walked in for a late lunch on a friday, we got seats on the patio. all staff were very nice, we ordered the squid ink pasta and a cheese wheel pasta. i would have gotten my default carbonara but a few reviews said it wasn't very good. cheese wheel pasta was pretty good, springy pasta with enough chew, in a cream sauce then mixed in a cheese wheel. gimmicky and would've tasted the same with the same amount of cheese sprinkled and mixed on top but it was good. squid ink pasta was also nicely al dente but i liked the cheese wheel more. read more

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

See all

This spot does tend to get busy around dinner, so it's helpful to make a reservation! Loved that their outside patio was dog friendly! :) I ordered the spaghetti di zafferano con gamberi and while I didn't taste much saffron, the sauce was lovely. The pasta itself was very "al dente" which I actually enjoyed. I enjoyed the "tired eyes" cocktail as the espresso flavor was strong, but not too overwhelming. Overall, a great experience here! read more

Monello - spaghetti di zafferano con gamberi - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Decided to come here for dinner because we were craving some squid ink lobster pasta and the reviews looked promising. Unfortunately, it was a disappointment. We ordered the spaghetti neri polipo (squid ink pasta with lobster sauce and octopus), spaghetti zafferano (with shrimp and prosecco cream sauce), and polipo alla griglia (grilled octopus). Both pastas were pretty mid and the noodles tasted undercooked. The grilled octopus was surprisingly very good though; it was the only dish we finished lol. read more

Monello - Spaghetti Neri Con Polipo (Squid Ink Pasta with lobster sauce and octopus) - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Food, service, and ambiance were great! I think it depends on what you get whether it's good or not. I got the spicy pizza and it was really good but it is a little spicy for sure. read more

Monello - Ragú (Gluten-Free) - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

omg such a yummy dinner i can't stop thinking about it!!! highly recommended by some friends and it didn't disappoint. we got both of the cheese wheel pastas to try from their december specials: cavatelli pesto in pecorino cheese wheel and creamy spaghetti with mushrooms in a smoked salmon sauce in the parmesan cheese wheel. The pesto pasta was so good and fresh! I really like all the fresh herbs in this and the pesto wasn't too oily. I definitely liked the spaghetti mushroom cheese wheel pasta a lot more because it was so creamy!! You can definitely taste the flavor of the cheese wheel pasta as theres chunks of the parmesan since they toss the pasta in the cheese wheel. Tiramisu was really good but wish there was more of the lady finger part and less cream. Ratios were kind of off. If you go to the bathroom, they have a huge display of their cheese wheels in the fridge in the hallway which was cool to see!! There seemed to only be one server for the entire restaurant (about 10-15 tables?) taking orders and checking in on everyone, which seemed very hectic for them, and then food runners for the food. Even with that I was surprised how timely our service was. Overall, ambiance was nice and definitely coming back since there's not that many restaurants in san diego that do cheese wheel pastas! read more

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

See all

Great food! Great service! Great wine! I say at the bar and got full service and VIP treatment. Highly recommend. read more

Monello - Cheese wheel caciao e Pepe - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Fantastic food and fantastic service. I've been here a few times and it never disappoints. Our server, Kristina, was awesome and gave us the best recommendations. 10/10 recommend read more

Every time I'm in San Diego, I make it a point to visit Monello. As a huge mushroom lover, I can't resist ordering the Tartufo pizza and the tortellini. The tortellini is rich and indulgent, so keep that in mind if you prefer lighter dishes. The pizza has a generous amount of cheese and plenty of flavor, a must-try for fellow mushroom fans. read more

