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You’ll
find Mario’s Pizzeria & Restaurant right on Broadway in Massapequa. The
business has been family owned and operated for roughly 35 years since their first
location opened in Brooklyn. Their location in Massapequa opened in 1999 and in 2005
they expanded to their current location to better serve their community. As you enter the restaurant the pizzeria is up front and as you continue down the hallway you’ll reach the lovely dining area, ideal for hosting on premise catering events. Beautiful murals are depicted on the walls of the dining room creating a charming setting to enjoy a good meal.
Co-owners Mario and Anthony are cousins and have been in the business together for years. Mario came to the United States from Italy at the age of 15. Since he didn’t know much English he went to work and immediately began to learn how to make pizzas. He has no formal culinary training, but learned to cook from hands on experience. Cooking became something he loved and ultimately decided to open his own business. Mario, his son Vito and cousin Anthony collectively run the business together. We began our dining experience with the Mozzarella Caprese – fresh mozzarella, tomato, roasted red peppers, olives and prosciutto on large pieces of crispy baguette toast (below). The presentation was both colorful and elegant and we’d highly recommend this appetizer to share. It was an extremely flavorful start our meal.
All the soups at Mario’s are made fresh daily in house and the recipes are compliments of Mario’s wife. The Chicken Noodle Soup is tomato based and features al dente noodles in a flavorful broth (below left). We were also impressed with the Minestrone – a hearty soup with pasta and an abundance of fresh vegetables (below right).
We continued with the House Salad tossed with fresh ingredients and topped with Mario’s homemade dressing (below left). The dressing is extremely tasty, but don’t expect to ever get the secret ingredients from Mario. In 12 years no one has guessed the exact recipe and only three other people know the ingredients aside from Mario.
Something
different and very delicious on the menu that you’re bound to enjoy is the Penne
ala Mario consisting of ground sausage, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and
fresh mozzarella in a garlic wine sauce (above right). This bountifully portioned
pasta dish is made with simple ingredients but offers abundant flavor. The light
sauce coats the al dente pasta nicely and the dish is further enhanced with the
addition of Parmesan cheese. The Linguine Frutta di Mare is a nicely presented pasta dish with a profusion of fresh seafood (below left). You’ll find clams, mussels, calamari, scallops and shrimp mixed in with some al dente pasta. The seafood was prepared well, especially the toothsome calamari.
Our
final entrée was the nicely portioned Pollo Francese featuring sautéed chicken in
a zesty lemon butter sauce (above right). The thinly sliced chicken was very tender
and the sauce was adequately balanced with a nice viscosity. Before leaving we sampled two desserts to follow our delicious meal. Ordered fresh from Brooklyn, the Cannoli is filled with a sweet cream and chocolate chips inside a crispy shell (below left). We also sampled the Cheesecake, which was creamy and enjoyable (below right).
At Mario’s Pizzeria & Restaurant you’ll find good service and good food at a great value. They offer delicious specials every weekend and have different weekly specials that make dining out with your family fun and affordable. (Tuesday – $11.95 Pasta Night, Wednesday & Thursday - $13.95 Chicken Night)
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