San Marco is truly a wonderful restaurant, and well worth trying out. I strongly recommend you call for reservations, because this restaurant fills up quickly. There's two dining areas, I can only speak of one side to the left of the main doors. This side was decent size and had decent spacing of the tables. The service is excellent, but as many mentioned it is a bit slow. But for me, it was ok because you're not rushed at all during your stay. As for the food, I was throughly pleased on every entree I had. I would say though, I would've loved if they had a cocktails menu. I was surprised to see only wines and beer are offered here. But even still, that wouldn't deter me from coming back and becoming a regular. FILETTO AL CARBONE | $55.00 Grilled 8 oz. Filet Mignon served in a creamy porcini mushroom sauce with cracked black pepper and brandy. Steak was prepared perfectly, and the sauce served with this entree was delicious GAMBERI E CAPESANTE LIVORNESE | $39.00 Fresh sea scallops and tiger shrimp in a delicious brown sauce of cognac and shallots surrounding a nest of angel hair pasta. OMG..... again the food was amazing, and again the sauce for this dish was delicious. INSALATA CESARE | $14.00 Fresh romaine in our classic Caesar dressing read more

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This restaurant offers authentic Italian cuisine. It's a cozy and intimate environment, and we found the service to be fantastic. Everything we ate was incredibly fresh and tasty. We thoroughly enjoyed every course that we had. We will be back. I cannot believe it took us so long to try at this place. read more

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My first time here was recently for my birthday but I will DEFINITELY be back. I was immediately impressed when we walked in by the ambiance and set up. I loved how intimate each room felt. My husband described the service as "it'll feel like they forgot about you, but not in a bad way" and I thought that was a very accurate description. They are not overly attentive but it made it feel that much more intimate because we never wanted for anything either. The portions are huge and the food is so flavorful. Everything was so delicious and had complex flavor profiles. The "specials" have been the same for decades and there's a reason for it - they're amazing. I can't wait to come back here. The sea bass was my favorite dish but the scallops were a close second. read more

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San Marco never disappoints! Enjoyed the special venison with mushroom risotto, also veal saltimbocca and chocolate lava cake for a final finish. Family affair all around. Merica our favorite wait staff is a sweetheart . read more

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I haven't been to San Marco in a few years but we were excited to be back. It was my birthday and we had a 630 pm reservation. It's a very elegant restaurant and we were seated right away. I love the old traditional white tablecloths. It was quite busy for a Thursday evening. They don't have a full bar for cocktails so we ordered Prosecco. We started with the Caesar salad which was good. They brought fresh bread to the table. We shared the lobster ravioli as an appetizer and it was delicious. I ordered the veal scallopini and although the portion was small it tasted excellent. My friend ordered the Gamberi E Capesante Livornese that she enjoyed. I ordered the chocolate zuccato which was tasty and my friend was disappointed by the pistachio gelato. The whole dinner was about 2 1/2 hours so be prepared to enjoy a fine dining experience in a very relaxed atmosphere. read more

We went there for a special occasion earlier this year with a newly arrived family from South America, whi wanted to celebrate a birthday at an Italian restaurant. The birthday girl wanted risotto and this was the only restaurant that offered it near us. Beautiful ambience. Very well received when we arrived, having reservations. A very nice initial waitress. Food arrived, and both pasta dishes were very salty. Made a comment to the waitress who came come and waitress said that unfortunately, that has been mentioned already to the cook on prior occasions. No attempt to rectify the matter with dishes. We did not make a big deal out of it. We ate it. The portion of the risotto looked like an appetizer, although we were told it was actually a dinner portion. Price for two pasta dinners, the special of the day, the risotto, a glass of wine, and a beer s was nearly $200 if not a little bit more. The couple picked up the tap, walked up and gave the waitress the check. Upon their return, I asked if they included a tip. If not, we would leave it on the table. As we were discussing that, a separate waitress, not the one that served as, came with an aggravated look on her face, slapped the ticket back down on the table and almost in anger stated.. You forgot to leave a tip. We will be back for it when you leave the tip. In shock, with a restaurant full of diners, I was definitely taken aback by that attitude. After I took a deep breath, I said.. these are new arrivals to the US, and when we realize that they did not add the tip to the bill, we were going to leave cash on the table. That is exactly what we did. And we left. I did not think that attitude was appropriate, especially in a dining area where the guests sit very close to one another and can hear everything. I sent an email to the restaurant about that incident and I never heard back. In my opinion, I have had much better service and much better food at other places. We were looking forward to a nice experience for this couple. They had no complaints as to their food. I did not interpret to them what was going on with regard to the second waitress, her attitude and what she was asking for. I did not want to make them feel bad, or obviously, not make a scene of any kind. Not necessary. And that's my experience. read more

The food is always perfect. The service is always great. It's small and cozy. They are happy to feed and serve you. It shows.

