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Monello, San Diego, CA

Monello

4.6
4.6
2653 Reviews
$31 to $50
Italian

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2 people
19:00
Booked 44 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
  • Neighbourhood gem
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

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Private dining

Private dining

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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

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Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 2,653 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
  • 4.5Food
  • 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.

2,653 Reviews

  1. Walter

    VIP

    San Diego

    39 reviews

    5.0

    39 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    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.

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  2. Craig

    Mexico City

    4 reviews

    1.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    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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  3. Richard

    Unspecified

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 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!

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  4. Kara

    Nashville

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    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.

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  5. Mina

    Unspecified

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on 18 February 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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  6. Chad

    Greater Boston

    25 reviews

    5.0

    25 reviews

    Dined on 16 February 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!

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  7. Hugo

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 15 February 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

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  8. lindsay

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 15 February 2025

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

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  9. John

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 15 February 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.

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  10. Ashley

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 8 February 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++

    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 4.6 stars by 2653 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 44 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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