I bought several restaurant.com gift cards for this location. It is a small restaurant in Bear off route 40. A wonderful gem close to home. We have been very impressed with the food quality & continue to go back. Definitely recommend it to friends.
(5)
Don P.
Positives: Nice ambience. Good bread. Negatives: The food. I had the fettuccine alfredo with added chicken. Pasta was decent, but chicken ($4 extra) was way overcooked. Alfredo sauce was bland. My friend had the chicken parmigiana. Again, chicken overcooked. Red sauce watery. Prices excessive for quality of food. Our service was ok (though our server balked when we asked for separate checks). Bottom line: Disappointing. I won't be back.
(2)
John S.
I eat here maybe two or three times a week and after reading the reviews, I can't believe these peple acturally went to the same restaurant! The food is great and the service is outstanding. I think the key to getting a good meal is in the attitude of the customer more than it is in the restaurant. Yes the dishes are large but the portions in them are more than adequate and the prices are reasonable for a quality restaurant with table clothes on the tables! I have been eating in this restaurant for over 4 years and while ocassionaly a bad server comes into the picture, Marco, the owner cares about the restaurant and will remedy the situation if he is made aware.
(5)
Reina B.
This place must be REALLY hit or miss...seems like some people's five star experiences are written on the wrong restaurant's page. My boyfriend and I went here for a nice dinner, We both got "The Marco", and got six different pastas because we were excited to try all of the different types which sounded great on the menu! I can't remember the titles of everything, but here goes: Mushroom Cream Sauce Pasta - decent pappardelle pasta in a flavorless runny cream "sauce" with slimy, flavorless mushrooms. Edible, but I could have done better. Pasta with Shrimp and Crab - did not see or taste any crab, and the shrimp were the same ones you find in a cup o noodles - tiny, tasteless, crunchy, and tasted like they had been freeze dried and reconstituted. Lobster Ravioli - four pieces of crab on top, lobster filling flavorless. I prefer the frozen ravioli's from walmart. Sausage and Broccoli Rabe (substituted Gnocchi) - sausage was not crumbled italian sausage as I expected, but tasted decent. Broccoli rabe was shredded into very small pieces and was flavorless. Kindof reminded me of frozen spinach out of a bag (which is great, but not what I'm paying for!) Gnocchi had not been cooked long enough. It was crumbly, and there was zero sauce on this dish it was just pure oil. I added salt and pepper, and then tried it, but gnocchi was not edible. Spaghetti Carbonara - this was a mass of scrambled egg with pasta mixed in. Really inedible, but might have been OK for breakfast?? I would not return. Hope they change some things up, because this is definitely not "Best Italian Restaurant in Delaware" as the sign out front suggests.
(1)
Ian S.
Great food and reasonably priced. Help tends to be a little slow but that is when it is slow times. Love the food and atmosphere. Always go here when we want to go out.
(5)
Andrea H.
Good food. Service is a little slow but would go back again.
(4)
Jaa B.
It's unfortunate that both the food and service are seriously lacking at Marco's. When you order a glass of Merlot and your server tells you that they have "run out" on a WEDNESDAY evening that's probably your first indicator that the rest of the meal won't fare well. The arugula on the beef carpaccio app was over-seasoned with lemon and completely over powered the entire dish. The beef itself looked as if it was on its last leg, a good portion of the beef was brown in color, so more than half of the dish was uneaten. The waitress seemed to be completely distracted by a single table, often forgetting to bring refills (that were requested) and taking what seemed like an eternity to bring the check. We couldn't wait to get out of there.
(1)
Andrea K.
Excellent food each time we go. The salads, appetizers, & entrees are all very good. Marco is there all the time overseeing the kitchen and his wait staff
(4)
Windy R.
Absolutely one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had. That's saying a lot since my whole family is from Italy! The bread is definitely authentic fresh baked Italian!! Very pleased, will be back!
(5)
Richard K.
