I've driven by here on a near-daily basis on my commute. I've been to the taqueria next door several times--thought I would finally give Marino's a try. The lady who answered the phone was very polite. She quoted me a time of 30-35 minutes for the food. I thought that was quite awhile, but decided to proceed with the order anyhow. When I walked in, the restaurant was nearly empty. One room off to the side was dark; it looks like this was a party room in a former life. I saw a solo diner in the main dining room. It was eerily quiet in there. An older lady (whom I believe also answered the phone) was very polite and seemed like she appreciated the business. I wish I could speak more highly of the food. The portions were all very generous, but most all seemed to be lacking in flavor. The breadsticks appear to have been brushed on top with some kind of butter, but no garlic flavor was present and the bottoms had gone untouched. Just bland. The salads I saw online appeared to have had croutons on them but mine did not. The dressing itself had good flavor--likely homemade. The salad was a basic side salad otherwise. The cavatelli was off in several different ways. The pasta appeared to be actual cavatelli, but lacked the firmness I'm used to. The sauce all seemed to have been on one side of the dish. The sausage was Italian sausage. Will probably try again at some point--other reviews seem to indicate better experiences. read more

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This place doesn't pretend to be anything other than a very good local Italian restaurant. Our server was friendly and helpful and guided us to a simple margarita pizza with a sweet sauce that grows on you with each bite (crust was thin and delicious). read more

Marino's Italian Restaurant - Margarita pizza - Italian Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Ciao! A bottle of red, a bottle of whites Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight ( You can bring your own wine or beer with no corkage fee!) I'll meet you anytime you want In Marino's Italian Restaurant Word of mouth had us looking into coming here. A quick review of other reviews had my mouth watering. I appreciate the heads up on the wait on the reviews, but really, it was worth it. We walked in and sat right down at about 10 minutes after opening on a Tuesday evening. The homey interior had more of a diner feel. Greeted warmly at the door the only hostess and waitress we saw all night brought us drinks and took our orders. The menu is simple and the waitress knows the right questions. The food is made to order. I ordered the baked Cavitelli with sausage. With it comes bread sticks and a side salad. Along with our meals we ordered an appetizer of mozzarella sticks. Just the perfect breading thickness. The cheese stretched for days. The side salad is basic. It is lettuce, a couple cucumbers and tomatoes, but the the house made Italian dressing. *Please can I just have a bottle to take home?* I usually am one to just stick with ranch, but I wanted to try it and it blew me away. Our table of 6 entrees came out about an hour after we originally sat down. It really was worth the wait. I took small bites and savored it. It was enough for me to take home and have a second night. My husband got Baked Spinach and Cheese Manicotti. My meat eater of a husband had a non meat meal and loved it. We had 2 people at the table get the calzone and couldn't finish. My mom had to get the Salad Supreme - (Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Olives, Green Peppers, Pepperoni, Artichoke Hearts and Mozzarella Cheese). The only reason I say she "had to" is because this location does not have gluten free options. We heard a rumor that the food is from scratch and it was delicious. Again, worth the wait. People filtered in the door all evening. If you are worried about the time restraints, go ahead and call ahead and get take out. But the food coming straight to our table, the company, and the good time we had made it worth it. Again the one waitress who seemed to be running the front part of the restaurant was the bomb. She was superb and we loved her. read more

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This is just a little spot on a busy street that didn't disappoint. House Italian dressing was perfect. Only one happy lady doing this by herself deserves to be pointed out. Food came out after a little extra wait was worth every min. It was top notch homemade food that deserves that extra tip. Can't wait to make this a regular spot for us. Thanks for still delivering quality food. read more

Marino's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Food was amazing! But service was a bit slow. So if you have lots of time and want good food go here. Recommend the manicotti.

