Review Cafe Marinara - Brisbane

This place was amazing! The decor is just beautiful, I would love to see it at night! The food was delicious, fresh & very tasty. Staff were very attentive and the service impeccable. They made special effort for my son on his birthday which was very unexpected and appreciated. I cant wait to return and try some more dishes.

Superb Italian restaurant. Great food and rich in flavour, great service, quaint traditional Italian vibe, reasonably priced and friendly staff. I will return for sure. Among the cocktails, the Negrini was very strong to my taste and felt less like a cocktail. I will not try it again.

Genuinely had such a great experience here! We had 3 courses and enjoyed every single meal. The service was great and the whole environment was lovely. We will recommend this place to friends for sure

Greate experience. I had a delicious seafood risotto and a margherita pizza. Both were great taste and texture. It wasn't too salty and sweet. Just fit to my taste. I enjoyed the unique atmosphere there. I took photos multiple times. Staff were really friendly and impressed with giant pepper bottle haha..I had great time with my friend. I will definitely go back there one day.

Great dining experience with friendly staff. Love their dessert choices. The Marinara pasta is a bit too salty.

This is my favourite Italian restaurant in Brisbane and I’ve tried many. The oysters mornay are fabulous and the creamy fettuccine al pollo is incredible. The food and service is always great and consistent. I’ve never had a disappointing time here. I also came here on Valentine’s Day and they took a free Polaroid of us!

Genuinely the best pasta I’ve ever had. Fantastic food, and the venue is utterly delightful - a cosy, rustic little restaurant perfect for an intimate evening with friends or a romantic date. The staff were all very friendly and colourful characters, and dessert was excellent as well!

Delicious seafood pasta.. the calzone it's big but mostly flour. Wine was good. The dessert with ice cream, coffee and frangelico was super nice.

Came here for a quick lunch but the menu is quite expensive. We ordered the chicken avocado pizza and it was $27.... it tasted good but wasn’t anything amazing or worth the $27, very overpriced

Great service, amazing staff, great desserts. It's one of those places you keep going back to for the atmosphere, decor and staff.<br/><br/>Food is good, tasty and sumptuous --- all, except tomato-based dishes. <br/>I haven't tried pizza yet. <br/> <br/>I've been there a few times now and learned not to order anything tomato-based. I tried dishes from my friends and mine [of course] and the verdict is solid. It tastes as it's just been heated up straight out of the can. It misses Nona's love. Dolmio out of the jar tastes better. <br/><br/>Tomato sauce ingredients (if the owners read this review):<br/>Crushed tomatoes (out of the can), finely chopped celery, carrots, onions, garlic and basil, salt and pepper to taste, 1 cup of red wine, a touch of sugar (to get rid of the acidity). Saute finely chopped celery, carrots, onions, garlic and basil over medium heat with some olive oil. Add tomato paste, stir briefly making sure it doesn't burn. Add crushed tomatoes. Bring to boil and add red wine; then lower the temperature and simmer for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and stir in some sugar (a flat tablespoon per 1kg of tomatoes) and add fresh chopped parsley. --- tomato sauce is a labour of love.

friendly service and delicious food, and always busy

Very authentic restaurant, it felt like I was back in Italy. The food was amazing, the whole experience had the vibe & look of a family restaurant in Florence. Service was great & meals were out very quickly. Perfect place for a date, the candle lit dinner was quite romantic.

I feel like I am in Italy when I am here. I love this place so much it is so traditional and the staff here are lovely. Candle lit dinners are a huge yes from me, the ambience here is top notch. After reading over the extensive menu, I had to get the seafood pasta. It was DELICIOUS there was so much seafood and it was all great quality. The pasta sauce was so yum and full of flavour. Out of all the Paddington Italian places this one is my fav.

Absolutely love this place! The staff are so friendly and accommodating, the ambience is very pleasant and homely, and the food is incredibly delicious! There are not that many vegetarian options on the menu, but the staff know the menu very well and are helpful with their suggestions on how to make the other dishes vegetarian. It is much appreciated! The drinks are made wonderfully, and the desserts are very well done as well! If I have only one improvement, it may be that the tables are a bit too small (though I understand the effort to make the setting more romantic). Overall I highly recommend! Best Italian food in Brisbane :)

Never disappointed here, love the food quality and options, the atmosphere and service is superb. We go to both locations and love them both!

