Marcella’s Ristorante
1319 Polaris Pkwy, Columbus, OH, 43240
Marcella’s Ristorante Menu
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.
Visit below restaurant in Columbus for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Columbus for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Columbus for healthy meals suggestion.
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
-
Address :
1319 Polaris Pkwy
Columbus, OH, 43240 - Phone (614) 844-6500
- Website https://polaris.marcellasitaliankitchen.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 10
Specialities
- Good For : Dinner
Bike Parking : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Romantic
Noise Level : Average
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online
Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.
Keith W.
Food is what you would expect out of Cameron Mitchell but it was hard to concentrate on a meal since the seating sucks
(3)Debbie M.
Stopped in for lunch...very nice menu- service was great...food was wonderful...would love to stop in for dinner & happy hour...two thumbs up!
(4)Jason J.
Food was good, staff was friendly but not very prompt. Happy Hour specials are a pretty good deal (typically half off).
(3)Henry J.
Bravo... a quick Sunday night dinner near closing... surprising quality and attention to detail in decor (check out the fixtures in the bathrooms), service (relaxed but attentive staff) and cuisine... fresh, warm bread and cold water to start... crisp, fresh chop salad with a simple and nicely balanced vinaigrette... caprese salad with tomatoes that tasted like tomatoes and airy chunks of mozzarella... the meatball lived up to its billing ... sat atop a perfectly cooked plate of pasta with a nice sauce that kept enough acidity to balance the richness of the veal and cheese... a decanter for a (generous) glass of wine ... chocolate and pistachio gelato were a fine ending to very nice evening... well executed meal in a great setting... quality ingredients... simple and honest preparation a la the proud, caring, 'food is love' rustic meals we found in Italy.
(5)Steve L.
Kim, Rosemanie and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner. The waitress was personable, food excellent and the price reasonable (but not cheap) for the quality. We had chicken parmesean and the alfredo fettucini was the best Kim has ever had - not overly sauced. The apple salad was an excellent complement and Steve enjoyed the clams & linguine. The only problem was that we didn't have room for dessert - they looked fabulous.
(5)Claire B.
I daydream about their crispy potato pizza. So good! Even reheated as a leftover. Really good cocktails there make it a nice happy hour location.
(3)Maureen M.
I loved being able to eat gluten free pasta out. Thank you, thank you, thank you....my significant other expected it to be Martini's and was disappointed, my fault, I obviously did not prepare him. Mea Culpa. He can eat pasta anywhere, does not need gluten free pasta so he has plenty of choices. I'll be back.
(4)Kelly M.
Marcella's Kitchen has a very nice atmosphere. The staff here is nice and friendly. I highly recommend ordering a cup or bowl of their Creamy Tomato and Basil Soup. It is delicious!! I have eaten here twice and the first time we ate here we order the fried zucchini. I do not recommend it, at ALL! The fried zucchini is cut paper thin and all you really eat is a bunch of fried batter. There is no zucchini favor or taste. The second time, we order calamari. To our surprise, half of the appetizer was fried zucchini. The fried zucchini added to the volume of the dish and we had to end up digging through it just to get to our calamari. We talked to the waiter and he took it back and gave us an entire plate of calamari. I highly recommend that if you order the calamari that you tell them not to add the fried zucchini. The actual calamari was very good. I have had several of there main entrees (Eggplant parmesan, chicken parmasan, etc) and they were all very tasty. I haven't tried their pizzas but all of them sound delicious. I will come back again.
(4)Lauren C.
Dad was wanting Italian and we were hoping for something less franchised than OG or Carrabba's for his last night in Ohio; this place fit the bill. Table behind us was a large group of Italians (promising sign). Food was excellent--marinara had a good basil aroma, arrabiata sauce had other flavors beyond just chili flakes, the bread was dense and chewy, and the dessert menu had offerings other than Italianized versions of stuff you can find at Kroger's bakery. We had the almond chocolate cake and the cannolis. The cake had that chocolate liqueur taste to it that I love, and the cannolis were both delicate and rich, and came in threes with a side of berries and a spices but garnish! Drew and another waitress doted on us the entire time, and even comped some items for making us "wait" before coming to take our drink orders (honestly we weren't even aware we were waiting abnormally long) so it was a very happy surprise when we got our bill. I'll be bringing my family here when they come visit again, and hopefully we'll be leaving Marcella's with the same delicious garlic breath and a big bag of leftovers next time.
(5)Noj S.
Arrived yesterday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. and were seated immediately. It was a beautiful day, so we decided on dining on the front outside patio facing Polaris Parkway. Fresh bread was brought to the table within five minutes, with extra virgin olive oil poured on an accompanying plate. The bread was very good, but we recently had this same free appetizer at Romano's Macaroni Grill and in their version they grate fresh black pepper in the olive oil - this makes all the difference in the world. My wife orders the 1/2 a mushroom pizza and a chopped salad, and I opt for the four cheese pizza. My wife's food comes out, and we were immediately impressed by the presentation. The chopped salad was very good, but my wife missed the note about the salad having Gorgonzola cheese which she hates (her mistake). Her pizza is absolutely amazing with her commenting that this pizza had the best mushrooms she had ever eaten on a pizza. My pizza was equally as good. The sauce and crust were obviously homemade, and were near perfection. The homemade mozzarella cheese slices were very creamy and just pushed this pizza over the edge. Read my other reviews - I am a pizza fanatic (lunatic) and this was one of the best pizzas I've had - period. Very impressed. Our waitress, a young lady with dark hair (name withheld), was not very good. I've had much worse waitresses, but she really didn't seem to care much about taking care of us, or answering questions. I got the impression that I was bothering her with my questions (I had never been to Marcella's before - give me a break). She also managed to charge my wife for two meals, an then blamed it on a computer glitch. The other young lady who was working the patio really had her act together, and hopefully next visit we will be lucky enough to have her as our server. Can't wait to visit again. We are already craving that pizza.
(4)Tabitha F.
Yes, yes, yes. I approve. Day one - I come here for happy hour with a girlfriend of mine. We had other dinner plans so I didn't get to eat (other than an appetizer) but the menu looked so good....I decided to con the hubby into coming with me the next day. (Ps. He isn't too keen on Italian.) Day two - I get my way. It was yum, yum. Prosciutto and melon - omg yes. Seafood Risotto - mmmmhuh. Salmon - oh yea. Chicken Parm. All very good. Plenty of wine and drinks. Tirimisu was also delish. I will be back -
(4)Paul M.
love this place, but tonight, table in the corner screaming out f bombs. decided not to stay. I'll be back as a solo but can't trust it for a date.
(2)Angela H.
Great happy hour. Really tasty food. Food - You have got to try the Gnocchi and Sicilian Pizza. The gnocchi were perfectly made. The lamb bologenese on top of the gnocchi had the perfect amount of meat, sauce, spices. We also tried the Fettuccine Alfredo with meatball. The meatball itself is like 3/4th a pound! Drinks - Like all Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, they only allow happy hour in the bar area. The bar area is way too small for how busy it gets. The bar stools are first come, first serve, but if you want a table you need to put your name in the waitlist at the front desk. On a Thursday just before 5, the waittime was at 45 minutes.. Once you actually get a table the happy hour is pretty good. They make the drinks strong. The noise level in the bar area is SO LOUD though. We were yelling to hear each other. I'm giving 5 stars for the food. The food was really good. Probably one of the best italian restaurants I've been too. The hassle & noise in the bar area are not considered in my rating. If they were, I'd give this place a 3.
(5)Jason M.
