This restaurant was like a little maze of rooms full of decor and character! We had a very large group of coworkers in town for a conference and this restaurant did not disappoint on service!! The staff was spot on with drinks and orders and separate checks at the end (blame per diems!) I gave 4 out of 5 stars because the main dishes lacked a bit of flavor, but the presentation was nice! The room also got very hot where our group was located, and when we left all the A/C was felt in the front of the restaurant when we were leaving. All in all go try them out. read more

My family and I tried to eat here but our 2 year old had other plans. We drove two hours from Lubbock to have our photos taken and while there we were given a gift card for Macaroni Joe's. The place is so cute!! The inside is built almost like a cute little Italy. The wine list is pretty extensive and the menu had nothing but delicious sounding bites. Plus they had kid menus with crayons which is always helpful; however the kid was over it and we had to just leave before she had a full fledged meltdown. Our server Sara and her trainee were amazing with her and also incredibly understanding that we needed to end dinner early and get the rest of our food to go. The both of them swiftly got things together, packed up the kids mac and cheese then shortly after brought the rest of the food out along with a to go drink. We were able to enjoy the mob queso and fried green tomatoes while we were there and they were absolutely delicious( also the queso IS ON FIRE! (: ) I would love to have a date night here with the hubby if it wasn't over 100 miles away. I'm currently writing this while I finally eat the entree I ordered. A whole 3 hours later and it still so freaking good. 10 outta 10 recommend read more

Macaroni Joe's - Tea Smoked Duck - Italian Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

Sadly giving our review of 2. Have eaten and enjoyed this restaurant since it opened. Always excellent. Until last night. Mob queso super disappointing. Salmon pasta. Nope not good. The bread served prior to meal was hard tasteless. Not good. Service however was excellent!! And the 8 oz filet was perfectly cooked. I just really hope the restaurant gets it together. It's one of only a few in Amarillo specialty dining. read more

Fantastic service, delicious Food and great Ambiance. I recommend to everyone. Locally owned.

Wonderful Date Night Love the casual Italian atmosphere in the back room along with our favorite table. Chris was great with the wine and waiter efficient friendly and courteous. Good variety of choices on the menu to choose from We split a Caesar salad and the Steak Dianne. Presentation was nice and portions just the right size for us. Food was delicious, definitely recommend. Recommend also making a reservation for dinner to avoid waiting to be seated. Plenty of free parking available. This is definitely a gem with mostly local for customers. read more

A hidden gem in Amarillo, Texas. Wendy was such an exceptional waitress. She dedicated her time to show our party fine hospitality. Her knowledge of the menu and assistance in ordering made for a lovely evening. We just came upon this restaurant. read more

Macaroni Joe's - Italian Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

This place has delicious food It's pricey though so I save it for special occasions only. read more

I would like to thank the staff and managers at Macaroni Joe's for helping my siblings and me celebrate our mom's 80th birthday. We were unable to be in Amarillo for her birthday, so we worked with Macaroni Joe's who made it a really special evening! This is one of their favorite places, and the beautiful dessert with the candle was a lovely touch. Thank everyone for your help! read more

Macaroni Joe's - Bread pudding with birthday flair! - Italian Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

Great food. Great service. An excellent atmosphere, however, with all the effort they put in to building an upscale vibe, the hostess wearing the oversized Harley Davidson t-shirt threw it off every time we saw her seat another table. While most of the meal was noteworthy, some wasn't served as hot nor flavorful as expected.. we will definitely return. read more

We chose Macaroni Joe's for our son and his future bride's rehearsal dinner. It was perfect. Chris and staff were wonderful from the beginning. We were able to test wines beforehand, and call with any questions we had right up to the time we arrived. The room was beautiful, the food was wonderful, and the service was impeccable. Thank you for making our night stress free and so memorable. You guys are THE BEST! read more