Service is great. Not much vegetarian options but the risotto is amazing. Cocktail drinks are nice too and all at a very reasonable price. We always come here for our group dates with friends.

Awesome things happen when your usual fancy pizza place is booked out. After the initial disappointment that we couldn't go to our favourite for my partner's birthday dinner last week, I went hunting on Zomato for another excellent Italian, even branching out from our normal areas to Paddington. We luckily slotted into an early booking at Marinara Trattoria at 34 Latrobe Terrace.

Typical Italian trattoria loud and noisy service very attentive even our grandchild of 3 was catered to the gnocchi the marinara all cooked to perfection The restaurant brings back memories s of Italy well worth a visit remember to book due to popularity

AMBIENCE = 3.5<br/>FOOD = 4.5<br/>SERVICE = 4.0<br/><br/>A great Italian place with great home tasting food and the serves are great. A great must have in Brisbane.

First time coming here with friend. The place felt very warm and welcoming - staff were super friendly and positive. Felt very special even having the specials menu chalk board brought in front of us. Went with garlic bread pizza entree and the prosciutto and rocket pizza . Was simple but delicious. Loved atmosphere of the place and the vibe

Great service, beautiful setting with a very relaxed felling. The food was absolutely delicious. Risotto marinara was to die for! We will definitely be back to work our way through the menu 😁

Probably the best Italian lasagna, pasta and tiramisu I've ever had in Brisbane. I love the Italian atmosphere and decoration in the restaurant. Service was great and our server suggested amazing dishes to us. Two thumbs up! 👍🏼👍🏼

Homie traditional Italian food, candle lit and not pretentious with good servings and a decent wine menu. Perfect for date night and moderately priced.<br/><br/><br/>Super cozy<br/>Very tasty food

Just had the most amazing experience and meal here. Service was fantastic. Went with our toddler and the waiter Tony looked after her so well, made her a special drink, toys and even fed her the first spoonful of spaghetti. We all walked out so impressed and will definitely be back soon. Thank you so much Tony, you are an amazing waiter.

This is not fine dining but delicious home style Italian fare.<br/><br/>Prices very reasonable and service friendly without being over the top.<br/><br/>Tables very squished in and toilets downstairs, so anyone with mobility limitations may find this a bit hard to navigate.<br/><br/>Always very busy so book ahead.

If you're looking for authentic Italian, this is the place to be. Couldn't get a reservation at Gnocchi Gnocchi brothers so decided to try this place, and so happy that we did. Love the decoration, it warm and cosy. The staff were friendly and attentive. Love the baked Salmon. Highly recommend this place

I really enjoyed our dinner at Marinara Trattoria. The food was delicious and generously sized, the cocktails were tasty, and the restaurant decor was charming. The service was quick and friendly; we asked to be out by a certain time to make a painting class across the road and they had us out right on time with no compromise to the dining experience. I had the Fettucine Ala Polo, which I would certainly order again plus I am keen to try more things from the menu. I am looking forward to my next visit already :-)

Passing by a lot, I've been wanting to try this place for a while and finally did. <br/><br/>It is a small and busy restaurant, great for date night. Being brisbane- it was super hot that night so we were sweaty messes- I had to even move the candle away haha- it's going to be a winter go to for sure. <br/><br/>Food: Garlic bread was quite buttery- a little bit more garlic would have been good but I like a ton of garlic. We had the Fettucine Ala Polo- this won dish of the night. Perfectly seasoned, creamy mushroom sauce and well cooked pasta was so, so good. <br/><br/>The capricossa was alright- it sounds weird but I prefer the ham to be torn rather than sliced thinly- super weird thing of mine. <br/><br/>Drink: The waiter was very knowledgable of the wine list- told him what flavours I was looking for, he asked a couple of questions and recommended a great bottle that as he said would disappear before we knew it. <br/><br/>Service: even though they were so busy they were great and attentive- really good service

We went to Jamie Olivers for a bit of fun but this is sooooo much better. Food is amazing. Italian at its best. My only issue is there isn't an Italian Welcoming you but maybe that's more genuine compared to my London Italian's where us pasta like nona cooked.

