Marabella Pizza and Grill

Simply put, this place is awesome.
Setting is relative normal, but food was great. I love beef filled tortellini and these guys did a great job. My wife’s meal was also spot on. The lemon cake for dessert was near perfect, light and just the right amount of lemon flavor.
But beyond all this our waitress, Savannah just made the whole meal fun. She joked around with us, just made us feel at home. We come here whenever we’re in town and are never disappointed.

Arrived hungry after a long drive. Kids wanted tried-​and-​true food. I drove 4+ hours and so was seeking something special and far from same ol’ same ol’ to start off our vacation. We were ALL pleased — and we place a tall order most days! I had the Pasta Puttanesca with GF noodles. Delicious! w lots of chunky fresh veggies. My daughter devoured an entire small cheese pizza — ideal crust. My son has diet restrictions and orders a plain grilled chicken breast almost everywhere we go. This simple and repetitive request has become an interesting litmus test of attentive food service — we were impressed not only with the attn paid to his diet accommodations, but also the presentation of the plate. They understood «ordering without» does not need to be without care and creativity.

One of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to anywhere, including many big cities. Pizza is closest I’ve puns to what I had in Italy. Dinners are generous size, high quality, and reasonably priced. Have never had a bad meal here. Favorite is chicken basilico, large crispy chicken breast pounded thin with prosciutto arugula and a lemon garlic sauce, served with pasta. Very highly recommend.

Never have I been able to get out of here at lunch in less than 1.5 hrs. LUNCH! the food is pretty good. I’ve never been disappointed with any dish from the kitchen. It’s usually the post meal wait that is terrible. Currently, I have been waiting 30 minutes for a bill from a rude waitress. The last 15 minutes I got two bills that were not right. This has been pretty typical of every time I come. This is why that’s very infrequent.
I do enjoy the new renovations with the exception of the noise is still ridiculous. Need something soft to absorb loud southerners voices.

Have had some excellent meals here in the past, but have not been happy since the recent renovation. First of all, they installed what looks to be like a hard plastic ceiling, and if it is busy, the noise level is overwhelming. Eating out is more than just good food; it should be a pleasant experience. Also, I’m not a fan of the many family or group sized tables.
Since we used to love the food, I have hesitated to write a mediocre review until we made sure that it was not just an off night. However, our last 3 or 4 meals have been in fact been mediocre at best. Don’t know what happened; but would love to have the old Marabella back.

Our favorite Italian restaurant in the Greenville/​Little Washington area. Everything we’ve tried was great. The pork chop is exceptional – our favorite item on the menu. The dining area has been remodeled recently.

Pizza and pasta are consistently good. Garlic knots are the only appetizer I suggest. Otherwise the apps and deserts are boxed.
That being said, you’re in Washington… And Not DC either. Culinary Capitol of nothing. They are great for what they are, where they are.

Found this place on Unilocal while staying at the nearby hospital with a family member. What a find!!! There were six of us, our meals ranged from pizza, fettuccini, spaghetti and lasagna. I tasted it all and everything was incredible! Wonderful service too. We will make this a regular stop when we’re in town.

I have never been dissapointed at Marabella. I have brought friends long distances to eat here and it still rates as the best Italian restaurant, certainly, for a few hundred miles. Nothing in the Triangle compares. Their appetizer Eggplant Rollatini is exceptional and could double as an entrée. But then you would miss the entrees! Hard to ever decide when i come here. The homemade ravioli? The seafood diavolo? The owners are dedicated and share cooking responsibilities in the evenings. The wait staff, especially Summer, are very professional. I have moved over an hour away but still make the journey as often as we can. There are no cannolis east of Raleigh except here so don’t forget to take some home as you may feel full after your grand meal. By the way, there is no dress code. Shorts and flip flops for you sailors. Its a few blocks from the waterfront so you can walk it off!
Regarding the negative reviews, i think they are a hoax. If there is anything wrong with your food, you are just in a bad mood ;-)

Not sure why this has gotten some bad reviews. The food was great. It’s a small Italian restaurant, but we felt at home and welcomed. It wasn’t noisy when I went, but Italians can be loud and talkative. The owner was very down to earth and made sure our food was cooked well.