Marcella's is a very solid choice for italian in Columbus. You might be able to find better, but the combination of quality for the price point is definitely in favor of the patron. We started with the veal meatball appetizer which... is one massive meatball. Covered in sauce, and falling apart. Yum. I always say the most basic things an Italian restaurant should deliver is 1) from-scratch pasta (it's not that hard, and if it's 60% of your menu, do it); and even more importantly, 2) a home run red sauce. Marcella's does #2 very well, I was dipping bread, whatever I could find in that sauce. #1 I'm not convinced it's homemade... but it was not obvious that it wasn't. I had the gnocchi and the generous shreds of lamb in the sauce made it a satisfying meal like only meat can do. The gnocchi themselves had a good taste and texture, I honestly wasn't sure if they were homemade or not. If not, they have a good supplier as they weren't tough and chewy.
(4)Michael W.
Listen to my story. I love their Fettuccine and Meatball; it is one of my favorite meals EVER. I wad headed back to Chicago and wanted this meal before I left. We arrived at 11:30 AM on Sunday to find they opened at noon. We felt we could wait of our meal was ready at noon. I called ahead and asked if we could order now for Dining in. They say it would be ready shortly after we arrived. When we arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early we were quickly seated and our meal brought to us. The quality was impeccable and the service attentive and swift. I got my meal and was out the door in less than 20 minutes and I am HAPPY. Love this place!
(5)Morgan M.
We went here for my husband's birthday and i was totally underwhelmed. I had been to the Short North location a few times and besides (according to our waiter) having a different menu, the vibe is completely different. The decor here is totally Olive Garden in the 90s, and the food was only marginally better. We had calamari and bruschetta to start, then my husband has seafood risotto and I had the lamb ragu and gnocchi. The desserts were DEFINITELY the highlights--I had the panna cotta and my husband had the cannoli. I just felt like the service was okay, the food didn't taste super homemade or fresh, and although my husband liked it (good, because it was his birthday!) I wasn't super impressed and if I was going to go again, I'd go to the short north or I'd try a different Cameron Mitchell restaurant. I think the biggest thing was that I've come to expect great food and service from Cameron Mitchell as well as an on-trend restaurant, and I felt like this location was none of those things.
(3)Rafael B.
This place is just fine. Veal meatballs was tasty but the description by our server was a little embellished. She described it as the size of a softball. I fell for the marketing hype. Not as big as she described. Don't stuff tissues in your ......ooops different review. Had the shellfish risotto. The flavor was there, the texture of the risotto was spot on, the creaminess I expect was present and not overwhelming, the downside was in its proteins. They were overcooked. Everything that had it going in this dish was ruined by the overcooked pieces. They were generous with their proteins but poorly prepared. We ordered a variety of appetizers. Cheese plates, olives, meats, everything we ordered stimulated our appetite as they should. Skip the bread. Had a big party - we used the room they had and it accommodated our loud group.
(3)Ben D.
Needed lunch before going to an early afternoon wedding. We drove up from Cincy and found this place. Our server was friendly and quick. We explained that we had limited time to eat and get to the wedding. He made good recommendations and took our order promptly and got us our food quickly. I had the pizza, which was just awesome. Abby had one of the pasta dishes, which she said was very good. It made for a great quick lunch, but I would love to come back here some time for dinner and have a more leisurely experience. The wine list looked fantastic.
(5)Michele B.
Don't go here if you're by yourself in town for business. Recommended to me by a client especially the meatballs. Went in to sit at bar told or was for happy hour but they could seat me right away in the restaurant. Sat down read the menu and waited. And waited. Tables on other side of me both seated served drinks. I still waited. Four wait staff walked past. Finally went to the hostess who seated me. "Where are you sitting? " I'm sure they can seat another party and make money. VERY DISSAPOINTED
(1)Julie H.
My fiancé and I went here for a dinner date one evening. We loved the service while dinning here. Our server was very good at checking in on us, refilling drinks, and even offered to take a picture for us. The food was amazingly good. We both enjoyed our meal and have some special memories now of this date. Good place to eat if you want to dress up and enjoy some quality time with family and friends. The restrooms are very clean and beautiful. I enjoyed eating here.
(5)Matt K.
This review is for happy hour -- my only experience. Nice atmosphere (lively, but not too loud), attentive service, good happy hour prices, but the calamari app had too much fried squash and not enough calamari. The breading was also kind of heavy. Would not recommend that. Their wine by the glass pours are very fair.
(4)Syn Dee C.
Came here for dinner. Food was below expectations. Ordered veal meatball and Minestrone soup starters. Then had the roast chicken pizza and the spaghetti carbonara. The Minestrone soup was great, veal meatball was nothing to shout about and seemed like it was simply coated with a layer of pasta sauce. The rosted chicken pizza and the spaghetti was bland and didn't seem up to par for a restaurant like this.
(1)Kate Q.
I came here on a Tuesday night with some family members for dinner. We had reservations at 6:30 PM and were seated right away. We ordered our drinks and then the waiting began. It took 20 minutes to get cocktails. Then we weren't able to order for a long time after this as our server kept disappearing. We finally flagged her down and told her that we were ready to order and it took another 15 minutes for her to come back and take our order. We received our food sometime after 8 PM (for a 6:30 dinner reservation and PS I know the time because one of our diners had to leave to pick up a child from practice and ended up leaving before the meal was over). My meal promptly had to be sent back because it contained an allergen which I specifically ordered it without. The restaurant was kind enough to take it off my bill without my even requesting that, but it wasn't enough to make up for the poor service. Also, the food wasn't great. I ordered the margherita pizza without cheese. My pizza was clearly canned tomatoes dumped onto flat-bread with a few pieces of basil. Overall I have truly come to expect more from a Cameron Mitchell restaurant. Because of food allergies, my family tends to dine almost exclusively at his restaurants because we normally have a great experience and are guaranteed a good and safe meal. Not this time. I have no plans to come back to this restaurant anytime soon. The entire experience was pretty lackluster. I'd stick with another CM restaurant. Like any other one.
(2)Allison B.
This place came highly recommended from some friends of mine, who were Italian, and you know how seriously Italians take Italian food! Before dinner we grabbed some drinks at the bar and the bartender was very nice- even making me an Italian soda that wasn't on the menu (I sadly wasn't partaking in wine because I was running a marathon the next day.) Service was attentive, even for our party of 6 and the layout of the restaurant was nice. As for the food, my father ordered Linguine and Clams, which the next day he told us made him ill overnight, so that was disappointing. I had the Penne with the vodka cream sauce and added chicken and thought it was just alright. For some reason the dish had a slight freezer burn taste to it, but I couldn't pinpoint which ingredient would make it taste that way. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals. The portions were definitely plentiful and I heard the Caesar salad was very nice. Overall, a good experience, but not the same caliber as the other Cameron Mitchell restaurants around town.
(3)Arlene A.
My husband and I were part of a table of 10, and everyone loved the food. I would have liked to lick the plate of my eggplant parm with fettuccini and marinara sauce (I poured some of the delicious bread dipping olive oil on the fettuccini, which made it even better). My husband's potato gnochi was incredible. The couple across from us ordered the chicken marsala, and they were also members of the clean plate club. Our server was excellent, as you would expect at a Cameron Mitchell restaurant. And a bottle of wine was half price, their regular Wednesday special. we'll be back!
(5)Will Y.
Came here on a Tuesday night with the coworkers and we ordered a storm of food. We got the mushroom, bruschetta, and other stuff which turned out mediocre. I got the gnocchi, which I am obsessed with, but it wasn't that good. We asked about the pasta and they told us some of their pasta is not made in house which was a red flag. Drinks were gone and desserts were also fine. I'd say this is a mediocre place, nothing surprising. Maybe the pizza would have been better, maybe I'll order it next time if I ever come back.
