Fine dining in an unpretentious setting. Anna, Nuncio and staff so welcoming. Dining there brings back fond memories of the original family owned Gino's. read more

We came around 7:00 on a Thursday evening and it was fairly full, but we were seated right away. Staff was the highlight of the night, I can't remember the waiters name, but he had memorable curly hair and a mustache. He was patient and knew the menu, and offered options when he saw our reactions as we tried to decide. The chef even walked out and offered to make the bolognese from scratch and omit the mushrooms. From start to finish the whole Mangia team was great, and it made me happy to see how they treated one another. The dishwasher came up a few times to swap the trays and everyone got along, and I noticed the chef made them each something to eat as the restaurant was closing. As for the food, good Salinas option. The Nonna appetizer was a bruschetta with pistacho, fresh ricotta, and honey. Delicious. Beet salad was good, hearty beets, mixed greens, and balsamic. It was over dressed for my taste, but hubby loved it. I wasn't a huge fan the cheese they used, it was a harder salty cheese in small cubes. I got the penne with a really subtle lemon cream sauce, grilled chicken, and broccoli. Came out hot and it was a generous portion, waiter offered some fresh cheese so took that of course. I'd order it again, but don't think it was the best pasta dish I have ever had. Chicken Parmesan was cooked fresh, and came with the penne and marina. In my opinion the marina was under seasoned, but I'm generally heavy on the garlic and basil. I don't know I'd label it as a culinary hot spot, but the food was good, and made by good people. I appreciate the atmosphere and we will definitely be back. read more

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This was our first time visiting after I believe five years since it's opening. When they first opened, we didn't hear any really shining reviews, but now that it's been open a while and we know people that visit regularly we wanted to give it a try. Our experience was mixed, allow me to explain: It was good, but I wouldn't say it was amazing. The roasted beet salad was actually pretty fantastic, as well as the Manhattan clam chowder we had on special this evening. I felt like the charcuterie board left more to be desired. One of the cheeses was basically the rind of the cheese, and was almost unpalatable. The little biscuit things or breadsticks or whatever they were were stale, and tasted like they had been made a couple days before. My daughter got the salmon with pesto and a white cream sauce with rotini pasta, and it was actually very very good. She was pleased, my wife and I both tasted it. We were quite pleased and believed it was probably the best dish on our table. The chicken Parmesan was good, but I wouldn't say it was amazing... Certainly not as good as we would make it at home. Altogether, I would've gave this place 4 stars, but we are judging the service as well. We had one waiter, and it took a while to place our order, even though the place wasn't very busy. He was very nice, but had to read the specials from a script, and it seemed like he couldn't really read his own handwriting very well. Once we received our food, he never came back to our table. We never got a refill on our drinks, and just generally didn't see the waiter very much throughout our experience. Once we were done, I had to actually go track him down so that I could pay so that we could finally leave otherwise we would've just kept sitting there. So basically, I knocked off one star for the food, and I knocked off one star for the service. That being said, it wasn't bad... But our ticket was nearly $200 with no alcohol. At that price, I would just expect a finer dining experience. We likely won't return, but it doesn't mean that you won't like it. Perhaps it's worth giving a chance it just wasn't our cup of tea. read more

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I stopped by with my brother on a Wednesday night, the vibes, decorations and Christmas music was very warm and comforting when it was chilly out. They weren't very busy but had a steady flow of people in and out. The food was INCREDIBLE, in my opinion. Appetizer was the ricotta with focaccia. I got the spaghetti carbonara for our meal. Amazing. We really wanted dessert, but the waiter was taking a bit too long to come and take that order; also didn't check in that often. The food was so good, we didn't care much about that part. read more

Mangia - Eat on Main - Spaghetti carbonara with pancetta - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

Great food. Amazing owners. True Italian food. This place closed and they will be missed. The good news is the owners have other restaurants in Salinas. We can keep on enjoying there wonderful food. read more

I chose gnocchi di Andrea, but I didn't finish the dish. My mother in law compared her linguini to Olive Garden, so we initially assumed that her pasta wasn't al dente. The food is good, it just doesn't feel special. The waitress had to describe the manicotti special as Italian enchiladas. We were too full of bread to have dessert. read more

Mangia - Eat on Main - Penne alla "Mangia" - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