I loved everything about this place. Fantastic food, great service, comfortable ambiance

I got to come here for Valentine's Day dinner last night and it was fantastic. The romantic and cozy ambience was amazing, the staff was very nice and accommodating, and the food/drink was delicious. We ordered a couple glasses of Chianti, the fresh bread was a great touch, the entrees (filet mignon and the sea bass special) were both bursting with flavor, and the tiramisu was the perfect way to end a great Valentine's Day. Can't wait to come back! Reservations are recommended! read more

homestyle fine Italian dining, the stuffed banana pepper ravioli appetizer might be one of the best things I've ever had. The food is phenomenal, everyone loved their plates. Staff and service are fantastic. Atmosphere is classy and elegant. read more

This place hits every time. I think it's probably my favorite restaurant in the Buffalo area. Love the family vibe of the restaurant, the food is always fresh and ridiculously good, and the staff- we simply love. IMHO, better than Hutches, and yes, hutches is delicious. Never had we had a bad experience or a bad meal here. Would loooove for them to have a more expanded bar but that's a minor blurb. They do have a great wine selection. Def, def recommend. Perfect place to bring people visiting town if your trying to show them some of the good food in the area read more

I came here for a family dinner. The setting is intimate and dark. However, the table next to us were so loud and obnoxious! The restaurant is tiny and the layout is a little odd. However, the food makes up for it. I ordered the linguine with seafood and it was delish! The restaurant filled up pretty quick and they had just opened so I recommend making a reservation. read more

San Marco Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

One of our favorites for special occasions. The food never disappoints. Favorites are stuffed pepper ravioli, salad with mushrooms and the sea bass! Cozy and romantic setting. FYI Beer/wine only and no bar to sit at. read more

Great food and service Quiet enough to hear conversations at your table. Excellent location and beautiful dining room,comfortable seating. read more

Wednesday night and turned away because they only take reservations. THAT Would have been helpful to know before gathering people from different locations. read more

Food was great! Apps, entrees and dessert; delicious. Portions were small but perfectly filling. Luca (our servers assistant) was friendly & attentive! His service is what pushed this review to 4/5 stars! Dining room is small but nice decor and quaint! Would definitely go back. read more

San Marco Restaurant - Filet - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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We came here for my nieces birthday dinner. There were eight of us. The ambience is fabulous. The waiter was simply fantastic. He communicated well. He was attentive without being over, bearing, he had jokes, he knew the menu inside and out. The food was pretty good, the ravioli we had for an appetizer was simply amazing, the sauce was wonderful. I had the veal Parmesan that had an eggplant Parmesan on top minus the veal. I think it was about 35 or $40 that's pretty steep for eggplant Parmesan what I was surprised about is that , it didn't come with a side of spaghetti. I've never been anywhere that they serve chicken Parmesan or veal Parmesan or eggplant Parmesan without a side of spaghetti. Our bill ended up being about $800 for eight people. Well I can't say that I went home hungry we were not particularly full, it is obvious that all the food is cooked in house and cooked with pride. I think I might try some other options the next time we visit for dessert I thought I ordered baked apples, but it ended up being apple pie. I don't really like apple pie, but this one was pretty good, the cinnamon ice cream was good too. So I'm giving them five stars, even though I was not 100% down with the product size for the price just for the parmesans. Live and learn, and I put that on myself for not looking carefully at the pictures in yelp and not asking questions. Everything that came out of that kitchen smelled and looked fantastic. Also, a nice touch, I believe the owner greets you at the door and when you sit and then comes by during the meal to make sure everything is OK. That's a super nice touch. You can tell that he is very passionate about his business and I appreciate that. read more

San Marco Restaurant - Menu page 2 - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Food was mediocre and overpriced. Steak was over cooked. The vegetables which were the same for every dish were sad little steamed pot, carrots, zucchini that reminded me of hospital food. The seafood pasta was very small for the price and a clump of over cooked pasta. Ravioli was good as well as the desserts. read more

Smaller restaurant, family run. Really reasonable wine pricing. Great food! The gnocchi - incredibly pillowy gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce. Mushroom risotto - fantastic. Fettuccini alla bolognese and penne all'arrabiata. Bottle of really great wine with dinner and then some takeaway containers. Our server was one of the family members and gave us some great advice. Consistently a great dining experience. read more

Second time at San Marco. Ordered the same appetizers as the last time-scallops and Ravioli with banana peppers. Still super delicious. For entries, we had the venison steak, wild boar and wild mushroom pasta. All very good, fulfilling but not stuffed. We looked at the dessert menu, key lime pie and lava cake both looked very good, but we decided not to have desserts, since we were already very satisfied with dinner read more

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We had an absolute amazing experience at this family run restaurant. The service was impeccable and the food was divine. The white tablecloths and impressive wine list was over the top great! I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

