mama carolla's old italian

yummy food, irritated server. arrived at the restaurant and was sat immediately. my daughter had never been and commented at how beautiful the restaurant was. she asked about the history and i said perhaps we could ask our server.
our female server (a) greeting us after we sat there for 5 min. she mechanically recited the specials with no personality or warmth in her voice. as she asked if we wanted to order an appetizer she looked at her watch on her wrist. i asked whattimethey closed and she said 10. i asked whattimeit was and she replied, it's 10 right now. she seemed as if she was a bit put off because we arrived as they were closing. however, if they were unable to serve, the hostess should have informed us upon entering the restaurant. i have worked in the service industry for many years in the past and understand if this server was most likely ready to go home, however, she did take our our table, begrudgingly. so, i thank her for doing her job but it would have been a much more pleasant experience if she hadn't acted so irritated that she had to take a table right at 10. i left her 20% tip but felt like she didn't really deserve it after the attitude. had it been a pleasant experience after a very long work day without any food, i would have left her 40% just for good service and a sincere smile. perhaps she should think twice nexttimeif she chooses to have an attitude because she had to take a table right at closing time.
thank you, mama carolla's for the yummy food but i would appreciate less attitude from the service staff.

why go there?. my wife, friends and i had the displeasure of dinning at mamas. first the greeter put us up against another table. the restaurant was not crowded enough to squeeze up people. the service was very slow. the taste was very good but the portions were very small. you may laugh but total cost of ownership all up all in this is not a good investment in yourtimeand or experience. there is more enjoyment at olive garden. this was our second visit. it appears that the restaurant likes to put you in tight places where it makes you uncomfortable. my vote if anyone asks us to go i will decline the opportunity to dine at mamas.

three coins in the fountain. of my three favorite dishes at mama carolla's, i think my favorite is the veal medallions and i seem to order it everytimemy wite and i go there for dinner. we discovered old italian cooking years ago on a suggestion by friends and go there often. i have notice there are some, whom i think regard themselves as professional review writers which is apparent by the number of reviews on different places of choice that did not care for the italian flavor of mama carolla's food, then i would suggest to them they have never been to europe and have nothing to compare it with except other so-called italian places around indianapolis.. the atmosphere at mama carolla's is excellent and reminds me of a european house when i lived in france. so i leave those looking for good old italian cooking to try mama carolla's and see for yourself. those that have tried and do not care for can seek other avenues.

you can tell a lot of care andtimegoes into their dishes. great quality dishes in a cozy, unique, atmosphere. if you like italian food, this should definitely be a priority on your list to try. their pasta is excellent, and their salmon is outstanding. nothing bad on the menu!

a tribute to the caniglia family. firsttimewe visited was last night, 11/01/14. chatted with howard to learn that mamma carolla took her inspiration from the caniglias, a family in omaha, nebraska who with multiple restaurants, served italian faire for decades. her restaurant is reminiscent of wonderful experiences i had from the good old days and i'm happy to see such a successful, bustling crowd patronizing her establishment. we will return and hope to meet her next time! worth the wait and every penny. thank you, howard, for being such a gracious host!

not impressed. dined there last evening for the firsttimeupon the recommendation of a friend. i had the walnut & herb crusted tilapia with blackberry basil sauce. the tilapia was overcooked, no seasonings were detected, only the annoying presence of blackberry seeds which should have been strained from what little sauce was on my fish. my husband had the rosemary chicken lasagna which he described as a "bunch of flavorless cheese without a hint of rosemary". the house salad was little more than a few bites, and neither the house bread nor the olive oil had any flavor. it could not have been extra virgin olive oil, which one would expect at a quality italian restaurant. our service was really the only bright spot of the meal!

food is average, service was great. let me start with saying the service here was great. every employee was friendly and attentive to our party. the food on the other hand was average. only the person eating salmon said they enjoyed their meal. the quality of their food really does not reflect the prices they charge. the restaurant was also dirty and really outdated - sheets of acrylic on the tables to protect their tablecloths. i may visit it one moretimein hopes i caught the kitchen on a bad night.

what a shame.... whatever merit might be given to the food is undermined by the lousy attitude of the staff. seriously, one of the most inappropriate waitresses i've ever encountered (curt, unprofessional, inattentive, almost hostile). this is a significant deterrent to the dining experience and prompts one to wonder for how long can mama carolla's rest on the laurels of good food before poor staff attitude impacts business. i hadn't dined at mama carolla's in quite sometimeand i won't dine here again anytime soon.

mostly good. firsttimedining at mama carolla's after friend recommendation. charming building and history; most of our food was very good. the angel hair pasta was actually cold, and we prefer freshly ground pepper in olive oil for the excellent bread. salads are small but fresh. i would definitely expect an authentic italian menu to include more types of pasta. hope to try it again.

i love mamas! if you are trying to impress someone this is the place to go! you'll most likely have a wait if it's the wknd but trust me it's worth the wait. just grab a glass of wine in the bar and take it all in. when it'stimeto order get the chicken lasagna if it's not already sold out you won't be sorry!! enjoy :)

i am a fan of mama carolla's but the last couple of times i have gotten carry out it has been very mediocre.  i ordered their mediterranean salad which was supposed to have field greens but it was nothing but head lettuce.  it was also soaking in their balsamic dressing so by thetimei made the 5 minute drive home - much of the lettuce was wilted.

carbonara is one of my alltimefavorite dishes. the dish is comprised of fetuccini noodles with an egg based cream sauce, with a little added white wine for acidity. there are pieces of pancetta, mushrooms, peas, and a dusting of parsely for a fresh flavor. i think i like how there is an ample amount of pancetta in every bite. for those of you who don't know what pancetta is, think italian bacon, so there is a nice salty flavor to acompany the creamy sauce. i think the peas and mushrooms are added so you can convince yourself that it is a healthy

ate here twice firsttimewas not good watery pasta too much parsley, poorly seasoned dinner maybe it was busy n they were quick to get dinner out. so tried it secondtimebecause it has great reviews to give a second chance to change my mind bout the place ok it was not good so tipical americanized italian food, throw tons of cheese salt n parsley on pasta and lets call it italian food this place has no flavor and all the pasta dishes are always served so watery like the added two extra laddles of pasta water to the dish yuck!!!

mamas. always delicious.....you needtimeon your hands to wait for a table though as they don't accept reservations.

food great enough to make up for crappy staff!. myself and a few friends enjoyed wonderful dinner here a few nights ago... the food was great, every single dish was wonderful and delicious.

if you can stand crappy staff, it's ell worth yourtimeto eat here!

about the staff... it's not that they can't do their job, it's that they're so ;caking basic manners and professionalism, the atmosphere is actually uncomfortable. we witnessed a lady serving as hostess chastise employees in a scathing voice right in the middle of the greeting area. all she wanted them to do was go faster, yet she had to act like an ass, as if she were putting on an act for the many people wanting to be seated. (advice: take the underperforms off the floor for their counseling!)

the waitress was equally bad... one of my guests was a delightful older man who was telling us a story and had (yes this is hard to admit) forgotten to place his napkin on his lap)... no, the food had not arrived yet, but the waitress did feel the need to pick up his napkin and unceremoniously drop it on his lap with just a hint of contempt. i felt horrible for my guest, none of us could believe this lady was such a &^#%$.

ah-well, like i said... the food is marvelous... maybe just get it to go?