05/18/09

Excellent 5 Star Customer Service! Delicious Italian Food!

by KatarinaMarr

My boyfriend, another guy friend and I went to Mama D's tonight for dinner and it was 5 stars from the beginning to the end. We are all from NYC and know good Italian food and Mama D's is up there. I am always raving about their soft cheese bread and olive oil/garlic dip - it's the best I've had at any Italian restaurant. In addition, our friend had never been there before, so they gave us a free appetizer - homemade ravioli that was perfect. I got the Baked Ziti - delicious and couldn't even finish all of it! My boyfriend got Mama's Pink Sauce with Penne... and it's one of his favorite restaurant's that have pink sauce! Our other friend got the spinach ravioli with pink sauce and mushrooms on top - which was exquisite. The customer service was top notch and all smiles and they even packed our leftovers up for us and stuck in some of the bread that I love without even asking us! I've gone to many restaurants in Hollywood and nobody has as great customer service than Mama D's... and all on a Monday night, no less! The decor isn't fine dining at all, but it's a great casual place for some good ol' Italian food!

• Pros: Great Customer Service! Fast service!

01/08/09

Very Disappointing

by larryros

Mama D's has been one of our favorite restaurants for many years, and we've never minded waiting for a table because it t was always worth the wait. But last night was a total disappointment. Things at Mama D's have changed. The wait staff used to be welcoming, friendly and energetic. The food used to be tasty and service was generally speedy, even when the restaurant was packed to the gills with people. But last night, the place was half full. The food was below average. The wait staff was ordinary at best. And to top it all off, at the end of the meal we found out that they've stopped serving coffee?!?!?! If last night is now typical, my guess is that they won't be around much longer since there are many great restaurants to choose from in the South Bay. I've recommended Mama D's to many friends in the past, but not any more. I hope they can get back what they lost, because Mama D's used to be terrific. I feel like we lost an old friend.

• Pros: Can't think of one
• Cons: Parking can be tough on the weekends

07/13/08

Authentic

by erinlovesfood

Mama D's is a great place to go for authentic italian food in a casual enviroment. The bread and garlic dip they give you to start is really yummy and they have something for everyone on the extensive menu. The staff is so friendly and remember your name. Great place to with with family or friends. The ravioli with pink sauce is so good.

07/06/08

Baked ZITI dish uses PENNE pasta instead of ZITI- !

by angelinaf100

As a local in this community I have been to this restaurant only twice due to the extra long wait. I met up with a few friends on a saturday night at 8pm and the hostess told me it would be a 45 minute wait. This didnt seem too bad even though I was ravenous upon arriving. 50 minutes later, still no seats. I asked the hostess how much longer and she told me it would be another 30 minutes! I asked her why and she said there was nothing she could do. I asked how the wait turned from 45 minutes to now becoming an hour and fifteen minutes. She then said that people were finishing up and to wait. We reluctantly waited since there was really no other place we wanted to go. We got seated 20 minutes later. I ordered the baked ziti which was very hot upon arrival. IT was too hot even after 10 minues of waiting. I was not thrilled with the dish and they used penne pasta instead of actual ziti pasta which didnt sit too well with me. I did not like the red sauce at all so I sent my dish back and got the rigatoni with olive oil and garlic which was bland and not very exciting. They used too much parsley which completely ruined the taste. My friends ordered pasta with alfredo and the famous pink sauce which looked much more appetizing. The bread was not anything special, I have had much better. The olive oil and garlic was really the only thing I actually liked. I wasnt even happy with my chianti that came in a glass that wine cannot be fully appreciated in. The wait, very mediocre food and crowded ambiance makes this place a waste of time and money. There are much better restaurants elsewhere.

• Pros: Friendly and accomodating staff, you can send your dish back if not happy
• Cons: long wait, mediocre food, wine in hot tumbler glasses straight from the dishwasher

06/23/08

Great pasta and pizza

by AZWildcats

I have eaten here twice. I have ordered the barbecue chicken pizza and the chicken fettucine alfredo. The alfredo was very good and I would recommend sticking to the pastas as the pizza was nothing spectacular. They serve complementary homemade bread and homemade olive oil when you sit down. If you are waiting outside they have free water and lemonade which is nice on a hot day.

• Pros: Great homemade pastas with a lot of variety
• Cons: Not exactly the best pizza in LA

04/08/08

A sad post for me....

by roxyqs26

This is a sad post for me. Mama D's has been my favorite restaurant in the South Bay since I've lived here. It was my first restaurant I'd ever been to while visiting California and has always held a special place in my heart. I take ALL of my out of town guests here (about twice a month). Their wait staff (tries) really hard and is always really nice. It's a given that maybe there won't be napkins or forks on the table sometimes but i'm willing to look past that. Even willing to look past a hour wait for food once.

HOWEVER. ONE THING TOTALLY RUINED IT. My boyfriend and I have saved up our Mama D's coupons. We have become extremely low-budget and don't have much to spend on going out to eat at this time. I called Mama D's before we left the house and asked "Can we use 2 free appetizer coupons in the same night tonight". THe girl responded "OF COURSE!!!" and i was thrilled--- I'd be able to go out to eat tonight because we'd have enough in the budget. We got an entree to share in addition to our appetizers. (one arrived late with the dinner)

The waitress brought out the bill and had only taken One Appetizer off our meal. I said "Oh here... i have two of these on there" with a smile on my face. She gave me a worried look and said "Oh no... we only take one at a time". I explained to her that i had just called ahead and hence why we came that night. I asked her to check with the girl up front. SHE LOOKED AT MEAS IF I WAS LYING!!!! and said "I've been here two years and we've never done that". she rudely turned her back and walked away.

I felt like i've been cheated on. GOOD OL' MAMA D's SHOWED ITS DARK SIDE. Maybe the "friendly" wait staff needs another briefing of the mission statement on your menu.

"MAMA D's" ACTS like they care about patrons-- BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THEIR EXTRA $8. Take a note from nordstroms: The customer is always right.

you've totally lost me as a fan..

12/06/07

EXCELLENT SERVICE AND FOOD

by alexdlg

Loved the atmosphere, the service was great and loved the lasagna. i recommend the fried calamari for a starter.

07/15/07

Terrible Customer Service

by lp1088

Over the past 5 years, the service from the staff has been declining rapidly. Not sure what the problem might be, but it seems that every week, they have new employees. Although the food is okay, half of time they ran out of bread (the only reason we go there) and they never give you refills. The last we went there, the bread arrived 10 minutes after we finished out dinner, and we had to beg for water. Extremely disappointed!!!!!

• Pros: Parking
• Cons: Terrible Customer Service

06/26/07

Down home Italian

by jnrcal

I had a bad experience at Mama D's about five years ago, but after living in MB for a while, I decided to give it a try again. Since then, I haven't been disappointed with the food or service. The waiters are very nice-- ask for your name and introduce themselves-- and they also pass out free samples of appetizers while you wait. I recommend the Lasagna! It's yummy.....

05/21/07

Best Pasta in Manhattan Beach

by katy_snell

This popular Italian eatery serves up an extensive menu, including a Build-Your-Own pasta, pizza and calzones, and tasty chicken cacciatore dishes. Oftentimes crowded, this restaurant usually has a line out the door, but the reliable waiters, delectable dinner, and friendly atmosphere are certainly worth the wait.

• Pros: Delicious pasta dishes; friendly waiters
• Cons: Parking tends to be an issue during the evening