Have to preface that I'm a Mama Ricottas SUPERFAN and didn't know quite what to expect with this concept. It's certainly closer to my house (always a plus) and in my opionion, has easier parking (compared to the mothership). Don't get me wrong, I would definitely brave the Mama Ricottas parking lot to dine there... it's just nice not to have to worry about parking (I know, I'm getting old). Went here to celebrate a birthday and was so pleased with our experience. Staff and servers were super friendly and attentive to water, bread, pacing.... all boiling down to a great dining experience and delicious food. Since it was a birthday celebration, we started with some cocktails and moved to wine during the meal. The food itself is a smaller/concept menu, but same great food. I ventured away from my usual MR's go-to: Penne brocoli & chicken and went Ravioli that night - so good! Don't judge me, but we had 4:30pm reservations. Which made us one of the first tables (we weren't the first!) seated on the Saturday we visited. The entire dining room filled up within the hour so I'm so glad we had the time slot that we decided on. Got home after a great experience around 7pm, which was amazing (again- I am getting old). read more

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I can't recommend this place enough- it hits on every aspect of what a dining experience should be; incredible service, amazing food and a beautiful warm space. Food: Unless you are allergic to dairy, not getting the mozzarella presentation appetizer with the heirloom tomatoes and peppadew peppers stuffed with goat cheese is CRIMINAL lol. It is that good. We also split the meatballs and spaghetti which was fantastic as well. Service: Attentive with refills and perfectly timed when we needed her. Knowledgeable about the menu and she made the experience even more enjoyable. Side note: we ordered the single serving of the spaghetti and meatballs to split. They not only split the dish into two separate plates but didn't charge us for it- commendable. Next time I'm back in Charlotte this place will be first on my list to eat at. read more

A nice place, a little hard to find the turn in, buts it is a plus there was plenty of parking Meatball appetizers were good. I got the piccata dish at the bottom of the menu, which was a large portion the sauce was a little bit to much quantity wise but had good flavor. The chicken was great. My only complaint would be they didn't snip the tip of the artichokes which is a bit of an armature move. Drinks were refilled promptly, bread basket had a good assortment and flavor. After dinner drink was amaro Montenegro. Impressed they had an ample digestive menu. read more

Back in town for a conference so made decided to try dinner. The two crab cake lovers throughly enjoyed their meals. My pasta was made in house and perfectly cooked. Good thing we made reservations. On a Monday at 5:45 the restaurant was busy and was full by 6. read more

Little Mama's - Pasta and tomato sauce - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Was hype to try Little Mama's, especially after seeing it was on the Michelin guide?! The vibes were great/nice ambiance and service was decent, but the food was severely lacking. I got the vodka pasta and asked for no spice per my waitress' recommendation, but they ended up substituting it with a cheese-heavy sauce without letting me know. I'm mildly allergic to cheese, and I later found out from my friend who ordered the vodka pasta regular that it wasn't spicy at all. This was pretty disappointing as my dish was not great at all, and I had to throw out the last bits when I got home because it wasn't edible anymore - it was completely drenched in oil. My friends paid ~$60 for an appetizer we split + their entree and drink, but I don't think it was worth it as none of us were impressed with the food. Unfortunately I would not return. read more

Little Mama's - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Little mama's name allow is recognized as quality. When I first moved to Charlotte I was told Little Mama's is a must. Well, I finally went and the service was equal as good as the amazing italian dishes. EVERYTHING was amazing! The ambiance is good too. Its great for family and intimate dinner. The staff was very accommodating the whole experience. read more

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First, I will start out with the bread. The bread is deadly but so good if you fill up on the bread, you're not gonna have any room for any of the appetizers or the food which that in itself is so tasty I mean the food taste so authentic you won't get overwhelmed with the menu. It's pretty straightforward Italian food. They have some pastas that are cooked fresh. They do do family style so that's a plus ordered the chicken Parmesan with àla vodka sauce. The goat cheese dip was to die for so fresh next time I wanna taste the fresh mozzarella I heard the thing was good. I did the wine flight parking is not bad. It's right there. The restaurant itself is oddly shape, but you'll still have an intimate time great date night beautiful ambience the authenticity of our service. Deirdre was a little questionable. One of our appetizers came out late and I should read more

