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Monello, San Diego, CA

Monello

4.5
4.5
2657 Reviews
$31 to $50
Italian

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 52 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Good for groups
  • 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 12:00–21:30 Sat, Sun 10:00–21:30 Happy Hour Tue–Sun 15:00–17:00
  • 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
  • Location
    750 W. Fir St., Suite 103B, San Diego, CA 92101
  • Area
    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, Takeaway, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

Private dining

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 2,657 people are saying

Monello reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

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.

2,657 Reviews

  1. Keela VIP

    Las Vegas18 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    I’m going to start a GoFundMe for acoustic tiles on the ceiling. Really LOUD restaurant. Great service made up for it!

    Is this helpful?

  2. Rich VIP

    Denver21 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

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

    Is this helpful?

  3. Sarah

    San Diego6 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 7 March 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    I stopped in after an airport pickup and ordered a

    Is this helpful?

  4. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 2 March 2025

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

    Is this helpful?

  5. Ellen

    Vancouver1 review

    3.0

    Dined on 1 March 2025

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

    Is this helpful?

  6. Master Jedi

    San Diego10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 28 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great experience. Made our anniversary dinner so awesome!

    Is this helpful?

  7. Walter

    San Diego39 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 27 February 2025

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

    Is this helpful?

  8. Craig

    Mexico City4 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on 25 February 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. 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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  9. Richard

    Unspecified1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    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?

  10. Kara

    Nashville2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 20 February 2025

    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?

FAQs

Monello offers delivery in partnership with Postmates. Monello also offers takeaway which you can order by calling the restaurant at (619) 501-0030.

Monello is rated 4.5 stars by 2657 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 52 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
  • Area
    Little Italy
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Fri 12:00–21:30 Sat, Sun 10:00–21:30 Happy Hour Tue–Sun 15:00–17:00
  • 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, Takeaway, 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

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