One of my favorite Italian places in Delaware. Always some unique choices. If you like a relaxed and intimate setting, then you will love Marco's.
(5)
James B.
There were small portions, but the food was pretty good, although there was a great deal of variance in the quality of the 4 dishes. The atmosphere was nice and our server was very nice but they charged our account twice for the meal. The owner came out to inform us of their mistake and when we expressed our concern he didn't express any concern or seem apologetic. He added that second charge would be credited back to our account in a couple of days and if the bank froze our account for a few days then so be, "it will be no skin off my back." We were satisfied with the experience until the owners's gross misstep and utter disregard for our dining experience...very disappointing! I would have offered 3.5 out of 5 until the experience with the owner. And now, I feel 2 out of 5 is more appropriate.
(2)
Matt Z.
I've had mostly good experiences at Marcos. The food is very good and there red gravy is very flavorful and tastes homemade. I'm not a seafood fan so my go to dish here is the chicken parm with extra spaghetti. Marco the owner is great and always walks around to say hi to his guests. We recently had our joint family Christmas dinner here and everyone seemed happy with the food they were served.
(4)
Tom S.
After waiting 20 minutes for a bottle of wine. Cancelled the wine order. Took another 25 minutes to get very uninspired pasta dishes. Tables set up so when waiter is talking to the table next to you their rear end is in your face. Not some place we will be going back to.
(2)
Sandra V.
Awesome place! We love Marco's restaurant. Great food and services! The bar area is always fun too! The new mad lounge is great as well. Defiantly a place to try out! Sandra and Mama.
(5)
John S.
Disappointing experience after hearing so many rave reviews. To start, our server was "new" and received no guidance as the only experienced server (and manager?) spent nearly the whole time we were there seated talking to one of the two other occupied tables. I had the Pasta Carbonera which came out in a coagulated ball with pieces of bacon and little pieces of scrambled egg in the bottom of the enormous bowl. Surprisingly, it had very little flavor. My wife had pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe, and the broccoli rabe was bitter, indicating that it hadn't been blanched as part of the cooking process. Portions weren't nearly as large as most Italian restaurants (the bowls were HUGE though) and the prices were a little on the high side. The next time I'm in the mood for Italian food, I'd almost rather go to Olive Garden. And that's a pretty sad commentary.
(2)
Melissa A.
I would not recommend this place, lousy service, food was cold. The dessert the so called " Hot Lava" cake was cold...What part of "hot" did they not understand? I ordered the seafood plate and I got no scallops, I told the waiter and he said they were small, please I ordered it for the dang scallops!! Beware!!!
(1)
Sarah B.
The service and food is just straight up awful. I don't even know how this restaurant is still up and running. The first time we went, awful. We decided to give it another try, awful. Prices are outrageous for such crappy food and drinks. Owner spent time talking to every table (all elderly people) and never came to our table. AWFUL!! What a waste of $81! Should have just went to Buffalo Wild Wings! I think the only people that go here and like it are people who know Marco personally.
(1)
Katz W.
We checked this place out after getting a Restaurant.com gift certificate and thought it looked nice. The decor is great and the waitress showed us all the specials on an IPad which I thought was a cool idea. She went through everything pretty thoroughly, so no gripes about the service. We both ordered the Chicken Marsala, as it's one of our favorites. The bread was served with two packets of butter and some strange puree of eggplant and zucchini. Bread was blah. No salad came with the meal, which I thought was strange for $18. Then the chicken marsala came. I'm not sure how it's possible, but it didn't taste like marsala wine OR mushrooms. Usually one is stronger than the other, but it didn't taste like either. The chicken was very, VERY gamey, like it was old or had gone bad. We were the only people in the restaurant, not sure if that had something to do with it. The person I was with wouldn't even eat theirs, it tasted so weird. We mentioned it politely and the waitress was nice and said she'd go mention something to the chef to check it out. She came back and said it seemed fine and it's the same thing she had for lunch. I figured it might have just been us and maybe it was cooked weird. Total for two entrees with one beer each - $52. Woke up the same night at around 3AM very sick. I can't say for sure it was the food, but it WAS the only thing eaten that night. I have another gift certificate for this place but I won't be back. The only reason I'm giving 2 stars is that the servers were really good.
