If you’re in search of your next favorite restaurant in Collingswood, head over to Bistro di Marino for a night that goes beyonddelicious, refinded Italian fare.
“We want each guest to have not only great food and great service, but an experience that really emphasizes hands-on hospitality, “ says owner and founder James Marino. The restaurant is a place where its staff pours their hearts into the food, ensuring that each guest has the ultimate experience.
“We have a patio where we grill a lot of food, so the experience is also about the smell,” Marino says. Over the summer, the sweet smell of grilled Jersey peaches cooking for a cannoli cream-filled dessert, fills the outside of the restaurant.
Marino got his start in the culinary world delivering pizzas as a teenager, right in his hometown of Collingswood, and at just 26 years old he opened his restaurant in the heart of the town. Since then, the restau- rant has tripled in size, with three locations including a carry-out version of gourmet choices you will love.
The menu features a variety of your favorite authentic Italian dishes, as well as some new options for you to try. For appetiz Bistro di Marino highlights the meatball, offering a traditional version with veal pork and beef, or a version stuffed with smoked mozzarella cheese. Other options include delicious shrimp pancetta, burrata wrapped in prosciutto and fried artichokes served with a gorgonzola cream sauce.
“The restaurant has been open for 18 years, and there are a lot of ‘home runs’ on the menu that have been around for years because customers love them,” says Marino. One of these dishes is named after Marino’s mother, the Capellini Bambina – angel hair pasta with fresh spinach, sun dried tomatoes, shrimp and crab in a light garlic white wine sauce.
Offered as an appetizer, entree, or family style Bistro di Marino offers award-winning potato gnocchis with various toppings and sauces that you have to try. From a classic gnocchi pomodoro to a decadent gnocchi con lobster, the choices feel endless. If you can’t decide, the Gnocchi Misto gives you the option of choosing three different gnocchis.
In addition to gnocchi options, there are several other pasta dishes including a fresh pappardelle bolognese and a linguine clam. The variety of entree choices will certainly make choosing dif- ficult, with chicken, fish and veal dishes to decide from.
This fall, Bistro di Marino will also feature a seasonal menu. “We do seasonal menus every year and it’s something our return customers really look forward to,” he said. Although it hasn’t been finalized yet, some of the main dishes will feature pumpkin ravioli in a sage brown butter sauce and a butternut squash gnocchi. The menu will put you right in the mood for fall, and if you aren’t quite ready to let go of summer, the Jersey peach dessert will remain on the menu through September.
Bistro di Marino is open for dinner Monday through Sunday from 4:30 p.m. through 10 p.m., but to ensure a seat at their table you can make reservations from 1 p.m. through 9 p.m. This restaurant is the perfect place for a family dinner, date night, catching up with friends, celebrating, or simply taking some time to enjoy delicious food, made with passion and love.
