Have you been to Monello in Little Italy, San Diego? It is one of my FAVORITES! I have been several times over the years and often recommend it to anyone traveling to San Diego. Mark and I first went for a date night during our Little Italy Staycation. Their Cacio E Pepe: evoo, black pepper, pecorino, parmigiano is where I fell in love with Cacio E Pepe. I don't see this on their menu anymore but I'm guessing their spaghetti formaggi will be similar. No matter what you order at Monello, it's going to be good!
We hosted a few events years ago and included some of the menu items below for our guests.
Monello Appetizers
Traditional Piadina (shown above) - This delicious 'sandwich' is filled with prosciutto, burrata and arugula.
Supreme Meat Slices - An assortment of salumi will be served with slices of bread.
Homemade Tarallucci Cookies - These are a crunchy almond cookie perfect for an evening treat.
I ordered an espresso while we were at Monello tasting the appetizers. It was just what I needed with our late morning meal.
I love this photo I snapped of my girl right before our tasting. She is such a good helper and always excited to go to work with mommy.
After we tasted the appetizers we thought we would try a pizza while we were there. We tried the formaggi: mozzarella, parmigiano, fontina, gorgonzola. It was amazing and the kiddos loved it too.
I wanted to share some of the items we tried during our staycation date night too. Monello has an amazing happy hour from 4-7 pm. If you sit at the bar and order a drink you will receive a round of appertifs with your cocktail. This was perfect.
This is the Italian way and Monello really enjoys sharing their culture. I absolutely love trying small bites so I can see what I like. We each ordered 2 drinks so we ended up with 6 aperitifs. The strawberry bellini o rossini was definitely my kind of drink.
If you want to try an amazing pasta try the Cacio E Pepe: evoo, black pepper, pecorino, parmigiano. This pasta is rich, creamy, cheesy and absolutely fabulous. Mark and I made a meal of just this pasta, our aperitifs and cocktails. It was just the right amount of food.
Monello shares traditional Italian street food with origins from Milan. The culture is very humble and incredibly helpful. I can't wait to go again and try something else made with their famous pecorino cheese.
Cheers!
Monello
750 West Fir Street, Suite 102-B
San Diego - Little Italy
Follow @LOVEMONELLO
We received a sampling of items. All opinions are my own.
Mama Mary says
My mouth is watering. Everything looks delicious! Will def have to try it out next time I'm down in Little Italy. I love that area!
Maggie Unzueta @ Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
Love Illy's coffee. Just knowing that they serve it, tells me this restaurant knows what's up. 🙂
Heather (Baby Bump & Beyond) says
I always love your photos! They are fantastic and all that food looks amazing!