We wanted to go to a Walmart that happened to be around this area, but along the way we came across an Italian restaurant and decided to give it a try. First, let me talk about the complimentary bread and dipping sauce. The bread is not sourdough, which I was grateful that it wasn't, and it was very soft and delicious. The dipping sauce appeared to be tomato based with cheese and garlic mixed in, and it paired extremely well with the bread. For our appetizer, we chose the Insalata di Caesar, which is romaine lettuce tossed in their house made Caesar dressing made with eggs and anchovies, then topped with croutons and parmesan cheese. Overall, the Caesar salad was good. My only critique was that since they make such excellent bread, I wish they had made their own garlic croutons as well. Instead, the croutons felt store bought. Aside from that, the salad was very enjoyable. It was priced at $10.95 as of December 2025. For my entrée, I ordered the Fettuccine al Pesto, which includes fettuccine pasta, shrimp, mushrooms, white wine, and garlic in a creamy pesto sauce made with walnuts and anchovies. Overall, the dish was delicious. I really enjoyed the creamy pesto sauce with white wine and garlic, which elevated the flavor beyond a standard pesto and paired beautifully with the fettuccine. The mushrooms were also a great addition. The shrimp were plump and juicy, but my only complaint was that they lacked seasoning and flavor. I wish they had been a bit more seasoned. This dish was $19.95 as of December 2025. The restaurant's interior ambience was surprisingly more family style than fancy, and we actually much prefer that. Our server was also very friendly and helpful, which added to the overall positive dining experience. read more

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Was in Martinez and did a takeout order at Mangia Bene. I like family owned businesses, the place looks nice, has a good amount of seating and the staff are friendly that took my order. Took my food home filet mignon, garlic bread with cheese, and a crème brûlée. The food was good as takeout. Going to dine in to get to get the full experience. Getting Italian food to go or dine in and you're in Martinez I recommend Mangia Bene. Support family owned businesses!!!!!! read more

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Excellent food. Ordered the Traccio Alla Picatta (Calamari Steak) with polenta and vegetables. Went on Mother's Day and while busy, was seated promptly at a nice table. Fresh Bread and "gravy" (sauce) was a great start but don't fill up. Would have given 5 stars but I couldn't get anyone to come back to the table after food was served. Forgivable since it was very busy and I was behind a wall and out of sight. read more

Everytime we come here, it's like a treat. The food is always fresh and unique. My son who doesn't even like salad loved the caesar dreasing on his salad. The meatballs definitely were homemade. The calamaei steak was tender, so good. My pasta shells and shrimp was divine with their famous lobster sauce. I can drink their lobster sauce as soup!! So good. Service was great as usual. Checked up on us regularly. The place is cozy as usual with a good group of regulars. Still a local favorite and glad I work nearby. read more

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I always passed by this place and had always wanted to try it. I don't usually eat Italian food, but I'm open to trying new things. After getting seated, we were served a fresh basket of bread. I'm not sure what the sauce was that came with it, but it was so good. We ordered the Involtini di Melanzane as our appetizer, and I must say -- it was delicious! The tomato sauce with the grilled eggplant was incredibly flavorful. For our main dishes, we had the Fettuccine alla Friulana and the Lasagne. I was mostly focused on the Fettuccine alla Friulana because it was just so good! If you love the flavor of sausage, this is the dish for you. The pasta was cooked perfectly -- not undercooked and not overcooked. I also ordered a raspberry Torani Italian soda, which was very refreshing. The restaurant was quite busy when we arrived around 5:30 p.m. A lot of families were getting seated for dinner. Despite the crowd, our food didn't take too long to arrive. I'd say the appetizer came out in about 10 minutes, and the main dishes took about 20 minutes. The restaurant had a cozy, homey feel. I enjoy dining at casual places, so I really appreciated that this restaurant didn't require formal attire. Overall, I'd give this place a solid 5 stars! Great food, welcoming atmosphere, and a perfect spot for a casual dinner. I'd definitely come back! read more

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The birthday boy said his meatballs were stale. My lasagna was ok. Children's menu, good wine selection, okay service! Plenty of parking, open hours are very convenient. The ambiance was nice, Venezia art everywhere, white tablecloths; but boxes all over the floors made it look cluttered. If you pay by credit card, the Tab will be higher. Not returning. read more

Our go to Italian restaurant in Martinez. A wonderful family spot, we have been coming here for years, always delicious and consistent (important quality). Great food for the price. Highly recommend!! read more