Tonight is our date night and I was craving for an Italian cuisine so my hubby suggested Mangia. We used to come here when it was still Taste of Thai so we know the location by heart. The inside is clean and organized. This is a small space but they managed to keep it well lit and maintained. I was glad that it's quiet, though there are a lot of diners, it's not loud at all. Italian songs on the background is a plus. The foods! We decided to go full meal, to try and see how it is. We stared with the fried calamari, and to be honest my hubby and I are very meticulous on this dish as we tried it with every restaurant we go to and there's only at least two place that we liked them... but this! It's so good, cooked to perfection - not rubbery, soft and crusty yet not oily; and the dipping sauce! I am one that easily gets turn off it it's not good, but my oh my! The dipping sauce is superb! I even ate it by itself. Oh and have you tried fried lemon?! Never had one, but this gave a whole new meaning to lemon in my opinion. Then we ordered their soup of the day which looks like a ministroni (but I know it's not what it's called) ~ all I can say is it's delicious! All ingredients complement each other, plus try dipping the bread and you'll not regret it. I orders the linguine - it comes in white sauce, with spinach, and prawns - amazing! My hubby ordered the rigatoni - simple dish yet it's tasty and pasta is cooked well. And to finish our date night, we ordered my all time favorite the espresso tiramisu ~ it's good, not close to the best that I've tasted but still good. Service was exemplary! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with warmth and everyone is courteous. Abby (I don't know if that's how you spell her name) was our server - hands up to her service. She was very attentive, polite, and courteous. You will always see her smiling, and explained all the menus with clarity and knowledge. She served us with grace and warmth! Now a days, there's only a few establishments that have servers that gives you that kind of service! So thank you Abby! You have made our dinner date a beautiful one. This I can say is our new favorite Italian Restaurant in town! Highly recommended! read more

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Excelente really aitalian food. Excelente service, great ambiance. Owner was personally greeting and I just love that gesture... read more

What a major disappointment! Saturday night, party of four for dinner. We were seated at a table and the young girl brought us water and "bread service" ($4), at our request. The friendly young girl could not take our drink order ( likely underage) and said that our waitress would be right with us. We sat at our table for literally (I looked at my watch) 15 minutes, without so much as even eye contact from any servers. I attempted to get the attention of a server, but nothing, nada, zilch! I saw some other customers at other tables who appeared to look irritated or frustrated while they were waiting for their food or check. At the 15 minute mark, I left a $10 bill on the table and we walked out and found another restaurant. It's 2 days later now and ai wonder if the employees at Mangia have even noticed that we've left? We are locals and won't be going back read more

Let me just say that we really needed a place that has great pasta after Patria changed owners. Patria had the best pasta in Salinas, and now you guys do! Me and my mom came in here a couple of months ago (I know, I know I should not be writing all of my reviews like this, but I don't have a time usually) and everything we ordered to share was absolutely incredible! Cannot wait to go back on a girl date with my mama. read more

This is my second time coming to Mangia and it's bc my friend wanted to come here. After my first experience about two years ago, my expectations were set and they were low. The good- the food! I ordered bolognese with spaghetti and the flavor makes up for the second part and is the only reason for three stars and not fewer. My friend ordered something else (w broccoli and chicken) and it was meh according to them. We arrived when it opened. They did not appear to be ready and it was a Friday. Cooks told us where we could sit and we did. Adele was singing at volume 10 directly above my head. Thankfully that was turned down quickly! The overall service is just sad. The first time I dined here the server called radiatore pasta "radiator" pasta and now that's all I see when I see radiatore. It was apparent they had no idea what they were saying. Today's server was not much better. Reading specials from their phone. Server says "I'll be serving you and I'll be doing my other afternoon duties as well." Um, okay? That was code for I won't be back for a good 15 minutes while I do other things. Meanwhile, the owner is there, as she was the last time, without a care in the world. Not once has she checked on a table or has a clue what's going on in the restaurant. Friend ordered a salad, it was ordered, but never brought nor spoken about again. I want to like this place and come back bc the bolognese was tasty! But my god, train your freakin servers. It's expensive enough to go out to eat and tip. At least make it worth it. But, I'm not sure who would train them bc the owner could use help there too. This place could use one of those reality shows kitchen 911 read more

First time at this amazing Italian restaurant. Got there at 4:30 pm on a Saturday just as they opened and found plenty of parking. Inside it was decorated with plenty of "Old Town" charm and ambiance that you'd expect from a fine Italian restaurant. The bar featured a wide variety of local wines. The menu had a large selection of appetizers, pastas, entrees and salads. Our server offered several specials as well. The six of us were well taken care of by our server as we savored the appetizers and our main courses. I had a plateful of swordfish shrimp pasta which was deliciously seasoned. The variety of desserts were not on a menu and were recited by our server so we enjoyed cheesecake, cannoli and pistachio ice cream. Oddly enough the only complaint I would have is the napkins weren't cloth!!! If you're looking for a nice, charming and moderately priced Italian restaurant in Salinas, Mangia is the place! read more

