The Daily Catch

After hanging out in North End for the day, my friend and I had plans to eat in the area for dinner with reservations set at 6:30pm. From ICA, we arrived to the area in record time and found ourselves waiting in line at The Daily Catch. The line was short and we told ourselves that if we didn’t move in the next 30 minutes, we would hop to our reservation.
As 30 minutes passed, we cancelled our reservation at Bricco and within an hour (total wait time), we finally found ourselves sitting at the communal table. To our right, a group of four Japanese tourists had the famed dish, Lobster Fra Diavolo. Unfortunately, our group of two could not kill such a dish, we decided on an alternate plan.
Once we figured out what we wanted, we were quick to order. Started with a glass of white wine and a side salad to hold us over until the main course. We decided to go with a Shrimp & Clam linguine in a red sauce. Absolutely divine! Such an amazing end to our evening, but alas, we still had to endure the cold to walk back home.
With such a limited restaurant capacity of about 20 seats, service can be a little slow. There’s only one person tending to tables/​cleaning, one server and the cook, but they churn out a fantastic meal from start to finish. They don’t seem to take reservations, so plan ahead if you want to get a seat. Otherwise, be prepared to wait!

We got here early around 4, so the wait wasn’t very long, only 20 minutes. Compared to giacomo’s down the street, major time saver! The black pasta with squid ink was quite delicious. We had it with olive oil and garlic. Will definitely order again in the future. Other than that, flavor was not as good as Giacomo’s I have to say. Although I loved sitting next to the chef and watch him prepare the dishes. Yummmm, garlic smelled really tasty.

All I can say is WOW!!! This place might be tiny but what it lacks in space it makes up for in flavor. I ordered the calamari scampi and my husband the shrimp scampi. We used the yummy bread to soak up every last drop of the sauce. Dishes were served in the pans they were cooked it. This was our best meal so far on this trip.

Monkfish Marsala was fab and the linguine with calms and clam sauce was the best my dad ever had.
Bit of a muck up with one order but very gracious and offered salad and booze while we waited. Worth the 45 min wait outside!

Wow. Be prepared for a long wait. They don’t take reservation here or do they have a system that will call or text you when your turn is up. I can see why they don’t have something of such because there was 3 person working in a tiny small restaurant that sits roughly 15 people. It would be a lot of work for them to manage a call system rather than to walk out to the street and just call the next person when the table is ready. Maybe it’s a mind game? When you have a long queue of people waiting outside of the restaurant for hours to eat the food must be amazing? Right? Don’t get me wrong the food was delicious but I don’t know about the «WORLD FAMOUS» tag that everyone seem to be using in their review is fairly accurate. I’ve never heard of this place before until we were searching for food to eat near the Harbor area.
Let’s talk about my experience here. We showed up on a Saturday evening at 6 pm and waited 2 ½ hours before we sat down to eat. There was a line to end of the block and people was just standing there and talking to each other while they wait for their food. We had a friend that was supposed to meet us there but was on the wrong restaurant, we told to come over and meet us in the Hanover St location and after an hour to look for parking and walking we were still in line. Surprise ! Surprise ! After an hour and half we figured out that the place only take cash so while some of us took turns walking to our closest bank. Don’t worry you will find plenty of ATM nearby and you have plenty of time to walk there.
We finally got seated around 10 PM, the waiter was kicking some of the people that were in line because they wouldn’t be able to serve them prior to closing time. We ordered the biggest dish we can find since it’s been hours past our dinner. The Lobster Fra Diavolo was mentioned a million times in the reviews so we decided that’s what we should order. Lobster Fra Diavolo was delicious, the sauce was on point. We shared the dish and ordered it with the squid ink linguine (over rated, I would prefer regular linguine. I had it before with rice at a Puerto Rican seafood restaurant which was extremely delicious). The pasta was a little over cooked in my opinion, I can’t tell if it’s because of the squid ink or that’s how it supposed to be. I usually prefer my pasta a little on the al dente side. The dish was about $ 91 dollars after tax.
Our waiter was super friendly and nice. He took our order fast and food was served very fast as well since there’s only a small number of diners at one time. I enjoyed our meal and the experience minus the wait. Can you tell by now that I really hated waiting 2 ½ hour outside of the restaurant? Some locals recommended coming during a work day for lunch for a much shorter wait. FYI.
I’m giving it a 3 star for now, if the wait was 30 minutes or shorter I’ll give it another. If you ever in town and feel the strong urge to eat at place that requires you to wait for hours so that everyone else knows you been here then this is the spot for you. Alternatively make a reservation at the other locations that takes reservation and credit cards, you will thank me for it.

