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Categories: Italian, Tapas Bars, Wine Bars
Neighborhood: Short NorthMon-Thu. 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 4:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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I've been to Marcella's four times now, the first being a few weekends right after it opened. That was by far the worst experience of the bunch...we had to wait nearly an hour for a table even though we had a reservation! That being said, since then, we haven't had any problems getting seated so I chalk that initial experience up to growing pains. My most recent visit was this past Saturday night after Comfest. They seated a large group of us at about 11:30 p.m. without complaint. I believe the kitchen may have been open late that night due to Comfest.
As for the food, I think it is pretty average to be honest. I've tried their risotto, pizza, gnocchi, and a few other dishes as well and haven't been blown away by anything to date. My favorite thing to order is the bruschetta appetizer. Compared to some of the other Cameron Mitchell restaurants such as M and Cap City (both of which I very much enjoy), I find Marcella's to be just another good (but not great) Italian restaurant.
Wow, what a disappointment!!!
I always adjust my expectations when dining in Columbus, but after reading the great reviews, (a few even from Bay Area Yelpers) I was expecting more...
We had dinner with a friend here, who had enjoyed his food on previous visits.
Our friend recommended the zucchini chips...Yuck, maybe if they hadn't been soaked in grease they would have been better...Seriously, though, there is a proper way to fry things so they don't end up leaving the plate looking like an oil spill.
We also shared a margherita pizza...This was actually one of the better things we had here, and after I ended up with a hair in my mouth, (that wasn't mine) it was taken away, and we were brought a fresh one for free.
I had the salmon with carrots, and some kind of greens.
Once again, there was more oil used than needed. The fish was slightly overcooked, and had no flavor at all. It was completely bland.
The carrots and the greens were tasty, and cooked properly.
I did have a very enjoyable drink with strawberries and balsamic, (don't remember what it was called though.)
Now for the service....Wow, it was really awful.
Our server seemed like she was from another planet. When we needed her, she was impossible to find. I actually had to get out of my seat and track her down to tell her about the hair. Surprise, surprise, when i found her, she was chatting with a co-worker.
Waters were kept refilled after requesting a refill at the start of the meal.
Really though, what a total letdown. This meal was a waste of money, and calories.
What a day! I no sooner pulled up to Marcellas when a parking spot opened up, right across the street. How's that for luck!
And I went inside and Happy Hour was in full swing, making most of the food, and a lot of the wine, half price. So I started off with a meatball and an order of sliced onions parmesean. Those onions were great. I'll have to try making them at home. And the meatball was as tender as I've ever had one. I also had a carafe of Reisling. It was half price also.
I was going to order a pizza but I didn't have enough room so I settled for an order of Proscuitto. What a great meal, and my tab before tip was only $12.81.
I forgot to factor in the hour time difference traveling from Chicago to Columbus so we missed the happy hour, but doesn't matter. It was a relatively inexpensive meal and I was satisfied with the meals.
The linguine with clams had a spicy kick to it. But the real sleeper was the veggie pizza. It felt like Larry the Plumber Gambino shot me in the back with a silencer and revived from cardiac arrest. I can't even remember the last time I had pizza this good, maybe it was another life.
If I was living in Columbus, I would go to happy hour for pizza and drinks every week. FYI, happy hour is M-F 4-6pm and half price everything on the menu besides some pasta dishes.
BTW, I came up with the mafia name by typing my name into the name generator at: http://www.quizopolis....
When the Polaris location opened last December, I wanted to wait to go to Marcella's in the Short North first, but I succumbed to the urge and went for lunch. We had worked up a hunger from Christmas shopping and there's nothing like a belly full of pasta and red wine on a frigid day.
The restaurant just opened that week, so it was quiet and the staff was still feeling their way around. The bar is reminiscent of an Italian bistro, but the dining room has a much cozier "rustica" feeling, which we all immediately took to. I also dig the Italian rustic homestyle menu. I'm a big fan of small plates and found the selections were creative and varied. The bruschetta was fabulous- and I don't even like tomatoes! Overall, I got a good vibe and a fantastic bowl full of penne arrabiatta.
