Bartender Jan is phenomenal will definitely recommend this place to family and friends!

Overall, the family really likes this place. On this trip, it took a few minutes to get a waiter over to greet us but once he arrived, he was very attentive throughout the meal. This time we arrived early and we were in time for happy hour, which is truly an excellent deal. They have a number of pasta dishes at half price and some nice beer and cocktail specials. The happy hour ends at 5:30 on weekdays I believe. My daughter enjoyed the cheese whale pasta, which is her very favorite. My wife had fettuccine Parmesan, which was an ice cream sauce and I had the penne Ragu. Everything was good and we enjoyed the evening. It looks like they've expanded the seating to include some outdoor street side tables. On a warm evening this was very nice to have breeze from the water. read more

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Vegetarian Review: Experience: Sunday evening without a reservation. The restaurant was a quite well staffed and our waiter was very attentive. Never did our water glass remain empty. The atmosphere was very nice, we sat outside and were seated quickly. I came here because the menu looked quite authentic, including having panzerotti and fiori di zucca (not tradtionally northern italian dishes, yet favorites of mine). The gnocci and tortelli were really well done. Clearly made in house. The sauces were creative. I decided to try their salsa ai peperoni '4 pepper sauce'. The classic Pesto was also fantastic, well salted and quite flavorful. The olive oil that they use nicely brings out the flavors of the basil. Although the restaurant is a milanese style ktichen, and there were meat forward milanese dishes (Ossobuco and including famous north italian cheese Raspadura on their meat-heavy pizzas) I do wish that that the restaurant highlighted more of the vegetarian Milanese style by adding some Risotto alla Milanese a Panettone to their dessert menu. read more

Four words. THIS PLACE IS LEGIT! every dish we ordered, every dessert we had was on point! Our family had a blast dining here! Our server Alex knew his stuff and the manager was awesome too (she recommended adding a scoop of gelato to our dessert and she was spot on)! I would drive down from OC to SD just to eat here again! This restaurant needs to open shop in the OC!! read more

Came here to say for lunch with friends and we took advantage of the nice breezy day by sitting outside in the patio. Jennifer, our server, was great and checked on us regularly. We had the margarita pizza, calamari, and ragu. It was a perfect mix of everything to share between 2 people. Also got the spritz, which was very refreshing. It was tangy and sweet with a hint of mint. Overall, we had a great lunch here and will be coming back again. read more

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We got the prosciutto pizza, the sweet glazed fig added a good balance. The dough was a little on the burnt side; We tried both cheesewheel options. My son wanted to try as he is a cheese lover. However, the guy who made it somewhat ruined the experience, we asked that the sauce left on the wheel could be scraped off and add to the pasta which is a good amount of sauce, he refused and said " it has already too much flavor" who is he to tell a customer that, taste is subjective, we paid for the food and experience. It was our first time there and our excitement was kinda ruined. As for the other entrees, the carbonara was okay and the seafood squid ink pasta was outstanding! read more

Monello - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Home of the cheese wheel pasta - and it was certainly delicious! Monello was a great place for a group of us to have a meal together on a weekend night. I had the cacio e Pepe from the cheese wheel and it was super creamy and tasty. Everyone else in my group also really enjoyed their meal. I would recommend Monello! read more

Monello - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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The food here is absolutely outstanding. We will be back 100 times just for the pizza and pasta. The bread wasn't anything special, but the service was great! Highly recommend coming on a Monday for the half of pizza's. Sit on the patio for some good people watching. read more

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Such a wonderful experience, we were a loud group and the server handled so well! His name was Jeff, what a trooper! Great food as well. read more

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Beautiful restaurant. Friendly staff. Well curated menu. The crust is the star of the show when it comes to the pizza read more

Monello - Prosciutto Pizza - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

On Friday evening, my friends and I stumbled across this Italian restaurant after other restaurants were completely booked. We were pleased! Very aesthetically appealing and the food was good too! Service was great and the prices were reasonable. I would recommend to anyone on a date night or intimate dinner with friends! read more

Monello - Tortelloni Al Tartufo - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Would give monello 1000/5 if I could, we love coming here! The food is delicious, the service is great and the cheese wheel is such a cool attraction. I changed it up and got the Cacio e Pepe with breaded chicken and it was one of the best pastas I've ever had. It was a special so I'm not sure if it is served regularly but I would highly recommend if it is available. We will always be back when we're in town! read more

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I've been wanting to try Monello for years and just never made it. Today was the day! The first thing on my list to try was the pasta cheese wheel. I walked up with some excitement to watch my pasta being tossed. The server tossing it seemed quite bored and wasn't particularly friendly. I was surprised about the skimpy serving I received compared with the price. It did taste good, though. Service was ok, not especially attentive. It was during the week around 5pm, not during the summer. Restaurant was 1/4 full. Patio 1/4 full. Would I return? Maybe. Just a bit disappointed. read more

