Mamma Melina Ristorante & Pizzeria

Took my sister, visiting from out of town here last Tuesday. She was craving Italian, and from my last experience here, It was the place I had to take her. We were greeted by a friendly host, whom escorted us to our table promptly, even though they had almost a fool house. He then informed us that it was half price wine night, so being winos, we had to take advantage of that. The service was warm as was the general vibe of the whole place. My sister got a kick out of the piano man whom came to our table on occasion for requests. We shared what my girlfriend and I had ordered last time which was penne pasta tossed in tomato sauce with smoked mozzarella, and roasted eggplant. And then my personal favorite, Pollo Marsala. Finished with bread pudding which was amazing!!! The place really lived up to all of my hype to my sister, which was a relief, cause she's a tough pleaser sometimes. We'll be back Pros: Incredible flavors of food, service, affordable wine list Cons: A little noisy at times, but tolerable more

Given the low menu prices, I'm always expecting the food to be mediocre at best. Instead, it's flavorful with good texture and I always leave wanting more. Last time we went, we were seated next to a famous local Seattle glass artist. Not a place I'd think of for celebrity-watching - I considered it a testament to how good Melina's food is! Pros: Food, service Cons: Parking more

My daughter and I decided to try this restaurant Monday night. The service was good, but the food was a disappointment. I ordered the baked rigitoni with meatballs, the ""gravy"" was unbelievably salty and the meatballs were obviously frozen. I didn't understand the frozen meatballs being served in an Italian restaurant. On a good note, my daughters fish was good. Pros: Service Cons: Food more

my boyfriend and i came to seattle to see the sites and eat the food. this restaurant made the entire trip well worth it! we showed up sorta late, around 9. got beautiful seatting. first thing i noticed about the restaurant was the environment was really comfortable. sometimes i get too uncomfortable with candle lit dinners but this was really cozy. we got our food right as the restaurant was closing and we were the last ones there. this made me feel bad, but the managed was really cool about it. he kept the music going and the wine comin. i LOVE the fettichini! i couldnt get enough. the dessert was insane! the wine list was brilliant. we would up staying until WAY after they closed BSing with the manager about music and wine. we had such a great time, we came back the next night. this really was a restaurant to remember. please go! Pros: fabulous food, great wine list, terrific dessert, lovely service Cons: i live no where near it more

I loved this place before it moved (see my old review below). Now its 'urban chic' atmosphere is more like 'high school cafeteria bad'. We ordered the steak with the demi glace sauce: It was a flavorless piece of meat with a sauce that was almost non-existent. We also had the gnocchi which was awesome. For dessert we had the spumoni and the warm dutch-chocolate cake: The spumoni was chocolate ice cream laced with vanilla (someone needs to look up the definition of spumoni). The 'warm dutch chocolate cake' was cake, but not chocolate and not flavorful at all (think: warm hockey puck and you'd be closer). Then we sent back these fake dessert items and had the bread pudding which was actually excellent although it had a 'vanilla bean ice cream' that had no hint of vanilla flavor (very un-vanilla bean-like). It's very said that they've taken a restaurant with high quality 'traditional' Italian dishes and turned it into just another trendy restaurant that will soon follow Cucina Cucina. Old review- I was with a group of four people. We went last Friday (definitely need reservations for a Friday/Saturday). We were seated quickly. The waitress brought a hot basket of a homemade bread that was exceptional. We all ordered drinks. I tasted both the house Cabernet and a wine called Avalon (I think?). Don't order the house Cabernet. I ordered the Caesar which was good, pretty much what I expected. Caesar salads seem to be that way, you only remember when they are bad or exceptional. I then ordered the spaghetti with Italian sausage (yeah I know, no imagination), anyway it was great. The noodles were handmade(?) and very hearty and the sausage was flavorful without be greasy or heavy. My wife ordered the gnocchi which was very good, probably handmade too. My friends ordered the salmon with bow-tie pasta and a penne pasta. The salmon pasta dish was very well done. The salmon was good but not overpowering (which salmon can be in a 'light dish'). The penne was good too although a bit on the 'trendy side' and I didn't like it as much. We ordered three desserts; NY cheesecake (it was on the fluffy side but very flavorful), Tiramisu (could have used a little more flavor but I would still recommend it) and a chocolate souffle/torte which was very good and not too dense (I'm not sure how they made it so fast?). The service was quick and efficient and very friendly. They had a piano player that came around and asked for requests. The whole experience was very nice and I would definitely recommend it. Pros: food, service, atmoshpere, music Cons: parking more

