Looking for some Italian comfort food worthy of a nonna’s home cooking? Marcella is a charming new Italian diner in Old Montreal at the corner of Saint Francois Xavier and Saint Paul streets. Open every day for lunch and dinner, locals and tourists can enjoy Italian-style pasta, such as the classic carbonara dish, in a cozy atmosphere.
Les critiques décrivent Dinette Marcella comme un endroit italien chaleureux et intime dans le Vieux-Montréal, avec une ambiance cosy, un décor charmant et un personnel attentionné; beaucoup louent des pâtes fraîches savoureuses comme les tortellinis, les gnocchis et les raviolis, ainsi que les entrées populaires comme la bruschetta et les arancinis et une bonne sélection de cocktails et de vins. Plusieurs convives remarquent des plats bien équilibrés et savoureux, notamment la carbonara, la burrata, les polpettes et les plats de fruits de mer, tandis que certains mentionnent des déceptions occasionnelles lorsque des plats manquent de cuisson, d’assaisonnement ou ne sont pas assez chauds. L’expérience globale est souvent jugée à la hauteur du prix, avec un service constant et une ambiance animée, bien que certaines soirées soient bruyantes et que quelques clients souhaitent une acoustique plus calme et un service plus fluide entre les plats. En somme, Dinette Marcella se distingue par des saveurs italiennes authentiques, une atmosphère chaleureuse et une hospitalité fiable, invitant des visites répétées pour les dîners en tête-à-tête, les fêtes et les repas décontractés.
On a adoré la burrata en entrée & le plat de pâtes au boeuf braisé en repas principal. Par contre, le carbonara était composé seulement des jaunes d'oeufs complètement cru & de pancetta. Pas de parmesan ni d'eau de cuisson pour faire la belle sauce traditionnelle carbonara, donc on a été malade :(
4 mai 2026
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Very charming restaurant with great decor. Service was good. I had the carbonara & my wife had one of the specials which was a cacio e pepe dish. Unfortunately, the cacio e pepe was inedible as it was extremely salty. The Carbonara looked beautiful, but ended up being a bit underwhelming on taste.
Another note is to balance out the portion sizes. My carbonara was more than enough, but the cacio e pepe was way too little.
Overall, I believe this is a great spot, but the dishes weren't to our likeing.
C'est notre restaurant préférée pour touyes les occasions à célébrer 😍
Nous avons pris comme entrée la burrata & tomates en plat la carbonara & en dessert le tiramisu à partager !
On s'est régalé !
Came here for lunch & was in a bit of a rush. The waitress took our order promptly & we had asked for everything to come out as it's cooked so we didn't waste time.
I swear we ate within 15mins of seating, the food was so fresh, delicious & well prepared.
The app we ordered was the calamari, which I feel is always a good option, not too heavy & not too oily.
We ordered the rosé tortellini stuffed with Italian sausage & ricotta, which I believe has a slice of smoked caciocavallo on the top as a garnish, a tasty combination for sure! My fav dish, would come back just for this.
The other main we ordered was the carbonara, added some freshly grated Parmesan on top & it was perfect, maybe a bit too much on our end haha but always a great dish.
Lastly was the tiramisu, which we saw was prepared on a massive sheet pan & divided up for guests. This one in particular, had chocolate chips on top which I've never had, wasn't too bad but could do without haha.
We came here during the week around lunch & it was not busy, definitely nice if you're visiting or have a day off.
Great food & staff. We were very lucky & got in without a reservation but it is very busy so make sure you book! We had the Torellini alla Ricotta & the Carbonara & both were really good. We also had the Tiramisu for dessert which was very good & a large portion!
7 mars 2026
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Bel ambiance, belle deco. Très bon service
On a mangé les bruschettas, & les arancinis … excellents. Les pâtes carbonara, manquait de chaleur & très collantes . Nous y retournons
November 2025: really enjoyed my seafood pasta with bisque sauce, tiramisu was better than last time & same large portion, efficient service, my cocktail was nice as well. My colleagues really liked their food & drink too.
December 2024: Decor & music were nice for the holidays.
Calamari was basic for the price, just lightly battered with marinara sauce on the side.
Pasta with ragu was pretty good, nice blend of ingredients, might have needed a little more salt. My colleagues enjoyed their carbonara & tortellini.
Tiramisu was a good portion & nice presentation but nothing special aside from that. Pistachio cheesecake was delicious, great texture, more Basque style. The ciambelle were good.
The martini with the espresso, chocolate, & pumpkin purée worked well, definitely recommend. My colleague enjoyed her bitter cola mocktail.
Service was pretty efficient & polite
16 nov. 2025
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Staff were very kind & attentive, from the hostess seating us to our server to the cheese grating guy, we felt very taken care of. Ambience & vibes were all good. Music was good. Even though the place was packed we didn't feel crammed in.
Food wise, everything we ate was delicious! Calamari was the best we've had - not the crunchiest but still crunchy, best part was how well the squid itself was cooked! The red sauce dip accompanying it was steaming fresh & tasted good as well.
I was recommended the daily special of the wheel pasta with braised beef, & that hit the spot! Did not shy off with the beef & everything was super tasty. My fiancée had the carbonara & she said it was a 10/10. Canolli's for dessert was the perfect way to end the meal.
Solid restaurant, but it was the most expensive meal we had in Montréal & the food was just average. I ordered the Trippolino Fruite De Mar & my wife has the Carbonara Di Spaghetti. Both lacked the flavor i would expect & the calamari in mine was a little chewy. Atmosphere was impacted by road construction outside. We were seated near a window on the side of the restaurant near the construction even though there were many other open tables.
The restaurant was charming with an airy feeling. We started our meal with the eggplant Parmesan which was cooked well & had a delicious sauce. For mains, we ordered the pesto pasta & spaghetti carbonara. Both dishes were excellent. Finished off with pistachio cheesecake which I highly recommend. Good service & great evening
Music is way too loud. Some dishes are very good, som like carbonara should not be on menu at all. It wasn't a carbonara as people usually know it. Just dry pasta with egg & cheese.
Le restaurant est vraiment joli, esprit Lounge. Les cocktails étaient très bons (notamment le Negroni !) & les Carbonara délicieuses !
Merci à Frédéric pour son accueil, allez y les yeux fermés
We've ordered steak & carbonara pasta. The steak was too salty & hard, pasta was good. Please be aware that the waiter will put 18% of the tips into the cheque automatically - we love to support customer service, but that gesture changed the impression from the restaurant in a bad way. The place itself is pretty, but too noisy.
What a fun place to have a great dinner! In addition to the yummy food & cocktails, loved the mid-70s soundtrack playing & the comfy bistro vibe. Things to note - cavatappi pesto, carbonara, meatballs, focaccia bread.
Absolutely outstanding in every way. The pasta Carbonara was right up there with the best I've ever eaten. The cocktails were also simply superb, as were the atmosphere & service.
Absolument exceptionnel à tous points de vue. Les pâtes carbonara étaient parmi les meilleures que j'aie jamais mangées. Les cocktails étaient tout simplement superbes, tout comme l'ambiance & le service.