No surprises here - and that's actually what I'm looking for in a"my chicken piccata. Traditional Italian food prepared just as you would expect. Solid service and good portions. The flavors are spot on. Decor is nothing to fawn over for sure, but I'm not here for decorating tips, right? When a restaurant sticks around this long, it's worth a visit - especially when so many aren't. read more

Ah, Mangia Bene, it means to eat well, lives up to the name! We were unexpectedly in Martinez for a week and a we struck up a convo with a fellow diner at another restaurant, and she suggested this place! I'm glad she did! I have to be on a strict gluten free diet and she said they could accommodate, so we ended up going 2 times. I first want to say I love that they automatically bring you water when you are seated, not just any water but sparkling water, and also bread and some kind of sauce, of course I didn't eat any but my husband appreciated. First time I got the brick chicken. It's grilled under a brick, I've had this dish before at another place and no disappointments here, second time I had another chicken dish in a light lemony sauce. They serve mashed potatoes but they were happy to sub in a salad. It was sooooo good! My husband had a linguini with seafood and loved it! The service was polite, homey and prompt! The ambiance was clean and bright, and tucked away in a little shopping area. If we are here again, we will definitely return, what a hidden gem! read more

Mangia Bene Restaurant - Chicken with artichoke hearts and peppers served with salad and mixed vegetables - Italian Near Me - Martinez, California

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Treated great Love this place. We made a reservation for 14 on a Saturday afternoon about 3 pm. Soon as we got there we were happily greeted and seated. We were not rushed , yet were asked for drink,orders and were quickly served. read more

Service and personal were friendly and knowledgeable, good selection of items Good quality and presented well Prices fair read more

Fun dinner at Mangia Bene Restaurant last night with friends. Catching up and enjoying some solid Italian comfort food from this long time local, family owned restaurant. I had the spinach salad and shrimp over polenta, one friend had the Calamari steak and one had the Osso Bucco. The food is solid, nothing overly special but good portions. Your standard old style Italian dishes that you can rely on at reasonable prices. Service was a little slow, but that was due to short staffing, like many restaurants. Our server was friendly and helpful, just covering too much ground. read more

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Placed a large order for food to go. We ordered, penne vodka, chicken piccata, shrimp fettuccini with red sauce, clam linguini with red sauce, chicken fettuccine with alfredo sauce and garlic bread. The chicken piccata was flavorful but when I took a bite of the pasta, there was zero sauce on it. This dish came with vegetables that were cooked perfectly. The meals come with bread and a garlic spread, so keep that in mind as I ordered 2 sides of garlic bread and honestly with the large serving sizes of pasta and bread, it was a carb overload. The serving sizes were huge and the wait time for our to go order was only 30 minutes. This location is rather convenient to my parent's house and I have dined in a few times with them. I have never been disappointed and know I will be dining there again in the future. Thank you for the fabulous meal and great service. See you again soon. read more

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Came back to this gem in Martinez after over 2 decades or so. Still owned by the same family. Still amazing. Everything was absolutely delicious. Will be coming back even if the drive is a bit further for me now. read more

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Delicious Italian fare, served by attentive and friendly staff; lovely setting. A favorite for celebratory occasions!

Our server was nice. We were the only diners that time so it was very quiet in the restaurant. I ordered the Paglia e Fieno con Gamberetti $19.95 - 4/5 The flavor was very good but wished there were more pasta and it needed a little more sauce. Their bread is better this time. It's fresh and soft. read more

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This restaurant sadly let me down. I am originally from the east coast a little bit outside of Boston and I know fresh Italian food and this was not that. The calamari seemed frozen and the gnocchi with pesto just wasn't very tasty. Our waiter also seemed to not be super on top of it when we were the only one in the restaurant. When we walked in it looked sad and there were basically boxes everywhere. read more

Mangia Bene Restaurant - Gnocchi Pesto - Italian Near Me - Martinez, California

The food and service was excellent, ambience quiet, an environment for good conversation.

This is another Martinez hidden gem! If you love authentic Italian cuisine you're in luck. Mangia Bene delivers every time! (Chef's kiss)

My favorite Italian Restaurant. Been coming here years. Excellent food and outstanding service!!!!

Chicken Piccata was delicious, served with mashed potatoes and zucchini, bread and butter. Service was excellent and the ambiance was amazing read more

The service was great. The food was delicious. The restaurant exceeded my expectations!!! Will certainly return!!

