Mario's Place, Riverside

My favorite restaurant in Riverside. The food was delicious and when the chef created a new dish to add to the menu, he knew exactly what he was doing!

The menu was ever changing so don't become attached to any particular item. However, several times finding the menu changed again, I lamented the loss of a dish and could hardly believe it when the Chef made it for me anyway! Now, that is service!!

I found Mario's Place when interviewing restaurants in Riverside to decide where to take a friend coming up from San Diego. This friend and I truly enjoy eating at restaurants serving good food, in a warm and friendly atmosphere, and employing very accommodating people. I interviewed five restaurants and Mario's Place outclassed them all from the moment I stepped in front of the door.

One problem of many restaurants in Riverside is that they close between lunch and dinner. My friend and I were notorious for arriving at lunch and staying well past the dinner hour. Though Mario's Place did close it's dining room after lunch, the bar stayed open all day and I was assured that we could move into the bar and stay till closing if we wanted. We did just that. We stayed through dinner and at 9 pm when I suggested we leave, all the employees, including the piano player begged us to stay, so we did, until closing time.

I met quite a few Riverside residents that night and even the owners, Mother and Sons, chatted with us for a while. I will mention here that my friend and I are generous tippers and may account for the steller service and attention I recieved everytime I entered Mario's doors. However, I was treated as well as any celebrity might have been, even before I laid the first tip out.

Favorite Dish: Everything on the menu is delicious. Try one of theri wine tasting parties!