Mamma Teresa Ristorante
Mamma Teresa Ristorante
Mamma Teresa Ristorante
Mamma Teresa Ristorante
Foods from Mamma Teresa Ristorante
Comments

2014 May 20

Had dinner at Mamma Teresa. The complimentary bread was really tasty as were the marinated olives – possibly the best I’ve had.

Our server was good and obviously a veteran of the industry.

The 'toss-food-on-a-plate' plating was certainly a reminder of the days when the term "plating" wasn't so much part of the amateur foodie vernacular. But regardless, the food was uncompromisingly reliable.

We shared the Calamari which was tasty although nothing extraordinary. For my main I had the Pasta Combo plate which comprised linguine with clams (a bit too ‘fishy’ for my liking), cheese ravioli (the richest and most delightful element on the plate – sooooooo good!), and gnocchi (light and plump). BF ordered the Chicken Toscana and was very pleased with the dish. The chocolate cake for dessert was out-of-this-world delish!


2012 Nov 15
I had the veal funghi. Really enjoyed it. Much more than any previous meal i recall having here in the past.

There is a decent wine selection.

We were also served a small plate of mixed olives and some bread to start. I liked that touch.

Will definitely return. I thought the prices were reasonable for the quality of food and the good service.

2012 Nov 15
My friend ordered the lemon chicken. She always orders that here. Wished I would have tried some. Next time!

2012 Sep 21
Had lunch here today with colleagues. I have only been once before (vaguely positive memory), but I had found it pricy and haven't been back. I was nervous after reading the less than stellar reviews here, but I have to say...it was really good!

The warmed rolls served with butter, hot peppers, and olives were fresh and tasty.

The table shared the antipasto, which included calamari, garlic shrimp, scallops, a prosciutto-type deli meat, chunks of parmesan, roasted red peppers, and hot pickled cherry peppers stuffed with pecorino and prosciutto.

I usually don't care for shrimp or calamari, since they are almost always chewy. These. Were. Fantastic. The calamari were lightly dusted in flour, seasoned perfectly,cooked to perfection, and served piping hot. The shrimp were soft and delicate and savoury. Wow.

The stuffed hot peppers were flavour bombs of awesomeness.

I can't comment on the scallops since I didn't have any, but everyone said they were delicious.

I ordered ravioli as my main, which comes with soup or salad. I got the salad, which was fresh and was dressed with an authentic vinaigrette, balanced with a mild olive oil and a tart champagne vinegar.

The ravioli were good. I didn't really get any flavour from the filling, as the pasta was quite thick, but it comes tossed in a cream sauce and has a scoop of marinara on top. Both sauces are excellent - homemade and fresh.

The waiter was kind of intense, but I think he was intimidated by the big table of people. Completely inoffensive.

To be frank, my bosses frequent this place and are known by the owner. I have no idea if we got special treatment, and I find it a bit pricy for what I wold be willing to pay, but I had a great time and really enjoyed my food.

2011 Sep 5
Last night, I visited Mamma Teresa's for the first time. I've grown up eating home cooked classic Italian dishes, so I do tend to be a little picky when I dine out for Italian.

The atmosphere is cozy but the decor is generally outdated. When arriving (with a reservation), I was kept waiting at the door, even after two waiters greeted me, although my table's waiter was fantastic overall. I wasn't going to mention this, but all the waiters tend to run around very quickly, and since I was sitting by the fireplace (literally, right next to it, it felt quite crowded and I found it odd) employee after employee kept zipping by me, their feet stomping on the ground, it was a little unpleasant.

Bread, olives and hot peppers are set at the table upon arrival, all that are quite bland. Way too many dishes on the menu and the wine menu's unmarked wine by the glass (ie. Merlot-price, Chianti-price, from where? what am I paying for?) is surprising. The Chianti I ordered was slightly oxidized.

I had the Manicotti Gloria, which was delicious. I also had the Veal Italiano with Portobello Mushrooms and Port Cream Sauce, which was served warm, which quickly went cold. The vegetables on the plate were bland and the veal, mediocre.

Not running back, but willing to give it another chance.

*Note to Mamma Teresa's: Please consider updating your decor and your menu

2010 Nov 22
Picture of the mediocre food as described on the post below.

As you can see it looks very dull and perhaps microwave quality.

