Monello Cucina - Mpls

We were expecting the same menu as when we were there the previous time, which was a Sunday. On Sunday, evidently they have a different menu with the items we were hoping to eat again there. Chicken piccata etc. So we were disappointed at the differences in selections. The pasta we had included breaded shrimp in a very light and tasteless sauce. Octopus, beef tenderloin and salad were good.

My husband and I dined here for our 5 year wedding anniversary. Our server, Alex, did an awesome job keeping up but not going too fast with our chefs tasting and wine pairing. He was also super knowledgeable about the food and wine and how they compliment each other. And the food and wine were delicious! 100% would recommend!

This could be a great restaurant if they fix their mouse problem.

Absolutely terrible. Portions are really, really small and the prices are way too high. 6 of us went for a business dinner. $340 with one glass of beer/wine each. We stopped at another restaurant on the way back to our hotel because we were all still hungry. RUN AWAY from this place. Total ripoff.

Our server was outstanding as was the food. We appreciated the noise level not being too loud

Mama DeCampo's at Monello, a delightful Sunday Italian supper including red gravy! On Sundays, Monello scoots the regular menu aside and goes old-school Italian down to red checkered table cloths! Classic Italian dishes like chicken parmesan or piccata, accompanied by a delicious chopped Italian salad and warm garlic bread, plus a side of spaghetti with red sauce and to top it off, homemade cannolis for dessert! All for only $29! A deal! There are other dishes to try next time! A totally fun time for family with kids or date night. A couple glasses of chianti and you're set!

Overall we had a lovely evening dinner at Monello Cucina. The food portions were good, the drink prices moderate, and the service was decent. Our particular waiter was a bit pushy at times but was very knowledgeable about the options and ingredients.

We ordered from the pre theater menu. I think that was a mistake although the food was fine. There wer four people at our table and all were not happy that we all had to order from the same menu. If we do go back we will order from the main menu.

Food and ambience was excellent. Had oysters - seafood pasta - risotto- broccolini - lobster. Everything was excellent except service. So slow — prepare to be there awhile but food was great!

We had great service at the beginning; however our main course was delayed and there was no apology offered from the server, even when we called a different server( ours was nowhere to be seen) over to ask what happened.

Great service, excellent food. The server knew a lot about the wine he served (we got the pairing option for our meal).

My sister and I enjoyed the side Roasted Zucchini & Summer Squash as our "salad" and seasoned bread with 2 butter choices, then split the small servings of the Torchio w/ Braised Rabbit (server recommendation!) and Spaghetti w/ Seafood Bolognese, ending with 2 scoops of gelato! It was a beautiful experience for all our senses!

Restaurant got slammed when our conference let out for lunch. They worked very hard to service everyone in a timely manner. You could see they were understaffed for the very large lunch crowd but they all seemed to work very hard to make it work. My tuna was delicious. My girlfriends steak was not great but they comped it with no issue. I would definitely return.

Super bummed we went there for our 20th anniversary. The oysters were so fishy they had to take them off bill. I got the seafood Bolognese and it was not homemade pasta. I should’ve asked. service was super slow as we got our drinks after the first appetizer. The second appetizer octopus came after 25 minutes and was lukewarm. Probably won’t go back. Has Potential though.

Food was exquisite . Rosé was fabulous. And the service impeccable!

The experience was wonderful, from the service, to the ambiance, the food and the wine, the entire night was top notch. I’ll definitely be back again!

We've been several times to Monello Cucina and we have ALWAYS ordered the squid ink pasta. We were therefore so disappointed that they are no longer offering this particular dish.
- They replaced it with a seafood bolognese that was not very good.
- The bucatini and tagliatelle were good, but the squid ink chitara was the star...and the star is no longer there.
- The langoustino and octopus small plates were nothing special. Quite disappointing actually. The octopus pales in comparison to Sea Change's octopus which is tender and flavorful. Monello's octopus was tougher and not very flavorful at all.
- The desserts we had were absolutely delicious -- a spumoni (not the kind we expected) and a chocolate pane cotta. Yum!

Monello may no longer be on our 'to go' list.

Our server, Tony, was very knowledgeable and engaging. The food and wine he recommended paired very well. Unfortunately, the air conditioner wasn't really working so it was pretty uncomfortable in there. Still a fun experience and we'll be back!

Excellent food. Excellent service. Never viewed this restaurant as a “value” given their prices on food. Have always viewed it as a special occasion or captive audience (Hotel Ivy) venue. Wine list is however favorably priced, and well curated. Absolutely infuriated by the 3% healthcare surcharge levied on the bill, displayed in a small font, and only seen on the dessert menu by myself at the end of a previously enjoyable evening. This ABSOLUTELY means I will not return, not just b/o the “policy” itself. I get that healthcare costs are increasing globally due to ACA. That said, I want to “be on vacation” when dining out, regardless of whether I am actually on vacation. Rather however, upon discussing the matter with the manager on duty that evening, I really do NOT need to be politely informed that my views on this matter are in the minority opinion, particularly by someone half my age, and lacking in my experience referenced below. In the hospitality industry, such statements are easily viewed inhospitably by the patron who just utilized disposable income to dine at the restaurant in question. Even more so, when such a comment is made to a patron who is also a physician, and has directly seen out of pocket patient expenses increase year over year due to increasing deductibles, premia, et cetera, it does turn a potentially delightful evening out into a sadly unnecessary political debate. So...... if you can’t with your current menu structure support a professional staff: raise prices. Give patrons the blue pill. They will decide whether to return based upon quality : price ratio. Sadly, in this instance, a sizable and well earned gratuity was downgraded to offset the frustration of the above.