We have been frequenting Marinos for at least 30 years. Mr and Mrs Marino seem to never get tired of making the best food at great prices in a very clean restaurant. I'm not kidding one bit when I say, you can not get better Italian in the Des Moines area! I can't explain, just get there. You won't believe it! read more

Marino's Italian Restaurant - This is a Sausage and Peppers and Onion Sandwich Also the Steak And Cheese Sandwich. - Italian Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

I went on 6/20/25 and ordered a steak cheese and onion sandwich and all I got was a big breaded sandwich with tons of cheese and very little steak. The service was horrible and the old waitress wanted me out at 9pm, even though their website says they close at 10pm on Friday. read more

Be patient. The wait is worth it. Our pizza was delish. The sausage was flavorable and fresh mushrooms! Next time trying the pasta. This is a BYOB place so bring your wine. read more

The lasagna is the best ever!! I've compared other restaurants and nothing beats Marinos!! Ellen is the nicest person ever!! Always so patient and kind!! Always look forward to their lasagna!! read more

Marino's in Johnston was 4/5*. The bad? Ranch dressing is crap, the red chili flakes on the table look to have been there since 1901, and their creamy Alfredo is subpar. But that's the little stuff all in all. Everything else was GREAT! Their red sauce and their breadsticks is where it's at. The Baked Cavatelli with Sausage was my favorite, very flavorful and the perfect spice. The Shrimp Parmigiana with Linguini was really good as well. Baked Cheese Tortellini was good, we should have added sausage to this to make it even better. Our server sang Happy Birthday in Italian. It was sweet and she was darling. We will definitely be back for some red sauce entrees. read more

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Food was pretty good, the service was pretty good also, would recommend this to friends and family

We recently moved to Johnston and really liked Pagliais Pizza. We got home late and Pagliais was closing so we searched for another pizza restaurant that was still open. We found Marino's on yelp and their hours showed they were open until 10pm. I walked in a few minutes past 9. They were closed (new hours end at 9) but they still had a few patrons finishing their meal. She took our order and we loved the pizza. Our new favorite. Super fresh and not greasy at all. read more

Marino's Italian Restaurant - Pizza with Sausage, Mushrooms, Green Peppers, and Black Olives - Italian Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Food was amazing. Classic real Italian. It is a hike in the walk, but the food makes up for the ambiance. The wait staff was superb as well. Great place hidden in plain sight! read more

Outstanding authentic Italian food! The best in town. Pizza is amazing as well. Great service and bring your own wine keeps the bill very reasonable. Highly recommend read more

What a sad excuse for a restaurant! The first time I tried to experience this restaurant, I placed a takeout order that they never processed. A few days later, I went there for dine-in. I had read reviews saying that service can be slow, so I prepared myself to wait, but the wait was LONG, without any option to order a beer or wine while waiting, and the long wait was absolutely not worth it. They are very skimpy on the use of ingredients. My eggplant parmigiana had about 3 ultra thin slices of eggplant. Their side salad for all guests had one grape tomato split into two, and their tomato sauce didn't feel home made or anything special. It is offensive to the Italian cuisine to suggest that what they serve here is authentic Italian food, and I say that after living in Italy for one year and experiencing it it as a local. I do not recommend this restaurant read more

We had heard some good things about the pizza here so we decided to give it a try. The breadsticks were warm soft and delicious. We ordered a 12" pepperoni and a 10" sausage, mushroom and black olive. The crust on both was outstanding! Nice soft crust with a crisp crunchy bottom. The sausage was a mild fennel-forward crumble that was great. The mushrooms were fresh sliced, and the cheese was sufficiently present but not overdone. If the pizza is any indication of what we can expect from the Italian entrees they have on the menu, then we will most certainly be back! We have a couple great bottles of red wine that are begging for some Italian company. BYOB here with NO corking fee, so plan accordingly. Two way up. read more

Marino's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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Tried Mario's for take out tonight. I got the sausage & pepper sandwich and my wife ordered the sausage calzone. They were both fantastic. The sandwich appeared to be served on a homemade bread of some type that was similar to the wrapping on the calzone. It was a slight bit greasy, but I am not going to complain about that as the flavor was out of this world. We will be stopping back to Mario's soon to try all of their other entrees. This is a no-risk bet; give it a try. read more