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Had lunch here with my dining mate. Great waiter, nice lunch menu, comfortable atmosphere. We ordered the mozzarella with toppings) of tomato and basil( essentially a caprese salad ) and entree of chicken parmesan and eggplant parmesan. I ordered a side of shaved brussel sprouts instead of pasta. Soft delicious bread and a spicey chili flavored oil on the table. I asked for olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the table. All tasty food except the shaved brussel sprouts. They were very sweet with almonds and raisins and that flavor did not compliment the brussel sprouts in our opinion. We took a few bites and left the rest. We would likely return again and order something different from the menu. read more

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Food is great, per usual! I love the Penne Alla Vodka & their bread (omg!!). Service is good and great for lunch. I went with coworkers visiting from out of town and they loved it. Beautiful ambiance for a nice dinner date/outing! Surely I'll be back soon. read more

I came in here early (5:30) and had no trouble finding a seat by the bar. The bread they served were awesome! Warm inside and crusty shell outside with slight salty taste dipping them in flavorful olive oil. The Mama's salad with house dressing was fine. I expected something slightly better than what they served. The crab cakes they served on a sizzling hot plate was kind of disappointed since crab meat inside was little bit cold. Maybe not enough oven cooking time. Not a lumpy kind of crab cakes but the flavoring was decent. It was packed with patrons by the time I finished my dinner. BTW, it is a paid parking lot by the restaurant. read more

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This was my first time at Little Mama's but definitely not my last. Food, drinks and service were exceptional! The penne alla vodka was my favorite. Our server recommended switching the pasta to one that was made in house, which was a great recommendation. It was so good I got a to go serving to share. Restaurant itself gave off steakhouse vibes but for half the price! read more

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I just had lunch at Little Mamas with 3 friends and the food was delicious, as it always is! The best part of lunch tho was Cody our server. He was professional, friendly, patient and very accommodating to our table of Seniors. I am delighted to give a shout out to Cody for taking such good care of us.(and he looked like Timothy Chalamet which was an added bonus!) read more

WOW I am so impressed by Little Mamas. If you haven't been yet, then you are missing out! We went here for our anniversary, and the staff were so attentive they brought us out a cake and took our photos. You HAVE to get the peppadew peppers and whipped burratta appetizer - I think about it often. We've sat at the bar or at a table, and either is great. I would highly recommend coming back multiple times to try out different seating and food read more

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Food is fresh and tastes healthy - not overly seasoned. The service is great. The hosts are friendly and engaging during the dining experience. The ambiance is nice and quaint. read more

Had our first dinner here with the parents visiting from out of town for my birthday. Got 3 family portion pastas to share. Super yummy! To start we had the mozzarella presentation and some wine of course. We got the artichoke and white beans with the mozzarella. I would do the red peppers or tomato next time. The pasta was very filling we had the Penne alla vodka. Fresh radiatore and a cream Alfredo sauce chicken pasta that the waiter suggested so my husband could have a chicken Alfredo pasta. We will have left overs for days! The bread was fantastic! All the wait staff was giving us extra baskets when we asked! Ambiance was great. We sat in both. Kind of loud. But that's typical for a dinner. For dessert we had the cannolis. Made fresh! And wow. They are a must. And the tiramisu!! Such another must! A great birthday dinner! Thank you read more

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Solid early dinner for us they got us in an hour earlier to accommodate us arriving to town sooner than later. Organic meatball spaghetti is the clear winner out of all the things we tried today. Bread pudding here is one of the best examples of the dish hands down. Parking is free for three hours in the lot across from the restaurant. Staff very polite and prompt ! read more

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Found this little gem by searching YELP, and glad we did. Nice ambiance in a romantic darkly-lit kind of dining room, all wood paneling and a nice little bar area where one could dine solo. The waitstaff was excellent (we had Noah), service being spot on without being intrusive. While they do get on with business in order to turn the tables, they'll back off and slow down once they figure out your desires. Our waiter suggested the Stracciatella for an appetizer and we went for it ... it was not the famous Stracciatella soup many are used to, but fresh mozzarella cheese shreds with pistachio nuts on top and surrounded with a very light lemon zest-evoo sauce ... all served with toasted crostini. We had ours with the oven roasted tomatoes as accompaniment ... and this little dish was the 5-star hit of the night. The rest of the food was very good (we had Italian sausage filled ravioli and fettuccine al bruno pasta), and I was torn between 4 and 5 stars, but settled on 4. The food was 5 star stuff but they need someone bussing the tables, and they need to work on the music playlist. We really loved our 5-star Stracciatella, but spent the rest of the meal with those used plates staring at us. All during the meal they played diner music ... good music, but totally out of place in this Italian setting ... we needed some Frankie. All to say 4 star very good ... just needs a few fine touches to match the otherwise elegant experience. read more

