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Mariani's Inn & Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 6:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
21 reviews for Mariani's Inn & Restaurant
Review is solely for restaurant, not the inn.
very friendly staff. rest is geared towards older crowd. i went cuz i had b1g1 coupon.
only thing i didn't like/used to.
took forever to get food.
they provided complementary penne w/ amarinara sauce. i was expecting my main entree after the soup/salad!!
when i go restaurant, i like to order and get the food asap eat and leave than wait around.,... time is $$!! no?
their sesame bread is really good
We used Mariani's for a summer family party. Excellent service. I recommend the buffet, as they have enough food selections allowing you to keep the greeting hour appetizers simple. Mariani's put out a dance floor and we hired Sugar Rhythm Dance to DJ our party. Sugar Rhythm Dance offers free group dance lessons, so we had Swing for the adults and the Electric Slide for the kids and adults. Mariani's offered a medium sized room that took care or the eating and dancing all in one room; as I told Mariani's that dancing was to be a BIG part of the evening. Mariani's service was cordial and polite. We got exactly what we wanted.
My uncle and aunt treated the family to dinner so they picked Mariani's.
I give it one more star this time because the Lamb Chops were freakin delish. This is by far their best dish. After this meal I see why people always have their wedding receptions here. The restaurant IS big and they do have Very Loyal customers. I'm so glad we didn't have the waiter I had the first time I ate here. Our servers were older and they were sooo patient with my family and they even took many pictures of us happily.
I can't give it 4 stars just because it still smells like an old peoples retirement home which really kills the ambience. Also, the mashed potatoes just really suck here. They taste really bad. Old and not potatoey at all. More like white mush. The gravy doesn't help much either.
House salad with vinaigrette. I love the vinaigrette here!! 5 stars
7 cuts of Lamb Chosp-- GREAT FLAVOR and Juicy! 5 stars
mashed potatoes and gravy 1 star-- next time sub it for extra veggies
Mastociolli good and small
The tiramisu was not bad.. 3 1/2 stars
Chicken marsala-- 3 stars
Halibut with picatta sauce 3 stars
Ribeye-- The meat was good but the demi glaze and yellow/green peppercorns were conflicting with the meat rather than enhancing it! 3 stars
Gnocchi comes with alfredo, pesto, and marinara sauce. 1 star because it was mushy white pasta balls. ekk.
Prime Rib-- I remember it being good not the best but still good-- no rating at this time..
This place is pretty affordable. I think the lamb chops were $23.95 which is not bad considering the portion size.
I would come again if this place remodeled and changed their mashed potatoes and gravy... Or if some family member decides to take us here I would have no choice...
Mariani's you have the loyal customer base but you need to remodel a bit......
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
10/16/2008
2 stars is Meh. I've experienced better.
And that is precisely what I feel. I went in today because… Read more »
This is in regards to the restaurant of course. I've been here for lunch a few times, and most recently for brunch, but this is focusing on the brunch.
On Sunday they have this "Champagne Brunch" Buffet, and the service is top-notch. Waiters in nice garb come around pouring champagne, which I didn't have any because I had just woken up and didn't wanna get a headache. They have a huge buffet selection, with everything you typically see at a 5-start hotel, or what I usually see at hotels in London, ham, bacon, sausages, steaks, i think even duck (which i don't eat), chicken, had fish as well, everything, eggs, french toast, pancakes, all kids of fruits, all kinds of vegetables, grains, juices, it was incredible.
I thought, why is this place not more crowded? As the food was good, plentiful, service was immaculate, nice white table cloth, clean, quiet atmosphere, but were only like a handful of others in there. I think they just started this Champagne Brunch Buffet, and its a find, is my theory.
Try get into any other restaurant on Sunday morning, IHOP is packed, Carrows, Dennys, Mimi's Cafe, Marie Callenders, everything will be packed for brunch, but this place was fairly empty and seemed quite a shame, food was very nice. Well, I think though, it was $25 per person, so maybe(?) that was the deterrant, but still no line no crowd, good food, its worth it on one's precious weekend time.
Overall, I would rate it 3.5, but I figured I'd bump it up to 4 instead of down to 3 since the staff, service, and free breakfast were good.
My friend and I were taking a study course in San Jose in January and needed a place to stay for 10 days that was affordable and had some type of kitchen facility. Despite the lack of reviews of the Inn, we decided to take the plunge since a lot of the other extended stay hotels in the San Jose area seemed a little more expensive, and Santa Clara was not too far from where our class was located. While the Inn is not shiny and new, it was clean and affordable, we saved money cooking most of our meals, and we enjoyed the free breakfast buffet. I would recommend it for families, business people and others looking for an extended stay on a budget. I would not recommend it for couples looking for a romantic getaway based on the suite I was in, but they do offer romance packages and wedding packages so maybe they have other rooms that are more special.
