Excellent Italian food. Little pricey but worth it. Cute little place

The Veal Francese is absolutely amazing and the warm atmosphere the waitstaff brings is very nice. highly recommend

its our 3rd time here outstanding food and great service , the chep makes magic happen cant wait to go back

Excellent place,delicious food i ever eat in New York ! I recomend to everyone to try

IT WAS THE MOST AMAZING FOOD EVER THE STAFF WAS INCREDIBLE THANK YOU GUYS FOR MAKING MY ANNIVERSARY SO AMAZING AND THE FOOD WAS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST

Excellent Restaurant. Fine food and phenomenal service.

Went here for my wife's uncle's 90th birthday. Food was fantastic and service impeccable!!! I highly recommend going here.

Excellent food with exceptional service! This restaurant is top-notch every time we visit!

Great food and the service was amazing. The waiters were very attentive.

Food was delicious! Service was great and Val the owner is so kind and personable.

Best Italian restaurant in the area. Customer service 10/10, everything is great.

we had our wedding rehearsal dinner there last night for (12) people... I just woke up this morning dreaming of the lamb chops. I told my fiancé how much I enjoyed the dinner (and the service) last night and she reminded me how good her scallops oreganato (with risotto) was. It was our first time at this restaurant... we chose it because of its proximity to the Greek church we are getting married at on Saturday. I would HIGHLY recommend it. The food and service were A++. We cannot wait to return for a nice quiet night. Thank you very much for accommodating us. We appreciate it.

Can't say enough about Molto Bene. Food is fantastic, haven't had a bad experience yet. The staff is always friendly. It's a small cozy dining room that has a great ambiance. We've been here many times and have not had anything not right. Until next time!

Just the other day I walked into molto bene. As we sat we were immediately greeted by the friendly owner and he really made our dinner a great experience. I did not know that on that night I would be eating the best Chicken Parmesan I have ever had, hands down. The whole evening was a great experience and I would definitely recommend this place to everyone.

Our first time here and I must say we were very impressed! Both the service and food were excellent. I also tried the Tiramisu and by far the best I’ve ever had! We highly recommend this restaurant!

This was a first time for us. We came for an anniversary dinner. What a pleasant surprise! The food was excellent. My wife had the branzino. Baked and deboned table side. I had the pollo molto bene. We will definitely return.

Great service and great food. The Baked Clams were very good as was the Insalata Antipasti and Shrimp wrapped in Prosciutto. The Veal Genovese and Veal Parmigiana were both so tender you cut it with a fork. The Branzino special served whole and then filleted tableside was also amazing. Will definitely be back

The food and service was outstanding. I'm finding it harder to find authentic Italian restaurant that doesn't cut corners. I finally found an old-school authentic Italian restaurant close to home.

So happy I found this restaurant on Google! Delicious! One of the best meals I have had in a long time, love this place! From the stuffed artichoke appetizer to the coffee and dessert all excellent!

From the owner to the waitstaff to the kitchen they all want your experience tom a home run. I can tell you it is! Wonderful specials and a no rush attitude makes this little bellmore gem a must see

Excellent food and drinks, friendly service. Seating is tight so make a reservation. Especially liked the veal saltimbocca.

OMG the Absolute Best Italian on Long Island I have ate at many places from Elmont to Riverhead but a Brooklyn boy that I am someone like me growing up in household where grandma cooked all day the eggplant is to die for. The chicken Francesse melts in your mouth. The best stuffed Artichoke I’ve ever tasted the menu is old school. Escarole and beans broccoli Rabbe not bitter or can be made both ways . Yes a best kept secret to share the owner Tim just opened up 2 years ago and it’s flooded with locals from Merrick Bellmore Massapequa met a couple tonight from Bayridge whom made a reservation in December for tonight Valentine’s Day . They came for the Dover sole francesse. At 8 pm 28 people were standing waiting for a table in a place that seats 50 we were seated at 8 pm left at 915 and the line was out the door everyone was saying it’s worth a 2 hour wait. For those without reservation s.

Love this place, reminds me of the small Italian Restaurants you would find tucked away in NYC or the original Greenwich Village. Great fun. Small bar, sometime there is a slight wait for tables, other times, no waiting.

I went for the Valentine's Day special and the food was amazing. It's good to be able to go to a local place with great ambiance with food and service to match. I'd go back.