A few months later, I still hadn't been to Marcella's in the Short North, but when I went to the Food & Wine Affair, a few of Cameron Mitchell's chefs were featuring tastes of various entrees... of all the fabulous places represented at the event, Marcella's was by far my favorite- hand's down. They had me at Gnocchi con Bolognese! I went back for 3 or 4 servings and shortly after found myself once again having at Marcella's (Polaris) ordering the gnocchi for dinner. The chef even came out to chat after I raved on and on about it.
Gnocchi is a tricky thing and can go either way, which is why I often hesitate to order this as a full entree, but I knew otherwise. Marcella's gnocchi is perfectly cooked and the braised lamb marinara sauce is currently one of my top 2 Italian dishes in Columbus. Over time, I've tasted of several other entrees and ordered a few flatbread pizzas at the bar, all of which were great tasting.
All of my dining experiences have lived up to what my expectation is of Cameron Mitchell restaurants- consistantly good food, creative concepts and solid service. I found our servers and bartenders to be friendly and attentive, despite the place being a total zoo one Friday night. The age group of patrons seem to be mixed depending on the time of day/night. This particular Marcella's strikes me as the sort of place you go to have drinks and dinner in a lively setting, not so much for carousing. I do know they have carry out, because I've ordered several meals to go.
In an area as overloaded with chain restaurants and mall food courts as Polaris is, Marcella's Ristorante is a shining star. I highly recommend lunch and dinner at either locations. Weekends at the Polaris Marcella's can become very crowded, but I've never had much of a wait for lunch- except during this holiday shopping season, but just grab a carafe of wine and sit tight! It's well worth the wait.
Is it alright to describe meat as melt in your mouth, or should that be reserved for candy coated chocolates? Aw heck, who cares - the meatballs here are MELT IN YOUR MOUTH! Simply amazing!
The calamari is a yummy starter too, however I got a fried lemon slice in one bite and kinda wanted to gag.
Oh and to end the meal, splurge - Go for the tiramisu. You won't regret it, I promise.
Overall, I love Marcella's. I love the atmosphere and that it is the plate sharing sort of place. I love that they pour the wine the carafes at the table, and I love that they open all of the glass front and side in the summer. So cute and so yummy!
Can someone tell me why there are so many Italian restaurants in the United States? And why do they vary so widely? On one hand you have the supremely expensive neuvo-Italian type places with 4 items on the menu ranging from cuttlefish to rare mushrooms. On the other hand you have the greasy pizza joints that mysteriously serve not only bad pizza but french fries and grinders too(whatever they are). All classified as Italian restaurants.
Do we as Americans love Italian food that much? What is it, the tomatoes, the cheese? Well, dear reader, let me tell you. I've been to Italy quite a few times. Italians don't love American food as much as we love Italian food. But I digress. Maybe we like to imagine ourselves in a more exotic place like Italy (it's really not that exotic but bear with me). So with that in mind, we put on our finest clothes, meet with our finest friends, and go to a fine dining establishment like Marcella's. And viola! We're instantly transported to that exotic place eating fine Italian cuisine or so we think.
All told, Marcella's falls squarely just above the middle of Italian restaurants being significantly better than Olive Garden, enormously better than Tony's Pizza and Wings, but not better than a truly family-run small place with the Italian-speaking grandma in the back preparing meals from all real ingredients. And obviously nothing will touch actually eating in a small ristorante just off the Piazza di Navonna.
This place looks cool, is crowded, even on a Tuesday, the staff is friendly, and the food is good. But still, it's chain. and you can taste it in the food. it's just not quite as good as you would hope it to be. I sampled a wide-range of the items on the menu, from the cheese, to the anchioves, to the bruschetta and the gelato. All good but not fantastic. Bonus fact: Prices are reasonable.
So prance off to Marcella's, even indulge yourself with valet parking. You'll enjoy but it's not the real deal.
And yes, I'm a snob.
This is a really wonderful little place to eat. It opened 5 months before I moved to Boston and quickly became the place I went when anyone wanted to get some food.
The small plates are wonderful and the rustic feel of the restaurant and the dishes is perfect. I love the open store front during the summer!
The meatball is fantastic, the proscuitto e melone is head over heels fabulous and the pizzas are fantastic too.
I really love tapas style food. Little plates just make me a whole lot happier than a huge chunk of meat with some version of starch and a tiny bit of veggies. The variety of food you can get is fantastic, especially with the amount of money you're spending. Another triumphant Cameron Mitchell endeavor. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: Columbus, be thankful for your restauranteur, he knows what he's doing!!
