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Monello, San Diego, CA

Monello

4.6
4.6
2651 Reviews
$31 to $50
Italian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:30 p.m.
Booked 35 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
  • Great for fine wines
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

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Mediterranean, Comfort Food
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Fri 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Sat, Sun 10:00 am–9:30 pm Happy Hour Tue–Sun 3:00 pm–5:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (619) 501-0030
  • Website
    http://www.lovemonello.com/
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Fabrizio Cavallini
  • Catering
    Send catering inquiry to info@lovemonello.com
  • Private party facilities
    Monello offers semiprivate and private SPACES. www.lovemonello.com Send inquiry to info@lovemonello.com
  • Private party contact
    our Private Event Coordinator: (619) 501-0030
  • Location
    750 W. Fir St., Suite 103B, San Diego, CA 92101
  • Neighbourhood
    Little Italy
  • Cross Street
    Kettner
  • Parking details
    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.
  • Public transit
    MTS Transit Trolley Stop Green Line: County Center/Little Italy
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 2,651 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Monello in San Diego is a vibrant Italian gem, lauded for its "authentic and full of flavor" dishes, especially the "amazing cheese wheel pasta." The atmosphere is lively, with attentive service from standout staff like Jennifer and Christina. While noise levels can be high, the delightful homemade pasta and "delicious cocktails" make it a memorable dining destination.

2,651 Reviews

  1. Richard

    Unspecified

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. 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!

    Is this helpful?

  2. Kara

    Nashville

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The service was outstanding and the food delicious! Highly recommend.

    Is this helpful?

  3. Mina

    Unspecified

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 18, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Cute, but I expected more. I thought the food would be better, but our server, Jennifer, was amazing, she’s very sweet. If I go back again, it would be because of Jennifer, or to try the cheese wheel pasta. Other than that, painfully mid. 

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  4. Chad

    Greater Boston

    25 reviews

    5.0

    25 reviews

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Some of the best fresh made pasta we have had. Now, me and my wife grew up in the north East (MA) and had great Italian restaurants in the North End in Boston. Monello’s brought us back to that place and we love having this restaurant in San Diego. I must say, the Gnocchi was probably one of the top two that I have ever tried and we had that with the Monello sauce and then the Pecorino Romano cheese wheel special with cherry tomatoes and Linguine. It was Fantastic! Definitely made us grinning ear to ear with every bit of food that sang melodious notes of true deliciousness!

    Is this helpful?

  5. Hugo

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We were seated 15 minutes before our reservation which was nice. The food was great and the service was awesome

    Is this helpful?

  6. lindsay

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Kristina and Lester were very attentive. Thank you!

    Is this helpful?

  7. John

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great place to celebrate any occasion, our server was amazing. Food was amazing.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Ashley

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on February 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing! Christina our server made our experience out of this world! Everything on point food, service, and atmosphere A++

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  9. Keith

    Palm Springs

    21 reviews

    5.0

    21 reviews

    Dined on February 2, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Whenever I travel to San Diego I always make reservations for dinner at Monello. The food is always excellent and Saturdays dinner was no exception. We started off with a Caesar salad and then selected one of the cheese wheel pasta specials. We ended with the flourless chocolate cake for dessert. I would highly recommend Monello for any occasion!

    Is this helpful?

  10. Monica

    Seattle

    10 reviews

    4.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on January 30, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    nice evening. reasonable food. nice ambiance. kind attentive waiter

    Is this helpful?

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 4.6 stars by 2651 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:30 p.m.
Booked 35 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Monello

750 W. Fir St., Suite 103B, San Diego, CA 92101

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Kettner
  • Neighbourhood
    Little Italy
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Fri 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Sat, Sun 10:00 am–9:30 pm Happy Hour Tue–Sun 3:00 pm–5:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Mediterranean, Comfort Food
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    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.
  • Public transit
    MTS Transit Trolley Stop Green Line: County Center/Little Italy
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Fabrizio Cavallini
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Website
    http://www.lovemonello.com/
  • Phone number
    (619) 501-0030
  • Catering
    Send catering inquiry to info@lovemonello.com
  • Private party facilities
    Monello offers semiprivate and private SPACES. www.lovemonello.com Send inquiry to info@lovemonello.com
  • Private party contact
    our Private Event Coordinator: (619) 501-0030

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