Food and service were great! I had the veal saltimbocca and would highly recommend. Wife was very happy with her veal Parmesan. Definitely going back.

Great service, on point. Food was fantastic, cocktails were on point! Perfect place for a date! Definitely on my list for the future!

The service was awesome, the food could not be more perfect, and the bottle of wine was excellent. The perfect night out with my beautiful wife.

The owner is extremely friendly and attentive. The food is outstanding. The atmosphere is warm and friendly.. One of my favorite restaurants.

Great food and even better people. Love coming here all the way from lake grove no less. Always an awesome meal.

This place is a gem! The food was amazing and the service was just as good! I highly recommend it!!!

This has been my 4th time at this restaurant. It is a gem, not big but food and service excellent.

Small intimate Italian restaurant with excellent food choice and quality. The staff is very friends, and the long list of specials delivered eloquently by the server is fun to listen to.

This was my 2nd visit since November: The Food is really good. Seafood is always fresh. I highly recommend them.

We always do take out. The food is absolutely delicious! Baked clams are excellent too!!

The food was great. Lots to choose from on the menu. The aviance was great Would of loved a free glass of wine for us or a rose for my Valentine.

We really enjoyed Molto Bene. Our waiter Jorge and the entire staff was attentive, friendly and on their game the entire night. The burrata and artichoke apps were very good. The squid ink pasta with seafood special was excellent. Great find.

This is a small imitate restaurant nestled in Bellmore. The service was excellent as you are,warmly greeted at the door. Everyone at this restaurant truly embodies the concept of customer service by being attentive and helping without being instrustive. The food is equally great, and our server George was knowledgeable about the off menu offering with help suggestions. For starters, sampled the baked clams, Vongole Al Forno, which are baked clams with seasoned bread crumbs, garlic, lemon & herbs, and shrimp cocktail, which were four jumbo shrimp that were large. I had the Linguined Di Pesce, which are mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari & scallops over linguine. You can have this with either fra diavolo or marinara sauce. I had the fra diavolo, which was spicy at the suggestion of our server. It was excellent. Also had Linguine Zucchini With jumbo shrimp in a white wine garlic sauce, my date opted for the regular linguine instead of the zucchini infused. They were very accommodating to make sure you were pleased with your meal. Overall, I would definitely recommend this restaurant, which is also wheelchair accessible with a parking lot. The prices were on par and the meals worthy of the prices. Reservations are accepted and recommended especially for the weekends as I went on a Tuesday evening and there was a good amount of diners. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Restaurant is in my own neighborhood and i have never been to experience it. After trying, I can clearly say I will be back. Food was delecious the waiter was right with everything. Small place yet brings the intimate atmosphere and home feeling to your table. Highly recommend

This place is amazing! The staff is very helpful. Gabriel our waiter was very funny and had us laughing all night. The food is very tasty & even the owner was friendly. We got a drink on house for my mothers birthday. We were seated immediately & greeted by everyone. This place has great vibes! I highly recommend!

One of my favorite restaurants on Long Island for Italian food! I ordered their minestrone soup, baked clams, and had one of their specials which was a squid ink pasta with seafood, all of which were delicious! Service was great, and everyone was friendly!

I decided to visit this restaurant because of restaurant week. The food was beyond decadent our server Mario was attentive and give us excellent service and followed with great fun conversation. So was the owner. I'm officially adding this restaurant as one of my most favorite. Great selection of wines. Can't wait for date night with hubby to return. The marina sauce was the best I ever tasted.

Molto bene has been our go to Italian for months now. We are so happy with everyone there Val makes us feel at home the food is amazing! Try the prosciutto wrapped scallops w the gorgonzola! And for dessert the tiramusu is a must!

Went out for dads bday tonight and being he loves Italian food that’s where we went... we ended up here after I saw it was the only 5 Star in Nassau county and that it was!! I never post reviews but figured I would let everyone know from dinner to dessert it was amazing!! This place was definitely a 5 Star... The owner hangs around, very family oriented, delicious, definitely best Italian food I have had...(yes, I’m Italian), and everything at the table was amazing and then the dessert was over the top!!! Definitely check it out don’t even waste your time looking for other places... Thanks again to the server, waiter, owner, chef, and rest of the crew for an amazing night! Dad was super happy! I like to try all the 5 Star places I can and it’s rare you get one that actually holds up to its rating but well done!!! You did it!! Thanks!!