The best time to go to here is in the summer. My favorite feature of this restaurant are the full windows that extend and open during warm weather.
I recently went here and without the warm air wafting in, it just wasn't the same!
The menu is based on the idea of eating family style, ordering a few things and sharing. This is a common concept but the dishes and portions could be better if you choose to go this route.
Having tried everything from the appetizers to the veal, you are guaranteed to walk away satisfied with the pizzas they have several creations and they are great for sharing along with the fresh salads and sangria.
Let me open by saying that there was not a single dish at Marcella's that I didn't like. And I tried A LOT of dishes.
For my birthday I wanted to go someplace nice. Someplace I could dress up, go out with a few close friends, and have a great experience, not just great food. I found that Marcella's fit that expectation perfectly.
A lot of people on hear complain about the noise or atmosphere of Marcella's. Notice I stated above that I wasn't looking for a quiet place to eat with friends, just nice. Marcella's felt busy even for a Monday night, and yes, there was the din of other people, music, espresso machine, plates being passed around and glasses clinking to toasts being made. But all of that fit in nicely and allowed my group of friends to still be the rambunctious group we've grown up to become. My only complaint about the layout is that for a place where so many different plates of food are ordered and passed around, the table surface area is inadequate.
The waitress and servers were okay. Our water was refilled with haste at every opportune time and were asked if we wanted refills for our Sangria. But that's about where the extended hospitality ended. When food was brought out, plates were just handed off at the end of the table with no effort to find the proper owner. When asked what kind of wine they used in the Sangria, the waitress couldn't produce the name, though did tell us everything else in it. When checks came, items were switched around and she did not split up the Sangria onto two checks like she offered to. But what's money amongst friends during a celebration? These things were the only clouds on an otherwise wonderful night.
I wouldn't say that the food was the best food hands down that I've ever experienced, but everything was good. Unquestionably good. Everything that went into my mouth that night did not need to be mulled over about complexities or intentions. There was no art to the food, but everything was, for lack of any other descriptor, good.
Our party started out with cheese plates (3 for $10 or 5 for $15), meats, small plates ($4 - $6) or appetizers ($6 - $9). The theme of the dinner was set by the massive passing around of plates and forks as each of us tried something new and different. The Prosciutto and Melon is a must, as is the Veal Meatball. When the time came, some of us ordered entrees while others ordered more small plates. I had the Goat's Cheese Ravioli ($12) and was floored by the amount of taste in such a boring looking dish. I tried the lasagna and the gnocchi, both of which were good but I felt I made the right decision.
Desserts are reasonably priced at only $5 each and after dinner coffees at $3. I had the Profiteroles, and the chocolate sauce was thick and rich. A friend enjoyed a Caffe Caramello and commented that the sweet cream was a perfectly executed ending to the drink.
Personal experience may vary, and I'm sure a good part of the night's pleasure stemmed from being surrounded by friends. The small prices on dishes is deceptive, as you'll want to try a few small dishes as well as order an entree, and you certainly can't pass on dessert or at least a coffee. Our table of 6 spent at least $250 on food and drink, but we left with full bellies and a general feeling of satisfaction.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a private and personalized dining experience, this is not the Cameron Mitchell restaurant for you. If you want some place to enjoy the company of friends while sharing seriously good Italian food without sacrificing the quality that you would at a place like Buca di Bepo, than you should come to Marcella's.
If you're in search of a yuppified hotspot to drink wine and oggle at overdressed women in their early 30's, Marcella's will serve as a satisfying end to that quest. If you're looking for a simple, hassle-free Italian dinner, however, you're in the wrong place.
As opposed to Martini, local-hero restauranteur Cameron Mitchell's attempt at more conventional Italian dining, Marcella's feels more like a trendy big-city tapas bar than it does an actual restaurant. The menu consists mostly of small a la carte items like meatballs, pasta dishes, and salads, with the idea being that you and your party go berserk and order everything on the menu to piece together the ultimate smattering of Sicily's finest offerings. Throw in a few bottles of wine and a frantic atmosphere in a busy section of town and you've got yourself the perfect beginning to a night on the town.