A great little cafe, took me back to Italy beautiful set up and causal dinning, food was good trying to keep it classic Italian. Pizza and pasta are stables here that's for sure. Good selection of local Italian wines also with the good beer

I was taken here for my birthday on a very busy Friday evening. We were in a corner right by the bar but didn't feel squashed in at all. The pasta serve is huge and we were given our leftovers to take home! The staff sung happy birthday to me and gave me a beautiful orange cake complimentary. It was delightful!

We came here for lunch after a recommendation from work. It's a really nice and cosy environment, and it was nice to enjoy the gentle breeze on a summer's day.<br/><br/>We had the house special pizza and the spinach and ricotta ravioli and I can safely say that it is one of the best Italian joints that I've had in a long time. A lot of place I have tried are often drowned in sauce or too heavy on the oils, but the food here was neither of these things and was bursting with flavour.<br/><br/>The house special pizza had the crunchiest base. The meat was tender and not over/undercooked. The ravioli was fluffy and blended well with the tomato and cheese. There was quite a bit of cheese with the ravioli meal, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but some may not. I had a lemon lime and bitters as well. It wasn't the best I've ever had (but then again, I have had quite a few), but still refreshing. I would definitely return here in the future. The service was excellent as well.<br/><br/>It was quiet, coming up to moderately busy when we left for lunch so we enjoyed a comfortable lunch. However, the tables are quite close together, so I would imagine that it can get quite cramped during peak periods. I would also recommend driving a small car to this area, as you will need to do some parallel parking here!

Came here to celebrate my Mum's 60th birthday, we absolutely enjoyed it! The atmosphere is fantastic very authentic and the food is delicious!

Really really good food! One of my favourite places to eat! Such a good atmosphere and lovely staff! Such big meals for the price! The pasta here is honestly the best i've had.

On a hot steamy evening in Paddington this place delivered some delicious Italian dishes. A small and quant restaurant catering to a full crowd this evening, we were well looked after by friendly staff. We both had Scallopini dishes, that had great serves and full of flavours. This place has a loyal following of locals and it has a great feel to it. Bellisimo

Lovely quaint restaurant with beautiful authentic food and friendly service. Pleasant evening all round. l will definitely recommend friends to try this restaurant.

A bit too heavy on the cheese, their Italian food is more towards an American style. Very strong and heavily flavoured. Not the classic, simple Italian that I was expecting. Staff were friendly and very approachable

This place was lovely and very authentic. We had the garlic bread, lasagne and penne matriciana. It all tasted brilliant. Service was also top notch and very friendly. We will definitely be back as so many things on the menu looked delicious. Dropped half a mark because the lasagne was slightly cold in the middle. Apart from that can't fault it

Food was seriously amazing, everyone at our table was very happy with their meal. Loved the ambience and decor. Good sized portions, great service, will be back!

The food is authentic, tasty & well sized. Warm & cozy atmosphere with friendly staff. My new favorite restaurant and the tiramisu is to die for!

I was hesitant to go here because the reviews said it was loud & "cosy". But i was pleasantly surprised to enjoy it. The food helped! Was delicious & the bill was cheaper than we expected. We will be back!

I dined in with a group last evening.  I was very happy with the service and my meal.  I had the Tuscan salmon which was beautiful  Staff were attentive and helpful. The prices are what I would expect for a restaurant in such a popular locality.  I would go back again.  The only thing that was not to my liking was that sitting on a backless bench  against a wall with a window sill jutting out was not a comfortable seating arrangement. Perhaps that was the only spot left for a group booking.

Had the veal funghi, it was ok. Way too much sauce with a bit of linguine served next to the veal. Very salty, though veal was cooked nicely. Would have liked some vegetables with the veal. We were seated at a table next to the refrigerated dessert cabinet, very squished and could barely move the chair out to sit. I thought meals were overpriced considering the size and quality.

Love this restaurant, we come here often and food is awesome, so yummy.<br/>The menu is well selected, like a traditional Italian, table clothes and dishes that all sound nice.<br/>I had pizza which was prepared quick hot and tasted very nice. My friend and kids shared home made pasta with seafood that was definitely outstanding.<br/>Staff and service is always friendly and best one.<br/>Would recommend for everyone ♥️

Went here on Thursday night with some girlfriends - the food was absolutely beautiful and the service was friendly, warm, welcoming and all aspects of service were prompt. Cannot wait to return!