Ugh, have to be honest. Based on other Yelp reviews, made reservation here during road trip from California to St. Louis. Honestly, we had a bad foodie night. I really love the physical space. The name is misleading. Sounds like average pasta place, but menu is extensive, covering pasta and much more. I was impressed as we waited to be seated that Macaroni Joe's has received a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for past 4 years. Couldn't wait to be seated! The wine list is exquisite. Plenty of notables from every major wine region in the world. I was very impressed. The food was another issue. When we chatted with the waitress and told her this was our first time here, she informed us we could get either the Mob Queso (a spinach and artichoke dip), or a dessert on the house! Nice touch. We opted for the dip. Was served on a plate with the most impossibly light chips that were fantastic. Unfortunately, the dip itself was "blah". Kinda tasteless, missing any spiciness or kick to make it memorable. An unfortunate start. For main entrees, my wife ordered the steak Diane, and I opted for the Osso Buco reportedly a specialty. My whole plate was stone COLD, the Osso Buco (which was tough and NOT falling off the bone as advertised), the mashed potato, and the zucchini/squash mixture, absolutely cold. I didn't want to mess up the flow of my wife's meal, so I waited until our server asked how if was before I gave her the bad news. I was offered to 1) heat it up, 2) another entree, 3) soup, or a 4) comped dessert. Appreciated the offers, but the dinner ambiance had been lost by then. The wife's steak Diane was hot and cooked perfectly medium rare, but SWIMMING in the Diane sauce. Fortunately, all this bad food was blown away by a 2004 Clos Martinet from the Priorat Region in Spain. What a delightful bottle of wine ... Very unusual. There were lots of these great finds on the wine list, and a very knowledgable wine sommelier who expertly took our order, and decanted it and served it properly. 5 stars to the wine experience. My only complaint, was that he left us alone with a half decanter of expensive wine while he waited on a larger table. Our check was at the table when we had to ask if there was any more of the wine. This is a $100+ bottle of wine! c'mon, even the server should have been serving the wine if he was busy. In the end my entree was comped, and I felt bad for this place, as it appears to be a wonderful wine experience. But we came here to eat dinner, and the food was just not good all around. Chalk it up to a bad night in the kitchen. Major kudos to the wine program. read more

I hesitated with my rating...it's really a 2.5 star experience. We were visiting my partner's grandmother and wanted to go to the nicest restaurant on Saturday evening. I did a search for Amarillo and this place came up. She was already familiar with it and was pleased to go. The ambiance is quaint in a Disney set kind of way...I think we're supposed to feel like we're in an Italian village. I was pleased to find they had San Pellegrino water because sparkling water was hard to find in other Amarillo restaurants. My dining partners had wine and seemed to enjoy it. One person had a lemon shrimp pasta dish and enjoyed it fine. The grandmother had a veal dish and spent the entire meal trying to cut the veal. She enjoyed the sauce but could not eat the veal. Why she didn't send it back, I don't know. The waiter admitted another customer had trouble eating the veal earlier that evening. They still charged us for it. I had a pasta dish with spinach, feta cheese, olives, herbs, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes. I took two bites and couldn't understand why it was so spicy. There was a dish on the menu called "spicy sauce" so I figured they knew how to communicate these things. I asked if there was hot pepper in the dish. They said no. They took it back to the kitchen. After 10-15 minutes they came back with a new version of the dish and told me they omitted the Jamaican jerk sauce. HUH? C'mon? Italian food is pretty darn easy to make...use quality ingredients and it's delicious. What in the world were you thinking? read more

With a name like Macaroni Joe's, I wasn't expecting much. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised by the ambiance, service, and quality of food. I had the "mob chicken" for lunch which was touted by both of my dining companions as THE BEST THING EVER. While there is no way I would personally every put it in that food category, I'll say it was a better than average lunch. What did blow me away was their soup of the day, which was some spicy-pumpkin thing, but admittedly I'm wooed by anything pumpkin. I think the fact that they brought out a sample to "try before you buy" was a nice touch. I ate my entire cup. My lunch-mates each had salads but both had issues with their order. The issues were promptly resolved but it made for a less than flawless meal. I wouldn't turn down a second meal here; but I'd try something different. read more

Unbelievable ribeye. The Wagyu steak was absolutely the best I've had in Amarillo. Pricy but worth it if you want a top shelf steak. Wine list is over the top. Where else in Amarillo will you see Screaming Eagle in a list? Aaron took great care of us but the entire staff, including but not limited to, Wendy, Cheyenne, Chris always do an amazing job. BTW front bathroom remodeled and clean. read more

Quite possibly one of the finest restaurants in Amarillo. It's an upscale, classy restaurant that's perfect for quiet, romantic date nights with candlelight. Food: 4/5 Everything on the menu is quality cuisine. We started with the Nachos Neopolitan ($10) - homemade chips which are heaped with toppings. For my entree, I ordered the Chicken Florentine ($16) - pan seared chicken breast topped with spinach and mushrooms. The flavor was spot on and the chicken was cooked perfectly. I am usually reluctant when it comes to white meat, but it was so tender and moist! My wife ordered the Osso Buco ($18) - a slow roasted pork shank. O-M-G! It's cooked PERFECTLY. The meat practically falls off the bone on it's own. It's served over mashed potatoes and other vegetables which have been slow cooked and are super tender. Delicious. Service: 3/5 It's pretty average. My drink never went empty and the kitchen time is about on par with a nice restaurant. Nothing exceptional, but nothing bad either. Price: 3/5 It's quite a bit pricier than most restaurants here in Amarillo. That said, totally worth it if you're wanting this caliber of an eating experience. Expect to spend at least $50 for two people. Location: 4/5 Off I-40 and Georgia, in the Schlotzky's plaza. It's not a stand alone restaurant - It's flanked by the sandwich shop and Fast Eddie's. Very easy to find. Atmosphere: 4/5 Relatively quiet and very dim lighting. Candles on each table. Very romantic atmosphere and classy interior done well. Want to impress the heck out of her? Take her here for dinner. Have an important lunch meeting with a potential client? You'll have great food and ambiance on your side. You can't go wrong with Macaroni Joe's. read more

