Mama Mia 44SW — Restaurant in New York

I’m a New Orleans native, who’s been a resident of NYC for 4 years now. As an Army Veteran of 24 years, who has seen every continent of this planet, I’ve had the opportunity to taste various foods from a wide array of culture. I’ve been starving for some dynamic Italian food for years. Yesterday, 02/25 was my first visit to Mama Mia’s and I still am unable to find the words to express how delightful of a time I experienced. From the bread and water, to the wine pouring, to the presentation and dishes of the most delicious Italian dish I have ever tasted in my life. I had the Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken for dinner and a slice of cheesecake for dessert. I cried about 3 tears and the amazing wonder of the cheesecake (real story). There was a way my waiter, I think his name was Rafa (don’t quote me, may have misspelled -though I doubt it). My waiter, however, delivered that piece of cheesecake that made me not want to touch it, but hang it on the wall. Of course I at it, with all of the etiquette and manners which have been instilled in me, I ate that cheesecake without breathing! The total came up to 140 which included gratuity. I did not dine alone, plus I chose an entire bottle of champagne. So, not only was the dinner exquisite, it was very reasonably priced. I was so taken back by the extraordinary dinner experience, I just put the entire 200 in the bill holder and walked out of the restaurant. As today is 02/26, here I am again, for dinner. Did Mama Mia’s let me down? Not in any way. Everything was exactly the same as yesterday. The service. The dinner, and the dessert. I did speak with the owner. Who explained to me that this restaurant belonged to her beloved parents. She provided a quick rich history on how this amazing food heaven came into existence. My take, the dear departed parents store looking down, smiling at their tradition existing like the Pascal Candle. Personally, I’d love to shake their hands and tell them thank you! I’m sorry I am unable to offer any pictures, a camera is the last thing in my mind when those steaming plates filled with enchanted substances to make your hunger, sorrow, long work day, or...

Started by the owner’s parents over 50 years ago as a one-window pizza shop, this establishment located on the southwest corner of 44th St in Hell’s Kitchen is where my partner and I decided on an early dinner Saturday night as first-timers before our Broadway show. Reservations were easily made via OpenTable. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the host at Mama Mia 44SW, who led us through an interior with vintage family pictures and a rustic vibe to a table by the window perfect for enjoying authentic food. The menu was fairly typical of most Italian venues. As a starter, we decided to share their lightly fried Zucchini Fritti with their marinara sauce. For our entree, we decided on Chicken 44 (sliced chicken, goat cheese, spinach, mushrooms in garlic & oil sauce) and Mushroom Chicken Breast with cream sauce, mashed potatoes & vegetables. We even saved room for dessert and got the chocolate temptation and mixed berry cake. Complimentary bread started our meal. Here it's all about the food. It was amazingly prepared with freshly ingredients, generous portions served hot, and full of slow-cooked flavors. Their marinara sauce was the star of this show, and we can’t wait when this will be available for patrons to take home. Our server was the owner, Connie, who made us feel like we had been there numerous times and was friendly and accommodating. Her staff was pleasant and helpful even when the restaurant was busy with a small party. The price was fair compared to other local Italian restaurants. This has been on my radar for a while, and I'm glad we finally made it. It’s a perfect location if one’s going to the theater and not a tourist trap, which we can recommend, and...

Three of us dined here for the first time on a cold February evening before we had tickets to see an off broadway show that was a short walk away from this restaurant. The restaurant was busy, but no more so than I would expect for a Saturday night. Our reservation was for 6:30pm.

The service here was awful. Our server was frequently no where to be found, our food took forever to arrive, and some of our orders didn't arrive as ordered or didn't come at all. We were sitting by the host and when we asked where our server was she responded with "I'm not sure. We are busy tonight." This restaurant that has been here for 50+ years and should know how to handle a Saturday night pre-show crowd pretty well by now. After 45 minutes of still not receiving our entrees, we started to get worried that we wouldn't have time to eat before our show. We spoke with the manager who explained that the computer system was down and it was causing major delays in the kitchen. While we fully understand how things go wrong that are out of our direct control, why wouldn't the restaurant tell us this before we sat down of this issue so we could make a decision if it would make more sense for us to dine elsewhere??

The manager was extremely apologetic and took a few items off our bill to compensate for the frustration. She also begged us to come back another night and give the restaurant a second chance. When the food finally did arrive, it wasn't bad. The spaghetti and meatballs honestly hit the spot.

This experience deserves a two star review but I am giving it three stars based on how well the manager handled the situation and the decentness...