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We came here looking for gluten free pizzas and pastas. We sat outside (the a/c was broken inside but was nice and breezy out in the patio dining area). Our server was very friendly and helped us pick couple of entrees that were gluten free and dairy free. We shared the gf/df gnocchi with red sauce and gf/df pizza with vegan mozzarella and prosciutto. The gnocchi was too mushy but the pizza was pretty good. The crust was like soft English muffin in texture and looks. The vegan cheese was good with the prosciutto. I would probably come back to try this again. Note: if you are gf/df, Little Italy has many Italian restaurants that serve gf pasta and pizzas and are worth trying. read more

Monello - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Nice calamari to start and wine Wednesday selection was fabulous. I had the parpadelle with pesto and chopped grilled chicken. Fresh and garlicky and the chicken portion gave a great bite with every forkful. Would return! read more

Monello - Pasta Your Way - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

First time eating here and was great! We've been to their sister restaurant Bencotto that's next door. Monello has a similar menu, but also a wood fired pizza oven. They do cheese wheel pasta too. Great food, service, and a great value! read more

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I came here on a first date and it's now one of my favorite restaurants in SD. The pasta a delicious! My go to is the lasagna monello. It's pretty big so if I don't share it you will definitely have some leftover. I also always order the Caesar salad. It's one of my all time favorite Caesar salads I've had. Another thing I love to order is the burrata. I love their pesto. Service is always amazing. The outdoor seating area is so cute and I usually hate eating outside. Whenever someone asks me to recommend an Italian spot, Monello is on the list. read more

Took my mom here for Easter lunch and she loved it! This is one of my go-to Italian restaurants in San Diego. Everyone was super nice and the decor was minimal but beautiful. I loved being the first customers in, so we were able to enjoy a nice quiet lunch. We got the following: + tortellini al tartufo⁣⁣ + ravioli di gamberi⁣⁣ + calamari read more

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A modern spot in a new build on the edge of Little Italy. Reservations easy on Open Table and wow the food was GREAT! MYO pasta plates let you choose your favorite pasta and sauce from a roster of about 7-8 each. We went classic: spaghetti with a hearty and meaty bolognese as well as a tagliatelle with the "monello" preparation of marinara, cream, and bacon which melted into the sauce. Good sized portions and simply delicious! The real star of the night was the panzerotti appetizer of crisp mini calzones filled with marinara and mozzarella. These pockets are served HOT from the fryer, sprinkled with salt, outrageously good. Nice place, almost the same menu as its somewhat fancier sibling next door. I can't wait to return next time I'm back in SD. read more

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Visited Monello during San Diego Restaurant Week and ordered from the special menu. The bread they brought out was a great start along with the Caesar Monello salad that was also great & fresh. Really wanted to try the cheese wheel pasta and it was rich, creamy, definitely the highlight. Finished with gelato, which was amazing. Also, the drinks were good. Overall, a great experience and worth it! read more

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absolutely LOVED this place. Our server was so attentive & kept making sure our drinks were filled and we were taken care of. The menu had so many amazing options & our table thoroughly enjoyed both appetizers that we ordered- as well as the entrees. The homemade pasta was incredible & the pizza was beautiful and filling. One thing to note was that we came on a Sunday at 12, and multiple of the items were not available as they had run out, so we did have to adjust our orders a little bit! but either way, the items we received were delicious!! Will definitely be back to try more food here! read more

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I have been here multiple times and never have left a review but this time this place deserves it. This place has not disappointed! Each time it gets better! This week I tried the Salmon Picatta, salmon was perfectly cooked just how it's supposed to be. Also tasted the lasagna a great choice! Service was amazing Luis is great and so professional! It was lunch time when I came so it was a little empty but better for us because meant all of our food came out fast and hot. Place is nice and quiet enough to enjoy a group conversation! Will be back here again and again to try more dishes! read more

Monello - Spinach lasagna - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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I loved this place!!! Service was so friendly and attentive. They have an amazing happy hour!! Super romantic ambiance, perfect for date night or girls night. Every dish was so decadent and delicious. I would order each item again and again if I could! The pizza was so good!!! Calamari cooked perfectly and the pasta dishes omg so rich. read more

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Want to try it out recommend by staff at the resort we stayed at. They recommend reservations, but I didn't see that until we were there. We beat the dinner rush because we were able to get seated at 4:30. We started off with some wine and a bruschetta roll. It was delicious and part of the happy hour menu. I ordered a house special, something that had pistachios mixed in with the sauce made with pererico cheese. It was sublime, creamy but not heavy and full of flavor. We ended the meal with lemon sorbetto, which was made in house and light and refreshing. The service was top tier with friendly staff. When we left the restaurant it was the dinner rush and Little Italy was alive with visitors and locals filling up the streets. Highly recommend as a place to visit and enjoy a meal. read more

