Updated!! Maria’s Trattoría

240 Quincy Ave

Braintree, MA  02184

Post from February 25, 2024 (see post below from January 22, 2024 for our first visit for a quiet dinner for 2, and today’s for a large party of 8)

We tried Maria’s Trattoría again! This time we brought a bunch of friends along and they loved it too!!

We don’t plan on writing about any restaurants more than once, but we couldn’t help ourselves with this one.

What an incredible night Jim and I had with 6 of our high school friends dining at Maria’s. Our group of 8 was seated in the dining alcove off the bar area where they tend to seat larger parties. This was perfect for us so we didn’t have to worry about disturbing other tables around us. We are very conscientious about being too loud especially when in a big party, but it was nice to not have that concern.

Our waiter, Alex, was a seasoned server who knew exactly where to steer us for dining choices. We took his advice for appetizers and ordered Byrek – an Albanian philo triangle – one plate of beef and another of spinach. Theses were similar to the greek Spanikopita. We must have been hungry because I was only able to get this picture of our appetizers. LOL.

Of the eight of us, four ordered the Veal Ossobucco over Risotto specials. Alex brought those to the table with spoons to use for the marrow inside the small bone, a delicacy he said. John, Mark, Steve and Anne all raved about the flavor of veal as well as the risotto and marrow.

We often say that Italian restaurants should be judged by their parmesan dishes and the ones on Maria’s menu are to die for. Jim and Deb ordered veal parmesan, and I ordered a 1/2 eggplant 1/2 chicken parmesan dish because I couldn’t decide between the two. The plates came with a generous amount of homemade noodles, delicious marinara sauce and cheese topping.

Carol ordered the Orechiette and Sausage special that Jim had last time and thought it was superb.

We finished the night with Limoncello as an after dinner drink to go with dessert. We shared cannolis and tiramisu (my favorite). Both were delicious and we devoured both plates of sweets.

So, we have visited Maria’s as dinner for 2 and as a large party of 8 and both were wonderful. If didn’t get there after my first post, you have to go now!!!

Blog Post from January 22, 2024 (The first time Jim and I went for a quiet dinner for 2)

About this restaurant

We had such a lovely Italian dinner at the new Maria’s Trattoria on Quincy Ave in Braintree, MA the other evening. The food was delicious, the service was outstanding and the atmosphere is one I will come back for. This new Maria’s Trattoria only opened in Spring of 2023, replacing the old Maria’s Restaurant that was open at the same location from 1950 thru 2022. This was a staple for us as Jim grew up in the Quincy Point section of Quincy, just a mile and a half (5-minute drive) from the restaurant. This was where we were engaged 41 years ago. Always a sentimental favorite. I’d share a picture but I don’t think we ever took one. It is hard to believe that there was a time when not everything was chronicled with pictures!

Food

We started with the complimentary bread basket – sliced Italian bread served with a scrumptious homemade pesto. We heard some tables ask for butter, but boy, they don’t know what they were missing. We had such a hard time deciding which menu selections to choose, but we had just had chicken parmigiana cooked at home so decided we would go with something other than tomato sauce.

We started with an appetizer special of a softball sized arancini that had Bolognese inside and a cup of marinara for dipping. This could have easily served 3-4 people for an appetizer and was very good.

I ordered the chicken marsala that comes over Maria’s homemade linguini which they shape more like spaghetti, and it was fabulous. The chicken was pounded thin, and mushrooms were sliced thin as well. The marsala sauce was perfect.

Jim opted for a special of orecchiette pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe which was delicious and light. He only finished half of the pasta and took the rest home.

Our friend Debbie has dined at the new Maria’s recently and raved about the Greek salad and the veal parmigiana. She said the red sauce was out of this world and her leftovers must have weighed 5 lbs! The friend who she went with was so impressed that she has made it a habit of going for takeout frequently. My son is firefighter in a neighboring city, and he said they order from Maria’s a lot as well.

I love dessert and again found it very hard to pick from all of their house made desserts. Tiramisu is one of my all-time favorites, so I had to try that here at an Italian restaurant. This was hands-down the best tiramisu I have ever had. I seriously woke up dreaming about it the next day. The cream was so light, and the ladyfingers were soaked to perfection. It came in a small casserole dish and could have fed 3-4 people, but we managed to readily finish it. This restaurant would be great for casual or special occasion dining or just to stop in for one of their signature cocktails at the bar. We wanted to try an espresso martini, but we were too full after dessert to order one.

Service

Our waitress, Erin, was the best. She was friendly and attentive without being pushy. The person filling our water and clearing dishes was also very nice. Every employee that we encountered was friendly as well.

Atmosphere

This restaurant features Northern-Italian cuisine in a roomy dining room adorned with old-world murals of Venice. The old Maria’s was very old-school Italian/Greek, dark, with the trellis of grapes hanging from the ceiling and murals of Italy on every wall. The new Maria’s Trattoria has brightened the place up with white stucco walls with occasional brick showing through. The majority of the seating is small tables and chairs, but there are some booths and large corner banquets. We also noticed a room off the front with a large long table that seats about 16 people in a semiprivate setting. This used to be the bar area in the old Maria’s,

The front door walks you through the new bar area with the upscale, room-length, warm and cozy bar on the far left with high tops situated throughout the room. There is a large glass window separating the bar area from the dining room, so the restaurant doesn’t get the noise from high tops. The dining room is a breath of fresh air as the room is fresh and clean with bright walls. The grapes and trellises are gone, but some of framed pictures are still there and the murals remain on the back wall. The tables are modern with a subtle black metal lamp on each table for ambiance.

Recommendation

If you haven’t tried Maria’s Trattoria in Braintree, MA, please do and as soon as you can. This is the best Italian restaurant that I have been to in quite some time, North End included. No matter what you order for dinner I think you will be satisfied, but you most definitely have to try the tiramisu!!