My friend and I had been wanting to try this place out for a while because everyone was talking about it. I'm glad we did because we did enjoy ourselves and our dinner with a glass of wine. Nice cute little place. Service was pretty good. The food was good but a bit different than what I was expecting (good nonetheless). A bit on the pricier size. It would be a nice place for a date night. read more

Mangia - Eat on Main - Shrimp pasta - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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Great meal with great staff. I had the Chicken Picatta and it was amazing......if you are in the area, stop in and have a great meal. They are also now open for lunch! read more

Service was ok, ambience was fine, food uneven and almost totally bad lest the saving New England chowder. The $37 special, a linguini with vodka sauce and mixed seafood was dull, overcooked, tasteless; two microscopic pieces of lobster (the size of bread crumbs), no sundry tomatoes (which could have helped with the taste). Overpriced dish for a decidedly pale taste and poorly executed offering. The 3 Mexican "chefs" clearly do not understand how to prepare a decent Italian dish. My wife's dish was only slightly better. The worst part was when we got our bill the deception continued. The $9 1 Liter Pellegrino water was not that: it was a 750 ml Ferrarelle water! (See photo) . At least the clam chowder was good! read more

Mangia - Eat on Main - Receipt for Pellegrino water 1 Liter bottle; not what we got. - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

Great food, service, and ambiance! My husband is not really a fan of Italian food because it's a lot of carbs, but this one is an exception. They play great Italian music too to keep the good vibes. We would come back again. I should have told them it was my birthday when we went (which it really was) to see what dessert they have, but we were already full. Their portions were great. Not too stuffed, just right. I hope people keep going to this Downtown Salinas hidden gem. read more

Sat at the bar with my dad the other night. Mangia is very quaint and cute. Mangia staff are incredibly sweet and took great care of us. I loved the fresh bread they offered. We ordered the caprese salad which was so fresh. The mozzarella cheese was very light and refreshing. I ordered the linguine and clams special which was honestly the best I've had. My dad got the pork belly bucatini special which he too enjoyed. Highly recommend! read more

Mangia - Eat on Main - Linguine and clams special - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

This restaurant is absolutely AMAZING! Definitely don't pass on this one - great service and so friendly!! read more

Mangia - Eat on Main - Inside ambiance. Casual elegance - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

Great food and great service! We were a party of 5 and the server (Abby?) was very attentive to.our needs. Food was absolutely delicious. read more

Friday night and the restaurant is busy. Music lightly playing in the background, dimly lit. Feels like home. Hostess allowed us to pick our seating since we had such a large party. Ordered bruschetta, calamari, and garlic cheese bread for appetizers. All delicious. Server has been awesome. The special was pork chops, a little dry but tasty. I ordered the gnocchi with red sauce, delicious. We also ordered the shrimp salad, beet salad - all very good, chicken tenders with fries and pasta with Alfredo sauce. We got the lemon dessert and cheesecake to go. Great dinner. Great service. Plenty of parking on Main Street, parking behind the restaurant is dimly lit. read more

Mangia - Eat on Main - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

Food is amazing the appetizers were great. The service is amazing I definitely recommend read more

Mangia - Eat on Main - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

The ambiance is wonderful, the service is great. Staff is attentive to customers . The food is so good. Everything that I have ordered is AMAZING. The pastas the salads and especially the desserts!!!!!! They also have specials that always a treat. The pizzas they have on Mondays are great. If you haven't been there you have got to try it. They are the by far the best Italian restaurant in Salinas. read more

Great small, family-owned restaurant that my coworkers and I decided to try for some after-work drinks. The place was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday night, which is always a good sign. Our server, Andrea, was fantastic--he recommended some excellent local wines. I ended up getting an Aperol Spritz that he personally recommended and made, and it was outstanding. We also ordered a few appetizers; the bruschetta was my favorite--full of flavor and authentically Italian. I'll definitely be returning for the vibes and to try their dinner next time. read more

Amazing Pizza pie in a traditional pizza oven inside the restaurant. I haven't been able to get here on Mondays nights because I have a standing meeting in Seaside. But I got a bye this week and my meeting moved to Tuesday. I am so happy I made it here tonight. Pizza was excellent and just the right amount of flavor to spike my taste buds. The house Chianti was perfect for this meal. The staff was super friendly and I was seated quickly. I feel like I got the last order in at 7:45 pm. Photos include other times I had visited and a great little spot in the heart of Oldtown Salinas. read more

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We really love going to Mangia for dinner. My husband was craving for spaghetti so we decided to go to Mangia. He ordered the Rigatoni Bolognese asking instead for spaghetti as thr pasta. They gladly made the adjustment. I had an entrée that was a special, Cheese filled raviols on a bed of basil with clams and shrimpmeat in the creamy tomao sauce. It was so amazing. At the end we each had a pistachio Gelato. It was a great meal, I can't wait to go back. Service was awesome, Ezra was o our waiter who provided attentive service and took good care of us. read more

Brought our nice to a summer get away to Monterey Bay and she was in the mood for pasta so we knew where to take her. Service was great and the food was amazingly delicious and fresh. Happy we came back to eat on main! read more

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Loved my server stefano, such a sweetie pie, and don't even get me started on the food, to die for

Everything is always delicious, the staff is very friendly, and the deserts are wonderful. I highly recommend them...