(3)Marissa C.
We had a very enjoyable visit to Marcella's at Polaris. I visited with a group of four with a reservation, and we were seated promptly by a friendly hosting staff. Our server was prompt and attentive, and the atmosphere was similar to the tone set by the first location in Short North, a comfortable homey experience with mismatched dishes. The food was quite good. I was happy to see this location also offers gluten-free bread brought out with the regular, and it was a delightful herb bread that was very flavorful. The server was kind enough to bring out two baskets, so that the non-gluten free folks in our group could sample it too. Everyone was quite impressed with taste and texture. Dinner really hit the spot! Dishes ordered included the classic Spaghetti & Meatball, the Eggplant Parmesan, and the Gnocchi con Bolognese. As others have mentioned, the meatball in the spaghetti is more than enough - it's about the size of a hamburger patty! The Eggplant Parmesan came out warm and cheesy, and the gnocchi paired with the sauce was much enjoyed. The gluten free menu features a number of options, including gluten free dough and pasta to make a variety of pizza and pasta dishes. I opted for the Roasted Chicken & Broccolini Risotto, which was creamy and delicious with caramelized onions, chicken, and chopped broccolini. All of the dishes were good-sized, and we took a number of leftovers home with us. Those in the group who can eat gluten shared an order of Cannoli for dessert. They said it was quite good, with some great flavors from candied orange and pistachio, and it came with a side of chocolate ganache. There were three large cannoli on the plate, so it was a nice serving size for sharing after dinner. Great meal!
(4)Leonard C.
Recommended by the hotel we were staying at while spending Memorial Day weekend on a road trip vacation. Three apps, one sicilian pizza, a shared order of profiteroles, and 4 excellent cocktails later, wife and I are stuffed and well pleased. Had the cheese board, prosciutto & mellon, and the meatball... sweet, merciful Jesus, that meatball. Excellent food, drinks and service. Great spot.
(5)Steph L.
We had an early dinner here during happy hour. We sat out on the patio, which was great. The one thing that I noticed right away was that the happy hour is quite a bit different from Marcella's in the Short North. It was still a good happy hour though, and it goes a half hour later. The drinks were great, the only problem was that both mine and my husbands drinks were empty for about 10-15 minutes before another server brought our food out, and we had to ask him for new drinks. Other than that everything was great though. I still prefer Marcella's downtown, but when you're up in Polaris this is a great option.
(4)Kaitlin H.
Marcella's short north was a favorite of ours and we heard about half price wine on Wednesday nights at the Polaris location and decided to give it a try. Although it is hard to get into on Wednesday nights- who can beat half price bottles of wine! My husband and I like to split a bottle along with the arancicni (sp?) and also split a pizza- the shrimp, the potato, and even the four cheese pizzas are all delish!
(5)Don F.
This was my second time at the restaurant. During both visit the food was great. The bread was good, the olive oil was fresh with good taste. I had the lamb gnocchi; that was good in fact very good. We had the clam linguine; a great dish with good pasta. Nice clams were in the dishes. We also tried the carbonara, and the dish was great. Good balance with the cream and bacon. The bacon seems to be made from parma ham. Great dishes and nice place.
(4)Scott B.
Oy vey... I dread being dragged out to birthday dinners because more than likely they are held at these kinds of places. I will tell if right of the bat that the service was average taking account of our large party, nine diners. Err.. Waitress took our orders promptly, refill time on water was acceptable, and the refill on bread was iffay (cmon, we are a party of nine - no shayt we are going to go through a mere two plates of bread easily). Yeah, service portion of the experience was acceptable, but the food being caveat. I got the salmon; wow, was it a small portion of salmon for what it was worth. There exists in the culinary world several things called spices to enhance a dish.. Chefs of Marcellas, y'all should know better than to send out a overly bland dish... Le sigh.
(3)Alan A.
It started off with mediocre bread that was not baked completely. The wine came and for the first time in years it wasn't finished. We ordered bruschetta and it was bread with marina sauce. We ordered penne with the meatball in it. The meatball was more like mush. All in all it was one of the worst dinners we've had in a long time. Our server and service was great. One and only visit from us.
(2)Kim P.
Awesome service, great food and welcoming environment! Ate there on a few occasions while in Columbus for the Arnold Classic and was not disappointed! Highly recommend .... Thanks - Marcellas's
(5)Christine B.
Amazing gluten free selection that looks and tastes like the original. Gnocchi and ravioli are new. Gnocchi was delicious. After commenting to my waiter how much I enjoyed my food, Michael the executive chef came out and even offered us the first ever tasting of their soon to be released ( that was my vote ) GF cannoli's!!!! What impressed me more than the food (which is hard to do) was Michael's passion about providing quality GF free to those that need it. I am and will continue to be a loyal fan.
(5)Erin D.
I've been to the Short North location and they feel like completely different restaurants. Went during their happy hour; best thing was the 3.75 glass of wine. Food tasted like mediocre frozen foods. Not sure if I made some bad selections, but meh overall. Stuffed mushrooms-sausage was so overpowering you couldn't even taste the mushroom. My mom makes a stuffed mushroom that kills theirs. Chopped salad-not very chopped. Seemed like premix salad that comes out of a bag and not very fresh. Not worth 6.79! I tried friends pizza which was ok, but not anything amazing. Best thing was the Melted pecorino. Not sure why mediocre-bad is acceptable in the suburbs.
(2)Manas A.
The food is good. We have been here many times before. The only bad thing I have felt so far was the pasta combo portion size. It didn't feel it was worth any thing. So f$&@ing small.
(4)Tammy R.
I had a gift card for any Cameron Mitchell restaurant and I chose Marcella's. I was so happy I made this decision. It was the best experience I've had in a restaurant all because of the service. Our waiter was very friendly and recommended the best items on the menu. He did not disappoint us because his picks were delicious! I only wish I could get the recipe for how they made that Chicken Marsala I had tonight. I would make it more often at home the same way. I will definitely be back in this restaurant soon! Their service was exceptional and so was the meal.:)
(4)Melissa M.
Food was great and service was very attentive. Came for lunch and prices were reasonable but the menu was kind of limited. Next time I would like to go back for dinner and see if there are more food selections.
(4)Teri M.
This is my favorite Italian restaurant! My favorites are the calamari and the chicken parmesan, but they are also known for their meatballs. Delicious! They have an amazing happy hour special where you can get half price wine, beer, sangria, etc as well as half price food on the happy hour menu (which has more options than most happy hour specials I have seen). The Polaris happy hour specials are better than the Short North happy hour specials, but both locations were nice. I have not tried the pizza yet, but everything else is great.
(5)Brian T.
Thank you so much! I highly recommend Kaitlin! She was wonderful throughout our meal! Amazing experience and the food was exceptional! Thank you so much for the care that was given to us!
(5)Chelsey M.
I went here today for lunch around 1:30pm. we were seated and then didn't see a server for about 15 mins, which would have been okay if it had been busy, but it wasn't. After we got drinks, it took another 10 minutes to place an appetizer order. And then another 10 minutes to order food. And then a bread basket came. The real issue is that there were several parties around us (we were only a party of 2) who were seated, ordered, had eaten, paid, and were gone before our food even got to the table. No one was rude or unfriendly, but I don't understand the inconsistency. I ordered the lasagna, and it was okay until I got to the bottom layer of noodles and I couldn't tell if it was over cooked and chewy or just raw. Some areas of the noodles disentigrated and others tasted like raw dough. Other than the noodle issue, the rest of the lasagna was good. I just had higher hopes.