See all

We chose to sit inside because in the winter in San Diego, you never know how cool it will be during the evening, even on an unusually warm day. We started to review the drink menu and ordered our drinks. When we were reading the food menu, something strange happened. The server started pointing out items that were no longer being served. There is nothing like getting to a restaurant to enjoy a meal and being told how many dishes are on the menu, but no longer are available. Of course, our waiter missed one and it was what my friend wanted to order. We shared the burrata. It was creamy and smooth and served with a small loaf of bread. That was great to sop up the pesto sauce on the plate. I had the spaghetti Nero con polipo. It was very creamy and a large portion. My friend had the a spaghetti with shrimp that was creamy but very bland. Our service was not the best. I asked for a glass of ice for my water and it came only after I asked 3 times. I asked for a spoon so that we could split the burrata and that came sooner, but the service aide had me pull it out of his hand that was filled with dishes for another table. My friend asked for salt three times before she got it and her dish was luke warm before she could eat it. This is not the service I expect in an area that shows off the greatness of Little Italy. read more

Monello - A loaf of bread for our burrata - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

This was delicious! My boyfriend and I came here and got the amore Thursday day night special. It features a special 3 course meal for two, and boy was my mouth watering. Our water Jan, was outstanding. He treated us very well and was super attentive with our food and our needs!! Definitely recommend and get Jan as your server!! read more

Monello - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

The cheese wheel pasta was out of this world. I could literally taste the craftsmanship in every bite. Bit of a metallic aftertaste but that's how you know it's an award winning meal. I have no complaints except that I had to go home.. could have kept eating that pasta all night. Keep up the great work Monello team! read more

Our favorite meal in San Diego! We started with the burrata and a Caesar salad to share. Both were delicious. The pesto with the burrata was house-made, the tomatoes vine ripened, and the bread warm and soft. The Caesar was crisp, tangy and had soft curls of hand-shaved Parmesan and handmade croutons. Our main courses were just as impressive. We had the pasta your way with spaghetti and ragu, tagliatelle and ragu, and the vellutata di verdure soup, and two orders of lasagna Monello. All were delicious. The attention to detail here is amazing! Everything is made from scratch and the taste reflects it. The service was top notch to match. At the end of our trip, we all agreed this would be our top restaurant to revisit. read more

The food was good, disappointed the pasta in cheese wheel isn't tableside. Seems like it should be and I expected it. The support staff was really good, however probably the worst server I've had in a long time. Slow, huge periods of time where I didn't see him, asked for pepper took forever but the busser or server support guy got it for me came back before the server did. Zero personality just truly an order taker. Really really bad. Takes a lot for me to say that publicly as I was a server myself many moons ago and a restaurant manager for longer. I'd probably drop his name if he'd bothered to share it. I still tipped 18% which is extremely low to me. I start at 30 usually. I threw the busser $10 as that's all the cash I had because he's the one who really deserved it. I'd go back but if that guy walked up again I'd bail. read more

I've been here on several occasions - both date nights and with a small group - and have always enjoyed my time at Monello. Reservation is available through OpenTable so make sure to do that if you want to guarantee seating and minimal wait time! One of the biggest wow factors about Monello is their cheese wheel pasta - it's a fun experience every time! They allow you to walk up to the wheel station when your pasta is ready and see the chef toss the pasta in the cheese wheel for a final touch. The type of pastas do rotate and they'll normally just offer one type of pasta dish available for the cheese wheel at a given day/time. For appetizers, we love the funghi (fried mushrooms). It is SO good and we always devour the plate within just a couple of minutes. If you like mushrooms, this is definitely a must try. Customer service has been consistently good every time I've gone. Parking: This is in a busy area of Little Italy so prepare to take a while driving around looking for street parking + doing a bit of a walk or paying ~$20+ for the paid lots. read more

See all

We absolutely love this restaurant. We come every Saturday after SeaWorld and the food has always been delicious. Service is amazing too!

