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Boston Globe

Just like the North End, but in Lynn, Scopa offers Italian American classics

Calamari at Scopa. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff What to eat Fried calamari with a thick, crisp batter and hot cherry peppers in the mix, alongside a mayo-based dipping sauce (you can also request the house marinara). Big, juicy pork and beef meatballs served with marinara on their own or with pasta. Chicken Parmigiana on pasta tossed with the house sauce. You'll also find eggplant rollatini, chicken or veal piccata, orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage, lobster risotto, and much more. What to drink The wine list is disappointingly dull, and in a region where craft beer is a thriving industry, not a single one appears here. Advertisement An exterior shot of Scopa in Lynn. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff The takeaway The 55-seat dining room, when full, is so noisy it's hard to hear above the din. But it has a lively, fun vibe with large parties and multi-generation diners. A covered outdoor patio with strings of lights overlooking the Saugus River is quieter with a pleasant view (except for some industrial buildings). Many of the Italian American classics are well done but in dishes with the house marinara, too generous with sauce. One night after an endless wait for pizza, we are told that the kitchen burned it and another is on the way. Then more wait and one arrives — too burned to eat. 'This is not how we run the place,' says Matthew Gateman later on the phone and I do think it was an anomaly. There wouldn't be so many people having a jolly time in the dining room if this were routine. 829 Boston St., Lynn. 339-231-7047. Appetizers and salads $5.95-$16.95; pasta $13.95-$22.95; entrees $19.95-$25.95 (seafood dishes are market price, about $30 to $32). Advertisement Sheryl Julian can be reached at