2010 Nov 19
Just returned from Mamma Teresa's. A few colleagues and I wanted to go to Tosca for lunch, but when we arrived there was no room for us. The Manager at Tosca offered to call Mamma Teresa's and book a table for us. Which for one I think is really peculiar. They are either the same company, or have an agreement of sorts, but still I found it weird.

This restaurant has been on my to-try list for a long time.

Mamma Teresa's ristorante is in a nice old house. I found the interior outdated and cliche. The management and servers are all dressed very nicely and I found that the service was very good, no complaints. They started us off with water, nice rolls and little plate of green hot peppers and garlic mini olives. Great! Unfortunately this is where my enjoyable experience stopped.

I ordered a "combination plate" as it appears on the menu. On the menu it just says "combination plate" and doesn't describe anything it entails. Long story short my plate was a small piece of veal Parmigianino, two cannelloni’s and some mushroom ravioli in a cream sauce.

I found the menu to be restricted. Nothing special.

I will be brief... It was awful... Over cooked, too much cheese, and rather tasteless. I was almost taken back by the lack of quality considering the very high price tag of 21 dollars. I would not honor the food I ordered at this restaurant as being any better than hall food from a cheaply catered wedding. (Airplane food would not be a bad description either).

I am always leery of eating at classic Italian restaurants - and this is one of the reasons why. Vittoria and Jonny Farina (both of which I am not huge fans of) are exponentially better than Mamma Teresa's. Looking back at my experience I can honestly say I will NEVER go back.

I find it interesting that all sorts of political big wigs like Harper, Chrétien, Kim Cample, Dalton Mgintee, Mike Duffy and many many more have been there and left signed pictures of themselves. It's honestly very mediocre food.

As I looked across the table at the other plates of food my colleagues ordered, I could not help but notice dull colored, poorly presented pasta dishes which all look like they were scooped out of a big pot that has been sitting on a stove for a long time. There is no way in hell the cannelloni’s I had were made fresh right when I ordered them and there is no way that the creamy mushroom ravioli was fresh either. One of my friends at the table corroborated my “hall food” comment and although nobody else was vocal about the mediocrity, non of my colleagues expressed any comments like “this is great” or what have you.

This may have been an off day, but I don't think so. All the food looked terrible. I feel
Very disappointed... This past summer I was in Italy….Lets just say that Italian McDonalds serves better food. Avoid this restaurant!


2010 Sep 4
Just had dinner here with my Dad and his girlfriend's family after having heard about it from him for years, as being "the" Italian restaurant in Ottawa to eat at in the 1980's back when he was dating my Mom. I thought it was pretty classic - maybe not Mario Batali Iron Cheg quality stuff, but hearty, plenty and satisfying. I got the seafood special tonight - lobster ravioli with sundried tomatoes, sole and veggies and spumone and Mamma Teresa's cake. Everything was great, but I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the spumone - it always sounded like the "fruitcake" of the icecream world, kind of a wallflower among desserts. But this stuff was killer, smoky and nutty and minty and chocolatey in all the right ways. I also caught a few bites of my boyfriend's gorogonzola gnocchi, which was also fabulous... and enough in one dish to feed probably three people, we ended up taking most of it home in a doggy bag!

Anyways - a worthy experience to be sure. I have a feeling somewhere like Mezza Notte or Il Piccolino may rate higher in terms of quality of food, but this place is an Ottawa mainstay, had a great atmosphere and service, and you will definitely leave satisfied. :-)

2010 Aug 18
I love the atmosphere and how cozy this place is. The food was so delicous and fresh. Maybe the best pasta I have had in a long time. I couldn't finish my plate (which is a rare occurance!)
I was told that this is where the Liberals hang out... not an hour later did I see Mr. Jean Chrétien himself pass by our table!

2010 Feb 22
My girlfriend & I went to Mamma Teresa's for Valentines Day and absolutely loved it. Admttedly we aren't the most discerning of customers, but it was absolutely delicious. I had the gnocchi gorgonzole, and she had a chicken parmesan, and it was delightful. Great sized portions (not massive massive, but we didn't have room for dessert), really tasty, and our waiter was pleasant, professional, and he knew the menu when we had questions.

It was a little expensive so I wouldn't want to do it every week, but overall the price was not bad at all considering how much we enjoyed the meal and the experience. Will be going back.

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