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Welcome to Giulia

Giulia, located in Cambridge, MA, is a renowned cocktail and wine bar offering an intimate dining experience with a full bar and a menu filled with Italian delights. The restaurant is known for its larger portions and savory dishes, such as the signature pappardelle with wild boar and the smooth chicken liver crostini. Customers rave about the fresh unicorn oysters and the refreshing hamachi crudo. The pistachio gelato receives high praise for its natural taste and consistent texture. Giulia is a favorite spot for special occasions, with cozy ambiance and top-notch service making every visit memorable.

Giulia: Reviews & Ratings

Adam R.
Adam R.

Very very good Italian food. I would say it is about the same quality as fox and knife. So until you can pull off reservations give them a try . Giulia does have larger portions with main dishes . Service was friendly and attentive. I will 100 percent come back. Unicorn oysters-4/5 shucked well and very fresh. Good acidity added and ramps add a nice bite chicken liver crostini- very smooth and savory with a bit of salt toast was nice and crispy 5/5 hamachi crudo- refreshing frit flavor with some acidity. Hamachi was very tender and fresh, but the side did drown its flavor out. Still very good for a hot summer day 4/5 pappardelle- Signature dish. So savory and full of flavor. Pasta was so tender and al dente. Large pieces of wild boar. Such a good dish 5/5 Pistachio gelato. Strong natural pistachio taste. Gelato had great consistency. Very simple but very good 5/5

Tessa L.
Tessa L.

chicken liver crostini 3.2/5 - never really a fan of liver, but this wasn't too bad warm semolina cakes 4/5 bucatini al'amatriciana 4/5 - feels like very fancy and tasty deconstructed lasagna mushroom pasta 4.1/5 - very subtle taste, no meat pappardelle 4.2/5 tajarin (white truffle pasta $85 for 4 ravioli) - 4/5 2022 fallwind pino grigio 4/5 Being honest, this place isn't as good as it is hyped up to be from the high ratings. Don't get me wrong, it is very good, but the amount of food you get for the price you pay is too high. The interior has a warm, dim lighting that gives nice ambience for dinner dates. Service is very good, no complaints about it. For parking, its street parking only. It can be a bit tricky to find a spot in that area, but there should be some available within 5-10min walking distance.

Megan Y.
Megan Y.

Came here at the recommendation of a few friends. It was still packed at 8:30 on a Wednesday night! We ordered the focaccia, burrata, nostrale, bucatini allamatriciana, pappardelle, squash agnolotti and pasta e ceci. We really enjoyed the pappardelle and agnolotti, and the pasta e ceci was very unique! Unfortunately the bucatini was far from the rest as far as pasta quality and flavor, as it just tasted like overcooked pasta with bland tomato paste. For dessert we got the panna cotta and cookies--loved the panna cotta but recommend passing on the cookies, not worth it!

Neha K.
Neha K.

Giulia is always a hit! Although it may be challenging to get a reservation, it is well worth it. First off, highly reccomend the warm semolina cakes - simply *chefs kiss*. I appreciate that they always have around 3 vegetarian pastas on the menu, which are always such a unique blend of flavors that you can't get elsewhere. My only qualm is that the entrees are on the smaller side, so sometimes I don't leave completely full. But, you can make up for it with some of their other apps. Overall, would reccomend!

Steve S.
Steve S.

I proposed to my now-wife while we sat at the bar here in 2015. It was special to us then and it's special to us now. We returned last night, for the first time in a few years. The semolina cakes and the casarecce alone would have made the trip worthwhile, but the cocktails and the dessert (a chocolate bread pudding) sealed the deal. The place is great for vegetarians like us. It's cozy and homey-feeling: all of us sitting around the bar were chatting about Terry, the former Giulia bartender whom we all remember fondly and who today, it turns out, reads audiobooks for a living. Terry's successor, Cassandra, is charming and friendly and knowledgeable. There's nothing I'd change about Giulia. I hope it sticks around for many years.

Meg C.
Meg C.

Lives up to most of the hype - very hard to get a ressie but the pasta and dessert was worth it, and this is coming from someone who isn't crazy about pasta or dessert. Came here to treat a friend for their birthday and they loved it. We got the pink oysters and semolina cakes to start. The oysters were sweet, and the mignotte added a nice zip to contrast. I liked the light airyness of the semolina cake, but I don't think I would order it again. It's different than your traditional starters, but this is not something I would crave esp for the price point from the truffles. Versus the boar papparadelle is definitely something I would crave and get again. The pasta itself was perfectly al dente with lovely texture and thickness, and each bite was delightful with the boar, trumpet mushrooms, juniper and parm. For me the portion size was just right, and left room for the raspberry semi freddo which was really good. Deep raspberry flavor paired magically with the lemon meringue and amaranth. I was surprised how much I loved dessert. Service was generally good, but confused me initially. Our server came over and seemed reserved and had a bit of "I don't want to be here" vibe when we asked about recos. Once he got going he seemed more engaged, but I found it odd we had to draw it out of him at a place like this. Then a much friendlier, more approachable woman took over and service was lovely the rest of the eve. Ambiance was nice - simple, a bit rustic, and warm. Loved the speckled neutral plates. Good acoustics and room design, so it was easy to have a conversation. Would return to try more pasta and desserts!

