Maialina Italian Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in Indianapolis

We went in with a group of 6 and had several dishes. We loved them all!! We did several of the apps, starting with both pomodoro and ricotto bruschette. Both were substantial and tasty! The caprese was also good! Between the group, we tried the Caesar, arugula, and chopped salads. All ingredients were very fresh and also very good!

Foe entrees, we had a couple of spaghetti and meatballs, a lasagna, shrimp fondue (the app, my wife had it for an entree), and the salmon. No one had any complaints! The meatballs were substantial and good (nothing exceptional, my friend that orders it said, but it was still good). I had the lasagna with sausage. The lasagna was thick and very tasty! The sausage provided a nice, spicy kick to it, as well. The salmon was well prepared and very good, and my wife loved the fondue.

The appetizers were large and substantial. If you've got a group of 4 or more, 2 or 3 apps will take care of you.

Being an Italian restaurant, I'll say if you come here and don't like garlic, you won't like it as much as we did. We all loved garlic, and enjoyed the dishes! The servings were all large. Plan on a to-go container unless you're REALLY hungry. The last 1/3 of my lasagna made a great Next-Day lunch!

The only down side is unless you order bread, it doesn't come with meals. I can say the bread was VERY fresh with the entrees we ordered. It's be worth ordering something for ypur group to be served with your dinner.

While we were there, we saw no less than 8 groups of people, mainly 2-4 people, just try to pop in. Unless there's a spot at the bar, you probably won't be able to get a table on a weekend evening. We made a reservation and are glad we did!

Overall, we loved the place! The building is awesome, staff very friendly, and it's in a great place in Fountain Square.

I'm glad this place survived the pandemic! Definitely a "recommend"! Thanks for...

Let's start with the positives: service and atmosphere.

The service was quite good. Our waitress was attentive. They had a good sense of time. We didn't wait long in between our appetizer and entree. They were good about letting us eat and noticing when we were about done. Overall, I was highly pleased with how well we were waited. All the staff was friendly too.

Atmosphere was nice too. The main dining areas were clean. No sticky tables. The bar was nice and kept. The lights complimented the decor. Nothing felt out of place.

Now the bad: food. There isn't much good to say about the food. At the most basic levels, it was food. You can eat it. However, at the price point, you can find better food. I had ordered the Pork Masala with Roasted Potatoes. I was highly disappointed with both. The pork masala was more mushrooms than pork. Every bite felt like I was eating mushroom. At times, I felt like I was eating soup. The sauce was watery. I wanted to taste the sauce by itself, but the only manner to do so was with a spoon. As for the roasted potatoes, it was bland and burnt. No salt or herbs graced the potatoes besides garnishes. I tasted ashes more than potatoes.

My partner had order the shrimp scampi. As for the high praise about this dish, they expected more. The shrimp was not de-tailed. They de-tailed the shrimp themselves. The lemon was overwhelming and overpowered the pasta and shrimp. Speaking of shrimp, once again bland. No taste beyond the shrimp. The worst offender was the water that laid at the bottom of the plate. Something we had not experienced with other Shrimp Scampi.

Overall, this place is nice. The staff excels at their jobs. The food does not live up to the reviews or praise. My recommendation is to skip this place. There is better food at Bucca Di Peppo or Olive Garden with...

We stopped by on a Sunday evening, shortly after they opened, hoping to have some amazing Italian food. Maialina did not disappoint! We were greeted by a friendly hostess and seated promptly. Meagan, our server, answered all our our questions about the menu and was very knowledgeable.

To start, we ordered Nonna's Meatballs and the calimari. The meatballs were flavorful and tender, and THAT SAUCE! The tomato sauce was everything I hoped it would be and more. The calimari were crispy and tender and served with a side of cocktail sauce.

The four of us followed with the bread plate, which was composed of chewy Italian bread and ciabatta and an herb butter. Spend the $3, you can thank me later!

We ordered half size Caesar and the Italian Chopped salads. The dressings tasted house made and were phenomenal! The vinaigrette on the chopped salad is so good you'll dream of it later.

Meagan checked in on periodically. She has great customer service down to a science! And her timing was always perfect when it came to our drink refills. Love her!

I had been craving lasagna for two weeks and when I tasted it, I was completely satisfied! The bechamel sauce was everything! It complemented the tomato sauce perfectly. The layers of pasta had the perfect amount of meat and cheese. I don't think it could possibly have been any better! We also tried the Sausage and Peppers (mindblowing!) and the Chicken Parmesan (crispy, cheesy perfection!)

We loved Maialina and can't wait to visit again! I know I've found my favorite Italian place, and it's nearby, in Fountain Square! ...