We love everything about Manalu! The food is absolutely delicious! Without a doubt, they have the best Chicken Parmesan we've ever had. The chicken is hands down, the most tender chicken we've ever experienced in an Italian chicken entree! All the servers are really good, but if we had to pick a favorite, it would be Fernando. Enrico is a most gracious host, and is always welcomig, too. Normally, we would be the last people to want to have the servers sing "Happy Birthday," to us, but we so look forward to being serenaded with the accordion and the servers singing in Italian. Manalu gets a 10 out of 10!!! read more

This is my second time coming here. We were celebrating a birthday and the service was amazing. Our server helped us with all we needed for the cake and he was very attentive with our plates. The music at the restaurant is nice and the food was just amazing. The best plates we had was the calzone, which was HUGE, and the lasagna. Even just the normal American pizza had an amazing taste. Additionally, we tried a wine cup and let me tell you, it was so delicious. read more

Manalu Italian Restaurant - Calzone Ripieno - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

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This place is a hidden gem. The wait staff was so courteous and welcoming. The definitely knew the daily specials and knew how to make it sound just as delicious as it probably was. If one person is not helping you, then another person is quick to ensure you are being helped. Plenty of seating inside and the ambiance was perfect. More impressed by the monstrous brick oven but food was moving constantly. The food was also amazing. I forgot the name of the seafood dish that I had bust it was perfectly served in a breadbowl and tasted like a fondue. The mix of small scallops, tiger shrimp, and fresh lump crab meat was to die for. The baked seafood rigatoni was also amazing. The sauce was perfect and creamy and the seafood was once again fresh. We will definitely be back. read more

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It's been years since I've been to Manalu. It's first and foremost a red-sauce pasta place, with typical Italian meat options (chicken, veal, picatta, milanese, etc). Ambiance is good - and on a Monday night the place was absolutely PACKED. Lots of good vibes by a crowd that looked like they treated it as their go-to place. I was there with a group, so I browsed the online menu before I got there to make ordering more efficient. Our server did a nice job taking drink orders (really nice wine selection and you can BYOB for a nominal corkage fee), explaining the extensive sauce selections, and helping folks pick from an equally extensive past list (Rigatoni, Ziti, Penne, Spaghetti, Fusilli, Fettuccine, Linguine, Capellini, Mini Shells, Paccheri, and a "pasta of the day"). I chose the Casalinga: veal cubes cooked in caramelized onions, carrots and green peas in a tomato sauce with a touch of cream. I asked him to pick a pasta for me, thinking I would get one from the standard offerings. He upsold me the pasta of the day for $7.25, which looked suspiciously like the rigatoni I could have enjoyed for free. My bad, but still - would have been nice to have been asked. The sauce was OK, with good chunks of veal, but I did not see or taste any carrots, and saw just a few peas. Not what I was expecting. Prices were reasonable, and service (other that the unremarked upsell) was very good. I still prefer Fratelli's in Middletown (or better yet, my own sauce cooked in my own kitchen with some nice homemade sausage, meatballs, and bracciole. Sunday gravy, shared with the fam around our loaded dining room table.) But not bad overall. read more

Jointly celebrated one of my daughter's birthday as well as my own birthday by dining out at this restaurant a few weeks ago. We were a party of five adults and two children. Entrées selections included chicken Parmesan, mushroom ravioli pasta, mac & cheese (for the kids), a veal and brown sauce over pasta dish (I can't recall the name). One of the appetizers was calamari and it was delicious. Everybody felt that their entrées were very tasty. I did, however, notice that one of my chicken Parmesan fried chicken patties was overcooked and very tough and dry. Seating and service wasn't quite what I hoped for. We made a reservation and asked for a quiet alcove or a place in the restaurant someplace where it was quiet because some of in our group have hearing disabilities. I'm not sure what happened with this request, but we were seated in the main part of the restaurant and it was noisy as the dickens. Also, there was a 25-30 minute wait between the time we finished the appetizers and when the entrées arrived. Just a little too long for me. This is an outstanding Italian restaurant with excellent food and expensive prices to match. The bill was $373 plus a gratuity. I would definitely dine there again because the food is so good but only for a special occasion when I expected to spend a lot of $ for a dinner. read more