Fion L.
Fion L.

We were able to get reservations here and settled for a Monday evening which was super busy and didn't see any empty tables during our time there. The food was great and had such great flavors. We ordered the warm semolina cakes with the truffles, bucatini all'amatriciana & pappardelle. Although the plating looked small we were full & satisfied after.

Nitasha K.
Nitasha K.

Came here for my birthday and anniversary yesterday. The restaurant was busy! Especially for a Wednesday night, every table was full and we luckily snagged a last minute table days prior on open table by setting an alert. The ambience was pretty casual. The food which I'll begin with first, was the best part. The focaccia, semolina cakes, and oysters were all good but the real stars were the penne rigate and scallops served over a black/tomato rice. The dishes were unique, delicious, and not as heavy as you may expect them to be. Portions for the meals were appropriate, though the apps were very small portions ( probably could have more than 2 oysters for one order). We shared the affogato for dessert and it was good but not the best. That all being said, the food was 5/5 especially the mains. So I get the hype for that. I would love to try more of the pasta dishes in the future. The service however was super slow and disorganized. They had one server for majority of the tables, so half an hour elapsed between sitting and ordering and then another 20-30 minutes lapsed between apps and mains. We came so hungry so the wait times were not a highlight. For a 8:15 reservation probably didn't even get to eat until 9. The server mentioned specials but didn't really go into or highlight items on the menu, mainly because he had no time to between tables. If I go back I would probably try to get a bar seat to enjoy the food and have more face forward service.

Della S.
Della S.

I honestly have nothing bad to say about this spot. It's a must-try in the greater Boston area, especially if your budget allows for it! Two of us stopped by on a Thursday evening to try to get a table and were told the wait would be over an hour. We put down a phone number and got a call within 20 minutes that there were seats available. We were seated at the bar instead of at a table, but the bar was a really nice experience because the bartenders were friendly and super helpful with the menu. The drinks were excellent, too! We ordered a tartare dish that wasn't printed on the menu, the chicken liver crostini ($8), prosciutto di parma ($19), bucatini all'amatriciana ($26), papardelle ($30), some focaccia to mop up the sauces ($1/piece), and the blueberry upside-down cake ($14) to finish the meal. We were stuffed by the end of the meal. All of the dishes were incredible! I especially enjoyed the chicken liver crostini. It was packed with so much umami flavor that I was salivating while I ate it. The tartare was fresh and tasty and I would recommend it to anybody who likes raw beef. The prosciutto was rich and savory and came with sweet, juicy chunks of melon. I went into the meal expecting to prefer the papardelle over the bucatini but was pleasantly surprised to find out that I liked the bucatini more. Both pastas were prepared to a perfect al dente and had plenty of savory flavor. Whereas the papardelle had a very homey, earthy savoriness to it, I loved the brightness and tanginess that the tomato-based sauce brought to the bucatini. The tanginess paired perfectly with the crispy, sometimes fatty sometimes meaty pieces of pancetta, and everything was tied together with creamy pecorino. I'm glad we did not skip on the desserts. The blueberry upside-down cake had sort of a strawberry shortcake vibe to it. The highlight was the brown butter frosting which had so much caramel flavor. Everything on the plate was sweet, but not too sweet! I will have to come here many more times to sample the rest of their menu!

Chirag M.
Chirag M.

One of the best Italian meals I've had in Boston, and that's saying something! MVPs of the nights were the pesto flatbread, the Erbazzone and the lamb sausage. Save room for dessert...The panacotta and pistachio gelato are so good! The cocktails and service were also on point.

Location

  • Giulia
    1682 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge, MA 02138 Hotline: (617) 441-2800

Welcome to Giulia, a cocktail bar and Italian restaurant located in Cambridge, MA. This charming establishment offers a cozy and intimate atmosphere, perfect for a memorable dining experience. With a focus on Italian cuisine, Giulia boasts a menu filled with delicious options for both vegans and vegetarians.

Customers rave about the quality of the food at Giulia, with standout dishes like the signature pappardelle, chicken liver crostini, and unicorn oysters receiving high praise. The flavors are described as savory, fresh, and full of depth, making each bite a delight for the taste buds.

One reviewer mentioned that the interior of Giulia has a warm, dim lighting that sets the perfect ambience for a romantic dinner date. The service is attentive and friendly, adding to the overall positive dining experience.

While reservations may be challenging to secure, many diners agree that the wait is well worth it. Whether you're looking for a special night out or simply craving authentic Italian cuisine, Giulia is a must-try destination in Cambridge.