As Bencotto's brother located next door, Monello lives up to its sibling's reputation as Best Italian restaurant in San Diego. From the 800 LB of fresh pasta handcrafted every week, Monello displays up to 27 different recipes of pasta. Mediterranean style seafood is served along with gourmet pizza. Monello delivers Pasta & Risotto tossed in the Parmigiano cheese wheel tableside. Unique Italian-style brunch is served on weekends. Voted Best Happy Hour 2016, Monello's Milanese Aperitivo offers small plates on the house with drinks every night. UNABLE TO FIND A TABLE? CHECK OUT OUR BROTHER RESTAURANT BENCOTTO NEXT DOOR
The Little Italy Association offers valet parking Tuesday through Sunday at the corner of India St. and Fir St. (in front of Influx) & Kettner Blvd. & Fir for $10.00 beginning at 5:30pm. Limited street parking is available. Metered parking is free after 6:00pm until 6:00am Monday through Saturday and all day Sunday.
Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant
4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
4.5Food
4.6Service
4.4Ambience
4.2Value
Noise • Moderate
Review summary
AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Monello in Little Italy, San Diego, is renowned for its "delicious food" and "outstanding service." The restaurant offers a vibrant atmosphere with a modern Italian flair, featuring a variety of handcrafted pasta dishes, including the popular cheesewheel pasta. Though some experience noise, the culinary delights and "amazing fresh homemade food" make it a must-visit.
2,658 Reviews
K
Keela VIP
Las Vegas18 reviews
3.0
Dined 4 days ago
Overall 3
Food 4
Service 5
Ambience 3
I’m going to start a GoFundMe for acoustic tiles on the ceiling. Really LOUD restaurant.
Great service made up for it!
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R
Rich VIP
Denver21 reviews
5.0
Dined 4 days ago
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
We loved how friendly and attentive the service team was. The food was excellent - it was our first time trying pasta made in the cheese wheel.
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S
Sarah
San Diego6 reviews
4.0
Dined 6 days ago
Overall 4
Food 3
Service 5
Ambience 4
I stopped in after an airport pickup and ordered a
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego1 review
5.0
Dined on March 2, 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Great experience here. We came for the cheese wheel pasta and it was amazing, delicious. Will come back when we crave pasta again!
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E
Ellen
Vancouver1 review
3.0
Dined on March 1, 2025
Overall 3
Food 5
Service 2
Ambience 3
Great food and delicious pasta! Service was fairly slow and took a long while to receive food. 3/4 dishes came while the fourth persons came 10-15 mins later. Not the best value but a good tasty experience!
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M
Master Jedi
San Diego10 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 28, 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Great experience. Made our anniversary dinner so awesome!
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W
Walter
San Diego39 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 27, 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
The homemade pasta at Monello is really delicious. The perfect combo of firmness/chewiness and flavor. We had the Parmesan wheel spaghetti with shrimp and asparagus and the papardelle with pesto sauce. Both were rich with flavor. The fried portobello mushrooms, calzone and vegetable soup were also great. We’ll be back.
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C
Craig
Mexico City4 reviews
1.0
Dined on February 25, 2025
Overall 1
Food 1
Service 1
Ambience 2
Both Cheese Wheel pastas were dry and poorly prepared. Just plain lousy. And way overpriced for what it was and the ingredients they contained. The Caesar Salad was far from a Caesar. Not a bad taste, but nothing authentic. This is the first time I have ever given such a poor rating to a restaurant. Very disappointed.
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R
Richard
Unspecified1 review
5.0
Dined on February 23, 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Our waitress was prompt and attentive. She provided many food suggestions, all of which we took advantage of and thoroughly enjoyed! Wonderful vibe in the restaurant. Would highly recommend!
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K
Kara
Nashville2 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 20, 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
The service was outstanding and the food delicious! Highly recommend.
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FAQs
Monello offers delivery in partnership with Postmates. Monello also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (619) 501-0030.
Monello is rated 4.5 stars by 2658 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.
The Little Italy Association offers valet parking Tuesday through Sunday at the corner of India St. and Fir St. (in front of Influx) & Kettner Blvd. & Fir for $10.00 beginning at 5:30pm. Limited street parking is available. Metered parking is free after 6:00pm until 6:00am Monday through Saturday and all day Sunday.