Monello — Restaurant in San Diego

Monello! I had been waiting so long to try this place, which is the sister company to Bencotto, just down the street in Little Italy. I'm so glad I finally tried it!

RESERVATIONS First off, making reservations was easy, as I used the Open Table app to book our table. Last minute, I was able to modify my reservation to an earlier time since the show I watched nearby ended earlier than I expected.

PARKING There is meter parking available on the street but, if it's more convenient for you, I believe taking an Uber or Lyft is your best bet! If you come right at sunset, they have a great view from outside the restaurant!

ATMOSPHERE / AMBIANCE This restaurant is a lot smaller than I imagined. However, it does set a good intimate dining experience. They have tables for larger groups (4 or more) throughout the inside of the restaurant. They also have outdoor dining tables but for smaller parties. It is also a little tighter (space-wise) if someone in your party is in a wheelchair or stroller.

FOOD I had my heart set on ordering something from the cheese wheel but I wasn't feeling like having the special they were cooking that evening so I settled on a menu item. We ordered a variety of food and here's what I thought of each dish: Lupini Beans: Similar to receiving bread and butter at other restaurants, this was Monello's complimentary treat. Rosé: Always a good starter for me! Fresh Mozzarella Caprese: This was simply delicious with the whole fresh mozzarella cheese. The black olives added a nice flavor to the classic Caprese salad! Spaghetti di Zafferano con Gamberi: This is what I ordered for myself and my absolute favorite pasta dish! I love anything citrusy and anything with seafood so the Spaghetti di Zafferano con Gamberi met all my needs in a pasta. The spaghetti was cooked a little longer than al dente, which I enjoyed. The sauce wasn't too thick or heavy and was just the perfect consistency for me. It was so delicious and I would gladly order this again! Gnochetti con Midollo: This was good too but I have to say that the best bone marrow with pasta dish I've ever had was at Bestia in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA).

SERVICE I really enjoyed the service we had. Our server was from Spain so I loved hearing him talk! Hehe

Overall, I really the dining experience at Monello. The dishes and service were great! I will gladly return and hopefully get to experience a dish from the cheese wheel! Or, reorder my favorite dish: Spaghetti di Zafferano con Gamberi!

I highly recommend giving this place a try if you've never been!

Thank you, Monello!

Disclaimer: This was a review I posted on Yelp...

Had dinner here with another couple and the experience was okay.

We got an outside table, but the place was very cramped. Had to scooch around and move tables a lot to get in and out. We were also very close to the table right behind us and good over here all the conversation and noises.

For the food, my fiance and I and the other couple both split an Insalata Mista (their version of house salad): Seasonal greens, pickled onions, almonds, cranberries, lemon vinaigrette on the side. The dressing was a bit too oily to be honest and didn't have as strong lemon flavor as I was hoping for. Almonds and cranberry combination really went well with the greens though.

Fiancé got the Cheese Wheel Pasta (today's was spaghetti, marinara sauce, bacon and onions). I'm not usually a fan of marinara sauce pasta but this one was actually good! They do have a good sauce here! Amount of bacon and there was also very generous. I think we both really like this dish. He also got the Gosling Mule (bourbon, bitter, Gosling’s Ginger beer); Didn't realize it was a bourbon mule and not a Vodka, so ended up not finishing it.

I got the Pollo Ai Ferri, which was four pieces of chicken breasts with arugula and a lot. Lot of shaved cheese on top. Four chicken breasts was a bit too much for one meal! I'm not sure who eats that much. Protein advance but I ended up taking three of them home so got a good deal out of that, haha. Chicken breast on its own was very very plain though. Salt was too little and the seasoning was very bland. I think I need a better chicken breast for lunch at home!

The other two at the table got the Penne Al Salmone E Vodka and the Ravioli Al Tartufo (filled with porcini mushrooms and black truffle in a truffle cream sauce). Portion size on the penne was ginormous! Ravioli portion size was a lot smaller in comparison. I think they ended up sharing that penne, but also really liked it all.

To end it all we got the appetizer bread with olive oil herb dip. I was expecting a loaf of warm bread but only half of the side pieces were warm. Even that oil - It was more like an herb infused olive oil and not really a dip. Menu was a bit misleading there Bit of a let down there. The bread itself was really soft though. Like very very soft! So plus point for that.

I'd probably go back just for the pasta though, or maybe try some...

If you happen to be a U.S. Veteran and you are not caucasian avoid this place!!!

Or if you ask for ranch with your pizza, avoid this place!!!

I will recommend this place for the pasta/ food. But that’s about it. They were prompt and cordial at the beginning and at the end but in between, they were AWFUL. It was two of us. We asked for drinks and the waitress served my friend his beer normally and my beer half foam, half beer. And did not even asked to exchange it or anything just said “sorry and left”. THEN the manager went and check on our table directly and asked if we needed anything. And she kept staring at my U.S Army Veteran Hat( I happened to be a disabled veteran and Hispanic). While asking if we needed anything else. My friend asked for ranch and she laughed out loud for like 10 seconds straight. I’ve been to Italy before so I know Italian culture may, at times, be rigid when it comes to culinary standards. I asked her if she happened to be Italian to which she answer “ I’m half Italian”. To which a commented a Cappuccino standard in Italy in which they won’t serve you Cappuccinos after 9 pm. She had no idea. And her incisive laughing made everyone look at our table and made us feel odd and awkward. My friend asked for balsamic dressing instead just to make her go away. When the manager returned with the dressing, she then commented on my friends hat and how nice it was (it was just an almost plain black hat with a gold butterfly printed on it). Then she proceeded to look at mine and with a 6th grade reading level and tone, proceded to purposefully read it, slowly while stuttering. “Di..sa…bled vete… ran.” She read. To which I reply “yes Ma’am I served in the US army 8 years.” I felt so judged and awkward, like if my service was put into doubt. I don’t know why it was such a perplexing experience for them to see a Hispanic disabled veteran. But she sure made me feel questioned. Plus the fact that she laughed at my friend for asking for Ranch for his pizza. It was just SO unprofessional. PLEASE take the food to go, which is indeed worth it. But the service from management and...