(2)Amy O.
I visited Marchella's for the second time with my husband last weekend. It was a friday night so there was a long wait. Lucky for us a seat opened up at the bar and we decided to eat there. The bartenders, Audrey and Shawn, were very friendly and kept us laughing all night. They made us some off menu drinks that were amazing! We had the cheese plate and tomato basil soup to start. The cheese plate is always good and I love the spicy apricot preserves they serve with it. We also split the Crispy potato pizza based on Audrey's recommendation. It was not what I expected. The potatoes were more like homemade chips. It was very good! The first time we went we had penne al a vodka and the mezzaluna pasta. Which was also very good. And our server Brittany was a total sweetheart. She even remembered us when we came back the next time. They also have a good happy hour and half off bottles of wine on Wednesdays. We will definitely be back soon!
(5)Tim M.
Atmosphere similar to a mom and pop joint but prices are chain restaurant. Spaghetti and meatball was a great size serving but the angel hair pasta was little undercooked. Giant meatball that you must cut and spread across your noodle yourself. Lasagna is excellent - definitely recommend it as it is filling and has a unique taste than other lasagnas that I've experienced. I made reservation on OpenTable but they were not that busy that the reservations are a must.
(3)Keith B.
It was good - not great. The food was... good. The drinks were, all right. Nothing that really said "wow, I want to come back here!" Service was awesome, and the server was fast and attentive.
(3)Catherine J.
I'll just come out and say it: I'm not a fan of Marcella's. It feels like an Olive Garden with slightly better decor. And I kinda like Olive Garden, actually, but it has more to do with the kitch and depravity of it. Such thrills don't suit Marcella's. We came in for happy hour on a Friday before a movie. Even though we arrived right at 5 pm, the tables in the bar were already full. We didn't mind a short wait. Part of the problem, however were the other patrons in the bar adding to their parties (though it was bar seating, you still had to see the hostess), so they had enough tables but not enough chairs because everyone was dragging in chairs and increasing their groups. I don't really know what Marcella's could have done about this, besides eventually bring in more chairs (which they eventually did), but really, the other patrons were super annoying. The place was packed with suburbanite middle aged women all dressed in some variation of the same outfit. "OH MY GOD, MAMA NEEDS HER WINE!! Hehehehehehe!" I bet they were talking about how many shoes they bought at DSW, all the great no-bake recipes they are going to make out of Cool Whip and Velveeta for Thanksgiving, and how great it is to have a "GIRL'S NIGHT!!" Gawd. (Nothing against DSW, Cool Whip, or Velveeta. I've had my share of moments with each, but I'm painting a picture here.) So, we're packed in like sardines at a hightop at this point. It's so loud with all the middle-aged squealing over ... I dunno, Grey's Anatomy or something... that we could hardly converse. The wine was okay. There's no benefit to getting a half-bottle over by-the-glass, nor a bottle over a half-bottle. I thought the half-bottle would come in a split, but it came in a carafe. I guess that's fine, I just ... I don't know. It seemed a little overpriced, but at least it was happy hour. My dining mate and I split a chopped salad and a couple of small plates. The chopped salad was like something from a salad bar. Iceburg lettuce and yawner toppings. The stuffed mushrooms, however, were quite good. Definitely the best part of the entire experience. The fried zucchini was paper thin and whispy fried particles of squash. As much flavor as fried tissue paper. Our waitress was attentive at first, but then we lost her for quite awhile. We were going to order another round of drinks, but never got around to it. By the time we finally saw her again, we needed to pay the bill and get to the theater. Maybe I'm being too hard on Marcella's... I just don't understand the hype. The food isn't really good enough to wait and brave the throng of wine-injected Stepford wannabes. Columbus has so many other fun options!
(2)Meliss P.
I've been here twice now. The first time the gnocchi was cooked to long but the service was good and it's a nice restaurant. The second time we sat at the bar. The bartender gave amazing service and my gnocchi was ON POINT. It's not on the menu but order a pesto parmesan gnocchi! It is to die for!
(4)Amsul K.
I was impressed. The meatball appetizer was really really good, almost melt in your mouth good. There were 3 of us so we ordered 2 pizzas to split, got the mushroom and the roasted chicken. The roasted chicken, was different but really good (wasn't really expecting a sweet bite when i bit into it first, but it worked very well with the chicken). Dough was very fresh and good. The service was immaculate, and I was told that it was the service that made the place top notch and it was true. All in all a great place, I'll have to stop by again when I'm in Columbus.
(5)Jim M.
Went here for a couple appetizers & a glass of wine. Got the caprese salad & the famous "veal meatball." prices were very reasonable. Salad was good, but the meatball was excellent. Great presentation as well. Would definitely go back!
(4)S. K.
Great Italian food, at great prices. I hat the seafood risotto, very good. How about this, we ordered a bottle of white and and a bottle of red wine, then decided to continue with Red only. The server offered to take the white bottle and replace it with Red wine, how nice. Never seen this. Thanks.
(4)Colleen R.
I definitely expected more from a Cameron Mitchell restaurant. I was expecting great tasting food, good service and an overall good experience. Some friends and I went here for a birthday dinner and were all very disappointed. My friend got the special which was ravioli that was $23! The portion was extremely small - to the point where he was thinking about ordering another small entree. My spaghetti was average. I got a meatball as well which was pretty good. The meatball had good flavor but I found the marinara sauce to be really bland. My sister got the eggplant parmesan. She said it was soggy and mushy. She actually said she had better eggplant parmesan at Olive Garden. Overall, I was disappointed. I would probably not go here again just based on the overpriced food for the mediocre quality.
(2)Chris P.
WOW. Like almost all of Cameron's restaurants, this place was ace's. We went the Saturday before Mother's Day -- with parents & sister in tow, to treat them to good Italian; we'd been there earlier in the week and had been really impressed. I'll note: my family is Italian American, and live in a small town that has no good restaurants. They can get real picky on "Italian" food. Anyway...further note: my doctor had me trying gluten-free, due to serious intestinal/digestive issues, to see if it helped...which has been a real trial for this Italian-American, homemade-pizza-and-pasta-loving cook. I'm NOT a damn food-diet faddie (and I'll stop before I start ranting about that idiocy). But bluntly, most restaurants "gluten-free" options are sadly lacking -- read that as "damn pathetic", an attempt to jump on the bandwagon with no thought to what those who really suffer that crap go through. One of Marcella's competitor's GF "option" (and term is used very loosely) looked & tasted like it came out of Chef Boyardee can...and...and...I'm starting to rant again, sorry. With THAT said, Marcella's is different...and awesome. The waiters on both visits were friendly, knowledgeable, understanding, and very helpful, even to the point of finding out what type of flour was used (so that I can actually make homemade pizza again!!). And unlike almost all other places offering "options" (which are usually one or two of the worst items on the menu & extremely limited), Marcella's actually has a full menu of choices, so I didn't feel limited or left out or relegated to "salad only". Service: fast, friendly, attentive, kept our drinks full, answered all questions...and absolutely no condescension over the GF for me (even before I explained about the doctor's limits). Yeah, that's been a problem at other places, but NOT here! First: the GF Pizza...oh. my. GOD. Look, most GF pizza crust I've tried tastes HORRIBLE, with an even worse aftertaste. Marcella's GF pizza was so good, I could not tell it was GF -- on our second visit, my husband even ordered the GF version (he's normal), so we could taste each others', and he couldn't tell it was GF, either. The GF bread that they brought out tasted better than the regular bread, according to my family who tried both versions (and kudos to the waiters for giving me a separate olive oil plate to avoid contamination from the regular bread...without me having to ask!!). I had the Mushroom/Truffle Oil pizza on my second visit, along with the Pecorino cheese appetizer; my husband had the chicken/Apricot pizza. AWESOME selections. My sister chose the gnocchi, and declared it the best she'd ever had; likewise my parents with their straightforward spaghetti & Meatball -- and good lord, that meatball was the size of the plate, I swear. On me & my husband's first visit, I'd had the GF Penne Alla Vodka - again, delicious, and didn't taste GF at all. The true test of really good Italian cooking? When the leftovers tastes even better on the re-heat...and yeah, there was enough on both visits that we all ended up taking home leftovers, and it was just as good on the re-heat as it had been at the restaurant. Now THAT'S an awesome Italian place! My only gripe is that the meatball has no GF option. *sigh* But hey, with the GF options being this good, it's really a small gripe. Five stars!
