Mario's was a regular stop for my family when we first built our summer home in Forked River in 1983. Back then they were located on the corner of Rt 9 and Lacey Rd. It was our summer "goto" pizzeria. Nothing fancy just a good NJ pie. Consistently good. Over the years, we would go less and less due to all the other options available, especially on the water dock n dine. But every once in a while we go back and it is always on the mark. This past Saturday we decided to celebrate my mom's birthday with a luncheon. When we arrived around noon, we were the only patrons in the dining room. Our server, Peyton warmly greeted us and we took a big round table in the corner. She promptly opened our wine and brought a basket of assorted breads for the table. We order clam casino and ensalata caprese for apps. Dinners were the veal braciola, cavetelli/broccoli, chicken marsala and zuppa di pesce. Cannoli and Tiramisu. Everything was delicious. The braciola and zuppa de pesce were outstanding. Flavorful and nice portions. The Tiramisu was homemade and the best we have ever had. Huge portion. In fact, we split one and took one home. Service was attentive and pace was perfect. Dont know why we dont frequent this place more often. It was a great relaxing afternoon with family. We will get back here more often. read more

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Mario's is a really great spot to eat. It's like an old house when you walk in. And get seated. The staff is super friendly and the food is always pretty good. Chicken parm is one of my favorite here. read more

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Terrible food. Tasteless pizza that had to be put on barbecue to make it crispy. For the money paid it was not worth it. read more

Mario's - Food that was ordered that wasn't good. - Italian Near Me - Forked River, New Jersey

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Had reservations for 5:30 . We arrived at 5:25. We told the hostess we had a reservation. She agreed and told us we would have to wait. We waited and they began taking people with no reservations before us. We left and won't be returning. read more

Best mussels marinara in town hands down excellent pizza always comes hot. Average 45 minute delivery time

Cruised down Rt 9 going North to find a new spot. Nice vibe when you walk in and service was excellent. The two dishes we ordered linguini in a white clam sauce and a tortellini dish on special were fantastic. Keep ordering their delicious bread to get all that extra sauce !! Tortellini was enough for 2 maybe 3 meals. Tough to find restaurants that are quality with dishes including veal and seafood for around $20 anymore. Much appreciated. Will be back. read more

Mario's - Tortellini Boscaiola. Peas n prosciutto. Stellar - Italian Near Me - Forked River, New Jersey

I've lived in Lacey for 27 years before I moved out of state. I came home for a visit and the only place I couldn't go without is Mario's! My family are frequent flyers. They even did my pregnancy announcement for my parents but last night was amazing as per usual. I just wanted to give a shout out to our server as we were a party of 8! She was so sweet, so attentive, and an all around pleasure! Our meals were great and fixed my need of lack of Italian food where I live. We sat, drank wine, and enjoyed our time together before I have to leave town again. So thank you Mario's. Until next time xo read more

Mario's - Group photo after dinner! - Italian Near Me - Forked River, New Jersey

This place is one of my faves. Whenever I'm home for a visit, we stop in here. Everything I've tried is excellent. I do not eat seafood, but my husband said the sauce on the mussels marinara was so good and he drank it. The service is good but the ambiance better. A great little homey feel. read more

Mario's - menu - Italian Near Me - Forked River, New Jersey

We have gotten take out many times always delicious. Went for an early dinner and everything was fresh and delicious. I'm always hesitant to order seafood out. I took a chance and ordered a Hot Antipasto clams mussels shrimp all very good the eggplant rollatine was outstanding. Mozzarella sticks were very good I think they may be homemade. I ordered clams mussels shrimp fra diavolo it was great. BYOB they opened it for me service was impeccable!!! read more

Garlic knots were ok, not freshly made. Sauce served with it was cold. Ordered a Grandma pie. It had chopped tomatoes on it which were not good. The crust was hard and crunchy. It seemed like they used stale pre-made dough. Would definitely not recommend the grandma pie. read more

Marios pizza is the absolute best I've tasted in a very long time - and their Marguerita pizza is perfect!

As always... dinner was excellent and our server Billy was attentive, he was sweet and had a great smile. Food is never a disappointment no matter what we order! Keep up the great work!!! read more

Just got done having a disappointing meal there with the family. I don't know if it usually non coherent with the service of the food. It wasn't that busy which confused me as to why all the dishes came out at different times. Also, when ordering an item from the menu you would expect it to come at described. Not as they deem it to be with pasta or broccoli on the side. If a dish is served over pasta. It should come over pasta. If first impressions count then count me out going back read more

Get their pizza every week. Good crust and great tomato sauce with quality mozzarella cheese.