Best Italian I've had in Brisbane!! Love this place. I've been recommending this joint to all my friends. Excellent customer service and they take reservations! Buy the way, finally fully license not byo.<br/><br/>What really tops it is the food! We have been there last Wednesday ordered fettuccine Marinara is the best I've ever had - it was full of flavour. The handmade pasta was so soft and nice, yumm!! <br/><br/>They have a wide range wine list and lots to choose from, however I'm a chianti person so I ordered the piccini chianti it was lovely! 👌🏽

Went here last night for probably the 20th time (this time, with family - five of us). What a let-down - and so expensive! The food is starting to taste like the sauce is out of a jar - and the pizza (margarita) tasted like a Woolies frozen special. Too expensive for the quality - or lack of - food here. So much better at il posto up the road.

Hmmm, not good. The staff were brilliant, no problem there, very accommodating and friendly. But the food was the pits. The name implies somewhat of seafood speciality. This is NOT the case. My seafood pasta was horrible, tiny little frozen prawns, bland red sauce. I couldn't eat "not wasting a good carb session on that" I thought to myself! If I was eating at the chinchilla rsl, I would expect something of that calibre, not a charming little paddington restaurant. But the staff redeemed the unpleasant flavor and noticed that I only had a bite and offered a full refund, which I tried not to accept, but they insisted. The chefs here need to pick up there act, the rest of the place, ambiance, staff and service was lovely. The food is the loser in this scenario.

Four of us shared a few pizzas which were tasty, but not cut properly, so when you went to take a slice the topping pulled away from the crust!! Not enough care taken. The service in particular was arrogant & the BYO charge to open a bottle of twist top red  was expensive. Decor is nice & location is good, but there are plenty of places to eat in Paddington.

Dined last Saturday night. Full house but the staff were quite attentive and very friendly. <br/>Quite loud inside but typical of a busy Italian trattoria. We shared a few pizzas which were 'average' for the price and the Veal Masala which was quite nice. <br/>Will give it another go. Although they are licensed they do allow BYO wine with corkage $10.

Fabulous. 3 people dining last night. Fettuccine marinara, fettuccine carbonara and a lasagna. All superb. Large servings, great atmosphere and good service. All meals in high $20's but great value.

Veal Marsala, Coffee. Extreme veal, mushroom and buttery goodness

OK by Brisbane Standards but Watch out for the Chilli and Arrogant Managers. It was a warm evening and rather oppressive inside at the back of the restaurant. But the food was "nice" and we were happy until one of our party said the chilli prawns linguine “don carlos” was too hot/spicy for her. So the birthday girl swapped with her Mum. She agreed that it was much too hot by normal restaurant standards. Now the birthday girl is visiting from London and is well traveled, having eaten chilli prawns around the world including Italy. Infact all at the table were seasoned travellers although perhaps not all were chilli prawn linguine experts. The issue is that, when we complained the waiter was totally unsympathetic. "It is chilli prawns and they are marinated in Chilli and have a chilli sauce - thats how they come" . We sent it back and the waiter offered to ask the kitchen for a new milder one. But, by then, it was too late every one else had finished eating. The waiter then asked if we wanted a to take the chilli prawns home with us and we replied “no thanks - it was inedible, except perhaps to extreme chilli lovers, so why would we want to take it home”. But it did not come off the bill. We asked to speak to the manager but he was not on duty. The three self acclaimed duty managers (‘’we are all managers’’) insisted everybody liked their food inferring we should too. Even though we had said the chili prawns linguine was inedible. Overall we just thought how arrogant they were. They thought everyone should enjoy their slightly above average food. But not this time, not everybody!<br/><br/>The rest of the food was "nice" perhaps even good by Brisbane standards but nothing inspired, rather a tried and tested formula. Definitely not Masterchef standard (or perhaps not even chef rather than short order cook standard. The kitchen produced food to a tried and tested formula which is probably above average for Brisbane. The well worn laminated menus were perhaps testament to this. <br/><br/>In summary; the Chilli Prawns Linguine “Don Carlos” should have a big warning label beside it on the menu "for chilli lovers only". We might have considered going back if the “managers” had not spoilt our night by not accepting that perhaps someone got a little carried away with the chilli that evening! They should have had the good grace to accept our verdict that it was inedible and offered to take it off the bill. Our London visitors said they would have tipped (how un-Australian) if it had all been handled gracefully. The resultant fracas with the managers spoilt what was meant to be a happy family special meal.