Last night was our first time trying this restaurant, it my husbands birthday and our sons wants to take him somewhere great. It was by far one the most enjoyable experiences ever. The food was outstanding as was The owner and his staff who went out of their way to make it a great night We will most definately return👍🏻

Amazing!!!! My family had dinner here tonight and Gabriel was our server and did an amazing job with a very attentive staff! Apps, dinner specials, you name it, it was delicious. Will definitely be back!!! Thank you for a great meal!

Phenomenal restaurant from the second we got there the service was amazing and every we ordered was delicious. A little nervous trying this place for the 1st time on New Years but they handled our party of 7 amazingly. The lamb shank was the best I ever had! I look forward to going back again to order off of the regular menu!

Dominick Sarle

My last review was good not great. This trip the food was excellent. Salmon was tasty and well made. The pasta dish was made perfectly. Italian cheesecake was excellent

Kathleen Bart

We had a family party for 20 people here. Arthur was flexible and easy to work with. The food was fantastic. Our servers were attentive and efficient. Highly recommend!

Liam Joy

Amazing veal and chicken parm. Will definitely be going here again.

Andrew Liebowitz

First time for dinner on Saturday. Food was great! Very quality and it shows. Got the chicken Francese, pasta, and salad, all very good.

Kelly Cafiso

One of the most yummiest Italian places you could go to! Service is amazing. People are a woman and friendly, and the food is just so fabulous!

Alla Reyfman

Delicious fresh food and a romantic ambiance ! Highly recommend.

+3

Mario Spiteri

When i go out to eat I always get veal cutlet parmesan. I must tell you that this was the best veal cutlet I ever had hands down. Awesome place.

Dominique

The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming. The food was delicious, I highly recommend the lamb chops broiled. All the food was amazing. I recommend this place.

Maria Angelis

Love this quiet little restaurant it’s a Hidden Gem ! The food is AMAZING the atmosphere is romantic the Staff is very friendly and accommodating ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Igor Grichanik, Esq

Went here with my 10-year-old. He thought it is five-star restaurant. He like the bread and the penny vodka. We also loved the chicken marsala. The vegetables had a seasoning and taste. You should come here.

Dawn Golan

The food was amazing. Service was good. It was Restaurant Week so the place was packed. The manager Val went out of his way to make sure everything was taken care of. I would go back again in a ❤ beat. Was with friends and all the food was fabulous.

Geri heins

Went Friday night for the first time with friends that have gone many times before. The food was delicious. I had the best chicken parmigiana that I’ve ever had out. My husband had the veal Osso Bucco. It was falling off the bone tender. Our friends had fish which they always rave about. Our server, Daniel, was so attentive and very friendly! Can’t say enough about this little gem! Definitely going back!

Carol Cooper

UPDATE: Went for dinner there again on Saturday night. The service was great and the food was even better. I got the grilled seafood appetizer which was shrimp and calamari and scallops and it was delicious. My husband got the baked clams and he said they were very good. For main dishes my husband got the pork Ossobuco with pappadelle pasta. This entree was huge and so good. We ended up splitting it and we took home some of it for the next day. I had ordered the whole ronzino which they filleted for me and I didn't end up eating because of sharing my husband's dish. The next day I had the fish and it was just wonderful. And that was a big portion too. Very impressed with the food and the great service. My husband can't wait to go back and order the pork Osso Buco again Really delicious food and good service. We ordered the hot antipasti appetizer and it was huge. Enough for four people and was so good. Main meals were also good sized portions and really fresh and delicious. Love it that you can make a reservation. Only complaint is that it is very noisy. Hard ceiling and wood floor and the tables are kinda close. But the food and service is so good, it doesn't keep us from returning.

+1

Lydia Edu-Daly

Beautiful Italian restaurant with superb service and absolutely delicious food. Our waiter Mario was friendly and attentive . the entire staff made your feel at home. Can't wait to to back..

April Bonini

Amazing food, excellent service, I highly recommend this restaurant.

Food was good and the service was good but I found the place too noisy. It was uncomfortable because of the noise.

The atmosphere is cozy, and they serve authentic Italian food.

Kudos to the chef and staff at molto bene. Merrick has finally received a reasonable gourmet Italian restaurant.

Although we did have to wait, the food was delicious! Would definitely go back! Small cozy place.

L.I. Restaurant Week. Food and service good, dessert too small. Overall a lovely dining experience.

