Review: East Side Mario's
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 9:58PM East Side Mario’s is the perfect restaurant for any Italian-style food lover. Whether you go with one friend or a whole lot of friends, it’s sure to be an amazing experience.
The one my friend (whom I shall refer to as N) and I decided to stop in at is located inside the St. Laurent shopping centre, in mall area 18, unit 500. Their phone number is 613-747-0888, and they open every day at 11:00. They close at 23:00 Monday through Thursday, midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 22:00 on Sundays.
You may be interested in checking out their fantastic, easy-to-navigate website here: http://www.eastsidemarios.com/ It’s a fun, interactive website with every bit of information you could ask for, including a nutritional guide and an allergen guide.
It was mine and N’s first time being in the restaurant, and we were immediately and warmly greeted by the staff. We were quickly seated and, in about five minutes, already had out drinks.
The menu was fantastic. N knew exactly what she wanted to order, but everything looked so good to me! Our server (I shall name him R) recommended the Budda Boomers for an appetizer. Deep-fried pizza dough breadsticks, lightly seasoned with herbs, garlic and Parmesan Romano, served with tomato sauce for dipping. Absolutely fantastic! I highly recommend them.
If you like spicy – and I mean SPICY – then try what I ordered – Penne Arrabbiata. Penne pasta tossed in with spicy tomato sauce garnished with a Cherry Pepper. Good thing they give you free refills of your drink! I also ordered a garden salad on the side. That was the one thing I didn’t much care for – and the only reason for that was because I don’t like dressing on my salads. Other than that, the parts that I did eat were fresh and crisp and oh-so-good.
Overall, my experience was no less than incredible – I can’t recommend East Side Mario’s enough. The restaurant had a very pleasant and upbeat atmosphere. The decor recreated the feel of Italy, with road signs between the aisles and everything. Never before have I been in a restaurant that was so personable, so full of energy, and made me feel so much at home! Our server was simply an amazing man, so witty and full of life. Over the course of our visit, I had lost my fork – it had gotten swept up with the salad and appetizer dishes. When I mentioned this to R, he simply took a fork from the next table, shushing us in good humour. There was nothing neither N nor I had to ask for – refills, napkins, doggy bags – because R was extremely attentive and noticed such things on his own. Even when I refused parmesan on my pasta, R seemed quite please to bring the pepper over – like it wasn’t spicy enough!
Also, find them on Facebook > http://www.facebook.com/eastsidemarios
east side mario's, food, italian, restaurant, review in Reviews
Reader Comments (3)
I love east side marios! I think the good thing about it, which you found too, is that it's awesome food and not expensive at all. The service is great and I really love their bread, just saying.
Now that you've tried this chain's Italian food, maybe you could sample one of the Italian restaurants, in Little Italy (oddly enough), on Preston St.
I have never eaten at an East Side Mario's before, but I do love spicy food so maybe I will give it a shot.