mama cucina italian restaurant

terrible food and service. i went there on a weekday with 2 other couples for what we thought would be a pleasant evening but the dining experience was terrible, service was bad, the food tasted like it was leftovers from the night before, salad was decent. when we complained to the waitress and manager, they kept saying how many years experience they had in the restaurant business. i knew that this was a new owner, maybe they should bring the old owner back!

really poor service. me and my wife went there saturday night with another couple probably around 8:30 pm. as soon as we stepped in all the waitresses showed displeasure not really sure why maybe because they were hoping to get out early. ordering and getting service was a nightmare. we had to call several times for water and the waitress always seemed to be in a hurry. food was not that great either. avoid going here as there are plenty of great italian restaurants in short pump. if the owners don't fix their waitress they better start preparing to shut the place down.

best italian lunch spot around!. i have only been for lunch so i can't talk for dinner but so far i haven't had a bad meal yet. the vodka rigatoni was amazing! you also get huge portions so you always have a snack for later too! i think all the pasta is home made too? i also hear the salads are amazing!

still one of the best in town!. we love you mama cucina!! still one of the best italian in town by far! the frittata is amazing and all of the daily specials are out of this world. i am a loyal fan of this place it is quality and quantity (for leftovers the next day)!!

delicious meals, which is good because you will be eating it for lunch the next day. the decor won't wow you but the food will.

my boyfriend and i went here for a date night a few weeks ago on a wednesday ....small spot in a strip mall, decor nothing to talk about but the food was delish! we started with their shrimp appetizer...wrapped in prosciutto and topped with melted mozzarella and breadcrumbs. absolutely fabulous! our entrees were shrimp scampi with mushrooms and zucchini and raviolli. both good and we would suggest. price is expected....i dont know any cheap italian places but the portions could feed three! this place gets a 'like'.

best italian in richmond?. i had heard this place rumored as the best italian in richmond, so being half-italian, i had to give it a try. it did not disappoint! the portions are large, and the prices for lunch were very reasonable.

being an italian restaurant this should be obvious, but most of the food is some combination of noodles, cheese, and tomato sauce. also, news flash, tomato sauce causes heartburn and cheese causes lactose intolerance. it would be ridiculous to count those dietary facts against mama cucinas. i don't eat a lot of italian these days because of both issues, but i'll take a tums if it means i get to eat at mama cucinas.

great food. huge portions. not sure why the restaurant, especially the restrooms, smell of cigarette smoke.

they make their mozzarella in house?! what does that tell you! awesome food.. love it


-----27 oct, 2011-----

authentic and great, food and service!. this place is straight out of the "old" country! just so authentic.

they open the door for me every time we eat. i grab lunch here weekly.

thanks for the great food!

delicious with attitude. the cucina salad is worth the stop, with fresh mozzarella, shrimp and chicken. as mentioned bread is very good especially dipped in the salad dressing. a mom and pop shop that is making it in this economy. veal scaloppini is also delish. try it, you'll love it.

yes, the decor leaves much to be desired. it is worth the trip despite that though. the food carries the other flaws on its back.

food was good. love the house made pasta and fresh mozzarella. bread was awesome but, true to other reviews i read, they're pretty stingy with it. unfortunately, the service was enough to deter me from returning. our server leaned over me twice, almost hit my head with a dish and splashed water out of every glass she poured. she refused to take even just half off a glass of wine that spilled, ignored repeated requests for more bread and plopped our separate checks into a pile on the table after we waited more than 30 mins after eating to get our checks. i almost feel bad for complaining but there were just too many things wrong with the service to make up for the great food.

gross. i wish i could have the time and money that i spent at mama cucina's back. in my opinion they owe me that because i will never see it again.

the food was horrible. the atmosphere sucked. a salad is not four pieces of lettuce drizzled with olive oil.

yes i had a large plate of pasta that was either ragu or prego and it left me with massive heartburn.

never again will i step foot in this "joint".

when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie.... you people must be out of your minds. this place is as cliche as the tremendously annoying "italian" music playing over the dining room speakers. the food is disgusting. if you think bottled processed "italian" salad dressing and dehydrated seasoning and sauce packets are authentic then you shouldn't be writing restaurant reviews. not to mention the soft store-bought pre-buttered bread that is pre-sprinkled with dehydrated garlic and redundantly served with "olive oil" which is also mixed with redundant dehydrated seasonings. excuse me, did i take a wrong turn and accidentally end up at the olive garden®? (actually, far from it. rather than endless breadsticks, we got one slice per person, and then the bread basket was briskly whisked away with no comment from the waiter when the entrees arrived.) this is not authentic cooking, it is counterfeit cooking. this restaurant is one of the biggest frauds in the metro richmond area.

best meal i've ever had in richmond. i have eaten at dozens of restaurants in richmond since i moved here in 2006 and i've never been particularly excited about any of them. mama cucina is the first restaurant to propell to write a review. the food is truly authentic italian. the complimentary bread and salad were almost worth the visit by themselves! the bread was soft and crusty...drizzled in evoo and garlic. amazing! and i want to buy the dressing from the salad to use at home. then my chicken carbonara came and i fell in love again! first, it's really a ridiculous amount of food. i ate leftovers for 2 days! second, the chicken was seasoned perfectly. sometimes when you order a carbonara dish the chicken is bland even if the cream sauce is flavored well. not this dish. it was phenomenal!

all and all, it was an amazing meal in this store front italian hideaway.