Mingo

My friends recently introduced me to Mingo West. It is their favorite Italian restaurant this side of town and one of the coolest. I couldn't agree more. Mingo's has a hip and modern vibe to their Italian food. The restaurant is bright and airy unlike the traditional dark and somber traditional Italian places. Giant glass bay doors look out to the promenade letting in lots of natural light. During good weather those same doors lift open melding the outdoors with the indoor seating. They also had nicely spaced outdoor seating to enjoy the walkway. I thoroughly enjoyed their outdoor dining area. There's something about having a delicious meal while enjoying the warmth of the sun and the cool summer breeze. Parking is super easy and something I appreciate. The lot is right next to the promenade and is free. Look for the max station and you will find the lot. Just be aware, that the entrance to Mingos is on the promenade facing the max station and little park. If you go to the front of the establishment you will need to walk around (I made that mistake). Also, starting in early September you will need to show Proof Of Vaccination if you want to Dine In. Masks, social distancing and Covid cleaning protocols is strictly followed here. If you do want to Dine In I would recommend making reservations. The place was packed and walk ins would be darn near impossible. Fortunately I booked ahead of time for our group. Pro tip: use the OpenTable app to get 100 pts for dining here 😉. Service at Mingo's is fantastic. Our server made sure our glasses were full at all times and our needs met. Like one of our group couldn't eat dairy and unfortunately the dish she ordered mistakenly had dairy. The server immediately fixed the issue, and replaced the dish with a delicious non dairy pasta alternative. The portions were generous and filling. I ordered the special pork lasagna and it was fantastic. I would definitely recommend the caprese Salad and any of the specials. On the suggestion of my server, I also ordered 3 scoops of gelato for dessert and received a bowl that was about 1 pint worth lol. Get the gelato but be prepared to share if you can't eat that much. Overall the experience here was wonderful. If you are looking for a modern twist on classic Italian make sure to check this place out.

We tried this place for a weekday lunch once indoor seating started again after covid closures. I was able to get a reservation easily online. Parking was easy. The restaurant had a very pleasant vibe with plenty of light. We were seated by the window with a nice view of the courtyard outside. We tried the roasted vegetables appetizer, gnocchi, beef penne and the tiramisu. The gnocchi was the only thing I wasn't impressed with but everything else tasted great. The star was the vegetable appetizer though. Service was great too. All in all, a place to put on your repeat list.

My meal this evening was superb from start to finish. My service with Rachel, was top notch. I travel alone for work and my experience as a single diner is often mediocre at best with servers acting as if I am an inconvenience, rather than a customer. I felt welcomed into the restaurant from the moment I arrived. I received a seat at a lovely table next to the window (garage door) and I enjoyed the view. Everything I ordered was superb. Local wine was heaven to my palate. The Mingo salad was delightful and I ate every bite. Rachel suggested the cod for my entree and it was a fabulous suggestion. That was one of the best dishes I have enjoyed in quite some time. The pairing of the sweet squash, spinach cream and crispy pan fried fish was exquisite. I was in absolute heaven. My wife recently visited me while I'm working here and I had instant regret that I had not taken her here, instead. Such a romantic atmosphere! The crowd noise got to be a little much but I know that is relative to the people dining, not the restaurant itself. Normally I would have stopped my meal at the main course. But, I had such a good experience, I didn't want it to stop. I decided to see it through all of the courses and hope it remained an equally memorable dining experience. I got the olive oil cake (highly recommend) with a foamy, creamy latte and a glass of port. the backwaiters kept the table neat and polished. Dirty dishes were picked up instantly. Drinks were refreshed without hesitation. The meal checked all of the boxes and then some. If I can find a reason to come back, I will. I worked in a causal fine dining establishment when I was in college. This is the standard and benchmark I hold other restaurants to when I dine out. Keep up the excellent work.

The food is good tasting and good quality but a little on the bland side in terms of flavor. And yes I have been to most regions of Italy; is food in Milan bland? Because that’s one place I haven’t been. Don’t get me wrong, my wife and I still enjoyed the handcrafted food and the atmosphere of the place. We appreciated the acoustic panels, the general decor and our waitress was pleasant and professional. Overall a great place for a date. But aside from the food, the hostess staff was not the most welcoming; a bit snippy on both times we’ve visited. All that said, still a good restaurant to try.

To start with, we have a party of 5 and we each loved our cocktail, we had 2 serving each. The food, the focaccia bread, moist and delicious. The Fungi pizza with truffle oil, yummy! My penne with meat sauce was so good, I typically don't finish my pasta entre but here, I had to, which helped my ability to process the 2 drinks :).. the staff was wonderful too, I will come back to Mingo any day.