San Marino Restaurant
| Address: | 111 Thomaston Ave, Waterbury, CT 06702, USA |
| Phone: | +1 203-755-1148 |
| Site: | sanmarinos.com |
| Rating: | 3.7 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 12–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
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Kirk Mehlin
The last time I ate here was probably 10 or more years ago, and I remember enjoying it very much. I hadnt been avoiding it specifically, just really never "got around" to eating here again. So when we were invited to a family dinner with some friends for Easter, I was kind of excited! We had early reservations, like...right at noon when they opened. So we were one of the first groups there. First impressions? The place is HUMONGOUS. Not sure how many they seat, but its a large space. Also, there was literally an army of service staff standing at the ready as we walked in, so I assumed they were expecting a full house. We were seated at a nice table in the back under a huge painting that looked like it was from the Vatican...I mean, this place seeps Italian. We had a pretty large party of 12, and our servers were all over us right away offering bread, taking drink orders, etc. And the good service continued for the duration of our meal. Meal-wise, Ill just say this...it was good, not exceptional, but good. I ordered the ravioli, son ordered a salmon special and daughter went with the cavatelli. Again, it was good, not mind blowing. Usually Im happy with that level of food pleasure, but in this case I couldnt get past the prices. I dont mind paying $20 for a pasta dish, but it better blow my freaking mind. This...did not. Ive had $10 pasta dishes that were as good, if not better. Having only been here once in the past however many years, Im not writing this place off. But I got a good enough look at the menu, and the prices, to be pretty sure it would never be a regular thing for me. There are more worthy, and more cozy, pricey Italian food options within 5 minutes of here.
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A Private User
This is our go-to Italian restaurant for family gatherings. The atmosphere is casual enough to bring the kids, but nice enough to make you feel youve had an evening out. The chef has been there over 30 years and the food has been consistently good. Our favorites are the broiled sausage with broccoli rabe, the fettucini alfredo with chicken and broccoli, and the pasta triesta with sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts. They offer huge platters of appetizers, which is a big hit with our family. The price is great for the large portions. Its a good value, especially compared to Fairfield County experiences. We just went for my sons birthday, and our waitress was fabulous. My only complaint is that when weve had work-related large lunches, the service can be mezza. After reading some of the negative reviews here, I realize that we dont normally order tomato-sauce much, so maybe thats the difference between our wonderful experiences and the less favorable reviews here. I would try it and see for yourself.
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A Private User
We know good Italian food being Italian American. Trust me this is place is not even close. We had: 1. Fried calamari. No flavor and the dipping sauce tasted like crushed tomatoes. 2. My wife had Gnocchi Bolanage. It was so laden with garlic you could not taste the sauce. The ground beef and sausage tasted boiled and added the dish at the end and had zero flavor. 3. I had chicken parm. It was ok but lacked flavor. Again, the sauce that was over the pasta tasted like crushed tomatoes from the can. Bland and lacked the taste of being cooked. 4. My daughter had spaghetti and meat balls they were some of the worst I have ever tasted. Sorry to be so hard on this place but I dont understand how they survive. The food pretty much sucked. If you notice most of the good reviews are from a site called insider pages, and they look rigged. If you are the owner and reading this, please taste the food your kitchen is putting out. I myself would be ashamed of myself!
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Alyssa Albino
I was recently at San Marinos for a post-funeral reception & have no intentions of returning to this establishment. Not only were they rude to my friends mother, mind you after having just lost her husband, but they have the audacity to complain to her that more people showed up than she had anticipated. Hello! Its a funeral! Are you supposed to send out RSVPs to see whos attending?! Service was horrible, it took them a half hour just to set up 1 extra table, took them an hour to bring out bread & salad, everyone was starving & then after having received the meal, completely disappointed. The Chicken Marsala was disgusting, sauce was bland, no flavor, & the pasta was over-cooked. Their regular pasta option was also pretty disgusting, ended up pulling off all the artichoke hearts, mushrooms, & sun-dried tomatoes. Never again. They were good back in the day, but theyve completely gone down-hill.
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Martin Morra
My wife and I visited San Marino on Sat. Nov. 8th, 2014. The remodeling was fine, nothing eyecatching. Service was weak. Waitress visited the table four times and didnt provide adaquate information about our meals. For the caliber of San Marino restaurant, we felt we should have received dinner rolls. There was no rolls provided, instead six small toasts with salsa. My wife ordered the Chicken special, basically chicken on a bed of spinach, no vegetables just chicken and spinach, very tasty but incomplete. I ordered the veal godfather which was also tasty. Though the meal came promptly, we had to wait for our check. We do realize this was pre show times, but that doesnt excuse the service and the meal. We normally enjoy our dinners at SM but wanted to point out what we feel can be improved.
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A Private User
The way that this restaurant looks reminded me one of those restaurants that the famous chef gordon ramsey went to fix. I went there with my husband for lunch on an afternoon. When we arrived the greeting was awkward because the host was sitting quite bored at a nearby table instead of the podium and didnt seem particularly excited to seat us. Maybe because the restaurant was mostly empty that afternoon and the clientele mostly elderly. I dont know. The waitress was courteous, we asked her for her best recommendations. the food was O.K. It wasnt bad but I can name half a dozen places where i can get an outstanding meal for the same price.
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A Private User
You can spend 15$ on a salad "to go" from this restaurant, and they let you walk out the door without a fork or dressing! Somehow youre supposed to pull a Kreskin and ask for this stuff if its missing from your bag !!! Their salads are excellent ... The hot food is always very hit or miss. I wont ever order anything with red sauce again. I work nearby and I really wish this restaurant could get their act together. The decor is drab, dark, and showing its age. "Kitchen Nightmares" really ought pay San Marino a visit.
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Nicole King
“Fantastic meal, fabulous place” Dined here with hubby for a special evening. Had to make reservation couple weeks in advance so definitely plan ahead. This is just a really special place and everything was amazing---food, service, ambiance. While serving incredible food and delivering a high end dining experience, at the same time this place feels down to earth and (dare I say) casual--not easy...
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Angela Barnes
The first thing that greets you upon entering is the selection of beef cuts from which you can choose your meal - tell them how to cook it, and youre off to enjoy your drafts while you wait. Its the best beef meal around; the fries and fish are very good, too. Clean, bright, family friendly, good service, positive vibes...