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I've been here a few times and the service has been average, but this particular time was an extreme disappointment. The waitress did not provide us with the specials and she rushed us. We had a person standing over our table waiting to rush in and clean our plates. I asked the hostess to let the waitress know it was my husband's birthday and even though I ordered and paid for the dessert there was no acknowledgment of my request. I typically do not tip below 20% but I felt the need to this time. I was really disappointed because this restaurant has pretty good food. Luckily, there are new Italian restaurants nearby where we can enjoy good Italian food with great service. read more

This restaurant is fabulous! I ordered the shrimp scampi which was so flavorful! The ambience is very chic and elegant and wait staff is also very nice ! I will be returning ! read more

Manalu Italian Restaurant - Shrimp scampi - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

The crostini di mare was delicious. Our waiter was so nice and attentive and our food was fresh and hot. However, $37 for shrimp scampi was kind of insane. While it was good, it was not worth almost $40. I understand they're an upscale Italian restaurant and I felt like everything else was priced fairly, but the shrimp scampi was not worth the price tag. read more

WOW. The Margherita pizza--holy freakin' moly. I would go back just for that. Perfectly crisp crust, fresh ingredients, and that classic flavor done so right. The bruschetta was also a win--super fresh tomatoes and great texture. We had a reservation but still ended up waiting longer than expected, and unfortunately, we were seated in the worst spot possible. Right by the kitchen, super loud, and people kept bumping into our table and the back of my chair. Not ideal for a relaxing meal. That said, the vodka pasta dish was solid--good flavor and the pasta was cooked just right. Our server was fine, nothing standout but got the job done. The tables are really close together, and I mean really close. I felt like I got to know the family next to us and their entire life story. Despite the seating situation, the food is absolutely worth the trip. Just maybe ask for a better table when you go! read more

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I am a judgy person. I know this about me and Im not changing that about myself. That being said when I see a restaurant in an office park I immediately judge and lower my expectations. So color me surprised pulling up to Manalu on a Saturday and even though this place was buuuussssyyy we were sat immediately (Not without Marco who is apparently chef and owner throwing a little shade that we didnt have a reservation lol) As soon as we walked through the place we got a hint about why it was so busy it smelled amazing and the food did not disappoint we tried the bruschetta, alla vodka and chicken parmigiana (with angel hair pasta!) all were delicious and the pasta was cooked perfectly. Pair this great food with the personal birthday songs with accordion accompaniment and this place is just a good time and perfect place to bring family with affordable prices read more

Manalu Italian Restaurant - Bruschetta - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

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Made a reservation here for a Saturday night at 7:00PM. Showed up about 10minutes before and checked in. Very busy place with a bar area and takeout, as well as outdoor seating under covered and tarp windows. With making a reservation, you'd think we would get a table or a booth. We were sat DIRECTLY in front of the kitchen door in a high traffic staff area. Waiters stopping right next to us, me getting bumped into repeatedly - lots of fun. Ordered Caprese and bruschetta as starters. Caprese was very good - but I would have liked ALOT more balsamic glaze with it. The Caprese wasn't seasoned much - but I helped it with the salt and pepper. The bruschetta was very good - would have had two more orders easily. The pizza pictured I didn't try - but if it tasted half as good as it looked - it would have been knockout. Ordered the chicken parm as an entree. Chicken was very good but the extra thin angel hair pasta was a miss for me. Would have rather had a rigatoni or penne. For dessert I went with the special limoncello cheesecake. It was good - but the alcohol in the limoncello was very forward in the flavor and make it overwhelmingly tart and abrasive. Overall great place - would return and tweak some things. read more

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The Service and Ambiance are the best of all the restaurants I have been to in my whole entire life and the food is amazing too I wish I could eat here every single day 11/10 read more

