Mama D’s Italian Kitchen

I came here for dinner this past weekend for the first time. A family member recommended this place and when I saw that it had great reviews, I knew I had to check it out. There was a 30-​minute wait so we waited outside the restaurant. Someone constantly checked in on us to make sure we were doing okay, which I appreciated. They brought us out a drinks menu so I ordered a glass of wine (because why not?). They also came around to bring us and everyone else waiting complimentary focaccia bread which was surprisingly good.
Once we got seated, they brought us more focaccia bread with an olive oil & garlic sauce. We ordered the Baked Clams as the appetizer which were good. I ordered the Chicken Mama D’s because I assumed, since the name was in the title, it had to be good! I was choosing between that dish and Jake’s Chicken Napoli, but the waiter advised me to go with the Chicken Mama D’s.
Typically I do my fair share of Unilocal research before going to a location, so I wish I had done some before coming here to find out what the most popular dishes were. I was happy with the appetizer (and the complimentary bread was great!), but I wasn’t impressed with the entrée. I thought the chicken, veggies, and sauce would come mixed with the pasta, but instead it was pasta with red sauce, and separately, a bowl of chicken and veggies in a sauce. I don’t think either were outstanding, unfortunately. Neither were super flavorful and I’ve had better Italian food on multiple occasions.
I was on the fence about giving this a 3-​star or 4-​star review, but what made me really decide on 4 stars is their superior service. If I come back, I’ll make sure to actually do my typical Unilocal research and choose an entrée that I know will be good!

If i could give this place 100 stars i would.
Mama D’s is my idea of THE MOST PERFECT restaurant.
To start off, i don’t even like italian food, but Mama D’s is without a doubt, my favorite restaurant.
Why you ask?
A few years ago, me and my friend stumbled upon this place after spending all day at the beach. We loved the environment, the food was great, prices were appropriate but what really hooked us was the service! We were so impressed that we decided to spend every special occasion there.
Their team is top notch and they really care about your experience.
I have very special memories at Mama D’s that i will cherish forever.
When we asked to speak to the manager to thank him for the excellent service we receive time and time again, he showered us with more kindness and gave us a discount on our bill and free appetizer cards for next time. They are such genuinely nice people.
Mama D’s will always have a special place in my heart.
I haven’t visited in a while because of the drive but i know when i do i won’t be disappointed.

I take any opportunity I got to visit this place, coming from an Italian background I do get my cravings quite often and this place absolutely hits the spot.
if you havent tried it yet, its about time, I do it anywhere from 1 – 3 times a week for a good relaxing dinner.

I came here about a month ago.
The best service and food ever. Our waiter (I can’t remember his name, but he’s on the tall side) was extremely helpful when it came to ordering and explaining the different items on the menu (first time customers). He must have came around at least 6 times to check up on us and to refill our beverages. The service was also matched by the deliciousness of the food. In a way I feel spoiled because I have high expectations for every restaurant I visit to be just as good as Mama D’s.
My spouse and I will definitely be coming here. Oh and the complimentary cookies at the end were delicious as well!

