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Gran Gusto

June 14, 2008 by Jennifer Che 2 Comments

I stumbled upon the name of this restaurant while looking for a kid-friendly place to take my college friends (who have 2 kids). We ended up going to Antico Forno in the North End with my friends since it was recommended as a great place in the North End for kids. While doing my research, I also learned that Antico Forno makes an excellent authentic neapolitan pizza. However, every time someone mentioned this fact, another person would pipe in saying that Gran Gusto had better neapolitan pizza. After reading this time after time, I decided I had to go to Gran Gusto to try this amazing pizza.

Gran Gusto is located in North Cambridge in the old Tartufo site, and has only been open for about 9 months. The owner is originally from Naples, and thus his food (like his pizza), is distinctly Neapolitan.

The service at this restaurant was excellent. The waiter was an older man who was clearly knowledgeable about the menu. He was kind, attentive, and friendly at the same time. He convinced us to try the special appetizer – (stracchino?) a creamy, very fresh Italian cheese that they fly over from Italy every so often. It has a texture somewhere between cream cheese and fresh mozarella. It was very rich and creamy (apparently 50% milkfat!) but interesting to try.

I ordered the Margherita pizza ($12), and Bryan ordered the fresh pasta dish ($17). The pizza crust was excellent – super thin and crispy and light. It was definitely well made, and one of the best thin-crusts in Boston. The flavors of the toppings were light, balanced, and flavorful. I would not have minded more tomatoes on the pizza. Maybe next time I’ll try ordering a saucier/juicier pizza.

Bryan thoroughly enjoyed his pasta dish. The texture of the fresh pasta was chewy, and the sauce was well made. In fact, Bryan just told me he went back to Gran Gusto last week (by himself) and had pasta again.

All in all, we were quite pleased with the discovery of yet another delicious Italian restaurant so close to home. Best yet, this restaurant is a little off the beaten path and is also sort of still undiscovered. We went on a Friday night at 7 PM, and had no problems getting a table. They also have a lovely courtyard full of outdoor seating. It looks like a great place to have dinner on a warm, summer evening.
Gran Gusto on Urbanspoon

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Filed Under: Cambridge, North Cambridge, Restaurant, Review Tagged With: Italian, Pasta, pizza

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Comments

  1. Suzanne says

    April 14, 2016 at 9:23 pm

    Hi Jen,
    I see you reviewed one of my favorite restaurants, Gran Gusto in Cambridge. You gave them very good scores.

    The reason I’m writing is because I’m a web designer working on the website of the attached office complex. I’d like to ask if you’d review this restaurant again since the last review was in 2008 and it has improved since then.

    Ohh.. and your blog is amazing with the amount of great information you have published and work you have put into going to all these restaurants.

    Suzanne
    How can I contribute to your expenses for this site.

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  2. Deborah says

    May 7, 2016 at 7:59 pm

    Where is the recipe for the Gran Gusto ricotta pie? My son loves this dessert and has requested I make it for his birthday, but I can’t locate it on your site.

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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