Restaurant Review: Bertucci’s Newton
Apr 05, 2011
5 Comments
I apologize to those of you who are already familiar with, and have already formed an opinion of, Bertucci’s restaurants, but for those of you who are new to the area, I recommend Bertucci’s as a nearby, quick, relatively cheap and relatively delicious location to consider for lunch…
Just a short car ride from Newton campus is Bertucci’s of Newton, MA located at 275 Centre Street with on-site parking. It opens at 11 a.m. and is therefore an option for an early lunch if you need to return to campus by 12 or 12:30. The staff is quite friendly and the service (at least in my experience) has been quick.
The menu offers a wide range of Italian fare that changes on a regular basis. My go-to is the Rigatoni Abruzzi (offered as a lunch portion at $8.25). The dish consists of roasted green peppers (usually green in my forays there), chunks of sweet Italian sausage, and rigatoni in a mildly spicy chunky tomato sauce. While not quite what Nana used to make, I have had it on a few occasions and it has been delicious (then again, Nana didn’t hail from Abruzzi, so perhaps that makes sense). The rigatoni has come al dente, the peppers have been nicely roasted, and the sausage has been tender.
Bertucci’s also offers a wide range of classic brick oven pizzas and entrees that I have sampled. The Margherita Pizza, consisting of mozzarella, basil and tomato sauce, fired in a brick oven, is always a good bet. The crust is great and an individual portion priced at $9.99 is filling. It provides about 4 slices and I usually have a slice left over to go (though I suppose that depends upon your appetite). I have also enjoyed the “Sporkie,” consisting of sweet Italian sausage, ricotta cheese, tomato sauce and mozzarella. With this pie, the sausage was again tender, and I enjoyed the addition of the ricotta.
Bertucci’s also offers the usual range of classic Italian deserts such as Tiramisu (an espresso and rum soaked caked filled with mascarpone cheese), and chocolate budino (a semi-sweet chocolate mousse). In addition, it has begun offering “tortas,” brick oven baked tarts filled with fruit or a “nutella” like spread that I have not yet tried. They look good, though!
Perhaps one of the best things about Bertucci’s is that they offer (at no charge) freshly baked rolls and a good sized salad. As I recall, they also offer crayons for children or law students to draw with as they wait for their meal…
I think Bertucci’s is a fine option for a quick lunch if you have a car to get there. The service is quick, and at $9.99 you can’t go wrong for a decent portion of pasta or pizza, freshly baked rolls and a salad. I would recommend it.
Check out their menu here.
Who posted this article?
Just a warning: do NOT park in that parking lot unless you are going directly into one of the retailers in that building.
This past August, I met my aunt for my birthday dinner at the Newton Bertucci’s. We parked in the Bertucci’s parking lot, walked to the restaurant, read the the menu and then decided on Thai food at Amarin next door (has been a favorite restaurant of mine since I was 11!). After enjoying our dinner we walked back to where our cars were parked… only to find that BOTH of our cars had been towed in the hour that we were there. The sign warning us of their “policy” (read: scam with the building owners and local towing company) was hidden behind a dumpster.
I called the towing company to ask about our cars (admittedly upset). The man on the other end of the line called me a “stupid b*tch” and was very agressive and insulting. It was night time and my aunt and I were nervous to go get our cars from this man who had just verbally assaulted me. A friend came and picked us up and we went to the Newton police station to file a report (sign was blocked, aggressive behavior… the was pre-law school I didn’t–still don’t–know what I was talking about). We actually got a police car to escort us to the towing company because of its sketchy location.
Once we arrived at the towing company, my aunt and I entered the building (in the industrial part of Nonantum) and discovered that the man on the phone was the human incarnation of Jabba the hut. Jabba and our hunky Greek police escort got in a fight
Just a warning: do NOT park in that parking lot unless you are going directly into one of the retailers in that building.
They have a person who sits in the parking lot and watches until customers step off the property… then they tow your car immediately.
This past August, I met my aunt for my birthday dinner at the Newton Bertucci’s. We parked in the Bertucci’s parking lot, walked to the restaurant, read the the menu and then decided on Thai food at Amarin next door (has been a favorite restaurant of mine since I was 11). After enjoying our dinner we walked back to where our cars were parked… only to find that BOTH of our cars had been towed in the hour that we were there. The sign warning us of their “policy” (read: scam with the building owners and local towing company) was hidden behind a dumpster.
I called the towing company to ask about our cars (admittedly upset). The man on the other end of the line called me a “stupid b*tch” and was very aggressive and insulting. It was night time and my aunt and I were nervous to go get our cars from this man who had just verbally assaulted me. A friend came and picked us up and we went to the Newton police station to file a report (sign was blocked, aggressive behavior… the was pre-law school I didn’t–still don’t–know what I was talking about). We actually got a police car to escort us to the towing company because of its sketchy location.
Once we arrived at the towing company, my aunt and I entered the building and discovered that the man on the phone was the human incarnation of Jabba the hut. Jabba was rude to our hunky Greek police escort they got in a fight. We eventually got our cars back but needless to say, I will never EVER EVER go to that Bertucci’s again. It took me until my 1L finals to even go to that Starbucks out of pure desperation.
This review of a local Bertucci’s franchise transported me back to the bucolic grandeur of my childhood in the old Tuscan countryside: the aroma of sweet Italian sausage stewing with roasted red peppers, the fiery heat from the wood-burning hearth, and the comforting knowledge that if I were to leave behind the sun-soaked vineyards to attend one of your American law schools, Mama Bertucci’s Rigatoni Abruzzi would always be there to make me feel right at home.
LIKE
Wow. I just read that in class and almost lost it.