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Happy hour has a wonderful menu of two white wines and one red wine. Who doesn't love thinly sliced cheese, fresh wine and warm bread? Delicious and sometimes even light with Italian is necessary and for this being a first visit I was very impressed with the quality and value. Service had a wait, often times the bartender is also the server in an opener type of shift so if you do get the bartender's attention, give them your drink and food order. Don't wait for them to come back because sometimes it is a longer wait because they are serving tables, picking up dishes, making drinks and delivering food. I did like the ambience because it was a little bit more mellow at 11 AM. It was hot inside because their air-conditioning had broke so that first glass of wine went fairly quickly. read more

Monello - Flaky cheese shavings with hot bread - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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This review is based on two dinners at the end of Oct 2025 and end of Nov 2025. The cheese wheel is an absolute must -- Pecorino cheese was very strong cheesy creamy and delicious. The second time we added bacon, but it was not necessary b/c the bacon is topped at the end; it's not cooked with the cheese b/c it would interfere with the regular wheel. We also had the Parmigiano wheel that featured mushrooms which was also good too. This wheel rotates and changes every night. The servers let us watch our cheese wheel pasta being prepared. We had the squid ink pasta that came highly recommended -- and while good, I guess I don't care for seafood pasta. We also had the bolognese with parpedelle noodles, which was a nice contrast to our rich white sauce cheesy pastas. The ceasar salad is great with the ribbons of cheese that come covered on top of the salad. The romaine is fresh/crisp with lemon and garlic that you can taste in the dressing. We liked the anchioves that came with the salad, which we specifically requested. Service was prompt and friendly as we dined on the outdoor area where tables overlook the street. Nice to do especially when the sun is setting. This is a sister restaurant to Benocotto, right next door. We will come back to try! read more

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Absolutely amazing! Service was great and felt like there was never a time we weren't seen. They had plenty of options on the menu and also had two daily specials that you could get in the cheese wheel! The restaurant was clean and I will definitely be back. read more

Monello - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Zero stars. Stay away. Worst experience of my life. Family of 4, one (child) on the wheelchair. Pur my name on the list at 7.30. Get a text at 8.05 that the table is available (early). I text back at 8.07 that we're coming. They confirm. I get there at 8.12 and they tell me they took my name off the list. Not an explanation, not an apology, "you're going to have to wait 45 minutes". Horrible hostess and by default horrible management if they let stuff like this happen. Will report to BBB: as soon as the hostesses noticed my daughter was disabled, they started talking among themselves with discomfort. I am a restaurant owner and Italian, and this is the last place I would have expected to be treated like that: we were clearly not welcomed there. Ugh. read more

Absolutely amazing service. It was a beautiful and great night! Thank you everyone including our main server Christina!!!! read more

Monello - Pesto pasta - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Food was good we had the cheese wheel pastas, we asked what the specials were and can honestly say cant recall the names and it wasn't on the menu provided at the table but instead was on in a plastic holder right by the cheese wheels which made it inconvenient and one of our party members had an allergy to nuts. Pasta was $37 and our waiter didn't tell us there was an up charge for the breaded chicken +$5. Staff were super nice and accommodating. We read many reviews of having to watch our pasta put into the cheese wheel for an experience but we were not told to go over when our food was being prepared, quite a bummer since we had brought some first timers. Very nice interior, was a bit uncomfortably warm even though we were near the door. read more

The service was fantastic and food was equally as good! Ordered the frittes, caesar salad and cacio pasta (cooked in the cheese wheel) to split and it was so filling and delicious! They also have plenty of specialty cocktails and a cute atmosphere. Only downside is that since it's in little Italy it's just difficult to find parking, took a while even tho it was a Sunday evening. read more

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First visit stopped in for happy hour, sat at the bar, the bartender was right there sensed it was our first time and took time to provide a quick overview of the menu with some recommendations. Off the main drag of LI, the room has a great view of some of the SD skyline. There is some outside seating that is dog friendly. The cheese selection with fresh baked bread appetizer was tasty with the grilled octopus went great with the bottle of pinot grigio. Lots of fun. read more

Monello - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Monello was amazing! Alex, our waiter, was so kind and helpful, and our meal was phenomenal. This place is a must! read more