Very bad service, the waitress was soo unprofessional, slow and basically don’t know what she’s doing. The big build tattooed (no offense to tattooed person) chef would just stare at us when we question the waitress being slow and bring the same food to other table when we ordered first. I was feeling the obvious hostility from him and couldn’t GTFO fast enough. The waitress include 18% tip on the bill but she deserves nothing.
I would never again bring any friend to this place ever again.

This is a cute mom and pop shop, but the seafood here wasn’t as phenomenal like I was expecting. A very small and quaint spot for dinning, but my bf and I decided it was a must try with the raving reviews, unfortunately we were disappointed.
We got the seafood pasta with black squid ink noodles. First thing that came into my mind was bland. The sauce was purely just bland, nothing special to it. Then you bite into the noodles– it was soft, but nothing different than regular noodles. Lastly, the seafood, lobster, shrimp, calamari: I wanted flavor but nothing. I wished they had grilled the seafood first to get more taste. Overall, this dish was massive for two people and really was hoping for something to talk about…
The chianti was delicious — the perfect balance between sweet and savory.
Thank you Daily Catch for having us there, but I do wish there was a little more flavor or robustness in your seafood pasta.

Absolutely love this place!
WARNING* due to the restaurants small size expect a wait starting from 5:30 onwards. Also make sure you have cash as it is CASH ONLY.
Came here around 5:30 on a Thursday and only had to wait 5 mins for a table for 5 to be setup.
The place itself is tiny with seating capacity for around 20 – 30 people squeezed tightly together. Interestingly, there is also only one chef who can be seen cooking the food in an open kitchen right beside the seating area with only one waitress taking orders and waiting tables.
Food itself was simple and tasty. We got 2 appetizers and 3 pasta entrees for 4.5 people (little brother as .5).
Appetizers were fried calamari, calamari scampi
Entrees were agolio olio (black pasta with ground squid), black pasta Alfredo, and clams and linguini white.
Though all were very good my favorite was the clams with linguini white (you have the option of red or white for all of the offerings aside from the black pasta) which was simple yet tasty (the simplest dishes are the ones hardest to make right!). The Alfredo was my least favorite as it was too heavy and creamy for my taste. Agolio olio is always a safe bet for those who haven’t tried it.
Would come here all the time to try out the other pastas if I could

Holy cannoli (which is right across the street, by the way). What a hidden gem this place is.
You know when everything, from seating to the kitchen itself, is located in one small room, it’s going to be good. This was quite the Anthony Bourdain experience– from cash-​only, to watching the chef get up from his table to cook our order, to being seated at shared tables.
They do shared lobster meals for families and offer one of the best mussel dishes I’ve had in a while. Service was incredibly friendly and welcoming, involving lots of extra bread baskets and water. I’m so glad I came here.

