Monello
Northern Italian restaurant · San Diego ·
Handmade pastas, gourmet pizzas, Italian street food, brunch
Handmade pastas, gourmet pizzas, Italian street food, brunch
"Dedicated to Milan’s aperitivo atmosphere and Italian street foods, the casual Little Italy restaurant serves up plates like panzerotti, or mini calzones; homemade butternut squash gnocchi; and grilled octopus. Weekday happy hours from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. feature complimentary bites with drink orders. The gray-washed, utilitarian dining room is still sleek enough to make this a good date-night or group-dinner spot." - Helen I. Hwang
"The longtime Italian restaurant’s famous aperitivo, featuring complimentary light bites with the purchase of beer, wine, or a cocktail, was recently enhanced by a drink list that includes an espresso martini and appealing cocktails such as the Sangue e Fuoco with Bombay gin, lemon, oregano syrup, blood orange puree, and R&D fire bitters and the Pompelmo Amaro, a mix of Campari, vermouth, grapefruit juice, lime, demerara, egg white, and R&D citrus bitters." - Candice Woo
"I can enjoy a five-course Italian New Year’s Eve menu loaded with festive seafood — oysters with prosecco and pomegranate gel, shrimp toast, and snow crab spaghetti — rounded out by a hearty house-made sausage and a delicate almond financier. $110" - Alex Lodner
"Monello will be offering a special three-course Christmas meal from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a main course choice of smoked ham or prime rib served with potato puree and caramelized brussels sprouts with pancetta. Prepaid reservations are $72 for adults and $30 for kids 12 and under." - Stacy Brooks
"Although San Diego is generally known for its casual dress code and easy attitude, Monello is a place worth dressing up for. The Milanese restaurant is most famous for its cheese wheel, which they heat, melt, and toss pasta on. Divine, yes—but if you think that's indulgent, drop in on Wednesdays, when they sub out pasta for risotto. But this is also place where the drinks are just as memorable—if not more so than—the food. If you swing by during their daily aperitivo hour, held at the bar or on the patio, you can shell out for a cocktail or a glass of wine and receive three complimentary bites (chef's choice)." - Marie Tutko, Archana Ram
