Sage, a North End Classic, Is (Sorta) Back

Little Sage. / Photo by Lane Caroline Photography

The gang is back together: Tony Susi and Jen Matarazzo are opening Little Sage on Hanover Street on March 12, taking over Matarazzo’s Locale space. (Don’t worry: Locale’s tasty Neapolitan-style pizza isn’t going anywhere.) Those who’ve been dining around Boston for the past few decades likely remember a special Italian spot called Sage, previously located at 69 Prince St. in the North End (and for a short time in the South End). Little Sage—which, incidentally, is bigger than the original Sage, with about twice as many seats—is a “nod” to the past, meant to “capture the same spirit” as the original location, albeit with some updates in line with current dining trends, per a press release.

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Sage has already had several lives. Matarazzo owned it in the 1990s, with Susi (a North End native) as executive chef. Susi went on to buy it in 1999, and we dubbed it the Best New Restaurant in 2000, using the term “new” a bit loosely. Back then, we praised the “individual attention [given] to every diner” by “amiable and efficient” waitstaff, and we were also enthusiastic about “the handmade gnocchi that could float on a feather” and the “small, reasonably priced, and ideally suited to the cuisine” wine list. Two years later, we called it the Best North End Restaurant, citing the “cozy dining room” and the food—“just like mama used to make.” The gnocchi got another shoutout, too—and again in 2006: “so light and airy, they’re a physics conundrum.” Needless to say, we’re excited that gnocchi is among several throwback dishes on the Little Sage menu, along with fazzoletti (also known as handkerchief pasta).

Little Sage. / Photo by Lane Caroline Photography

Sage moved to the South End in 2008 and ultimately closed in 2009, with Susi appearing around town in various guises since then, including running the pop-up Ripasso at Wink & Nod in 2018, acting as the “pasta consigliere” for Will Gilson’s Geppetto when it opened in Cambridge in 2021, and running the kitchen at Bar Enza for the last couple of years. (Lydia Shire has just taken the helm there.) In short: The man knows his pasta—and Italian food more broadly—and Boston’s lucky to have him.

Little Sage—open for dinner daily and lunch on Friday through Sunday—will serve plenty of house-made pastas, along with dishes such as littleneck clams with lemon and garlic butter; jumbo shrimp with roasted leeks and capers; and chicken with crushed potatoes and brown butter and sage. There’ll be a variety of oven-roasted dishes that take advantage of Locale’s pizza oven, too. (As for the pizza itself, it will be available on a special “Locale to go” menu for takeout and delivery. We’re hoping Susi’s favorite cacio e pepe pizza makes the cut.) The restaurant has one of Boston’s quirky beer, wine, and cordials licenses, so look for cocktails, although some of your favorite hard liquors won’t be available.

Little Sage. / Photo by Lane Caroline Photography

“The North End is still a real neighborhood where people live and send their kids to school,” Susi said, via press release. “I wanted to create a place that residents will enjoy as well as visitors. My goal has always been to return to the North End and recreate the magic of what Sage was.”

Open March 12, serving dinner daily and lunch Friday through Sunday. 352 Hanover St., North End, Boston, instagram.com/littlesageboston.