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    Trattoria Marcella

    4.4 (612 reviews)
    Open • 5:00 pm - 9:30 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Trattoria Marcella Photos

    Business Info

    TRATTORIA MARCELLA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Romantic
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Trattoria Marcella

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    Mahi mahi special
    Alex R.

    Have made a few trips to Trattoria Marcella now and it has been a great experience every time! First off, highly recommend making a reservation if you want a sure thing for dinner but they do have a pretty amazing happy hour in the bar that I believe is first come, first serve...and people do wait ahead of time to snag a spot at opening. Didn't snag a picture of the toasted ravs but so far, these have been my favorite one that I've tried in STL. There hasn't been anything I've ordered that I haven't liked. Be sure to listen to the specials as I have had some amazing fish dishes here! The lasagna is also amazing and a generous serving. To cap things off, you must try their tiramisu! So delicious!

    Rigatoni
    Michaela J.

    This was a little hidden gym for me to try out recently for dinner. You have to utilize street parking so that can be a little difficult to find depending on how busy it is. On the outside it looks smaller, but there's a lot of dining space inside the staff is very friendly and helpful with menu suggestions. They also have a small patio area for outside dining as it gets warmer outside. They have a wide variety on their drink menu and a large wine selection. They start your meal off with bread and hummus, which was pretty tasty. I got the rigatoni with shrimp and it was a pretty good dish. I think it could've used a little more seasoning, but overall it was a solid meal.

    Lasagna and Chicken Spinach Cannelloni
    Jean H.

    The food was absolutely exquisite. I had the lasagna my daughter had the chicken spinach cannelloni. Just perfect.

    Toasted Ravioli
    Angela W.

    Best Lasagna in St. Louis. The portions are huge (at least the lasagna was). The lasagna was served with a sauce and I was unsure I would enjoy this but it was AMAZING! I had left overs for 2 days. This was our first visit and it was a Friday night and very busy. We sat at the bar for dinner as we were going to the theater and could not afford to waste time. Service was very kind and attentive, offered several recommendations for dinner. I should have made reservations so Make the reservations, it will be worth it. I also do not typically like toasted ravioli but these were also excellent. The service was great! I would highly recommend and will absolutely return.

    Lauren H.

    Honestly a bit disappointed.. I saw how good the reviews were and decided to come here because of how much people raved about this place. Unfortunately, it took awhile for us to be given waters with only 5-6 people at the bar, not including us. We finally got drink orders in and I ordered a Negroni and my friend ordered a cosmo. The cups are so tiny that I felt like I barely got an ounce pour of gin and when it came to the vermouth I literally saw her put a sliver in. Also my friend's cosmo was not the right color. For appetizers, the toasted raviolis and the caramelized cauliflower were dropped off to us. The woman said these were the best items on the menu and this set the bar very low. So low that I actually closed the tab after because I was scared to order anything else. The toasted ravs weren't terrible but they weren't anything I'd go crazy for. The cauliflower had a very greasy and grilled taste. Everything was salty as well. I hate leaving reviews like this but I'm just being honest with my experience. I am now at a different restaurant ordering food I know is good.

    Sean A.

    Met a group of friends here for a Christmas dinner. I must say it was great. We were seated in the second room. Our server was attentive and prompt to greet us. We had appetizers and enjoyed a wonderful Dinner. The apps - carpaccio, toasted ravs and carmelized cauliflower were super. My lobster and shrimp risotto was tasty. Our dessert selection for the group was chocolate cream brûlée, regular cream brûlée, spumoni ice cream, and a hazelnut cannoli. All of them were delicious. My preference was the cannoli. I would absolutely return. Reservations highly recommended

    Town and Country
    Melanie B.

    I had only been here one other time and it was probably four years ago. I remember it being really good - and really loud! Four of us went the day after Thanksgiving this year. It was packed and I was glad we had a reservation. We were greeted and seated right away. Our server came over almost right away and asked if we were ready to order drinks. We needed a few minutes and she gave it to us. I didn't catch her name, but she was a really good server. Her timing and pacing were perfect and she was very pleasant. The menu is great and it took us a few minutes to make our decisions! We all ended up really enjoying our food. I would say I was the only one with a complaint. I had the cheese tortellini and it had pancetta in it that was extremely salty. The pasta was good, but I had to pick around the pancetta. Another note - we weren't even half way finished with our entrees and a busser came by and asked if we needed boxes. It seemed strange time to ask. We were seated in the back of one of the rooms and it wasn't so loud back there. Overall, it was a really good meal and we all enjoyed it! We'll definitely be back!

    Lasagna Napoletana
    Lauren W.

    Incredible expertise from start to finish. Our server Maggie steered us in all the right directions, although I'm not sure any wrong ones exist here. Highlights: the beef carpaccio, salads, and lasagna. All of us agreed best lasagna we have ever had! Extensive wine list, which was an added bonus!