Had a wonderful experience at Mario's last evening. The Viletto Venezia dish was delicious! And our server was so attentive and friendly. Mario's has been one of my family's go to places for Italian food when in the Forked River area and it never disappoints read more

I have been coming to Mario's for many years, went there today on Mother's Day to pick up dinner for my mom, my sister and her family. They were very busy and even though the food took longer than expected it was absolutely worth the wait! I've read some very negative reviews about this restaurant and I don't know where these people are eating I have been here so many times and have never once had anything less than an exceptional meal with exceptional service. Today the staff apologized repeatedly because they were so busy and the food was a little later than expected. I love this place! What do you expect when they have an exceptional restaurant? They're going to be very busy, thank you Mario's! read more

Always consistent - big portions and delicious food whether dining in or picking up take out

We had the best pizza tonight. Long day at work, exhausted, my husband ordered a mushroom sausage pie. It was amazing ! It was delivered hot, fresh out of the oven Thank you Mario's for making our day a bit better! Highly recommend! read more

Visiting the parents from North Carolina, needed some good takeout, this was the great NJ Italian I grew up with here in NJ. Had the chicken parm with linguini, excellent. Sauce was thick, rich, and flavourful. Definitely not from a jar. Chicken had the right amount of breading and was cooked perfectly. And there was a lot. More than I could eat in one meal. I'd post a photo, but ate it too fast. Will visit again next time I'm up in the area. read more

Had lg pie reg and chicken entrees , Ala mario and francese both good. Would recommend

Solid spot. Good location Nice space. Staff is very nice. Very friendly Pizza is decent definitely not bad. Nice menu with some good choices It is what it is and that's more than fine. Overall I'd say it's a solid.. safe pick read more

Hands down the nicest wait staff and friendliest service. There is a hometown neighborhood feel when you are here. The sauces are some of the best I have ever tasted. We have tried the Gnocchi, the chicken parm and the clams with white sauce. All wonderfully seasoned and ample portions. read more

Constantly late with deliveries, they tell you 35 minutes and the food shows in 1.5 hours, my last delivery was today orders two pizza, bill was $28 I had two $20, asked driver for $5 back he said he had no change so I gave him the pizza back, how do you send a driver out without a bank , he is an extension of your store, then Mario's calls me and gives me a hard time telling me his driver said he would bring the change back, that did not happen. so not only did I have to cook I had to hear crap on the phone for I guess their distrust in their drivers to give them change. WILL NEVER buy from them again. read more

FANTASTIC FOOD AND SERVICE. Mike K. was attentive and friendly, before I realized I needed a refill on my soda, he was there with a fresh refill! The red sauce is absolutely to die for!!!! The chicken parmigiana (photo attached) is amazing, and the sauce is fresh and hot. The chicken francaise (also pictured) was amazing and moist, the chicken was swimming in gravy with the perfect hint of lemon!! I cannot say enough about this place. The environment, the staff, the food. ALL AMAZING. read more

Mario's - four plates of pasta - Italian Near Me - Forked River, New Jersey

Won't be ordering from here again. We ordered Chicken Marsala with broccoli. No broccoli and it was three small chicken tenders in watery sauce. read more

Mario's - Chicken Marsala - Italian Near Me - Forked River, New Jersey

A family member just bought 3 pies for $45. One plain, one sausage and one crispy chicken. I've never seen a chicken patty cut into strips and put basically 1 piece on each slice. And the sausage they couldn't have possibly given less. My family are regulars, for some reason, but only problem they had in the past was how long they had to wait for pickups. Giving 2 stars as the pizza itself wasn't that bad. read more

DO NOT ORDER HERE!!!!!!! Told us 25 minutes over the phone for a pick up order of two dinners, a salad, and a plain pizza. TOOK OVER AND HOUR AND A HALF. They took the phone off the hook because they couldn't handle any more orders. While waiting I asked twice how much longer it would be and the guy went into the kitchen and just never came back out. When they brought the food out it was missing half of the items I ordered. read more

Excellent food and service on a Friday night. Chicken la Mario with sun dried tomorrow and asparagus was memorable snd we will be back! Huge portions and friendly attentive staff. read more