With the way the aforementioned menu operates, the blame for assembling an uninspired meal rests squarely on the shoulders of the consumer. The alfredo pasta I ordered on my first visit was firm and creamy, but did not bide well with the meatball I ordered to accompany it. After much deliberation and confusion, my finally dad pieced together a spaghetti and meatballs combo that did not put a smile on his face, to the least. I sampled the wood-fired pepperoni pizza that my sister unadventurously decided on and was pleasantly surprised with both the texture of the mozzarella and the zest kick of the pepperoni. For what looked like a burnt slab of cardboard, the crust wasn't bad either.
Eventually, my family and I became incredibly annoyed with both the waitstaff and the overall scene of the restaurant on the Sunday evening that we stopped by. People were constantly coming and going behind the table we were seated at, and our waitress interpreted our confusion with the menu as the mark of true yokels that were unfit to be seen in such a place. I've heard the same complaint for a handful of friends that went through a similar experience when they took their family to Marcella's, so at least it's comforting to know that we were not alone.
Needless to say, I would not recommend this place for a casual dinner with a large group of family or even friends. There are way too many power-business types and the gold-digging floozies that they attract to make the environment in here inviting enough to merit my recommendation of Marcella's as a favorable alternative to, say, Martini, which happens to be two blocks up the street. So unless you're with a date and are in the mood for a lively atmosphere to sip a glass of wine or two (almost forgot: the sangria here was the one part of my meal that I DID enjoy and asked for seconds of), do yourself a favor by skipping this place.
I found Marcella's to be surprisingly authentic. By authentic, all I mean is that I spent a summer in Florence once, and eating here reminded me of food there. Really tasty dishes, decent wine list, great prices. One of my favorite Italian spots in Columbus.
Marcella's is another Cameron Mitchell concept, but it's totally different from Martini. I would say that Marcella's is more rustic.
The most recognizable features at Marcella's are the large glass windows that open completely, blurring the boundaries between the outside and the inside. This is a very unique dining experience. Though I can only imagine what their bill is considering all the AC they waste in the summer.
I had the goat cheese ravioli from Marcella's. Hands down the best ravioli in the world - that's right, in the entire world. It was so creamy and filling.
If you're into cheese, try Marcella's; cheese is kind of their thing. They also have tons of small plates and olives plus an extensive wine list.
I've been to Marcella's only once so far, but can't wait to go back. We went for my birthday in January, had a reservation for 12 people, which ended up being 13 instead. Our server was fantastic! I wish I remembered her name, because I really can not say enough good things about her; the girl was cheerful, prompt, organized, etc. She did not mess up a single thing any of us ordered, even though we arrived at different times, and kept ordering drinks and small plates. She even climbed up on a chair to take a picture of all 13 of us with our shots of limoncello. She was perfect!
Quite honestly, everything was perfect. Maybe it's easier for me to say that because it was my birthday and I didn't pay for anything; when I go back on my own dime, I might have to write an addendum that addresses value proportional to cost.
We ordered lots of small plates - chesses and olives were all wonderful, some folks had calamari, which I think they enjoyed, but a good portion of our group was vegetarian (including myself). We had a vegetable pizza that was absolutely heavenly - peppery arugula, bits of sauteed zuchini, onions, tomatoes, I don't even remember what else, thin crisp crust. I tried some gnocchi, some sort of ravioli, and other things I'm forgetting. Everything was very, very good.
Drinks were wonderful. We had lots of wine, the limoncello I mentioned before (less syrupy sweet than it is at Buca de Beppo, the only other place I've tried it, and I like Marcella's better), and some fancy drinks. The Strawberry-Balsamic Martini sounds odd, but tastes fantastic!
We also had desserts; I sampled someone's gelato, and one of my friends insisted on buying me a slice of tiramisu for my birthday, which our server was good enough to box up since I couldn't have eaten another bite. When I ate it two days later, it was still ambrosia.
As far as atmosphere goes, it's great for groups but some people might find it a bit loud and/or crowded for their liking. I also love the way the windows out front can be opened like doors to give patio style seating in the summer; I hope I can sit out there soon and enjoy some more great food.
And one last thing - I'm not always such a fan of Cameron Mitchell's restaurants, but this one I absolutely will go back to!
