I did a review a few years ago in 2006 and it is now 2008 (even though it doesn't change the date on the review) and had to change it from 5 stars to 2 stars. I've been going to East Side Marios since it opened in 1998. It was my favorite restaurant for many years. But in the last couple of years, it began declining and I chalked it up to just ""one of those days"". My husband and I realized that the last few times we went, the food got worse and worse- and I always order the same dishes so I noticed the slip in quality. The shrimp scampi dish is ridiculously oily now, as is the chicken tettrazini. Don't even think about taking that stuff home and reheating it because its just gross how oily it is. The service has always been a bit slow due to its popularity but even when its not crowded, the service is still rather slow. I loved their huge brownie sunday that they would give you on your bday- it was a warm soft browny with ice cream and lots of whipped cream and all the hot fudge you wanted (you told them when to stop pouring), and now they give you this brownie that was frozen with a scoop of ice cream- sorry but when you are used to getting the other, the latter is a let down. The whole thing was just more and more disappointing- I think even there garlic bread was a let down! We decided not to go to East Side Marios for a very long time and hopefully when ever we do go back, its more like it was in the old days.
Pros: Large portions, fun decorations
Cons: The food isn't spectacular anymore, very crowded, slow service.
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