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Macaroni Joe's is one of those places you know you can wine and dine someone. I have only been here twice. The first time we had a table of 12-14 and the service has always been amazing. The food was great as well. However, the second time we came here the seasoning may have been over done. read more

This used to be my favorite restaurant. Maybe it was an off night, and probably didn't help that we ordered it to go, but there were some issues. The bread was hard. Our calamari appetizer was actually really good. Our entrees were not very good. The lasagna had a goat cheese taste to it, and over all did not taste fresh. My husbands dish, the chicken did not taste fresh and some of the pieces were hard. What's going on Mac Joes? This makes me sad! read more

Excellent lunch. My husband had salmon. Cooked to perfection. I had the shrimp lemon creme pasta. So very good!!!

Had a night in Amarillo before heading back home this week and my hubby wanted wanted Italian. Found this on yelp with great reviews. It's a gem!! Amazing wine menu, fabulous service and the food was amazing. The fried green tomatoes with bacon jam and chipotle aioli was amazing, the salad fresh and perfectly dressed, and our pastas shrimp with Lemon sauce and confetti spaghetti was wonderful. Highly recommend this place. read more

I had an excellent meal & service here last night. I opted for the bar area since they offered full service at regular sized tables & the bar itself. Nice quiet area.Ordered sea bass with orzo & asparagus. Cooked perfectly, served piping hot & had an excellent flavor. Impressive wine list- saw several wine awards on wall when I came in. I ordered an Argentinian Malbec & was very happy with my choice. Didn't skimp on serving portions either. The bartender did a great job checking on me & was very friendly. He even went to the back & brought me some M&Ms when I told him that I was too full for dessert but would sure love a few chocolate M&Ms. Highly recommend this place & will return on my text trip. read more

Macaroni Joe's - Pan seared sea bass with orzo - Italian Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

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Called in the middle of the week to inquire about to go orders on the 13th valentines weekend, I was assured no problem, on Saturday when I called to order I was told oh no we're not doing to go orders, in this time of covid when we haven't ate out on Amarillo in close to a year, and with reduced seating I'd think you'd want all the business possible, I guess not. There's other restaurants still going the extra mile to ensure a safe dining experience too bad this ones not!! read more

We were in Amarillo on business last week, and had Lunch with 2 team members on Friday 8/19 and I was totally disappointed with the Waitress her name was Jes, and how she treated one of my team mates during lunch, she had gone out of her way not to make eye contact and service us and did not even offer us anything to drink until after the 3rd team member arrived and went onto get their drink, and never asked us, what we wanted until we asked her, unfortunately as the lunch progressed, it was evident that she needed some diversity and inclusion training, the meal was unpleasant as we watched the waitress service the other tables with better service than we were receiving, unfortunately we went to the restaurant on a suggestion from one of our clients, which mentioned they had great service and great food. When they gave us the plate to take home, the food appeared not to par in presentation as compared before being placed in the go plate, like it was thrown in the box and not properly care for. Unfortunately the service is less to be desired and would not recommend a place that does not want to serve diverse cultures as myself and my teammates can attest to. read more

Amazing food every single time we go. It's our favorite date night restaurant. The scallops are my absolute favorite!

