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Monello, San Diego, CA
Monello, San Diego, CA
Monello, San Diego, CA
Monello, San Diego, CA
Monello, San Diego, CA

Monello

4.6
4.6
2665 Reviews
$31 to $50
Italian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 34 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
  • Neighborhood 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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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
  • 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
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Neighborhood
    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

What 2,665 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
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Monello offers "authentic and flavorful" Italian cuisine, with standout dishes like the "amazing cheese wheel pasta." Guests praise the "brisk and efficient" service and "cozy ambiance," making it an ideal spot for any occasion. Despite occasional noise issues, Monello remains a top choice for "delicious food and welcoming staff."
2,665 Reviews
  1. Michael VIP

    Las Vegas24 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The pizza is very good. Sat at the bar and the bartender was great. Cocktails were well balanced.

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  2. Dave

    San Diego6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    So a buddy of mine who lives in Texas said I have to try this place because it is hands-down the best Italian food he's ever had. Since I've been to and lived in Italy, that's kind of a tall order, but Monello does an excellent job of preparing Italian food from a variety of regions, the indoor seating is excellent, and if you have a chance to take the outdoor seating during golden hour, you owe it to yourself. The service is brisk, efficient, and there's no rush (at least if you're dining when there's no rush, it was a little before 5PM on a Thursday). My date and I started with the calamari and piadine...I want to say caprese, but there were no tomatoes. There was arugula, burrata, and prosciutto dressed in a very herbal (though not infused) olive oil. My date couldn't get over how good they were and promised to make me piadine one day. One of the things I love about Italian food is how the ingredient lists are short (usually) because each ingredient has a moment to shine on its own. The calamari were lightly breaded, and they were cooked just long enough to make them hot and tender. There was no chewiness to the rings at all. For our main, we had pasta. My date had the gnocchi arrabiata, which was nice and tasty. One of those things a person could overdo if they weren't paying attention. The gnocchi were beautifully done, like little clouds of pasta, rather than a dense dough ball for your intestines. The chiles on top of the dish were just pretty. No other way to describe it. I had the cheese wheel pasta, which was called spaghetti alla gricia (I think). If one took cacio e pepe and carbonara, removed the egg, and tossed the whole thing in a pecorino romano cheese wheel, that's what you'd have. I was so full at the end, I couldn't finish the last two bites, which my date was glad to do. We ended the meal with digestivos, an Amaro Montenegro for me, and a limoncello for her. We had been apart for a couple of days, and Monello was a perfect date night for ou

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  3. Lydia VIP

    Los Angeles6 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    stopped by on vacation with the family and it was so beautiful and the food was delicious

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  4. OpenTable Diner

    Dallas1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 19, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Thank you to restaurant’s staff that was very attentive and took care of our tables needs. The music level was perfect and the ambience was amazing. Highly recommended if you’re in the SD area.

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  5. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 17, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Food and service was amazing. Just so happened to be sat next to a large party. But our waitress was sweet, and the cheese wheel pasta was worth going back for!

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  6. James

    Las Vegas3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always amazing. Great food. Great drinks. Great service.

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    Orange County1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 14, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great experience! Amazing service! Cheese wheel pasta was incredible! Went for anniversary and got complementary wine that was delicious! Loved our server Kristina, what a sweetheart. 10/10 would recommend!

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  8. TomA

    Phoenix4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 13, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food and service make for a delicious and enjoyable evening! 👍🏼 😋

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  9. Keela VIP

    Las Vegas18 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on March 9, 2025

    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!

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    Palm Springs1 review

    3.0

    Dined on March 9, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was okay. Limited options on the menu but they fly their flour out from italian which, if you’re gluten sensitive like me, was perfect on my stomach. Our server was fantastic and made excellent suggestions.

    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 2665 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 34 times today
Google Map for Monello

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

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Kettner
  • Neighborhood
    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
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Phone number
  • 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
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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