Love the family & very friendly! Food is good & smaller portions so you don't feel sick afterwards. Desserts a must!

My mom took me here for my birthday lunch. The service is great, and the food is absolutely fantastic! I ordered the gnocchi di Andrea, and it was beautifully flavored and perfectly portioned. For dessert, I got a lemon cake, which was exceptional! My mom ordered a fun little desert that came with ice cream, and a little coffee drink you pour over the top. We really enjoyed the small intimate setting, and the staff were great! I will definitely eat here again! I love some good Italian, and this is absolutely great Italian!! read more

Mangia - Eat on Main - Fun little coffee and ice cream dessert - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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Mangia on Main is always a gem! Our group enjoyed a delightful dining experience. The pasta dishes were spot on, cooked to perfection with rich, flavorful sauce - and the Chicken Piccata!! The service was equally impressive--attentive and friendly without being intrusive. Everything from the ambiance to the menu exceeded our expectations. Definitely a place worth visiting! read more

It's a very cute and cozy place . Very nice employees. I picked this place for the pizza . BUT they don't offer pizza anymore . My sandwich was so so . Needed salt . It was huge , so you can share it . It was a bit messy for me , I would have the sauce on the side . The sandwich fell apart . read more

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We decided to come to this restaurant due to the reviews and the menu. We arrived around 6 pm on a Saturday and we're seated right away. Bread with olive oil and basalmic vinegar were given once we ordered. The Caesar salad was over dressed and heavy. The crutons were freshly baked and had a good flavor. The pasta with shrimp and spinach (I forgot the actual name of the dish) was one noted and reminded me of a mac and cheese with well cooked shrimp. read more

Mangia - Eat on Main - Caesar salad - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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Everything we tasted from this restaurant came from a can, jar or frozen package, probably from Costco, and not even their better quality items like rustic bread I know Costco has. This was some of the worst Italian food my Italian husband and I have ever experienced. I had a beet salad and he had the shrimp over-cooked pasta in Ragu-style Alfredo from the jar sauce. They get one star from us because the wait staff was very kind and helpful. One small thing they could improve, as a start would be to get a filter for their their tap water which tasted chlorinated. We ordered bottled water after the first sip. Ferrarelle is the one good choice this establishment made. read more

Great tasting Italian food. Service was great. Like that the menu was not overwhelming.

The food is fantastic & service is also great. I am one of those people who often regret eating at restaurants because I feel sick afterwards. This is my second time eating at Mangia and I left wanting more. We ordered the lentil soup - which is great and had a little spice to it, the calamari - which is rings and tentacles and even a deep fried lemon which I urge you to try and the bruschetta. All starters were fabulous. The special of the night was a filet with mushroom ravioli, which I could not pass up. The filet was done perfectly and cut into pieces placed onto the raviolis. I would say there was at least 6 large raviolis if not more. On top we're perfectly done green beans and some red bell peppers. The dish was finished in under 10 minutes by me and I had wished I had more but the portion was perfect... Because then I had room for dessert! We got the cannoli - which was a perfectly crisp shell with cannoli filling. I got the pistachio gelato - that is my favorite and my husband got the stracciatella - which is almost like a vanilla with chocolate flakes mixed in. Both gelatos were this sticky almost doughy gelato that was PERFECT for after eating the meals we both ate. We got there right as they opened their doors. Plates came out super quick and the service was fabulous. We hope to come back on a Monday for pizza night read more

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This was my first time here and the service is super important to me when I try a new spot - excellent ! The food is also great super clean spot original authentic Italian food. I would definitely come again. Go try it out ! read more

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All round excellent dining experience for all three of us. Salads, entrees and desserts were enjoyed by each of us.

excellent! Lovely vibe and atmosphere, and the food - omg the food was amazing! Small portions, but still filling and absolutely delicious. Awesome dessert options too. Free high quality bread and diverse selection of Italian wine! Loved this pit stop. read more

Excellent standard Italian chicken dishes chicken piccata and other red sauce pasta dishes. Good choice of dinner salads, burrito cappers salads. Also had-some wonderful dessert options. Good wine list too. I'd go back. read more