Amazing food and service. Great ambiance. Dinner service only but everything was so worth it. Will absolutely be back

Mare E Monti - Exceptional Authentic Italian & Seafood Pasta Spot in Worcester, MA Mare E Monti is an exceptional Italian gem -- probably home to the best seafood pasta I've ever had. I was in town ahead of a half marathon near Hampton Beach on Sunday. After a long drive and a surprise call that my extended family was touring the East Coast nearby, we decided to meet halfway -- and Worcester made perfect sense. I booked a table for eight at 8 PM on Saturday. We miscounted our party, which led to about a 45-minute wait, but honestly, that just gave us more time to catch up. The interior strikes a lovely balance -- rustic yet modern, cozy yet romantic, and unmistakably Italian in feel. Starters We kicked off with two plates of Calamari Fritti -- classic native calamari, lightly fried and tossed with cherry peppers and a delicate butter sauce. Absolutely delicious; I had to restrain myself from finishing the whole plate. Complimentary garlic bread with olive oil was also served, and I stopped myself at 2-3 slices to save room for the race-fueling carbs to come. For salad, I chose the Insalata Casalinga -- crisp field greens, grape tomatoes, julienne carrots, cucumbers, red onion, and imported olives in a light vinaigrette. Simple, fresh, and highly recommended. The Main Event The real reason I chose Mare E Monti was simple: carb loading. I went with the Pasta con Cozze e Fagioli -- sautéed mussels in a garlic white wine sauce with diced tomatoes and cannellini beans, tossed with linguine. It was everything I'd hoped for: flavorful yet light, satisfying without being heavy. The mussels were tender, the beans added substance, and the pasta was perfectly cooked. Others at the table tried the Ravioli di Aragosta (lobster ravioli) on my recommendation. I snagged a bite -- and it was heavenly. Rich, delicate, and beautifully balanced. Final Thoughts Dinner here was the perfect pre-race meal -- nourishing without weighing me down. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, the service attentive, and the food consistently excellent. Even parking was simple; I found easy street parking just around the corner (though valet is also available). Oh, and the next morning? I ran a personal best in my half marathon -- just over 1 hour and 20 minutes. I'd like to think the perfect plate of pasta helped fuel that finish. All in all, Mare E Monti is a must-visit for anyone craving authentic Italian cuisine and standout seafood pasta in the Worcester area. I'll absolutely be back next time I'm in Massachusetts. Last visited: October 4, 2025 read more

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Amazing food, drinks, service, everything. Meatballs were a 10/10. Sauce was fabulous and fresh. I wish I could've eaten more! read more

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My husband and I came here for dinner because I was craving seafood but ended up having pork & veal instead. The portions are very large. Neither of us could finish. The staff were very sweet. I saw a drink on another table and loved how it looked. Ordered it and Wow! So good!! The bread comes out with oil, spices & chunks of garlic. Not exactly my favorite but it was tasty. The place isn't huge but the tables are nicely spaced and have small battery lights on them. It's romantic but you can be casual as well. It's child friendly. They have a separate room with a bar that you can also sit and order at. I enjoyed the food and will for a while. Of course I took it all with me. Though I spilt desert with my husband and it was delicious as well. We finished that. read more

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One of the best meals I've ever eaten! Everything was fresh and packed, full of flavor. The service is outstanding as well. We had around a 2 hour meal with no rushing out the door, type of vibe. Our server was excellent and we even got to meet one of the original owners. The ambiance is rustic with a romantic, modern, feel. We were blown away by the wonderful experience we had!!! We'll be back for our next anniversary read more

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I went with my family for a celebration and had some pretty incredible pasta, would love to go again soon!

A hidden gem in Worcester! Food is amazing and friendly service! It makes you feel like you are in the North End of Boston. Highly recommend going when they offer the table side wheel of cheese pasta. read more

Amazing food! Mare E Monti will move into my Top 5 restaurants in Worcester with this latest visit. The cuisine is fantastic, service is excellent. I had the swordfish special. It was paired with a butternut squash risotto and it was delicious. For an appetizer my table tried the stuffed calamari. It garnered mixed reviews but I thought that the seafood stuffing was very tasty. The restaurant is vibrant. The tables are a little close and you will usually need to use the free valet parking but this hidden gem is a perfect choice for your Italian dinner plans. read more

Mare E Monti - Swordfish with Butternut squash risotto - Italian Near Me - Worcester, Massachusetts