I had the pleasure of having an amazing Birthday celebration here. Hands down one of the best restaurants in little Italy SD. We first started off with the Polipo al Forno. The octopus was cooked nice and tender. It was paired perfectly with the arugula, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. I thought wow nothing can beat this. But then we order the cheese wheel. It was white spaghetti with bell peppers and Italy sausage. The richness of the pasta along with the cheese was a 10/10. The only reason they are getting 4 stars is because the margarita was really bland. Next time I will skip the pizza altogether. Another reason is they never bought out my bread. I love bread with my pasta. The service was great. It being a Friday night the waiter was very attentive. Definitely coming back to try other plates. read more

Monello - polipo al forno - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Absolutely fantastic restaurant. We each had a pasta and shared a pizza. I had the bolognese, my husband had the marinara, and we shared a margarita pizza. The pasta was perfect and fresh. The crust on the pizza was exactly the right amount of chew. The only issue was the service was a little slow and we had a difficult time getting our drinks refilled. However, we will most certainly return anytime we are in San Diego. read more

I went here for dinner while in San Diego. It was a Sunday around 7:30 pm. The restaurant was nice and we were seated as soon as we arrived. They do not have alot of food options. Also they were out of somethings in which I was surprised considering how early it was. We ordered some appetizers they were ok, the ceaser salad was good and fresh and I had a main dish which was shrimp ravioli again just ok for me. They also have the cheese wheel option. Although not a first choice for me. The restaurant did get crowded after a while and it seems like it's a popular establishment in the area. read more

Food was fantastic! We made a reservation and upon arriving we were given a choice of al fresco or inside. It was a tad bit nippy for the adult baby guy with us so we sat indoors. Our server was attentive and gave great recommendations. We all ordered different plates from salmon to ragu, spicy arribiata and spaghetti carbonara. We also got caprese and calamari as starters. Would definitely return! read more

See all

Loved this place!!! The food was great! Authentic Italian food and it was pretty inexpensive too. Vibes were good, they have a person who's spinning the noodles on a cheese block right in front of you. Only negative was the wait time for the food and this place wasn't that busy. Especially for what we ordered. Then the waitress forgot to enter the appetizer we ordered so because we'd waited so long for the entree's were weren't interested in waiting longer for the appetizer. Although we were looking forward to having the meatballs before the entree's came. read more

See all

This review is for may 2023. I ordered their cheese bowl pasta of the day. Sadly i didn't know they weren't going to mix in the cheese in front of me since that was the whole experience... But they made it up by bringing me this scrumptious cheesiest most delicious pasta ever! It was soo full of flavors that hit all my taste buds! My bf ordered this meatier pasta very hearty and thick! Lol but omg every bite was to die for, they def didn't skip on the meat itself. Def add the cheese and pepper for an extra kick! We also got the usual Cesar salad to share 1000/10. Idk what they put in this salad but the cheese, the lettuce and dressing paired well. Nothing was overpowering and it just combined so nicely together. We also ordered drinks but totally forgot their names but def check out their cocktail menu! They don't play with Their liquor lol Overall i loooved the experience! The waiter was very welcoming since it was our first time, attentive and friendly will be coming back if I'm ever in the area! read more

See all

I really wanted to love everything because the service and atmosphere were great! We came as a large group and tries a lot of different things. I ordered a spicy margarita (not on menu) and it was just okay. Apps: meatballs (Polpette) were good but that's the only memorable item. Parma rolled bites were decent but not wow. Supplies Al Telefo - ehhh, fancy mozerella sticks that I thought had more potential. We had a cheese thing as well but can't remember the name. We barely touched it. Main dishes: I had the penne formaggi with chicken. It was okay. My husband had the ossobuco di Vitello. It was 98% fat and not edible. He didn't even touch it so we split my pasta. We took it home and yeah ended up in the trash. Should have spoken up but didn't want to be those people. Dessert: tiramisu was more pudding like vs cake. You can judge that as you see fit. The cannoli was good. The ice cream had an artificial flavor but didn't bother me but some of the group thought it was weird. read more

See all

Came here recently for dinner with family. My cousin recommended this place because he and his wife had eaten here years ago and he really wanted the squid ink pasta. I think he thought I'd never had that before so he wanted us to try it. I've actually had it at a couple other places in the LA area so I knew what to expect. Anyway, the pasta was good, but not amazing. What was a hit for me piadine tartufo & funghi. The mushrooms and aioli made it come together so well. The espresso martini was pretty good too! Apparently they have a more upscale sister restaurant next door, so I'd be interested in trying that one next... Until next time San Diego... read more

