Marios Gold Coast Ristorante

We came here with some friends to check out a neighborhood favorite. It has a Cheers-type feel.  The owner Mario was there and came to greet us.  The restaurant is a little dark, but that gives it a intimate, homey feel.  Overall, the service was pretty good.

The drinks were excellent - strong but balanced.  The food was solid, but nothing to write home about.  It may be simple, but I loved the bread and olive oil.  It was fresh and I kept soaking it up.   For the entrees, I ordered the shrimp and lobster ravioli with a vodka sauce. They were out of the lobster but could do the shrimp.  However, when my half order of pasta came, I thought two things: (1) Other places must skew my portion size because I thought a half order was very small  with four medium sized ravioli (my husband thought the same); and (2) where was the shrimp?!  While they were out of lobster, it didn't seem like they added more shrimp.  Instead of shrimp ravioli,  it was ravioli with some small shrimp.  That said, the shrimp were good.  The pasta itself was okay.   While I think there are other Italian places out there, it is a good neighborhood joint and I would go back.

In a word, it's almost like: home. Not fancy, but a place to nestle in for what tastes like a home-cooked meal. I've been to several other, better-known Italian restaurants in Chicago lately, and, truly, Mario's flavors are the best.  The Gold Coast location is very convenient for guests of the Public Hotel and Indigo Hotel.  Both are just a block away.  I'm hoping Mario's can add outdoor seating this summer!

meh.

that pretty much described our experience at marios.

checked out the website and thought this place may be just the italian joint we've been looking for.

thought wrong.

homemade pasta? nope.
food was bland, cold, and didn't have that "wow factor" for 17.95

also not really a homey feel if your not a "regular"
regulars were welcomed with open arms and new customers were shunned.

note : we're not paying any less or tipping any less just because we've never been there before mr. mario

the thing that gets me the most is the price, not acceptable to feel this way and the food to taste that way when your paying almost 20 dollars for a pasta dish.

don't mean to sound harsh but...no thanks.