Bricco

Bricco occupies prime real estate on the North End’s main drag, Hanover Street. Lively almost any night of the week, this welcoming trattoria is a popular local meeting spot for dinner and drinks. The menu offerings, which noted food critic John Mariani has called “among the finest Italian cooking in the country,” include traditional antipasti, homemade pastas and a selection of hearty tenderloins for meat lovers. Service can be a little slow, especially on crowded weekend nights, and the noise levels rise to earsplitting when the bar area is packed. Nevertheless, be sure to request a table downstairs, not one on the quieter mezzanine level, and ask to be seated by the window that looks onto Hanover, especially on a snowy evening. It may be loud, but the fun of being swept up in the scene overcomes the restaurant’s minor flaws.