San Morello: True Italian flavor, warm atmosphere, and bold, chef-driven dishes in downtown Detroit.
San Morello, an Italian restaurant in Detroit at 1400 Woodward Ave, showcases marinated olives, rosemary focaccia, burrata crostini, fusilli gigante, and agnolotti di zucca, plus a Sicilian pizza. Desserts like pistachio cake and dark chocolate budino receive praise. Reviews highlight a warm, attentive staff, thoughtful wine pairings, and a lively bar scene with breakfast offerings.
1400 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226, USA
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Enjoy authentic dishes like fusilli gigante, agnolotti di zucca, and Sicilian pizza in an elegant setting.
Start your day with fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, and artisanal breads in a cozy atmosphere.
Expertly curated wine selections and creative cocktails to complement your meal.
Indulge in desserts like dark chocolate budino or pistachio cake, available into the evening.
Perfect for special occasions with attentive service and customizable menus.
Overall rating
Britney
Services & the servers here were all fantastic. We had both breakfast and dinner here while staying at the hotel & I can’t say enough about the staff. The food was just okay on the other hand. It wasn’t awful at all but not worth what they’re charging. I’ve had far better meals for about half the price at other restaurants
S. S.
My friend & I stopped by while on a work trip. When we walked in the host was greeted us warmly. That is where the good things end. In the restaurant, it was not busy at all as it was a weekday afternoon & we had a reservation. To start we were not asked our preference for seating. We noticed throughout our meal guests that arrived after us were asked where they would prefer to sit. Even if we accounted for the reservations that came in after us (which only included 3 tables in that section) there was enough space to ask us for our seating preference. We were seated in front of the kitchen where it was so loud I couldn’t hear my colleague despite sitting right next to her. I’m not sure why they decided to seat us in the middle of the dining area with absolutely no privacy. Our table was missing a chair. I suppose two women dining alone means that the table does not need to come with the complete set of chairs. The silverware was touching the bare table instead of being on a napkin exposed to the air along with all the dirt, debris, & hair. This is unacceptable & disgusting. We were given room temp water with no ice. We were not asked our preference. Last time I checked, this wasn’t Europe. I asked my server for straws multiple times, but he never brought them. We had to request our server to wipe down the table after our starters & there was a hair stuck under the plate. Our server never asked for a dietary restrictions or allergies. As someone with a severe shellfish allergy, this is very negligent of the server. During the meal our water was never refilled without being asked. Our server, Jordan seemed to be preoccupied with everything but serving us. The restaurant was not busy; yet, our server was nowhere to be found. When he was around, he did a great job interrupting us. When it was time for the bill Jordan disappeared once again. After ages he finally did bring the bill, we were running extremely late for our flight to NYC. We had to flag down the host & ask her to let Jordan know that we were ready to go. We were the last remaining table in the restaurant. After being put through that horror show, the restaurant overcharged my card. Thankfully I retained my copy of the receipt. As someone with a legal & accounting background I was able to report it to my credit card company. We ordered from a prefixed lunch menu. The bread for the burrata looked & tasted as if it had been cremated & rehydrated, then served to us. It was so difficult to cut. The ricotta had bitter slivers of garlic. We ordered the Cacio e Pepe & the Pomodoro. As an Italian restaurant the expectation is they will get this pasta right. We were disappointed because neither pasta was edible. My spaghetti was undercooked, watery, & grossly sweet. The Pomodoro pasta had no flavor & tasted very metallic. The pasta was overcooked. For both dishes none of the food was warm. We could not finish any of the appetizers or entrees. For dessert we ordered the cherry lime sorbetto, the banana Biscoff gelato, & the pistachio cake. The banana Biscoff gelato was good. I did not enjoy the cherry lime sorbet. It tasted very soapy to me. The pistachio cake was good. To conclude, I felt like an unwanted guest. It was as if they had no choice, but to let us dine. The feeling I got was that we were in nuisance for dining in & everything was done to make the experience as unpleasant as possible so that we do not return. I did notice the staff interacting with the other guests & treating them infinitesimally better than us in every way. I had a view of everything since we were seated in the middle. Even as we were leaving, we were not greeted at all. There were two staff members standing right by the door, but they ignored us. I would not return nor would I send anyone there. We were so excited & took the time out of our busy day to dine here but this was an utter waste of our time, dignity, & money. There are much tastier & affordable options. If anyone has a penchant for atrocious food, blatant disrespect, & neglect this is the place. EDIT: typos
Jazz Chappus
We had a really great time from start to finish. Atmosphere is warm and welcoming and the staff were all very attentive and knowledgeable. Gisela set up our reservation and gave us excellent suggestions. Wine pairing recommendations and wine service were both top notch. We started with the marinated olives, housemade rosemary focaccia and burrata crostini which did not disappoint. Every bite of the crostini was like a little charcuterie taster with the fig, burrata and hazelnuts. My boyfriend tried the fusilli gigante and I had the agnolotti di zucca. Both dishes were prepared beautifully and the flavours and serving sizes were perfect. For dessert, we shared the dark chocolate budino. Very rich and flavourful with a creamy espresso ice cream on top. We’ll definitely be back to try more options! This is a great spot for a ladies’ night!
R M
Fantastic restaurant in the Shinola Hotel. We had cocktails and dessert late night at the bar. The pistachio cake was unique and delicious. The next day we had tasty breakfast including fruit, yogurt/granola and fancy bread. We had dinner here in the past and it was awesome. Service is always on point.
Kalen Combs
I had the Sicilian pizza at San Morello and it was absolutely delicious! The dough was light and airy, giving the perfect base, and the pistachios added such a unique crunch that really elevated the flavors. I also enjoyed the fennel Italian sausage. Everything was beautifully balanced — nothing too heavy, just the right mix of textures and tastes. A wonderful dining experience overall!