I've been to Amarillo dozens of times for business and have tried nearly every restaurant in town. Macaroni Joes is an old standby for my colleagues and me, having visited at least 8 times. It's dependable and tasty Italian food with a good selection of meat, fish and pasta. The staff is well trained and the ambience is pleasant too. The menu hasn't changed in the couple years I've been coming and there are never specials; it might be nice to change it up for variety. read more

The service was great. We came and they sat us down right away. The bread was not warm and the butter was cold so buttering our bread was difficult. The food was okay, arrived in fairly good time. Flavor was not there. read more

This place was so nice and quiet and a beautiful atmosphere we celebrated a birthday it was very intimate. Great service great all around. I had the rustic surf & turf and it was wonderful read more

Surprised by the menu items, it has a wide variety ranging from Italian to Asian pasta choices. It was very reasonably priced restaurant, but it just didn't knock my socks off. It was a standard Italian place that serves more than just Italian pasta choices. Definitely would go back, but again, nothing special that would make me stop by again and again. read more

Yo this place was amazing. Gf and I sat at the bar for Valentine's Day. It was pure chaos but it really bother the staff which is important to me as a person who's worked in restaurants. Staff was friendly, food came out perfect and on time. My ribeye was amazing. Coulda used some more mashed potatoes but that's just because they were also awesome. Bonus star because it was right next to the highway! read more

Excellent service with our waiter Kevin. He recommended a great Pino Grigio for our table. We all had different fish dishes and they were all fabulous. I liked the decor of outdoor Italian town but indoors. Very pleased. We will be back! Hopefully soon! read more

Macaroni Joe's - Yummy Pino Grigio - Italian Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

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We were a party of two, got to Macaroni Joes on Friday night around 7pm with no reservation. We're in the middle of a cross-country trip, tired, with our dogs cooped up in the hotel room so when the hostess said 40 minutes, we said uh, no. Cah we eat in the bar? Answer was YES thank goodness. So I cannot comment so much on the ambiance because we ate in the bar. But I checked out the dining room and it looked real nice. Consistent with the other reivews here. Kinda Disney-like in terms of theme..in a good way. Liked our dinner very much. We started with Mob Queso which was totally good. Pretty much standard queso but with sausage, artichokes and some other stuff that makes it spicy in a delicious Italian way. They also set the cheese on fire which is gimmicky but fun. Queso is served with fried wontons not tortilla chips. Wontons are a good choice. I had Chicken Parm. I never eat this but bought it as a safety because my wife ordered an usnusual entree (for her) so if she didn't like it, I figured we could swap and she could have the chicken parm. More to come on that later...I ended up eating the Chicken parm and it was great. Tasty chicken breast clearly fresh and high quality chicken. Lightly fried. Not greasy or overpowering at all. Just fresh tasting and good. The sauce was perfect consistency (not too smooth, not too chunky) and they used alot of it which I loved. Sauce was kinda sweet also which I enjoy. Instead of mozzarella they topped with ricotta. Nice choice and healthier. Just a great entree. Wife had Fresno Chicken. Grilled chicken with green chili pesto, pine nuts, and mozzarella. Was really, really good with smoky flavor, great quality chicken, quality preparation, and excellent green beans on the side. BTW, these guys also have great Italian bread served with butter. That's the truest test for an Italian place. How good is the bread? For dessert we had bread pudding. Totally awesome. Served in a raging hot skillet. Good, good, good. If you find yourself in Amarillo, I definitely recommend Macaroni Joes. read more

Though I used to work here, I'll put that aside for a completely unbiased review! I do love this place and the staff that make it the experience it is! My boyfriend and I went in for lunch on Monday. Our server was attentive and courteous. And the food, yum. Lunch is the way to go if you are a penny pincher. You can get a divine filet for $13. Dinner is more romantic and reservations are recommended. My favorite dishes are Green Chile Farfalle, Chicken Scallopini, Bleu Filet, Mango Jalenpeno Tilipia. Your server can help you pair a fine wine to go along with your entree. They are currently putting a full service bar up front with a lounge. The wine list can not be beat in town. The ambiance makes Macaroni Joe's not just one of a kind in Amarillo, but of anywhere I have ever been! I highly recommend this restaurant for business meetings, dates, anniversaries, and especially proposals. Enjoy! read more

I went to Macaroni Joe's for dinner TWICE while in Amarillo - it was that good! Both times I sat on the patio with my standard Poodle, Max, so I can't comment on the ambiance or noise levels inside the restaurant. Both times, I had awesome servers, attentive but not hovering. The food here is excellent. Dinner 1: 5 oz. Tenderloin, served with yukon gold potatoes, and green beans, a superb Pinot Grigio, and Bourbon Bread Pudding for dessert that was killer! Dinner 2: Roast Breast of Duck with balsamic cranberry reduction (cooked to a perfectly juicy medium), smashed potatoes, and fresh grilled asparagus, same excellent Pinot Grigio, and Hazelnut Creme Brulée for dessert. They were great about my dog being there, brought him a bowl of water without having to ask. If you are traveling through, or live in Amarillo, go to Macaroni Joe's! read more