(2)
Cynthia R.
Exceptional Italian cuisine. Although portions were small, the food and service were excellent. Plenty of vegetarian choices.
(4)
Tracey H.
Don't do brunch. Yuck. Cold.
(1)
Dennis S.
The manager has no respect for handicapped customers. He allows his delivery car to park in handicap spots taking up 2 spaces.
(1)
Sinister G.
Terrible food, lasagna was soggy, calamari wasn't fresh. Lousy service. Owner was dining with a large party that was obnoxious and foul. This place needs a makeover.
(1)
Beth K.
Zucchini was amazing. Loved the osso bucco. Our waiter was sexy.
(5)
Carley J.
Ristorante Marco left much to be desired. The decor was gorgeous, but the food was incredibly disappointing. The bread that was served before the meal was stale. No butter was served with the bread. I ordered the Bruschetta alla Clientana to start. It was served on burnt Italian toast and the bruschetta itself was flavorless and bland. It was basically tomatoes and cucumbers with absolutely no oil or basil. My boyfriend ordered the Misto alla Kirschenaro (veal scaloppine and shrimp served with "colossal crabmeat"), and I ordered the Gnocchi. My boyfriend's plate was absolutely laughable. Six small boiled shrimp, three small pieces of veal that were as thin as tissue paper, and four lumps of crabmeat that looked like they came out of a can. For $30 we expected something a little more satisfying. The gnocchi was overcooked; it was mushy and grainy. The marinara sauce had a fishy taste (there was no mention of fish on the menu for this item) and it also tasted overwhelmingly smoky. We ended up leaving hungry and unsatisfied. Even though our server was very nice and polite, I would not recommend this restaurant.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
Photothumb A.
I bought several restaurant.com gift cards for this location. It is a small restaurant in Bear off route 40. A wonderful gem close to home. We have been very impressed with the food quality & continue to go back. Definitely recommend it to friends.
(5)Don P.
Positives: Nice ambience. Good bread. Negatives: The food. I had the fettuccine alfredo with added chicken. Pasta was decent, but chicken ($4 extra) was way overcooked. Alfredo sauce was bland. My friend had the chicken parmigiana. Again, chicken overcooked. Red sauce watery. Prices excessive for quality of food. Our service was ok (though our server balked when we asked for separate checks). Bottom line: Disappointing. I won't be back.
(2)John S.
I eat here maybe two or three times a week and after reading the reviews, I can't believe these peple acturally went to the same restaurant! The food is great and the service is outstanding. I think the key to getting a good meal is in the attitude of the customer more than it is in the restaurant. Yes the dishes are large but the portions in them are more than adequate and the prices are reasonable for a quality restaurant with table clothes on the tables! I have been eating in this restaurant for over 4 years and while ocassionaly a bad server comes into the picture, Marco, the owner cares about the restaurant and will remedy the situation if he is made aware.
(5)Reina B.