Service and ambiance was very good as usual Seated promptly at table we requested Some minor issues; Vegetables served with entrees were very ordinary, don't expect sliced carrots and zucinni in a fancy restaurant Our sea bass entree ( not inexpensive) could have been hotter when served,along with my quail dish read more

Look no further if you are looking for one of the consistently top restaurants in Western New York. Never disappoints! Highest quality food, focused quality wine list with reasonable markups, good service, intimate surroundings. read more

Eating at San Marco is always a wonderful experience. This white linen dining provides you with an ambiance and service that complements the outstanding food. We usually save our visits for special occasions, however, it is too wonderful to eat there only once a year! read more

My boyfriend and I visited San Marco for my birthday dinner. Neither of us had ever been here before, but we will absolutely both be back! The service was absolutely amazing. Our waitress was so kind and attentive, giving amazing recommendations. Our food completely exceeded our expectations. We can't wait to go back already! read more

San Marco Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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{Service} 5/5* We went on a Sunday night at 7pm and made a reservation the day before. You definitely have to reserve as it's always packed. We were seated pretty quickly. Our server was attentive and even made our food spicier to accommodate my south asian mother haha. The owner himself even cleared away our plates. Amazing incredible service! They are so humble and welcoming. {Food} Risotto del giorno (mushroom truffle) $16 5/5* The most delicious, creamy, umami, salty risotto I've ever had. Best hands down. I've tried this dish several times in different places, San Marco does it best. I'd drive 2 hrs from Toronto again just for this dish! Capesante al vesuvio $19 5/5* Scallops with lemon herb butter sauce and pesto risotto. The risotto was divine and I was told the scallops were perfectly cooked and very flavourful. Penne all'arrabbiata $25 4.5/5* Very spicy and flavourful sauce. Perfectly cooked pasta. A little too spicy so def avoid if you can't handle spice, we're south asian and it was quite spicy even for us. Fusilli alla luciana $25 4/5* Very creamy sauce with some sundried tomatoes and perfectly cooked fusilli pasta. -1 because it was a bit too one note and too rich for me, description said tomato cream sauce so I expected more tomato. Still delicious pasta but I'd opt for a lighter option next time. Chocolate lava cake with hazelnut ice cream $12 4/5* Hazelnut ice cream was delicious, not too sweet, creamy. Molten cake was okay - I wasn't a fan of the cake itself but the molten chocolate was good and not overly sweet. {Ambiance} 5/5* Crowded but not too loud because tables are divided between 2 or 3 rooms I believe. Business casual to formal attire. The prices are decently affordable but feels like fine dining. Overall: 5/5* Recommend to others?: DEFINITELY, come here, even make the trip from Toronto. Best Italian I've ever had so far! read more

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A lesser know gem! Food is delicious, service is great. A good intimate spot for a date night or special occasion.

The quiet atmosphere makes you feel like you are eating at a good friend's house. A good friend who has amazing food. The service is excellent. The banana pepper ravioli appetizers if offered in a main size would be 100% my go to order. The price you pay for what you get is unbeatable. The best authentic Italian food in Buffalo. read more

One of the best meals we've ever had. We really enjoyed the ambience, the food and the overall service provided.

Excellent food and excellent service one of the best in Buffalo Frank and his family are amazing read more

Beautiful restaurant, outstanding service, and very good food. Not much has changed in the 30+ years that I've been coming here. Sadly, I have not been here since before the pandemic. I was not recognized either. [Well, I am older]. Obviously, the prices have gone up, and the portions seem a little smaller. But all high-quality ingredients. I went for my birthday a couple weeks ago and took my three children. We tried for the first time, the banana stuffed ravioli with Gorgonzola appetizer. I liked it. We also ordered the scallop and risotto appetizer. I thought the scallops were small, and I didn't love the flavor of the pesto risotto. My daughter ordered the spaghetti Pomodoro which she liked. Another child order the pasta Bolognese, which was also liked. I had a veal chop, which was very good and my oldest son had a steak, which he liked. The food was hot when it was first served, but the plates were cold and the veal chop and steak cooled off rather quickly. I will go back and have some of the pasta dishes that I enjoyed over the years, as well as the wild boar entrée, which was always outstanding. I know the husband and wife owners have been at this a long time and I wanted my children to experience it. read more

