Mystery Critic
The Best Restaurants Out There - And Much More!
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Polcaris & Pizzeria Regina, MA Last Visit: Nov 2007  Pizzeria Regina is like a Bostonian institution - It's a must-visit for anyone serious about a complete Boston experience (much like Cheers, Fenway Park and Freedom Trail. If you insist on going to the North End for the REAL experience, go ahead but expect to fight lines, traffic, parking (or lack there of) and rude people (fellow tourists). Or you can take a drive to the suburb and enjoy a much easier time at one of these Polcari's / Pizzeria Regina restaurants out there.  If you like American-Italian food, Boston is one of the best places for it. Not only does it have a real Italian community, it's also old enough to develop some unique depth in Americanized flavor and presentation style. On this recent visit we decided to try Pizzeria Regina again, but in the suburb of Woburn. The pizza turned out to be pretty good, it's somewhat like a pizza in Italy except with a little more cheese and pizza sauce. A couple slices you'd be pretty full. Of course there's also the Polcari's restaurant, which offers all of the typical Italian affair, from bruschetta to pasta to cannoli, with good quality ingredients but kind of on the light side in terms of spices. Food is well-made and made to ensure that you'll be intimidated by serving size. I didn't take a picture of the pasta because it probably won't fit into my camera - that's how big it is! 
Boston is not exactly known friendly people and courteous service - You'd be lucky if you are seated without any issues at those popular joints. Polcari's offers better-than-average service, which is great by Boston standard. The wait staff is professional and quick, also they are somewhat nice - well, as nice as as Bostonians can be.....
This is the quintessential American-Italian restaurant - complete with the right table clothes and chairs. It's overall a nice place to dine and spend some time at. Some might think it's a bit pretentious, but hey it's a suburban imitation of a North End restaurant, so it's really done it's best....
There are a ton of high-end, high-price restaurants in Boston and its vicinities, but some of them, just like in most big cities, are simply not worth the money. Polcari's, however, offers a pretty good package of good quality food and service, plus decent quantity (YES, lots of calories). If you bring a family of four there, you can get out under $100 and two hours of deliicious food. BOTTOMLINE Boston is a nice food town - I would go there for business anytime because of all the cool restaurants. If you are in the Woburn/Waltham/Burlington neighborhood and wants to have an authentic Boston - Italian experience, this is a good place to check out. BTW This is close to a North End experience but NOT quite there. If you like hang out in the real deal, forget Woburn and go straight to North End and indulge yourself at the real Pizzeria Regina.
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