We like Mandola’s for its homemade mozzarella, truffle oil, marinated olives and mushrooms, salami, fresh pasta…you name it. Sure we can get this at Central Market, but there’s something to the bustling, metro feel of the people eating at the tables, and standing in line to order gelati and gorgeous pastries (which are on the overly sweet side, in the Italian tradition).

The Italian wine selection is small but ample, and pretty careful. You’ll still find some mass-marketed Chiantis and Pinot Grigios (the rarer ones), but you’ll also find the work of smaller producers from Piemonte, Abruzzo, and Sicilia. Mark ups are a little high; consider it a luxury tax for the ability to smell the red-sauce staples coming out of the kitchen. Razor-thin-crust pizza is pretty well seared, and the toppings are quality and balanced. Also delicious, while not remotely Italian, is a pot roast sandwich with tender, roasted slices of beef and a gentle spread of blue cheese and caramelized onions. The bread, baked on site, is equal parts crunchy and soft, as it should be. No wonder so many restaurants order it. Lasagne, although authentically baked with béchamel, is mushy and underseasoned, yet comforting, in that non-Italian-grandma’s-kitchen way. And if you’re eating on the pretty patio, with good gelato within reach, it’s hard to argue with any of it.