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Absolutely Mario
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for Absolutely Mario
24 reviews in English
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Review from Deb B.
Suffolk County, NY
12/9/2011
Absolutely Fantastic!
The atmosphere grabs you as walk through the rustic entrance which leads you to the hostess stand and a full size bar. You're greeted with smiles and gestures to make you feel like a long awaited relative.
Tables are set in elegant style and the room is warm and inviting. There is a fireplace in the back, which set the mood for our office gathering.
The owner, Mario, accommodated every request and his staff satisfied every need.
The menu is varied and the food was off the charts! Something for everyone. We started with appetizers of fried calamari, eggplant rolotini and baked clams. Our individual meals ranged from salmon, filet Mignon, veal, chicken and pasta dishes. At one point, our party of 14 was quiet for a good full minute as we all savored our meals.
Cappuccinos, espressos and traditional Italian desserts were served to stuffed bellies.
Reservations recommended, especially on weekends! Prices are perfect for the exceptional service and portions.
This is a great place for lunch or dinner. The seating is arranged in a roomy way so youi can have a private conversation among 2 or 4. Bigger parties have the ability to be in other areas of the restaurant so as not disturb other diners. It is so well thoght out.
Bring a date or a colleague. Have a business meeting or a family dinner. Watch the game and have a bite at the bar. Whatever your need - Mario and his staff will take great care of you!
I absolutely recommend it! -
Review from Matt M.
Smithtown, NY
4/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
Absolute was a good experience, wonderful service, great brick decor, but the problem I had was the menu and its choices. Nothing really popped up at me. i was told that they can make anything they want, great, but when i wanted to make an alteration to their special, they said they can't. So under pressure I ordered veal with slices of soppressata on top. I love soppressata, but with veal, it tasted kinda weird. She had this chicken dish with brown sauce. She said it was good, but not a fan of brown sauce so I cant comment. I want to like absolutely because everyone was so nice, i just have to make a better menu choice next time
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Review from Julie B.
5/21/2011
After a great and memorable dinner at Absolutely Mario a few years ago, I decided to host my graduation party there last weekend. I had remembered loving both the feel and the food of the restaurant and thought it would be the perfect place for my Italian family.
When my Mom made the reservation they were incredibly accommodating and helpful. They made great suggestions, offered price deals, and were patient with our constantly changing number of guests. We were seated at a long table in our own section of the restaurant and had a few servers to ourselves. They were extremely attentive, entertaining (I think one of our servers was stand up comedian!) and friendly from start to finish.
We ended up ordering passed appetizers for the table (baked clams, mussels in red and white sauce, eggplant rollatini, cold antipasto salad, and fried calamari), everyone had a penne a la vodka course, and then a meat course (choice of chicken melensano, veal marsala and breaded tilapia). The food was all amazing and the portions were huge. I was full after the appetizers but couldn't resist the next two courses -- I'm happy to say I came home with some leftovers. I also had some chardonnay and a french and watermelon martini during dinner which were both so delicious.
It was really a perfect dinner and I would suggest anyone looking to host a larger party to go to Absolutely Mario. The food and service will blow you away.Listed in: Top Restaurants - New York
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Review from Jenny S.
Nassau, NY
11/1/2011
Good food, ok atmosphere... a bit pricey!
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Review from Jazmin M.
Manhattan, NY
11/3/2011
Absolutely Mario doesn't even try to get it right. Shabby decor, including last year's Christmas decorations, old & yellowed window dressings over dirty windows, worn rug, unpolished floors...But I will say this...THE BATHROOM WAS SPOTLESS, hence the 2nd. star.
Miserly salad, drenched in dressing, (what kind? don't know, we didn't get a choice,) served on an oversized main course dish. We were given 3 choices for our prefixe luncheon so I chose the rigatoni. It was al dente, (good,) drenched in sauce, (not good,) with a few tough, beef jerky texture-like pieces of prosciutto?! Is this supposed to be prosciutto or buffalo hide, or maybe it's a piece of a twizzler?! (not good at all!) Flavorless cake for dessert and weak coffee to round out a truly miserable meal. The waiters attempted to serve with some finess but that quickly disappeared when they brought our drinks and yelled, "Coke, who had the coke, & the the white wine anybody order a white wine?" 5 star reviews here have never experienced Franina in Syosset. THAT'S a truly 5 star restaurant. But this place?! Absolutely NEVER eating here again! -
Review from Lisa C.