    Bread
    Hannah C.

    Better Italian food than the Hill! We went to celebrate a birthday and had a fantastic experience. They start by bringing you bread and they keep refilling it all meal. I was impressed with the service overall because the meal was well paced and we never felt rushed. The toasted ravs are some of the best in the city but the cauliflower appetizer was actually the one we were most impressed with. Dip the bread in the sauce! As for mains, I'll never skip the lasagna here but I was also super impressed with the Straw and Hay - so creamy and unexpectedly delicious. Portions are huge so come hungry. A great environment for a special occasion (or just a fantastic meal)!

    Tenderloin steak over mashed potatoes

    First time here and it was absolutely delicious. We started with their toasted ravioli. These are stuffed full and yummy. While I prefer their sister restaurant Mia Sorella's better, these were some of the best. We shared their Brussels sprout salad. While Mia Sorella's is my favorite salad, I thought this one was equally tasty. It's a bit lighter with the vinaigrette dressing. Next up we had their beef tenderloin served with mashed potatoes, which was very tender and flavorful and the sea bass fish special served with sun-dried polenta which was absolutely incredible. We celebrated our anniversary and they brought us tiramisu, which was light and one of the best we've had. Service was great and their lemony hummus served with bread was so fresh and a great way to start the meal. We will be back.

    Sunny P.

    Came here to celebrate a special occasion and it delivered. Made a reservation in advance but still got a later time slot because they're so popular. Definitely recommend booking ahead. When you walk in there's a bar area up front and then the dining room opens up toward the back. It was packed (dinner time). Looked around and saw elderly couples, families, friend groups, date nights. The dimly lit interior sets a nice vibe like in other Italian restaurants, very warm and intimate. The menu surprised us in a good way. It's Italian but elevated and with a twist, like they took the classics and made them more interesting. The mushroom appetizer was so unique, comes with these big chunky potatoes that worked perfectly. The brussel sprout salad was a 10/10, super savory and filling for a salad. The margherita pizza 10/10. The pasta 10/10. Tiramisu to finish also 10/10. Everything felt like traditional Italian but just better. Our waitress was so friendly and attentive throughout the whole night. Would absolutely come back and highly recommend for any special occasion or even just a really good dinner out.

    Lobster risotto

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    24 days ago

    Services is great. Nice romantic ambiance. I would definitely recommend for a wonderful dinner or their amazing happy hour.

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    1 month ago

    Food was amazing. Table had ravioli, special of the day pasta and chicken risotto, all were great. Paired with a good muscato.

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    Page 1 of 16

    Ask the Community - Trattoria Marcella

    How are the prices here compared to the portions they serve you? I am planning on bringing my wife here for a date night after reading these reviews.

    Portions are generous, not huge but just right for me!

    Can you accommodate a private party of 35 for a 75th Birthday celebration on Saturday Aug. 6, 2022?

    I would call them on an exact date being available. They do have the ability to host private events of that size. I had my wedding rehearsal dinner there and it was incredible. Definitely recommend!

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Mom's Soul Food Kitchen & Catering

    2.5(47 reviews)
    4.3 mi•Fountain Park, Central West End
    •$$

    Genuinely, I got my food and thought that my dog had taken a huge dookie in the box. I left it on…read morethe counter and when I came back I opened it to what appeared to be the explosive diarrhea of a cancer ridden dog. Everything that I placed in my mouth had the texture of a well-hydrated slug. I could not even bring myself to finish anymore than half of the box of food. The workers pretended like they didn't even know who I was, ridiculous. I would rather be unplugged from my life support than eat here again. NEVER EAT HERE, WORST RESTAURANT I HAVE EVER BEEN TO.

    I wish I could give this place a -2. First thing, don't get your mouth set for anything on the…read moreonline menu, just wait until you get to this dive and see what they have available. Second thing, don't expect to pay the price that's on the online menu. I only went to this restaurant for the meatloaf and cabbage, and to try out their dressing, which they didn't have any of those. Third thing, I paid $57 for the worst meal I've had this year. I called before I left to ask if I could place an order on the phone (since the online ordering was not available). Whoever answered just said "No you may not" and hung up (wow, great customer service, I should have known then they weren't gonna have meatloaf.) I thought I'd arrived early enough in the day 2:30 to be getting lunch menu. But obviously, since my bill was $57, I guess I paid for dinner menu items, I definitely didn't pay the prices they showed online, I paid twice as much. When it comes to the food, the turkey wing had a weird vinegary flavor, the mac and cheese only had a layer of cheese on top, once you got past that pretty topping, there was just unsalted noodles. The black eyed peas just tasted like water. The flour wasn't cooked out enough in the chicken and dumplings, so it was more like just wet dough rather than dumplings. All the salt that all the other sides needed badly was used up in those salty greens, almost inedibly salty. The ratio of fruit to crust in the peach PIE, stop calling it a cobbler, was way off, like lots of dough, few peaches. And I don't know how they could call that mush banana pudding, it was very unpleasant, and I guess when they were making, someone forgot to put in the bananas! The yams and cornbread were good. I wasn't offered water, although menu says free water with each platter (and no, with good service, I shouldn't have to ask if it's listed as part of the meal).

