Mama Eat — Restaurant in Florence

We had a really disappointing experience at Mama Eats in Florence. The service was some of the worst we encountered during our entire trip across Europe. Our server never checked in on us after taking our order, and it was nearly impossible to get his attention—even when trying to ask for more water, which we never received.

Two of us ordered just a few minutes after the rest of our group. While everyone else got their dinners together, one of our pastas came out with the appetizer, and my pasta didn’t arrive until about 30 minutes after that. By the time it finally came out, our friends had already finished their meals and had to leave to get ready for our next event. It was the longest wait for food we had anywhere in Europe.

We were also charged a €2 per person coperto (cover charge), which usually includes bread or water—neither of which we received. My pasta was lukewarm, undercooked (some pieces were hard), and not at all as described. It was supposed to come in a white sauce, but tasted more like a stew. It didn’t taste fresh, and it definitely wasn’t worth €17. From what we’ve heard, anything over €12 for pasta in Florence is usually a tourist trap—and that felt true here.

When I went up to the front to pay (since the server never brought the check), I asked—using Google Translate—if anything could be done about the bill due to the poor experience. The person at the counter was our server, and he just said, “I just work here,” and refused to do anything to help.

All in all, the food was underwhelming, overpriced, and the service was extremely inattentive. I definitely don’t recommend Mama Eats. Save your time, money, and patience and eat...

OK, if you are coeliac, then this might be worth a visit.

Otherwise, it's not worth it. If you are just gluten intolerant or by preference, just go to a normal restaurant and order the meat and veg.

They have a good range of gluten-free options, but nothing is particularly amazing. Even on the menu, it says some items will be from frozen.

The fried starters all seem to be from frozen. The pasta is good, but portions are small and flavour, and seasoning is on the weak side. But the tuna we ordered was over salted!

The seafood pasta are OK, but yes, some of the fishin is definitely from frozen.

The restaurant has very little ambience

The service is friendly but not professional. The restaurant was empty on a Sunday night and the waitress forgot two of our sides. The artichoke was cold inside.

The main issue is the price/ quality ratio. This meal was of very average quality and for €170 for 4 people was just not good value for money.

We had a much better meal last night for €140 at fuoco matto.

For a rating of 4.8 I expect spectacular food and this was not. Realistically, it's...

My family entertained my request to try Mama Eat on our first night in Florence because of my gluten allergy needs. Firstly, to check if they had availability, my husband stopped in and was treated so hospitably that they we joined them shortly after. We started with gluten free and regular bread (which my gluten-eating family loved, mentioned delicious garlic flavor). I’m lucky to ever start with bread, so I also ordered bruschetta, and the tomatoes and arugula were so fresh and tasty. Alex, our fantastic waiter, recommended steak to my husband who got made fun of for ordering steak until everyone tried a bite and was jealous of his choice. It was apparently “superb.” Our pastas were also tasty, then we topped off with both options of Tiramasu (we actually loved the Pistachio). I double checked with my family after if they liked it even though we primarily ate gluten free, and it’s probably the best experience we’ve had that catered to me!

Highly...