Ashburn, VA
8/17/2011
Wonderful experience and just what this road weary road-tripper needed. Impeccable service... The best I've had at ANY restaurant. They were warm, welcoming, and treated us like family (the kind of good family that actually likes you). I was able to get whole wheat penne with lots of veggies and even beans in a scrumptious sauce. Our waiter was tops! The accordion player was awesome... So friendly. I wish I could transport this restaurant home with me!! We're here for 3 nights... We might have to come back again for dinner before we leave!
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Review from Franco C.
5/21/2007
ABSOLUTELY!!
Being Italian I do not usually go out for Italian - but this place blew me away.
Mario is a hoot- there is a whole story behind the "absolutely" part - ask at your peril.
The food is fabulous. I can sit here and tell you all about this or that dish - but just go and try it (especially the warm spinach salad).
Nice wine list. Fantastic servers. Great company. What else could you need??Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Sarah G.
Somerville, MA
2/19/2008
My fiance and I often get annoyed by the lack of good restaurants near my Mom's house on Long Island, so we weren't very hopeful about Absolutely Mario. If you think that there's no way an Italian restaurant on a tiny lot behind a White Castle on 110 in Farmingdale can be good, you're like I was on Saturday afternoon - completely wrong. Absolutely Mario was amazing - really really good food and great atmosphere and service.
Aside from the food being outstanding - pink sauce was complex and not overbearingly rich and had celery in it! veal got rave reviews from the table as well - they will make anything you want. We got a side of escarole, a carafe of house chianti, and shrimp francese, and none of these things are on the menu! I don't think the servers are allowed to say the word "no." Mario himself is hysterical - I'd never been kissed by a restaurant owner I'd just met, but there's a first time for everything. We're definitely becoming regulars on our trips to NY. -
Review from A M.
Melville, NY
3/6/2011
Service very good very friendly.
Food was just good . Nothing special.
My husband loved his soup.
Setting pulls overall rating down.
Ski lodge like, pubby, really needs a facelift.
Better for business than date. -
Review from Walter M.
Bay Shore, NY
3/25/2012
Maybe I am becoming overly cynical, but my recent dinner at Absolutely Mario was more of the same. Another mid priced mediocre Italian restaurant that promises way more than it delivers. We play by the rules. We made a reservation for 7:00 Saturday night on Tuesday, showed up at 7:00, and were rewarded with Absolutely the worst table in the place. We actually had a pole by our table, kind of like a fifth diner. I did not go for one minute without being hit by a waiter or busboy trying to maneuver behind me. Absolutely uncomfortable. Food was fine, no complaints. But, after our appetizers were cleared away we were forgotten. The waiter disappeared from sight. Tables all around were getting fed but we were abandoned. Finally, in desperation, Absolutely Mario himself was called upon to rectify the situation. Shortly thereafter we were served. Mostly served I should say. Missing silverware and sides only added to our sense of abandonment. It was so bad that my friend said Absolutely never again. At that point we were sitting over two hours so we decided not to stay for dessert and coffee. Did Mario come over and say some words of apology? Absolutely not. Three stars for the food - none for the total experience.
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Review from Paul D.
3/9/2010
Mario must have been off saving Princess Toadstool as he wasn't there when my wife and I ate here. Though it's good to see him go from Italian plumber, to hero, to restauranteur.
I can barely express how good this dinner was. I usually make a mistake at Italian restaurants of ordering something new or weird because I don't want to be boring and get an old standby. This usually backfires and I get something I hate. I followed by trend at Absolutely Mario's by ordering the special, which was veal stuffed with chicken stuffed with cheese, covered in a mushroom gravy. It sounded delicious, yet I feared my "order something new curse" would continue.
It didn't. I was extremely sad when full, because I had only gotten halfway through my delicious dinner. I shouldn't have wrapped it up. I hate to waste food, but it wasn't nearly as good heated up at home. I can't wait til we go here again so I can take my next adventure with Mario.(Of the food variety. Not the fireball throwing, jumping on badguys, coin collecting kind.) -
Review from Jasmine S.
Amityville, NY
6/8/2010
Went here with a friend for dinner after reading great reviews on Yelp. He's an out of towner and wanted some authentic Italian food. We had gone to a crappy trendy pseudo Italian restaurant in the city the previous day and neither of us were thrilled so it was up to Absolutely Mario to save my friend's image of NY Italian food. Did he do it? Absolutely!