Thanks guys for nice dinner. Pizza's were beautiful just like the ones I've had back in Italy! The staff were also very friendly & engaging with us. Would definiely recommend paying these guys a visit for a great authentic Italian meal & experience. Owners, don't change anything please!

I am Italian and this restaurant is not !!! Not the chef or the staff . Pasta very very average !!! Nice check table cloths and setting , food an insult to Italian cooking !!

We had garlic bread as a starter and it was good. Risotto fungi was my main and it was good. I think the food is more like wholesome homecook Italian food - not fine dining kind. Price is reasonable for the portion. The service was not good. After the main, they kind of ignore us, we asked for water and it never came. We had to ask for dessert, they didn't come and ask. We ordered dessert and we waited for ages it never came. Overall, ok food, the service was a let down

Delicious. Not the same old but bursting with flavour. Would go again only thing I didn't really like the feeling of being squashed on tight little restaurant

Brilliant!. What ambiance! We were impressed by the friendly, informative and educated staff. Menu was fantastic with plenty to choose from. Tired of dining in, getting ripped off and having a selection of 3 dishes on the menu, Marinara is a refreshing change to the local suburban restaurant scene. Very well priced and large dishes we can't wait to go back for another romantic dinner for two.

Nice surroundings - shame about the food!. If you like authentic Italian food - this is NOT the place to eat. if you like pots filled with flowers, checked red and white table cloths and waiters with Italian accents and can tolerate poor quality restaurant food - then this may be the place for you.<br/>The menu is limited to the pasta selections one would recognise in Brisbane and when prepared it is thick and stodgy - no light, barely there quality olive oil based sauces. Big plates full of cream based or tomato based sauce drenching overcooked pasta are the standard.<br/>The service was good, the price was WAY too high for the poor quality of the food. Not much to recommend about this place.

Dinner, wine and song. Really enjoyed our evening at Marinaras. It was my daughters birthday and the waiters made a special cake so we could all singhappy birthday. I ate the don carlos; prawns, pasta and chilli it was delicious. I think the special attention we receivec from the staff really made the night... well done boys.<br/>Highly recommended.<br/>(Fully licensed..beer wine etc)

Been there on Tuesday night and it was busy for Tuesday.we had a great night .it was good food,and good service.we will be back

The perfect local Italian. These guys are consistently right on the money. Casual relaxed atmosphere, great hospitality and a simple but diverse menu that continues to improve. No pretence here, but a charming, combination of honest food, great service and delightful ambience that will keep me coming back.

Have been here a couple of times now and each time the service, good and atmosphere has been amazing. A perfect BYO gem in Paddington that provides good, honest Italian fare

Excellent service, great atmosphere, really good food. They were very happy to accommodate us without a booking and were extra kind to my 2 yr old daughter. I will be back

Mushroom risotto and the same great service = going back again.... Tuesday night on La Trobe Tce doesn't have a lot on offer but Marinara always delivers. It's my 'go to' restaurant. Have always had warm and welcoming service. The staff match the setting: fairy lights in the trees and gorgeous flower beds. Beautiful. Tried the mushroom risotto rather than the perennial chilli prawns favourite. The risotto was delicious.<br/>Tips: Marinara is now (finally) licensed and the wine list is ok. $10 corkage for BYO. Mains are large...desserts look good but after a starter and main, good luck squeezing in anything but a coffee!

Love it. We've been eating at Marinara for 3 years and have never been disappointed. Lovely atmosphere and food is delicious.

Fantastic Italian. I rang a booked a table on a Tuesday at the last minute and requested an table outside. They let me know that there were none available but that they would try their best to accommodate us. We arrived to find a lovely table for 3 set aside outside - fantastic. The service was incredible and very friendly. Everything we ordered was beautiful - I can't believe I ate all of my Chilli Prawn dish. Can't wait to go back. Thank you for one of the best Italian food experiences I have had in Brisbane.

Great. Absolutely superb!!!! Service food atmosphere all 10/10 highly recommended

Service was friendly, fast and cheeky (because my husband was cheeky first). The food was wonderful, particularly the garlic prawns which had up to a couple of dozen prawns in a single serve. I would highly recommend the place.

Excellent food, handsome and competent waiters give a very good and friendly service. Highly recommended!

