Napoli's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Marion

Overview: The wife and I wanted to get in one more date for lunch in before the kids were home for summer. We had never visited Napolis Italian Restaurant in Marion and decided to give it a try today. Our experience follows. A side note, we visited when it was a bit slower, around 12 pm.

Staff Experience - 5 Stars

Upon entry, we were greeted by Marissa. She ended up being our waitress, and she was awesome! Very well versed in the food options, how they were made, taste, consistency, and descriptions. The wife and I decided to go with two items that Marissa liked as favorites.

Location feel and atmosphere - 5 Stars

I like the size of the location; not massive, but enough room, and we felt cozy. The center of the location has a raised dome area with the sky painted and five or so tables for an event, and it seems—more of a private experience.

Food - 4.5 Stars

We were given fresh bread rolls that were made in-house. Fluffy, toasted to perfection on the tops, and the dipping oil ingredients gave some excellent, sun-dried zesty pop.

My wife had Chicken Napolis (Mushrooms, green onions, spinach, and garlic in a cream sauce), which made her quite happy, and she praised it highly.

I had a Ravioli Combo, which is not on the menu, which consisted of 4 kinds of ravioli Cheese, Lobster, Spinach, and Mushroom. My favorite was the Lobster, but all were amazing. I was stuffed but attempted to eat it all ;P. All that tasty goodness was in a tomato/wine sauce that was rich and delightful.

I also chose the Fresh, made by scratch tomato soup. The consistency was like a bisque, rich, and super tasty. I loved it! (I wouldn’t mind slamming some grilled cheese in it and bring back memories of the good ole days).

Seafood - 5 Stars

I find that many times in CR area the seafood isn’t fresh; I understand that with us being located where we are. However, this was not the case at Napoli's! The Shrimp were crunchy fresh (man, I have missed that), and the scallops were awesome! We will be back for more seafood in the VERY near future.

Summation. Great experience, and a little bummed out we didn't try it sooner. It's very close to where we live, and we have been...

We tried Napoli's for the first time today for lunch. It wasn't very busy (just a handful of occupied tables around noon) but I suppose that helped us get attentive and speedy service. It was good! Not mind blowing amazing Italian food (have had better, but also had worse) but definitely tasty and I wouldn't say no to trying more of the menu. Sorry, got too busy enjoying the food and company to remember to take pics. We tried rolls with dipping sauce, salad, tomato soup. fried cheese, cheese ravioli and manicotti. We got the lunch portions which were still quite filling and a couple bucks cheaper than dinner entree portions.

Pros: Amazing rolls (super fresh and the balsamic in the dipping oil was a nice touch). Absolutely delicious soup (my fiance said dipping the fried cheese in it gave a grilled cheese and tomato soup vibe). Both entrees were packed with cheese (as they should be imo). Friendly, prompt service.

Cons: Salad was just alright but kind of disappointing to use just iceberg lettuce with 2 cuke slices, a small handful of mini croutons and 1 grape tomato (maybe I'm used to other area restaurants using a better mix of greens for salads). Fried cheese appetizer felt a little misleading as it was just Mozzarella sticks (expected a fried thick slice of Mozzarella like we've gotten at other "classy" Italian restaurants, but this was more...

My wife and I dined here on a Wednesday evening. It was her first time, as she's not from the area. I hadn't been here in a few years. After our wonderful experience, we intend to go whenever we are in the area. Aubrey was our server. She was exceptional! Very accommodating, very polite, and she didn't miss a beat. We enjoyed our communication with her, and even suggest requesting her.

Regarding our food, we are thoroughly impressed and satisfied. From the first taste of the tomato basil soup to the last bites of tiramisu and lemon cake we were able to devour, everything was wonderful. I had the ravioli special with 4 types of ravioli, shrimp, and scallops. The lobster ravioli, spinach ravioli, and portobella ravioli were highlights. The sauce was perfection. My wife had tour of Italy: Lasagna, chicken parmigiana, and fettuccine Alfredo. The ONLY weakness in the entire experience was the fettucine. Even that, we rated at B+. It needed a little more seasoning: garlic and fresh parsley would have knocked it out of the park.

The bread was also fantastic. The desserts were soooooooo good, and we almost were able to finish them.

We cannot rave enough about our experience at Napoli's. If you're in the Cedar Rapids/ Marion area, don't miss out on this treasure.

Thank you for our experience and your wonderful...