Marina Wine Bar & Deli Cafe — Restaurant in Florida

Marina Ristorante 6550 North Atlantic Ave. Cape Canaveral, FL 32931

4 Stars

Egads! I looked again. Nope. Still there. Not to cause a pother here or to slam my fellow residents of the Space Coast, but according to my random name generator, I was off to tourist trap haven, better known as Cape Canaveral, for another what I could only surmise would be an Italian nick joint. At least I didn't have to go OTB today; that by itself was a good thing.

Upon entering Marina Ristorante, I found myself in a small but quaint and effective place. Gino is the owner, service pro, and saucier. I asked Gino for an order of his Lasagna Bolognese along with a Ribeye Au Poivre in Cognac Sauce. Sauce. Sauce. Sauce. A brilliant sauce can solve many a food-related problem. At Marina Ristorante, I came to find that sauce is king.

Lasagna is never a go-to dish for me because it has to be made in advance. Many times it sits in the walk-in cooler for days and then warmed up as needed. While this may be the case here, what separates this from the others is the sauce and cheese. The sauce is made fresh to order and the cheese is baked on (not melted in the microwave). This was an extremely tasty dish.

As I've said ad nauseam it's all about execution. A cook who knows what they are doing in the kitchen and takes a modicum of pride in their work can make a plate of fried worms taste akin to the most succulent dish you've ever had. Not that the Ribeye Au Poivre in Cognac Sauce was similar in any way, shape, or form to a plate of fried worms. However, it was not USDA Grade A Prime meat either. I would say it was a mid-range steak. Regardless of the grade, it was cooked spot on and the sauce was made so flawlessly that it truly allowed you to enjoy the food. A sauce should never overpower or drown your food. Its purpose is to enhance flavor, not mask.

If this had been a better-quality slab of charred cow flesh, this would have been a 5-star review. Great job, Gino!

The Big Boy says, “Finally! The Big Boy has found a good Italian restaurant in a tourist area. If you smellllllllllllllllll. What. Gino....

What a huge disappointment !

From many of the reviews we read, we anticipated a wonderful dinner and evening. We made a reservation for 5:30 pm on a Saturday and were surprised that we were the only ones there. We ordered the wine, number 115 which I called out and specifically showed Gino the owner the price on the wine list of $24. The salad consisted of only a couple of small tomato wedges, spinach and a few wild greens, many of the greens were black with wilt. Both the dipping sauce for the bread and the salad dressing were just canola oil with salt and pepper. Olive oil with herbs were not used. I asked for Parmesan cheese only to be handed one of two shakers that had powdered cheese product, primary whey, but no cheese. The chicken dish we selected with penne pasta was delivered with eight little pieces of chicken each about the size of dice for $17.95. We understood the bread to be included with the meal, but were charged $4 for sixteen small slices of crusty French bread baguette.

When the bill came, we were charged $39 for the wine, as opposed to the printed price of $24. We asked and the waitress checked with Gino and brought it down to $35. I got the wine list and showed her the price at $24. She went back to Gino again and finally brought price to $24 as outlined on the menu. This clearly felt like a “bait and switch” tactic.

When we left an hour later, the restaurant only had 4 tables of guests.

I do not know if the quality has recently gone down, but the food was marginal at best and grossly overpriced. I would not call it Italian cuisine, as many cost cutting measures rendered the food and experience poorly executed. Needless to say, we will not be back, which is unfortunate, because the restaurant is nearby and...

Full review below; here is the TL;DR: Food was PHENOMENAL, we had three different dishes and the bruschetta appetizer. Everything was fresh, the sauce on point, and the portion JUST right - not too much that you overate and not too little. Atmosphere - cozy, cute, welcoming. The owners - main server and chef both - were as welcoming and inviting as any Italian family would be. Cost: not cheap, but not overpriced. Watch the bill if you partake of the wine, but the costs outside of the wine were completely reasonable.

We came in from out of town to have a family vacation. On the way to our Air BNB we knew we needed dinner, and there were only a couple restaurant options open at 9 pm when we arrived. I took the gamble and took us here and WOW was it the best decision EVER. There was no one else in the store and they were only open for another hour; but when I tell you we were treated like we were visiting an old Italian friend, that is truly how it felt.

They did not rush us out - in fact, quite the opposite. Over an hour after they had "closed" they were offering us dessert and wines and making sure we were comfortable - even after having closed out our initial checks. Now, it was reasonably priced as well - the food was beautifully priced, amazingly portioned, and FANTASTIC. The wine was paired magnificently by the server and chef who knew what would work well with what you ordered and the espresso (yes, I drank espresso at 10 pm as a dessert) was truly Italian, strong and phenomenal.

I truly cannot say enough good things about this restaurant and will 100% come back - and will even ask my family and friends from south Florida and Atlanta to make the drive just for...