The moment you walk in, you feel you're in Italy with the music and accordion player who walks between the tables. This place is clean, warm and inviting. Service is not only excellent, it's personal, including attention to every table by chef and owner Marco, his wife who manages the place and their daughter who supervises the seating and service. The food was awesome! We had the Vegetarian dishes: Fried zucchini for starters and eggplant with veggies, followed by Gnocchi al Pesto. Everything was absolutely delicious! They have a fire brick oven and offer gluten free pizza. Great spot for dates, couples looking for a pleasant, romantic evening in the heart of Frederick! read more

Manalu Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

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Just a heads up: some of us order through DoorDash for pickup when we find you on Yelp -- I'm not a DoorDash driver ‍. That said, the food is incredible. One of the best Italian spots I've had in the US. read more

I think that because they're rarely open for lunch time, the restaurant was packed! But the service and seating was still good time and minimal wait, reservation not totally necessary but I guess recommended. The food. The bread they bring out with the meal is pretty amazing, I'm guessing pizza dough that's baked cause it was great. The calamari was for appetizer, honest rating 2.5/5 it was just too chewy and had to work too hard for the calamari. I wouldn't order it again. The marinara was solid, but couldn't save the calamari. I got the Philly cheesesteak with fries. Fries were 2/5. Soggy and not hot. But also the portion was laughable, just 9 fries? Kinda lame. The cheesesteak was actually pretty great with the homemade bread. Honestly looked pretty lame, size wise, but it deceiving because it was so flat but had a decent amount of meat and cheese. Personally I think I would've like to have had grilled onions and green peppers (I should've asked about it) but the lettuce and tomato on it was okay but, not ideal on a hot sandwich. Still. I'd rate it a solid 4/5. The meat was tender and it was cheesy (could've used a little more cheese but it was good) and the homemade bread was great. The pizza was good, great dough and crust. Cooked perfect and tasted great 4/5 Overall, a nice feel to the restaurant, nice seating and arrangements the food was good, I'd be definitely be willing to go back again and try more of their stuff!! TLDR Calamari - don't get it Philly - tasty but could be better Pizza - pretty great! Definitely try! read more

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Good service. Delicious food and presentation. We ordered the ravioli de mare and the seafood special. I think their strengths are in pasta and seafood. The complimenatry soup and bread are nice as well. Light and flavorful. The bread is their seasoned pizza dough basically, i love the texture and flavor. We ordered a couple things to go. Eggplant parmesan and bolognese. I'm not used to seeing bilignese w creamy tomato sauce. I think I prefer eggplant parmesan elsewhere in this case. Complimentary birthday dessert. A first for me to get accordion along for the birthday song. Overall, it is definitely a gem italian restaurant to try. It is definitely a local favorite. read more

Manalu Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

My first pick for Italian. The place our friends who live in Rockville pick to meet us when we meet up. The place where you ALWAYS say yes to the dessert menu! The staff is always attentive- your finished plate doesn't stand a chance of hanging out on the table for long... The pasta is fresh- from gnocchi to squid ink ravioli. I would say the only areas of improvement has been the sad Caesar salad that tastes like it came from a premade bag and the soup possibly suffers from sitting in a warmer all day. They have covered patio seating which is nice in the winter with the warmers. Make reservations weeks in advance for weekend dinners - it is no secret- everyone loves this place- read more

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Something was off. This was a favorite restaurant for us. Been there several times. From the moment we came in there was no warm greeting as before, But the waiter seemed disinterested in us and very unatentive. The wine list pricing was up, the pizza was barely sliced and what was sliced was in small and too large pieces. The home made pasta was offered for a $7.50 upcharge. The price for the specials was ridiculous. The seafood was overdone. The pasta Fazila was the only good dish. Does every customer have a birthday. The annoying singing seemed to go on continuously. So sad. Success sometimes spoils quality. So sad. We will now have to seek out a new favorite restuarnt. read more

Manalu pizza is not as good as I had hoped. Lots of seafood. But the sauce was watery and it was just a bready mess. Nice waiter named Ilad. Pretty decor. Music not too loud for conversation. G read more

The food was amazing, the service was fast and polite and the meal that I had, The Baked Rigatoni Alla Carne was delicious. 10 out of 10 read more