They are OK. Just ok. Mozzarella sticks taste like box frozen and just ok.
The spinach rav. Sucked. Almost flavor which shouldn’t be given Italian should have lots of flavor.
My chicken parmesan was really watery… soggy chicken.
The grandma’s pizza had raw dough in the middle.
It just wasnt that great. But Washington doesnt have many good places.
We were visiting family and we live in orlando.

This place is the real deal when it comes to Italian. Great Italian dishes, wonderful service. Small but not to loud. Always made to feel like a friend.

A great place for a consistent pie and antipasta salad. I have eaten at two different locations, the other being in Greenville, NC, and never disappointed. They also have an excellent Stromboli, and their specialty pies are always a delicious surprise. An overall great place for New York style pizza & more!

Amazing food. Consistently delicious pizza. The Grandma pie is my favorite. Sauce and fresh mozzarella are phenomenal. My family lives around 30 miles away, however, still regularly pick up take out approximatley once a week. I’ve been a happy customer for years.

Made a reservation, still had to WAIT over an hour. The dining room was so loud I could hardly hear what the other people at my table were saying. When we were seated, the food was disgusting. Cold lasagna, frozen mozzarella cheese, terrible service, and $ 100 for 3 people! Disgraceful! Deserves –1 stars!

Used to be the best pizza around. The past few months pizzas have been overlooked, variable in size. We usually order extra cheese and used to really enjoy it. Now the extra cheese is not much more than some extra shreds of mozzarella over a regular pie.
We’ve spoken to one of the owners but he didn’t seem to care.
Tonight we tried the pizza one more time… again really disappointed.
Slice and Ice is worth a try.

Finally a decent pizza place in eastern nc. About time. For years I put up with Frank’s. I think their grandma pizza is my favorite. Usually a nice group of kids on staff and great pizza. I will say though that when they were starting out, I recall getting sick on raw dough in their spinach knots. Hopefully they figured that one out since.

Upsides –the food is indeed awesome. If you say the words ‘olive garden’ in comparison you’re out of your mind. Their food is wayyyyy better. But it’s small, cramped, loud, and lousy with children and snooty old people, the kind who swirl their wine and talk of mouthfeel and top notes. They won’t let you smoke outside on the patio, which, that it what it is. The pizza is good, the spaghetti bolognese is good, spinach ravioli is amazing. I love their chicken wrap. The prices are very reasonable as well.

Utilized this place for a work lunch and the clients decided this is where they wanted food from. I did not dine in, carried out, but I arrived early so I had time to scope the place out.
I arrived at 11:30am on a Friday and it was dead. From reading the Unilocal reviews I thought it would be packed but maybe it gets busier later. What I noticed was that the staff seemed nice but the service just wasn’t that great. I saw a lot of people come in for take-​out and left with not having what they needed and/​or in pieces, i.e. plated items not in a bag, scattered so it was difficult for them to carry out… which is exactly what happened to me. Ugh! I went to the car and grabbed one of my handy reusable grocery canvas bags and put my own items in it and then went behind the counter and grabbed my own plasticware for utencils. Yeah, I’ve been called passive aggressive… whatever.
When I arrived at the office with the lunch, the folks loved the food. I tasted my pasta and it tasted sort of like any old pasta dish, nothing special. I had the baked ziti. There was a lot of it so that was good, it can be used for 2 – 3 meals.
I’d prob venture back here if another office requested but I may not go back on my own. Just didn’t seem worth it. Then again, it may have been an off day.

I arrived soon after they had opened for lunch. Judging by how quickly customers started to arrive, coming early was a good thing!
The lunch menu included salads, subs, pasta and sandwiches. I ordered the canneloni. It was brought to the table in a timely manner and was a wonderful taste. Ample portion and nice plating.
I would guess this building was originally a fast food restaurant, but they had done an excellent job of decorating so that other than the size of the dining area you would hardly be aware of that. Loved the old style Italian music playing in the background. All of the servers were polite, hard working, and had a professional appearance.
This place is a gem in Washington, and I highly recommend it.