had a list of the Top 25 places to eat according to Unilocal.I love the Chive… I love Unilocal… and I now love Mama D’s thanks to both websites.
I happened to be staying in town just a few days after seeing the article. It was a short 15 minute drive from my hotel. Odd coincidence I was in Newport two months ago and literally ate across the street, then head drinks at the cross street. Had I known then…
Anyway, I went on a Tuesday night, solo. I took a seat at the bar, and Casey was my waitress. Very attentive without being over-​bearing, very friendly… great waitress. She took my drink order (I started with a craft beer called White Rascal. It’s served with an orange (fruits for the day!!!), and quite tasty. Not to hoppy… a poor mans’ Belgian white brew.
From there, I was served their amazing garlic bread as I looked over the menu. I already knew what I wanted from peaking on line, but I took things slowly, enjoying the bread and olive oil /​garlic mixture. I just burped, several hours later. Pretty good the 2^nd time around too. Score!
I was asked if this was my first time (it was) and a minute later I was presented with a free ravioli with marinara. Yum. What a nice touch. It went well with the 62 pieces of bread I ate (might have been more, not sure). Then I ordered my baby… a simple penne with the pink sauce and shrimp. I think it was $ 12 for the pasta, plus 3.5 for the sauce and $ 6 for the shrimp… so, $ 21.50 for a plate of pasta and shrimp.
So, it’s noodles, right? For $ 21.50. I could make this at home for about $ 4.00…and it would suck! You get what you pay for, and this, amigos, was awesome sauce. Literally and figuratively. 8 million other reviews can’t be wrong (I exaggerate only once in a blue moon). The sauce is amazing. There were 6 nice sized shrimp, so at $ 1 each, more than fair. And it’s a huge plate of hot, steaming goodness. I ate about 80%…the other 20% would have been gluttony and overkill. Not that I didn’t want to lick the plate in public… I’ve seen me do it… just didn’t have it in me tonight.
Rounded out with homemade chocolate chip cookies and I slowly waddled out the back. They should weigh you before and after… on 2^nd thought, glad they don’t!
Go here. You will not find a friendly bunch anywhere. Happy employees make happy food and happy food leads to happy tummies. Mine’s still full hours later. I received a free starter next time I’m in… and I’m in town one more night. I couldn’t…could I? See you tomorrow, Mama

We were driving through Newport Beach on a Saturday evening, searching Unilocal for another adventure when this restaurant caught my eye. This is my first restaurant with over 3,000 reviews and a 4 Star rating! After reading the other reviews, I made a promise to eat here and it didn’t matter if I parked a mile away or waited in line for 45 minutes. Trust me, it’s worth it!
The line went around the building, and at 7 pm at night the restaurant hosts provide warm bread, calamari samples and also provide warm blankets. Apparently, the long wait in line is a common occurrence.
The restaurant looks like an old, beach house, and has a rustic feel. It did not resemble a high end Italian restaurant, but more like a western barbecue.
The food was absolutely amazing and maybe the best Italian I have tasted.
We ordered the Calamari Fritti: lightly batter and perfectly seasoned with tangy marinara sauce. The tomato sauce tasted so fresh and flavorful.
For our entre, we ordered the clams with linguine white and red sauce. The white wine sauce was a perfect balance of clam juice, wine, and fresh garlic. Incredible dish!

Ordered take out from here with my family and thank goodness we did. The line was insane with people waiting outside the restaurant and the inside bursting with people. Very loud and boisterous place so definitely don’t come here if you’re trying to hear the people you’re eating with but a great place to spend time with family and friends.
The waiters go around bringing samples of pasta and breadsticks! We had to wait a little for our order so the waitress gave us a complimentary soda and a basket of breadsticks which were moist and garlicky and crisp and everything breadsticks should be.
My mom and I ordered 2 cioppinos, spaghetti and meatballs, a vegetarian lasagna (with zucchini and ricotta), a caprese salad, and spinach ravioli. The girl who gave us suggestions on the phone was extremely friendly and kind and super willing to help.
The food was saucy and delicious and with generous portions. We also got complimentary breadsticks and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. No complaints other than the difficulty of parking but I was happy we tried this place!

My boyfriend and I went there yesterday for lunch. It was our first time and we received great service from Blake. I believe the manager stopped by to check on us too.
The servings were great for us and the price was descent. We didn’t know that the spinach and pink sauce was extra. But no worries, everything was superb.
We will be back with more people next time!

