A coffee, decoration and the pastry counter at Caffé Vittoria, a legendary cafe in Boston’s North End.
The North End is one of the most charming sections of Boston. It has the feel of a European neighborhood within a city that looks more European than perhaps any other major city in the United States.
Within the North End are endless dining options, including touristy restaurants as well as old-fashioned local favorites. The wonderful Caffé Vittoria is one of the latter, an Italian café with a ton of character that visitors to Boston who read up a bit on the city’s food scene frequent along with Italian Americans who have lived in this very old section of the city for much or all of their lives.
Hanover Street is the main drag of the North End, and it is lined with countless restaurants, cafes and food shops, most of which are Italian, though more and more options for other types of cuisine can be found these days both on Hanover, Salem and other streets within the neighborhood. There are indeed so many places for food on Hanover that it can be pretty overwhelming, making it easy to walk right by some must-visit spots.
Caffé Vittoria’s block is a perfect example of this, as the cafe is one of approximately 10 dining options on just one side of a two-block stretch of road, and plenty more are across the street as well (not to mention, it sits next to Mike’s Pastry, one of the most popular places in all of the North End).
But once you take a step inside, you’ll realize that Vittoria is a particularly unique spot that oozes character, with its tin ceiling, mosaic tile floor, marble tables, metal-rimmed chairs, old-fashioned hanging lights and walls adorned with all kinds of knick-knacks, artwork and old photos. The cafe is made up of several different sections, including two front rooms that have their own entrances (they are connected by a walkway in the back) a few more dining areas out back, and a cigar bar in the basement.
While not really a place to get a full meal (unless you’re a fan of having dessert for dinner, not the worst of ideas), Caffé Vittoria is a great option for those who want to grab a sweet treat and a drink after going to one of the many nearby restaurants in the North End or as a last stop late in the evening before heading back home.
The food options include classic Italian pastries and baked goods such as biscotti, cannoli, sfogliatella, tiramisu, lobster tails, cheesecake, limoncello cake, chocolate ganache, ricotta pie, napoletana and gelato, the last of which includes spumoni, a colorful and delicious treat that includes layers of different flavors. Biscotti options include one covered with chocolate and another with a mix of almond and anisette that is perfect to dip into a cup of hot coffee.
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Speaking of coffee, Caffé Vittoria has several coffee options, each of which is well worth trying. The espresso is a good one to get if you need a quick jolt from the extra caffeine, while the more mellow and creamier cappuccino goes very nicely with the aforementioned biscotti, as does the caffe mocha, which gets an added richness from chocolate. And yes, hot chocolate is also available here, while other coffee options include caffe latte, Americano and macchiato.
Cafes and desserts places tend not to serve alcohol, but Caffé Vittoria does have a liquor license, offering a number of cocktails, special coffee drinks and liqueurs, with some options including martinis, cosmopolitans, Italian and Irish coffees, grappa and cognac. A limited selection of beer and wine is available as well.
Boston has seen a lot of its classic old-school dining and drinking spots close over the past ten years or so, icons like Durgin-Park, Doyle’s Café, Anthony's Pier 4, the No Name and Marliave now just a memory. With the legendary German restaurant Jacob Wirth’s return up in the air after a devastating fire this past summer, it is indeed tough times for those who love historic restaurants and bars.
But Caffé Vittoria continues to thrive in its North End space, attracting crowds on weekends and weeknights alike in part because of its combination of history, atmosphere and excellent food and drink. You’d be hard-pressed to find a place that’s even remotely like this in the Greater Boston area, or anywhere in New England for that matter, with New York City perhaps being the closest place that has cafes similar to this North End landmark.
Caffé Vittoria, 290-296 Hanover Street, Boston, MA, 02113. caffevittoria.com