(5)Steve H.
Family of four and everyone was happy when we left. Nothing fancy or over the top. Pizza was good and service was prompt and professional.
(3)Amanda G.
Everything here was excellent. My drink, the Grapefruit Basil Fizz, was awesome. Both the tomato basil soup and the minestrone were excellent (not the usual pasta-crammed minestrone, but a soup that was truly light and flavorful). My daughter and husband loved the lasagna. I would eat the Pasta alla Vodka every day for the rest of my life and be completely happy. It was WAY beyond delicious! And the service was excellent, too. Our server, Will, was even nice enough to bring my younger daughter (who has autism and a tree nut allergy) a serving of wonderful vanilla gelato with nut-free cookies, a candle, and no song (at our request) for her birthday. It was a lovely, memorable meal! We'll definitely come back again!
(5)R K.
Not a bad place at all for Italian food. Try the gnocchi bolognese with lamb shank. Skip the $8 giant meatball that they try to push - it's not that great.
(3)Barbara W.
Went back after a three year hiatus. Last time we went it was dinner and it was packed. Couldn't hear ourselves think with the noise level. This time it was around 3 p.m. so very few patrons. First, let me say, 5 stars for service. The host was so sweet, and the waitress even better. (thanks Allie) Parmesan Onion appetizer gets 5 stars. Perfect. Three stars because the pepperoni pizza was very bland. And I mean very. We did eat it because we were so hungry but I expected more. If you can't flavor the crust, then the sauce and toppings better deliver. And after all, it is Cameron Mitchell. I would recommend the pizza for children. We ordered just a meatball off menu and it was the best I have ever had. Very fork tender. Sauce was amazing. We ended up dipping our pizza in it instead to give the pizza more flavor. The bread is rustic, made to be the utensil that you scrape the sauce up with at the end of your meal. Do yourself a favor and order the dessert with gelato and cookies. And make that gelato all pistachio!! So good. The honey vanilla was creamy but again, not a lot of flavor. We would go back but not order the pizza.
(3)Reese F.
Every day is a great day when you finish off at Marcellas! Love the Staff, love the food. Miss Zeeke at the bar but the rest make up for the loss bar none.
(5)Zain K.
I've been here twice now, and each time I've had a dish (first the chicken giardiniera, then the seafood risotto) that I could have made at home very easily, at a fraction of the cost and with much less oil and salt. Maybe that's not the point when it comes to restaurant eating, but it's how I tend to gauge a meal away from home. Next time I'm dragged here I'm trying the pizza, which looks pretty decent...
(2)Jen R.
A first time visit to this chain by Cameron Mitchell..food was good at the begiing, but things came out Luke warm & things had to be sent back. The front of house staff is well trained, but the back of house needs to get with the program. . The manager spoke to us and comped the whole meal. Might come back..Not! there are better Real Italian Restaurants out there.
(2)Nijole T.
I was really expecting more from Marcellas, being a Cameron Mitchell Restaurant and all but it turned out to be more like Brio or Bravo, at least the bars happy hour. It was packed, but lucky for us we got a tiny table, one chair and bench. Way too cramped for 3 people and after asking several times for a larger table they brought us a buzzer and said we were on the list AFTER our food arrived, no point now... I get that its packed since they do have great prices from 4-7pm but then they should accomidate the rush with better seating and more than one frazzled and very overworked waitress. We took advantage of the great deals and got the cheese bread, better than at most places but not very cheesy, garlicky, too plain for me. Also the arancini, risotto fritters only so so. Nothing bad, basically fried rice balls, again lacking flavor. The Bistecca Burger not bad, but nothing special whatsoever, 2 patties and 3 meat I was expecting more, it was more like a McDonalds double cheeseburger, fries soggy. The chicken parmesan after requesting all items without mayo, had mayo on it so we sent it back after a bite, at least we got to try it and it was just a frozen chicken patty, not real breast meat, dissapointing. My favorite item was the italian beef sandwhich which I got in spicy, which it wasn't but it was pretty tasty, traditonal pulled beef, very very good dipping sauce and nice veggies, fries again soggy. I got a caesar and it was fresh, the parmesan crisp and croutons yummy, the house dressing was horrible, so sour that I had the worst taste in my mouth all evening, bummer. To round it off we got the sicilian pizza, after watching all the delicious looking pizzas come out I wondered if we should have ordered MORE pizza but tasting it I was glad we didn/t. The famous meatballs were mushy and watery, I am so glad my husband said no to ordering the huge meatball app or the meatball sliders. They ruined the pizza, the crust was fine, sauce and cheese non existant. In all $30 for all that food was descent, the food no better than Brio or bravo where you can get the bar menu for $2.95+,, so I'd rather go there.
(3)Martin P.
I have to start with the fact that having a terrific happy hour this close to work is beyond awesome. Half-price cocktails and apps... yes, please. Hard to tell you where to start-- oh, wait... cocktails. While there are many that are featured at the half-price price point, the Milan Manhattan (Woodford Reserve, DiSaronno and Vanilla Simple Syrup) and the Whiskey Rosso (Jameson, Passionfruit Purée, agave nectar and Chianti Classico) are the highlights. Food-wise... the meatball is an obvious (and delicious) choice. However the pizzas are terrific as well, especially the Pesto Shrimp Pizza, with the Arancini (four-cheese risotto fritters) is a very close third. Try to get here early. Seating can be a wait if you don't stalk the bar.
(5)Josie T.
I have always had a good experience here in the past but tonight something was amiss. For starters, the server was very polished but slow. I think it took us about 30 minutes to get our dinner order in. Total dinner was over 2 hours and they weren't even very crowded. I ordered the lobster and shrimp risotto - the risotto was overcooked and the entire dish only had ONE shrimp. The lobster was good but there were only 4 pieces in a huge bowl. Plus this place was FREEZING - had to wear our jackets all of dinner. It was nice that they offered my mom a free birthday dessert. I added an extra star for the free dessert.
(3)Monte R.
Marcellas @ Polaris. It's Olive Garden grade Italian food served at higher end prices. Is that a fair criticism? Well, yeah, it is I think as 'value' in today's world is what matters. Like, I had a 'good' experience here: the food was good, service was fair. But was it worth the $100 price tag for three people? Not really. We didn't get any free salad (like you do at Olive Garden). The olive oil for bread dipping is just like plain oil: no added ingredients like balsamic vinegar, pepper/garlic/parmesan cheese. Plain white bread. Kinda boring stuff. The pasta and pizza was 'good' but not great. The decor and ambience is nice: dark, moody. I did like the atmosphere. Our waitress was 'fair' - she did an okay job, nothing spectacular. So is it worth the hype? Not really. I get really frustrated when I can whip up better food at home than going out and spending hundreds on average food at a restaurant. Like who is running these places? Serving plain olive oil on a plate for bread dipping with nothing extra? Boring!
