best Italian food I've eaten in years. wonderful place. Bring your patience they make everything from scratch so you'll wait a little while for your food but it's totally worth it. read more

Had lunch here yesterday. On Sundays they have an all you can eat buffet. Yesterday's buffet included: mashed potatoes, rice, roasted pork, baked chicken, pasta primavera, Mac n cheese, green beans, rolls, tossed salad, pasta salad, macaroni salad, strawberries, fruit salad, watermelon, chocolate cream pie, pecan pie, cherry cheese cake, etc. Service is great and the staff warmly thank you for coming. The ambiance is family friendly. read more

We had Alba (spelling) as our waitress and she was AWESOME!! The food was fabulous!! If you eat here you will be so glad you did and the in house made Italian dressing is delicious!! read more

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DELICIOUS! The pasta here was amazing and the cannoli was so good. The owners were extremely sweet and welcoming. An overall great experience read more

Mario's Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Forest City, North Carolina

The food and service speak for itself. The outside can be deceptive. Needs a little TLC. Veal Francaise and spaghetti were shared along with generous Caesar salad. All ingredients fresh and tasty. Bought an Italian sub for later and it was delicious. read more

Mario's Restaurant - Ceasar salad with plenty of Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Forest City, North Carolina

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Great food and awesome service with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Love you guys!

Food*Service*Ambiance*and more... The owners are the Best!! Food is made to order, which is fresh!! Absolutely my favorite Italian restaurant!!! They truly care about you. We had chicken Alfredo, eggplant, and chicken parmigiana, topped it off with canolies. read more

Great service, could use more variety in their Sunday buffet. Would like if I could order off a menu.

Amazing service and the food was delicious !!!! Very glad my anniversary dinner was here will definitely be back !! Everything tasted homemade and fresh and the employees were total sweethearts read more

Really enjoyed eating here during my business travels. A fresh, home cooked meal made by a very sweet family! Everything had great flavor and was delicious. The buttery sauce of the Shrimp Scampi was excellent. Will remember this place during future travels! read more

Mario's Restaurant - Shrimp Scampi - Italian Near Me - Forest City, North Carolina

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Tutto Benne! Every now & then you discover a truly exceptional restaurant, today I found one! It's the Independence Holiday weekend & most every place is closed so I was very happy to find Mario's open. I had the beef lasagna with fried calamari & a dinner salad. My first inkling that something special was happening, the homemade Italian salad dressing, it was excellent! The portions are big, the food quality is exceptional and the prices are reasonable. My server was Alva, she was very friendly & nice and when I told her how good everything was, her face lit up in a big smile! I met Mario & told him I was going to give him a five star review, he was very pleased. I highly recommend you go out of your way to check this place out! Forest City, you have a gem in your midst! It's bellisimo! read more

Mario's Restaurant - One of the few restaurants in Forest City open on Sunday - Italian Near Me - Forest City, North Carolina

Lost their liquor license and we split a plate of veal parm, they charged us 3.50 without telling us for a "shared plate!" If we knew that, we would have ordered two meals instead. Pretty crappy to do to someone as a charge IMO. read more

The sauce was a little sweet for my taste but looked very authentic. Service was pretty slow. The place could use a little modernization.

They have Authentic food. The atmosphere is pleasant and enjoyable. They make you feel welcome with great people and service.

This place is amazing great did wonderful staff. Did is so good and they are true Italian restaurant!

Mario's offers great Italian food in the heart of NC. Family owned and they really care about providing great hospitality. Highly recommend. Large dining area and accommodates larger parties. Alba is the cherry on top; she was the nicest waitress and helped us throughout the evening. Food preparation takes a little longer but it's obviously all home-made. Thank you! read more

Nice local Italian restaurant run by very friendly people, and they have a great Sunday buffet with a mixture of Italian and meat and potatoes type of fare as well read more

Finally tried Mario's, and I'm upset with myself for waiting so long. Having spent quite a bit of time in the Mediterranean with the Navy, it's refreshing to get the "farmhouse" experience again! Mario's is a super typical, ambiance neglected family style restaurant that you find everywhere in Southern Italy. The owners, despite the length of time spent in the US, run it just like they would back in the old country. Almost no staff, 70's and 80's decor, random music you can barely hear playing from decades old speakers...and the most authentic tasting Italian food I've had in a very long time. Everything about Mario's is utterly perfect for what it is. If you know, you know. And it is blessing they are located in Forest City NC. The lack of a broader customer base is allowing them to continue running the restaurant the way they want to, rather than watering it down to appease sheer masses. If you are in the mood for your Italian Grandma to complain you are looking too thin and to "Eat! Eat!" as she gives you two people's worth of food on a single plate...Mario's is your place! read more

The food is prepared to order, so be patient if you want hot freshly prepared & well seasoned. Service is great considering owners share in the food preparation & customer service. Ambiance is great with a family caring attitude. Always a welcome when we enter the restaurant. read more

Good food done right, Alba"s attentive service is well worth the wait, have a glass of wine and enjoy a salad.