These 6 pieces of mushroom ravioli were $25. Needless to say, I was quite sad. The ambience was loud, the service was ok. I hate leaving a low rating but I just can't fathom bringing this out to a table as a full meal and thinking it's normal even other photos of the mushroom ravioli on here looked better presented than this read more

Mare E Monti - Mushroom Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Worcester, Massachusetts

Wildly overpriced. Wife had the Mare E Monti - lobster was tough and flavorless and the filet was way overcooked. They remade the steak, but by the time it came back, the rest of the food was cold. Pollo Giuseppe was meh. Eggplant had no flavor. Prosciutto was cut very thick and was very tough. Chicken was just alright. Most of their pasta is not homemade - only two homemade options with a $4 upcharge, which is nuts. Drinks are great, but expensive. Volturno is a better and cheaper option for Italian IMO. read more

Been here about 5x. Great food, great menu options. Servers know menu well and make good recommendations. Food comes out pretty fast a nice hidden gem. On our way tonight! read more

Mare E Monti - Table side Parmesan fettuccini - Italian Near Me - Worcester, Massachusetts

Great food and ambiance, service. One if the Best Italian in Worcester. Services is outstanding .

I used to drive by this place thinking nothing of it until one of my cousin's told me this was the best pasta in Worcester. My best friend and I decided to check it out one afternoon and we were quite impressed! Parking is a little hard because there is no lot - it's street parking but does offer valet. It's a lot bigger than I thought! When you walk in, there's a little bar and waiting area then you walk up the steps and into the dining room. Pretty spacious and the lighting is quite dim. We got the calamari and caprese to start. Can't go wrong with fried calamari ever, but the caprese was just average. I was expecting some balsamic glaze, maybe I could've asked but it's whatever. Also comes with complimentary bread for the table with some really good garlic olive oil to dip. The star of the show was the pasta! SO good and flavorful! I don't remember the name of my dish unfortunately but I chose to have rigatoni and salmon as my protein and it was amazing. My friend got the Linguine alle Vongole and the sauce was to die for! We literally kept going back and forth on eachothers dishes lol. I would definitely come back just for the pasta not the apps. read more

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TERRIBLE!!!!!! had a reservation and was told there were "5 tables ahead of us" after 15 minutes of waiting. what's the point of a reservation?? either make it reservation only, hold the table for the reservation or be honest and let the party know that they will be waiting OVER 45 minutes... we didn't even dine we left. very disappointing and very poor management read more

From start to finish this could be my favorite Italian restaurant ever. Food, wine and service was exceptional! Had the Fruitti de Mare, Chicken Parm and homemade Parpadelle! Exceptional and huge portions!! When in the area we will make a special trip to eat here again! read more

Mare E Monti - Amazing Seafood! - Italian Near Me - Worcester, Massachusetts

Once you get inside, the vibe and ambiance are great. But what will make you come back again is the food! Everything was excellent from the calamari to the lasagna to the homemade pasta to the haddock! read more

Cute atmosphere and amazing food! The stuffed gnocchi was out of this world! We also tried the short rib special and you could cut the meat with a fork. read more

To die for!!! Mare E Monti is so worth the time you'll spend waiting! The food is amazing and atmosphere is fun.

We had our 45th Anniversary dinner there tonight. It was our first time and won't be our last. The Porchetta Special was amazing! My husband got his usual Chicken Parm and gave it a 9/10. He's used to mine. Service was excellent. A really good choice for our special occasion! read more

My husband and I went tonight for our anniversary dinner. I did make reservations on line and thank goodness! it did ask me what the occasion was and I clicked anniversary which wasn't acknowledged (no biggie) but It was the most amazing meal we have had in a long time. I was blown away. The "gravy" or "sauce" my god. Legit tasted like home. We do not get red sauce out EVER. I will be back. I can not wait. LUAN! She was great! Attentive and told us the almond dessert was to die for and she delivered !!!! read more

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This place is an A+. Authentic and delicious. It doesn't miss. Bar area in is funky, but it's still an A+. Would recommend any of the fresh pastas. read more

The food is amazing and love the atmosphere . Plan ahead and make a reservation The service is great too read more

I'm just going to list pros and cons of my visit here. Pros: good food, nice ambiance, friendly staff, affordable prices. Cons: location makes it hard to find parking (but they have valet), I waited 30 minutes for my table WITH A RESERVATION. People that came in after me were sat before me which didn't make sense because I arrived 5 minutes before my reservation time and didn't get seated till half an hour later. I'm not sure what the issue was but they seemed a little disorganized. This left a bad taste in my mouth and it might be a while before I return. read more