(2)Paul F.
I came over tonight to eat in the bar. Everything is half price during happy hour. And generally that's a pretty good deal. I did notice that they've cut down on what they offer but that's okay. There was still plenty to choose from. I ordered the squid, which came with a ton of vegetables that I didn't want and I had to pick through them to get to the calimari. I also ordered the beef sandwich which was more than I thought I could finish. It was HUGE!! It came with fries and had vegetables on the sandwich. It was very good. My meal wasn't as good as in the past but was still worth four stars.
(4)Kitty K.
My friend and I had a great experience this evening. We started with the signature braised veal meatball and pecorino cheese. Onward to sharing the crispy potato pizza and chicken marsala, and lastly completed the meal with cherry crustada and profiteroles. Everything was well coursed and timed. I had made reservations just in case, and good thing too, because it was rocking on a Thursday night. Food was great, the buzz of the dining room was great, but what really tip the scales was our server, James, who was so attentive and informative. That really made it a true dining experience.
(5)Alice C.
went out for a birthday and was very pleased with the outcome. server chris was really nice and always made sure our water glasses were filled because we were thirsty walking in. you also knew it was a good place because it was the only part of the parking lot that was full (it was in the 60's the day before and just went back down to the mid 30's yesterday.) but inside was warm and full of people. didn't have to wait long for our table which was nice. bread came out and i was a little sad that they didn't have the seasoning that went with the olive oil. but i understand if it was a hassle to clean up or clogged the drains. i ordered the pesto shrimp pizza and thoroughly enjoyed it, as did everyone else who tried it. everyone else's dishes looked just as good and who can forget the classic spaghetti and meatball? and one is all you need because it is HUGE! we were all pleasantly pleased in the end. plus everything was reasonably priced compared to some of the other restaurants under cameron mitchell. AND they gave a complimentary dessert for the birthday girl. you really don't see that anymore in any restaurant. so we were really happy to be able to try a dessert while celebrating at the same time. cameron mitchell has done it again and has won my vote in coming back. He never disappoints!
(5)John D.
Used Open Table to reserve seats here. Why don't more restaurants use this handy service? Having both worked at and had owned Italian restaurants, this is one category that I am super-critical of. Take the review with a grain of salt, so to speak. The complaints: Paper placemats should only ever be used in BBQ joints. Tacky. Do you really need this much crap on a table? No. The menus have a "cheap" feel to them. Very little in the decor suggests that the place serves Italian food. Bread and olive oil? Really? Is it still the 90s? The praise: Food is authentic and excellent. Seriously, I have had just about every item on the menu and have never had anything that I would give a 3 or lower to. The shellfish risotto is a shining star! Staff is knows the menu, and are upbeat. Almost feels like they actually like their jobs. Prices are about $5 per entree lower than I'd expect for food of this quality. Definitely a great deal.
(4)Todd M.
Absolutely love this place! My wife and I go about once each month or so, and have celebrated a few birthdays here... Service is top notch, and the food is great. Some of our friends say you should try something new every time you eat out, but we always go with the veal meatball (melts in your mouth), pecorino cheese (amazing) roasted chicken pizza, and lasagna. Apps are great for sharing, so get a few... Definitely recommended!
(4)Ali W.
All i can say is the value and food is worth five stars. This is my favorite restaurant around central ohio. I have never had a bad meal here and the service is always wonderful. Today I had lunch there and I had a phenomenal waiter who was very nice and filled up my water before it was empty which is for me the mark of a great and attentive waiter. My meal is always wonderful. We started with a cheese platter which was great for the price. Three cheeses, Gorgonzola, pecorino, and aged goat that were decent with apricot preserves (that was the highlight of the plate), grapes, and sliced apples. And I got the spaghetti with tomato cream sauce which i almost always get because it is so incredible simple and delicious. Everyone else enjoyed their meals as well and I would always recommend this restaurant with fresh unlimited bread, olive oil, and a nice atmosphere.
(5)Christie B.
I have only been here for happy hour (M-F 4-7pm), and I will continue to only come here for happy hour. I think Marcella's regular prices are a bit much for what you get, but happy hour prices? I'm there. I took advantage of $5 cocktails and tried the Milan Manhattan and blood orange bitter soda (w/ tequila). Not a huge fan of Manhattans, so I probably shouldn't have ordered that, but the blood orange bitter soda was phenomenal. And neither drink was short on the alcohol, which can sometimes happen during happy hour specials. I also shared the crispy potato pizza and veggie pizza with a friend (half-price, so $5.50 apiece.) The pizzas aren't terribly big--I'd estimate that one pizza would satisfy one person for dinner. Some other friends ordered the half-off sandwiches ($4.50-5.50 during happy hour), which looked delicious and came with a generous order of fries. Overall, if you choose wisely, you can enjoy some good food at dirt cheap prices during happy hour. Highly suggest.
(4)Cherie R.
Went here for dinner with the in-laws last night - service and food were quite solid. Between all of us, we had the gnocchi bolognese, ravioli mezzaluna, and a stroganoff type special. The lamb in the bolognese was melt in your mouth tender, and the ravioli mezzaluna was pleasantly different. My husband said the profiteroles were a little overcooked. My strawberry balsamic martini was rather sweet - was more of a dessert than a drink really, but I do know that's personal preference. Our servers were very nice.
(3)Akira S.
The service is always very good. The bread and arancini are delicious. The pizza is pretty good, but I was disappointed in the chicken Parmesan. The atmosphere is nice.
(4)Maryam J.
So much yum. Was brought here for dinner as part of a job recruitment and I can see why they picked the place. Great atmosphere and while they were super busy, our waiter was fantastic and very attentive. The lasagna I had was huge and delicious, and I'm still drooling when thinking about the tiramisu. We also had multiple appetizers and everything was so good. I guess this is a chain restaurant but I was very happy with the quality of the food.
(5)Mike N.
Polaris location , We were seated promptly party of eight. Service was OK food was average. We all had pasta I had the Clam Linguine in White Sauce----- I though it was a little on the dry side. Would go back and give it another try.
(3)Josie M.
I bet I ordered the wrong dish. Me and my friends went there. I ordered roasted garlic pasta with shrimp ($6 for shrimp vs $4 for chicken or meatball)....in my plate I had FOUR little tiny shrimp that for $6???? I didn't order kids meal of pay half price or anything. Olive Garden will even give me a lot more than FOUR shrimp in a big plate full with noodles. Sorry, super disappointed.
(1)Liz M.
Really well executed menu, but the venue is not my cup of tea. Marcella's menu has been an inspiration to me. It first introduced me to one of my favortie dishes of all time, gnocchi with brown buuter sage sauce. Of course, it figues, that is no longer on their menu. I'm not a fan of the 'small plates' concept. I thinks it is very expensive and silly to be eating meats and cheeses I could get at a deli and cut up and eat at home with no problem. The pizzas are well made and a good size to eat one on your own or share a couple. My fav was the caprese, but I am dying to try to crispy potato. The layout and design of the restaurant as well as the furniture are not comfortable to me at all. I also don't really like all those plates and pizza racks on the tables at all times. I feel like these are really minor gripes since the food is done well, but it does prevent me from really wanting to go there.
(4)Shawn L.
