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.
Appetizers & Pasta are delicious. We had the Burrata, & Ravioli - super yummy.
Market fish & seafood was just ok. The service is great, & the atmosphere fun & rich like the neighbourhood.
Excellent restaurant! Delicious food & generous portions. The service was very good, & the place is cozy & well located. We went twice during our vacation in Montreal. We loved it & highly recommend it. The only suggestion for improvement would be to offer more meat-based dishes, such as steak with pasta, for example.
3 févr. 2026
sur Google
🍽️
Sachez où manger à Montréal avant tout le monde.
Découvrez en primeur les ouvertures les plus branchées, des menus secrets et les coups de cœur de RestoMontreal.ca. Rejoignez plus de 50 000 foodies.
First time in Montreal & came across this Italian restaurant, they allowed us to walk-in & gave us window seats. Unfortunately we had to split our group into two. Pasta (I had the Gnocchi Bolognese) was great, saucy & a good portion size. I was stuffed. There were a variety of appetizers, we order Calamari & Tuna Crudo, both fresh & enjoyable. I would recommend this place & hopefully come again whenever I visit Montreal.
The restaurant is nice but the food is TERRIBLE & overpriced for what you get. 1000% tourist trap. Anyone on here taking about it being as good as pasta in Italy is lying. Also the waitress was super bizarre. They also never answer their phone. Skip it. We went to Garage Beirut - HUGE DIFFERENCE. Skip this place & go there instead.
Edit response to the owner: I was being restrained in my original review. To be specific: our server ignored us for long stretches, took an unusually long time to take our order, made no effort to engage, & was unhelpful when we asked basic questions about the menu. That is not standard or acceptable service, which is why I described the experience as bizarre.
What's more concerning is the defensiveness in your response. When a customer shares a negative experience, professionalism looks like curiosity & accountability, not dismissal. Suggesting that a bad review must be dishonest simply because others enjoyed their visit says more about how feedback is handled than about the feedback itself.
I had a poor experience & shared it. Readers can draw their own conclusions.
I visited this local pasta restaurant as a walk-in & was seated at the bar, which was much appreciated as a solo traveler. Not needing a reservation & still being accommodated made the experience feel welcoming & relaxed.
The food was absolutely delicious, with very generous portions, I left feeling extremely satisfied. The service was attentive & friendly throughout. A great spot with excellent pasta & a comfortable atmosphere, I would definitely recommend it to groups & solo travelers alike.
Enjoyed their lunch menu on our first day in the city. The spaghettini pomodoro was incredible while my partner had the pesto pasta. Food was great, vibes were high. Will definitely visit again!
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
You HAVE TO eat here! The vibe & space is immaculate & the food/wine is even better!
They can also make most of there pasta dishes vegetarian if you ask!
13 nov. 2025
sur Google
🍽️
Sachez où manger à Montréal avant tout le monde.
Découvrez en primeur les ouvertures les plus branchées, des menus secrets et les coups de cœur de RestoMontreal.ca. Rejoignez plus de 50 000 foodies.
What an incredible dining experience! The moment we walked in, we felt transported straight to Italy, warm atmosphere, welcoming staff, & the smell of fresh pasta & herbs in the air. Every dish was beautifully prepared & full of authentic flavours.
The service was attentive & kind without being intrusive, & we truly felt taken care of. Whether you're looking for a romantic evening, a dinner with friends, or a family meal, this place is a gem. Highly recommended, i'll definitely be back!
Some of the food was okay, some was good, & some was problematic. The seafood pasta had only a single flavour, which was extreme amounts of salt. They took it back, to send it out again, this time it was not more flavourful, simply cut with what tastes like more cream & high amounts of black pepper. It's one of their more expensive main dishes & it's hard to understand how no one is tasting before sending out plates. They offered the first dish for free & offered a replacement free of charge, but as a dining experience it was underwhelming & disappointing.
On the positive side, the waitress was extremely friendly & understanding.
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.
Great food, service & atmosphere. Have been looking for a quaint little Italian restaurant with great tasting pasta...I've now found it...salad was amazing, watermelon & candied walnuts, eggplant was very tasty..& the tortellini was cooked perfectly & busting with flavor...we sat at the bar as it was a full house... now I know why...ill be back for sure...highly recommend.
28 sept. 2025
sur Google
🍽️
Sachez où manger à Montréal avant tout le monde.
Découvrez en primeur les ouvertures les plus branchées, des menus secrets et les coups de cœur de RestoMontreal.ca. Rejoignez plus de 50 000 foodies.
Nothing special. I've been here 2 times & it's always the same, overpriced mediocre pasta & unimpressive appetizers. The only thing that was good was the fried calamari & the focaccia. I wouldn't come back just to get those 2 things, it's not worth it.
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.
