Il Mannarino Como — Restaurant in Como

As a first timer and tourist, the initial interaction going in was rather odd and i think they could put some effort into explaining how everything works as this is a very particular setup. There really should be someone working at the door to tell guests where to sit and explain to them they must first go to the butcher, order the desired meat to be grilled, and then other items are ordered from the menu. Basically had to awkwardly figure this out on my own while asking questions to the butcher gentleman while he looked at me like I was asking him if water is wet and answered me with a sort of 'of course it's wet' expression... i understand there can be some linguistic/cultural barriers here but since I had no idea what was going on at all with this place, a quick basic explanation from a hostess would have helped.

After all this, I asked for 2 steaks, one Picanha and one Tagliata di Manzo. As a party of 2, we wanted to try 2 different items but we weren't super hungry so we asked for a slightly thinner cut then the butcher initially suggested - both medium rare. While the Tagliata di Manzo turned out perfectly Medium Rare as requested, the Picanha was medium-well. I mentioned this to the staff and they commented that asking for such a thin cut made it very difficult to grill correctly - which i can agree with but I think they should give.a warning or enforce a minimum thickness if it's that prone to compromise. Still, the senior staff offered a replacement kindly - great - however that replacement piece suffered the same issue AND it was an inferior cut of beef - basically inedible... even if I did appreciate the gesture.

Critically though, I dont think either of them were very good at all. the initial Picanha was ok and had potential if cut thicker and executed medium rare, but the Tagliata was pretty tough despite the almost perfect execution and overall i can only conclude that neither one of these are of notably great quality.

I entered with moderate expectations and came out thinking I should have just bought a steak at the supermarket and cooked it myself. Frankly it was a bit depressing and rather spoiled our last evening in Italy. Perhaps the other range of meats are good but I won't be going back...

Unfortunately I have to give this restaurant a 1 star review, let me explain why. In april, my friend decided to celebrate his birthday there, so we all gathered to the restaurant for dinner. the food was good, we had fun, but at one point, during the serving of a plate of diaphragm, the waiter spilled a good amount of blood from the meat onto my jacket, right and left sleeves and some on the chest part too. The guy which i assume is the service manager, was helpful and gave me a product to spray on the jacket to remove the spots, but with no use. At the end of the night, we talked and he suggested to bring the jacket to a laudry service, they'd pay the bill. So i did, but the spot still remained. We talked a bit, and since my jacket isn't brand new I found immoral to ask them to repay it in full, so I gave them carte blanche for a compensation, while they paid 12€ of laundry. The guy with glasses told me that he needed to check with his manager (after 1 month) and they would have come back to me via phone call. after 3 months, I still have not received any feedback from them and to be honest, I'm also tired of chasing them. The food is good and the restaurant is nice, but after paying 70€ for that dinner, going home with a ruined jacket and not receving any compensation for what they did, despite giving them so much time, it's kind of sad. I always try to be as polite as possible, but sometimes the only way to get things done in Italy is to be rude and act frustraded. Act nice and they'll play with you most...

It's away from the tourist crowd, but still situated in the city center so it's convenient but not overcrowded! The decor is beautiful with a green theme and the menus are straightforward and easy to understand.

There is a butcher's counter where customers can select the meat for grilling (which opens at 7pm). The prices are very reasonable and the meat selection is good. Luca, the butcher, was very accomodating and answered our many questions patiently. We had to catch a train, so we asked if the grilled meat could be served early and Luca also kindly accomodated. The service is generally also very good, where there's been a good balance struck between checking in on the food, and leaving us to enjoy the food.

We had the roast beef slices as a starter (I've forgotten the Italian name), and the sirloin steak. Both were very good, and the meat is definitely a must-have here.

The pasta is also served with very generous servings of cheese!

Their house-made wine is also very good and mellow, and is served in an adorable jug.

There are complimentary alcoholic drinks served at the end of the meal, which was a nice end to the meal.

There are also no hidden charges in the meal, which is clearly written in the menu.

Overall, I would return if I ever come to Como again as the food was very good, and the dinig experience was made...