We went here for our 20th anniversary and it was absolutely amazing! We had a reservation and were seated quickly. The ambiance is romantic yet alive at the same time. Our server was knowledgeable, recommended items without the feeling of "selling" the food, and attended to us well. Every single items we tried was a 10/10. read more

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Love this place. Service is good. Very nice staff. Get a free dessert for your bday. Or should I say a feee cannoli. The ambiance is nice and fancy. Very cute modern place for date night. Menu is good. Prices and portion is good. Nothing bad to say about this place. Plenty of parking. read more

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Food was good. Waiter Moses ?? He wasn't very attentive, never refilling waters nor replacing silverware that was taken when used. He also forgot a beer and never asked for dessert menu and tossed it on the table when it was provided to us.. He seems he like to go home early..... read more

This is the best Italian place ever I got the vodka pasta and it was insane I'm gonna be thinking about it for weeks to come. read more

Little Mama's - 10/10 BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT IN CHARLOTTE - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We had an excellent dinner here tonight at Little Mama's. Our server was very informative and attentive, explaining the menu and giving great order recommendations. The atmosphere was classy, with most patrons dressed in dressy casual, some celebrating events. The four of us each started with a glass of wine; Chardonnay for me, Sauvignon blanc for my husband and red blend for our friends. All wines were delicious. Our server recommended the "Mozzarella presentation" with two selections that come with it; goat cheese stuffed peppers and tomato/basil. We also had tasty bread with a spicy oil dipping sauce. I ordered one of the house made pasta dishes, the fettuccine with crispy chicken. It also had a delicious truffle crumble. My husband enjoyed the chicken carciofi and it was delicious and well seasoned. read more

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Little Mama's is a great lil Italian spot in Charlotte! This review comes a bit late but better late than never. I was in town for a quick trip for Valentine's day and my boyfriend & I decided to try our luck and go here for an early dinner. Of course being Valentine's day, the place was packed but we were able to grab a couple of seats at the bar. The restaurant was easy to find and parking was a breeze since it was in a plaza. When we walked in the hostesses helped us right away and we were able to snag the bar seats. We ate dinner directly at the bar and it was a wonderful experience. The service was quick and friendly and it felt intimate being seated at the bar. We ordered a lasagna and another dish with pasta and a crusted chicken breast and it both dishes were so good! I wasn't feeling too well so after we finished up our dinner we were able to grab our bill, pay, and head out. Overall, a great experience at Little Mama's, especially on a day as busy as Valentine's day. read more

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One of CHARLOTTE'S BEST! Not easy to get reservations here, but when you do you will know,why it stays booked! We loved the meatball appetizer, and the ordered chicken parmigiana and the penne à la vodka. Those two entrées were more than enough for three people and still had leftovers. The desserts are fantastic, and we appreciated the really good bread Service with the pasta. The fresh Mozzarella appetizer is the best in Charlotte, and little mamas is one of the best Ron restaurants in the entire city! Well worth the foresight of getting a reservation, especially if you have people coming in from out of town! read more

OMG, I came here over a year ago and never wrote a review and then couldn't remember the name of the place. Well I was scrolling Yelp and came across someone elses review and it jogged my memory. Before heading out of town after a long weekend, we were looking for a final meal after some shopping at South Park. it was early for dinner but we came into Little Mama's and got a table right away. Everything was so delicious and I remember the waiter recommended the stracciatella cheese which is a must. I don't recommend eating this heavy of a meal and then driving to Charleston because all I wanted to do was take a nap but it was worth it. We had plenty of leftovers because the portions are huge and I ordered extra meatballs to take home with me. read more

