Marino's Deli — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Went to my best friend’s birthday party yesterday which I helped plan. Her fiancé decided to get local catering and went with Marino’s Deli, which I never have been to before. He ordered the catering size of Chicken Pasta Primavera, Italian Caserole Supreme (I think? This one was a pasta with red sauce and mystery meat), and a salad. This was hands down the worst Italian food I’ve ever had in my life, by landslide. And I’ve had some pretty mediocre Italian food (Olive Garden, Frizolis, Buca di Beppo). I am being 100% honest when I say that I would have enjoyed a Lean Cusine more than their pasta. The Chicken Pasta Primavera had a flavorless, watery “cream” sauce with sad little chunks of frozen broccoli and [beyond] disgusting rubbery cubes or “chicken”, the red sauce pasta had one of the most bland red sauces I’ve ever tasted (hard to even identify the flavor of tomato in it) and the most disgusting slices of processed chewy red meat/sausage/who knows!? The salad was nothing more than some wilted spring mix doused in an Italian dressing that made Kraft Italian Dressing far superior. The worst part was the price, over $400.00 for the two pastas and that wasn’t including the salad. Overall this place gets an F-! I wouldn’t be caught ever eating that sad excuse for food again. I was ashamed after forcing my starving state of being to eat a small plate of...

I don't remember the first time I went to Marino's....I used to work at East Side Neighborhood Services (aka "The Nuthouse," to old Nordeasters), and lived at the corner of 8th & 2nd NE before I moved to the Northside, so it was sometime around then, I'm sure. Anyway, Marino's is one of the classic NE restaurants (along with Emily's Lebanese) nestled into a historically Italian-American community above the Quarry. It's small and no-frills, with a modest deli case that features a nice variety of all of the types of things you'd expect to find in an Italian deli-case: fresh cheese, jars of pasta sauces, etc. Their hoagies are some of the best in town, and they run daily specials in addition to the Italian staples featured on the regular menu, but I'm partial to the raviolo in pesto sauce. Add one generously sized, reasonably priced, and perfectly soft meatball. A great value and a heartwarming meal. I lived in Pittsburgh for three years where (worse) Italian delis are plentiful. Marino's is a place that will remind those of us who have lived in Chicago or "back East" of home. And as an Irish-American, I consider myself a bit of an expert on eating reasonably priced Italian food (bit of a cultural tradition). Try Marino's: you...

Let me say life has changed for me since my intro to this wonder of deli by my coworker. I am actually excited when I am working jobs in Northeast for now I have my spot to forget about the world for a few. I cannot overstate how meticulously perfect this establishment nails every detail in what a neighborhood deli should be. Delicious beyond compare, for starters. Great prices, a timeless feeling like a set from your favorite movie. But the magic is intrinsic in the smallest of details. The sound of the old cash register, the way the staff interacts like family, the way you feel like your meal being served is like you're being brought into an old world family home. How the owner cares for you and his staff as they banter and joke over payroll, done on a old af counting machine from 1972. Easily in top 5 favorite Minneapolis spots. Actually stay away from here I don't...