Mannino’s Italian Bistro

Arrived here with my best friend to enjoy a nice meal and everything seemed okay at first. Service was prompt in the beginning. The server, Mike, told us he’d put bread in the oven and «fire it up» for us. The bread never came out. My friend’s appetizer came — still no bread. Our entrees came out — still no bread. We watched the waiters bring 4 baskets of bread to other tables and still nothing for us, even though they came way after us. My friend’s tongue got burnt by the boiling hot pasta. We asked for our food to go and STILL NO BREAD. We told Mike and he said he’d put a «healthy dose» of bread in there and we heard him tell the waitress to put only 2 pieces each. That is not a healthy dose. Bread is a staple at an Italian restaurant and Olive Garden does a better job at that.

Service was okay. When we came in we were seated promptly and got to pick our table which was nice. After being seated we ordered an appetizer and were told bread was being cooked. Fast forward to the entrees being brought out we still had not reviewed the bread. My pasta sauce was so hot it burnt my tongue and I have not been able to enjoy it yet. Would just dip bread in the sauce waiting for it to cool. Then the waiters brought out three baskets and gave them to people who just walked in. Not sure if the food is good since I haven’t been able to eat it yet. Crab soup was decent but a little heavy.

She what?! She crab soup was f (censored)g amazing! It’s no wonder it has won an award 4 years in a row! The penne alla vodka was a treat as well! Let’s not forget the service. The waiter was on point, very helpful as well! Definitely going back!

In town staying on oceanfront and looking for a nice Italian meal. Was standing in front of Mama’s Italian Kitchen reading menu and checking out Unilocal reviews. Mama’s didn’t get great reviews but Manino’s did so had to check it out.
It’s January so not too busy/​crowded. Took seat at bar and was promptly greeted by Mike. He was very friendly and attentive. He offered great suggestions on the menu and even gave me other recommendations of restaurants in the area since I’m from the Midwest. He was a great bartender/​server/​VA Beach host!
I debated between the Crabtini (which person next to me had and it looked and smelled amazing!) and one of the specials which was a braised short rib on Fettuccini in a marinara sauce with Roma and sundries tomatoes, red and green peppers, and onions. After discussing with Mike and one of the regulars, I selected the special. Great choice I made!
The portion was enough to for 3 people probably. Oh my! It was huge and it was delicious! The beef was very tender, pasta was delicious and the peppers and onions gave it so much flavor! Yum!!!
Was fortunate to chat with John the owner who was friendly, funny and sassy! ;) I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and look forward to coming back again so I can try that Crabtini that everyone raves about.

My wife two little ones and I enjoyed our meal here. Service and atmosphere was good. Prices were reasonable relative to the portions and location. I ordered veal saltimbocca which had a generous portion for the price. It was tasty although a heavy amount of spinach and mozzarella made it a bit watery. Bread served was unremarkable.

Great food, excellent service. Crab tini is amazing. Veal is tender and well prepared. Pasta is awesome.

Mannino’s was one of the dining experiences you have to which you measure other itilian restaurants against. Very, very good pasta! You could tell that it was homemade and it made all the difference. I had the Shrimp fettuccine rose (think that’s the name) and crab soup. Both were out of this world! I am from the Eastern Shore and can be snobby when it comes to crab soup, but this cream of crab was spot on. The wife had a chicken parm with pasta, which was also phenomenal. The great thing about this restaurant is that it is incredible Italian cuisine in a family restaurant environment. We had two little ones with us who were equally pleased with the meal. The restaurant will not disappoint. I highly recommend. I will be back here with the family on our next trip to VA beach.

Literally top 5 meals of all time! You MUST get the shrimp & crab tini, followed by the crab soup. I could have just had these two things and died and gone to heaven a happy woman. We then had the linguini a la vodka with shrimp and it’s absolutely amazing! My husband and I split the pasta and were both stuffed afterwards. We ended the meal with the tiramisu which was good or great but everything else I could eat over and over again! A must eat at place in Virginia beach!

The greeter and server were very nice and polite. The fried oysters were good. The crab and shrimp tini was horrible as it was saturated with an oily substance, the crab was literally floating. The waiter took it off our bill without us even asking. The veal and eggplant stack sauce ruined the dish. It was as if a can of tomatoes was pored on it. Nasty. Needless to say; since it was my spouses birthday celebration I was extremely disappointed for such a negative experience.