Can I just say «wow»? My boyfriend and I just had the greatest dinner here. We arrived at 6 o clock hoping that we had beat the valentine weekend rush. This place must always busy. After about 45 minutes of constant bread and pasta samples my boyfriend was getting restless so he went inside to see how much longer it was going to be. The guy that he talked to totally calmed him down and gave him a fist bump and thanked him for waiting. Soon after we got seated and a super sweet Nicolai (?)took our order and thanked us again for waiting. The guy who ended calming my boyfriend down ended up being the owner Keith and while we were eating our Caesar salad he came up and introduced himself and thanked us for coming/​waiting and gave us two ravioli on the house.
The food we ordered was mind blowing. My boyfriend ordered the shrimp scampi and I ordered the linguini with pink sauce and shrimp. Holy poop. So freaking great. I had been eating it for 10 minutes and my boyfriend looked at my plate and asked me if I had even been eating. Heck yes I had been. Big huge bites and I didn’t even dent the thing. Portions are very generous.
I had to tap out soon after. The waitress came to bring us our bill and on top there was coupon for a free starter for our next time. She thanked us again for waiting and welcomed us because it was our first time. The customer service here is probably the best I’ve ever experienced. Everyone spoke with care and compassion. You can definitely tell they love their jobs.
Give this place a try. Expect the long lines. Yes, it is worth the wait. We will be back soon.

I love Italian food and my boyfriend had done his research to look for a great Italian restaurant. And of course, he found Mama D’s!
The restaurant isn’t huge – a little on the smaller side. But inside feels so warm, welcoming, and home-​y. Service is excellent! Hostesses and servers are always smiling and they are on top of their game with checking on you, refilling your waters, etc. My boyfriend and I had mentioned it was our first time there and we drove quite a bit to eat at this restaurant. One of the managers came to our table, introduced himself, and returned to us to give us a small plate of ravioli to sample (on the house!). How nice! :)
You get complimentary bread and olive oil (which is warm, soft, and fresh). I ordered the tortellini with pink sauce and my boyfriend ordered the spaghetti and meatballs with pink sauce. GET THE PINK SAUCE LOL. You won’t be disappointed. Their portions are rather big so we definitely brought some leftovers home.
Basically, this place is awesome, food is great, and service is amazing. I don’t have any complaints. If only I lived a wee bit closer, I would come to this place more often!

I read lot a good review and today, finally ate to dinner
Everything’s yummy and perfect!
Service is so fast and nice
Thanks!!!

Hospitality is great right at the door. Guests waiting in like, outside or inside couches get samples and drink services. Waitresses are very friendly and welcoming as well as talkative. I feel very special :).
Spinach Ravioli with pink sauce: a lot of texture and sweet in pink sauce. Stuffing is not too pasty like most recipes and just enough spinach for flavor.
Stuffed Mushrooms: baked just right. stuffing is filled with fried garlic and cheese. Melt in my mouth amazing.
It is pretty difficult to find great food and hospitality in the same place and Mama D’s got them down very well.