There is a lot of good things to say about this place. To start with our server was very nice and helpful. I was also impressed that she has tried everything on the menu and was able to answer any questions we had about the food. She was also very helpful with wine offering a couple samples before we decided on a bottle to buy for our table. We decided to order the cheese board for an appetizer and it was ok. I actually didn't like the pecorino and blue cheeses but did like the goat cheese. The appy as a whole felt a little disjointed. I should've ordered a more popular choice. I ordered the seafood risotto. It had good flavor but something wasn't quite right with it. There is a certain texture to a risotto that was missing in my dish. My wife had the baked tortellini that was good but nothing to make it stand out and be amazing. Another person at our table had the chicken Parmesan. The portion was huge and it must have been good because the person inhaled it. Over-all the dinner was nice and I will go back just to try something a bit different. I want to add that I think the prices are fair based on what I've seen and that would include the wine as well. The atmosphere is darkly lit but comfortable with the background noise of an Italian café. All in all I had a good experience here. A definite cut above the chain restaurants in the area. Not the culinary experience I'm always on the lookout for but a good place for getting together with folks and enjoying a good meal.
(3)Barry C.
We had made reservations for 8 people and at the last minute needed to add one more. Although they were fully booked due to Mother's Day, they were gracious and extremely accommodating. The food quality and portion size were excellent, the waitress friendly and efficient. We will definitely return.
(4)Amber M.
Make sure you try the meatball (you will NOT want to share!). Service is always great and the food never disappoints!
(5)David B.
Made a reservation here and then was a half-hour late because of a traffic tie-up on 270. They were very accommodating and I really had a nice time at this place. My server was very good, and the carbonara was as good as I've had anywhere. Yeah, they need to get the pizza rack off of the 2-top when you're not having pizza, but otherwise the place was festive and fun and worth a return visit.
(5)Heather M.
Typical work-crowd Italian restaurant fair. The food is good, nothing too fancy, but I've always been able to find something good on the menu. A nice array of salads, pasta dishes, and pizzas. The lunchtime sangria was nice too. Our service was pretty slow, especially for a half-filled restaurant at lunch time. We had to wave the waitress down for the bill. Otherwise, probably a good location for a small bite or after-work drink with friends.
(3)Matt G.
Meh. The spaghetti and meatball was, actually, not very good. The marinara tasted off. The carbonara wasn't too bad, and the uncooked egg yolk was a nice touch. The first basket of bread was cold and hard, but the second was better. I feel like we got someone else's castoffs. R says that I never have to worry about taking her here again, which is good because Pasquale's is better, cheaper, and closer.
(2)Nick K.
I must say that Marcella's exceeded my expectations. I expected an overpriced, underwhelming experience and while I can't quite give 5 stars, I was pleased with my meal. I could knit-pick on aspects of the service or menu, but I really must admit that my meal was delicious, the service was generally not an issue, the ambiance is nice, and the price really wasn't too bad. I've always heard that they have one of the best happy hours around. I do plan on returning for happy hour, at the very least, and would be happy to return for dinner as well. I recommend trying to get a reservation, especially on the weekends. They seem to be pretty busy. I would guess showing up without a reservation would result in a fairly lengthy wait.
(4)Angie K.
Least chainy place to eat in Polaris. So normally the default. don't think it really does justice to Italian. I really just like the bread and oil and wine. I have been told that the one in short north is better.
(3)Mark K.
Tried to go to Olive Garden (not my choice,) but they were so busy we decided to try this instead. Very glad we did- good food, good service, decent prices. They were busy too (Saturday night in Christmas shopping season,) but quickly got us a table. I didn't know this was a Cameron Mitchell restaurant or I would have searched it out sooner, but the quality was obvious. Roughly the same price as Olive Garden for much better food. We got beef carpaccio as an appetizer, and it was quite good. I got the four-cheese tortellini, and it was great. My wife got the margherita pizza. It was tasty, and pretty big. Our server, though obviously busy, checked on us a lot and took his time with our questions. The rest of the staff was very friendly. We'll definitely be back.
(4)Abby S.
OH MY GOODNESS HOW I LOVE THIS RESTAURANT!!! Immediately when my boyfriend and I walked in, we were greeted like we were part of the family! The bread was brought out super hot and fresh, and the two of us ate it all up and asked for more! I do not go to authentic italian restaurants often (lets face it, olive garden and pizza joints aren't real Italian, or at least you'll realize it when you visit Marcella's) so my boyfriend was intrigued when I said I'd never had minestrone soup before. I'm glad I got it from this place, because I drank it empty! I got a simple ravioli for my meal, nothing too crazy, and even that was spectacular!!! I was wowed!!!!!!! For dessert we got the gelato because my boyfriend was shocked when I said I had never had that before, either! It was super scrumptious, I enjoyed every last bite! This is definitely the mom 'n' pop kind of restaurant you want to support! You will be made a regular out of it! It has a wonderful date night atmosphere! Go ahead and give yourself a night off from your diet and visit ;)
(5)W P.
This place has great food, not your run of the mill Italian food chain type. The service was professional and personable
(4)Alexandra G.
I tried the chicken parm, so good! I made reservations and requested a table. They sat us at a table/booth, where half of us had to sit at a booth. Other than that the waiter was great and good was great. Try the prosecco!
(4)Sabrina L.
Fantastic happy hour! Came away with a white citrus sangria, the zucchini appetizer, the meatball sliders, a sausage and pepperoni pizza, and two waters for 17 dollars! We were both completely stuffed and the food was exceptionally good. The sangria came in a carafe that ended up filling my glass three times. The oranges in the bottom made it taste like a mix between a normal sangria and a mimosa, which was a nice twist from what I was expecting. The zucchini appetizer consisted of ultra-thin slices of zucchini, fried like chips and tossed with Parmesan cheese. The results were very light and a perfect side to the meatball sliders. I can honestly say that those things rival the best meatball sub I've ever had in my life. My husband's pizza was a bit more than one person should eat alone, but that didn't stop him! I tasted half a piece and the sausage seemed to have a light kick while the sauce tasted pretty much exactly like the sauce on my meatball sliders which was very, very good. If you're going to visit Marcella's it'd definitely be worth the hustle to get there before 7!
(4)Kelly R.
Overpriced, snooty waiters/waitresses, sub-par food, small and limited menu.
(1)Amy S.
A friend suggested we stop for a quick bite here before the movies. I had been wanting to try Marcella's for quite some time now, and since we were pressed for time it was a very convenient choice! Happy hour runs from 4-7p, and they have multiple appetizers, paninis, and pizzas for 1/2 price...what a steal. After a quick misunderstanding with one of the servers in the bar area, we grabbed the last open table. While reading over the menu, we decided to start with the arancini (fried cheesy risotto balls). The risotto was perfectly cooked with lots of cheesy goodness mixed in. Next came the roasted chicken pizza, topped with gorgonzola, some other unlisted cheese (probably provolone), and parmesan onions. It was also supposed to have an apricot and chili flake "jam" on top but after another misunderstanding with the same server, we had to ask for a side of it so we could put it on ourselves. We were glad they forgot to put this on, as it was quite spicy- even though we were told it wasn't. We ordered the double chocolate torte to go, as our server took roughly 15 minutes to deliver our check (only after asking for it 2-3 times for it) and we had a movie to get to. The slice of torte was surprisgly small, but pretty good...fudgy and not too sweet. The even smaller scoop (about 4 spoons) of pistacio gelato was very good and paired perfectly with the torte. The food was great, and the prices were even better. Although the service wasn't the best (and it wasn't even that busy), I will definitely be returning here and would recommend it to others!
(5)Fred D.
Very disappointing. Food was served Luke warm. Service was slow. Food had very little taste. Olive Garden would have been much better. Too bad Scali's was on vacation!
(1)Barry S.
You can't go wrong with any of Cameron Mitchell's restaurants. Food is always consistent, service is great- prompt.. Restaurant is always clean- and kept in good order. Nothing is more frustrating than going to a restaurant and seeing things that need replaced- or seeing things that are messy. Food is always fantastic.. It's all in the details.. and marcella's has it!