The Oceanfront in the winter during the holidays is at a slow pace, many locations close. Not true for Maninos. And, neither the quality nor the service dropped off.
First of all, if you’re not that hungry, just want to meet friends over a glass of wine, this is a great spot… And a great opportunity to savor their She Crab Soup! Flavorful soup with crab meat piled high.
All of the pastas are fresh, the sauces amazing. The veal dishes are great as well. A friend wasn’t that hungry and ordered the calamari. It would have been a large appetizer for 4… Huge, tender and tasty.

Accidentally posted this for the wrong location!
We went to Mannino’s on the hunt for local seafood and a good date spot in downtown Portsmouth. It was within walking distance of our hotel, which was also a plus! The ambiance was great! Quiet and romantic, but not awkward. We ate outside and had the patio to ourselves. It was a really nice evening and Samantha took great care of us, even though her other tables were inside.
We shared a bottle of red wine and got calamari to start. The calamari was huge! We could have shared it with another couple, but we just took it home instead. The marinara tasted homemade and was a little chunky, which is how we like it. The calamari was mostly rings. I don’t think we had any tentacles.
We each ate the pasta special, which was tortellini with jumbo lump and spinach alla vodka. It was insanely delicious. The tortellini and sauce both tasted and looked homemade. The spinach was barely wilted, which was perfect and so fresh tasting. The sauce was thinner with chunks of tomatoes and just enough cream to it. There was so much crab meat! The portion was huge and we both took our leftovers home. Samantha served freshly grated Parmesan and fracked pepper when our food came.
We had a great date at Mannino’s and will definitely be back on our next trip to the Portsmouth area. We highly recommend this neighborhood gem!

Even though there was a little bit of a server miscommunication and we sat without service for about 20 minutes, they made up for it with great service once they figured things out, plus a free crab soup which was excellent!
The food is quite good and the portions are large so bring your appetite or be ready to bring some home. Definitely visit when you come down!

Italian food at the beach sounded like an odd match to me, but the food here is okay and the portions are large. I had the spaghetti & meatballs parmesan ($ 18) and husband had the chicken parm ($ 20). The house red sauce is a little too sweet for my taste. Bread was warm and delicious. No salad with entrees.
Service was terrible. My FIL got the wrong dish delivered to the table, and we asked for milk for our kiddo at least three times (the last time, we asked the guy refilling waters and then we heard him yell, «that table wants a milk!» to someone else). So odd.
Restaurant is in a terrific location right along Atlantic Avenue and walkable from many hotels. Lots of other diners, but the space is huge and we had not problem getting a table. The bathrooms are in the back corner.

Being in Virginia beach wasn’t sure how an Italian place would be but boy we were surprised by the fresh pasta and wonderful food. I had the tortellini mannino and the mushroom and peas made the cream sauce delicious. My husband was boring and had the lasagna.
Both dishes were delicious and freshly made. It was a great italian dinner but was a little pricey. I guess because its on the beach.
We each had dessert tiramisu and a cannoli. Both were large and to die for.

This place Fantastic!
Knowledgable staff, fresh food and very tasty. Marsala was excellent! Don’t miss this Italian Gem!

Pretty solid Italian fare here, that’s for sure. The atmosphere, unfortunately, gave the place more of a «dive» feel, which is not really what I want when having a nice Italian meal with expensive wine.
My friend and I shared a bottle of white wine and the Crab-​tini app. The crab was decadent and delicious. Price a bit high, but justified by its freshness and rich flavors. We also both had the Linguini Pesto Genovese entrée. This too was a solid choice. Anything pesto is a winner in my book and they didn’t skimp on the pine nuts, which I was very happy about. Portion was just right to comfortably fill me but not have anything leftover.
Again, the atmosphere was a bit dated and divey. While the food is WAY better than a touristy Italian place I had previously been to on the OF, the atmosphere isn’t. It doesn’t look like the owners invested anything into renovating the interior after buying the place. Also our server made the whole experience awkward for us. It wasn’t that she lacked knowledge of the menu or was slow; it was the way she worded things. She was quite pushy about trying to get us to buy stuff (most expensive wine, add-​ons for our pasta, etc.) and generally just lacked a personal or sincere demeanor.
Anyways despite the atmosphere and service, this is still a solid Italian option.

