Wine Lovers' Paradise
Fills an important ecological niche. Bring a fine wine from your cellar and enjoy it with great food. Total cost is less than you'd spend on tipping the sommelier and valet at a fancy downtown restaurant.
Recommended: wild game
Food: 8
Service: 6
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 8

Best Food Ever
This is indeed the best food I have ever had around the globe. I take all influential customers to La Stanza Diva and I win their hearts. I go for a 5 course meal. Try the same.
Recommended: swordfish, Chopin oysters, ostrich
Food: 10
Service: 10
Ambiance: 10
Overall: 10
- Best Food Ever

Long Wait and Overpriced
We waited an hour and a half for our food, and were glad to be able to drink our own booze while we waited. Many of the dishes are just pastas and sauces, certainly not worth $24. Some of her dishes are very different, and delicious, and some warrant a higher price, but certainly not as many as she charges for. The service is pretty bad, and had to go to the bathroom in the dark, with just candles lighting the room. Fire hazard?
Recommended: fiorentino
Food: 4
Service: 2
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 4

No One Can Touch Chef Lynne's Cooking
If you want cheap prices and fast food go to McDonald's. However, if you want fine food then check out Chef Lynne's cooking at LaStanza Diva Fiorentino. Well worth the money she is asking and the convenience of not having to travel to Boston for such fine dining. Its as good if not better than her previous restaurant, Il Fiorentino. Like fine wine, Chef Lynne's cooking only gets better with time! Once you dine here, it sets the benchmark for dining very high.
Recommended: rack of lamb, saltimboca, marsala, calamari, bruschetta
Food: 10
Service: 8
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 10

Ya Gotta Be in the Mood
If you crave a funky, relaxed, kitschy sort of place, reminiscent of New Orleans Bourbon Street, where you might have to either speak up or wait awhile for service, choose this place. Food is good Italian, sometimes inspired [frutta di mare, anything lamb, veal saltimbocca, anything shrimp], with a few mediocre dishes [skip the swordfish]. It's not nouveau cuisine, but it's often innovative. Want ostrich or alligator? Pasta dishes are huge. Everyone takes food home. Fun Friday nights with a band playing swing favorites. BYOB. Some nights you have to be patient. They're not the most organized wait staff I've ever encountered, but they try to please, and the food is worth the wait. Bring a group of friends and plan to spend the evening, in true Italian style.
Recommended: frutta di mare, anything lamb, veal saltimbocca, anything shrimp or calimari
Food: 8
Service: 6
Ambiance: 8
Overall: 6

This Place Is Just Fun
We go here at least once a month, and have come to love the zaniness of the decor, fabulous food, excellent portions, and sometimes distracted service. We just speak up and ask for what we want. There's an entirely new waitstaff, which is much more attentive than you'll read in past reviews. We love the frutta del mare, shrimp scampi [huge shrimp perfectly cooked] and the stuffed artichokes are out of this world. Bring your own wine, and party like it's New Orleans before Katrina.
Recommended: shrimp scampi, lamb chops
Food: 8
Service: 8
Ambiance: 8
Overall: 6
- Winchester

Absoulutely Fabulous
We had such a great time. There were six of us and we all tried something different and loved it all. The swordfish stuffed with crabmeat is to die for...excellent. The mussels in the white sauce was a hit with everyone at the table - the best we have ever had.
Recommended: swordfish with crabmeat
Food: 10
Service: 8
Ambiance: 8
Overall: 10

Hated It
We happened to drive past the restaurant en route to a different place and ended up deciding to go there; from the outside it looked cheerful and full - not crowded. We thought it would be fun to try. We were offered a table right away and were impressed with the large menu. Our beverages were brought out promptly and we were given complimentary bruschetta. But that's where the positive ends... They were having a function in the other room and it seemed like all the orders were backed up. The result? We only saw our meal almost two hours later! Not only that, but the waiter completely forgot part of our order, which had included a salad. The waiter stopped by our table once to apologize, but that's it. We were originally prepared to wait a bit because the menu makes a big deal about everyhing being fresh and cooked to order, and therefore taking a bit longer than most places. "A bit longer" was simply ridiculous and disrespectful. We watched as waiters ran to the other room with bowls and bowls of food for the function and noticed most of the patrons in the dining room did not have their meals...and they had arrived before us. If it weren't so late already, we would have gladly left. The wait was not even worth it! My pasta dish was ridiculously large, uninspired, and greasy while my husband's beef came topped with (as he put it) "cheese out of a bag." The service was terrible too - even getting some water was a big deal and my husband finally walked up to the kitchen to give the waiter our payment because we were so sick of sitting there. But then, the large banner sitting over the open kitchen reading "Happy New Year" (in June) should have been our warning of things to come... Caveat emptor.
Food: 2
Service: 4
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 2
- Arlington, MA

I've had so many dishes here I don't know where to start. I will say I've never had a bad meal here. Yes the wait can be long for a table, but what good place doesn't have a wait? Oh yeah, and sometimes it takes a while for the food to come out. Well if you've ever cooked at home you realize you can't make something this good in the microwave. I've had better service, but never better food. Sure the prices seem high but when I can drink a $10 bottle of wine for $10 or a $50 wine for $50 and not pay the ridiculous markup like the rest of the places, it puts things in perspective. Going to this place is like going to a relative's or friend's who's a great cook; you always have great food and a wonderful time.
Recommended: artichoke ravioli, pollo saltimbocca
Food: 10
Service: 6
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 8