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Heard about this place from co-workers. I was super impressed by the menu so I ordered takeout. Let me preface this by saying that I had a Sicilian Auntie in The Bronx, NY and I had access to all the offerings of the famous Arthur Avenue. I even make homemade manicotti shells. I am also the former director of sales and marketing for B&B hospitality group owned by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich so I know what I'm talking about when it comes to Italian cuisine. I was dying for some eggplant parm which is my favorite. So I ordered that along with the Brussels Sprouts and a cannoli. My biggest pet peeve is when I go to a "so called" Italian restaurant and order the eggplant and they leave that disgusting thick skin on it. It's hard to eat with the skin and quite frankly the skin offers no benefit other than the lazy chef who didn't want to take the time to remove it. Most of the frozen eggplant comes with the skin on which is why I'd never buy it. I can only speculate that they used frozen eggplant or are too lazy to take the skin off. Details matter people. I personally don't want to bite into something and have to pull the skin off. It's gross. Little Mama's......I make you this offer......I'm happy to come by and teach your chefs the proper way to prepare fresh eggplant because this was a tragedy. The Brussels sprouts were unremarkable in my opinion. Had no real flavor and was loaded with raisins. Personally I think pomegranate seeds would have been a better choice. Then the worst thing happened.......they never gave me my cannoli. WTF. That's just wrong!!!! I am really twisted about this. Three items ordered in and there should be three items going out. Bad order fulfillment! I can't say that I'm never gonna go back and try something else but I can say that I'm in no rush to give them another go. Instead I'm gonna make my own Sunday gravy and meatballs and manicotti this weekend. read more

I made a reservation the night before for 6pm for 6 ppl. for my oldest daughter's 18th Bday dinner. I couldn't believe the #2 rated Italian place still had an opening. First pleasant surprise. We arrive right at 6pm and only waited 3 minutes before we were sat at a booth with views of 2 tvs. Cody was our server. He had great suggestions for apps and dinner. We ordered the stracciore moz accompanied with peppadew stuffed with goat cheese and cannelloni bean salami salad. Brody ordered the penne chicken and broccoli with Alfredo lemon crème sauce. Katy ordered the ziti, both Tristan and Karlea ordered the same meal; fettuccini Alfredo with Romano chicken (go figure) I ordered the raditiore and my wife got the chicken Riggie. We all enjoyed our meals until we were stuffed and asked for to-go containers. Cody offered to wrap up the leftover for us and he labeled each container so there was no confusion. After we ate, I told tea out Karlea's bday and he offered to bring a cannoli with a candle for her which was a very nice gesture and made her feel special. I highly recommend Little Mama's for a special occasion or just regular meal with some well prepared Italian food. read more

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Little Mama's delivers. The Mozzarella Presentation was a standout silky, fresh, and plated beautifully. My Chicken Carciofi came with a bright lemon‑caper sauce over creamy polenta, balanced and full of depth. My fiancés Ziti Al Telefono was classic comfort: molten cheese, perfect texture, and rich tomato flavor. Service stayed attentive all night, making the whole experience smooth and satisfying. read more

Little Mama's - Ziti Al Telefono and Chicken Carciofi 10/10 - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I visited Little Mama's while in Charlotte for the weekend for a birthday dinner and it definitely lived up to the hype. The restaurant came highly recommended, so I was really looking forward to it. The drinks were great, and the sausage ravioli I ordered was hands down the best I've ever had. My boyfriend ordered salmon which he enjoyed as well.. Service was attentive and friendly, and the overall vibe of the restaurant made it a perfect spot for a celebratory dinner. read more

Little Mama's - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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We love little mamas and recently placed a large group catering order. We had 32 adults and 3 kids and based off the recommendations of the menu, we ordered 2 large baked ziti trays, 2 large chicken parm trays and 1 large chicken carcofi tray. Online, each tray said it feed 10-12 people. I wish I took a photo of the trays, but the pasta feeds way more than 10-12 people. We didn't even open the second tray. Luckily we love little mama's so we froze individual portions of it. All that said, it's absolutely a 5 star restaurant. A little pricey, but absolutely worth it. The food all came hot and was well cooked. I would argue it is the best Italian food in Charlotte, and now that we better understand the portion sizes, we would order catering from them again. read more

The food was great! Meatballs were so good. All staff - very friendly and attentive. Atmosphere was excellent.

I've lived in Charlotte over a year now and finally got around to trying Little Mama's. For a while now I've been told it's one of the best italian restaurants to go to and a staple Charlotte "Must have" and they weren't wrong. We were in the Southpark area and it was around 5:00pm on a friday and so we just walked in to see about a wait time(figuring it's a little before dinner dish and we might get lucky). We in fact were because there was a last minute cancellation so we were seated immediately in the main dining room. Upon seating, we were greeted with warm fresh focaccia bread which was 10/10 with accompanying balsamic and olive oil. We ordered the soup of the day was a tomato and goat cheese soup which was perfect to start with it being so cold outside. We opted to split the half caesar salad and FRESH Stracciatella Mozzarella bar which had pistachios, lemon zest, and evoo to top it. We split a main of the All Vodka but subbed the penne for a squiggly shaped pasta called Radiatore and topped it with a breaded chicken. TO DIE FOR. I will say for two people it was a lot of food and I probably could've shared my split pasta easily with another. With that being said the portion sizes are plentiful here and served family style so everyone who dines here will leave with a full belly no doubt. Our waitress asked us if we wanted dessert and we willingly passed..this time! I will definitely be back to Little Mama's to enjoy another fabulous meal very very soon. read more