I took my clients to lunch and the food was great everyone enjoyed their meal. I had the Fresno chicken and my friends had the Basil Salmon. The food was great and the prices were very reasonable. I paid for lunch and left. The next day I realized I had left my credit card. I called and they took my address (I live in Dallas) and they mailed it promptly to me. That was beyond the call of duty. Next time I'm in Amarillo, I will definitely return. read more

While on business, my account told me to go here for dinner. What a wonderful find here in Amarillo! The place is very dimly lit (if you have night blindnes....oh boy). It's a great place for a very romantic dinner. The decor looks like you are on the streets of italy with stars shining overhead. The staff was pleasant, and the food was really good. We started out with the tuna sashimi appetizer and it was really good. Then I had the roasted red pepper soup, DIVINE!! Omigosh...it was SO good. I need to ask for the recipie! I also had the Mango Japlapeno Talapia. It was also very tasty. I will defineately be back here the next time I am visit. I will also recommend this place to my rep friends. Good luck! read more

I really enjoy this place and can't say that I've ever had a poor experience. The service and food are consistently good, which is more than I can say for a lot of other businesses in town and I've never been disappointed on these counts. I always try to order something that I would never cook at home and I've been very happy with my choices. The osso bucco is quite tasty as it literally falls off the bone and melts in your mouth. I've also been happy with a perfectly cooked tuna steak and so many other tasty entrees I can't even really remember. They have an extensive wine list and the bartenders to back it up. If you're unsure about whether or not you'd like something, ask before you order. They know their list well and will be able to help you make a selection. This is probably my go-to restaurant when looking for a nicer evening out. read more

one of my favorite places to eat. I enjoy several of the menu items. recently, I've been ordering the tenderloin salad & it is delicious. I add feta & it is my favorite salad in town, for sure. the green chile farfalle is very good {I order with blackened chicken} & the millionaire tacos are always a win. I've also tried the chicken spaghetti, the steak {santa fe style}, the mob queso, the fork & knife gyro, & the mob chicken & I wasn't disappointed with any of them. staff is knowledgable & helpful. the ambience is perfect for business lunches or a date night. read more

After having been in Amarillo for 2 months, this place has the best food I've had. It is the closest thing to fine dining available in this area. The service was great, although I would recommend brushing up on the pronunciation of dish names. The mob queso really is delicious along with the ciopino. If I ever have the misfortune of returning to Texas, I will definitely be eating here again. read more

Macaroni Joe's - Ciopino is delightful! - Italian Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

I chose to host my birthday party back home at Macaroni Joe's because it was a higher end option for food I knew I would like. I arrived a little late to the restaurant and my friends already had the queso and chips flowing. I wish I didn't have the palate of a 5 year old, but I just do, and the spinach looking green things floating in the queso bowl were enough to scare me away from trying it. Another appetizer ordered was the calamari. It was beautifully presented, but was served with a raspberry type vinaigrette, that didn't really suit the flavor of the dish. On to the entree's. I selected the chef's special, which was filet with lobster baked inside, a parmesan risotto, and side of asparagus. At $32.00 a plate?! No problem for my birthday dish! However, the filet was dry, I couldn't find the lobster on my plate anywhere (and I also enlisted help from my friend next to me, she couldn't find it either). It was just okay. The other plates induced giggles at the amount of chicken and sides presented on the plate. I get that gourmet/ hand made foods are often served in small portions, but GET REAL, this is AMARILLO! Who do they think they are cooking for? Again, want to re-iterate that this is AMARILLO, not LA :) I happened to be a little tipsy by the end of the meal so the speed of service didn't bother me as much as it did my more sober friends. I wasn't sure if not being available for your guest's needs was a part of the deal at a higher end restaurant, but it was impossible to flag down a server when we needed one. He forgot a couple of things, no worries, but we tried for 30-40 minutes to get our checks. You think 30-40 minutes must be a huge exaggeration, so let me be conservative. Conservatively, it took us 30 mintues to get our checks and pay out. I would come here again for the ambiance, and okayyyy food, but I definitely wouldn't make plans around dining here, and wouldn't try to do so on a night where I was staying sober. read more

Would be a great date night place. Great decor and friendly staff. The steak was cooked perfectly and the sides were delicious and far more than I could eat. The waiter was friendly, knowledgable and attentive. read more

Quaint little place for both lunch and dinner - and their tables always have crisp white table cloths (nice touch). This was actually the first restaurant I had dinner at in Amarillo over 10 years ago. Nice to know that it's still a fun establishment where the servers add to the pleasant experience. I had the grilled salmon but others in my party tried the unique Italian-Mexican dishes like chicken farfalle in green salsa which was actually very tasty. Check MJ out and relax. read more