I wanted to like this place more than I did. I came via some recommendations and glowing Unilocal reviews; I love seafood and I love fresh pasta, and I’d almost rather just go to a seafood place and have grilled, fresh seafood, or go to an Italian restaurant for some delicious homemade pasta. This was both seafood and pasta together, but didn’t really do it for me.
This is nestled amongst all the other restaurants in North End on Hanover St. and the place is tiny — there are probably enough seats for 20, and you’ll likely end up eating right next to someone else. Come with a group of 2, and a maximum of 4. Any larger, and you’ll never get seated. Be prepared to wait in a line outside. At 8 pm, there were only 2 or 4 people in line outside, and when I came back at 9 pm, there was nobody waiting in line.
The fried calamari ($ 11.75) was good: tender, the breading was great, and we got a side of marinara sauce ($ 1) to dip it in. I would get this again.
For the pasta dishes, these are quite generous. You can probably get away with doing an appetizer and then one pasta dish (the full portion) for 2 people. It’s basically served the pan that it’s cooked in. You can also get an appetizer sized portion of some of the pastas.
Shrimp, scallops & broccoli with white wine sauce & pasta ($ 25) — I liked this better than the squid ink pasta. They were out of scallops so they substituted it with clams, which were great. But for $ 25, why were there only 3 pieces of shrimp? The noodles were also fine, but nothing to write home about.
Squid Ink Pasta with Aglio Olio ($ 24) — After everyone’s raves about this dish, I expected to love this more than I did. For being homemade noodles, they didn’t really taste al dente and/​or homemade. The noodles didn’t have a ton of flavor to me, and there was a lot of chopped up pieces of garlic and squid, but the dish was a bit oily. I know the sauce was garlic-​oil with pieces of squid all mixed in, but it lacked seafood taste to me, and was overpowered by the garlic & oil. I’ve had better squid ink pasta elsewhere.
Overall, not a super expensive meal — the bill came out to $ 65 for 2 people (excluding tax). It was filling, since the pasta portions were generous, but I’m not sure I’d return here again. I’d go elsewhere if I want pasta, and I’d go elsewhere if I want seafood.
Also, it’s cash only, so come prepared!

Extremely tiny place! I would say 2 is best number to come here. Expect a wait and CASH ONLY!
Calarmari– needs a dipping sauce or more lemon but it’s good
Lobster far diavolo– it’s huge and comes in a pan! 3 of us were able to finish. Very delicious pasta. You can taste the wine. So so good!
Free bread comes out before and it’s good to save a bit to dip in the pasta!
Service was alright. The lady is pretty blunt and rude but the food is so good!

The aglio olio squid ink pasta was on point! The dishes come out in small pans.
We tried the calamari (with sauce), aglio olio, and the pasta dish with anchovies and olives (forgot the name). Our favorite was the aglio olio. The one with anchovies & olives had a funky taste to it– somewhat of an acquired taste. The calamari was okay, but I wouldn’t order it again. If you’re deciding between fried or sauced calamari, get the fried ones.
The service was kind of pushy (as expected) and the wait was pretty long (this place is crazy small inside). But, I had to give the chef props for cooking by himself!
All in all — just order the aglio olio.

This place only seats twenty people at a time, so the wait is always super long because of how popular it is but IT IS SO WORTH THE WAIT! I think the wait is part of the experience of dining here and even though it was an hour wait, it really wasn’t too long.
The fried calamari is as fresh as it gets and it was incredibly tender. My friends and I couldn’t get enough. I ordered the squid ink pasta, aglio olio styled. This dish was so delicious because good quality ingredients were used. I would definitely recommend this place!

Cash only! I never carry enough cash on me so be forewarned!
Apart from the crammed interior and the long lines, this is the place to go for seafood pasta. We lucked out and looked for food earlier than dinner time, and only waited 10 mins. YMMV.
I ordered the infamous fresh black ink pasta with aglio olio (squid bits), and it came in a cast iron pan with kitchen tongs for serving. It was absolutely savory and delicious, and I haven’t had anything quite like it — chewy, al dente pasta, bursts of squid in between the bites… The monkfish marsala is delicious too, but not nearly as amazing as the black ink pasta.
The portions are rather hearty, so if you have a small appetite you might want to share or grab a to-​go box. Service and space is rather non-​existent, but this is Boston anyway, what do you expect?

This is easily the best seafood that I’ve eaten in the North End. I have always been a bit hesitant to go because of the low patron capacity and the never-​ending line that stretches outside, but my advice for everyone is do not let that deter you! The service is lighting quick, so the wait won’t be as long as you think. But with that being said, I don’t advise going with a large group of people; this is the kind of place that would work well for groups of two, or maybe three.
My boyfriend and I wanted a light dinner, so we split the Shrimp Scampi, Clams Casino and the appetizer portion of the Aglio Olio with calamari. Out of all the dishes, my favourite was definitely the Shrimp Scampi. The sauce was unlike any other scampi that I’ve ever had; it was creamy, flavourful and so good that I’ll probably never order it at any other restaurant. The Clams Casino and Aglio Olio were obviously both delicious as well, but the scampi took the crown that night. Aside from the food, what I really liked about the restaurant was the extremely casual atmosphere that made me feel like I was enjoying a home-​cooked meal.
My only complaint is that the prices are pretty inflated. Yes, I understand that the food is exceptional, seafood is expensive, the ingredients are high-​quality etc. However, I just don’t think that paying $ 15 for appetizers and $ 23+ for a main course is justified for a restaurant that serves water in plastic cups. As I said earlier, I love the casual atmosphere, but not for that high of a price.

