meats and provolone, eggplant parmesan (my personal favorite), spicy Italian sausage with roasted red peppers, and prosciutto paired with fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, basil, and olive oil.

Vegetarians and vegans will find plenty to enjoy here, since Italian cuisine showcases veggies, and a number of Canestaro's dishes are meat-free.

Best pizza in Boston?

I must warn you, though . . . if you see one of Canestaro's pizzas being carried out of the kitchen and the delicious garlic-scented aroma wafts over to your table before you place your order, you may become unable to focus on anything other pizza. 

That's OK, because the pizza at Canestaro Restaurant would be on anyone's "Top 3 in the City" list. This is where the quality of the ingredients really shines.

You can choose from about a dozen topping options or compose your own from a long list of cheeses, meats, shrimp, and veggies.  The possibilities are almost limitless.

Save room for dessert!

Try not to eat too much because you'll definitely want to save room for the outstanding desserts . . . Boston cream pie, cannoli to rival any in the North End, tiramisu, triple mousse pie (ok, I know you're wondering, so I have to tell you: layers of dark chocolate, creamy light chocolate, and finally white chocolate, topped with shaved chocolate - wish I'd taken a photo!), Italian spumoni ice cream, and warm New England bread pudding.  Unlike many restaurants that charge so much for desserts that you begin to think with shock about the profit margin, desserts at Canestaro Restaurant are reasonably priced.

In warm weather, you can dine outside in the patio area.  During colder months, the restaurant is warm and inviting inside.  Or, if you're staying at nearby hotel, join the students and professionals living in the neighborhood and stop by for carryout. 

Details and Directions for Canestaro Restaurant

Cost range:   $ -$$
Meals served: Lunch and dinner, Monday through Sunday
Address:  16 Peterborough Street near intersection of Boylston St/Park Drive, Fenway neighborhood; Green Line/Hynes Convention Center
Parking: If you're driving, check with Canestaro's to see if parking is available in back.
For more information and menus:  617-226-8997; website