Bar Mario — Restaurant in New York

My girlfriend and i were strolling around red hook and stumbled upon this place.. they have a very nice menu and interesting dishes… the staff and atmosphere was perfect, but unfortunately we had a very unsatisfying and disappointing experience..

We were both very hungry and left hungry… i dont really understand how i could spend close to $70 with no drinks and leave just as hungry as we came it… honestly i felt ripped off, it really goes to show how looks can be deceiving.

To start we got the bruschetta, and well it was very mediocre, im not sure but the tomato's were not flavorful and they obviously did not salt it… the mozzarella was ok kinda dry and i mean just no flavor… worst of all it was $17 for 4 piece's and they were very small… to be fair this was not end all be all as we were looking forward to the pasta…

Next we both got pasta and o boy was it disappointing as well. She got the hangover pasta and i got the picio cacio e pepe. The portions size here are not entrees lol they are appetizers and expensive… Her pasta was very salty and not much flavor… honestly we could not figure out what the flavor was, but its not like we even had that many bites to even figure that out..

The picio seemed like it was their specialty and it was pretty good. but again it almost felt like we were eating off the kids menu.. the dish was nice and cheesy but it was a little watery not sure if they put enough starches in the sauce.

I understand that some places have small portions and i get that i live in nyc but i know plenty of better places that have dramatically better quality of food and bigger portions for cheaper. At the very least if you are going to have small portions the staff should let the patrons know.. If i were to give a suggestion for this place to strive for it would be saggios nyc..

Well to close it off we left hungry and ended up going and spending more money somewhere else…i don't think a restruant does its job well when customers leave hungry and unsatisfied… i think this place is only a year old so im sure they have time to grow, but as of now i would not recommend or go here again… as i said looks can be deceiving wait till they serve real portions for...

As someone who believes in the golden rule and the value of personal time, let me cut to the chase: don't go here!

Looking for great Italian food in Brooklyn? No problem. The borough has it in spades, capeesh? Planning an evening out in BoCoCa and looking for some buona cucina? Awesome! Let me recommend Cafe Spaghetti, Popina, Gersi, Frankies 457, Rucola, Felice, Sociale, River Deli ... I could go on. So many great spots. In Red Hook and hungry? I got you covered. Check out Red Hook Tavern, Fort Defiance, Hometown BBQ, The Good Fork, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Keg & Lantern, or Grindhaus. Incredible neighborhood to eat well in.

Want to be insulted, gaslighted, and have your family's evening ruined by a truculent maitre d? Try Bar Mario! Hot on the heels of one good Grub Street review, we booked a table two weeks in advance for a family dinner to celebrate our young son's birthday. When we arrived for a 6:45pm reservation at 6:49pm, we were informed our table had been given away because the restaurant "didn't think we were coming."

When I inquired as to what had happened to our reservation, the maitre d' gestured towards a booth filled with diners well into their apps and second cocktails. "We don't really take reservations," he said. "We can't guarantee anything, but maybe you can sit at a high top if you want to wait outside." It was 30 degrees. We didn't wait and neither should you.

Brooklyn has an abundance of great Italian restaurants. This isn't...

Another expensive Italian place in the area, another expensive restaurant on van brunt. The staff were lovely and sure it’s a cute place with nice decor but do why do we continue adding to the plethora of pricey pasta places in BoCoCa and now red hook.

I went one night to dine alone and ordered a special, the rabbit ragu, and expected it to be the median price on the menu but no, it was 28 dollars for a small plate of pasta and it HAUNTS me that I paid that for a whisper of rabbit (you definitely won’t see any in the photo) and a couple strands of noodles. Sure the flavor was there and yeah it’s hand made, but go to any Chinese place that makes hand rolled or knife cut noodles and you’re not paying 28 dollars for such a small amount of food, I promise. I’m not talking your hole in the wall, I’m talking Mission Chinese (rip), Antidote, and even Bonnie’s. Wow but they’re Italian and have accents!! So do most hard working Hispanic people in every other restaurant kitchen, but their dishes aren’t getting the same accolades, even if they are hand made. One 19 dollar cocktail and a small plate of pasta put me out 57 bucks with tip. Im sorry to say I finished my meal with a bad taste in my mouth.

There’s some weird euro-elitism when it comes to the upcharge at French and Italian places, and some people might be happy to pay for that...