Manalú Italian Restaurant

We go regularly and it’s always on point. great prices and great food

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very good pizza. We came back but they didn't open until 3pm and we weren't able to wait. Next time we are in town!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food is delicious and prices are reasonable.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Salad, Homemade Pasta, Side Caesar Salad, Aurora, Alla Vodka with Chicken and Homemade Tomato Fettuccine Noodles

Amazing experience! Best Italian food in the DMV. We will be back

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

very nice italian restaurant. Had the seafood special which was very goid with a rich creamy sauce and tender scallops. The other couple had veal parmagian. Both servings were large.
Service was attentive. Reservations reccomended.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Food was awesome. A great night out with the family. Raphael and the entire staff were AWESOME!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Manalu has consistently delicious food. It is my favorite Italian restaurant in all of Frederick.

The open dining room makes for a pretty noisy space on a Friday night. Waiter more interested in being overly formal/elaborate, rather than getting our order right. One of our entrees was wrong. The entrees were very good. The Caesar salad looked like what was scrapped from the bottom of the bowl for the last table of the night, which we were. We asked to split the bill 50/50 for our two couples. So then they (another waiter) inexplicably splits it 1/3 and 2/3 for the two bills. Too busy thinking about finishing the evening and getting out of there, IDK?

I ordered Veal Parmagiano expecting it to be freshly prepared, but it was very thin and tasteless. It seemed to be the prepared veal such as comes frozen in a package. And it was drowned in tomato sauce. I couldn’t finish it. The pasta that came with it was too thin for tomato sauce and was a bundled heap mixed with too much sauce. Barely edible with unpleasant mouth feel.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 3

The food is amazing and the service is generally quite good. The atmosphere usually includes a chorus of men singing happy birthday in Italian 2 or 3 times throughout our time there.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan

We chose Manalu to celebrate our spiritual daughter's new job, and it turned out to be the perfect place for a special evening. The restaurant's warm, quiet ambiance set the tone for a relaxed, memorable dinner, and Jenn, our server, made the night feel even more personal with her attentive and thoughtful service. We began with a basket of fresh Italian bread paired with rich olive oil—simple, delicious, and the ideal start. The Antipasto Rustica that followed was beautifully prepared, and our drinks—limoncello, chianti, and cabernet—added a lovely touch of Italian flair. Two of us enjoyed the primavera soup while another had a crisp garden salad, both refreshing palate cleansers before the main course. For our entrées, my wife and I chose the Mahi Mahi and Lobster Ravioli special, while our daughter ordered the Veal Grigliato. Each dish was flavorful, well‑crafted, and satisfying. It was topped off with a generous amount of grated romano cheese. We ended the evening with a trio of ice cream desserts, each one a sweet finish to a wonderful celebration. Manalu is a fantastic choice for marking life's milestones or simply enjoying an evening of excellent food and warm hospitality. Highly recommended for anyone looking to make a night feel special.

So the food was very tasty and fresh, but service was a little strange. The server was irritated that we didn’t have a reservation at 5:30 on a Wednesday night when there were plenty of open tables. Also the menu was a bit confusing as to which pastas were homemade versus which were not and the upcharge for the homemade pastas. I ordered the alla vodka which did not taste like alla vodka dishes I’ve had in the past - the dish had bacon in it so that was the most flavor I got, but it was still very good. It was a little pricey for portion sizes

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan

One of my favorite places to eat when I am in Frederick. The food, the staff is excellent. Would. Highly recommend. 

Amazing as usual. The service is so so good. You really feel like you're at your grandmas house with how thoughtful and sweet the staff is. Marco, the owner has incredible attention to detail and is such a great chef. Everything on the menu is top tier and the wine selection is GREAT. Homemade, high quality food with a loving family feel!

The BEST Italian restaurant around DC. We stumbled upon this place and were so surprised at how great the food was! The portions were big, food was authentic and homemade, and the prices were reasonable. Plus they have a great selection of deserts to choose from. This is one of our favorite places now!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5