Mario's Place is my new FAVORITE classy romantic upscale Northern Italy inspired restaurant. We dined in on a fully booked Friday evening with reservations made earlier that day. It's conveniently situated across from the Mission Inn Hotel. It wasn't difficult to find street parking when we arrived. So impressed with the care and attentiveness of their staff. Originally we were sat near the bar and when we asked to be sat in a cozier booth the manager Alan was able to accommodate us immediately. Our server Aaron and Billy provided top notch customer service throughout the night. Aaron made sure we had everything we needed. Billy kept us entertained and laughing with his quick witted comments from the friendly banter he and my date were having. We ordered a bottle of the Chianti red wine and it was lovely! We brought a bottle and I believe the corkage fee was $20-$25. For starters we ordered the fried calamari with tomato basil vinegarette and butter sauce which was perfectly prepared. The Wild Mushrooms Ravioli was so delicious and melts in your mouth. The Tortellini filled with roasted butternut squash, ricotta and sage butter sauce was absolutely heavenly. I ate every single bite and drop of sauce it was that good! Next time, I'm saving room for dessert. We will definitely be returning often.

Everything we ate was fresh and delicious. The chefs use the best quality ingredients to produce dishes that are simply delightful. The restaurant also offers a wonderful drink menu, and they offer one of the best wines in the region. The drinks are pricey but surely worth sampling. Me and my friend fried their steak and mushroom ravioli and it was absolutely delicious! In contrast, however, the service was not of the highest quality. It seemed to me that the waiters were not very engaged or interested in their jobs. But the owner seemed very warm and thoughtful. He came around to check on our experience and seemed to be authentically engaged.

I was surprised to find a restaurant of this caliber in Riverside. Interesting food and great service.

I attended an event here and I was very impressed with the food/service. The pureed corn soup was ridiculously delicious. By far one of the highlights of the night for everyone. I've never been particular about my steak but new york strip was cooked perfectly - super tender and super juicy. Cut like butter. Great wine selection as well. 10/10 would come back.

Walked by and decided to go in. The service was excellent and the staff is very attentive. The food was excellent. Sorry, by the time I realized that I hadn't taken any pictures, the food was gone. I did remember to snap a pic of the cheesecake with blueberry compote. It was excellent. The cheesecake is so creamy that it tastes almost like it's made of whipped cream. We came on a Saturday night and there was a live band that started to play at 9. Very good band and everyone enjoyed it. Very nice date night spot, I recommend it.

We have gone here over the years and always had a good meal. We were seated in a fairly small room that they called the “elevator room” it only had 5 tables to serve people. We called same day so I’m guessing the better areas were taken. We ordered the one dish of everything to split. The entree was Beef Tenderloin which was very good. We also ordered a side Caesar Salad and the Mushroom Ravioli dish. The food was very good. The Mission Inn is across the street. Some tables inside and out have a view of it.

This place is a vibe. Excellent service and a premium authentic Italian feel. Looking for a nice romantic place in Riverside this is your spot. On the expensive side, especially the specials. Food was pretty good and you can ask for Olive Oil and Balsamic for the bread.

Mario's Place never disappoints. My girls and I enjoyed a lovely off-menu, specials only dinner. We started with a refreshing Hamachi yellowtail crudo with microgreens and gazpacho with prawns, calamari and cucumber. Our main course consisted of a clam pizza redolent with aromas of garlic and olive oil and tagliatelli bathed in shredded duck ragu, kalamata olives and shaved pecorino romano cheese. The pizza was scrumptious! Each dish showcased different flavor combinations and left us feeling fat and happy. For more food reviews and pictures follow me on Instagram @Aimee.Eats_

Upscale Italian restaurant. Awesome food, good drinks, great atmosphere. Fantastic service.

I have given this Review a great thought of my experience while I visited for an authentic Italian restaurant Meal at Mario's ,I phoned in my order,and picked it up minutes before Closing,there were still people in the Restaurant,as I picked up the order and proceeded home ,I was excited!!! When I open up the food I was immediately discouraged to see this version of Spaghetti 🍝 it is the worst spaghetti I have ever seen or tasted,along was what I thought a half loaf of fresh garlic bread🍞,well it wasn't fresh it was stiff as a board , bread and I have never seen so much parsley in Spaghetti,and a side of Butter I am truly disappointed with the meal accompanied by Stail bread that I couldn't even pull it apart,the next afternoon that I called,the same woman Anna that had taken my order assured me my request to speak to the manager would return my call,that never happened,and I feel as a customer and business reviewer I speak from my own experience, I'll never return or except,any excuse for my meal a loss,

Exceptional! Valentine's dinner. We loved it so much wish they served the entrees on their regular menu. We were looking forward to having it again before we left. We just don't know if it's possible.

Service quality is stellar. Food overall tastes great. My only gripe is that there were a few technical issues with some of the dishes but overall still very good and well prepared

I can definitely say it's one of the best meals I have had in riverside 4 years in! Can't say enough about their sauté sauce & how juciy the meat was! What's more their dessert is actually fresh!!! The first time EVER! My parents had anything good to say about a dessert in California! You definitely got me coming back!

Awesome, down-too-earth Italian food. Amazingly fresh pizzas and their mushrooms are to die for. The owner is a genial gentleman who exudes hospitality. Recommend.

It was my turn to choose and book the restaurant for Valentine's day this year. And boy am I glad that I secured reservations for Mario's Place for us, a Zagat-rated gem across from the Mission Inn in Riverside. The chefs at Mario's are extremely talented. Everything we tried on their Prix Fixe menu last night was impeccably prepared and pleasing to the eyes and palate. Can't wait to return another time to enjoy live music and more of their offerings. I know I won't be disappointed.

I love TF out of this beautiful establishment, the amazingly knowledgeable staff, the delicious quality of the food, and the wine collection??? Sweet Jesus!!! You made my birthday glorious and I love you Mario’s Place!!!

An elegant dining experience. Attentive staff, excellent quality, delicious appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Great for one or a group. Reservations highly recommended. The Ceasar salad is addictive!!

Had a date night dinner here. Atmosphere was very nice. Service was alright. Ordered the Caprese appetizer which was probably the best order of the night. We did have to ask for a side of balsamic as it did not come with it, that added a significant amount of flavor. I ordered the goat cheese linguine pasta which was a very big disappoint. I am a huge goat cheese but this dish came out with heaps and heaps of cold goat cheese on top that really didn’t blend well with the red sauce. Do not recommend. My date got the lamb chop special. The meat was cooked nice but the flavors were all over the place. The side was also very random. Overall, for the price I wouldn’t recommend these dishes but maybe try something else? Not sure.

Very enjoyable tasty last minute early dinner. Alan the manager runs a great team, Justin our waiter did a fantastic service. Started with Nolets martinis and craft beer. Pizza with clams was starter, nice crisp Caeser salad. Bucatini pasta, wonderful NY steak special with potatoes and green beans. We recommend and will return.

We are in town for a wedding and Mario's was recommended to us. WOW!!! What an awesome place. Jerry, our waiter was AWESOME!!! Everyone was so wonderful. The bread was AMAZING!! The mushrooms ravioli was so tasty!!! If you're in Riverside you MUST try and get a reservation well worth it!!

The new gelato pop up is heaven! I absolutely love it. Great summer addition.

Fantastic food and cocktails. Great price. Our waiter Justin was fantastic and the service was overall phenomenal. Will be back soon!

Nice italian restaurant by Mission Inn in downtown Riverside. Wish they had a bigger menu selection. Not that many options. A lot of dishes seen online is no longer available. Still a nice place to dine.