See all

Made a reservation on OpenTable for early dinner today. Don't think we needed one though there were a lot of tables open. We were able to sit out on the deck since I had my dog. Ordered the cheese wheel pasta which is always the pasta of the week. It was okay for what it was worth. $30 for a small dish of pasta and you don't get to see it getting mixed in the cheese wheel. Also got the piccante pizza and that was really good. Their sauce is more on the sweeter side. Staff was friendly, place was clean. The restrooms were out of order though and there was only a all gender restroom. read more

See all

Perfect Friday happy hour spot with the girls. The portions are great for sharing and you are sure to leave stuffed. The cocktails are unique and priced perfectly. James was our server and he was amazing. Very attention and a great smile. I'll be back for the pizza, the dough is unmatched! read more

See all

The food was amazing!!! The service was great, and the restaurant itself is clean and well organized. I ended up getting a pasta off the "pasta your way" section. I got the tortelli with formaggi sauce and OMG it was so good. We also got the "pane" which was bread with a herbed EVOO I went with other people and so we had these 3 on the table as well - Tortelli with arrabbiata sauce - Tagliatelle with arrabbiata sauce - gnocchi with pesto sauce I tried a bite from all and they were all good, I have no complaints. read more

See all

A 100% delightful evening. Grant, our server, was top notch and never let us down. We sat outside so there was less ambience for my taste but our out of town guest wanted outside so there we were. A total delight. Pasta perfection with bursting flavors. Wine that exceeded expectations. Panna cotta that was from the gods - seriously what more could you ask? Not a bit to pick. A best of place for me. read more

See all

I'm very picky about my Italian food and this place was amazing. My friends and I tried their Margherita pizza and seasonal soup. The pizza dough tasted so fresh without being overly doughy. The soup was made of blended vegetables and it was seasoned perfectly. It was definitely underrated but if you love soup in the fall, this is one to try! Our waiter was fantastic and wait staff came every so often to fill our waters. They took great care of us, and it helped that the place wasn't too busy at 5:30 PM on a Sunday. The interior was nice but not anything too spectacular. It would be a nice place for a date or just a nice dinner with friends. I need to come back to try their Parmesan wheel pasta! read more

Great food! Pasta was delicious, that's half a portion as the wheel pasta can be easily split between 2 people. I do wish the cheese wheel display happened in front of us as we didn't get to see the cooking process, and that was a big part of what we were looking forward to in the experience. Otherwise, delicious flavors. Thumbs up for the buratta too. Was deliciouusss. read more

See all

Wow some amazing Italian food here. I went here with my cousin and we ate until we couldn't breathe. quality ingredients and a nice ambiance. All of the pastas we got and shared in the photos were fantastic. The staff was very friendly. read more

See all

We had reservations for a large party of 9 Saturday 4:45 We have a lite dinner Red Wine being poured and drinks from old fashion to Espresso Martini's Are server wasn't in yet so the manager Santiago was helping us with appetizers and our orders..very smooth in orders salads, buratta, more appetizers plus delicious pizza...we have a family dinner for our New Family to be with a pre engagement dinner before the party..We hosted the dinner and every thing was perfect!! The food was delicious and we all have a great time catching up. We love this restaurant and their sister Resturant Bencotto everyone from out of town enjoyed the fantastic food!! It was perfecto!!! Grazie!!! for making this so special for us.!! Thanks Monello we'll be bring more friends and family here Are server was excellent!! And had a wonderful time read more

See all

The food and espresso martinis were awesome. It all came out very fast! Our downside was the service towards the end of the meal. We waited a long time to receive our checks without anyone checking on us. Not sure if I would go again, but the meal was yummy! read more