Don't Believe Everything You Read
I've been to this restaurant a few times now. Thank goodness I didn't read some of these reviews before I went, or I may not have tried it. I have been going there about once a month for the past few. Although the service is sometimes a bit slow because all the food is cooked to order, the food is great and worth the wait. I love that the menu covers all the basics while also some adventurous, unique items. Tried the alligator last time and it was delicious. Can't wait to go back again next month.
Recommended: calamari, alligator, soups
Food: 8
Service: 8
Ambiance: 8
Overall: 8

Dishes to Die for
I've been to Fiorentina both before and after the move. The ambiance has picked up marginally in the new place, but the food remains tremendous. I highly recommend the eggplant ravioli with garlic cream sauce, and the chicken Gorgonzola is to die for. Bring a couple bottles of wine and take a cab home, as the wait is long and the service longer - but well worth it.
Recommended: saltimbocca, cioppino
Food: 10
Service: 6
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 8

Mixed Bag
I went there based on an online recommendation that they gave a lot of attention and great food. Although we were seated right away, we received no attention for what seemed about 45-minutes while the employees stood around talking, before someone finally asked if we were ready to order. Yet there were only two other customers ahead of us seated at another table in the whole place. No one came by to refill our coffee either, so I recommend you also order something cold to drink with your dinner. I ordered a pasta dish with pork; my friend ordered a ravioli dish. Though I prefer a meat sauce to tomato sauce, I have to say the pasta was delicious. However, the pork was inedible; it was too tough to eat - I couldn't even cut it. My friend did like his ravioli dish, and the pasta portions were large. If you're adventurous, their menu stated they periodically have unusual dishes like alligator, snake, etc. However, I'm not sure I would rush back in the near future due to the poor service.
Recommended: ravioli
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 4

We Love It
La Stanza Diva is something really special. Chef Lynne cooks her heart out and does all her own shopping. Cheese ravioli are not $20.00. Roasted eggplant and sundried tomato ravioli in a roasted garlic cream sauce with fresh sage is! Big difference. Bring your own beer and wine too. As far as dirty, that is untrue. Chef Lynne takes great pride in her restaurant.
Recommended: lobster Fiorentino, rack of lamb
Food: 10
Service: 8
Ambiance: 8
Overall: 10

Abbondanza
Fabulous! Food is so good. The atmosphere is funky/casual. The staff is fun and friendly. It's our favorite, and that of everyone we bring along. Must go. Friday nights are the most fun.
Recommended: lobster Fiorentino, cioppino, fried calamari
Food: 10
Service: 8
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 8

It's the Place to Be
Overall, service is slow but it's worth the wait. Food is excellent and place is clean. You are never rushed to leave so they can turn over tables. Yes, the food is expensive but you get to bring your own booze - which saves you a fortune. Give it a try, and if you have a problem, address it with the staff - they are ready to help and serve.
Recommended: chicken and eggplant Parmigiano, lobster Fiorentino
Food: 10
Service: 6
Ambiance: 8
Overall: 10

Could Be Great
On the cusp of being very good. A fun place that knows food - but what's with the dry commercial parmesan cheese and the cheapo bread? (There is an Italian bakery right across the street.) Service leaves something to be desired. Had to ask for everything from bread to water. Real potential here with some polishing and attention to detail.
Recommended: osso buco, shrimp marinara
Food: 6
Service: 4
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 6

Save Your Time and $$$
Handwritten menus are messy and hard to read. Food was nothing special; $20 for ravioli is a bit much. I almost suffered a heart attack when I saw they serve rattlesnake and kangaroo. They only accept cash and checks, which is an inconvenience. Service was awful and it wasn't even that busy. The bruschetta was the only good part of the meal. The place looks dirty and I had to wear my coat during the meal because it was so cold in there. Needless to say, I won't go back.
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 2

Can't Say Anything Bad
The food is great. Large portions - well worth the wait and price. Since we live in NH it is a treat for us. Highly recommended.
Recommended: seafood fra diavolo
Food: 10
Service: 10
Ambiance: 10
Overall: 10

Food Decent
We recently visited this restaurant on a summer evening. Food was decent but not great and the place was dirty. Plus, it was very pricey. A pound of pasta on your plate isn't worth the wait. Overrated. It's time to take off the plastic tablecloths and hose the place down.
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4

New Management Suffers
The good old days of the Il Fiorentino are over now that the restaurant is under new management. The food isn’t nearly as good as it used to be and the employees are turning over faster than the bruschetta. For five years now my wife and I have been customers at the old Il Fiorentino but lately we have noticed the staff has been different every time we go. We have always considered the food worth the wait but now we find it takes even longer because the employees are always new. In addition to this we have begun to notice the restaurant doesn’t seem to have enough employees to cover all the rooms so often they are running at half their capacity. We sure hope things get better.
Food: 4
Service: 2
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 2
- New Management Suffers