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

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I found this restaurant on the Seed Oil Scout app when searching for Italian restaurants in little Italy. We came here on 4th of July for an early dinner (5pm). Waited only 10 minutes without a reservation. The hostess seating us was very sweet and friendly. Our waitress explained that their ingredients are imported from Italy and made some suggestions. We ordered bread, a Caesar salad, my husband got the spaghetti neri con polipo (squid ink pasta) and I got the gnocchi di zucca (butternut squash pasta, subbed for GF pasta). Everything was DELISH!! Some of the best pasta I've had. Our waitress was very helpful, super sweet and accommodating, answered all my questions promptly, checked on us multiple times and service was fast! It's a little noisy inside and it got busy quickly, then again it was 4th of July. Totally recommend this spot if you're looking for an authentic Italian meal. *Note- for those who care about cooking oils, they cook their pastas with olive oil (and I believe all prepared foods but I confirmed this for pastas since that's what we ordered). They use soybean oil in their deep fryer for fried items only. read more

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

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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

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Overall delicious food and great service! We made a reservation for 7 on a weekend, and got seated pretty promptly. Our table got a lot of apps to share like the grilled octopus, burrata, and Margherita pizza and my favorite was the octopus! Super tender and flavorful char. I got the squid ink pasta, which also had a generous serving of octopus! The bisque cream sauce was delicious, but it left me wanting some freshness. I really liked my friend's arrabbiata sauce, and would get that next time. My friends who got the cheese wheel pasta said it was a lot and super cheesy, so quite hard to finish alone. read more

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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

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

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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

My sis and I brought my mom here for her birthday. We came in for a late dinner (about 9pm) on a Thursday night and we got seated quickly. Service was nice. Our server often came by. Our water was always refilled. We tried (keep in mind they have fancier names but for the sake of making it easier for everyone): the calamari, lamb ragu pasta (but she asked for spaghetti), squid ink spaghetti w salmon, and the carbonara spaghetti. I really liked their calamari. Pastas (I tried a bit of each) and overall it was good. The carbonara one was a bit salty for my tastebuds probably from the bacon. My mom said the lamb ragu reminded her of tuna consistency (*palm to face) haha. Their tiramisu was really good. Thank you for the complimentary birthday dessert! Ambiance was nice. There was a dim lighting, decor was nice, restaurant was very clean. Great spot for dates or groups. read more

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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

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Came here for dinner to celebrate my partner's birthday. Parking is horrendous as expected from Little Italy. We went here around 6pm on a weekday and there was no wait time. I choose this restaurant mostly for the cheese wheel experience so we opted for the specialty one they have that night. Pink sauce pasta w/ asparagus & meatballs cheese wheel: I had expected that they would bring the cheese wheel to our table and provide the full experience, but that wasn't the case. Our server instead informed us that they would start soon in the front so you have to stand there and watch it. They pre-cook the pasta and then mix it in the cheese wheel. I found this a bit unsanitary since leftover pasta from previous batches remains on top, and they don't clean or scrape it off. Additionally, the presentation of the pasta itself was lacking.The sauce flavor is heavy, some of the asparagus was a little fibrous and the meatballs were super tiny which resulted in some dryness. Priced at $30, this was a little gimmicky. Margherita Pizza : This on the other hand was delish! They advertised that the dough goes through a 4 days special fermentation process! The pizza is thin and the crust is super crunchy! It wasn't soggy and surprisingly very light! Overall, I wasn't impressed with the quality for what I paid and it didn't live up to the hype. If I were to come back, I'd probably stick to their pizzas! read more

Monello - Cheese wheel (they do it in the front and not from your table) - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Came here with a bunch of folks that are also in town for a training. The servers were quick to come by and ask us if we needed some help with the menu. Before getting seated, they were super up front about the wait time and it was nice. We sat outside and it was a beautiful day. Definitely wonder what sitting inside would be like . Majority of the pictured plates were shareable with the table. All of it was delicious. Love the flavors from the pesto and the mushroom flat bread. The calamari had a beautiful light batter and didn't at all feel oily or soggy. My main dish was the lamb ragu pasta. There was definitely a lot of protein in the dish and fresh pasta was nice and chewy. However I'm not sure I'd order it again because the lamb was pretty gamey. Not my favorite but I'm sure others don't mind it as much as I do. Looking forward to returning the next time I'm in town to try another menu item. read more

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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 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

The shiitake cheese wheel pasta was yummy and creamy. The pasta itself had a nice firm bite which I enjoyed. It was creamy and the Parmesan cheese was a nice experience to try (although it's not directly table side, you can go up to a stand and watch them make the pasta) That being said, I was disappointed by my experience with the lamb shank. Initially I was amazed by how quickly the meat fell off the bone with minimal effort. However on the first bite, the meat felt slightly above warm and was actually tougher than expected. Flavor wise it was ok, but I probably wouldn't try it again. Service was attentive and they do a great job asking if we needed anything. read more

Monello - Cheese wheel pasta and lamb shank - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

