Mangia e Bevi — Restaurant in Town of Oyster Bay

We’re South Massapequa locals and have been passing by this place since it changed from Il Vizio. We finally made a reservation for last Friday evening. It was raining and we felt lucky to find a spot right out front on Merrick Road. We were greeted at the front door right away and went to the bar to wait for the other couple who were to join us. We found plenty of seating at the bar and along the wall with a long bench with small tables. We settled in with a couple of cocktails, were soon joined by our friends, and were immediately alerted that out table was ready. We looked over the menus and decided on the very reasonably priced three course Prix Fix dinners. I started with the Mangia Meatballs which were superb. Moist, tender, perfectly firm without bounce. They were complimented by what was called “rustic marinara”. Molto bene! Enough timed passed between appetizers and our entrées to carry on conversations. Speaking of sound ambiance; the rooms were filled with diners and a several larger parties, but adulation must be paid to the design and construction of the space, in that the sound level was nearly perfectly attenuated allowing normal conversation levels. This amenity is sorely lacking in other (including neighboring) large restaurants. Our entrées were delivered by an attentive staff. I ordered the “Berkshire Pork Chop”. The smoked prosciutto was delightful, presenting a hint of baconesqe flavoring to the impeccably seasoned, prepared, and presented chop. During the break between entrées and desert our table was visited by Michael, the General Manager; a true professional and gentleman. During our conversation I shared an observation regarding our main server while paying compliments to the rest of the dining room staff. Moments later Michael returned to our table and surprised us with and incredible token of generosity, far exceeding any measure or objective expectation. Bravo, Michael ! Desert then was delivered to our table, consisting of one Tiramisu and three incredible Crème Brûlée Cheesecakes which were delightful. Soon thereafter as we stood to leave, the owner Mike, came to us and after introductions he explained that he had heard of our server issue and wanted to make sure we were completely satisfied. Needless to say, we were and are. We now look forward with eagerness to many more visits with friends and family to our new favorite local spot. I only regret not snapping and photos of our...

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Mangia e Bevi was a last minute decision on a Saturday night, and what a great experience it was!

The cocktails were perfect! 🍸 I’m always amazed at how many restaurants can’t serve a good cocktail, this place got it right!

It was hard to make a decision from the extensive menu, everything looked delicious. There were two of us and we split three appetizers. We started with the short rib filled rice ball special. Oh my goodness, there was an avalanche of tender, shredded short rib when we cut into the giant rice ball. Then it was topped with marinara sauce and cheese. This appetizer special is by far one of the top three things I’ve eaten in a while. 🤩

Then we shared the colossal shrimp, scampi style. This scampi style dish was served with a touch of tomato sauce for color. The presentation of the colossal shrimp was impressive with huge slices of roasted garlic in the sauce. I couldn’t even finish one shrimp the were so big, ☺️

Next was the crispy egg plant Parmesan. Layered perfectly with the just right amount of sauce and cheese, each bit was a soft gentle bite into a fabulous egg plant Parmesan. This was in a light pink sauce.

The portions, especially for appetizer portions, are quite generous. We had more than half the food left to take home for tomorrow. 😊 But let me be clear… the first dish out, the short rib stuffed rice ball, was completely gone and the plate was wiped clean! 😉

The Valpolicella was a perfect wine pairing to this meal and I highly recommend it. 🍷

I can’t forget the service! It was spot on from our server David to the managers that circulated and did table touches.

We are thrilled to have found a great restaurant in Massapequa. MB will definitely be part of our restaurant rotation and we can’t wait to go back. I’m dreaming about the escarole and beans that I saw on the menu, a simple dish that tastes so good, but you don’t find on many restaurant menus. MB seems like it would be a great venue to host you next...

I cannot recommend this restaurant. My wife and I got a night away and settled on this restaurant for dinner. The food was ok but there was nothing to rave about. This is about the best I can offer. I disclosed to our waiter, who was very nice, that I was celiac and he did help me select a meal that was devoid of gluten-containing ingredients. However, it seems the awareness ended there as I was "glutened" and was very sick that night. It would seem that prep and handling precautions, or general awareness, is lacking. I would steer clear if you have any allergies or sensitivities. The final rub was the drink my wife ordered. The drink was supposed to be a blood orange spritz but seemingly contained little orange and appeared to be mostly club soda and ice. After 2 sips from the drink, we brought this issue to the attention of the waiter. The waiter kindly took it back and replaced it with a glass of wine, problem solved. Nope, upon receiving the bill, though the drink was removed, we found a $4 charge for club soda was added in its place. This is a level of petty that I struggle to wrap my head around. If this is what to expect from this restaurant, I see it quickly going the way of the last 3 that once existed at...