Pink Mama’s JHB — Restaurant in Gauteng

Great for the ’gram. Less so for the palate.

We booked online two weeks in advance specifically for the verandah. Upon arrival, we were unceremoniously redirected to the piano room — charming if you’re after background melodies, less so if you were expecting the more relaxed, covered verandah setting suited to a casual Sunday lunch. Fortunately, the front-of-house man salvaged the situation and moved us to the verandah once we stood our ground.

Now, credit where it’s due: Pink Mamma’s has nailed the aesthetic. The décor is charming, the name is catchy, and the social media buzz is undeniable. Unfortunately, the experience doesn’t quite hold up beyond the photo op.

Menus took 20 minutes to appear — we considered printing our own. Our waiter started the day in a bit of a huff but eventually found his groove.

Drinks were a mixed bag. The Moscow Mule was more tap water with lime than fiery ginger kick. The Hugo Spritz, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise. We asked for ice with the wine. It never arrived. Perhaps it’s still en route?

Food-wise, the Mama’s meatballs, Proscuitto pizza (with a “hot honey” base), and prawn pizza looked the part — all style, minimal substance. If the hot honey was there, it was hiding. Thank heavens for the backup bottled hot sauce, as fresh chilli was not an option on a Sunday. A bold move for an Italian-inspired menu.

Dessert? Quirky to a fault. Gelato served in a coffee cup — either a statement piece or the dishwasher's day off. The pistachio and chocolate cannoli left us pondering: where was the chocolate? A faint smear on the shell, and not much more.

If you're going for vibes and visuals, you’ll be delighted. If you're going for a memorable food and service experience... temper your...

Service was super slow and inattentive even though the place was not busy at all. Melissa was friendly but absent. We waited at every single point, and repeatly asked passing waitrons for assistance. Waited for dessert menus, waited even longer for everything to arrive, waited for the bill, had to ask what the delay was at every point. The chicken schitnzel looked like what you'd buy from Woolworths, nothing more. One would choke from the dryness. The cauliflower side was extremely bland (sadly all 3 of us ordered it). It needed salt and cheese to fulfill its function. My friend's meal with the schnitzel and cauliflower didn't look like it was from a restaurant kitchen. Zero effort to make the meals look aesthetically pleasing. Go to Olives & Plates to take notes on presentation. The veal marsala was awful. Had an after taste and the sauce was very gelatinous and starting to congeal. Didn't taste like any veal marsala that I'd had before. My friend's chicken limone was fine. The worst part was the R120 pistachio tiramisu. After the long delay, the waitron said it's still being made. It was a very generous portion, but nothing more than a mountain of pistachio cream, dry boudoir biscuits, with zero flavours, taste and texture of a tiramisu. Strangely, in an entirely empty restaurant, we were seated right in front of the door going out to the padel courts. Made zero sense, especially not in Winter. R550 pp later, and we felt...

Had a REALLY GREAT dinner at Pink Mama's! There have been some mixed reviews.. some great.. others not soo good and we were going out for my birthday ( with my fusspot chef husband) … and we are kinda jinxed dining out .. so I was worried… but everything was brilliant! The service was on the point. The manager Ashton was excellent. Very hands on and actually cared and checked in about all aspects of our experience.. did we like the cocktails?.. how was the food? .. I can go on.. one person in our party did not like her cocktail and it was whipped away and another drink offered no questions asked! Our food was absolutely delicious everyone raved about their meals. We ordered a variety of dishes and there was not one bad/ bland dish. The fussy chef had to come out at some point.. and the Pistachio Tiramisu was not too his liking ( felt it was very dry) .. again the manager saw this and another dessert offered. Can’t wait to return for fabulous cocktails and outstanding authtentic Italian food and excellent...