This place must be REALLY hit or miss...seems like some people's five star experiences are written on the wrong restaurant's page. My boyfriend and I went here for a nice dinner, We both got "The Marco", and got six different pastas because we were excited to try all of the different types which sounded great on the menu! I can't remember the titles of everything, but here goes: Mushroom Cream Sauce Pasta - decent pappardelle pasta in a flavorless runny cream "sauce" with slimy, flavorless mushrooms. Edible, but I could have done better. Pasta with Shrimp and Crab - did not see or taste any crab, and the shrimp were the same ones you find in a cup o noodles - tiny, tasteless, crunchy, and tasted like they had been freeze dried and reconstituted. Lobster Ravioli - four pieces of crab on top, lobster filling flavorless. I prefer the frozen ravioli's from walmart. Sausage and Broccoli Rabe (substituted Gnocchi) - sausage was not crumbled italian sausage as I expected, but tasted decent. Broccoli rabe was shredded into very small pieces and was flavorless. Kindof reminded me of frozen spinach out of a bag (which is great, but not what I'm paying for!) Gnocchi had not been cooked long enough. It was crumbly, and there was zero sauce on this dish it was just pure oil. I added salt and pepper, and then tried it, but gnocchi was not edible. Spaghetti Carbonara - this was a mass of scrambled egg with pasta mixed in. Really inedible, but might have been OK for breakfast?? I would not return. Hope they change some things up, because this is definitely not "Best Italian Restaurant in Delaware" as the sign out front suggests.
(1)Ian S.
Great food and reasonably priced. Help tends to be a little slow but that is when it is slow times. Love the food and atmosphere. Always go here when we want to go out.
(5)Andrea H.
Good food. Service is a little slow but would go back again.
(4)Jaa B.
It's unfortunate that both the food and service are seriously lacking at Marco's. When you order a glass of Merlot and your server tells you that they have "run out" on a WEDNESDAY evening that's probably your first indicator that the rest of the meal won't fare well. The arugula on the beef carpaccio app was over-seasoned with lemon and completely over powered the entire dish. The beef itself looked as if it was on its last leg, a good portion of the beef was brown in color, so more than half of the dish was uneaten. The waitress seemed to be completely distracted by a single table, often forgetting to bring refills (that were requested) and taking what seemed like an eternity to bring the check. We couldn't wait to get out of there.
(1)Andrea K.
Excellent food each time we go. The salads, appetizers, & entrees are all very good. Marco is there all the time overseeing the kitchen and his wait staff
(4)Windy R.
Absolutely one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had. That's saying a lot since my whole family is from Italy! The bread is definitely authentic fresh baked Italian!! Very pleased, will be back!
(5)Richard K.
One of my favorite Italian places in Delaware. Always some unique choices. If you like a relaxed and intimate setting, then you will love Marco's.
(5)James B.
There were small portions, but the food was pretty good, although there was a great deal of variance in the quality of the 4 dishes. The atmosphere was nice and our server was very nice but they charged our account twice for the meal. The owner came out to inform us of their mistake and when we expressed our concern he didn't express any concern or seem apologetic. He added that second charge would be credited back to our account in a couple of days and if the bank froze our account for a few days then so be, "it will be no skin off my back." We were satisfied with the experience until the owners's gross misstep and utter disregard for our dining experience...very disappointing! I would have offered 3.5 out of 5 until the experience with the owner. And now, I feel 2 out of 5 is more appropriate.
(2)Matt Z.
I've had mostly good experiences at Marcos. The food is very good and there red gravy is very flavorful and tastes homemade. I'm not a seafood fan so my go to dish here is the chicken parm with extra spaghetti. Marco the owner is great and always walks around to say hi to his guests. We recently had our joint family Christmas dinner here and everyone seemed happy with the food they were served.
(4)Tom S.
After waiting 20 minutes for a bottle of wine. Cancelled the wine order. Took another 25 minutes to get very uninspired pasta dishes. Tables set up so when waiter is talking to the table next to you their rear end is in your face. Not some place we will be going back to.
(2)Sandra V.
Awesome place! We love Marco's restaurant. Great food and services! The bar area is always fun too! The new mad lounge is great as well. Defiantly a place to try out! Sandra and Mama.
(5)John S.
Disappointing experience after hearing so many rave reviews. To start, our server was "new" and received no guidance as the only experienced server (and manager?) spent nearly the whole time we were there seated talking to one of the two other occupied tables. I had the Pasta Carbonera which came out in a coagulated ball with pieces of bacon and little pieces of scrambled egg in the bottom of the enormous bowl. Surprisingly, it had very little flavor. My wife had pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe, and the broccoli rabe was bitter, indicating that it hadn't been blanched as part of the cooking process. Portions weren't nearly as large as most Italian restaurants (the bowls were HUGE though) and the prices were a little on the high side. The next time I'm in the mood for Italian food, I'd almost rather go to Olive Garden. And that's a pretty sad commentary.
