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

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

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

Had dinner here last night as a recommendation from my mom who came in on a fluke. WOW! Everything was delicious- from the bread to the salad to our entrees and sides! The portion sizes are huge so come hungry! We had enough for leftovers for dinner tonight- cant wait! Waitstaff was very friendly and warm, as well as a beautiful atmosphere. Highly recommend a visit here! read more

Great place to eat, and has been around forever! Their red sauce is excellent! As a rule I only eat home made meatballs that I or my family has made; my daughter had spaghetti and meatballs so I tried one and was very pleasantly surprised! Shockingly, their pizza is just ok. Whenever we have family in town this is where we order from. Love it! read more

After four years of living in Forked River it is safe to say that Marios has become our go-to place. We usually go on weekdays to get the dinner specials and always leave with enough left overs to last a few days. The food and quality is exceptional. This week my husband and I decided to have our Valentine's Day date at Marios and once again we were not disappointed. It is good to know that when you return to a restaurant you will be greeted and served by great people and for the past few years our usual waitress Jessica has been someone we look forward to seeing each time. She is wonderful! If you are looking for real authentic food with served by great people go to Marios! Tell them Mary and Joe sent you :) read more

How do you screw up pizza?! I ordered the margarita pizza and it did not have fresh mozzarella or basil as listed... The crust was not to my liking... Def will not go back to try anything else when pizza is their forte! read more

Mario's is one of those places that really surprises you! From the outside it looks more like a typical pizza type place. Don't go there to just order pizza, go there to dine. We find the food to be always fresh and of excellent quality. The prices are reasonable too! Bring your own bottle of wine and enjoy a really good Italian meal. read more

Absolutely the best Italian restaurant in town, hands down. There's no reason to search for anything better, because Mario's has it all! From food to service, I know I will get what I expect every single time...nothing less than the best. Mario's is excellent AND consistent. The Penne Alla Vodka is the best I've ever had in my life. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. The sauce is amazing, and SO delicious! The Chicken Francais is a gem. If you order pasta as a side, and request to have it mixed with the Chicken Francais and the sauce, it's heaven on a plate. Anti-pasta salad is the must-get appetizer. The house salads never disappoint, and all the dressings are great. My favorite is creamy Italian! And last but not least, the pizza! Ordering pizza at the dining room and take-out are both equally wonderful. The ambiance is very nice and cozy, and the great service adds to the experience. It's byob, so get a nice bottle of wine and your set for an amazing meal! read more

I have had good food here, but not this time. The margarita pie was tasteless and the meatball pie was inedible it tasted so bad. Plus it was about 85° in the restaurant. read more

The best Italian food in Ocean County. This little restaurant will surprise you. From the outside it may seem like just another pizza place. And the pizza is great as well. But their dinner menu is outstanding with specials every day. You won't be disappointed in any way. All of the staff is pleasant and friendly. The only bad thing I could say about Mario's is it should be bigger so more people can appreciate it. read more

Mario's - Outstanding pizza as well. - Italian Near Me - Forked River, New Jersey

Food is good, service is great, Owners need some customer service lessons, they only seem to worry about what $$ is going into their pockets :( read more

Mario's is awesome ! Whether dining in or taking out , the food is consistently delicious . It's a BYOB, with a cute and comfy dining area . The staff is always friendly , courteous and professional . There are A LOT of places in the Lacey area to get pizza , but no place like Mario's . This is some of the very best pizza we ever had ! You won't be disappointed!! read more

Great Seafood Salad and good pizza too with good service. Jenna one of the servers is delightful. Prices are reasonable. Gets busy after 6pm on Saturday so go early. read more

I never had the pizza here because the Italian meals are so good. The cannoli I with veal,was very good. The lobster ravioli had such a great lobster taste. The gravy is really very Italian, kind of like my friends grandmother. I have eaten at a few other Italian restaurants in OC BUT NOW THER IS ONLY ONE I WILL GO TO. Take out and delivery..a double plus++ read more

The penavodka is absolutely amazing. Great customer service as well. The owners were so nice and kind. Very authentic!! Definitely coming back. read more

This place has a great chicken parm sub and huge salads. I have never tried the pizza but this is one of the best in town for sandwiches. Garlic knots are good but not great. Reading other reviews about slow service while in the restaurant, I'll add that pick up is always quick. read more

first time at marios and we were very pleased. nice dining room area away from pizza counter. very friendly wait staff made us feel welcomed. food was very good and made fresh to order. definitely will go back . read more

One of the best Italian restaurants down the shore! The pizza is our favorite. Try it with ricotta & sausage! Chicken parmigiana & steak sandwich are a must! The owners are very friendly & it is always an enjoyable time. Plus it a bring your own beer or wine. Prices are reasonable & it is always a good night! read more

We didn't care for dining experience at Mario's. The dining room is uncomfortably small. The pizza had too much sauce and the sauce was not very good. There are too many good pizza joints to return to Mario's read more

Went to Mario's to celebrate our 31st Anniversary. BIG MISTAKE, WILL NEVER GO BACK... My daughter's entree had a GROSS HAIR IN IT. Pointed it out to the server and choose something else to eat. The server apologized and brought out another entree. When dinner was over the server brought over the check. Someone from the kitchen (owner or manager) gawked out of the window but never come over to our table to apologize. They didn't comp the meal with the GROSS HAIR or even offer a free dessert. Really, not even an apology. The food is just okay not authentic at all. The only reason it's stayed in business this long is because it's in Lacey. People here don't really know good italian food. I will never go back. read more