The Room (3 stars):
The suite wasn't actually that large, but it had a nice eat-in kitchen with a full-sized refrigerator, stove, and lots of shelf space in the pantry. Plates, cups, utensils and dish soap were provided. We got our groceries at Trader Joe's (there's several in San Jose). The bed was relatively comfortable and the drapes blocked out any light from the parking lot when you went to bed. It was quiet, so we got some studying done. The Inn has free wifi so we also had our fair share of procrastination, but we found it to be spotty at times. (I think it depended on the strength of your wireless card.)
However, apparently a lot of horny businessmen stay at the inn because after checking in, someone from the inn came and said she needed to check the dvd player since a lot of time the guys forget and leave their porn in there. Sure enough, when she pressed the eject button, there was a disk in it, which she whisked away before I could see just what kind of kink the last person who stayed here was into. It's one thing to imagine what the previous guest was doing; it's quite another to know what he was doing. Despite this insight into the life of the previous guest, the room was decent and it was the only available suite with a full kitchen, so we stayed. Needless to say, I took that comforter right off and wore flip flops the whole time.
Breakfast (4 stars):
The free breakfast buffet was a surprise. They had scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, bread, french toast or pancakes on alternating days, bread, muffins, coffee cake, cold cereals and a variety of fresh fruit (melon, strawberries, grapes, pineapple, etc.). Beverages were juice, milk, coffee and tea. We were really thankful to have had such a filling breakfast every morning.
Came here for a function and thought it was good. The party was by the pool which seems to be a much better venue than the ball rooms - which we peeked at. Dinner was your standard banquet food but there was plenty of it and everything that I had was fine - just not fantastic and nothing to get excited about.
What was great but wasn't my personal experience was the way in which they dealt with the hosts of the party. Apparently, the meeting planner was fantastic and they were very accomodating for the event and bent over backwards to make the event special.
Unfortunately, I tried neither the "Cheers"-like bar or the restaurant here but I have to give it a whole pile of four stars for the wonderful service and friendly atmosphere that I experience whilst staying here overnight for my mother's surgery at the nearby Kaiser.
Minus one-star for malfunctioning wireless.
We arrived late on Wednesday - knowing that my mom would be in surgery for several hours the next morning, i asked for a late checkout. They initially told me 11, 12 after I explained my purposes (waiting around for surgeon to call) and extended it to 1pm the next day -- they even told me they'd give it to me longer for $37.50. Not a bad deal.
Unfortunately, as mentioned, I never managed to get on their wireless network and thus spent most of the morning at a nearby cafe but I was able to enjoy the pool a bit - which is clean and pleasantly surrounded with chairs and tables.
Overall, it's a modest place with modest prices but extraordinary service. Yummy apples at the front desk, too - which goes a long way - a big, beautiful green apple!
I don't understand why this place exists. Everytime there is some big family function, it's at Mariani's. I've been here for wedding receptions, anniversary parties, 60th birthday parties, etc. And everytime I come here, it sucks. The food is just bad. The decor resembles a nursing home. If I had to choose to have my wedding reception at Mariani's or Chuck-e-Cheese, I think you know what I would pick.
If you're in that area, and have something big to celebrate, and want it to be at a Santa Clara staple, just go to By-th-Bucket or something.
Mariani's is lame. Denied.
If you're not careful, this place could become your CHEERS ("where everybody knows your name... and they're always glad you came...")
Okay, so they got my name wrong the first 5 or 6 times I came here. But the point is that they even tried to learn it in the first place. Come more than 5 or 6 times, and it won't matter if they know your name or not, they'll know your drink, and it will be on the bar as you walk in the door.
The Inn host a variety of "regulars" in town on business Sunday-Thursday nights, so grab a drink and strike up a conversation. You're just as liable to share dinner conversation with a contractor from Texas as a local from Santa Clara, but both would be equally enjoyable around here. The food is decently good for the price, and the atmosphere harkens back to the family resort camp of "Dirty Dancing" fame (though if you show up in costume, you will be laughed out of the joint - "No one puts Baby in a corner!")
Had a catered party here and 15 people got sick. Including me!! I was sick for one week and went to the hospital. BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday Champagne Brunch was outstanding for the 4 of us. Service was superb, as the Champagne, OJ, and coffee refills were on the spot quick in a comfortable and relaxing setting. The buffet selections were numerous and variety was awesome -- smoked salmon, prime rib, and omelet filled me up, so I have to go back and try the many more goodies my stomach did not have room for. We were all very very pleasantly surprised by the great value ($23) which would cost $30 or more at the ususal hotel places and not be as fresh and good as this was. We have been to Mariani's many times for dinner and dancing and the food is generally quite good. Also, have rented the private rooms on a couple of dinner occasions, and the the service and food was good as well. This was our first Sunday Brunch and I doubt we could find a better place than this.
Well I have been here twice. The first time was for a team banquet. I really enjoyed myself and the food was good. Half of our party got to sit outside and it was a very nice night.
