this place was very good. i got the spaghetti marinara. and it was amazing. i ate everything! big pieces of tomato, garlic, and basil. loved the bread and olive oil for the table. loved the marinated carrots for the table. clean bathrooms. welcoming staff. they had a guy singing different tunes which was cute. the only con is that the service is a bit slow at times. mainly when we wanted the check. we couldn't find out waiter. they have different people to pour water, bring food, take plates away etc. its like we just want to leave now lol. wheres the check? but it was very good and i would come back.
Gio
Delicious authentic Italian food! Freshly made when ordered. Penne Ala Vodka!!! OMG!!!! Then we also had the lobster ravioli!!! Delicious!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Penne Alla Vodka, Fried Calamari
carlee cronk
People were kind food was good very old style Italian loved itParking: Arthur avenue
Mario's of Arthur Avenue reminds me of old New York. And growing up in NY I have so many good memories. This establishment is over 110 years old. I love old places. What I loved, they have a coat check when you walk in, which was nice because it was pouring buckets that day. The old world ambience is old in style but clean. They had dinner lighting during lunch which adds to the ambience. So it really feels like an escape from Arthur Avenue. When you are seated you given menus and brought bread and butter and delicious green olive oil and marinated carrots. The bread was amazing and brought me back to Severollis bakery in Ozone Park. Ahhh sorry you're not here for my childhood flashbacks. Calamari- good flavor slightly chewy- we devoured it though. Burrata- Ahhmazing and so fresh tasting. Caesar's salad- ok Tortellini soup - it came in a beautiful covered vessel but the flavor it desperately lacked flavored and was sour- I'm hoping from lemon. Even after adding salt I felt it needed actual flavor Spaghetti and meatballs- I'm just gonna say that they must've been having a bad day in the kitchen. Chicken, Francaise- it was a mediocre at best, I think the lemon was lacking and the one piece of chicken was a little over cooked. Served with a potato croquette- this tasted like it was made with instant potatoes. A very sad dish. I will say you could've gotten the chicken française with pasta or salad. I hate to give an iconic old restaurant a bad review when there is so much potential but it does come down to the food. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe they were just having a bad day. Oh , the wait staff was excellent. If Mario's Restaurant is reading this, don't serve frozen food like the potato croquettes, make every thing fresh from scratch, you will have a 6 month wait list to get into your restaurant. Your restaurant has so much potential.
Stephen B.
It's a place you should check out because of the history and the decor. Food is solid, but I don't feel like anything stood out about it. Wasn't bad and it's worth going for the experience.
Jon Caye
Excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pulpo Salad
Ana Isabel
Visited for a lunch meeting and would definitely go backThe service was exceptional - servers were very polite, looked very neat and passed by our table requently to make sure everything was alright.The quality of the food is very good - they offer a very delicious warm bread with marinated carrots and olive oil as small appetizer - and its delicious!I was between the lasagna and the chicken parmigiana and ended deciding to order the lasagna, as recommended by our serverThe serving size was huge - and even if I was not in love with the meat filling (because I believe it had a blend of beef and sausage - not a fan of the last one) it was very good! The amount of cheese, sauce and pasta was perfect - and the unlimited parmigian cheese made it even tastier ??My friend ordered Penne a la Vodka with with a meatball and she seemed to have enjoyed it very much since both plates were left quite emptyWe did not order any dessert or coffee because we were sort of in a rush - but I would definitely be happy to visit again and try something else.The place is perfect to visit with relatives - it's like a good restaurant to go to with your mom, relatives or just for a business meeting - its very quiet and very clean, with very beautiful interior design.It seems to be a classic italian restaurant in the Bronx - Little Italy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Penne Alla Vodka, Meatballs, Lasagna
Gregory Reinhart
Great classic Italian restaurant. Stopped by on Valentine’s Day and had a great meal. Service was good and the atmosphere was amazing.
Food: 5
Gail Flanagan
I brought my Dad in with a ♿️ wheelchair and they were extremely accommodating. Great family restaurant with pleasant music ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Samuel Vierling
Honestly, mid. I chose this place at random. The hostess gave certain (poorly dressed, might I add, for a place so concerned about jackets hanging off the chairs and appearance) buddies of hers special treatment as they came in the door, but scowled at us and gave us the silent treatment. Their vodka sauce was great, but everything else was kinda basic. Atmosphere was stiff because we felt unwelcome lol. Woops? Sorry for eating at your establishment.Gave off a pseudo-italian vibe. Had a rotation of the same three Frank Sinatra songs over and over. Too cheap to buy Spotify premium so you're subjected to "wanna break from the ads?" every five minutes.At the very least, dining there allowed me to get out of the cold for a moment.