My best friend's bachelorette party devolved into a day of eating, and so we thought that small plates might be a good solution for saving room for drinks later on. Having planned this event from the other side of the country, I was encouraged that the local ladies were very enthusiastic about my choice of restaurant. Having made several trips to Columbus over the years, I also knew it would be tough to go wrong with a Cameron Mitchell establishment.
Ordering a few items each, we were still shocked by our overwhelmed table and our equally overwhelmed bellies. There was resounding enthusiasm for the giant meatball, our wide variety of salads and just about anything that was served with cheese. I've had better arancini, but it was easy to look beyond that brief disappointment.
We attempted to hold back and not order dessert, but after a night of great service including tolerance for our ever-changing reservation, our waitress brought out a round of profiteroles on the house to honor of our bride-to-be. How could we say no to intensely flavored chocolate, vanilla and pistachio ice cream? Certainly we needed to top things off with a round of espresso drinks before moving on with our evening.
Was in Columbus OH for biz and me and a couple of co workers decided to stop in to have dinner. I have to say the decor was very nice and atmosphere very romantic a good place to bring that special some one. The service was good. Our server was very attentive and the food was not bad. The bill wasn't bad either. The only one issue was that I was billed twice. The next day I was checking my account and saw two charges. I called Marcella's and spoke to the manager Dennis. He was very nice and resolved the issue very quickly and on top of that sent me a $25 gift card. All I have to say is WOW that is excellent customer service.
I'm a fan! Crazy busy place. Make a reservation, although it might now do any good. It's probably easier to try to squeeze in between someone else's. It's a great place for groups, but it's loud and filled to the brim with action. Not entertainment, just with servers, and patron's and food, and plates and food and food and food. My goodness, there's always food on the table.
They do serve entree's but the small plates are what has created such a buzz. My favorite's that you must try are: veal braised meatball-don't share! get your own! The zucchini parmesan, is made with full, roasted garlic cloves and grated parmesan cheese. The Insalata con Rucola is such a light and refreshing 'meal' after your 'taste' of the other small plates. Two wonderful drinks are the white sangria and the Limoncella Frizzante. Also, both are very light and refreshing!
Every meal is served with fresh baked, white bread and olive oil. Just in case you had a spare minute or moment of hunger, I suppose.
This is the kind of Italian restaurant Italian restaurateurs should model their Italian restaurants after.
You have to go there.
When I first moved back to Columbus from California a friend recommended I try Marcella's as it was a good "non-chain" eating experience for the city. After making a reservation, we waited for over an hour (for real) to get seated... only so we could sit there unable to hear each other across the table.
The food is fine... but not great. The service is ok... but not consistent (had a salad come out 3 times before they got it right ... no nuts, dressing on the side). The atmosphere is not really that original and somehow offers the worst acoustics in the restaurant business.
Oh.. and as for the "not a chain" claim... yeah... well within months it had gone from one Short North location to a Polaris Mall pop-up.
I go there because my friends do. Otherwise there are plenty of other good restaurants down the street.
While this may indeed be the best pizza in Columbus (no offense to Bexley Pizza Plus, but much to all those fans of the greasy processing of Donatos, Adriaticos, Papa Johns) the atmosphere could use a little work. Hip and trendy, great food, but simply too loud.
Went with my family on Christmas Eve and enjoyed the fried calamari a great deal, along with the wonderful fresh italian bread with butter. For our pizza options we opted for Margherita, Funghi and Taleggio, and Shrimp Pesto. While all 3 pizzas were great and the cheeses were fresh, sharp, and well melted the crust really stood out due to its thin and crispy texture. The tomato sauce was great and the pesto was incredible, but the garlic sauce on the Funghi was a bit much (and I'm a pretty huge garlic fan.)
For dessert, the Tiramisu was terribly overrated and nowhere near the quality of other Columbus establishments. Tiramisu is a dish I get at every restaurant that offers it and I must say this is in the bottom 25% of those sampled. On the otherhand, the Profiterole's were absolutely stellar, on par with those at far more expensive restaurants in much more culinary cities - The dish, additionally, was enormous.
For the price, Marcella's may be one of the best options in all of Columbus. Great, fresh food in large portions........if only the place were a little more quiet and had a better Tiramisu. On my next visit I believe I'll sample some of the cheese tasting menu and the other dishes besides the pizza.