OMG … it’s really true what all the reviews say about Mama D’s Italian Kitchen. Hubby and I finally had an opportunity have lunch at the quaint and chill restaurant. We were warmly greeted by our smiling and friendly server Jordan and sat at one of the tables. Jordan asked if it was our first time at the restaurant and since it was … she recommended the famous pink sauce.
I perused the lunch menu as our server was getting our drink order. We ordered:
(1) Focaccia Bread with an Olive Oil/​Garlic Dipping Sauce — Complimentary
The bread was fresh and warm and the dipping sauce was wicked with all that garlic! Tasted fantastic!
(2) Two Ice Teas
Very refreshing. But what I LUV is that Jordan left a carafe after noticing that we were thirsty that day… very nice!
(3) Two Homemade Ricotta Cheese Raviolis in a Marinara Sauce — Complimentary
I believe it was the Manager who delivered the raviolis to our table. He informed us that since it was our first time at the restaurant, the raviolis were on the house. Wow, a very nice gesture to their patrons. The raviolis were steaming hot and melted in your mouth. The ravioli was al dente, the light ricotta was so creamy and the marinara sauce made it delish!
(3) Caesar Salad
Hubby’s caesar salad which consisted of romaine lettuce, homemade croutons,
freshly grated parmesan with caesar dressing. The caesar salad was abundant, served cold (I hate room temp salads), fresh and the dressing was very yummy. I had a taste of the salad and it was great!
(4) Spaghetti with the Sorrento Pink Sauce and 1 Meatball
This is how you order a lunch pasta dish:
— Select your type of pasta,
— Select your type of sauce enhancements (i.e. Primavera, Pomidoro Fresco, etc.)
— Select your type of sauce (i.e. Alfredo, Fra Diavolo, Mama D’s Original Pink Sauce, etc.)
— Select your type of meat, chicken, seafood
I luv, luv, luv this type of ordering. You create your own pasta dish. So, when my pasta dish consisting of spaghetti, Sorrento (fresh mushrooms, spinach, tomato and garlic) in Mama D’s original pink sauce served with one HUGE meatball tasted so wonderful. My steaming hot spaghetti was al dente, the Sorrento pink sauce was fresh and seasoned so well and that meatball had the right blend of spices and was so moist. While I was eating my pasta… I kept telling hubby over and over, «OMG, this is SO great». Such a simple dish and it was PERFECT. What really amazed me was my pasta stayed steaming hot almost throughout my meal… how do they do that?
(5) Spaghetti with Pink Sauce and 1 Meatball
Hubby who is a picky eater was also amazed by his lunch entrée. I was surprised that he really enjoyed his meal!
(6) Homemade Chocolate Cookies — Complimentary
When I didn’t think it could get better … Jordan brought us some yummy complimentary warm cookies. Very nice touch to end your meal!
I really enjoyed my lunch at Mama D’s which I’ve bookmarked over several years now. They offer a varied lunch and dinner menu. I can’t wait to return for dinner! Plus, Jordan our server was fantastic. When we first sat down, Jordan introduced herself and asked for our names… so personable. She checked in on us at the right times and had a great upbeat personality! On our way out she said goodbye by our first names … NICE!
So, RUN to Mama D’s if you want an excellent Italian dining experience! 5 Stars!!!

To be honest, I’m not a fan of only of Italian food, but I am a fan of this establishment. They have a family vibe and make you feel like you’re having a meal at home. I tried the veal and the meal was fairly filling. The servers provide quality service and they accepted my free appetizer coupon from 5 years ago that was faded.
If you like Italian, it’s a pretty good joint. Worth a try and a great place to have birthdays. They give the birthday person a brownie and bring cookies.
Try making a reservation, the place gets pretty packed.

I loved this place! Hands down definitely deserves its spot on Unilocal’s Top 100 list.
We came here with a group of about 20 people. Obviously we were in for a long wait for seating, but they were incredibly accommodating of us! We split up our group into 2 groups of 8 and 1 group of 4 and seated us as the tables became available. Even though one group of 8 had to wait almost half an hour for the table, they walked around with garlic bread and pasta samples, and there was plenty of waiting area. There were a lot of servers helping us out, but shout out to Blake, who served my table! He was really wonderful.
The atmosphere was busy, but not too loud that we couldn’t hear each other talk. It was a classy yet casual ambiance, and though there were people there celebrating and dressed up, none of us felt out of place in our casual wear.
The food was top notch! I got the Sorrento with Linguini and Mama D’s Pink Sauce. Oh my goodness, best pasta I’ve had outside of Italy! Most of my group got the Cioppini, which I tried. It was super tasty as well (and a lot lighter than the cream sauce). I ate a lot of the garlic bread because that was just amazing. I ended up not being able to finish my pasta, but that’s okay! More for later!
It was a couple days past my birthday, but after seeing quite a few other groups celebrating, my group decided it would be fun to have them come out and sing happy birthday for me, too! I got a brownie with a candle and they also brought out some mini cookies for the rest of the table, which was really great. Both deserts were really tasty. In addition, they also gave me a free starter for my next visit. I’d be back regardless, but this is just a push to come back more and more!
I ended up paying $ 24 after tax and 20% included gratuity, but it was definitely worth it. Two meals, amazing service, and amazing food.
Overall, great place for groups. It can get kind of crowded, but they’re super accommodating. Definitely look into coming in for an early dinner or late dinner if you’re not interested in a wait. Customer service is impeccable. The food is amazing, though a little bit more on the pricier side, but the quality is great! And definitely come here for your birthday.