The oldest restaurant on Arthur Ave! I love the old school charm! Very decadent food!Wonderful caring service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Penne Alla Vodka, Fried Calamari
R S.
Wow - I hate leaving bad reviews, but the food was terrible. I had the chicken parm, and it was bad. It is REALLY hard to mess up chicken parm, and the pasta was straight out of a box. I think I could get better at my local pizza shop. And the bread wasn't even good (again, pizza shop quality). My wife had the eggplant parm, and it was equally bad. For a restaurant that has been around for 80 years, it's mind boggling how the food could be so bad. This is our first time trying this restaurant (we have been to several others in Little Italy) and it will be our last.
Elizabeth C.
The restaurant is self is very charming and old world. There are lovely old oil paintings on the walls. It was slow during the mid afternoon, just one other party dining with around us. I did feel a bit unwelcome by the servers staring at my husband and I. When I asked for a new glass, the server didn't say a word just brought back the water. It was just a little cold. He said they were nice when they brought the bread and pickled carrots. The bread and pickled carrots are good. We ordered the arugula salad, minestrone soup and the Margarita pizza. The salad was good, I think next time I would order it with light dressing the minestrone soup was OK. The pizza was nice. It was all pretty average, and for the trek that we had to make to go get it, I don't think we would return.
Tyrone G.
I had went to this restaurant today and the service was awful. They kept giving me refills when I had not asked for anything, and the food was undercooked. My ceaser salad tasted sour. When I left the restaurant I left a 20 dollar tip and my waiter chased me outside and demanded more. This is insane. Chasing customers for money?? I am DISGUSTED. Do not recommend this place at all. Unacceptable.
I really enjoyed the food here! There was also a live singer who made the night really fun so shout out to Joe. My only gripe is that the tables and seats were very close together it was hard for the waiter and photographer going around to give their best service. But overall, I would definitely go again!
this place was very good. i got the spaghetti marinara. and it was amazing. i ate everything! big pieces of tomato, garlic, and basil. loved the bread and olive oil for the table. loved the marinated carrots for the table. clean bathrooms. welcoming staff. they had a guy singing different tunes which was cute. the only con is that the service is a bit slow at times. mainly when we wanted the check. we couldn't find out waiter. they have different people to pour water, bring food, take plates away etc. its like we just want to leave now lol. wheres the check? but it was very good and i would come back.
Delicious authentic Italian food! Freshly made when ordered. Penne Ala Vodka!!! OMG!!!! Then we also had the lobster ravioli!!! Delicious!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Penne Alla Vodka, Fried Calamari
People were kind food was good very old style Italian loved itParking: Arthur avenue
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carrots, Chicken Parmesan Cheese, Warm Bread
Mario's of Arthur Avenue reminds me of old New York. And growing up in NY I have so many good memories. This establishment is over 110 years old. I love old places. What I loved, they have a coat check when you walk in, which was nice because it was pouring buckets that day. The old world ambience is old in style but clean. They had dinner lighting during lunch which adds to the ambience. So it really feels like an escape from Arthur Avenue. When you are seated you given menus and brought bread and butter and delicious green olive oil and marinated carrots. The bread was amazing and brought me back to Severollis bakery in Ozone Park. Ahhh sorry you're not here for my childhood flashbacks. Calamari- good flavor slightly chewy- we devoured it though. Burrata- Ahhmazing and so fresh tasting. Caesar's salad- ok Tortellini soup - it came in a beautiful covered vessel but the flavor it desperately lacked flavored and was sour- I'm hoping from lemon. Even after adding salt I felt it needed actual flavor Spaghetti and meatballs- I'm just gonna say that they must've been having a bad day in the kitchen. Chicken, Francaise- it was a mediocre at best, I think the lemon was lacking and the one piece of chicken was a little over cooked. Served with a potato croquette- this tasted like it was made with instant potatoes. A very sad dish. I will say you could've gotten the chicken française with pasta or salad. I hate to give an iconic old restaurant a bad review when there is so much potential but it does come down to the food. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe they were just having a bad day. Oh , the wait staff was excellent. If Mario's Restaurant is reading this, don't serve frozen food like the potato croquettes, make every thing fresh from scratch, you will have a 6 month wait list to get into your restaurant. Your restaurant has so much potential.