I really don't see what the big deal about this place is. Place is way to loud for this Dj. I mean all hardwood floors? Is that really necessary ? OK the food is ok, I had some pretty tasty lasagna but the service was so so. This place doesn't hold a flame to Z in Grandview but I guess if you've got the iPhone charged and the hipster walk then give it a shot. I have to admit the place is loaded with beautiful women which is why I give it 3 stars. All in all the food is just another Cameron Michelle's restaurant with a nice atmosphere so no big surprises. The pizza is not the best by far go to Tommy's on Lane Ave. unimpressive portion sizes and a sub par wine list make this noisy wooden floored establishment a quasi meat market for the hipsters around town. eh
-s
I have to agree with many of the reviewers and say that Marcella's receives an awful lot of hype. However, I also have to concede that I really like the restaurant. It has a neat atmosphere and the food is flavorful. I especially like the veal meatball. The stone oven pizzas have a crunch crust that can compete with any great pizza joint in Columbus. Gotta dig those olives too!
The portion sizes are reasonable. The chance to have dessert (blueberry cheesecake!) more than makes up for the lack of leftovers or a stomach ache.
The prices are on the lower end the Cameron Mitchell (or Short North, for that matter) spectrum.
The service is great too.
The restaurant is probably best suited to small to medium groups. It's very social feel. It's probably not the best place for a romantic dinner for two.
In the Short North, it's a great place for drinks and appetizers. If you want to avoid the crowds a bit, check out the Polaris location. It's just as good.
Last night my friend and I decided to grab some dinner and then go see a movie. We wanted to try something different and I've actually never been to Marcella's before. So we stopped in. Bad idea.
Let me start off by saying that Marcella's is a nice restaurant and there's nothing wrong with it. But it wasn't at all what we were expecting. I had no idea that it was a tapas kind of place. I'm going to go ahead and recommend this place to couples. If you're out with your lady or man, come here, it'll be perfect. But with a friend it was a little weird. Marcella's is all about little shareable appetizer foods and that might be fun with a group or with a couple. Why? Because if one person gets the bill, no problem. If several people all pitch in, fine. And yes, my friend and I could have easily split the bill. But we didn't exactly have the same tastes. So this obviously wasn't going to work for us.
So we found a spot on the street. No, there's no great places to park around here, and consider yourself lucky if you get a spot on the street in front. We had to walk about two blocks which wasn't fun in the bitter cold sliding on the solid ice sidewalk. At least it was nice and warm in Marcella's.
A hostess greeted us and took us way to the back of the restaurant because it looked pretty crowded up by the front. We were seated at a 4 person table so I had an extra chair to throw my coat and purse on, which is always nice. Our waitress came right up and filled our glasses with water and brought us menus. She went over practically everything on the menu for us and left us to our own devices. We felt like idiots, but we were still confused. The menu consisted of these different sections: Olives, Cheese, Meats, Small Plates, Appetizers, Pizzas, Pastas. What? Basically, it was different. Which was fine. But we didn't really want to share appetizers or eat pizza. Aside from that, pasta dishes were our only options. Don't get me wrong, these appetizers and meal fragments sounded great. But it seemed pretty expensive to try all the things you'd want with just two people, especially if we didn't have the same taste. A couple with similar tastes would definitely do better here, but I think it would also be fun for a bigger group. I wanted to try some of the appetizers, but we both decided pasta would be our best bet. Besides, we had a movie to catch.
So I ordered the Ravioli Mezzaluna. One glance at the menu and I knew that dish was for me. My friend can be picky and I don't even know what she did. She wanted some gnocchi dish but she wanted the garlic sauce of another dish instead of marinara sauce. The waitress seemed to understand and said that would be fine. So we waited and they brought out some sliced bread and poured us a little dish of olive oil and grated some parmesan cheese on top. It was pretty good, but I wasn't a huge fan of the bread. It was tough and chewy. Much better with the oil.