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    The Choice Something Special By Lillian - Tall table for 2!

    The Choice Something Special By Lillian

    3.2(68 reviews)
    4.0 mi•Benton Park West
    •$$

    I really really wanted to like this place, but I just can't. I'm not going to blaspheme against…read moresoul food by calling that stuff they were serving anything close to soul food. I also hadn't realized it was a buffet style restaurant (when I bought a certificate for the place on restaurant.com, they had a whole menu to order from. Imagine my surprise when we got there to this lunch lady cafeteria looking place. They need to update their info on restaurant.com so people will know what to expect. The food was COLD, had no flavor, what they called dressing was stove top stuffing, the macaroni was dry as hell with burned cheese on top. There was a tray that had what looked like tiny cubes of potato floating in some greenish water. The lady told me it was steamed broccoli. No ma'am, that's the part of the broccoli we usually throw away, where's the part that looks like a tree? Honest to goodness, that was THE worst spaghetti I've ever eaten. Not only did it taste TERRIBLE, it had the mouth feel of applesauce, super mushy. You could tell it was not only really cheap pasta, but they obviously boiled it for an hour and 45 minutes. The jiffy'ish corn muffin was so dry it just crumbled. And the sweet potato...notice I didn't say candied...was just a chunk of boiled sweet potato, no seasoning, no syrupy sauce, no butter. Our plates were still almost just as full when we left as they were when they served it to us. There was a sign stating only one dessert per customer. The guy that served us our food at the buffet kept hovering around us until my friend said she couldn't take it anymore. So we asked if we could just have our dessert to go, they told us there would be an upcharge for takeout. I will admit, the fried fish was EXACTLY the way I like it, not still soft and/or wet, but not cooked to death, a nice light hard fry. And the weird murky colored tea was flavorful, again, a real southern soul food cook would NEVER serve powdered tea mix, but it was pleasant tasting. But $5 for a glass of tea? The fact that the place was totally empty on a Friday night at 7pm should have alerted us that folks ain't busting down doors to eat here. The decor was pretty nice, the people were very sweet, but that cooking...smh. I've never gone to dinner with a friend and been in and out of a restaurant so fast. I think we spent a total of 20 minutes there. My friend paid, but later told me the bill was $60. That was $52 more than what it was worth.

    I love LOVE this place ... yet I've never done a review of it…read more Real food for the SOUL! And Miss Lillian will come out and be motherly toward you and your group. Pre-Covid Jazz and special events with sparkling wine or you can bring in your special bottle (corkage fee). Atmosphere (4-areas) Outdoor Patio Private Event room Dining room/Bar Takeout/Cafeteria area Ms Lillian is there to please and feed you well. Fully stocked bar. Cafeteria style takeout hot bar loaded with all the southern comfort foods and desserts with a (Pre-Covid) sit down area. Dining room with silver or gold utensils, clothed linens, phenomenal menu with more add ons. It's like going to your grandma's on a Sunday. Just go you will not regret this treat!!!

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    Coolest bar I've seen in a while!

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    Ray’s Soul Food and Turkey Legs - Mac n Cheese Turkey Leg

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    3.7(86 reviews)
    19.1 mi

    So very good We both had Meatloaf could eat it all help…read morewas so much. All the side were great Yes the Yum perfect. Come in and check it out. Ray did stop by our table as we where heading out.

    I attempted to contract Ray's SoulFood & Turkey Legs for catering for my family reunion in…read moreSeptember back in MAY! I was told to leave my number and that Ray would call me to get my order set up, NO CALL! I came in again and was then told to call him and leave a voicemail, multiple voicemails left (until his voicemail was full), NO CALL! I came in to order yet again, and was told to come back when Ray was in, I did just that but yet he could not see me! If you don't want the business then just say NO!! I came in from May through August doing what was asked to set up my order to be met with different issues every single time! I met his wife today and she "apologized" and told me she was unsure if she could fulfill my order or not and wasn't sure when she would know! AND THIS IS HOW Y'ALL DO BUSINESS?! Just close already because you clearly don't know what you're doing and don't know how to do business and it gets to the point where it becomes disrespect to play with your customers!! She made it very clear that many catering customers were displeased! Now I see why so many people don't fool with y'all!! Shut this mf DOWN!! And this is Why it's so hard to do business with unprofessional Black owned businesses because they have poor communication, poor business practices, give customers the run around, and lack integrity to do right by people!!

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    Ray’s Soul Food and Turkey Legs - I love this place!

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