Food is ok. Nothing to write home about. Went yesterday with a larger party (8 of us). Food took over 45 minutes from when we ordered. It was extremely loud in the dining room. Had to almost shout to maintain a conversation. We were sweating the whole time. Asked server if they could jack up the A/C. Was told it was running at max. Still sweating. If you like loud, hot, slow places with mediocre food... this is your spot!! read more

I'm actually writing this review from the restaurant. Plenty of time will pass before the next course arrives. When we arrived, an older woman who I presume runs the place, was berating the hostess for not properly estimating a wait time for a table in front of everyone waiting. It was an huge red flag but we were still willing to stick it out. Once we sat down, we noticed ants coming in the window and onto the table. We requested to move which was quickly accomodated. Fortunately, no one else was sat at the ant table the rest of the night. But still. Ants. Mario's was painfully understaffed. Wait staff was bussing, prepping the soup and salads, and rolling silverware on top of their regular duties. Or they were trying to. There were three people attempting to cover all of the tables in the whole place. It's the first time I spent a meal feeling guilty for the waiters who are stuck in a restaurant run by people who seem to be completely incompetent. A really, really unfortunate experience considering the entrees were actually very good given the resonable prices. The unprofessional attitude of the woman in the front of the restaurant and her inability to support her staff was shocking and appauling. 1 star for decent food and 1 star for a hard working wait staff. You've been warned. read more

The food is great but the service is bad!! First time we got deliver and it took two hours and the order came wrong. Second time we did pick up and they told us 30 minutes and over an hour and 20 min. later we still did have our food ready. read more

Best pizza in the area... They also do a nice job on their dinners. Place is packed just about every night of the week so that should be a sign you're in the right place. My go to is the pizza but I often mix it up with a chicken parm sandwich. Service can be on the slower side on weekends so if you're in a rush it may not be the spot for you sat and sun. Try it I'll guess you will return like I did. read more

1st time eating here updated interior looks nice. The entrance is kind of strange like walking down a hall way had to wait for the other group to come out before going in due to narrow walkway . The food is great and fresh the portion size is big. I am glad I listened to my co-workers who raved about this establishment it was A great meal from start to finish and the service was great to boot. If in the area It is a must try. Good prices. Really enjoyed the whole experience. read more

Keep coming back. They just have this appeal. If you are feeling Italian and can't decide where to go, this is a safe bet. It's consistent, portions are generous and staff is friendly. Don't miss the specials list on the menu. read more

Came for dinner date. Food was good but nothing to write home about. The 14.50 antipasto was not as advertised with artichokes missing and I feel it was really small for the price, but the meats and cheese were very tasty. Service was decent but the place was busy and our server was alone. She did a good job. read more

We came on a Sunday afternoon it was empty so we could experience the food and service at it finest. We had ordered a cheesesteak and meatball parm ..The sauce here is great just like my grandmother made when she was alive .It made with fresh tomatoes and cooked all day .The bread was fresh and delicious, service was awsome .if you come during the week please call for reservations it fills up quick ,and righty so food good prices are fantastic for the area .Service was outstanding...we have been her for several dinners .enjoy read more

sadly to say...I came here on a Friday night i have always ordered out never have i gone inside so i was very excited ..... I was rudely seated for about 20 minutes no water no bread no nothing. The BLONDE server came over evenutally took our appetizer order which was a SALAD... came back 20 minutes after took our dinner order..... an HOUR to get the salad after i asked her where it was ..... she disregarded our attention in anyway.. after an hour and a half i was so annoyed due to it being a LONG work week and a LONG day... i went to the front and told them i do not want my meal i want to go...We had to PAY for the soup that came with our meal... 10$ for two soups very unacomotadting. At this point it is 8:15.. the owner says your food has BEEN ready for a while and was ANGRY we were leaving..... dinner is supposed to be an intimate part of the day..... this place is a joke. read more

Great place. Just ate there for the first time and it was wonderful. Excellent food, fair service, very friendly people. The prices are fair for real quality Italian food. Well worth it. read more

The best Italian food in the area. Hands down! I have tried so many different dishes and love every single one. Their pizza is the best! I also love their chix a la Mario and Cappelini Primavera! read more

Oh Mario's. Your chicken Caesar salad is tasty, but I prefer my lettuce leaves cut into pieces and not as mostly whole leaves. I was surprised that the chicken on the salad was saucy and not grilled. Your cheesy garlic bread is delicious, but my carry out order today was a whole loaf that was not cut into pieces. Did someone hide your knives? read more