My favourite local restaurant! Beautiful delicious authentic flavours, great service and good price. We went for valentines day and not only did they have their normal menu (not an overpriced fixed valentines menu for a nice change) but they also have all the girls a beautiful red rose! Love this place.

Child-friendly, atmospheric, delicious food. These guys are possibly the most child-friendly restaurant we've ever been to! Invited for a friend's birthday dinner, we brought our 3yo along. We were greeted by a friendly waiter, who brought a puzzle/maze-type toy over for our little boy to occupy himself with.<br/><br/>The food was great- I ordered the veal scaloppini with mushrooms to share at the behest of the 3yo. The veal was tender, the pasta incredible, the mushrooms and sauce tasty. The only flaw was that it really could have benefited from more parsley than the single leaf provided as a garnish. If I order again, I will order a side-salad too- it was too rich and heavy for a summer night in Brisbane! Perfect for cooler weather though. Husband raved about the pasta carbonara (and doesn't have the same taste for vegetables, so to his mind the meal was perfect!).<br/><br/>While everyone was eating, the manager brought over a little matchbox-style toy car for our son to play with (a car fanatic, so that made his night!). As we were leaving and we went to return the car, he kindly said we could keep it. Unparalleled friendly service for people bringing kids!

Good quality Italian food and service. Definitely the best pasta I've tasted in Brisbane. Having traveled to Italy a couple of times this place reminds me of some of the places you get over there. <br/>When I went there for lunch, the waiter who is charming, handsome (can't remember name, long black hair) showed my table. After the work stress, we had good little chat which was really good like a treatment:) and I had the home made fettuccine pasta which is Don Carlos ( Chilli Prawns ) something which was a tomato, olive oil, garlic and chilli sauce with prawns. Very nice, good serving size, good recommendation.<br/>Charming little trattoria with friendly service.<br/>All in all a delightful experience and highly recommended to all.

10 out of 10, would dine again!. What a fantastic find! I ate the Don Carlos and my mum got the Chicken Salad, and oh my god. This was THE BEST prawn/pasta dish I have ever eaten. I'm not exaggerating. The prawns were moist, the pasta was tasty and perfectly cooked, and the sauce was to die for! Mum's chicken was cooked beautifully and the salad dressing was brilliant. The service was excellent, and the restaurant itself was very charismatic. I would definitely recommend this restaurant, and I will definitely be dining here again!

Seriously good Italian!. Our first restaurant meal as Paddo residents, the place has a great vibe. The only downside is finding out it's BYO - which usually wouldn't be a problem, but it was only a quick sprint down to Vintage Cellars.<br/><br/>The waiters are great entertainment. Food sizes are generous. We had the lasagne and veal in a mushroom and brandy sauce. <br/><br/>It was really good food, we'll be going back soon!

All style, no substance.. I drive past all the time, and the charming exterior and red and white check tablecloths finally lured me in. Unfortunately, the tablecloths were probably the high point of my experience.<br/><br/>I dined with one other friend, and we didn't realise it was BYO so we were stuck drinking coke all night. Or, we would have been - had the waiters ever offered us another drink. No water top-ups either. (Beware of the $10/bottle corkage, too.) The food was okay and the servings were generous, but for $27.95 I could make better gnocchi bolognese at home! My friend had the scallopini and said it was ok, but nothing out of the ordinary.<br/><br/>The service was very erratic. When our mains were done we would've liked to have dessert, but no such luck. The waiters seemed to be offering around a tray of small, pre-portioned (bought in, no doubt) cakes, and they visited EVERY table but ours. Any attempt to flag one down went totally unnoticed, and we were sitting right next to the front counter. The service was overly enthusiastic in the beginning, to the point of being a nuisance. The first waiter who spoke to us told me he would "change the way [I] think about Italian food", as if the only thing I'd ever eaten was Mum's spag bol. He offered to explain the menu (written on a board and propped up beside the counter) and all the difficult ethnic words like "tortellini" and "pesto". (Thanks, mate.) Despite this show and dance, we didn't see another waiter for 20 minutes.<br/><br/>Bottom line: food was nothing special. Service was either nauseatingly over the top or totally nonexistent. Try Grappinos on Given Tce instead.

