Nestled between two busy streets in Pacific Beach, Marinos Italian Restaurant has been serving its authentic Italian food for 54 years.
Owners Luigi and Sue Murino bought the restaurant from the original owners and kept the same menus and recipes.
They have delicious, saucy, cheesy Italian food.
Starting off with their lasagna, a meaty yet cheesy dish covered in sauce that will melt your taste buds.
The lasagna like the rest of the dishes are made from scratch.
The sauce and the pizza dough are made from scratch daily.
They have great wine selections, from their best selling chianti to chardonnay.
The best selling pizza, pepperoni, has a unique taste with pepperoni underneath the cheese rather than on top.
If you are a vegetarian, the restaurant also offers a veggie pizza piled with fresh, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, black olives and mozzarella cheese.
Not in the mood for pizza? Not to worry. Their chicken parmesan is a divine choice, and it comes with a side of spaghetti. Their stuffed shells, which completely win you over, yet leave room for more like their meat or cheese raviolis with a side choice of two meatballs or a sausage.
All the meals come with either a la carte or as full dinner, which comes with hot minestrone soup and a green salad.
Food prices range from $8 and the average pizza is $10.
They also serve eggplant, meatball and torpedo subs.
Their meatballs are filling after at least four of them, with a choice of regular sauce or meat sauce.
Once at the restaurant you feel relaxed and maybe even a bit Italian. They randomly play Italian music that sooner or later will catch you and next thing you know you’re singing along.
They are family friendly and have great service and a very accommodating, laid back atmosphere.
There are no reservations required; they do their best to make sure you feel comfortable to enjoy a delicious dinner.
Their staff is also reliable. The last person to be hired was nine years ago, which reflects on the restaurant and how it’s run, and gives them constant clientele.
The busiest days at Marinos are Fridays, where the lines stretch to outside the restaurant.
The food will leave you full yet you want to order more.
Marinos is located at 4475 Ingraham St. and is, closed Mondays. Tues-Sun it opens at 4 p.m. and closes at 10 p.m.
You will be satisfied with their sauce and their staff that keep you wanting more, and you will soon find yourself a regular.