What a great place... This was a great dining experience. The restaurant has cool decor, friendly staff, and great food. I sat on the patio, which was really nice. The waiter was super attentive. I had the lobster bisk soup, which was delicious. For dinner, I had the veal parmesan, which was awesome - real veal, not just a patty - with angle hair pasta. Their bread was perfect - it came out hot, and the oil with the spices was the perfect mate to it. This is well worth the trip if you are in the area read more

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10 of us went here last night for a birthday party. We sat on the patio. They have an amazing heating situation, so it was very nice on a cold night. The food, for all of us, was excellent! Appetizers included calamari, zucchini, caprese, and salads. Everything was great. Entrees were all excellent. Even the desserts were good. We all really enjoyed it. For a table of 10, all the food was hot, well timed, server was attentive. Did I mention that the entire restaurant was busy. Not an open seat in the place. We will be back. read more

Manalu Italian Restaurant - Contadina pasta, excellent!! - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

The food and service is always exceptional. We enjoy the ambiance of sitting at the bar; their bartender, Pasquale, is engaging and had great recommendations. read more

By FAR the best Italian restaurant in Frederick. The food and service are both outstanding. The restaurant has a great layout and decor. My Fiancé and I had a great time. read more

Manalu Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

This was the BEST restaurant I've ever been too! I loved the pasta and just the bread was amazing! I could never find a better place, 5 stars!!! The service was amazing too. The waiters were funny, nice and every thing you would want! The restaurant is beautiful and amazing music. read more

Manalu Italian Restaurant - Me my dad and my brother. - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

My first time trying Manalu and it was amazing!! I had the soup, meatballs and Bella Italia pizza.. it was delicious and it reminded me of Florence. I will be going back!! read more

My son and I had lunch here the other day. No lunch menu. We each had a salad and a pizza. The salads were average. We both agreed the pizza bottoms were soggy. We even heated up some leftover slices hoping this would crisp up the bottoms to no avail. My son had the Diablo pizza and said it was very salty. The service was good but over all we were disappointed. read more

Manalu Italian Restaurant - Margherita pizza - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

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From the welcoming entrance to the experience of Manalu's tasty culinary expertise, we always love coming back again & again! This is a favorite for a romantic date, a large group or a big birthday celebration on the enclosed outdoor patio. This restaurant was built on love, commitment to excellence & intense teamwork to provide guests with a wonderful memory like no other. They are family owned & operated by wonderful people! NOTE: They are now closed on Sundays to give the staff time with family. We usually make reservations but the bar is first come first serve & well attended. Even when they had to close the dining room temporarily during Covid, they still stayed incredibly busy with carry-out. They'll be around for many more years to come. You can have a pizza & water or go all out with incredible seafood dishes that are decorated works of art served. Or order classic Italian entrees like Lasagna, Ravioli, Parmesans. There are plenty of vegetarian choices as well. Don't miss out! read more

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Was great homemade pastas and sauces. Nice salads too! Loved the complimentary brick oven garlic rolls. I took half of my meal home for lunch. Very good service from Wait staff to bus. And the owner stopped in just to see that we were happy. We will return!!!! read more

For a minute I thought I was in Manhattan. The food was amazing and the staff was professional and suggested different dishes. Go to meet the owner and was very nice and proud of his establishment. I plan to go back when I come into town. read more

Bravissima! We can't say enough about this restaurant. From the moment we walked in it was a warm,inviting experience: great ambiance. The waitstaff Rafael was the consumate professional, attentive and welcoming. We had no wait time, all of the courses were timed perfectly. The salad and hot bread with a delicate Rosemary, olive oil dipping sauce was the exact way to begin. We ordered the pappardelle fresche fatte a mano (hand made, fresh)special. It was full of flavor-the pappardelle just melted in your mouth-with 5 colossal sized shrimp , sea scallops and a succulent light cream, pomodoro sauce. It was beautifully presented and delicious to the last morsel. We could barely eat another thing, but managed Cappuccino Tartufo and espresso to end the meal. Grazie per gli auguri di compleanno! Torneremo! read more