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AMAZING STAFF AND MANAGEMENT. What a blessing. We had a large group and they did everything possible to seat us. God bless this staff. The food is amazing as well! read more

We love going to Little Mama's for the food and always great service. It is loud but I think a great price point and I always sub the fresh pasta as the side listed. Two of my family members do not love Italian, and we go here because they also have fantastic salmon and chicken dishes. My daughter did have an issue with her meal last night, and it was handled very efficiently by management. We went last night for my daughter's 21st birthday. They have a great deal for wine flights (other cocktails are at a pretty high price point for what you get). They brought her a cannoli with candles The best part was our waiter Caden! He was so personable and truly made the experience so memorable. Awesome to laugh with your waiter. Thanks Caden! read more

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Amazing food!!! (And I am not easily impressed.) Service was good. The space is quaint and comfortable. We will return!! read more

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Family style restaurant. Went there for a Friday dinner with friends - they were able to accommodate large groups with advanced reservation. We came by the reservation time but waited for another 10+ minutes for the table to be ready. Food was descent. Server made good suggestions on the portions of dishes to share. The mozzarella cheese tasted great. Entrees were good amount of food. Cheese and pepper were offered to the pasta as well. Free parking lot nearby. read more

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I think this may top my visits to Italian restaurants. The whole place is inviting, dim enough for a romantic evening, but bright enough to get supper with friends. The mozzarella bar (not actually a bar, just really customizable fresh mozzarella) is a fantastic idea and is amazing; the mozzarella is cold, the tomatoes are juicy, and the EVOO is powerful. The bread is also great (though be aware the EVOO that comes with it has a bit of a kick); we went through nearly two baskets. That's nothing to say of the pasta. I don't like tomato-based sauces much, but I took a well-rewarded risk with the radiatore pasta. That pasta's also fresh and cooked just enough to leave a little spring in it. The meat in the sauce was also good, though it was difficult to differentiate it from regular old beef even though it was a mixture of pork, beef, and veal. Moses was also a great waiter, giving us well-informed recommendations such as adding ricotta to the radiatore and keeping us topped off on drinks, bread, and whatever else we needed. Price-wise, it's also surprisingly affordable for Charlotte. read more

I've heard nothing but good things about Little Mama's and let me tell you... the hype is real! This has to be one of the best places to eat in Charlotte, hands down. The service is incredible, the food is absolutely amazing, and the restaurant itself is so nice without feeling overly stuffy. It is truly a gem. Oh! And I can't forget, there's lots of parking nearby! That's a big thing for me with places in the city so definitely had to add points there. There's a large, level lot just outside of the restaurant. It seems to be shared with the other surrounding buildings so I'm not sure how packed it can get during the week, but we visited on a Sunday and it was nearly empty. Win! Honestly, it isn't even worth me rambling about everything because I promise you can't go wrong here. They are making everything fresh with quality ingredients and it makes all the difference. From the complimentary bread and olive oil to start, to the amazing salad options (the half Tuscan I ordered was phenomenal and I would return JUST for the salad!), to the delicious entrees.. it is all absolutely delicious. I'm sure the appetizers and desserts are wonderful as well but I had absolutely zero room and leftovers that made a couple more meals, so I'll have to plan better next time. read more

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So yeah it is an Italian restaurant, but well the food resembles Italian.... But in the other hand it doesn't taste Italian..... this is a corporate Italian restaurant from a company that owns lots of other restaurants. I had the chick/eggplant parm. Tasted ok, just didn't really have the flavor of a real Italian restaurant. read more

Little Mama's - See it looks Italian just doesn't have the flavor. And the sauce it very average - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I came here with two friends for lunch. Have been to the other location and this location was just as great. The server was attentive, the food was all fresh and came out fast, and the vibe was old school Italian for sure. One of my friends said he felt like he went back in time, but in a good way. The prices for lunch are extremely fair for what you get considering the quality of the food. I'll be back again. read more

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