(5)JJ M.
I have been to this restaurant many a time. I guess that means its pretty good and worth repeat visits. Pros: - Casual atmosphere - Waitstaff is consistently fast and good - food is excellent - awesome happy hour - Veal Meatball - seriously amazing - gnocchi in lamb ragu -mmmmmmm - Four seasons pizza - sangria - both red and white - olive oil - seriously even the olive oil sitting on the table served with their bread is good! Cons: - parking - sausage & peppers - arancini - not much I've have tried most things on their menu at this point and I have to say you will be happy with pretty much anything you order. Food is fresh tasting and high quality and consistent across visits. Nice local gem. I have been to both the short north and Polaris locations and I do have to say the patio at the Polaris location is nice but I personally believe the food at the short north location is a little better.
(4)Mimi W.
This place reminds me of Maggiano's, but I think I like Marcella's better. We were promptly greeted when we walked in, and I was quite surprised they were so packed on a Tuesday night. Good sign. We had about a 5 minute wait. Our waiter was great...I'm mad I forgot his name. I tried the Penne Alla Vodka with the infamous meatball. It was delicious! I am not a huge Italian foodie, but I would definitely order it again. The only thing was once I got to the center of the meatball, it was kind of raw. I was almost done, so I didn't bother sending it back, but I would recommending cutting into it before eating, otherwise there might be a trip to the ER in your future. I also had the little gelato sandwiches for dessert, which were very good as well. Everyone enjoyed their food. Definitely a spot worth visiting.
(4)Emily O.
We ate here for the first time on NYE. We had an 8:45pm reservation. Weren't seated until 9:30pm and did not get our food until after 10pm. I can't say this is typical for Marcella's as we haven't been before, but it probably is typically for just about every popular restaurant on NYE. While we were waiting for our table, they did bring around some delish cheese ball appetizers, which was a nice way to keep everyone from becoming hunger crabby. Once we finally got our food, I must say it was worth the wait. Sooooo yummy! I got eggplant parm. It was great, except one thing, no noodles. WHAT? NO NOODLES?!?! My husband got chicken pacata. He said it was okay, but not worth the $17 price tag. As for drinks, my husband got some whiskey concoction that came in a martini glass ans was super sweet. He drank it, but I couldn't have. I got the Blood orange soda with tequila. Tasted like.....well, orange crush and tequila. Again, a little on the sweet side, but drinkable. We will be back, on a less popular night.
(4)Travis Z.
I love both Marcella's. The food, decor, atmosphere is always great. This one isn't as good as the Short North, but I think that is just due to location.
(4)R M.
I've always had excellent service and food at their Short North location, but this Polaris location was a complete 180. First off we decided to get drinks at the bar before our reservations. The place was only about 50% full for a Saturday night, very surprised. Anyways, there was 4 people at the bar, 3 of them talking to each other about women and dating, the last was busy flirting with a couple. It took 5 minutes before one of them ask if we wanted a drink...of course we wanted a drink if we're at the bar. What a moron. This gets better at dinner, the service was extremely slow and remind you, the place was not busy at all. Our female server was really weird, kept asking us if we're done with our salads when our plates are still full and our forks are still in our hands. Then came our entrée, it was good as usual, she never asked to get us another drink or refills. She was good at staring down our table about 4 times over the course of 45 minutes and not once making eye contact. Then all of the suddenly, she disappears for a good 15-20 mins. During the whole dinner experience, I only got one refill of my soda and nothing for my beer. I can see why this place isn't that busy and why originally Martini's failed...
(2)KC M.
My husband and I had dinner there last night. What an incredible meal! He had the four cheese tortellini with spinach and chicken, and I ordered the crispy potato pizza. His dish was lush, flavorful, abundant, and came bubbling hot in the serving dish - and I mean bubbling! Yum! I ordered the pizza sort of on a whim, as I usually order a more 'main course' dinner, but I couldn't have made a better choice - there was an explosion of flavor on this carefully crafted pizza! Salty, sweet, bitter, savory, chewy, nutty - holy wah! It didn't hurt that it was half price bottle of wine Wednesday (I forget the catchy title of this promotion). And we found out that if we had sat in th bar or on the patio (which, by the way, is NON SMOKING, hooray!), we could have indulged in their half price happy hour specials - which is exactly what we're going to do next week. The staff was wonderful, from the hostess who seated us to our server to the manager.
(5)Paul P.
We were in the area for a concert and Italian is our favorite so we tried this place based on pretty good ratings online. While nothing was terrible here, everything was just average or a notch below. While our server was adequate, she had the "I'd rather be somewhere else" vibe, made no suggestions or any attempts at interaction beyond the necessary. The gal at Steak and Shake last week was more engaging while serving our $4 hamburger. At 4:30pm there was about 10 people in the place so it wasn't like she was harried. The $18 1/2 bottle of Pinot Noir came with two stacked tumbler glasses (not wine glasses.) Weird. Are wine glasses to difficult to handle? The stuffed mushrooms appetizer was well made but not warm. Sitting around or came out of the fridge and not heated adequately? Speaking of cold, the bread was cold and when I informed the waitress, she said, "that is how they serve it" but offered to heat it up. Cold bread is standard?? Finally the 'Penne All Vodka' main course was pretty uninteresting. Good quality ingredients but just not beyond average. The description included "cream" but the sauce just seemed like olive oil with some pepper. I suppose these are pretty petty complains but when you drop $50 for a meal for two, I look for a meal experience that is better than average. With all the great Italian place around we won't likely be back.
(2)TJ R.
Very disappointed that the "potato pizza" is actually potato chip pizza. Both disappointing on site and disappointing quality. Everything else we ordered, bruschetta and gnocchi, was pretty good, but the pizza drug down the whole experience.
(2)Jarrod N.
Simply put- nice place, fun, food is fresh. Only negative is it gets busy and then you have to wait a bit. I love going here. I keep this place on reserve for fun social occasions.
(4)Steve S.
On a busy Friday night, we were seated promptly with a reservation. Service was capable and cordial. The food was good. The menu has some creative choices for Columbus Italian. Beverages are reasonably priced. The wine list has variety. The bread came from a refrigerator or had been left outside in the rain. Wonderbread from Mrs. Cleaver's icebox would be better. The bread supplier needs to be replaced and the employees need to be retrained. If you are reading, Cameron, no taste panel ever preferred this selection.
(3)Ben T.
The best of the Cameron Mitchell restaurants. The food is fresh and delicious. The pizza is a tasty wood fired oven style and a good enough size to feed a hungry guy.
(5)Kara K.
The BF knows I love italian, so he picked this one out for our Valentine's Day dinner. We had reservations & were surprised to be seated immediately even though we were a little early & there seemed to be a lot of people waiting. Didn't like the seating arrangements though. We were so close to the other diners I felt as if I could reach over & grab their food. Also while the drunken, older man next to us was sliding out of his seat he got way too close for comfort. Like other reviewers have stated the pizza rack is on the table at all times. Especially at a 2-seater, it should be removed if no one orders pizza. Service was decent. We ordered a half-bottle of Chianti which translated into about 4.5 glasses. Don't expect wine glasses though. We laughed at ourselves drinking out of tumblers, but it made it interesting. The BF ordered the salmon with potatoes & olives. He usually loves olives, but thought they were too salty. It didn't look like there was much on the plate & he said he definitely could have eaten more. I ordered the gnocci. Delicious & the lamb braised sauce was exactly what I wanted. $57 including tip was pretty good for a V-day dinner, although I'd like it a bit more if the tables were farther apart.
(3)