East Side Mario’s

I came here on a whim because I’m a visiting Canada for a concert and ran into this restaurant.
The wait was longer than expected but the waitress was a sweetheart. The food was good as well as the funnel cake.
99% of the time I won’t get dessert but I saw funnel cake and had to try it.
It was very good as expected.
The beer was Alexander Keith’s which I found light but tasty!
I’d come back here again if I’m in the area.

Service was really slow, it is 3:00 in the afternoon and the place is empty. Waited a long time to get seated, pizza came the underside was not cooked, waited for the waitress to come back to check on me so I could send it back, ate 2 pieces and am taking the rest home for the neighbours dog

Everything was cold. The lasagna was pitched as «16 layers»… well 16 layers doesn’t mean much if there is nothing between them. It’s just a pile of noodles. My friend and I were certain the food was old and reheated. I asked for my bill and my server comped us and gave me his apologies. I told him it was the «chef’s» (I use that term loosely) fault and not his and left. If you went to Italy and served pasta like this they’d shoot you.

I absolutely love the food east sides has! However it tastes the same at every location and I would not recommend going here. It’s beyond slow, yet there is so much staff, also the waitress was always having to be reminded on what to do. Our drinks took 20 mins to get! Let alone we never got bread (always in the oven)…

My girlfriend and I, usually go here when we’re really hungry and don’t want to spend a lot money because the salad and bread is unlimited. In my opinion there salad is one of the best, and the bread is hot and delicious. Don’t get me wrong it’s not world class food but it’s good. The service this time we went was amazing. The waitress was very attentive, she brought us the salad and bread right away and always came around and asked us if we needed anything. The pizza my girlfriend and I got was good. Again not world class or as good as some speciality pizza joints but it was good and it had a good amount toppings. Overall, I was really happy with the service. The food was good but not excellent. Definitely worth it if your looking to be super full

Where to begin with this catastrophe? Arrived on a Tuesday night and waited for about 15 minutes. After asking why we were waiting and several tables were free, some pleb said they had a lot of reservations.
While three of us waited, an underling took a phone call and argued with a customer (while almost in tears) in front of us. We looked at each other uncomfortably, why is she arguing with someone in front of us? She kept repeating she couldn’t help the customer and would take their name and the manager would call them back. This should have been the clue to get up and leave. Finally the manager, or at least some higher echelon functionary on the payroll, took the call and spoke while facing a wall like she was in a time out.
We were finally seated at one of the tables that had been sitting open for 20 minutes. The server, some harried woman who is taking the job to support some seemly lifestyle no doubt, asked for our drinks order as though we had caught her just on her way to an emergency. When she returned with drinks (which for the most part were water and a hint of flavour), I inquired about the home-​made lasagne. That was a 30 minute wait as it takes so long for them to bake all that goodness. Suffering through 30 minutes in this vapid atmosphere was out of the question and opted for Linguine Alfredo.
I’ve eaten hospital food, Tim’s, begrudgingly McDonalds on occasion, and I am by no means someone with a refined palette, however, I know service industry food (Sysco) when I taste it. The food is utterly non-​committal to anything Italian, any similarity is pure coincidence, actually. All the Brooklyn/​Jersey Shore «Italian» stereotypes mash together here like a Scylla and Charybdis apocalypse. If the idea of a 90’s themed Brooklyn Italian restaurant appeal to you, you’ll feel welcome. If not, keep vomit bag handy.
We left and I’m quite sure I suggested that the waitress stop smoking crack as my tip. Stay far away from this hole.

East Side Mario’s is a chain of Italian-​American restaurants that is part of the Prime Restaurants empire. You’ve probably seen or heard the commercials promising «A taste of Little Italy» and «Hey Budda Boom Budda Bing» from time to time.
Favourites of mine include All-​You-​Can-​Eat Italian Wedding soup and Garlic Bread, which comes with your entrée. My wife is partial to the Seafood Linguine, whereas I’m more of a Spaghetti person.
My biggest complaint about East Side Mario’s is the fact that the service and the food can be very inconsistent. This location is no exception. One day I can have excellent service and have excellent food, another day slow service and okay food, to other days when I can only say that everything was terrible.
This location was closed for more than a year and has now re-​opened. Perhaps being in a location where there is high traffic (being located next door to the Empire Theatres and Chapters) will help them survive. I think this restaurant could be better if the quality could be more consistent.