How to Get Into Tonino

Resy: When do reservations drop on Resy?
Jessica Gooch: Reservations are released at noon every day for 30 days in advance.

How quickly do reservations get booked?
They fill up almost immediately.

How many seats do you have inside?
We have 11 tables, so 26 seats. It’s very intimate.

Is that in keeping with the restaurant’s inspiration?
Yes. The entire concept was born from a trip that chef [Luke Fetbroth] took to Rome and Naples, and just being inspired by the feeling created in Italian dining culture, where you feel like you’ve stepped into someone’s dining room and they live right upstairs. It’s very classic, led with warmth and the Italian dining environment in mind.

Are any seats held for walk-ins?
There are two counter seats held for walk-ins every day, and we only seat them for walk-ins throughout the night. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you put it into perspective that there’s only 26 seats, period, it’s almost 10% of our seating.

What time would you recommend stopping by to snag a walk-in seat?
The two seats are given to the first two people waiting at the door when we open at 5 o’clock. And then we start a waitlist for from there. On some nights we have more space available at five. For example, if there’s a table that doesn’t have a reservation assigned to it until 6:15, we might have a window for an hour and 15 minutes before 6:15, so we’ll seat another walk-in at that time as well.

What’s the typical wait time for a walk-in during peak time?
We do not ever delegate wait times. It’s all dependent on the behavior of the other folks on the waitlist. It’s entirely possible that the first two people that are in line get the first table, then the next two people get another one of those hour-and-15 minute spots, and then there could be seven other parties in line that all add their names to the waitlist for that night. And it’s not a guarantee that we’ll get all of those seven parties in. It really just depends on who’s willing to wait and who isn’t.

But there’s never an actual wait time because it’s all based on how many folks say yes, or if there’s a cancelation or a party of four shows up only with two, so we take advantage of every space that becomes available throughout the night for the waitlist. And when we call them to offer the table, they have 15 minutes to return to the restaurant. They do not have to wait at Tonino; they can wait wherever they’d like within the neighborhood.

Is there a nearby bar where you send people who are willing to wait?
There are three bars within a two-minute walk, and another five within a 10-minute walk. So, we give folks options based on what they’re hoping for. If they want a cocktail, a beer, or a glass of wine, there’s one of each of those within a three block-radius of the restaurant. Jadu is the wine bar, Casa Verde is where we send people that are hoping for a cocktail, and then the Galway House is the Irish pub if they want to have a beer while they wait.

When are your busiest days or nights?
I fear that this is maybe too cliché to print, but every day is Friday at Tonino. Every day is equally as busy as the day before.

Do you use the Resy Notify feature?
Very much so.

If someone were to try to use the Resy Notify feature, is there a certain time or day where they’d be most likely to get a reservation?
Adding your name to the Notify list sooner versus later increases the odds that you’ll get off of the list. Resy automatically emails folks on the Notify list when spaces become available, and spaces do become available all the time. We see a lot of cancelations the week leading up to the reservation because folks booked it 30 days in advance and then forgot until they got a confirmation message. So, the week leading up to the desired dining date is when the most availability becomes listed. Twenty-four hours before, when the final confirmation goes out, that’s when the most cancelations happen.

Any tips or tricks you have for getting a table? Or what’s the best piece of advice you could offer someone who’s hoping to get a table?
The best piece of advice I have is honestly to be spontaneous and check Resy at any time, or check Resy for that noon release. And if you’re flexible on what day you’re willing to come and what time, then you are absolutely bound to get a reservation as long as you’re you have an open mind on exactly when you’re going to visit.

Set the scene for us. What’s it like during those prime times?
The Tonino environment is like being at a dinner party with all of your closest friends (who are actually your closest strangers). The tables are banquet-style seating, so everyone is seated around this circular hallway in the dining room, which is what our team travels up and down to engage with guests and deliver everyone’s orders. So, it really feels like you’re dining together with the folks that are in the room with you.

Then we have a handful of very curated playlists that we are really proud of. We never play blank-artist radio. We only play the playlists that have been designed by one of our team members to include as many different genres as possible, and they change in tempo and vibe throughout the night. We take everything into account to really set the tone for the most enjoyable dining experience that we can achieve within our tiny space.

Are those playlists publicly available?
Yes. They are on our website on ToninoJP.com. There’s a listen to Tonino at Home link, and you can view all the playlists there.

Where would you sit, if you had your choice?
My favorite is table 16, which is the circular table next to our front windows. It’s like a front-row seat to seeing the show unfold in front of your eyes.

What are some must-order dishes or drinks?
My absolute favorite dish on the menu is the count neck clams with guanciale and Calabrian chile broth, with a side of pizza bianca. Before I worked at Tonino and I was a guest I would wait in that line, and I would join the Notify list and just wait for the opportunity to eat that dish again. So that’s definitely my personal number one. The mortadella plate is in another can’t miss on my book, and the bucatini is my favorite pasta. That is a thick, hollow spaghetti made with anchovy chile butter and topped with bottarga and breadcrumbs. And our breadcrumbs are garlic butter breadcrumbs, which are also to die for. So anywhere you see those on the menu, go for it.

Does the menu turn over often, or are those staples that stick around?
The three that I just mentioned are staples. The menu does fluctuate seasonally, depending on the time of the year. There are some items that will come on and off as the seasons change. But we primarily do daily editions for our seasonal items that might be around for a week or so, and then they’ll update with the produce and product availability of the season as well.

Tell us more about yourself. How did you end up in this role?
I was contacted by the previous general manager. We knew each other from when I lived in the neighborhood and I was a guest here and operated another restaurant in Boston. And when it was time to hire a general manager, she knew how much I cared about Tonino and wanted that care to continue in her absence. It was a huge honor. That was almost three years ago, and it continues to be now. There’s something incredibly special about being asked to operate your favorite restaurant, and I absolutely do not take it for granted.

Tonino is open Thursday through Monday starting at 5 p.m.

Eric Twardzik is a Boston-based writer who’s been covering the local dining scene for Resy since 2018. His writing on food and drink has appeared in Boston Magazine, Edible Boston, and Condé Nast Traveler.