We came here for my wife's birthday on Oct 25th. 6pm reservation with another couple. The restaurant did not seen busy when we arrived, approx 15 min early. We were sat promptly and soon after our friends arrived we ordered a bottle of wine. Our entrees were taken within the first 45 minutes. No appetizers or other extras were ordered. It took 50 minutes for 4 entrees of pasta. 50 minutes. My shrimp were overcooked and I was given a glass of wine on the house, for my $39 entree. All in all it took 2 hours to get out of here for 1 bottle of wine and 4 pasta dishes. A call with the owner several later was not satisfactory. She was neither apologetic nor empathetic to our concerns but, rather she defensive and came across as offended. She explained she felt many people enjoy this experience, after I explained we planned a party around this dinner thinking we would have been done before 8pm with a 6pm reservation. Our server had made a feeble attempt to alert us there was a problem by telling us they were in the process of "catching the free range pasta". It was expensive and slow. No one actually ever apologized or spoke to us. The complaint about my overcooked seafood, I was told by the server he would run it up the flag pole. What about "I'm sorry about that sir can I get you something else?"? On a positive note, it's very intimate and cozy and the staff were very friendly as was the maitre'd who as it turned out, was one of the owners. read more

San Marco Restaurant - GAMBERI E CAPESANTE LIVORNESE $39 - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

A family owned restaurant for 3 1/2 decades. Frank works in the front, his wife cooks, and his daughter was our server. Wonderful food, in a small, intimate, setting, with stellar service and terrific ambience. The menu was arranged in sections, with appetizers, salads, and soups, pasta, dishes, and meat and fish dishes. Homemade specialty desserts are offered at the end. They serve wine and beer, but no cocktails. The wine selection is outstanding, and the markup on the wines is modest. Quality, food, and a delightful experience. read more

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Top 3 favorite restaurant in all of Buffalo. The owner is there greeting guests and checking in on tables every time I have visited and the rest of the staff is phenomenal as well. The gnocchi gorgonzola appetizer has been one of my favorite meals of all time for the last 10+ years. VERY rich and creamy and a good size portion. I usually get a steak or veal as an entree, but opted to try the venison special as the rest of the flavors in the dish won me over. It was very good, but would recommend ordering it more underdone than you usually would order for a steak. (I ordered medium and wish I would have medium rare). The risotto paired with it was also incredible. For dessert, I had the chocolate lava cake and opted to replace the Nutella ice cream for the salted Carmel, very good as well! I have never had a bad or even mediocre meal here. Parking lot is a little tight but there are places next door where you can park and walk over. There is no full bar - only beer and wine. You can bring your own bottle of wine if you'd like - corking fee is $30. Can't recommend this place enough! read more

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Guess what! This place is exactly where you want to go for dinner. I know your sitting there like "honey, I'll check Yelp for a place" whelp you've found it, stop looking. This is the place you will be going and you will love it! If you do not go to San Marcos I don't want to read any bad review of whatever place you went to instead because that's your fault for not listening to Hunter and not going to San Marcos. Beautiful hand made food, great wine ‍, and excellent service. I always have a soft spot for a hard working family owned business. Love it! I'll see you guys there! read more

San Marco Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

San Marcos is one of my favorite restaurants The food is amazing, service is excellent and the overall atmosphere is cozy read more

From start to finish, we couldn't have enjoyed ourselves more! Food is the best in WNY!

Ambience and attention the second to none. Frank is always welcoming. The food is consistent. Wine is incredible and the consistency is amazing. read more

My anniversary dinner at this restaurant was very disappointing. I had read great reviews and really looked forward to finding the wonderful food and service they mentioned. Unfortunately that's not what we found. We had reservations which must be made by phone . When we entered the host wasn't at his station so we waited. He came running by said wait there, ran off for a few minutes and returned to seat us at the worst table in the place as it was right by the entrance and service area. Our waitress, Christine, who was clearly in a hurry, took our order and I requested to replace potatoes that came with the dish for a side order of risotto. She said ok. When the dish arrived with potatoes and not risotto I questioned the lack of substitution and she brusquely barked "I only have two hands." I explained I just thought it would be substituted and was told "we don't do substitutions." " I told you that. " She not only said no such thing I heard her offer a substitution at the next table. Anyway, that set the tone for the evening. My husband ordered a seafood pasta which he found extremely salty. He said so to both the owner and waitress and was told they salt all pasta. Not just pasta water, but the cooked pasta, and received a lecture that salting is an Italian custom and if you don't want it salty you have to say so when you order. Obviously because it was our first and sure to be only visit we were unaware of that practice at this restaurant. We never encountered it in any other Italian restaurant, here or in Italy. My veal and soup were tasty and the risotto was excellent. All I can say is if you go and don't want salty pasta, say so when you order. If you want a substitute be wary and if you want a friendly waitress stay away from Christine. read more

I first went to San Marco's in 1989 when it was located at the old Kenmore location. Despite my embarrassment at trying to hoist a dessert from the "display" dessert tray, I left feeling it was the best Italian food I had ever eaten (that wasn't my mama's). I moved away from WNY shortly thereafter and didn't return to San Marco until last night. Guess what? Still the best Italian food I've eaten other than mama's. Treat yourself. This place is amazing. And don't skip dessert. The Limoncello whatever-you-call-it will bring tears of joy to your face. Mangia!! read more