Eat Albuquerque - ABQ Restaurant Reviews and Dining Guide

Mario’s Pizza and Ristorante

May 17th, 2007 by art365

2401 San Pedro Dr NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110-4101
505.883.4414
M-Th 11a-9:30p, F-Sa 11a-10p, Su noon-9:30p
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Mario’s Pizzeria located near Coronado Mall is a nice casual Italian restaurant, serving many Italian specialties as well as wonderful pizza. The Burgarello family has been a serving pizza in Albuquerque for over thirty years. I have to admit, I have passed buy many times over the years, but only recently have stopped in. I was surprised how big the dining room was and how busy it gets during rush hours. The dining room is very open and can get quite loud during rush. Wall painting , Pictures, News articles and Italian wine bottles adorn the interior.

The menu is huge, serving Italian classics, pasta, burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, calzones, pizza, and deserts. I usually try have one of the combos such as The Goodfella, The Sicilian, The Godfather or a Tour of Italy. The combos usually mix a meat parmaigiana(Chicken or Veal) with a pasta dish(Ravioli, Fettuccine, Lasuna or pesto pasta). The dishes are good, usually smothered in sauce and served with salad and bread. I’m not impressed with the bread, its usually hard. If you are a chile addict, my wife loves the green chile Fettuccine Alfredo. They also feature many sandwiches on the menu. I have tried the Ruben and the chicken parmaigiana sandwich. Both were good, but I have had better. For desert you have a full menu to choose from. I recommend the Giant Brownie, good and also cheap.

Being a self proclaimed pizza connoisseur , good pizza is hard to find these days. Mario’s Pizzeria offers a great pie, that I would say is among the best in Albuquerque. The pizza’s strong point is the sauce. I have worked at many pizza establishments in Albuquerque growing up and all of them used huge bulk generic tomato sauce and a few herbs. Mario’s sauce tastes different, it tastes like tomatoes. Whether it is fresh tomatoes or a large amount of tomato paste, it gives a wonderful taste that makes me want more. The pizza is thin, but not to thin.

The prices are about average for casual Italian in Albuquerque. The wait staff is usually fair to good and the meals are served quickly. Mario’s isn’t perfect, but it has some good things going for it. Overall Mario’s is a well choice for Italian cuisine and pizza in Albuquerque.

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