Marino's Italian Kitchen and Bar — Restaurant in Phoenix

When we went in we were seated quickly, it took a minute for us to get a server, though he was a sweet gentleman on the slight older side compared to the rest of the staff. My partner ordered a rum and coke and I ordered their specialty flower child cocktail it was made with vodka, elder flower liqueur, hibiscus syrup, guava and lemon. The cocktail was pretty average the flavors felt off leaning more on the sour side, luckily my partner likes sour so I passed it off to him and ordered a big blue van. We ordered the house focaccia, which comes with pesto and truffle honey riccotta, and it was honestly very disappointing the focaccia was very hard and too dense, the pesto was very minimally flavored it was more like eating wet basil than a proper pesto, I will say the truffle honey riccotta was at least pleasant. For our mains we had tagliatelle & meatballs, and the braised short rib. The portion on the tagliatelle and meatballs seemed rather small, and the meatballs could have used a bit more sauce to go with them, since they seemed rather lack luster themselves, which I mean it's meatballs you can't expect much but when they're not done well you can tell. The braised short rib was all around a disappointment, it's served with carrots, spinach, and sweet potato gnocchi, and I had carrots that were completely burnt, the gnocchi was undercooked, and while the short ribs had a great texture to them the flavor was honestly a bit gross it tasted more like it was burnt even though the texture was beautiful. All in all the spinach was the best part of the dish. The waiter was very sweet and offered to get me something else but I did decline because at that point I was just underwhelmed by the entire experience. They did take 10% off the tab without saying anything which was very kind, but all in all I don't think I would come back to this restaurant when there are so many other...

Four of us visited Marino's Italian Kitchen & Bar on a Friday afternoon in March, 2024.

When we entered the restaurant it was literally empty of any other diners. But we were greeted enthusiastically by the host and escorted to a booth on the west wall.

After just a minute or two our waiter approached and took our drink and food orders. He was pleasantly engaging and patient with us ole folk.

I'll comment on only my food experience since my guests will post their own reviews. I ordered the Marino's Burger, medium without the bun and French fries.

After about a ten minute wait our food was served. My burger was covered with a few lettuce leaves. The French fries were the shoestring type. Both the burger and the fries were appropriately hot.

After taking the first bite of the burger I enjoyed the complexity of the flavor. However, I immediately perceived that it was extremely salty. Not so much that I couldn't eat it. But it really distracted from the total taste experience. On a personal preference note: The shoestring fries were prepared to the correct temperature and crispness. However, it was a struggle to get a decent forkful at a time...e.g., they were just too small and manipulating them was a little annoying. I prefer a little larger fry akin to the size you would get at a MD's.

Overall: Other than the overly salty burger, it was a pleasant lunchtime dining experience. Our waiter was efficient, pleasant and yet not intrusive. He was a real pro. The food was very tasty and you could tell prepared with care. The prices are a little lofty, i.e., my wife's Truffle Mac & Cheese and my Marino's Burger, water only and tip was $40.00. The table was clean, the flatware was clean and the entire restaurant looked like it was meticulously managed. Impressive. But here is the real bottom line question. Will we be back? ...

My friend and I were excited to try this Italian restaurant however it left a lot to be desired. I would first like to mention our waiter was very friendly and offered great service, however the calamari appetizer was awful, extremely chewy and VERY fishy tasting. Our drinks were good, however halfway through our waiter asked if I wanted another and I said I was good, and asked for the check. A few minutes later a different waiter came up and asked, I thought, can I take your drink (since it was empty) and I said yes. A few more minutes go by and the check comes and I look it over and notice I’m charged for two drinks. No problem, I was going to let my waiter know, but then the other waiter who wasn’t even ours to begin with brings me another drink, and I said oh I didn’t order another. He looked at me and said oh well I asked you if you wanted another one, I said I’m sorry I thought you asked if I could take your glass, I don’t want another one. He then said oh well it’s here if you want it. I said ummm okay… and he walked away. Came back a few minutes later and took our bill (keeping in mind this still wasn’t our original waiter it was a different one) and brought the bill back and didn’t take the drink off and charged me for two. At that point I was already over it and just paid for two even though I told our waiter I didn’t want anymore. The second waiter should have said I’m so sorry for the mix up, if you want it here you go and I’ll take it off your check, or just take the drink back and take it off. Instead I was double charged for a drink I didn’t even want. The whole thing left a poor taste in my mouth, and my friend and I won’t be returning. I wish them the best of luck and understand things happen, but it’s how you handle them...