Mario Ristorante Italiano and Wine Bar (Coconut Creek)
***** Mario Ristorante Italiano and Wine Bar, 6370 North State Road 7, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073 (954) 420-3100.
$219…dinner for 4 last night. The “delicious” meal— baby mix green salad ($8 shared by 2), lasagna entree ($17 as an appetizer shared by 2), 2 branzino (sea bass) entrees ($33), veal chop parmigiana ($36), grilled veal chop ($35), 1 glass of ice-coffee ($3), 1 tartuffo ($7 shared by 4), tax & tip.
What in the world– Mario is doing in a crappy-half empty Coconut Creek shopping center is beyond me. Mario and his wife Nadia, 2 1/2 years ago– literally must have spent a fortune designing and building their gorgeous– upscale–top notch service–terrific food– Italian restaurant.
Anyway…if you’ve got the cash, and a couple of hours to eat (this ain’t some neighborhood red sauce pizza joint)– I think that you will really enjoy Mario.
The food is delicious, the joint is gorgeous, the service is as professional as can be.
Take a look www.Mario-Ristorante.com for menu/prices/photos-videos…this way you’ll know what you are getting yourself into.
Mario has a cute gimmick (Deco Drive did a tv segment)…there are 3 flat screen tvs in the dining room which “broadcast” the kitchen. It was kinda fun watching Mario and his staff prepare stuff…and in our-case, try and spot our dishes—now no wise-cracks, but as old Jeff ages I find small pleasures where-ever and when-ever I can.
Mario is open for dinner Tuesday-Sunday.
hey jeff, last three reviews on italian joints. how do you keep your girlish figure?
linda: Just had a chance to read your post.
To answer your question…SPANX.
Thanks for reading…
My wife and I have eaten in Mario. The food as you say is quite good. It is also a very attractive restaurant. The camera watching the kitchen is a cute idea but wears off real fast as it gets boring. This is a nice place for dinner every once and awhile but it is too fancy like for a regular Saturday night out. The location is terrible.
Hey Jeff, let me give you my take on Mario.
First of all, I ate there about 1 year ago.
Mario spent a small fortune building his restaurant. White leather chairs, white Roman columns, real upscale looking. Personally, I think that the dcor looks ridiculous and overdone.
Mario from what I figure, figured that the money folks in Parkland would be his customers much like that overpriced Pete’s Buena Sera figured. Both guys never saw the recession hitting and most likely killing off most of their business.
Mario’s food is OKAY but nothing more. His veal parm which has a fancier name goes for close to $40 and isn’t half as good as most mom & pop places make for 1/2 the price. The same goes for most of his food.
This restaurant is a waste of good money, it really is that simple.
Mario is too expensive for what you get.
my husband and i ate there a couple of weeks ago. very overpriced. food was fair. service was fair.
Jeff, the food at Mario is excellent. the problem is that it is expensive for what you get. in this economy Mario is going to have a huge problem just staying afloat. i and my wife ate there about a year ago and thought that although the food was delicious the price wasn’t right. in this current recession, Mario would be better off lowering his prices to encourage business.
ok food/ too expensive/service is ok but nothing special. bet you mario fails in this economy
OVERPRICED.
WILL NOT BE AROUND IN THIS ECONOMY.
FOOD IS OKAY
SERVICE IS FAIR.
Food is fabulous, service is superb, Mario and Nadia put their all into every detail.
Many people in FL are ok with eating mediocre food at a restaurant that gives you a beeper as long as it is cheap and there is alot of it.Fine dining eludes them and they should probably stick with mom and pop places.
Mario Restaurant is the best in Parkland area! I love his food and it’s easy to’ understand he cook with hearth. Price? You can eat in a chiper way? It’s not the place where you have to save money: just enjoy and book a table or another night!
My wife and I and another couple came to Mario for the first time to dine on Saturday, February 5, 2011. All of the food we had from appetizers and main course through dessert was excellent. However, from the first moment we sat at the table the waiter made us feel rushed, despite the fact that the restaurant was virtually empty when we arrived for our 6:00 p.m. reservation. Even worse, one of the owners — Nadia, who is Mario’s wife — actually said when she dropped off the check to the table that they need for us to take care of the check right away because they need to turn over the table! When I told Nadia how offensive we found it to be rushed like that, she was unapologetic and saw absolutely nothing wrong with how the waiter and she had treated us. We will certainly never patronize this restaurant again! Being obsessed with wanting to turn over tables and making patrons who come to dine feel rushed is completely inconsistent with the ambience that the owners of this restaurant invested their money to create and with the prices that they charge. Shame on Mario and Nadia for treating customers so rudely and for not understanding that patrons come to expensive restaurants to dine leisurely, not to be rushed.
You will not find a finer Italiant restaurant west of Florida’s Turnpike nor will you find a more beautifult restaurant anywhere in south Florida.
I discovered this gem just over a year ago. The ambiance is fantastic and the food is amazing. Chef Mario and his lovely wife Nadia will make you feel welcome. The veal meatballs in the best tasting marinara sauce I have ever had will have you at the first bite. Chicken Marsala at Mario is so tender and delicious you will be craving it long after you leave. The chicken tortelloni is served in an amazingly rich and meaty cream sauce. The lobster ravioli in a garlicy red sauce is an excellent choice. And it is not just pasta and chicken that Chef Mario does magic with. Try the jumbo shrimp in a sweet thai chili sauce, the tuna , fresh branzino or the steak. The fact is, there are so many excellent selections that you will want to keep coming back. Oops, almost forgot the tiramisu; just one of the fabulous desserts. Mario Ristorante is elegant with an experienced staff to care for you. You don’t want to miss this one!