Justin and I made reservations here for his birthday lunch and it was one of our favorites of our whole trip! It was conveniently located right across the street from the hotel we stayed at called Ocean Beach Club. We made reservations a month in advance, but they only had a few people there. I was expecting it to be really fancy and expensive and even over-​dressed for it, but it was much more casual. They were playing soft rock music in the background that you would hear on the radio, some of them being 80s songs. The service was fine-​dining excellent though. We had an awesome server who was really helpful and caring throughout the whole meal. We started with drinks. My cocktail called the Bakkerito was really sweet and sour in a good way. It was like lemonade with a zesty citrus twist. I really liked it. Justin got the Italian lemon drop. It was pretty tasty, but strong for me.
We also started with the amazing she-​crab soup. It definitely lives up to its accolades! Although after inquiring about it, it has canned crab, but I couldn’t taste the difference with the smoothness and warmness of the soup. It was just what we needed on an ice day. The caesar salad I got was pretty great too. It was a standard salad, but tasted great.
For entrees, I got the Chicken Parmaggiano after everything looking so good on the menu making it difficult to decide and Justin got a pasta he really liked also called the Lasagna Bolognese. Both pastas were warm and super cheesy, fresh, and flavorful. The portions were pretty big too. We had leftover pasta for later.
At the end, the server brought out a light birthday treat for Justin also.

Ohhhh the best restaurant week lunch!!!
I’m so glad to make it at the final day.
Fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, crab soup, fresh salad, pasta w/​yummy sauce.
The waiter is friendly and has amazing voice! Lol
A quite big portion.
Now I’m walking on the beach to get rid of some fat for dinner in 4hs. Everything is in walking distance.
I wanna eat here more often! I usually go to the one on pleasure house. They are pretty good too;)

Every once in a long while, you have a memorable meal where you feel like the chef made every bite specifically for you, the individual you… he knows you and exactly what you want and maybe what you didn’t even know you wanted. That is the meal I get from John Mannino every time. I feel like I can sit down and not even look at the menu, and say, «Tell John to make me whatever he wants.»
I first fell in love with John’s cooking in early 2013 at the Old Towne Portsmouth location
. It was always an experience I looked forward to… just that little something extra in my life that brought me so much happiness. I have since moved away from Hampton Roads, and for the last 6 months in Atlanta, I have been thinking about eating at Mannino’s. Sure there is amazing Italian in Atlanta – it is one of the foodie meccas – but I have yet to have any Italian here that compares to what John can make me. On my short visit home for Christmas, I knew I had to make a Mannino night happen.
I gathered a big group of my besties and their significant others, as I love iintroducing friends to Mannino’s. Now John Mannino has a real craft with seafood. So, I started out with a shrimp and crabtini in succulent warm truffle butter – there was at least a half a pound of jumbo lump crab meat in this supersized martini glass! John, I can never get crabmeat like this anywhere, much less Atlanta! Others feasted on she-​crab soup and fried oysters – I can tell you both of these are the best you’ve ever had. There is a reason his she-​crab continues to win the She-​Crab contest at the Oceanfront year after year. Next, I had the flounder francese with a side of penne alla vodka. I am telling you, if Mannino’s has any fish on special francese-​style, this is what you should order! All of his seafood is fresh and never frozen. This is particularly important in maintaining the true integrity of fish; the taste and the texture.
John, I could continue to brag about you all day. Just know, that eating with you has become one of my pleasures in life. I continue to miss being able to come and dine with you now that I am many miles away. I just hope that others can make their Mannino discovery and come to enjoy what you can bring them.
(P.S. Parking – they have a couple of rows of designated free parking in the Mayflower garage behind them)

I have yet to try many of the other Italian restaurants along Atlantic Avenue but after dinner at Mannino’s, I might just skip ‘em. This was really excellent food and really excellent service.
Quiet on a weeknight, we were seen to a table immediately as there weren’t many other diners. Our waiter took great care of us — David — and went through the specials and the rest of the menu after we asked for suggestions.
I opted for the crab soup to start after he had said it won a few «Best of» awards. I can see why. Good taste of sherry but it doesn’t overwhelm the crab. As for the crab, the small cup was solidly packed with it. A LOT of crab in here. Yum.
For main, I had the veal parmesan. A very large portion of thinly sliced veal, layered with cheese and sauce. Huge. Enough to take home for another full meal. Very yummy. Delish.
So… great service (thanks, David!), and great food. Mannino’s.
Sorry — no idea how parking works. We walked over from the hotel.