I'm sorry but this is not italian food, I looked over the menu and chose what I thought would be the most simple dish to make (to avoid disappointment) in the gnocchi with napolitana sauce, sorry to say but it was in-edible, the sauce tasted like it was from a bottle. All of the entres are covered in cheese (including the muscles) If you enjoy knock off Aussie Italian food you will love this place

Marie. Its the best italian restaurant in brisbane. Especially, service and food amazing. Good job guys. See you soon

The best Italian I've had since I was in Italy 2 years ago...... Maybe even better!!! So delicious, so tasty and well seasoned. The portion sizes are absolutely huge! Pasta and pizzas are both absolutely delicious. <br/><br/>Wait staff are charming and cheeky ... Just the way Italians should be! They are very efficient and very fast service ... Very attentive!! Amazing atmosphere and the design of the restaurant makes you feel like you are in the heart of Rome. My new favourite place !!!

What awasome food. Don carlos is the best. And very good service. We are already booked for next week too. Looking forward :)

This the best italian ever we have tired. It was a great service , great food and great atmosphere will be back

Worst waiter in Brisbane! W.... Worst waiter in Brisbane!<br/>We went there last night for a group christmas party and was served by what was the rudest waiter we have ever met. First he said we couldnt be mothers because we weren't fat, then he got up us for booking an extra seat (which we needed anyway becuase someone was just running late). Then he practically yelled at one of the girls at our table for ordering a coffee. He was an absolute wanker and spoilt our experience of this restaurant.

Best restaurant I have been to in so long. Homestyle, yet upmarket. Will be going again and again and again.

Had a very gold dinner exprience .we will be back

Yummy!. Great atmosphere and tasty food. Only downside is $10 corkage and probably slightly expensive for what it is. Will still go back for delicious food!

Very cute, themed restaurant. Fairy lights lines trees surrounding the small entryway. <br/>Staff were super friendly, chatty, hospitable. A table for 2. Staff caught wind that it was my birthday, and brought out a dessert 'on the house' and sang happy birthday to me! <br/>Definitely highly recommended!! :-)

Simply the best italian I HAVE had in brisbane so far. Slightly more expensive then I would like, but good service, great atmosphere and fantastic food. If someone knows of a better restaurant let me know :-D

The food was excellent, the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. However the bill was exorbitant. You wouldn't expect to pay $30 for a meal in a casual dining setting like this. But you do. Would go back in a heartbeat if it were a bit cheaper.

Great food,fantastic service. This is one of my favourite restaurants in Brisbane. My partner and I love going here.The staff are friendly and the food is delicious! <br/>Great atmosphere and the fact that it's always busy speaks for itself.<br/> I've been to Marinara Cafe numerous times and have never been disappointed, just make sure you make a reservation to avoid missing out!

Bad, bad, bad. I am an Italian foodie, and I can't easily be fooled. Let's start by saying that, like many Italian restaurants in Brisbane, there's nothing Italian here. The owner and managers are Turkish, and their idea of Italian cuisine amounts to slathering garlic butter onto just about everything. <br/><br/>They'll tell you the pasta is homemade. What they mean is that it's bought from a provider that labels it as "homemade", and then frozen (take a look on your way to the loo). This is dishonest to say the least.<br/><br/>The quality is way below average, which makes the food terribly overpriced (trust me, you can make better fettuccine marinara at home with less than $5 per person). <br/><br/>Definitely not going back, and don't bother trying if you know anything about food.

Bella cibo!. Wonderful and charismatic service from this little italian establishment is not the only thing you will tell your friends about. <br/><br/>The food served in this rustic little corner of traditional Italy is authentic and inspired. I had the veal scaloppine in masala sauce as well as supreme pizza, garlic bread and salad. <br/><br/>If it was socially appropriate to do so, I would have licked the beautiful masala sauce off my plate after finishing the very tender slices of veal. The toppings were generous as you would expect on a proper Italian wood fired pizza and the dinner conversation was at a minimum because we were too busy stuffing our faces with marinara cafe's beautiful food. <br/><br/>And my dad even received a complimentary dessert and birthday song for his special day, which was made more so, by our experience at this fine restaurant!

