Mario's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Dubuque

Mario’s Italian Lounge – A Disappointing Experience

Mario’s Italian Lounge in Dubuque, Iowa, is an unfortunate example of how a family-run establishment can go wrong. While it bills itself as a cozy, kid-friendly Italian restaurant, the experience is anything but welcoming unless your children have the patience of saints—because they’ll be waiting at least 90 minutes to eat.

The Wait: The first red flag was the wait time. A 30-minute delay to get a table is understandable at a truly high-end Italian restaurant, but for a place of this caliber, it was excessive. After finally sitting down, it took another 20 minutes for a server to even acknowledge our presence and another 10 minutes to get drinks. Appetizers took over an hour, and the entrees took more than two. By the time the food arrived, we were beyond frustrated and regretting our decision to stay.

The Service: It became quickly apparent that the staff was either all related or part of an insular hiring practice, as the service was disorganized and inefficient. Our waitress was forgetful and appeared unkempt. The only bright spot was the hostess, who was friendly, accommodating, and frankly, the best part of the experience.

The Food: For a family-owned Italian restaurant, the food was shockingly low quality. The marinara was bland, suspiciously similar to something out of a jar (it tasted almost identical to Rao’s). Much of the food seemed like prepackaged ingredients straight off the back of a Sysco truck, reheated or fried with little care. The portions were large, but that didn’t make up for the lack of quality. The pizza bread was decent, but nothing special—there’s better pizza elsewhere in Dubuque. The bread, supposedly house-made, tasted like it had been frozen and proofed before baking.

Overall Verdict: If you’re looking for subpar, mass-produced Italian food served at a glacial pace, Mario’s is the place for you. Otherwise, you’re better off going to Olive Garden, where the food is at least consistent, and the service is more efficient. Between the excessive wait, disorganized service, and mediocre food, this was a meal we won’t be...

Date of visit: Thursday evening, 10/03/2024 For a party of 5, wait was 25 minutes. No tables available so we agreed to a booth, with our 5th member seated at the end in the walkway. Both the bar and the restaurant were very busy; not sure if that is the norm for 7 pm on a Thursday. We placed our order within 10-15 minutes of being seated & received our salads and 1 basket of bread within about 15 minutes. After that, it went downhill. We did not get our entrees and pizza until at least half an hour or more later. Our waitress, Mikayla, never came by to check on us, or assure us our food would be out soon. I finally was able to flag her down and we got our food within 10 minutes. We all agreed the taste of our individual dishes was sub par and that we have all tasted far better Italian food. The sauce had no flavor, the Veal was breaded, and tasteless. The pizza was tasteless, like eating a saltine with no salt. The best tasting item out of my whole meal was the raspberry vinaigrette dressing for my salad. I tasted no hint of garlic, red pepper or basil in any of the food. We all agree we will not be going back. Parking was on the street. Google maps does a great job of getting you to the restaurant, if only it could help you find some flavor in the dishes and better speed and...

Came and ate here on a Saturday night about 6pm. 2 people and seated immediately. Saw Lydia talking to a table as we were being seated and immediately knew she was invested on the success of this place. Later discovered she is indeed an owner and had an amazing conversation with her.

Our food was delicious and served timely. Drinks were well made and had an Iowan beer. Had the antipasto appetizer. Absolutely worth the 9 dollars. Great size for 2. Definitely try the fresh Italian bread.

Had salads and highly recommend their own vinagrette. Perfect amount for the side salad. In had the manicotti. Great vegetarian option (I'm not vegetarian). Pasta was perfectly cooked with a little chew as it should. my date had the pasta (something lunberjack). Really nice dish with a good sized portion.

Dinner was 65 bucks and well worth it. The atmosphere is definitely inviting and friendly. Its a place I want to spend my money. You can feel the love the family has put into this establishment. Do yourself a favor when in Dubuque and go check this place out.

I will come back here almost every time I am in Dubuque. Say hello to Lydia and the rest of the crew and family. Have a conversation if they are able. Feelanlike dinner with a...