Tucked away on one of downtown’s quieter streets, La Marinara has subtlety down to an art. Warm colours and soft light, potted plants and flickering candles create a soothing, unassuming atmosphere. Music plays low and ambient, setting the tone but never intruding on the conversation. For this reason, La Marinara is best suited for romantic dinners or quiet business lunches. Designed in the style of the French bistro, it specializes in Italian pasta dishes. Primavera, bolognese, alfredo, carbonara, amatriciana: the usual suspects are present in all sorts of savoury permutations.
If you’re looking for veal, there may be no restaurant in the city better suited to your needs. Why not try the breaded veal, or bring crispy and cream together in sonorous harmony with the veal parmigiana. Did we mention the veal with lemon?
La Marinara earns widespread praise for authentic Italian cooking, homemade pasta that many describe as among the best, and a warm, intimate, unpretentious dining room. Reviews highlight friendly, attentive service from a family-run team and a cozy atmosphere that feels welcoming rather than formal. Dishes like gnocchi, fettuccine and veal marsala are repeatedly praised, with tiramisu and Caesar salad noted as standout desserts, while some nights offer generous portions and others feature smaller servings for certain items. Occasional drawbacks include a very salty soup, a carbonara with too much cream cheese, and high wine prices, but these are not universal. Overall, La Marinara is seen as a dependable downtown option that delivers comforting, well-executed Italian flavors and a consistently positive experience that keeps locals and visitors returning.
A professionally run restaurant fully organized & totally catered to the majority hockey fan patrons. Food is good enough & never disappoints but it is not gourmet. Again the majority of the patrons are there to get fed well with efficient professional service & they do it exceptionally well. You can be in & out in 1 hour enjoying a 3 course meal .. at a reasonable cost. It is our go to resto on hockey nites
What a let down. Took my girlfriend here for a night out & dinner, & wow have I never felt more ignored as a paying customer. Granted it was busy, however they seated us on the very side of the restaurant & I guess also gave us an invisibility cloak? Nobody came to check up on us. We had to find the waiter/tress to get simply a water refill, & nobody came to take our order. I guess we were the lucky table that didn’t get complementary bread either! Ended up walking out. Take our money elsewhere!
Oct 22, 2023
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Nous avons particulièrement apprécié le fait que nous étions (malheureusement) pressé avec un événement au centre Bell & que l'expérience a été hyper positive! Service courtois & impeccable, excellent repas, belle ambiance!
Came here for lunch & ordered the penne a l'Arrabiata. The pasta was perfectly cooked, the sauce was great & the spice level was right on the spot, hot but not too much. Service was quick & efficient. On the minus side, it was a bit too pricey for my budget, & this will limit me to come back here for lunch.
Great Italian food, the vongole is the best I've ever had. Service is quick & attentive; the bistro-cafe genuinely leaves one with a true European dining experience.
Love this place - I go there every time I'm in MTL after having discovered it by chance a few years ago. Great food - great atmosphere - outstanding service. Reminds me of when I lived in Paris - you don't even need to make eye contact with the waiters & they seem to intuitively know what you need. I also really enjoy the atmosphere - nothing like the trendy new places in town where young staff run around like chickens with their heads cut off - sommeliers barely having time to make suggestions before running off to another table.
This place is packed with extensive experience restaurant experience - & it shows. Check 'em out - you'll be back unless you're looking for the latest trendy spot to take a selfie & post it on Instagram ...
Sep 30, 2023
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