I’m adding to the 3,400+ reviews with my 200^th review. We came here with family friends who live in the area and I could not give them enough kudos for suggesting Mama D’s. Here’s what you need to know:
— They don’t take reservations, but trust me it’s worth the wait. We had a party of 12 and waited about an hour on a Friday night.
— Water, bread, and pasta samples while you wait. Their home focaccia bread is awesome.
— Your server will most likely recommend their pink sauce. Do yourself a favor and listen. It paired really well with the Chicken Chris that I ordered and my bf’s tortellini. Both dishes were delicious. The Chicken Chris is basically Chicken Parm with a layer of eggplant. So good. The portions are generous and most of us ended up taking home leftovers.
— Warm chocolate chip cookies were a nice touch at the end of the meal.

I was very surprised at how small the place was. But man the service and food was great. The bread that they offered as an appetizer was pretty addicting. I tried out the Sausage and Chicken Fra Diavolo for my main dish and it was very delicious. To top it all off, you get fresh-​baked oven chocolate chip cookies out of the oven (they are kind of small but still good).
In addition, their friendly service makes your dining experience really fun. I was caught off guard when the waiter asked me and girlfriend for our first names but that really made all of the difference for me at this place.
I definitely recommend you try Mama D’s if you’re in Newport Beach.

This is one of our top favorite Italian restaurants around. Every single thing I have ever tasted here has been fresh and so delicious!
The restaurant has received many awards for how friendly and kind their employees are and trust me, EVERYONE that works there is beyond words nice and always accommodating. It always feels sincere versus forced too which I know can’t be easy, kudos to them!
My favorite items here have been the following:
Appetizers: calamari, stuffed mushrooms or the house salad w/​mama d’s Italian dressing
Entrée: kelsey’s capri w/​PINK SAUCE –add a sausage link, the eggplant parmesan or the veal piccata
I mean, seriously! Mouth watering goodness! Added bonus: they have the BEST ice cubes on the planet (the little round balls) And then to top it off when they bring you your bill they also bring you a free little homemade chocolate chip cookie, moist wipes for your hands, toothpicks and those soft peppermint after mints. Winning!

This place definitely lived up to its hype in regards to service. There’s even a sign that says they do inside!
Came at around 6 today (Friday, New Years Day) and the wait was only about 30 minutes for two. Meanwhile, they’ll give you samples like pasta or hot chocolate to keep you warm! There’s also complimentary water outside and they will offer you wine/​beer to start off while you wait.
When inside, they must’ve heard my stomach, because they were extremely quick to get that garlic bread out! When we told the waitress we were celebrating our anniversary she sent over some raviolis (mama D’S favorite) for us to try! So yes, they definitely got their service down to perfection.
The pasta is on the pricier side, but I didn’t mind it all too much because of the large portions and ambience. At the end of the meal, not only are you stuffed, but they even give you fresh baked cookies. Now it definitely feels like visiting your grandma ;)

Came here on a Sat night around 6:30pm. There’s metered parking on the street that’s free after 6pm. They don’t take reservations so called ahead to ask about the wait and they said about 10 – 15 minutes for a table for 2.
Upon arriving the place was pretty packed. The hostesses were very friendly, took our name, and promptly called us for our table.
Everything was very good. The food, the service, the energy in the place. The place is small but cozy, has a mom and pop shop feel, and it can get pretty loud.
We ordered the calamari appetizer, Caesar salad, ravioli with pink sauce, and a shrimp pasta. Everything was delicious. The pasta was cooked to al dente perfection.
I enjoyed the evening and would come back here again if I’m in the area. Great place to celebrate a special occasion or to take a date, but be prepared of the noise level.