The Best North Shore Italian Restaurant Is In Woburn?

Who would have thought that North Shore Magazine's Best Italian Restaurant would be on Main St. in Woburn? That happens to be IL Ponte located which opened only 2 years ago could already be chosen in the annual BONS (Best of North Shore) awards is astounding. When you consider how many Italian restaurants are located in the area.

If you have never been to IL Ponte, you had better make a reservation soon, because now this little hidden gem will no longer be a secret. First of all, it is not a very big space, it only has one room and can probably seat only 50 people or so.

My wife and daughter have been to IL Ponte once a few months ago and were simply blown away by everything about it. The owners Beni Kurti and his wife Hortenca Sheshori came to America just over 10 years ago and they brought with them the idea that folks in Woburn and the surrounding towns would welcome fresh Italian dishes with fresh menu ideas. They were correct.

When you enter IL Ponte, you will notice right away that you are in a very authentic Italian restaurant, the happy chatter of satisfied customers and the warmth of servers and the super friendly owners going table to table welcoming you to their home. It's a family affair too, with the owners young son working as a very polished server who happened to be our server for the night.

The pasta is all homemade and absolutely delectable, featuring their spin on Italian classics and the pizza is as authentic as you get. The menu also features items that would be hard to find anywhere else that happen to come straight off the boat. Items such as, Honey Lavender Duck or Tonno Al Pepe Verde. Of course you can stick to the tried and true if you're not adventurous and still leave the restaurant very satisfied.

Congratulations to IL Ponte in Woburn on their BONS award, we are pretty sure that it will not be the last.

The other day my daughter and I were talking about what our last meals would be if we could choose. (I know, a real positive father/daughter convo, huh?) We both decided that some good Italian is on our short lists. My love for Italian food is one of the reasons I never considered moving to or near Boston's North End. I love chicken parmesan too much. I fear what I'd look like after living there for six months of tiramisu for breakfast (because I would!).

Now that you know my blood type is marinara, you can imagine how excited I was when I came across Tasting Table's 2023 list of the 20 Best Italian Restaurants in the U.S. I was even more excited when I got that jolt of hometown pride when I saw that one of the 20 best in the country was right here in the good ol' Bay State.

There are currently over 60,000 Italian restaurants in the US, so being one of the Top 20 is a humongous accomplishment! And can we stop and drop our jaws in awe of that number? Over 60,000 Italian restaurants in America? That's over 1,200 per state!! Holy connoli!!

So grab your fork and your pasta twirler spoon and let's get to it - I'll give you some Massachusetts honorable mentions, these are some Italian restaurants you should definitely check out if you haven't already. We'll finish up with our Italian Restaurant Golden Child of Massachusetts (and I'll see you there this weekend - we'll be the ones there at 4pm to beat the rush, it's how we roll).

Where: Reading, MA
Standout Dish Not to Be Missed: chicken parm all day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KippUZKFnZY

Where: North End of Boston, MA
Standout Dish Not to Be Missed: Ahi Tuna Arrabbiata
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87rbZ2WJL0g

Where: Boston, MA
Standout Dish Not to Be Missed: the Bolognese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqvWjpw2h5Y

Where: Dorchester, MA
Standout Dish Not to Be Missed: the pizzas are awesome!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziYRUSDIzCw

Where: Charlestown, MA
Standout Dish Not to Be Missed: the Spicy Picci.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQPVCHpHT48

Where: North End of Boston, MA
Standout Dish Not to Be Missed: Gnocci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtNiXZdjngw

Where: Quincy, MA
Standout Dish Not to Be Missed: the atmosphere - take it in!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjnxIbmYTn4

Where: Gloucester, MA
Standout Dish Not to Be Missed: fresh pasta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivMY3Tt3ZhQ

Where: Amesbury, MA
Standout Dish Not to Be Missed: veal saltimbocca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL4rGQqSJ9Y

Where: North End of Boston, MA
Standout Dish Not to Be Missed: lobster, clams, and mussels over linguine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_sev6pbEyM