Beautiful space, fantastic staff, house made everything (including butter). Great experience & highly recommended

Fantastic food and exceptional service ! Server was extremely knowledgeable and had wonderful recommendations. Also very good wine selection

Had a dinner for six celebrating milestone birthday. terrific service ambiance. food very good but salad uneventful. Noise level was quiet but we caught a Saturday during holiday weekend (everyone at the lake)

I don't know the reason why you change to family style Italian on Sunday... but it is about Buca's level. I value Monello to be higher level than Buca. Service was awful - short staff, slow service. We did not get what we ordered. Very disappointing.

We’ve been to Monello a few times when we have tickets to MN Opera. We like the valet service and their weekend brunch but we were disappointed with their pre-performance evening meal. Portion size for the main entree was tiny and the waiter seemed rushed and stressed, even though our reservations were 2 hrs 15 minutes before the performance. We were told that the whole table had to either order ale carte or pre-performance meal, which we didn’t like.

This is our second visit in less than a year. One is always concerned that, returning to a great restaurant, we will be disappointed. We were not. Service was congenial, thorough and helpful. Food was excellent and plentiful portions. Drinks (Manhattans) and wine were very good with the Manhattans being, perhaps, the best I have ever had.

We visited on Sunday evening when the restaurant is a "pop-up" Italian restaurant featuring traditional cuisine different from Monello's usual fare.

We will be back.

Sunday brunch has one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten.

Wonderful food and excellent service...friendly, timely, and perfect!

Great experience. Our server,Alex, explained everything. We got the wine pairings and he deacribed them perfectly. We will visit again.

We had dinner before going to the Pacer event. The food was delicious, would highly recommend going .
We were very impressed with the Italian wines as well.!

Food was delicious , but overpriced and service was slow.

Dined early before going to the Orpheum for a show, so it was not busy and quiet. Service was excellent, the server very attentive and knowledgeable. They do offer an interesting chef’s menu, however we decided just to order off the menu. The food was creative and tasty. Overall, an excellent dining experience, although a little pricey.

Curious for a long time about this place, we decided to try the pre-concert menu before our Saturday night concert at Orchestra Hall. We made note of our schedule when we made the reservation, and again when we arrived for our 6 pm reservation. Rather than order the 3-course pris fixe menu, we ordered less: the grilled octopus first course and a pasta course.

The unfiltered prosecco recommended by the server was unusual but excellent. A gougere amuse bouche was a nice touch and made us eager to continue with our meal. The focaccia was excellent, light and flavorful. The grilled octopus was just right, the paprika-laced sauce and (dare I say) Nordic-style cucumbers contrasting nicely with the octopus. With some help from the server, we each ordered a glass of red wine to accompany the pasta: a cabernet franc for the gnocchi with lamb and a nebbiolo for the torch with rabbit - both excellent.

Then we waited.

We had reminded our server of our schedule when he delivered the wine, and he assured us our food would arrive soon. At 7:30 we decided that we did not care to have to wolf down our food in order to dash for the concert, and just as we started to get up to leave, our food was delivered. Too late.

I didn't mind paying for what we had consumed, because it was all excellent. We'll probably return when we have no impending schedule to finish our meal and use the gift card we received from the manager. But I certainly have to admit that our enthusiasm about Monello has dimmed. The cookie we ate at Orchestra Hall was not the dinner we had anticipated.

It was a great choice for a yummy dinner and nice glass of wine before a concert at Orchestra Hall. Service is especially good, attentive and informed, but not overbearing or obtrusive.

The cuisine is marvelous, interesting and delicious. Service from all staff was wonderful. The venue is attractive, though tables are quite small. The only drawback (if you consider it that) is that portions are teeny. That may make them more delectable, but if you have a large appetite, best to go elsewhere.

Food was fantastic and the service was excellent

Alex, was an excellent server making sure our needs were met through every course. It was a truly unique experience with the staff and food exceeding our expectations. The courses were portioned perfectly as well. Would recommend to anyone and we will be back.

Great service and food.

Loved the option of small or large portions of pasta! Delicious dinner!

Second time here and it was not as bad as the first time but not great. On Sunday the food is served family style and it’s grossly overpriced for what you get. I will not be back. There are many amazing restaurants in Minneapolis. Skip this one!

We have been 4x to your Sunday night dinner. We usually bring a group of 6-8 friends. Each time has been great!