The second time was for a birthday party. And the room was nice but the food was not nearly as good as the first time. It was so depressing. Sheesh. Its a little weird that I got the chicken marsala again and this time it did not taste good at all. The rice was bland and the meal just wasnt as good as I remembered the first time. I was so sad...
This review reflects a stay in July 2006, so I'm mainly working from memory here... I sought a room here strictly for the air conditioning, as this was in the midst of the severe heatwave we had at the time.
(I had gone mostly sleepless for 3 nights and just HAD to get some sleep and comfort)!
They had only 1 room left starting on that Sunday, but they didn't gouge on the rate (many places WERE at the time, due to simple
supply-and-demand), I got a mini-kitchen room at the regular rate, and
the A/C worked great! But overall, I was presently surprised with the
old-fashioned attention to quality of the place, cleanliness, quiet,
non-creepy clientele, etc. I even extended an extra night because it was such a treat!
My dad and his special lady friend stayed here this past weekend. I picked the place unseen because of the location and because I read a review somewhere that said the free breakfast was great. My dad agreed, reporting that he had half a cantaloupe, half a honeydew, three eggs and ten slices of bacon! When he made the reservation, he asked for the cheapest rate, trying every discount he could think of, and was quotes $79. When he showed up, he asked for the cheapest rate and was quoted $69. He said, "I'll take it, and by the way, I have a reservation."
UPDATE: My in-laws stayed here and also liked it.
a big part of the dining experience for me is the atmosphere of the place... this place seriously feels like a retirement home. boring. bland. dead.
they ran out of prime rib, and substituted the ribeye in its absence.... tons of fat, not a whole lot of flavor
house wine here sucks.
they have cube shaped peppermints at the hosts desk... who the fuck wants a cube shaped peppermint??
"I think people naturally like to have circles in their mouths."
HAHA! ;)
definitely, definitely worth the time and money to go to house of prime rib in sf, or at least mortons in downtown sj.
oh man, i come here for lunch but let's just say it's not for the food. every tuesday the Santa Clara Kiwanis club meets here, so i'm here just to get the lasted info on service events.
i haven't eaten in the normal restaurant, i'm always in the mtg room so i'm sure the prices are a little inflated to cover the room, tip / tax, salad and drinks. the food isn't spectacular, i've had the blt, calamari, lasagna, and chef salad. meeeh.
i hate to say it, but the food i think is catered to older ppl. i am about half the age of the other members in the club, so that probably explains it...
This is the third year we have celebrated my Grandmother's birthday here.
The service has been consistently dismal and the servers are often just plain rude. They also are extremely inattentive.
The food is just poor across the board. I actually really dislike everything about this place.
My aunt and uncle decided to have a graduation dinner for their son here. We came here after my cousin's graduation and entered through the back way. While looking for our specific banquet hall, we noticed one party going on already. It was a bunch of elderly people and they gawked at us like we were aliens. LOL... anyway, We got to our room, party of 30. A majority of us picked the beef entree. It was sooo salty. I couldn't feed it to my 10 month old daughter, she kept spitting it out, and she eats anything! They handed us ice cream for dessert after dinner, and while we were eating, one of the toilets in the bathroom clogged and overflowed into the hall outside our room! Needless to say, we got out of there really fast. The only upside to this affair was the great staff. They get two stars for being so nice.
Color me surprised -- it wasn't half bad! I was against this place from the get-go, mostly because I've just experienced the divinity that is Osteria in Palo Alto and the homemade pasta at Il Fornaio. But. It really wasn't bad -- service was a bit eager -- hovered a bit too much. We had a bottle of the Greg Norman pinot noir for $30 -- not bad (It'll cost you $15 at BevMo and I still think we should have gone with the Paso Robles). Meat/cheese tray and bread basket -- wouldn't be bothered again. They start you off with an antipasta, which is funny when you are having pasta. The antipasta was pretty cold and the penne was dressed in a marinara AND a pesto cream sauce. 3/4 of us had gnocchi, I had tortellini primavera, which was piping hot and filled with yummy veggies. Pasta was meh. The salad with italian dressing though, very good! And I noted the minestrone had meat chunks -- fyi if you are vegetarian.The gnocchi italiano came with one side marinara, middle pesto-cream, and other side alfredo. They missed the italian flag tribute somewhere in the kitchen. The place is definitely catering to a 55+ crowd, but again, better than I was thinking when I've practically had perfection!
I went here for Thanksgiving dinner. The place was pretty packed. The food was good. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, pasta, and sushi. It was all you can eat, but not the greatest. The server's were friendly. Nothing really spectacular here.
Great bar with dancing Friday and Saturday evenings. Reasonable drink prices. It is a Cheers type of bar so most of the people know each other. Older crowd. Dining room is fairly formal. Food is reasonably priced and good though not exceptional.