Monello - The cheese wheel pasta - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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This place was absolutely amazing. To start off with the most important part, the food. We began the meal with the mini fried calzones with mozzarella and tomato sauce inside and they were great. You could tell the bread was super fresh and high quality so I would recommend it. Next, we got a glass of prosecco. I told the waiter that I only like wine that tastes much more sweet then bitter or strong and he made a perfect suggestion along with giving us a sampler of 3 different wines which was so generous. I got to try them all and pick the one I liked the most, but even the samples were a generous size. For main course I got one of the current options for the cheese wheel pasta they make in front of you in cacio e pepe and my husband got the formaggi pizza with truffle mushrooms. My husband absolutely loved his pizza and the crust was one of the best he's ever had. My pasta was fresh and had a ton of sauce and cream so they didn't skimp at all. I could tell easily that they use very high quality Parmesan because i'm a Parmesan connoisseur and could taste how potent it was. They let me have as much extra as I wanted on without limiting since I enjoy a lot on it which was also a plus in my book. Next time I would get a pasta that's a little lighter, because it was a more heavy dish and it tends to make me feel pretty full after which is totally a me thing, but they have so much on the menu to try that I'm sure I'll love whatever I get even more next time. Lastly, dessert. We got a regular tiramisu and it was absolutely amazing. They put a ton of cream which is exactly what I look for. It wasn't too espresso or cocoa strong and had a perfect ratio. The cream was so light and fluffy that we had to get another one to bring home and eat tomorrow night! I had seen a previous review on here about someone not liking the tiramisu here and it not meeting their expectations for a more upscale Italian place but I've been to quite a few authentic Italian gems and this one had tiramisu up there so I'd have to disagree and completely recommend! The service was impeccable. Every waiter was kind and prompt, constantly making sure we were taken care of and getting what we needed. The atmosphere was also a plus for us because we have a 1 year old baby and there was enough room where we weren't too cramped or crowded in, and it wasn't too loud or overstimulating. The place was very clean and taken care of as well as the bathrooms. All in all, I loved this place and I will be coming back. I would definitely recommend Monello for a nice little date night, and don't forget the tiramisu. read more

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We had a lunch reservation here on a Saturday and I was surprised it wasn't busy, given I read reviews about needing a reservation. Our server was very nice and provided some recommendations and pointed out her favorites. When we were there, the humidity outside was so high and we were hoping for some AC inside. Unfortunately we sat for a whole meal in stale air where I felt like it was more humid than outside. It was very uncomfortable and I wish they turned on the AC. They didn't even have a fan going. That aside, the food was amazing (and we tried for enjoy it despite overheating from the lack of AC). I definitely recommend getting the Genovese Pizza and Carbonara. Just like I had in Italy when I was there! The pizza crust was perfectly crusty and chewy and the toppings and sauce were the perfect amount. Our server warned us that the Carbonara is salty because of the guanciale but I thought it was fine! read more

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Food is always fresh and tasty. I've spent a few birthdays and anniversaries here and I would do it again. Always great service, especially from Jan. My go to recommendation for upscale italian in SD read more

Went to celebrate my sisters birthday for some authentic Italian pizza. This place is not that big but it is really delicious. We went with it dad who is Ada and there was plenty of room for him. I also really appreciate all the Milan inspired decor. I felt like I was back in Italy! Also, our waitress was really nice because my sister's birthday and the staff gave her ice cream. As for entree?? We were presently surprise to see on their menu, a cheese wheel special. So worth it, the pasta was perfectly cheesy and delicious. I'm actually wishing I had a bite of that right about now. Don't get me started on the pizza, cooked perfectly like I was back in Milan eating pizza. Can't wait to go here again! read more

Monello - Menu - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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After a great experience back in July when we had drinks and desserts at the bar, we came back for a full dinner and high expectations. Unfortunately it was not the case: the squid ink pasta was under seasoned and the octopus did not have a good texture. The stuffed gnocchi were dry and drowned in a thick cheesy sauce. The panzerotti were doughy and too thick (unlike the ones I used to eat in Milano), but the sauce inside was very good. The portions were very generous. No ac inside, no ice in the water. The glass of Primitivo wine was good, the non alcoholic drink was too sweet and one noted...didn't touch it after the first sip but nobody seemed to care enough to ask read more

Now I want to move to San Diego... and we live in Los Angeles with a great food scene as well. All the food was amazing. The fungi pasta, calamari, zucchini... Did you ever try a sauce that you could eat even with no main dish? I did. Here in Monello. I don't know what magic spell they use on their garlic aioli and tomato sauces, but I'm definitely charmed. In the end of the course we tried Tiramisu by recommendation of our amazing server Jennifer and I didn't regret this decision. I'm usually not impressed by a Tiramisu since I tried it in many different places, but their walnut liquor touch is just so on point! Another ode of praise goes to Hugo Spritz cocktail. So well balanced! Not too sweet, not too sou -- just perfect! I wished I took more photos to share in this review, but I'm sure I will be back to this city one day and will definitely visit this amazing restaurant. read more

Monello - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

We absolutely Loved the food here it was sooo delicious . The service was also amazing and we enjoyed the pasta wheel experience. For sure will be coming back ! read more