We went early on a Friday evening there were some people in there but it wasn't too crowded. We were asked for our preference of seating and got a nice booth. The bread came out and was great (we both love bread, and actually ate 2 baskets of it!). We didn't order appetizers so it took awhile for our food to come out. I had the salmon with capers which was amazing. Good sized portion enough for lunch the next day and came with potatoes and veggies on a plate on the side. He got a seafood pasta dish with shrimp and I think scallops which was absolutely delicious (I'm ordering it the next time I go).
We were stuffed but I told him we had to get dessert so we split the Tiramisu which again was great, not too heavy, not too soggy. We ended up spending about $60 well worth it. And Mario came out and greeted us, and yes he had his sign. -
Review from Adam S.
Long Beach, NY
9/12/2008
Very niceeeeee. I like. Ma name is Mario. Oh you want some sausage made from goat? ABSOLUTELY!!!!
There is a lot of shtickola that goes into Mario but that is certainly part of his appeal. Only I wish he would just say absolutely instead of flashing a sign at you that literally has the word written on it. My parents are regulars here, and by association I'm a mild regular going once every 3 months or so. Mario and I are super tight.
The prices are great. The food is all good. Ambience lovely. Some odd platform tables that limit comfort room. Poor construction will not be taken into consideration for star award. I think it was from the previous owner as this place is only a few years old.
They really will give you anything you want that they can or do their damndest. That's all. Everything good. Got super sick after eating a bunch of mussels and other things one night like food poisoning but my family seemed to eat all the same things so I suppose it was just a stomach virus. Oh, and there is an accordian player and some other stuff I think. Accordians + bored kids = often cute. -
Review from Andrew S.
North White Plains, NY
7/14/2010
I was looking forward to eating here based on the reviews and was actually a bit disappointed! I am from out of town and was meeting a few friends there. We ordered the special appetizer which was fresh mozzarella and Tomato, they brought over 3 tiny tiny pieces of each for all of us (each one of us got 1 little piece) and charged $12 for it which I thought was outrageous. The service was just fair and the main course I ordered, the Tuna Steak was dry and not much flavor.
We also encountered a bizarre experience while my friend was drinking water the stem of her glass just shattered midair, I have never seen anything like it. She quickly tried to dry herself off and we called the manager over to alert her to the situation, she had the audacity of joking that maybe she was too drunk and broke the glass?!?! I assumed they would provide a free appetizer or entree because of the mishap but no such offer. Also, I felt the entrees and appetizers were a bit overpriced. -
Review from Kimberly F.
Brooklyn, NY
3/24/2008 2 photos
SIMPLY AMAZING! a friend of mine had her Bridal Shower here, and after reading all the yelp reviews i was looking froward to it. And this place blew me away!
The food is fresh and fantastic. The people are friendly and super helpful!If your looking for good food look no further than Mario! -
Review from Michelle F.
Rockville Centre, NY
4/29/2010
Double thumbs up for the tortelloni: one stuffed with veal, the other with tomato and cheese. The tomato sauce was very light and tasted like it had been made fresh. MMMM.
The service is what pushed me to the fifth star here. The waiter served us out our portions of the antipasto from the plate, making sure we each got a little of each thing; they were attentive without being intrusive; and they let us linger after our dinner for a while. They spoke with italian accents and were politely flirty, which pleased us as two women in our mid-thirties. We ended up being the last ones to leave, and we didn't feel one evil eye upon us.
All in with an app, two dinners, two glasses of wine, and dessert was about $80. Oh, and try the tirimisu, you won't be disappointed. -
Review from Andrew W.
Somerville, MA
7/12/2010
I went here with my girlfriend on a Saturday evening. The restaurant opens at 4 pm on Saturday and we arrived at 5 pm and was immediately seated by Mario, who was standing at the door waiting to seat people. The restaurant has a very good and well populated waiter staff too.
I had the one of the specials, ravioli with shrimp and the girlfriend had the chicken parm. Both dishes were very large! We both took our left-overs home and treated them as big snacks to a meal latter.
For the price, great service, and great food, I highly recommend this place. I am tempted to give it five stars but there are many many Italian places on Long Island and this place didn't blow me out the water. That being said, if you are in the Farmingdale area, go to Absolutely Mario -
Review from John A.