One of the best authentic Italian meals I've had! The service was phenomenal and the food divine . It is a little on the loud side - as we were being seated I said "it's pretty loud in here" and the host offered to move us to a quieter area, nice corner table around the back. We started with drinks - the gin and pear purée was fantastic! Had the roll appetizer with prosciutto, followed by the "cheese wheel" special (watch the video), pizza and lasagna! Just amazing! read more

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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

Monello was nice for a date night but we probably won't be back. We stopped in on a Friday night around 8 pm. We had to wait about 30 minutes for our reservation inside. Our waiter was great, nice guy from Ohio. Inside was crazy. It was pretty loud and seating was tight. While the food and drinks were good, it seemed overpriced. The cheese wheel pasta was the best! Two entrees, 1 app, 3 drinks and no dessert was just under $200 after tip. It was an experience and I'm glad we tried it. read more

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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

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My friends and I were in town and wanted to hit up a good spot in Little Italy for dinner. We heard good things about Monello and decided to give it a try. It was easy making a reservation online and we were able to do so the night before. We checked in on time to our reservation and the hostess had us wait about 10 minutes before we got seated. We went on a Saturday night and it was packed in there, so I highly recommend you make a reservation! The interior is dark and it can get pretty noisy. Out of our 7 dishes, there were only 2 that really stood out to us. Must gets: - Tortelloni Al Tartufo - the best pasta dish at the table. The creamy dreamy white sauce and the truffle was divine. If I had to recommend one pasta dish here, it would be this one. - Burrata - this was a great appetizer to start the meal off with. Great for sharing and I'm still craving this appetizer days later. The rest of the dishes we ordered weren't very special in terms of their taste. I ordered the cheesewheel pasta and I think my standards may have been too high, I was disappointed in my dish. If I were to come back, I'd probably stick with ordering the Tortelloni Al Tartufo for my entree and Burrata for an appetizer just because I would be hesitant in trying other dishes from here. read more

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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

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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

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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

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Amazing food, service, and overall atmosphere. Would highly recommend the gnocchi and octopus pasta read more

Monello - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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

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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

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

this place is absolutely the best! we ate here while we were out in san diego and everything about it was great. we did have a reservation which i would recommend for people coming into town. it was really busy so we got sat outside which was fine because the weather was great. it took a while for us to be greeted after getting sat but honestly it was worth it. we ordered the meatballs, the gnocchi pesto pasta, and the cheese wheel pasta. all were very good. our server was so kind and helpful as well. the only critique is too just check in a little more often as we ran out of space on our little table for all of our food. overall, everything was well and we really enjoyed it thank you! read more

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I was so disappointed by this restaurant. I got take-out. Starting with the person who took my order, he could not answer questions about the menu. I ordered the rigatoni with marinara sauce (not a difficult item to make), and it was horrible. The rigatoni was rigatoni pieces. There was not a whole rigatoni in the meal, and it was so overcooked. The marinara sauce was bland and I spent the evening trying to get the terrible taste out of my mouth. I also ordered a salad was a bit better than the rigatoni but not worth going back for. read more

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

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Tiramisu was super good. Ava was a pleasant hostess and tended to our every need with a great attitude and a smile. Ambience was very nice and overall had a great experience. read more

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

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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

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This place was really fun. Very popular. The caesar salad app was excellent, and the bread was so soft and so good. We also tried the squash blossoms, but they weren't a favorite at the table. (Not that they weren't well executed, just not our thing) The special risotto was excellent, with one caveat - if you're going to serve shell on prawns, you have to give us a way to more easily remove the shell. No sharp knives, didn't have the back open for easy removal, just a fork and a bread knife. Ended up having to use our fingers.... And they weren't piping hot. Also, it's a restaurant where you're probably wearing some nicer clothes. So not a good mix with peeling your own risotto prawns. The tortellini with pesto sauce was WAY too salty. The squid ink pasta dish was a definite win. The biggest hit was the Parmesan wheel with the mushroom and pancetta, and the cacio e pepe, both made in the cheese wheels. So simple, and SO GOOD. Fun to watch them make it, and just delicious. Also, much thanks to the waiter who let us know the gratuity had already been added to the check. Nice touch. 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

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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

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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 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

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SEED OIL FREE!!! I had pizza and some other small items and I can't say enough good things about the food everything tasted amazing . I will say plan on arriving 20/30 minutes early because parking is awful but other than that I can't wait to come back. read more

I order lasagna at every Italian restaurant I visit. It's my favorite dish, and I've never been disappointed... before today. My friends and I were excited to visit little Italy, to dine at monello. I was looking forward to this restaurants lasagna. Once the food came out, I was eagerly waiting to try it. I took a bite, and immediately recoiled at the taste. It tasted exactly like Chef Boyarde's beef ravioli. Don't get me wrong, the beef ravioli isn't inedible, but its not good. I was very disappointed in lack of flavor, as the only thing I could taste was Chef Boyarde. I couldn't even get close to finishing my plate. This restaurant has good dishes, as my friends ordered different items which tasted pretty good. I'm just severely dissatisfied, and upset over the terrible lasagna. read more

Great atmosphere and food! The cheese wheel pasta was very flavorful!, and service was excellent! read more

Monello - Cheese wheel pasta - spaghetti in parmigiana cream sauce with sausage and peppers - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California