Mario's Restaurant - Medicine Hat

Had a reservation one night for a nice dinner for 2. it was a later reservation 8:45 on a Friday. I was informed by the staff on the phone this would not be a problem. showed up with my date that night to a locked door. I guess they decided to close early and not call to let people know.Very disappointing considering I was telling my wife what a great place it was, and that i had been going there since I was a teenager.

Definitely an old favourite, but now our new go to dining spot. Medicine Hat seems to have trouble supporting good restaurants, and with the opening of a few new ones we hope existing establishments are not forgotten.We have been visiting Mario's on and off for years. Quality of service and food is consistently good. Staff make you feel welcome and at home. Live music is on most weekends. Dependable, consistent and welcoming.

I moved to Medicine Hat about 5 years ago and was told I HAD to eat at Mario's! At that time the Caesar salad was delicious, the house wine was decent and the food was good. I'm not sure what happened in the last 5 years but it's not good. The decor has needed modernizing for forever, but the food has become just edible and very far from spectacular. The house wine, at $19/ half litre, $9.50/GLASS(!) was terrible. I would even say disgusting. It smelled and tasted sour and was served in a dirty, grimy carafe. The appetizer bread was the best part of the meal. We ordered bruschetta for an appetizer which was ok, Chicken Parmesan which was crispy but flavourless and lobster ravioli. The lobster was so tough I couldn't chew it, it had bits of shell in it and gristle, which is strange for lobster. NOT ENJOYABLE.Next comes the entertainment. I personally don't enjoy trying to have a nice intimate dinner, on any occasion, while someone is singing and playing at a loud volume in a small busy venue. The one man band sang over recorded tracks, it was distracting and his song choices were subpar. One positive I can say is that the service was good. Our server was prompt, pleasant and our water glasses were always full. We chose this place for our dinner because we were given a gift certificate for Christmas last year. We will not be back. I think Mario's has been a "fine dining" icon in our small city for as long as anyone can remember and the owners are coasting on that wave now. It's time for a shake up, there are newer better restaurants here now and this place won't last if it doesn't change with the times.

We had planned a business Christmas party 3 months prior and expected a stellar experience as we heard the food and service was exemplary. What started as a very poor experience turned into a Christmas party to remember. Hats off to the owners for making this a very good evening for everyone. All of us will be back to enjoy another meal and will tell our friends and family to come here as well.

Had to write a review as too often I just don't get around to it but I dined here tonight with a friend while on a business trip and am beyond impressed. Quite possibly the best Italian meal I've ever had... I enjoyed the Pescatora and my friend had the Chorizo & Mushroom Linguine. Ingredients were so fresh and my plate was clearly prepared with extra care. Beautiful presentation, hot!, and delicious. Price point is definitely well under what this chef should be charging for plates.I wish we weren't travelling for business out of province when we discovered this gem but I can't wait to come back.