Terrible pizza. Dough is not quality. Clearly doesn't understand what a Margherita pizza consists of. Doesn't look like a pleasant atmosphere and slow food service. Better places to order pizza from in town. Doesn't waste time or money. read more

A group of eight dined at Mario's last Tuesday, it was my first and last dining experience. On the way in, the evening specials for $14.99 were clearly posted including soup, salad, selected entrees and dessert. After being seated the waitress stated that the special was now $15.99 with soup OR salad. As she had no control over the situation we agreed to select and dine anyway. Our dinner took one and one half hours start to finish and then when separate checks were requested we were told that it would be a surcharge of $1.00 per couple....how ridiculous. On the way out, one of the guests spoke to the owner regarding the issues, however, they then took down the sign and would not respect the posted price, what poor business practices all around! Low and behold in the current Val Pack, which arrived AFTER our dining experience, the coupon states $14.99 for soup, salad, entree and dessert...so much for pleasing the customer. The owner was somewhat arrogant with a no care attitude and the server claimed not to know of the changes as she had been on vacation....there are plenty of other accommodating restaurants in the area obviously Mario's is far from customer friendly. read more

This is our favorite restaurant. We go here probably once a week and have never had a bad meal. Staff is friendly and nice. The seafood dishes are absolutely to die for! They run a special Monday through Thursday where you get soup, salad, an entree (not just the cheap ones like spaghetti, full seafood entrees!) and dessert for $12.99. You can't beat that! It's byo so you save money there as well. I will admit that it is not the fastest place in town. Know that going in. But everything is fresh, so we don't mind. We just enjoy our wine and conversation. I agree that the delivery is not too fast either, but again, we just order knowing it will take a while. Small price to pay for delicious food at a great price. We've gone to many Italian restaurants and this one ranks #1 in our book. read more

This is the best Italian spot for miles. We live in towne and even with the over saturated Italian restaurant market for which we live, Marios is truly the best. BYO, and always a packed dining room, this is a regular spot for my husband and I. We had our first date there in 2005 and eleven years later we go there for our anniversary and every special occasion. Valentine's Day is spent there and even once a month we just have to go in for dinner. Chicken tortellini soup is killer! Lobster Ravioli is a rare special but totes worth making a special trip for. Mon-Thurs they have a great dinner deal. This place is awesome. A great family run restaurant! read more

My first order (delivery) from Mario's.... Wow: I was WOWED by the look of the food, and the taste of it will make me go back to no one else. Mario's has my business for life. (I'm a native New Yorker). Very good, very, very good. I will be a longtime return customer. No other joint will do me well. Thank you, Mario's! read more

food is always amazing but takes easily over an hour if not more every time I get delivery

We have been there twice. First time was very good but the last time not so good. Pasta was way under cooked. Wife's "Bob's Salad" had dried non white meat chicken and my Chiante Chicken special was mediocre as was the service. I'd say go there for the Pizza which is above average. read more

We were Mario regulars till we went one night and waited 80 minutes for sodas salads and my son's chicken tender appetizers which arrived RAW(like out of the package RAW) totally pink not cooked at all on the inside. After dropping off the RAW chicken tenders the waitress never came back to check on everything we went to the front counter to shown them the lady/owner called the waitress and asked what we were served (we had told her Soda and salad only not even bread during our 80 minute wait) she said it was on her and we did not owe anything. Unbelievable we had frequented Marios 2 or 3 times a month previously. NEVER again read more

I wanted to give three stars because although the waitress did her best the kitchen was slow and the wait for food was very long. We got bread and salad, and because of the wait, the waitress apologized and offered us another bread basket. What annoyed me was that a couple who came in after us got their entrees first. When the food came it was hot and the portion sizes were large. The reason I am giving one star is because later that night my husband had symptoms of food poisoning (chills, stomach cramps, etc) and didn't sleep all night. He had a shrimp entree. I had chicken parm and felt ok, but when I reheated the leftover piece for lunch the next day I also became sick with similar symptoms of food poisoning. read more

Coming from NY and being Italian i have tried several Restaurants around this area. Marios by far is the best aside from Il Guardino and closest to NY style restaurants. I will keep going back! prices are reasonable too! read more

We have been going here for over 10 years and the last year service has been going down. Last night we waited 1 hour and 45 minutes for our dinner to come out. When the guy came out with my daughters dinner ( which she orders every time - tortellini w/ Alfredo please add peas and mushrooms) it was just tortellini Alfredo - told us they don't make it with peas and mushrooms (why not tell us that when she ordered) - I knew Mike, the owner was not there. My father and I proceeded to wait another 10 minutes for our dishes and the waiter told me they messed mine up and gave me red sauce instead of vodka sauce. When I got my dinner you could tell they just threw a little vodka sauce on top and left the red sauce. They also must have added more tables to the already small restaurant as 3 of us kept hitting chairs with the people behind us. Sadly I will not be going back to what used to be my favorite Italian place in Ocean County. This is the 3rd time we have had this almost exact situation happen to us in the past year. The waiter was apologetic - as well as exhausted as they seem very under staffed lately. read more