Bistro Coquitlam CUISINE / RESTAURANT REVIEWS Italian

East Side Mario’s

Update: This restaurant has closed.

Sephora newly opened in Coquitlam and Pacific Centre and Wendy wanted to go.  It is a place where men were to be stranded, surrounded by females whom desires to be more perfect, and searching for the gaze of other stranded men for a feeling of sympathy and understanding.   I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoy the drive to Coquitlam from Richmond.  It is an easy drive when the traffic is good and got me out of town to enjoy my days off.  This time, I planned that we were going to eat there as well.  East Side Mario’s was the destination to be reviewed.  I must apologize for the lighting of our pictures as we did not bring our trusty Fuji F30 camera but had to use the flashless camera from our HTC Dream devices (a great phone that could’ve had a better camera).

East Side Mario's Interior

The internals of East Side Mario was particular dark but welcoming. The actual lighting of the restaurant was darker than what the photo suggests. It had the “Spaghetti Factory” feel to it but had better food.

East Side Mario's: Peach Bellini

We began with a drink.  Wendy ordered the Peach Bellini.  It went down smoothly and delighted our taste buds in doing so.  I did not drink more than few sips because I am a responsible driver (heh!).  I allowed Wendy to be the guinea pig for this concoction.

East Side Mario's: Italian Wedding soup

This Italian Wedding soup had a lot of flavors to it.  Wendy especially liked the tiny round pastas in the soup and the mini meatballs were very cute.  It was not particular salty, the parmesan cheese gratings were added later and it was very satisfactory.  The only thing that would improve it more was the temperature – it could’ve been warmer.
East Side Mario's: complimentary bread

The bun was fantastic!  It was free and I could’ve been satisfied with just that.  I have a very bad habit of eating too much of the complimentary bread and leave little room for the rest. NO MORE I SAY! I held back today and allowed myself to enjoy the entree.

East Side Mario's: Goat Cheese and Grilled Chicken pizza

The Goat Cheese and Grilled Chicken Pizza was not prepared in the traditional way.  It was a rectangular and I love the fact that was thin-crusted.  The meat was hot, juicy, well-seasoned as it went down and the cheese flavor was strong, stringy and complimented very well with the meat.  I give this thing a big thumbs up not just on taste but on the presentation.  I will definitely order this again.  I hope it will still be there the next I go back to Coquitlam.

East Side Mario's: Orecchiette Genovese Alfredo

The Orecchiette Genovese Alfredo was interesting as it’s our first time having orecchiette pasta and it was cool.  Wendy told me that they’re supposed to resemble “little ears” as the name suggests.  The pesto alfredo sauce was very fragrant and the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes were very tasty.

This visit to East Side Mario’s was quite satisfactory.  All the food was good, I have really nothing to complain about.  The service was courteous and the timing of food could have a bit faster.  We listened to a customer behind us making irrational comments to the manager but they were treated with respect.  I would only think that if we had a problem, it will turn out ok.  So please, go and try this place out! It is located at the Coquitlam Centre Mall itself – near Futureshop.

East Side Mario's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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What Was Reviewed
East Side Mario's
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4 Comment

  1. East Side Mario’s is all canned food. Their soups are condensed Campbells soup, their bread and dough is pre-frozen, and their pasta is all pre-cooked and only needs to be heated up in the bain marie (except for the lasagna and canneloni which is pre-frozen and microwaved). I’m sure that there are much better places that could offer up something more than East Side Mario’s generic canned flair.

    1. You’re such a negative critic. It was an Italian restaurant not a place where homeless people eat lunches and dinners at.

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