A culinary gem hidden in a suburban strip mall, this small, family-owned restaurant serves up outstanding, authentic Italian food. The food is flavorful, fresh, and plentiful, and the owners are equally charismatic, greeting us by name at every visit. We prefer to call our order in, retrieve it, and eat it at home, hot and fresh. We have tried many menu items, but our favorite is the baked cavatelli, which features perfectly crafted pasta, a rich red sauce, a savory sausage with just the right amount of "kick," and a wonderful "cap" of mozzarella. The homemade breadsticks are my favorite in the metro. Overall, a real treasure! read more

Our family has been going to Marino's for 30 years. It's our go-to for great pasta and pizza.

We love Marino's. We call our orders in and pick up to eat at home. We've tried most of the menu items and never been disappointed. Their baked pasta dishes are out favorites. read more

I love Marinos. I noticed that at the time of my posting, their address is incorrect (merle hay and Douglas is their old location) This is hands down my partners favorite Italian place and I probably wouldn't have gone here without him. It's a small place but the food is good and the staff is always polite and quick. My go-to is their calzones. I haven't found a really good calzone anywhere else in Des Moines. That being said, I wouldn't skip out on their pasta or pizza. The pizza was a little on the pricey side for pizza (when comparing to like dominos) but it really was very good. If you're more a person who likes to try pizza at different places, I'd definitely recommend giving marinos a try. I suppose I gave it 4/5 stars because the decor just isn't what I want in a restaurant like this. I want something just a little cozier feeling. Overall impression: definitely try this place for any Italian food. You'll have a good experience with the staff and get to enjoy some of my favorite Des Moines Italian food. read more

The food isn't bad. The owner's attitude and quality of care however, is. We ordered our salads with vinegar and oil. As everyone know and especially with all food, there is a shelf life. If you have ever smelled or tasted old oil of any kind, it is clear by both if it is old and rancid. The oil and vinegar containers were pretty dirty to begin with, but the olive oil was way past its prime. We told the waitress, who sent over the owner. We were very nice about it. The owner denied that the oil was stale and stated that it is the same oil that they cook with and was totally defensive. That's all I need to hear. We didn't eat the salads, got our food, apparently cooked in old olive oil, paid our bill and left. Nope. Nope. Nope. read more

We have been going to Marino's for over 20 years. The original location was very near our house. We returned after not going for some time. It remains excellent. The baked ziti is excellent. Tasty noodles and a delightful sauce. However the chicken sandwich is why I go. It is my favorite meal in Des Moines. Chicken chunks in a sauce and cheese wrapped in a dough that is baked. Please go try it. See if you can save the second half for lunch tomorrow. I usually can't. Thank you Marino's. read more

Monthly WLTE (We Live To EAT) group met at 5pm opening. Server Hana promptly took our drink order followed by food. No corkage fee until liquor license in force. Two of use had Cavetelli w/sausage, one a Calzone, another Spinach & Cheese Manacoti. Excellent salad, meh bread sticks. Spouses comment, on leaving with lunch tomorrow, was that it was the best Italian pasta dishes ever in Des Moines metro. We will go back and try highly recommended pizza. Go there! read more

I went for the first time tonight. The baked lasagna had barely any meat and not many lasagna noodles. The little bit of ricotta was good but it had more mozzarella on top than most pizzas I've eaten. The salad was mostly just iceberg lettuce. I wish I could give this neighborhood restaurant a better review so I'll update it when I try their pizza. I saw someone at a nearby table get one and it looked good. read more

This was our first time and it was outstanding! Great service and good food. We have seen it but never tried it before tonight and we certainly will be back in the future. As advertised, it is a "best kept secret"! Wonderful! read more

Their sausage sandwich is just fantastic! I would highly recommend giving it a try.