Monello - Spaghetti Neri Con Polipo - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Monello is a great spot which is the sister restaurant to Bencotto next door. A few interesting quirks of this arrangement are that it has a shared kitchen and restroom situation going on, but different menus. We had the bread and oil starter, a burrata prosciutto arugula flatbread wrap appetizer, and we each ordered pasta. The squid ink lobster pasta was good, the ragu was very good, and the cheese wheel pasta changes daily and was a pesto spaghetti with bacon. The bacon pieces were large cubes, and I think they could have been rendered more. All our noodles were perfectly al dente and generally delicious dishes. We ordered espresso martinis to start, and some red wine later on with our meals. Our drinks took a long time to come out and the server mentioned that they were out of clean martini glasses for a bit. The food also took a really long time to come out, and I think both these issues are a side effect of two very large indoor/outdoor dining rooms sharing one kitchen. Something a little funny is there was a tree behind our table and pretty much no way to avoid just having it on the back of my head on either chair on that side of the table. Not a huge deal. Our server and his suggestions were great! We had a nice time and we were seated right away with our 7pm reservation. Would recommend this spot! read more

See all

The service was amazing. Everyone is extremely nice and attentive. The restaurant itself was clean and it didn't feel crowded but I also came for an early dinner around 430 to beat the crowd. The food was alright. It was good but it wasn't anything special. The pasta had bacon but it tasted more like goat. It was interesting. The zucchini was amazing. Very different and flavorful. The mini meatballs were also amazing. read more

See all

Ran 10 minutes late to our dinner reservations because parking can be super limited even on a weekday! This restaurant is located in the popular little Italy area so plan ahead of time with street parking. We spoke to the front desk since we were running late and thankfully she was extremely kind and sat us right away when we arrived. We sat in the balcony where I appreciated the heaters. We had a great server who was knowledgeable and professional. They took care of us very well! We ordered the polpette which we absolutely loved as a starter. The bread was insanely soft! I also enjoyed my customized pasta, papardelle Monello with chicken. The pasta came in hot and fresh with generous portion size! Highly recommend for some authentic Italian food! read more

See all

Monello was a great vibe! Good for dates or celebrations -- think light EDM music and modern vibes. The missing star is really for the food - we weren't wow-ed by the food but it was still enjoyable! Large menu with lots of options. There was great service, server was quick, accurate and accommodating! Appreciated the service greatly. read more

Monello - Tagliatelle Al Ragu Dagnello - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Customer service from the beginning was already uncomfortable. The food portion were rational and fulfilling, my choice for the night was the lasagna monello which I enjoyed with a cocktail speciality hugo spritz the environment was very pleasant read more

Monello - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

We had booked this in advance for a special date night dinner celebration. Definitely a nice date vibe inside but also good for groups of friends- big space indoors for seating. Was busy for a friday night- i would recommend booking in advance if you don't want to wait too long. Seated inside, the service was so friendly! Made us feel very comfortable as if a friend was serving us- giving us recommendations and cracking jokes with us. Opted to order the misto to start (lots of calamari- could have had more zucchini pieces) and the mains as 'spaghetti neri con polipo' and 'tagliatelle al ragu' d'agnello' The black spaghetti dish was very fishy which i didn't mind, nice and saucy with a good amount of lobster pieces in it. We had plenty to take home as leftovers. We were pretty full when we arrived as we had a foodie San Diego day prior to dinner so wish we were a bit more hungry to try more things but what we had tried was great. read more

Monello - 'spaghetti neri con polipo' and 'tagliatelle al ragu' d'agnello' - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

I've been here 3 times already and this place is definitely a restaurant I recommend my friends to try. The pasta is amazing and I usually get their tortellini. The pasta is perfectly cooked every time I've gone and you can tell that the pasta is fresh. This place is on the pricier side but it is definitely worth a try. I do think the service could be quicker but overall the servers are very attentive even for a larger group. This place can also be a bit loud but the interior is a classy feel to it. read more

Monello - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Love it here. Their more casual place to hang and dine. The bar area has an incredible HH. The bartenders are more than just your average bartender. They make some really amazing drinks. Kind, friendly staff. Can get noisy, it is a pretty small place. Not a ton of regular dining area. The pasta here is fantastic, the ragu is exceptional. The pizzas are great. Come out like they were out of a wood fired oven. Nice and crispy. Parking can suck but other than that, best hh in Little Italy. read more