Suffolk County, NY
11/4/2011
Absolutely disappointed.....after reading all of the glowing reviews, I went to Absolutely Mario's on a Sunday late afternoon anticipating an exceptional dining experience. Unfortunately, that did not occur. My group of 4 had reservations and we were promptly seated....to the right of the fireplace at a table that was one foot from the emergency exit door, effectively blocking the door. The room wasn't crowded at this point, in fact there was only one other table of diners in the room at this time.
Our waiter was very personable and reasonably attentive to our needs during the time that we were there....attentive but not exceptional service as other reviewers have indicated. A bowl of flatbreads and Italian bread were brought to the table. The Italian bread was nothing special...in fact it reminded me of the Italian bread that is sold in the grocery store, in an orange and green wrapper, for less than a dollar a loaf. I use this bread to make my garlic bread not to serve as an offering in a bread bowl. Also, we had single serve portions of butter to spread on the bread. I thought that at the least there would be herb seasoned olive oil available for bread dipping.
We ordered appetizers to share at our table; fried calamari (bland batter that needs seasoning), coconut shrimp (one of the specials...unfortunately it was very greasy from the fryer), and eggplant rollatini (perfectly cooked eggplant in a very tasty red sauce...an excellent dish).
I ordered one of the specials: Chicken Sinatra. It was described as two chicken breasts covered with fire roasted sweet red peppers, prosciutto, and melted mozzarella in a Chardonnay reduction sauce. The sides were roasted potatoes and vegetables. Well, the two chicken breasts were actually one breast cut in half; hence "two chicken breasts". The fire roasted sweet red peppers tasted like they came out of a jar, there was a single slice of prosciutto on top of the red peppers and mozzarella cheese was place on top of the prosciutto. It appeared that after the items were layered on the chicken, it was all put in a microwave to melt the cheese. No browning or carmelizing of the cheese from being placed under a broiler, and the chicken and prosciutto were limp and had a boiled look and taste to them... probably from the microwaving. The roasted potatoes were tasty. The vegetables were steamed cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots. My wife ordered the chicken scarpariello and she said it was very tasty. However, it was missing the onions that we're supposed to be included in the preparation, as indicated on the menu. The other couple in our group ordered the chicken parmigiana and veal sorrento special and both said that they enjoyed their dinners. I guess the lesson learned from my experience is....stick with the traditional red-sauce dishes...it seems that they are what Mario does best as indicated by other reviewers. For me, this was not a positive experience and definitely not worth the 45 minute drive it took me to get there from north-central Suffolk county. -
Review from A L.
Seaford, NY
11/18/2011
Went here the day after the hurricane in NY and it probably wasnt the greatest idea to order a seafood dish, but overall it was decent, but defenitely has the ambiance of a German restaraunt and not and Italian restaraunt. My family overall thought their food was ok, i really didnt care for my seafood risotto and thought the risotto was under done and the seafood seemed like it had passed.
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Review from Chad T.
8/7/2008
If you find yourself out on Long Island with people who won't go to "Four Food Studio", Marios is a fantastic alternative. Atmosphere is decent for a business meeting, and the food is great. -1 for somewhat (not terribly) inattentive waitstaff, but worth it for the food.
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Review from Stephanie S.
Amityville, NY
9/19/2010
I love this place. It's rare to find a restaurant of this high quality in farmingdale... The atmosphere was amazing.. The waiters and Mario were extremely helpfully and nice.. And the food was great
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Review from allison H.
Farmingdale, NY
1/23/2011
We had heard nothing but great things about this place so we decided to try it. We had reservations for a Sat night. Had to wait 15 mins to get seated then when seated were not given menus. We waited another 10 mins for menus and for someone to take our drink order. We were put at a table that was added to the room and was put right next to the bus station. We were knocked into all night long. Food was ok but we never received the veggies. I will never return because of the rude owner and the terrible service.
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Review from Chris W.
Massapequa Park, NY
1/27/2011
This is absolutely the greatest Italian food on earth! I wish I could eat there every day
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Review from Jillian L.
Suffolk, NY
11/21/2009
This place is in a odd location. It was delicious. Surprisingly. Its next to a White Castle off 110. Me and my mother went and we loved it. The fried Mozzarella was delish! We also had Chicken Montaverde, Chicken Franchese. Both were absolutely delicious. Steaming hot and fresh! We both had a side of pasta. We were stuffed but had to try dessert. We got the raspberry cheesecake. I cannot say enough about the amazing staff. They checked on us a million times. We never had an empty glass. Im an in utter shock and cannot wait to go back!