It's a place you should check out because of the history and the decor. Food is solid, but I don't feel like anything stood out about it. Wasn't bad and it's worth going for the experience.
Excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pulpo Salad
Visited for a lunch meeting and would definitely go backThe service was exceptional - servers were very polite, looked very neat and passed by our table requently to make sure everything was alright.The quality of the food is very good - they offer a very delicious warm bread with marinated carrots and olive oil as small appetizer - and its delicious!I was between the lasagna and the chicken parmigiana and ended deciding to order the lasagna, as recommended by our serverThe serving size was huge - and even if I was not in love with the meat filling (because I believe it had a blend of beef and sausage - not a fan of the last one) it was very good! The amount of cheese, sauce and pasta was perfect - and the unlimited parmigian cheese made it even tastier ??My friend ordered Penne a la Vodka with with a meatball and she seemed to have enjoyed it very much since both plates were left quite emptyWe did not order any dessert or coffee because we were sort of in a rush - but I would definitely be happy to visit again and try something else.The place is perfect to visit with relatives - it's like a good restaurant to go to with your mom, relatives or just for a business meeting - its very quiet and very clean, with very beautiful interior design.It seems to be a classic italian restaurant in the Bronx - Little Italy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Penne Alla Vodka, Meatballs, Lasagna
Great classic Italian restaurant. Stopped by on Valentine’s Day and had a great meal. Service was good and the atmosphere was amazing.
Food: 5
I brought my Dad in with a ♿️ wheelchair and they were extremely accommodating. Great family restaurant with pleasant music ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Honestly, mid. I chose this place at random. The hostess gave certain (poorly dressed, might I add, for a place so concerned about jackets hanging off the chairs and appearance) buddies of hers special treatment as they came in the door, but scowled at us and gave us the silent treatment. Their vodka sauce was great, but everything else was kinda basic. Atmosphere was stiff because we felt unwelcome lol. Woops? Sorry for eating at your establishment.Gave off a pseudo-italian vibe. Had a rotation of the same three Frank Sinatra songs over and over. Too cheap to buy Spotify premium so you're subjected to "wanna break from the ads?" every five minutes.At the very least, dining there allowed me to get out of the cold for a moment.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
The oldest restaurant on Arthur Ave! I love the old school charm! Very decadent food!Wonderful caring service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Penne Alla Vodka, Fried Calamari
Wow - I hate leaving bad reviews, but the food was terrible. I had the chicken parm, and it was bad. It is REALLY hard to mess up chicken parm, and the pasta was straight out of a box. I think I could get better at my local pizza shop. And the bread wasn't even good (again, pizza shop quality). My wife had the eggplant parm, and it was equally bad. For a restaurant that has been around for 80 years, it's mind boggling how the food could be so bad. This is our first time trying this restaurant (we have been to several others in Little Italy) and it will be our last.
The restaurant is self is very charming and old world. There are lovely old oil paintings on the walls. It was slow during the mid afternoon, just one other party dining with around us. I did feel a bit unwelcome by the servers staring at my husband and I. When I asked for a new glass, the server didn't say a word just brought back the water. It was just a little cold. He said they were nice when they brought the bread and pickled carrots. The bread and pickled carrots are good. We ordered the arugula salad, minestrone soup and the Margarita pizza. The salad was good, I think next time I would order it with light dressing the minestrone soup was OK. The pizza was nice. It was all pretty average, and for the trek that we had to make to go get it, I don't think we would return.
I had went to this restaurant today and the service was awful. They kept giving me refills when I had not asked for anything, and the food was undercooked. My ceaser salad tasted sour. When I left the restaurant I left a 20 dollar tip and my waiter chased me outside and demanded more. This is insane. Chasing customers for money?? I am DISGUSTED. Do not recommend this place at all. Unacceptable.
I really enjoyed the food here! There was also a live singer who made the night really fun so shout out to Joe. My only gripe is that the tables and seats were very close together it was hard for the waiter and photographer going around to give their best service. But overall, I would definitely go again!