Huge menu plus specials made it hard to decide what to eat. Everything was delicious and beautifully served. Will definitely return.

Moto Bene is a quaint casual restaurant that seats about 50 people. The offer a full bar and have an extensive wine list. They do not have a cocktail menu but they if you know what you want they’ll make you anything you’d like. The food was excellent! The only thing I didn’t love was the bread was hard and not very tasty. Since we went during restaurant week they had a $29.99 pre-fixe menu. It had an option for one appetizer, one entree and a dessert option. My boyfriend choose that option and we had the bruschetta, sole w. Pasta in a red sauce and tiramisu. I had the house made black squid ink pasta with calamari, muscles, clams, shrimp and lobster tail. It was very delicious. Our bill was about $114 (we had two glasses of wine, one cocktails and our meals). I would return it was the best black squid ink pasta I’ve had.

Excellent old world establishment. Very focused on service and delicious Mediterranean meals.

Friday night at 7:30. Restaurant is extremely small. Food is very good, all specials are pricey ($35) and up. They don't rush you and you can take your time. Good servers. However, it is hard to have a conversation, there is so much noise. Tables are very close together. You can hear every table conversation. I will be back but during the week.

Went here for Mother's Day. We were sat right next to the bar which was sorta annoying but I understand they were busy and that's table they had for us. Also I got the stuffed Rigatoni which was delicious but the portion was too small for me. The dessert made up for that though

Bubba S

Nice small place Northern Italian food, we’ve eaten here a few times always charming, food is good. Service is always good. Small bar better to eat during the week and not on the weekends too crowded.

Jenna DiPaolo

We've been here 3 times now. The food is good, well portioned and the staff is very attentive. Prices are a little expensive, but that seems everywhere these days. We came for the stuffed artichoke, which is delicious. It was a large, meaty artichoke, the stuffing was tasty and I love the tangy sauce. We also shared calamari for the table. My husband and dad both ordered a special, fresh black squid linguini with seafood fra diavlo, this thing was overflowing seafood and had an entire lobster tail! The sauce was delicious! Also worth noting- it was a Friday night and it was moderately busy- when they brought our drinks to the table and told told us my dad's beer would be a few minutes. They apparently were out of stock and instead of asking him to make another selection - they sent someone out to get it! He has a cold drink within minutes. He would have happily chosen something else but we thought that was great service. Would definitely go back but we're a little sticker shocked at the pricing of the specials. Obviously prices have gone up and seafood is expensive. All in all we had a nice time and a nice meal.

Food was good, rushed service. Got check before coffee served. Waiter came back for check while we were eating dessert.

I made reservations for Valentine's day using Open Table. My fiance is a picky eater and the menu had a couple of things that she would eat so that's what made me choose Molto. When we showed up, they had a fixed menu for Valentine's day and the only thing she would eat is the chocolate mousse desert. We asked the staff if they were willing to make a certain pasta dish from their normal menu but they declined, then we settled on a plain ravioli dish. Although the staff was very nice, I was very dissatisfied as I did not know they do a fixed menu. This was the first time we went somewhere like that. I wanted to take her out somewhere nice and have her be able to pick from a couple of dishes see would eat.

Second time here, service was good, food was good, small place, VERY noisy could not talk either time, will not be back.

Nice atmosphere. Friendly service. The scallop special was way to salty. I sent it back. Ordered the chicken marsala based on how the veal marsala tasted. I don't know if it's because it was a redo but it was almost tasteless. Great desserts.

To be fair we came on a monday, however the food was just subpar. I got white clam sauce the flavor was okay but the clams were sandy :( the only gluten free option they have for pasta is penne which can really change the meal. My partner got spicy shrimp in red sauce and felt the texture and flavor wasnt very good at all. My drink was great pomegranate martini! And the service was also good no complaints at all there.