What a fun place with delicious food. This place has stood the test of time for Italian food. The location is perfect close to the freeway in Martinez and is the place to go for scrumptious food. Bring the family! Italian food never tasted so good. read more

Finally convinced the boyfriend to try a something new to us. Mangia Bene has been in Martinez for a very very long time. Just walking up the building you can smell the delicious food. The inside is kind of typical American italian looking. Small but cute. We had placed a phone order for takeout for 4 pasta dishes and was advised 20 minutes for dinner. Was ready on time. The butternut squash ravioli (TURTEI DI ZUCCA) with browned butter and sage sauce was OHMYGOSH good. Small portion however, wish there would have been more as I could have absolutely kept eating it. The seafood pasta (LINGUINE AI FRUTTI DI MARE) with clams, scallops and shrimp was devored before I could get a picture of it....so I'm guessing it was fantastic as he barely spoke between shoveling mouth fulls. The penne alla vodka was very al dente and not enough sauce but the flavor was good. Not as flavorful as the 2 previous dishes but at that point we could have just been underwhelmed due to amazingness of the other 2. We also got the spaghetti and meatballs (SPAGHETTI CON POLPETTE DI CARNE) but that is currently sitting in the fridge as leftovers for tonight...so cannot give a review besides that it was a big serving. Definitely recommend trying this place if you are in the area. The orders came with fresh bread as well with some sort of cheesy marina dipping sauce. Couldn't complain about a thing!! read more

Mangia Bene Restaurant - Butternut squash ravioli called TURTEI DI ZUCCA - Italian Near Me - Martinez, California

We've been coming here since about 2001. We were housesitting down the street while a friend was in Europe. And since then, any time we were in the neighborhood, we'd come by here. And finally about a dozen years later we moved to Walnut Creek, so once or twice a month we make a trip out here. My husband's favorite is the Traccio (calamari steak) alla piccata. I usually just have soup and salad. Their basic housemade minestrone is absolutely fabulous. It is simple, it is rustic, it is unpretentious. Rough chopped cabbage and zucchini and potatoes and onion cooked in a light tomato broth. If they're not doing minestrone that day then I will branch out and get my favorite butternut squash with sage butter. I dream about that stuff - I just don't eat it as often as I'd like because of the calories. But those little crispy sage leaves are just unbeatable. And the server, Benjamin, is just the best. We've been coming so long that he just says 'minestrone today' or "no minestrone today" and he knows exactly what we'll have. And I'll put in a nod to all of the other soups. They're all great but if they're doing a cream soup, I'd rather have my calories in the butternut squash than in a cream soup. It's not a fancy place, it's more like a neighborhood hangout. But the food is all absolutely top-notch. Oh, and did I mention that they serve a complementary picture of sparkling water? And housemade bread with a stunning dip of whirled breadcrumbs, tomato, garlic, etc. Just fabulous. read more

What a find! So delicious. So many choices. I had a wonderful tasting and large calamari steak with the best polenta I've ever had, with Al dente vegetables to round out my dinner. Wife had shells with chicken and broccoli, sun dried tomatoes and a creamy garlic and chicken sauce. Grand daughter had a huge linguine and frutti de Mari. After incredible fresh & zinging minestrone soup and spinach with pears salad. Everything says we will return to try more of their marvelous menu items. And so affordable with many choices less than $20!!! read more

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this is a hidden gem in the east bay!! my husband and i went here to celebrate our 2nd year anniversary. the food was excellent! the service staff were very accommodating and friendly. the ambience really felt like im in italy. i would definitely recommend this place to my friends and family. read more

Our book club met here. It was perfect! We all enjoyed our food, the service was great, and it was quiet enough for good conversation. Highly recommend! read more

This unassuming italian spot is our absolute favorite place to go in Martinez! We love the rotating specials menu, the bubbly water, and bread appetizer. My favorite dish is the cheese ravioli with lemon cream sauce. Everything they make is amazing! Their service is always excellent and very fast. It's such a special spot and always so comforting. read more

Went here last night for dinner. The food was awesome. Wonderful service. Followed their websites advice and made a reservation and glad I did because within 15 minutes of arriving 90% of the restaurant was full. Will absolutely go again. read more

