Marcello's — Restaurant in Covington

Horrible experience at MARCELLOS, first and last time for our visit….no second chance for us.

Being in the service industry I feel the owner (Blakely Kymen) should be aware of what’s happening at her restaurant by her staff while not being present during a very busy Holiday Season, I certainly would want to be aware.

The waiter, (no name due to never be introduced) very inexperienced, having to ask for everything ‘needed’ for a meal as simple as forks, small plates, reminding of drinks ordered, cold coffee, creamer, the list goes on and on. After multiple mishaps our party of six finally decided to ask for management to help guide our time to a smoother and enjoyable Holiday celebration, surprisingly no manager nor owner on site, we were given a ‘card’ to contact owners after multiple requests.

The unknown named waiter (possibly Jordan-noted from another employee) became very rude after bringing the wrong bill (including wrong prices) to us ‘multiple’ times (4+ ), he was offended to be called out. This was a bit shocking to hear as all the mistakes were on him/restaurant not the paying customers.

While we had no manager/owner to express our experience a very young man, Austin (only a name was given, no position to restaurant, I assume a bartender as he was seen only behind the bar) ‘attempted’ to help. This was not very helpful at all, he was pretty clueless as the waiter to be totally honest.

Both Austin and unknown waiter became very rude and no doubt inconveniencing our table (family) including our 80 year old parents which wasn’t taken lightly. They were very much affected by this unpleasant experience at this so called family restaurant,

We will pass this experience on to others so they can be aware of the establishment they may or ‘HOPEFULLY NOT’ visit that is quite expensive and definitely not worth the disappointment.

So many other restaurants in our area that reflect our wants and needs…excellent service, delicious food, and great staff, sorry MARCELLOS…this isn’t...

What a hidden gem!! Definitely the best restaurant in Covington and maybe the best Italian in the whole state!! Very small quaint, cozy and welcoming Italian restaurant that you will drive by as we have many times but be wise and stop for dinner. They have a patio we are anxious to try. The service is top notch in that they can't do enough to make your experience a good one. They may not all be well versed in the Italian menu and culture (like grappa) but they will find out for you!! The wine list was the most interesting! It is like cruising in a wine shop with the prices on the bottles and you just choose your wine. That was so much fun and we found a great bargain on a Premier Grand Cru. The menu has all the Italian favorites, making choices difficult. Know while making your choices that portions are large and it is all authentic and well prepared. We had the side of Saffron Risotto to start and that was perfectly prepared (so hard to find) which paired well with the wine. We had salads, one house and one cesar both very nice. I would not order those again because I needed room for the other food but being married to an Italian he loves to eat in courses, so.... My husband had the Eggplant Parm which was to die for and I had the seafood pasta with a mushroom sherry cream sauce, again perfectly prepared with mounds of shrimp, lobster and seafood. I ended up taking most of it home but it was actally fresh and wonderful the next day!! We of course had disgestives and they did have grappa and espresso much to my husbands delight! We shared tiramisu which we could not finish but then tasting is a thing. It was a culinary experience like you would expect in Italy. You should not miss!! It would be perfect for a cozy Romantic date night or a great place for a dinner with family or friends! Reserve ahead - It is small and likely fills...

We have seen several restaurants come and go in this location so we were curious what the new kid on the block was going to be. After dining for the first time last night we don’t think there will be a change in this location again because we are hoping Marcello’s is here to stay. The prices are a little pricey especially for just lasagna but it won’t keep us from going back. ($100 for the two of us for two entrees and a $27 bottle of wine) I had the braised tender pork cheeks over creamy polenta and it was absolutely amazing!! I would order that again and again. My husband ordered the lasagna. While it wasn’t the most amazing thing in the world, it didn’t disappoint either. One thing to note is it is blazing hot!! I almost never finish eating before my husband but it took him so long to eat because it was so hot that I ended up waiting on him. He was down to the last 1/4 of his meal and it was still too hot. The bread that came out before our meal was maybe a sourdough French bread and so good. It was perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. I do wish our dinner came with a small Italian salad though. Not because there wasn’t enough food for sure but just because I love Italian salad. I definitely couldn’t finish my entire meal and had some wonderful leftovers for lunch today. My husband ate every last bite of his. There were so many dishes that I wanted to try off the menu it was hard to choose one. So, we will definitely be back to sample more. One thing I will mention though. This was our first time here and we had no idea we should have had reservations. Plus, it was a Wednesday night. We sensed an attitude from the hostess for not having any reservations instead of being welcomed into a new restaurant. Now we know for next time but it would have been nicer if the hostess had been welcoming no...