Nice Italian in the U district, the place is nothing fancy, but is warm and welcoming, and we were there on a Friday when there is live music. The service was very friendly, although I didn't appreciate much the fact that they brought us the check while we were still working on our desserts and coffees. We ordered the spinach and prosciutto salad that was very tasty but not as big as I we whould have wanted. We also had the eggplant rolls that were really great and very genuine tasting. We had the penne alla siciliana which were very good, and the spaghettini piccanti which my wife found a little heavy, but I though were not bad. The wine list was decent, not very long, but with few pearls. We had a Montepulciano, variety that I am familiar with, but the cantine we chose wasn't the best ever, not bad though. As for desserts, the tiramisu was below average, while my chocolate tortino was ok. At some point the singer/pianist, funny and friendly guy, that had put an entertaining program passed from the tables to get requests. Not in our immediate priorities but we might be going there again some time. Pros: Good Italian, live music, friendly staff Cons: Parking, plastic table covers (are you serious?) more

I highly recommend this establishment based on a very positive experience there last night. Making the reservation (late on Friday afternoon for the evening) was easy; the person I spoke to was extremely helpful and accommodating. We were seated immediately upon arrival. The place has an intrinsic ambiance that made us all feel ""at home"". Water and warm bread were on our table very quickly. The menu selection was very reasonable; they also had two specials also which sounded delicious. Friday is apparently opera night, and it was wonderful to listen to the pianist/singer while enjoying the food (he even did a song from Phantom of the Opera - which my wife likes.) The service continued to be very good throughout. Our food overall was delicious. We'll be back here again! Pros: Service, Ambiance, Entertainment, Food Cons: Noise level, Parking more

Mamma Melina Ristorante serves Italian dishes prepared with a keen awareness. On our most recent visit, I started with the chef?s whim salad, a daily special, and it was a savory sweet treasure arranged with Gorgonzola and pear. Everything after that was just as superb and we have tried many Italian restaurants. more

My family and I recently ate out at Mama Malina's. I have two small children and a husband who's a resident doctor so you can imagine we don't get to go to restaurants much. When we do go out, though, we want it to be family friendly and worth our money. Mama's was that and more! Not only did we get genuine service, we got our food quickly (great for the kids) and felt welcome with our children in this restaurant. The waiter was well-seasoned in the arena of kids. He had the chef make a special children's dish for our daughter, then gave us a heads-up as to the temperature of the food. This restaurant also hosted my daughter's preschool for a culinary fieldtrip. The owners truly are good at what they do and extend themselves to individuals, families and this community. Thank you Mama Malinas. Pros: Family Friendly!!! more

This is my first review. I am an avid reader of Citysearch and always use this site to pick out new restaurants to try out. That is how my friends and I discovered Mama Melina's. Pros: Food, Piano Player, Host Cons: Parking more

upon walking into the restaurant more

I must say, I've been able to experience the food quite a few times, and I have never been more pleased. I recently read the total of 3 bad reviews for this restaurant and am completely convinced that these people are legally insane. They are obviously cast members on America's Most White Trash. The lasagna, chipino, and marsala have teased my taste buds more than a super models nether-region. The service has more home feeling than dinner with your wife. Since enjoying the food for over 2 years now, I have never been completely through their wine list... It doesn't seem to end. These ""bad reviewers"" had to be people who can never be happy. Ready to slaughter any restaurant, via internet. 5 stars to this place for finally letting me know that there is a slice of heaven under these clouds. service was perfect, food was very delicious. more

The chef does a wonderful plate presentation. The seasoning is delightful. The service is very classy more

I don't usually write reviews but after taking my girlfriend to Mamma Melina this past Saturday I wanted to let others know how good the food and the service was. Pros: inexpensive wine list, great service and tasty food more

Found the food to be bland and unimaginitive. Would have to agree with other reviews- the food has been Americanized. The service was great and the bruscheta derserves praise. Pros: service, limited but good wine list, bruscheta Cons: food was basic - not too much imagination to it....Americanized version of Italian food more

I agree with Tanya..its' a cute date place..and the gnocchi is great. Although my favorite is the Chicken... more

I'm not a food expert, but this place was great. I'm a traveling nurse that love local family own restaurants. Keep your chains(Outback, Applebees and etc.). This place was a great Seattle find. Be sure to save room for Tiramisu. Be sure to make reservations on weekends. And bring tip money for the pianist, he's so pleasurable. Have patience, it's a busy place. Order your wine and chill. more

Such a charming date place. It's funny I went with a girlfriend of mine. But attending U of W, having lived... more

If you want to come here, especially Friday night or Saturday night, better to make a reservation. The line was long, but completely worth the wait. The place is crowded, but the food and services makes up for it. Authentic Italian food at an affordable price, can't beat that. Pros: excellent food, service, and cheap wine. Cons: A little crowded. more

Very real authentic italian cusine. I loved the antique interior which made the whole atmosphere very sweet and romantic. Food was great I enjoyed it a lot. The service wasn't too friendly but pleseant enough. Definitely going back to try other dishes. Pros: great italian food Cons: set is antique that it kind of looks dirty more