This place feels like home. It's got good food options and a very family like ambiance. The service was nice, but it did take quite a while to get our food and be served. If you are going for the food I would suggest a different Italian restaurant just because there are better options. The food was still good. Overall I really enjoyed my time there. read more

Food are always good! Service is always very attentive on your needs Ambiance is family oriented read more

It's not often I do bad reviews, I'd rather hand out compliments. I would have appreciated an honest review of this restaurant. The descriptions of the menu made it sound promising. We had a group of 12 and across the board it was not satisfactory. All the raviolis were drowning in sauce - the eggplant was slimy texture - NOT grilled as stated , it seemed more like steamed . And the most basic -garlic bread - tasted like nothing - maybe melted margarine? Lastly the pesto sauce - was neon green - and looked more like a toxic waste color - then any pesto I've ever seen (was afraid to even taste this one) . There was good feedback on the ceaser salads. read more

The pollo al mattone is my favorite dish here. The chicken is always cooked perfectly and the vegetables are always fresh. The lemon garlic sauce on it is amazing. I just wish they would use real mashed potato and not what tastes like box. The kids pasta consistently satisfies my kids. Their fresh baked bread and dipping sauce is a fan favorite! I could eat this daily- no lies lol! The female server and her female relative are amazing servers and always friendly! I have never seen the male server even remotely crack a smile but he is efficient- just don't expect small talk or an above friendly nature. Try their Italian sodas- they hit the spot on these hot days! read more

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PROS: Best Italian Restaurant in the Martinez/Pacheco/Concord area! I got the Linguine a Frutti de Mare and it was one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had! The seafood was cooked to perfection. My fiancé got the ravioli di formaggio and that also was an amazing dish. The raviolis were full of amazing flavor and the sauce was divine. The bread served prior to the meal came with a really great tomato/parmesan spread. CONS: We are not a fan of sparkling water but we were served a pitcher of it as we were seated. We would like to have been offered the choice between sparkling or flat water, but it felt just that more genuine since sparkling water is the norm in Italy. Overall: We highly recommend this place to anyone and we will definitely be bringing others back with us. We even discussed this place as a catering option for our wedding. read more

Mangia Bene Restaurant - Ravioli di Formaggio - Italian Near Me - Martinez, California

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Looking for a local mom and pop spot. Mangia Bene it is. Great decor with nonstop Italian background music, with familiar menu favorites, but an incredible dessert menu. Stay until the end and close off with dessert to enjoy the full experience. read more

If you want a restaurant that serves high quality Italian food, this is the place to go if you live in the bay area. The portion of each dish is very generous. I recommend going for their filet mignon. The meat quality is very good and they get the temperature just right. The sauce with the filet mignon is also very tasty. I also recommend getting the tiramisu and the crème brûlée for your dessert. Now, onto the negative parts with this restaurant. The staff is normally very limited during lunch time, especially during the weekends. I've had cases where I waited about one hour there to get my entrée. I would avoid going there during their weekend lunch time. Thus, deducting a star from the review. I'll also deduct another star for the attitude of the staff. Their staff is also not the friendliest that you will see. Most of them don't seem like they want to interact with their customers. I would at least want to get an update from the staff especially if it'll take a while to get my food delivered. All in all, it's a good restaurant. Right now during COVID, I normally just call the restaurant to order the food, and then drive there to get my food. The quality of their food is still very good nonetheless even during this hard time. read more

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1 clearly frozen chicken breast like the kind from Tyson in the freezer section of the supermarket. For the price only 1 piece of chicken! Mashed potatoes look and taste like from a box. Spaghetti bolognese was ok. But not worth the price. read more

Mangia Bene Restaurant - Chicken and mashed potatoes - Italian Near Me - Martinez, California

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The mouth watering smell haunted me on the drive back to Richmond. All I could think about was when I would get a chance to eat the mushroom ravioli!! I had stopped to get takeout and couldn't decide between the mushroom ravioli and the minestrone soup and pear salad. The food is incredibly flavorful and I could not get enough of the dipping sauce. The only reason for the 4 stars is the fact that the minestrone soup had nothing but a few vegetables floating around in that tasty broth- no beans to speak of. read more

A hidden gem in Martinez. The food here is decent and one of the few places where you can get a pitcher of sparkling water with slices of orange (or lemon). I'm not much of an Italian foodie but will say the food I ate was many notches above Olive Garden. Pasta tasted fresh and their risotto was nicely done. Their Gnocchi was done right and desserts was fresh homemade. read more

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