It isn't the prettiest restaurant on the outside but it is definitely worth eating there. We were in the mood for Italian food and that is exactly what we got. We ordered the lasagna and linguine with white clay sauce. We were very happy with our orders. The garlic bread is Devine. The only complaint I have is for the price of the meal it should include a side salad. We will be coming there over and over again. read more

Yummy flavorful food. I got the Rueben sandwich and it is was the BEST I've ever had. Good prices and decent portions. The service is really slow but the waitress is really sweet. Knocked a star off for the outdated decor and dingy atmosphere. It had a weird moist damp quality to the air, and strong air freshener. read more

We loved Mario's Italian restaurant!!! authentic and delicious Italian food!! and what makes it even better is Alba one of the owners, she makes you feel right at home!! read more

Mario's Restaurant - We visited Mario's Italian restaurant in Forest city,NC!! - Italian Near Me - Forest City, North Carolina

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Pulling into the parking lot, I was a bit nervous as the outside needed some TLC. But the food was outstanding and the waitress was fantastic! The pastas my family had were delicious, and the cannolis were amazing. Everyone finished everything on their plates and left happy not overstuffed. Definitely recommending to friends. read more

Absolutely amazing! Alba is so sweet she made me feel as if I was at home and not a restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious, so fresh and flavorful. My favorite place to eat in the area. read more

Mario's Restaurant - Caesar Salad - Italian Near Me - Forest City, North Carolina

Made reservations for their Valentines day dinner. Wasn't told it was a buffet. We had been there once before and the food was very good, so we assumed it would be the same on Valentines day. We were wrong. No menu choices to be had, buffet only. The choices were slim and tasted like they had sat out for hours. The salmon was dry, not fresh, the chicken was very spicy, the pasta dishes were bland and dry, the ribs were very dry, the potatoes were mushy and bland, we weren't allowed to dish our own plates (it was done for us to control portions), the desserts were pretty good (peach cobbler, apple pie, chocolate cake), but the portions were incredibly small. We won't go back for the salad bar. It was terrible and overpriced. The menu dinner we had during our prior dinner was good but now I don't know if we just had a lucky night or not. We'll give them another shot, but not during a buffet. read more

We came into the restaurant while driving back home. The server was very friendly and promptly took our order. This is a family restaurant/diner. The fettuccine was delicious with sausage, garlic, and mushrooms. Also, the ambience with Christmas trees and interior decorations made it extra Christmasy! Definitely recommend this friendly comfortable restaurant for the delicious food. read more

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We stopped in here for dinner on our way back home from Lake Lure. The food was delicious, especially the Cheesy Garlic Bread. Even better than the food was the service we received from Alba. I believe she may be one of the nicest people over ever met in a restaurant seeing. She was attentive and conversational, but not overly so. If you're looking to try a new spot definitely go to Mario's. I'm already looking forward to the next time we are passing through Forest City. read more

We were looking for something else when we wanted to eat. There is no much in Forest City. I did call before I showed up, mostly because of the pandemic and I don't know who is open and what requirements. They open a little early, this was very welcoming; even though the hours stated 4pm, they opened before that. Thank you It doesn't have Italian music but at least is NOT country, thank God!! The lady, I don't know if part of the cooking department or the waitress or even the owner, I will never know; took care of us. She made fresh coffee, delicious american coffee. The service was good, and it kept our table clean, no dirty dishes piling up. About the food: The chicken was dry and tough, good seasoning though. The beef lasagna had barely any pasta, it was almost like a sloppy joe, no bread. The tomato sauce was tasty. About the eggplant parmigiana, it was nice, but I could not see it or taste the eggplant, it had so much cheese and breading, I had to dig to find my vegetable/fruit; the desserts were good and appealing. It was better than many restaurants out there... This place is for meat lovers, that want a "Italian" experience, somewhat. Ps/ They charge a convenience fee for card users ($2.95) Bring cash. read more

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Good food good people would definitely recommend this place for Italian food. There always friendly and courteous. read more

We wanted to try a new restaurant in our area and decided on Mario's Italian food. We are so glad we did. I had the Chicken Parmigiano with spaghetti and my husband had the Pork Chops. Both were excellent and portion sizes more than enough. The service from Alba was also excellent from the moment we walked in until we left. The salad for starters was fresh and crisp and the Italian dressing was to die for. The garlic cheese bread was also very good. We will be back soon to try more. read more

The food is absolutely amazing. Especially the breadsticks & the salad. I'd like to eat there more often but honestly can't afford it even though the food is Worth the price read more

If you want really fast service Mario's may not be for you. If you want really good food it's worth the wait. Have a salad and a glass of wine while you wait for your entree. I've had the lasagne, the eggplant parm and the chicken parm. My husband had two other chicken dishes that he enjoyed. I'm really fussy about red sauce - I used to make my own. Mario's sauce is GOOD!! It may not be the fanciest place around but it is good and reasonably priced. read more

That's was the best service and food I would recommend this place for everyone... my best first date

AmaZing experience! We were visiting Forest City (on Christmas Eve) and wanted something memorable. We found the right place! We met the owner, had incredibly delicious pasta with homemade sauce , garlic bread and this Italian sausage pasta that I will miss. Simple looking place but don't judge a book by its' cover. read more

Mario's gives a great Italian family dinner experience in a relaxed and casual setting. The owners are kind and gracious, and we've observed their commitment to giving customers a great experience. read more

Absolute best Italian place I have been to. Ribeye steak medium rare, beef lasagna on the side, and a Cesar salad. Oh my, thank me later!

Very friendly staff. Me and my friend stopped in on trip to see the parade and lights. Staff was awesome and welcomed us upon entering. Food (Chicken Francese was awesome and quick coming out. I would highly recommend read more

Mario's is very worth it the food is always fantastic and the people are so kind to everyone!

Wonderful place to eat. Little hole in the wall. Wonderful people and wonderful atmosphere. One of the Small Town's Finest.