I feel like this place is a tourist trap. I’m not being racist because I’m Asian. But an Asian cooking Italian? In most cases, no Bueno. This was not an exception. We had the shrimp, scallop and broccoli entrée, and the black pasta aglio olio. Pasta was very much over cooked — there was no bite to it at all. There was some flavor to it but really not nearly as great as what I thought it would be.
Service was kinda bad. You’re better off heading to some other place in the North End.

I came here after trying to get into Neptune Oyster. It was about to close, but we were the last customer. The pasta here is amazingly delicious. I would highly recommend getting this, which is their signature dish.
*DO NOT FORGET ANY BELONGINGS*
— I forgot my uniqlo bag right by the window, which also had polaroid pictures of myself and gf. I remember I put it there because once I got into the über ride I was like dam I forgot my bag. I called them 10 minutes after and no one picked up, which highly bothered me because they were still cleaning when I left. I swear when I went back that morning, the dishwasher guy had a guilty face after I said I was missing my bag and I left it by the window. He was the only one that would of fitted my clothes.

The Daily Catch is a cash only, 20 seat, two man show that focuses on seafood. With one guy taking the orders and managing the tables and some older Asian fella cooking up a storm ten feet away, The Daily Catch is intimate, and feels uniquely Northeastern.
I visited with two friends on MLK evening. While walking around the North End, we asked a complete stranger if they would pick Restaurant A (don’t even remember the name of this option) or The Daily Catch. Without missing a step, the lady recommended the Daily Catch and then walked away. She literally did not even make eye contact with us or turn her body toward us. Was it that much of a no brainer?
Though there were no vegetarian options on the menu, the chef was willing to whip up a vegetable pasta for me. I watched him cook my entire meal. The stove was so close to my seat; I could see everything. The pasta dish was excellent, served in the steel pan it was cooked in. Some oil, a bit of salt, pepper, and bell peppers went such a long way.
I felt like my friend living in Boston was under a bit of pressure to show us a «great Boston restaurant.» So if you’re in Boston, under some pressure to find a nice spot for dinner, and have $ 25 a person, The Daily Catch seems like a safe choice.
The experience was enjoyable. It’s not a restaurant I could see myself coming back to regularly because I’m vegetarian, but I have no problem coming with friends that are trying to eat a little fish.

Classic Italian fare in a no frills, charming restaurant! The food here is very delicious and their pasta dishes are served in the pans their cooked in! My favorite item by far is the Aglio Olio, which is the black squid ink pasta cooked in lots of garlic and chopped squid. So simple yet so good that you can’t stop eating!
Like all places in North End, be ready for a wait and long lines.

Came here with a friend who thinks very highly of this place and I can see why. We shared the Lobster fra diavolo for one and the aglio olio black pasta. I loved the seafood in the fra diavolo but didn’t really like the pasta noodles. I liked the black pasta a lot better, the texture was chewy and the regular pasta noodles was too doughy.
Staff was super friendly. Highly recommend this place! Even if you have to wait in line, it’s worth it!

O lugar é bem pequeno, umas 8 mesas eu acho, então o tempo para conseguir lugar é demorado. Os pratos são servidos de acordo com o que eu como, mas acho que para os padrões americanos é pouca comida. Pedi vieiras com camaroes + massa em molho de vinho branco e alho. O molho estava muito saboroso, mas estava muito forte o sabor de alho (isso que eu realmente gosto mt desse tempero). A vieira estava bem saborosa, mas o camarão não estava muito gostoso. Meu namorado pediu uma massa com lula e molho vermelho, ele amou este prato. Serviram o vinho em um copo plastico e a agua tambem… A comida é servida na panela, o que dificulta um pouco, porque fica a alça deslizando e podendo derrubar as coisas da mesa. Aceitam apenas dinheiro e fazem para entregar. Achei o valor meio caro comparado. 25 o meu prato e um copo de plastico de vinho tinto 7,5.