Manalu Italian Restaurant - The Special homemade pasta of the day: Pappardelle with Seafood - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

The food was excellent, prices were very good! I loved the ravioli special they had last week! Service was great, Enrico was very kind and attentive to our group. Great ambience read more

Manalu Italian Restaurant - Ravioli special - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

My brother and I came for dinner with family- they had been before and said it was good. They were right! The restaurant was busy, but Jennifer and the rest of the staff took care of us as thought is wasn't. The fresh-out-of-the-oven bread was wonderful to tide us over until the food arrived. I had the pasta aurora, others at the table had veal cacciatore and pasta primavera. We ended up passing plates around to share in the wonderful flavors. I love Italian food and this place has perfect dishes! We opted to get to-go boxes so dessert was possible. The Torte Nonna was divine, as was the cannoli and tiramisu. Coffee rounded out a fine meal and a wonderful dining experience. Highly recommend you try it! read more

Hands down the best Italian restaurant my family and I have ever been to! We have all tried different dishes with every visit and have never been disappointed! If you're ever in the Frederick MD area do yourself a favor and pay them a visit! read more

I like the food a lot! problem is 2 of us came in after 2 pm on a Saturday. No tables available as they stated to us so we had to sit at the bar so we did not get a true experience. There were many tables open when we arrived but they said they had reservations and none available ... we were there 2 hours and nobody ever sat at those open tables that we could have enjoyed. we could have enjoyed a table but for some reason they did not allow us? crazy?! the food is very good but I don't understand the seating issue. sitting at the bar.... service is mighty slow versus sitting at a true table. any answers? love the food though! read more

Food: Solid pizzas made in the brick oven pizza that taste great. (4.5 stars) Service: The staff is so nice, my favorite type of pizza is hot honey and meat pizza, and for my meat pizza they brought me over a bunch of honey to put on my pizza and extra Parmesan on top. We also moved from the patio, to the inside, because our table outside was too cramped, and they gladly moved us. (5 stars) Ambiance: The brick oven is beautiful, but the place could use a facelift. Time to bring the ambiance into the now. Also, could use some feng shui, the restaurant felt very cramped. (3.5) Overall I would give this place an A, a 4.5 out of 5, but as you can't rate with half-stars on Yelp, I'm going to round up because the staff was so nice! read more

Loved the atmosphere. The service was excellent. The Italian food iwas one of the best I have had outside my house that my husband cooked. Can't wait to go back. read more

The first time I visited Manalu was in March 2021 for my birthday dinner and the main thing that I can remember was the chicken Alfredo not being amazing. Now I have finally made my return in 2023 for my second visit and it was great. The service was solid and very informative about the food and specials. I had the lasagna ($21), baked ziti ($19), chicken parm sandwich ($14), margarita pizza ($12). The lasagna was decent but you are better off ordering a kids lasagna which is 10$ cheaper and a near same size piece as the regular (refer to kid's lasagna photo). The baked ziti was good, creamy, and cheesy. The chicken parm sandwich on homemade bread was 1 of my favorite dishes: the sandwich was huge and flavorful and the fries were good. The margarita pizza was also 1 of my favorite dishes, everything about it was great. Overall, the food was pretty good and I would definitely recommend and be open to returning. read more

I love authentic Italian food and that's just what you can expect. The menu is extensive and all the pasta is made in house. everything about the establishment screams I'm in Italy. From the accordion used to sing happy birthday to the wood-burning pizza oven. I've always received great service my six-year-old bags to come back because he loves the mac & cheese so much. I am a big fan of the chicken Parm and it always comes out. Superb. read more

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Ou first visit was an excellent experience. Let's start with the value: Delicious meals in a nice outdoor setting on a beautiful July evening, "service with a smile", two glasses of good wine each at roughly $50 per the two of us. The food and service really were very good. I have to go back to try some other dishes, but the dishes we had were delicious and could have been served at a very fine dining location in San Francisco or New York. Right here in Frederick MD: Great Italian food! read more