French Dips And More

Reviews

• Anita R.

  star star star star star_border 3 June 2026

  Mario's is located downtown about Three Miles away from some of Livermore's popular wineries.  
  
    Since I was not too hungry I ordered the "Little Dipper" which included a half Tri-tip Sandwich, Au Jus, and Potato Salad.  The sandwich arrived quickly.  The bread was soft but held up to dipping it in the Au Jus. The meat was sliced thin and was a good quality. The sandwich is served plain with condiments being found on the table.  I am usually not a fan of Au Jus because I find it to be salty.  That was not the case today.  I liked it.  The Potato Salad was tasty.
   
    Besides the items found on the menu there were additional food and drink items available.
  
     The staff was nice and helpful.
  
    The restaurant seemed clean with interior and outside seating.  The menus could use a wipe down to make them less sticky due to sauce splatters on them.
  
     It is air conditioned and has some large ceiling fans to help keep the summer temperatures down.  There are four TVs.  Two had talk shows and the other sporting events.
  
     Now I could have been blind (would not be the first time), but I did not see a sign outside stating this place was "Mario's".  So heads up to you.
  
     There is street parking available but even on a weekday afternoon it was a challenge to find a space.

• Dale S.

  star star star star_border star_border 2 June 2026

  There is a sign out front that says this place has new owners as of about two months ago. I never came here before, but I can't help but wonder if that is why my review is slightly lower than the average. They may be working out some kinks.
  W had our pup with us so we sat on the patio for a while and made our meal decisions; when we realized no one was coming out to take our order I sent my boys inside to order. Instead, they came back out with the waitress. They said there was no one inside. They had to try and find someone.
  Once we ordered the food was brought out quickly. We tried 3 different sandwiches: Pastrami, Prime Rib and Corned Beef Dips. They came with fries and one opted for cole slaw but we also got an order of Disco fries for the table because they sounded so good.
  The Corned Beef Dip was simple but tasty. The Prime Rib Dip had added mushrooms onions and cheese (all of which we were charged seperately for and added $2.50 to the price of the sandwich). It had a lot going on and wasn't very enjoyable. The Pastrami Dip was inedible, even with the garlic bread and I fed most of the meat to my dog. The disco fries had so much going on that you couldn't realisticly eat them. The ammount of nacho cheese was nauseating. The cole slaw was terrible and we normally love cole slaw. The saving grace was the fries. They were crispy and delicious.
  There are too many other good places to eat in the area for us to come back here any time soon, but if we run out of options, we would not being opposed to trying it again. If you are going to try this establishment, my advice is to keep it simple. Plain fries and a simple meat sandwich on garlic bread is probably a nice lunch.

• Diana S.

  star star star star star_border 30 May 2026

  Since I'm new(ish) to the Bay Area, we like to drive around different areas to check out the local scene and most importantly to seek out the good eats! Our first time in Downtown Livermore, we checked Yelp for lunch suggestions and saw the highly-rated Mario's French Dips. It's located on 1st St among other cute restaurants and little shops.
  
  What did I dip so you know what I dipped for you to dip? When I dip you dip we dip?
  
  We went for it and split the Prime Rib Dip. Good portion and we tried it with no garlic bread or toppers to have it basic and let the meat speak for itself. Fresh crusty bread, perfectly shaved prime rib, and au jus that wasn't too salty - check, check, and check on the quality! It was too plain flavor-wise so I'd def add garlic bread or cheese or onions next time around.
  
  The star of the show was the garlic fries! Did you know that I love garlic and crispy French fries so anywhere those things intersect = heavenly? Definitely recommend these!

• Kev H.

  star star star star star_border 27 May 2026

  I ordered a tri tip French dip and it was good.  I could tell they used good quality meat, and the bread held up well even after being dipped into the jus, yet it was able to absorb the jus.  The fries were just fine, they felt like those that could be purchased from grocery stores but I didn't mind them.
  
  I was also glad that, if you didn't want to eat the whole sandwich, you could order their Little Dipper, which was basically half of a French dip of your choice plus a smaller side of fries.

• Susan L.

  star star star star star 26 May 2026

  I fancied some pulled pork and settled on French Dip.
  Great choice as sandwich meats are made fresh daily and are very tasty.
  We sat out side and enjoyed our beers.
  Will go back for sure!!!