Owner Marty Mahoney
Opened December 2009 to an overwhelming response…and the crowds keep coming…so keep your eye out for a restaurant expansion in the works. Patrons are able to dine inside in a relaxed, metro-trendy inspired setting or outside on the wrap-around plaza. Martino’s has a host of great Italian foods: homemade pizza and pasta dishes, salads, hoagies, and wraps. For dessert (or a stand alone treat), Martino’s features homemade Gelato, in over twenty different flavors: Italian classics such as Pan Dolce and Tartufo al Balcio as well as fruit flavors such as pink guava, green apple and mango.
5380 Village Drive NW
Concord, NC 28027
(704) 795-0333
Sun – Thurs 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Fri – Sat 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.
A Slice of Home – Martino’s Italian Restaurant
In December 2009, retired nurse Marie Merow, her husband Bill, and their son Marty Mahoney, opened Martino’s Italian Restaurant, in Afton Village. Every weekend since then, their small lobby fills with equal parts Charlotte natives and northern transplants looking for a slice of home.
Martino’s is named after Marty, who has been a pizza aficionado since he was a teenager living in Pittsburgh, PA. When the job climate changed in 2008, Marie, her husband Bill, and their two sons decided to open the kind of pizza place they remembered from home.
These memories inspired a menu full of homemade sauces and soups, fresh vegetables, and scratch-made appetizers. Son and the restaurant’s namesake, Marty creates a golden crisp hand-tossed New York style crust with a surprisingly chewy, dense rim. He also takes special pains to chop, rather than slice their specially-selected pepperoni, “It has a lot more flavor this way,” says Marty.
Martino’s is perfect for families, offering reasonable prices, kid-friendly selections, and preparing dishes with a genuine desire to please. Their lasagna is a local favorite, made fresh daily. Martino’s sandwiches are hoagies (not subs), and include the popular Steel City Sandwich, inspired by their Pittsburgh roots.
Martino’s is in the heart of Afton Village, where families are within walking distance of a slice of pizza, a full Italian meal or can drop in during the early evening to enjoy a bowl of homemade gelato. There is also a generous bar area with several wide-screen televisions, which is strategically separated by a high wall so that families and bar patrons will be able to enjoy their experience simultaneously.
Marie and her family have worked passionately to test new recipes, carefully design the 85 seat interior, and preserve the integrity of the family-style atmosphere and freshness of its food. They make sure that there is an affordable special for each meal, and offer nightly drink specials.
And for those who like a challenge, Marty created a pizza called the Meatlovers Challenge. The five-pound pie loaded with pepperoni, sausage, bacon and ham is yours free if you can eat it in under 30 minutes, and you will get a free $20 gift certificate for your efforts. (Warning: Martino’s pizza is a bold, and savory adventure that should not be underestimated…)
The Merows are looking forward to opening the 36 seat patio this spring, where patrons can listen to music and walk-in to enjoy a meal or gelato. “The best way we can describe our restaurant and its food is that it is a labor of love. We put everything we have into making it the best we can. And since the whole family is part of it, we can spend time together too. Even our grandson has fun spraying the dishes.” says Marie.
Afton Village spokesperson Kelli Stevens says, “Martino’s is the perfect fit for Afton Village. The community was designed to include unique eateries that families can walk to anytime. The food at Martino’s is just like the Merows – authentic and welcoming. You can tell that there is a lot of personal attention that goes into each plate.”
