Ella’s Mama Mia’s Restaurant and Pizzeria — Restaurant in Salem

In the food desert that is Salem County, residents rely heavily on several local restaurants to fill the void. Newer to the area, I've been to Mama Mia a few times and have had 'ok' experiences in the past. This week I took several guests (including my elderly mother) to Ella's Mama Mia for a quick bite to eat.

We ordered--my mom chose to have the crab cakes and a salad. Despite not wanting to make it a full meal complete with pasta, the server essentially forced the pasta on her. Fine. Several minutes later the food arrives. Now growing up in the Delaware Valley, we are all aware of the proper LOOK and CONSISTENCY of crab cakes. Even when using canned crab (which is a travesty considering their are three local crab companies within 10 minutes of here) the inside of a crab cake should unmistakably contain crab meat. What was served to my mother could best be describe as a fried hockey puck containing an inedible paste. A small taste confirmed she could not, in good conscience, eat the meal. I've included a video as my evidence.

I called the server over, a spanish woman, and explained to her our dismay. Her response was worse than the crab cake itself. She proceeded to tell me that if we were to order crab cake in ANY restaurant, we would be handed the same thing. And while she admitted the crab cake was originally frozen, she denied that it was subpar. I understand that crab is expensive and perhaps for a restaurant that sells a low volume of a product, perhaps they should consider removing it from the menu as opposed to deep frying some freezer burnt garbage. Frustrated because the server essentially called my elderly mother a liar, I shifted my focus to the pasta she was served. I brought it to her attention that the pasta arrived cool to the touch. She replied by saying the pasta was 'al dente' and that, as an Italian Restaurant, they know how to properly make pasta.

Now at this point, I was blown away by the lack of accountability. Most restaurants can admit that occasionally customers have a bad experience and work towards a solution. My 68 year old mother was not trying to scam this restaurant out of a free meal--she ate about a teaspoon worth of food before giving up. The server finally caved and begrudgingly offered $5 off of our bill, only after guilting my mother and completely souring the mood.

Before leaving, I requested to speak with the owner/manager. When she returned from the back, I was told the manager was not there. We left, head in hand, and hungry. Im always willing to excuse a bad restaurant experience when an establishment can be both honest and apologetic. What we receieved at Mama Mia was neither. Multiple attempts to reach the manager/owner both in person and via phone have been met with negative results. I waited several days to allow them to respond to calls and emails--nothing. Being in business for 30 years is not a license to treat people poorly or serve inedible food. The two other Italian restaurants 3 minutes down the road have given me far better experiences and are a better value for your dollar. Given other recent reviews, it seems like new ownership is to blame and he appears to be phoning it...

As a witness to this experience, I feel compelled to speak up. I joined my friend and his elderly mother for a meal at Ella’s Mama Mia, and what unfolded was incredibly disappointing, not just because of the poor quality of food, but because of the dismissive and unprofessional service that followed. From the start, the server insisted on adding pasta to his mother’s meal, despite her clearly expressing she didn’t want it. When the food arrived, we were all taken aback. The crab cake looked and felt like a deep-fried hockey puck. I took a small taste myself what was inside was a warm, unidentifiable paste that in no way resembled crab meat. My friend politely voiced our concerns to the server, and rather than show any understanding or willingness to help, she doubled down telling us that this is how crab cakes are served "everywhere" and insisting nothing was wrong.

The situation only worsened when we pointed out the pasta was cold. Instead of offering to replace or reheat it, the server replied with a smug “it’s al dente,” as if that excused serving food below temperature. This wasn’t a case of a picky customer trying to get a free meal his mother ate barely a spoonful and was clearly embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Even after calmly requesting to speak with a manager, we were told no one was available. No follow-up, no apology, and multiple calls since have gone unanswered. What’s most disappointing is the lack of accountability. Mistakes happen in restaurants all the time, it’s how staff respond that makes the difference.

I’ve seen this friend of mine bend over backwards to support local businesses and give them the benefit of the doubt, even when things aren’t perfect. But this crossed the line. The food was unacceptable, the treatment was dismissive, and the follow-up was nonexistent. For an area like Salem County where good dining options are limited, it’s sad to see a long-standing restaurant treat its guests this way.

If this is how things are under new ownership, I won’t be back and I suggest others think twice before spending...

I keep having bad experiences with this place. First I asked for a Margherita pizza. It's not on the menu, but they were kind enough to make it for me anyway. But then they charged me $30 for it. $30 for a pizza. Mozzarella, sauce, dough, basil. All ingredients they have on hand readily available. $30. After a time I went back and ordered a Chicken Parm sub and fries. When I got there I sat there for 15 ish minutes while the lady behind the counter and the gentleman making pizzas walked by my ready to go order many times. I finally stood up and asked "excuse me is that my food" then they finally gave it to me. By the time I got it home the sub was luke warm and the fries cold and soggy. Just today I tried again and sat in line for 15 minutes while they took other orders and were chatting it up with someone they knew. I finally walked out without even placing my order. Don't get me wrong, they have good homemade food that is mostly fresh and from scratch. But I have given up on them. I used to eat here all the time with my late grandmother, but I'm done giving...