Expensive??. Had dinner there on 21 June. Crowded but got a small table for 2. Entree was Garlic Bread - a 3 piece offering. I had the veal Marsala and my friend had a pasta dish.<br/>My meal was nice - but SMALL!. Two small pieces of meat swimming in a bowl of sauce (the sauce was nice) and a sprinkle of pasta. My friend's meal was satisfactory. Beats me how they can charge $30 for 2 bits of meat which would cost less than $2-00.<br/>This place is not licensed, yet they charge 'corkage' ??? Might have to ring the Licensing people about that. Nice place, nice staff, but over the top for costs. My $70 bill should have been more like $40-000!

Came for the second time tonight and was absolutely pleased!!! fantastic staff.... fantastic food.... fantastic atmosphere A++++++++ thank you for a fabulous dining experience!!!

Mother's Day Treat!. I took my mother here for Mother's Day and was a little worried about not getting a table because the place was packed. Within 2 minutes the staff had put 2 tables together to accommodate us and were serving us immediately. The staff were friendly and personable which is hard to find these days. I had "the best lasagna in Brisbane" and cannot disagree with the waiter - it was delicious! Definitely a place to visit if you are in the mood for some quality Italian food.

Great Staff and Great Food!. Came here for my 21st birthday breakfast and the food was incredible - the serving sizes were generous and my family and I agreed it was one of the best breakfast's we have had in Brisbane. The staff were also wonderful and went above and beyond normal wait-staff!

We had a lovely night at marinaras i think its the best Italian restaurant in Paddington

Just popped in for a quick pizza. The pizza was great if you like McCain's frozen pizza and paying triple the price.

Thanks guys for a great night

Table of five people. Great reception and service. The food was terrific. Will visit again.

Excellent night out with big group!. We visited Marinara 2 weeks ago with a big group, 20 of us on a Friday night. Must say the service was fabulous. As was the food. We got a lot of different starters to share amongst everyone, sort of like tapas, and the selection was great. <br/>The waiters came to explain the menu to everyone, we had lots of questions, and am sure we tested their patience, but were always treated with a smile and entertained with a few jokes. Main courses were served for everyone almost at the same time, which I think was awesome given the group was so big and their kitchen so small and the restaurant was packed!<br/>Everyone enjoyed their food, and for those who got a bit too much on their plates... they packed it up for us to take home!!! Best doggie-bags ever.<br/><br/>We had an excellent night, and will definitely come back.

Best Italian in Brisbane. Marinara is the best Italian restaurant we have been to outside of Italy. The customer service is excellent with staff going above and beyond to make our visit memorable. Main meals were amazing and I would highly recommend the scaloppine and the chicken cannelloni. The restaurant has an authentic feel and an eclectic group of international staff with outstanding service skills and equally outstanding personality. <br/><br/>Thank you for an amazing evening.

Delicious. Fresh made pasta and very friendly staff. I don't mind the $10 corkage as its still cheaper than buying by the glass.

Brilliant. Booked on recommendation of others and was not disappointed - there is a vibe about this place that infects everybody - good decor, good food, good service and good humour.<br/>Christiano and Sebastion looked after us with great attention to detail - the menu explanation is worthy of its own stage show.<br/>See if you can work out who the Dishwasher is?<br/>Ciao boys - we had a great time.<br/>Boba

Amazing food, fantastic location and great service. Big shout out to Cristiano and Tony!!

Great food and atmosphere. Went to marinara last night was lovely. Had a table out the front overlooking the street, was nice people watching. We ordered oysters Kirkpatrick, yum. For main I had Don Carlos, which is a chilli prawn with fettuccini , which is made on the premises, best pasta I have had. My husband had seafood marinara, he loved it. So good, yes they do charge $10 a bottle corkage, but if you went to a licensed place you would be paying a lot more. You don't have to drink if you don't want to pay this. We did not have desserts last night, but have previously and they were fantastic too.

Food smelt great but didnt get the opportunity to taste it after our order was forgotten...after waiting 40min 4 entree n seeing table beside us who were seated after us receive entree n main we finally got hold of waiter who checked with kitchen n advised our 2 meals were 5min away. 10min later n almost 1hr after ordering we questioned waiter again who we then saw having a confused conversation with kitchen n again come back n advised meal 5min away. 10min later still no meals so we walked out via 2 stunned wait staff who simply watched us walk out the door. Complete waste of time.

Great service and great food. The atmosphere is nice too. Authentic feel. Very busy and rightly so. Corkage is $10 but that is the only negative. Will be back.