We didn't have to wait too long for our food to come out. Our server told us the food was fast here and we probably only waited 15 minutes. But dishes looked very nice and smelled delicious. I dug right in to mine. Oh my gosh it was great! Only one other time have I had ravioli that good (the other was at a very expensive restaurant in D.C.). The ravioli was big - about twice or three times the size of your typical ravioli. It was filled with goat cheese (which is delicious) and cooked with cabbage, mushrooms and little pieces of bacon. The sauce was great - it was a brown sauce that tasted like a wine sauce. I loved it. I ate it all. Devoured it. But really, the serving size wasn't all that big. There were only 4 pieces of ravioli. It was the perfect amount of food to leave room for dessert. But I do like to have some food to take home later. That wasn't going to happen here. And my pasta dish was $12. Not too bad, but a little pricey for a meal that leaves you just a little unsatisfied as far as hunger. I mean, I was fine, but I could have eaten more.
And as for my friend's food, they screwed it all up. But she didn't want to say anything for some reason. She got her gnocchi, but there were big tomatoes in it, I'm not sure if that was the wrong sauce. And there was no meat at all! She specifically said to the server that she wanted lamb and there was no lamb. She really should have said something but didn't. She still liked it and I tried a piece of the gnocchi and it was pretty good, although I don't think I could eat a whole plate of it. I definitely ordered the right thing, but I think they dropped the ball on my friend's food. Nevertheless, she should have spoken up about it - I'm sure they would have fixed it. But our issue was that we were on a time constraint.
We considered dessert because they all looked so good, but our server was spotty towards the end so we ran out of time and just had to get the check. She put it on one but we had her split it. I'll have to try this place again with Jeff so we can share foods!
Happy hour is now 1/2 off everything on the menu, food and beverage.
I love that every review of Marcella's is centered around an explanation that it is a tapas… Read more »
My company did our holiday lunch there for 88 people and everyone was VERY satisfied. I was surprised that many people even fit in, but it's deceptively large - I never guessed how large it was from looking at the storefront.
Waitstaff was great, very attentive, and kept the food coming. Favorites for the table: the goat cheese ravioli, the Sicilian pizza, the veal meatball and sausage. The chicken giardinera didn't go over so well. Desserts are also excellent - the tiramisu isn't soggy and the blueberry sauce on the cheesecake is delish.
We also visited on Valentine's Day. It was very crowded (my boyfriend's chair was continuously bumped by the waitresses who, to be fair, were hustling to keep everyone happy) and there were surprisingly few couples and lots of groups. Sangria was good, arancini was not (Pastaria Secondi at the North Market has better). The service was pretty good and we were pleased even if it wasn't the romantic atmosphere we were hoping for.
Definitely check it out, but you have to go with a group so you can excuse order lots of things and sampling everything. It's very much worth it!
WARNING: If you are claustrophobic and are expecting Chicken Alfredo you may want to go to Olive Garden across the street. This review is for the new location on Polaris Pkwy (the old Martini's). Marcella's is a cool concept and I realize people have complained about the portion sizes but it's a tapas restaurant. Everything is meant to be shared (AKA take 1 or 2 bites as it's passed around). You're supposed to sample a few different items and slowly get filled up as time passes. The music and fast pace create a social atmosphere in my mind. It is not good for families at night in my opinion especially ones with small kids. Tables are close together but not nearly as close together as the ones on High Street. Great drinks, maybe a little pricey but it's all top shelf liquor. Overall, a solid restaurant and every person I have taken there has absolutely loved the food so I thikn that says a lot.
NOTE: Outdoor seating is available at the Polaris Pkwy location.
Been here for dinner a few times (I have a condo right up the street). It's always pretty packed but like Emily said this place is deceptively big. Always been able to get in without a reservation.
Prices are fantastic and portions are good. Try the linguine with meatball (just one, but it's HUGE) for a taste treat. I hope you like sharing because that's how the dishes are designed.
VERY reasonable wine list. Overall a fantastic dining experience in the heart of the Short North.
August 2007
Marcella's is so new and so popular, it's really tough to get in - especially with a large group! A direct call to the restaurant and the help of the manager guaranteed our group a reservation for 14. The wine list is extensive and really good, the sangria is great for the budget and the palate!! The 'small plates' notion allowed everyone to order a couple of things and share among the group. A couple people in our group commented that the food at Martini is superior, but overall everyone was pleased. Our server was fantastic and she offered separate checks without hesitation. The atmosphere is strikingly authentic (and very loud) and except for the comfortable air conditioning, I would have thought we were in an actual Italian cafe!
