Marino's Italian Restaurant

We attempted to go there last night.. So bummed.. Signs down.. And looks like they are closed up..

We have eaten at Marino's several times since they first opened. The owners are unfailingly pleasant and always take the time to greet everyone. They've only been open about a month and service has only improved. The servers were always polite and friendly, but now that they have become more familiar with the menu items they are helpful with dish recommendations and very efficient. The prices are reasonable and the food is delicious.

The dishes we have tried are:
1. Piroshki from the lunch menu. This is the only lunch item I've had, and I loved it. I haven't had any good piroshki in years, since a deli I used to visit in San Francisco. The price was $5!
2. Braised pork tenderloin over rigatoni in a tomato cream sauce. This was a dinner special and I think it was my favorite meal I've had at Marino's but that's a tough call. Loved the sauce and the pork was perfectly seasoned and very tender.
3. Chicken Parmesan -- it comes with spaghetti but I requested mashed potatoes instead. They happily accommodated my request. Really yummy.
4. Marinated Ribeye. Served with perfectly cooked green beans and delicious garlic mashed potatoes.
5. Fettuccine Alfredo. SO GOOD. Rich, creamy alfredo sauce. YUM.
6. Shrimp Scampi. I am allergic to shrimp so didn't get to try this one, but it looked good and I was told it was very tasty.

All the meals come with bread & butter and your choice of soup or salad. I've tried both. The minestrone is made fresh every morning and I know I will be ordering this to go when the weather gets cold. It's wonderful soup. The dinner salads are crisp and nicely presented with kidney beans, garbanzo beans, cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced red onions.

Every time we have visited the restaurant looks busy, but as I mentioned, the owners always take the time to visit with every table and make sure the food is pleasing. I certainly wish them the best of luck, as it seems clear they are making every effort to do a great job.

Well my 16 year old son asked for the Marsala from Marino's for dinner! I went in and ordered and as usual Leona made me feel welcomed!

I got home and my son ate all the garlic bread and all his Marsala... Even half a cup of the homemade chicken noodle soup!!

This place is such a gem here in Lodi!!!

Thank you again for the wonderful food, conversation and making a 16 year old boy extremely happy and stuffed tonight!!

We tried Marino's for the first time tonight. Atmosphere was clean and nice. Smelled great when we entered.

We had lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs & ravioli. Everything was hot, fresh and full of flavor.

Server was new, but very nice and polite

Out of Business. Sad. Another Mom and Pop that couldn't afford to compete. We will miss them.

The food was Fresh. Had my friends bday dinner here tonight and have to say it was pretty good. Our waiter John seemed a bit intimidated at times but he did very well. We are a hard crowd to please.
Wish they had a larger beer selection but the beers and wine came out ice cold...a few too cold (frozen) but overall we had a good time.
The owner was very nice and always making sure we had what we needed.

I would come back. Love me some pasta.

We were looking forward to a nice Italian dinner at the new restaurant in town.
Unfortunately, we were disappointed. Not for the lack of trying, everyone seemed genuinely eager to please.
However, from the paper wine menu awkwardly stapled together, to the meager salad, and calamari appetizer...we were not impressed. The plates looked like they were partly filled, as if trying to stretch the last of the food to make it last. Bread is served "upon request", kind of odd. But then when the bread was requested and served, it was moldy!! Ack. Yes, moldy.
From that point, we were a little leery of what might be coming out of the kitchen.
My chicken parmesan was mediocre at best, sauce was too sweet, chicken was good, but nothing special. Don's Marco Polo dish was swimming in olive oil, not appealing. Tasty, but he couldn't get past the amount of oil.

The clam chowder soup was good, in fact, Don said it was the highlight of the meal.
We spent $65 on a meal that started with moldy bread.
The owner was gracious enough to take $1.60 off of each of our meals, and not charge us an extra dollar for the clam chowder. After we paid and left, she came running after us, asked us for our receipt so she could write "$20 off next meal" on it.
I guess that was a good move on her part, since we won't return.
If I served my customer moldy bread, I would have comped the wine and brought an epic dessert to the table.
Sorry to say this restaurant is doomed.
I feel bad.....this is a family restaurant, and I'd love to see them succeed. I just don't think they have what it takes. I'm not even sure why I am giving them two stars...

UPDATE 10/2015:
This restaurant is permanently closed.

Delicious home made Italian food and large portions..can't wait to come back. .service was family like..nice atmosphere as well

Very good food, good service. Had the Chicken Marsala and steak with scampi...very good flavor.
Downtown Lodi atmosphere.

This review is for: 8-14-14, although apparently this restaurant went belly up a year later... This was the second time we dined here. Our first experience was great. Pretty good chicken parmesan, although the portion was quite small compared to some other good Italian restaurants we have eaten at. The first visit, the minestrone soup was filled with flavour, & the Italian bread was excellent. The second visit, the minestrone soup was veryyyy watered down, was not hot, & lacked flavour! They changed the beautiful tasting bread to cheapo bland bread that tasted like cheap white bread. Very disappointing. The chicken scaloppini was $13.95 & a skimpy portion. It tasted so so. Nothing to write home about. We never returned after this. It is no surprise to me that this establishment went under. You cannot change things drastically & serve small portions & expect patrons to return.