Sea Mario Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Pompano Beach

I'll start by saying that I truly wanted to love this place and was super optimistic to start. I've seen a lot of great reviews on social media of Sea Mario and being so close to home I was excited to give it a try. Made reservations for 5:45pm and arrived just prior, and was seated promptly. We were the only two in the place when we arrived and by the time we left two other tables had joined. Inside was really nice, black and white clean decor and owner Mario and a nice woman greeted us. Sat and quickly served water and specials were reviewed. Ordered a bottle of wine, a Montepulciano ($62 and the least expensive on the list), and list was fine but seemingly expensive in comparison to comparable establishments with similar pairings. I ordered a lobster bisque and the fried calamari. Both came out in a reasonable time and both looked and tasted great. Huge calamari rings flashed fried nicely. Bisque was creamy and nice pieces of lobster, a bit tart and not the buttery creamy bisque you would expect, but fine nonetheless. For dinner, I ordered the lamb shank ossobucco with papardelle pasta that the owner and Chef Mario highly recommended as the best meat entree on the menu. Partner ordered the ribeye steak which I first confirmed was a prime cut prior to ordering, with side of spinach. Entrees came out and steak looked grey, poor sear and no seasoning whatsoever. Flavor was bland and very very tough; there is not a chance this was a prime cut of beef. Was also extremely undercooked (rare) after ordering medium, but didn't even mention it as the flavor and chew wouldn't have made a difference. The lamb shank was the toughest piece of meat I had ever had and I was genuinely embarrassed. I had to shear off piece with a knife and it was chewy, tough, grisly and inedible. The pasta was not papardelle for starters, was a minuscule portion and the sauce tasted of canned turkey gravy. Owner Mario came over to check on us and I advised of the extreme issue with the shank. He said "I just made it today so it needs more time to cook" and took it away to address the issue (know full well there was nothing he could do to make the shank edible in any short amount of time). I sat for 15 minutes as my partner tried to eat his steak, and I waited. Mario came back out with a larger portion of pasta to entertain me while the meat was still being worked on. When the meat finally arrived back, it was the same as when it went back, tough and inedible. I declined it and it was removed from the bill. I went from so excited and impressed to disgusted very quickly. To top it off, the bill was still over $200 with the one meal removed and only one bottle of wine. Needless to say, will definitely not...

Visiting friends in Pompano Beach they recommended we go to this local Italian restaurant they discovered. Frankly, living in NY and NJ most of my life I’ve eaten at more than my fair share of Italian restaurants. Ironically, I never went to an Italian restaurant as a child because my Italian family would never accept someone else’s version of Italian food! Sea Mario’s is a quaint restaurant in a strip mall. From the outside one would never guess the caliber of the dining experience they were about to embark on. Inside it’s very nicely decorated, giving a very welcoming feeling. From the moment we got there it was obvious that Mario’s entire staff was focused on giving a world class dining experience. They were very attentive, but never got in the way. I was very impressed and pleased that Mario himself came out to describe the daily specials. That only happens in very special restaurants where the chef/owner insists on things being done at a very high level. When asked, Mario happily shared the story behind a photo of him and his wife with Andrea Botticelli. While Mario runs the kitchen his wife was clearly in charge of the dining room. Everything from the table setting to the wine service was meticulously executed. The food? I can only say that in all of my travels around the world, this was clearly in my top five of all time. For appetizers, the arancini with truffle was amazing and the sausage parmigiana was very satisfying. For a main course my friend and I shared two dishes; a steak pizziola and a red snapper arrabbiata. Both were fantastic. The ladies had a bucatini carbonara and a bucatini Diane. Both dishes were wonderful as the house made pasta was cooked to perfection. By the time desert came we were sufficiently stuffed, but were compelled to share a tiramisu. Of course it was house made and went perfectly with our last sips of wine. Overall, a wonderful dining experience with very...

Another treasure found tonight on the way to a restaurant. The place is called Sea Mario Italian Restaurant located at 451 S.Cypress Rd., Pompano Beach 33060. Tucked away in the middle of an unassuming little plaza, it is easy to miss if you drive beyond the speed limit.

The former owners of the acclaimed Sunset Catch restaurant at Intracoastal and Atlantic BL, run the show here now. This charming mom and pop venue helmed by Chef Mario (a born Sicilian) and wife Nadia (a born Milanese), the food definitively reflects the Sicilian authenticity of Mario ‘s fine execution in each serving. Nadia graciously serves as the hostess and server, while Mario not only crafts his culinary exploits but occasionally presents them himself, ensuring every patron leaves satisfied.

In line with the restaurant’s name Sea Mario, they offer an array of delightful sea fare, but on the menu you can also ‘sea’ a variety of Italian favorites.

Despite being open at this new location for just seven weeks, by 6:30 on a Monday night, the place was nearly full – a testament to its exceptional food.

Expect to pay about $50/person excluding alcohol, gratuity, and tax. There is not many parking spaces up front but plenty on the...