Marcellas is a fun little tapas restaurant concept. I see a lot of people dogging on it in here over some prices and some service issues, and those are reasonable gripes. But the key to having a fun experience in a place like this is to know that it is a food-in-the-middle-of-the-table kind of place. Picky eaters beware, you may have to try something new. We always order a bunch of stuff we want to try first and call that an appetizer. Everything comes out on wooden planks and goes on a rack on the table and is real easy to just pass around. Whatever we haven't gotten yet that still sounds good gets called the main course. And as for desert, I recommend the Manhattan on the bottom right hand corner of the drink menu.
Marcella's is worth trying if you want to eat in the Short North.
While everything was good it didn't make us jump out of our seats. I was a little disappointed that the Veal was not accompanied with anything. Plus charging $18 for breaded veal with marinara on top is ridiculous, I could have made the same dish at home for around $5.
The entree portions aren't that large, not for sharing unless you're starting with a couple hot/cold plates (which all looked good passing by our table).
Our server was excellent and the entire staff was friendly.
We had made a reservation and we're seated immediately regardless of the wait, I was really impressed and thankful for this.
I could see myself returning here if girlfriends wanted to hop around the short north and start with tapas. But if my goal was to enjoy delicious Italian food I would go to Romanos Macaroni Grill in Dublin which is much more flavorful and reasonably priced for portion size.
I had some 'meh' risotto there. Rice was definitely not 'al-dente'. Tasty, but not the 'perfect' risotto. I would expect something slightly better for the price, and have had as such.
Atmosphere horrid. All hard wood floors is awesome, but sound bouncing was terrible. Party of 6 30somethings talking about their rich husbands that were footing their bills probably next to us were more polite than out original wait staff. One went on break during our stay (you don't do that at fancy places! what the heck!) and our replacement waiter was quite nice.
Wait to get in sucked (on a wednesday night) was probably not normal.
I'd recommend Trattoria Roma. Smaller venue, not as raucuss. Maybe I'm just not in to drinking myself in to an over priced food binging inferno.
Or Bucca Di Beppo. Similar price, larger portions.
We visited the Polaris location for a late weekday lunch. I really wanted to give this place four stars but the food didn't quite make it. Decor and service were both very nice. We started with glasses of wine. They have a good selection. A few are reasonably priced. It seemed that 1/2 to 3/4 of the list was overpriced. To start we had the Caponata, which was excellent, and the zucchini "small plates. I think they tried to do a zucchini "potato chip". It didn't work. The zucchini was limp and dry. Next we ordered Lasagna alla Bolognese. What a disappointment. The Bolognese tested like ground beef and nothing else. I noticed they also had a lamb bolognese. I asked if I could get fettucini with the lamb bolognese (not on the menu). No problem. The lamb bolognese was excellent. The fettucini was a little over cooked but the real problem I had was with the portion size. It was small. This was listed under "pasta" not "small plates" so I expected more. The lasagna was a normal sized portion. I ordered a decaf espresso. They were out of decaf. We will probably go back to this place but will be more careful what we order next time. I compared the lunch and dinner menus online. They look identical except the prices are higher for dinner. I wonder if the portions are any larger for dinner?
Food is good, if a little overpriced. I'm giving it 3 stars because of service. I felt a little like we were putting the wait staff out, and they kept bringing us the wrong things. Plus, there were 9 of us, the bill was $400 and they didn't even ask us if we wanted them to split it up. Thanks for nothing. I will concede that the Tiramasu is the best I've ever had and it's worth going there just for that.
Small plates/tapas style restaurant and one of the newest Cameron Mitchell restaurant offerings. Hip, contemporary and decent food (depending on what you get). Very popular restaurant. All menu items are meant to be shared so try a variety of items. Lasagna was subpar but other offerings were better.
My first great culinary experience in Columbus! I kept hearing about how Columbus is a great food town, but Marcella's is the first place where I can see how the city got such a reputation. I had the lamb shank with white bean ragu - fantastic! Staff was helpful in pairing wine. We made a reservation - which is a must - and still waited a few minutes for a table in the bar. This and the bar atmosphere are what keep me from giving 5 stars, but the food is excellent.
Neighborhood: Short North
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Short North
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Victorian Village
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: German Village
Category: Spanish
Neighborhood: Arena District
Category: Breweries
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