Mare E Monti - Godmother & Raspberry lemon drop - Italian Near Me - Worcester, Massachusetts

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The food was great! The atmosphere was quaint. It was a great experience. Highly recommend

The pasta, the seafood, the appetizers, the cocktails....OMG I had the bolognese and it was simply PERFECT! My partner had past with seafood and it was completely tasty and delicious! Who knew this place was even here. We both will be returning shortly. The staff was extremely attentive and very professional and cordial. I can't say enough good things about this place, just wish it was closer!!!! I took some pics of our food and drinks and will post them shortly read more

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We chose Mona Lisa Mara e Monti to take our guest just arriving from New Delhi and craving Italian. This is the white tablecloth classy sister to the Mona Lisa bistro one block south. No disappointments here, ever. Our favorite bartender, Bobi from London, was whipping up beautiful cocktails and keeping us entertained. Lobster ravs excellente', housemade squid ink pasta and paparedelle also delicious. The seafood tower of mixed shellfish impressive. A large room where conversation is possible and a professional wait staff keeps the glasses filled and is accommodating to diners requests. read more

This place was bussin bussin! Like it was pretty slay! Best Italian food I had for a while! I asked them to just make me the vodka rigatoni. (FIRE) my sister got the chicken parm, it was also pretty fireeee!! The service was good. Nothing fancy. Ambiance, let me say, the best places are in the sketchiest of areas. (The area is a little sus but worth it! Free street parking or you can do valet) overall, 10/10 would come again. (If I lived by) also, it can be a nice place to take someone or some place causal. That was a nice surprise! read more

Always excellent food and service and generally nice ambiance although it can be noisy and hard to hear depending on other parties.

Such a lovely experience here. Food was incredible - huge portions of pasta. Highly recommend read more

Mare E Monti - Italian Near Me - Worcester, Massachusetts

Prepare to have your taste buds dazzled with their Spaghetti al Formaggio Parmigiano Cheese Bowl. It's pasta made right on a cheese wheel, and trust me, it's as good as it sounds! We celebrated my birthday there, and it was an unforgettable experience. If you're up for this cheesy delight, make sure to visit them from Tuesday through Thursday. My fiancé got the Ravioli's ai Funghi. It earned a perfect 10 out of 10 from him! The service in here was amazing. This Italian restaurant was truly amazing. To get a better idea of their culinary style and the cozy ambiance, check out their website I think it beautifully captures what makes mare e monti so special! read more

Mare E Monti - Italian Near Me - Worcester, Massachusetts

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Great food, friendly bartender service and enjoyed the old school ambiance. Food is solid. read more

Mare E Monti - The veal parm - Italian Near Me - Worcester, Massachusetts

Absolutely a hidden gem. The food was incredible in a very unassuming building in Worcester.

A truly disappointing experience. I made a reservation for 6:30 on a Saturday night. Now, I am usually a pretty patient person, I can understand falling behind and seating reservations a little later (10-15 minutes) than usual. However, Mare e Monti, doesn't seem to understand the concept of a reservation at all. We arrived a few minutes before 6:30 and were told that it would be about 10 minutes, fine. We stood in the world's most cramped lobby as we had already valet parked and they won't take a phone number to call when the table is actually ready. It was packed with walk ins and other reservations that were waiting endlessly to be sat. After 20 minutes, we checked in with a very annoyed hostess about our table who gave no apology and just said, again, 10 minutes. At this point we began talking to the people around us. Some of them were also waiting for reservations, but interestingly enough some were walk-ins that were being quoted only 30 minutes. I watched as two couples with 7:00 reservations were sat ahead of us and a couple other groups who we had spoken to that had 6:30 reservations. I guess if you are 'important' enough, you'll get sat earlier! We finally got sat at 7:30 (yes, folks an entire hour after our reservation) after checking in with them 4 times about our table and being given the same BS answer. I even asked if she could just be honest, because we will find somewhere else as we had evening plans. When we did get sat, the waiter took ages to come over. So long, in fact, that the table next to us felt bad and gave us their bread basket. When the waiter did come over, he was very irritated with that. The food itself was not anything to write home about. I got the mushroom ravioli which contained a total of 6 ravioli absolutely swimming in sauce. Very few mushrooms to be found either. My fiancé got a steak dish which he said was "ok". The prices were quite steep too, considering the portions. Service was slow, water glasses weren't refilled, waiter brought the check without even asking if we wanted anything else. This was for a special occasion too, which I put in the notes of the reservation. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