We have eaten at Marino's many, many times. Never been disappointed. Great family run restaurant with delicious home made Italian food! Try their cavatelli, spaghetti w meat sauce or pizzas. Very comfortable, friendly atmosphere. Bring your own wine. They do not have a liquor license. read more

New location at 5775 Merle Hay Rd, Johnston, IA 50131. The food was good. The service was pretty good. The tiramisu was wonderful. Their unique take on sandwiches is interesting but be warned so you're not surprised. Based on a first visit. Will be back. read more

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Food and service was outstanding. Best breadsticks I have had. We strongly recommend. Restaurant was the cleanest we have been to also

Great family old style Italian. Stick to your ribs red sauce. Many dishes are baked. Had eggplant parmigiana. Very good, not fried! Spouse had manicotti. read more

This little Italian restaurant was voted "best kept secret" in a recent local survey, so my family and I decided to give it a try. First impression: Yes it must be s secret, because only one other couple was in the place when we arrived for dinner at 6:30 pm on a Saturday night. Hmmmm... is this good or bad? Read on. Turns out, this place does a lot of take out pizza orders, as there was a steady stream of people picking up. We dined in and the service was the first thing that was noticeable - it was outstanding (as it should be for one of two people dining in). The hostess took our orders promptly and delivered the food in a reasonable amount of time. I had lasagna and my kids had sausage pizza. The food was very good; best kept secret in DSM? Not sure I would say that, but certainly worthy of the price and effort to get there. ONE THING TO NOTE: Marino's does not sell alcohol (wine or beer), so if you want an authentic Italian meal with a glass of red vino, you will need to bring your own (they do allow that without a corking fee). Also, I would not bring a large party of people here as they would need to be broken up and the parking is tight and limited. read more

We're so in love with their pizza, we haven't branched out to try the rest of their yummy-sounding Italian menu. Parking is tight and ambiance is basic but it doesn't matter-food is what you go for! Appear to be closed Sundays. read more

Worst Italian food ever. Pasta overcooked as was the chicken. Service matched the food

We have enjoyed Marino's since 2002. This place always feels like going back to grandma's from the food to the service.

Took my son here for his 15th birthday dinner. We got 3 orders of Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and a Pepperoni pizza. Pizza was not that good, QT or Kum & Go pizza is better than this place. It was the worst Fettuccine we have ever ordered. The sauce tasted like clam chowder sauce and the chicken they used tasted like chicken nuggets. Fake cheap tasting "Italian" food. Their garlic breadsticks tasted plain cheap baked bread and it was hard. Even Fazolis unlimited garlic breadsticks and Fettuccine top theirs for authenticity! If you want authentic Italian food go to Luigis on the South side of Des Moines or Fazolis better faster service if really hungry. Not worth it for the price at all, $80 bill total. Never coming back! read more

The décor takes you back in time; if you had an aunt or grandmother who was a really good cook, she may have had a dining room like this (aside from the booths). The salad composition is conventional, but the ingredients are fresh and tasty. The pasta... I never understood what the big deal about cavatelli was...until now. Trust me. You want this. The server and another lady who works here were courteous and helpful. We'll be back. Oh, one more thing. If you see a link to what is purportedly their website, it may well be one that someone made listing all US restaurants named "Marino's". Not sure that is much help. read more

If you want real Italian food, this is the place. Excellent service with incredible food.

We love Marino's. It's simple, tasty, well priced food. There is nothing pretentious about this restaurant or the staff, just delicious food. We have moved through many of the pasta dishes and I frequently get pizza. Always good and always consistent, you can count on it. read more

This was suppose to be my Mother's Day dinner(2022) so my date picked this place. There were hardly no customers when we walked in(should of turned around then). We ordered spagetti with meat sauce. I asked the waitress would it be plenty of meat sauce. She said it will be good. When our dinner arrived it was a small salad. Now the salad was okay, just not enough of it(the best part of the meal). The entree did not have enough meat sauce, so it was dry. We asked for more meat sauce. We were told we could have marinara sauce(no meat in it) but could not have meat sauce for some stupid reason we did not understand. I was all done at that time and did not finish my meal. Also, the waitress did not check on us. I had asked for more water, she took a long time to return with the water. It was just a terrible place to eat. Do not set foot in this place. They just don't seem to care about the customers needs. read more