(2)Melissa A.
I would not recommend this place, lousy service, food was cold. The dessert the so called " Hot Lava" cake was cold...What part of "hot" did they not understand? I ordered the seafood plate and I got no scallops, I told the waiter and he said they were small, please I ordered it for the dang scallops!! Beware!!!
(1)Sarah B.
The service and food is just straight up awful. I don't even know how this restaurant is still up and running. The first time we went, awful. We decided to give it another try, awful. Prices are outrageous for such crappy food and drinks. Owner spent time talking to every table (all elderly people) and never came to our table. AWFUL!! What a waste of $81! Should have just went to Buffalo Wild Wings! I think the only people that go here and like it are people who know Marco personally.
(1)Katz W.
We checked this place out after getting a Restaurant.com gift certificate and thought it looked nice. The decor is great and the waitress showed us all the specials on an IPad which I thought was a cool idea. She went through everything pretty thoroughly, so no gripes about the service. We both ordered the Chicken Marsala, as it's one of our favorites. The bread was served with two packets of butter and some strange puree of eggplant and zucchini. Bread was blah. No salad came with the meal, which I thought was strange for $18. Then the chicken marsala came. I'm not sure how it's possible, but it didn't taste like marsala wine OR mushrooms. Usually one is stronger than the other, but it didn't taste like either. The chicken was very, VERY gamey, like it was old or had gone bad. We were the only people in the restaurant, not sure if that had something to do with it. The person I was with wouldn't even eat theirs, it tasted so weird. We mentioned it politely and the waitress was nice and said she'd go mention something to the chef to check it out. She came back and said it seemed fine and it's the same thing she had for lunch. I figured it might have just been us and maybe it was cooked weird. Total for two entrees with one beer each - $52. Woke up the same night at around 3AM very sick. I can't say for sure it was the food, but it WAS the only thing eaten that night. I have another gift certificate for this place but I won't be back. The only reason I'm giving 2 stars is that the servers were really good.
(2)Cynthia R.
Exceptional Italian cuisine. Although portions were small, the food and service were excellent. Plenty of vegetarian choices.
(4)Tracey H.
Don't do brunch. Yuck. Cold.
(1)Dennis S.
The manager has no respect for handicapped customers. He allows his delivery car to park in handicap spots taking up 2 spaces.
(1)Sinister G.
Terrible food, lasagna was soggy, calamari wasn't fresh. Lousy service. Owner was dining with a large party that was obnoxious and foul. This place needs a makeover.
(1)Beth K.
Zucchini was amazing. Loved the osso bucco. Our waiter was sexy.
(5)Carley J.
Ristorante Marco left much to be desired. The decor was gorgeous, but the food was incredibly disappointing. The bread that was served before the meal was stale. No butter was served with the bread. I ordered the Bruschetta alla Clientana to start. It was served on burnt Italian toast and the bruschetta itself was flavorless and bland. It was basically tomatoes and cucumbers with absolutely no oil or basil. My boyfriend ordered the Misto alla Kirschenaro (veal scaloppine and shrimp served with "colossal crabmeat"), and I ordered the Gnocchi. My boyfriend's plate was absolutely laughable. Six small boiled shrimp, three small pieces of veal that were as thin as tissue paper, and four lumps of crabmeat that looked like they came out of a can. For $30 we expected something a little more satisfying. The gnocchi was overcooked; it was mushy and grainy. The marinara sauce had a fishy taste (there was no mention of fish on the menu for this item) and it also tasted overwhelmingly smoky. We ended up leaving hungry and unsatisfied. Even though our server was very nice and polite, I would not recommend this restaurant.
(1)