It was our first visit. From the beginning to the end of the meal, we loved it. From the wine selection, entrees and dessert nothing disappointed. I had the Veal Marsala and my friend had the breaded haddock. And for the dessert we each had the warm coconut cake that was amazing. Planning to go back this weekend. The waitress was delightful and very accommodating. The restaurant is in the same place as the old El Morocco. It's been gutted and it has all brick walls with pretty lightning. read more

Great food, excellent service, coming from San Francisco I wanted to try a local Italian joint and everything was great and I couldn't fault a thing. The restaurant was busy and had great family and young people vibes. The servers were all super friendly from my phone call to the staff. Also I heard people speaking Italian at the table next to me... which is always a good sign read more

Mare E Monti - Bad picture good food, gnocchi, saltimbucco, "surf and turf" - Italian Near Me - Worcester, Massachusetts

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Service was good. Pricing was as expected for restaurant that does not rely on quick turnover tables. We had a comfortable 2 hour dinner. Of the four of us, three said the food a just "okay". One person loved the haddock. Desert tray is brought table side and hard to resist. This restaurant is quite noisy and hard to hold a conversation. I will likely give it another try. read more

I did what any person who prides themselves on being a foodie does after their moving to a new city is quickly followed by an earth shattering pandemic that precludes significant eating out time and chose to eat at one of the few restaurants I have not only already been to in Worcester but been to multiple times. If I may defend myself, Mare e Monti is a very short evening stroll from Vincent's which is perfect for a night cap and I also pride myself on being a night cap bitch. GF's aunt was in town for a transient 36 hours so stakes were high and I was confident that Mare e Monti could deliver. Fortunately there was no wait on a Wednesday evening at around 7:30 and we were seated immediately. I do recall, in pre-pandemic times, there was a wait on weekend nights during prime dinner eating time. I started with The Rosa which GF reflected on as a beverage she enjoyed during a previous visit. Tito's vodka, st. germain, grapefruit, and usually rosemary (they were out on this particular night) is just the right combo of strong but refreshing without the rubbing-alcohol essence. As a table, we agreed upon the burrata and requested it to be served without onions which I will always say are unnecessary but this was a rare occasion where my onion-slut dinner companions agreed. The burrata was creamy and delicious, served on a beautiful bed of crostini, speck over a bed of arugula and unfortunately, onions. If you know me at all, you know that beverages don't last long in my presence. By this time of the meal, I was ready for another drink and elected to continue with a glass of their red sangria. This was juicy and standard but was lacking in the fruit chunk department. Ultimately the alcohol is more important than the fruit and it got the job done as far as that was concerned. We continued on with the next course which for both me and GF's aunt was the insalata casalinga with greens, grape tomatoes, carrots, onions, and olives with house dressing. In my case, the onions were requested to be omitted and thankfully, were. I tend to like my salads as dressing with a side of greens but even this was way too heavily dressed for my liking. What made it particularly unpleasant was that by the time it made its way to our table, the greens were soggy and I cannot tolerate consuming soggy greens in a salad. Needless to say, this was a disappointment and a missed opportunity to clean out the internal plumbing. Regarding my main, I succumbed to the existential crisis of whether to stick with what I know is good or try something new. I've previously tried both the gnocchi and eggplant parm and both were DELICIOUS but the tortellini caught my eye. As someone who would fill their pool with sweet peas, I couldn't pass up a dish of goat cheese-filled tortellini with sweet peas and a blush sauce covered in mozzarella. I'm glad I went this route because, like the other two dishes, this was absolutely fantastic and I wolfed it down so quickly I hardly remember details. I would also like to add that the service was amazing. Our waitress was super patient with all of our dumbass questions and adjustments. I love how everything is made to order and you can request alterations as you like. Other than a few hiccups, we had an absolutely fantastic time dining this restaurant and I wouldn't hesitate to return. read more

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The food was amazing - all your traditional Italian favorites, expertly prepared. The drinks were generous as well!

Birthday dinner. Decided to sample the cheese wheel pasta dish. Not too bad, but other dishes are superior, in my opinion. The flame show was entertaining! Chicken parm was decent, although the gnocchi was less than stellar. I suspect the gnocchi may have been store bought. I recall in the past it was homemade, even as an option on a normal dish. I believe I have received homemade gnocchi. If it was homemade, it wasn't the best example of it. read more

Christiano M you were a great server and very attentive to our needs. a couple checks in here and more often would've have been fantastic Thank you. read more