Rosy G

I found this restaurant by driving by it one night. From the outside seemed like a cute little place to eat. I went for my birthday with 10+ pple. I am not sure how people give these ratings. This is tops 3 🌟 restaurant. I will begin with opening the front door. I enter and automatically smelled mould. I did see they had an odor absorber to try and help but that was not cutting it. Walked in the 2nd door and the smell was still there just not as strong. We made reservations a week prior and table was not ready til about 15+ mins later. Not even an apology. Barely got a smirk out of the guy. As we waited we eventually were seated but 2 guests needed to be moved so we could fit my party. Servers was nice. Food not so much. Appetizers- stuffed artichoke wasn't fully cooked. The mozzarella caprese the mozzarella was hard. Calamari was chewy. My chicken dish was not good at all. The sauce seemed like it was days old. 1st pork chop came out burnt. The 2nd one came out undercooked. We had a few pasta dishes the sauce did not taste good at all. Watered down. Where I was sitting the mould smell was still lingering. We got one apology from a server regarding the pork and was taken care of. Majority of our dishes were not eaten. Not one manager came over to apologize. We were finishing up and they basically cleared us out by spraying tons of bleach. I am not sure if they were cleaning the kitchen but the smell was EXTREMELY over powering. We left with headaches. I am not sure how this place got a 4.6star rating but there are plenty of others place that better. I would not recommend this place.

Noisy, too crowded small tables, slow service, long wait even with reservation have to wait 1 hour, way too small food for that price

Service was terrible for many reasons, of our 5 people at the table, 3 of us had dirty dishes and the guy caught an attitude with me when I pointed it out, but food was good and they gave us a free dessert for our troubles. So if you are ok with all those issues, try the place out because it was decent meal once we were able to find a waiter and get clean dishes.

Was there last Saturday nite early, with four people, order a bottle of wine with some apps, we said we would order our entrees later. The manager then began to lecture us that we should order or you will have to wait up to an hour to be served, unbelievable. Food is ok, overpriced along with the wine, very cramped, will not be returning !

We went here this past Saturday. The food was great. But, the guy at the bar was obviously a regular. He was loud, obnoxious , and his behaviour was insulting to the rest of the patrons. The bar tender seemed to know him and none of the staff seemed to care about his volume and how it was percieved by the other diners. At least the kitchen staff did a great job.

Cathy DeLuca

Food was just ok. Veal was extremely chewy. Disappointing. Restaurant was very small. Tables and waiters were very close.

This first looked like a great spot to eat.Food was not great potatoes were cold not worth the $$$.Only saving grace was the waiter was friendly and nice.Would no go back.

Someone wrote on a review and it was only one bad review I didnt take it seriously. I should have WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN, the baked clams we tough and filled of breading, the fillet of sole was mushy not firm and tender meaning NOT FRESH probably frozen, I live near the fishing community There should never be frozen fish. There service was par, not great and the only good thing was the dessert AND THAT WAS NOT MADE ON PREMISES PROBABLY BOUGHT AT COSTCO.

I never have written a bad review for anyone before. But tonight I had the worst dining experience ever; and I eat in Mcdonalds. We were rushed, my meal was over cooked and the waiting patrons were standing on my back while I was trying to eat. We were trying to have a leisurely Saturday night dinner but couldn't. Salads were brought out immediately after ordering and before cocktails were brought. The whole dinner was rushed and they bring in too many people for the restaurant to accommodate . the noise level is too high to have a pleasant conversation as well. If I could leave 0 stars that's what I would leave. They have lost me as a customer.

Used to be a restaurant with good food, however, went there just recently and left highly disappointed. Clams were spoiled and had a strong bad smell, steak was burned, tomato juice bitter (spoiled). Will not go back.

One of the worst restaurant experiences. The claims appetizer we ordered were clearly not fresh and had strong bad smell. We could smell it as soon as the server brought the dish to the table. Even our next table noticed the smell. We had to return the dish which seemed to upset them. They did remove it from the bill, but that was it. The other dishes were just ok and we didn’t enjoy much because of the unpleasant experience with the appetizer. Stay away!

Nellie Chung

A giant spider/big black crawling critter in my Valentine's Day dinner on Tuesday- my 4 year old daughter noticed it first and screamed. A black thing that looked like a tarantula was crawling around my oyster. I was so startled that I couldn't even speak let alone eat. Not wanting to ruin Valentine's Day for my family (or for those around us), I tried to hold in my anxiety. I thought a manager or someone would come over since our server did not seem to care one bit - even a complimentary drink would have helped. But for $230, this meal and service was completely not worth it. It's a big expense. Had the restaurant been more apologetic, it could have been a different experience. Instead I had nightmares about it and so did my daughter! I honestly hate writing bad reviews but shame on you for not caring AND for not making it right - especially on Valentine's Day. *Edit - I did say something and the servers laughed. No one fixed anything or made it right. We should have been comped or somehow apologetic for scaring me and my daughter.