There was some kind of music fest when I was there a few weeks ago at one of the attractions called the Stack. Mama Nina was a place that seemed appealing since the weather was nice and the tables outside were inviting. Got the mutz appetizer and the garlic bread which would be perfect when at work so no one would bother you. The Chicken Fantasy was good, the server was always checking up on us and there's other places you can check out in the area, but parking is a hassle. Its worth visiting again. read more

The portions are worth the price. Great quality food and best garlic bread. It changed ownership so wine is now BYOB.

Huge portions! Great pasta sauces! Fantastic crabcakes! Real garlic chunks on your bread! Come hungry, leave in a carbohydrate-induced coma! The food here is great, but the location is really awkward. Main Street Bethlehem is a good place, but this restaurant is located in a converted old bagel shop. It's kind of tiny and everything feels really cramped. And the dinner crowd just jams into this tiny amount of space and it's kind of unpleasant. The service is great and the food is fantastic. I just wish I could enjoy my food without having to worry about bumping into people getting their coats or tripping over the waitress. read more

Went for my friends 40th birthday party. The food was fantastic, I would recommend anything there. Me and my fiancé ordered the angel hair gorgonzola, it had crab meat, scallops, shrimp, and topped with a lobster tail, it was amazing. We were loud, laughed, and had fun like a traditional Italian dinner. The appetizers were great. Will definitely be back read more

Mama Nina's is a great place. The prices are reasonable and the food is excellent. It's all authentic and homemade, and the fact that the owner is visible and present adds a lot to the experience. The pasta dishes are wonderful and so are the complimentary garlic knots. You won't leave disappointed or hungry! read more

This was my first time visiting, came to Bethlehem on a business trip. Hotel menu was a little boring so I decided to venture out. Thanks to my yelp app found this place. I was seated immediately, service was fine, I ordered the baked ziti. The sauce was well seasoned, not too sour or too sweet, great comforting dish, exactly what I needed after a six hour flight. read more

Mama Nina's - Garlic bread...need I say more? - Italian Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Visiting from AZ and our friends who are locals recommended this place for their delicious food. Cute exterior, if it wasn't raining would have loved to sit outside! The interior is a cheaply put together rendition of a mix of a pizza shop/ bistro. Cheap decorations, needs an update. Dolphins on the wall...really? Our waitress was tentative. When I asked if there were reduced portion sizes or if I could order from the kids menu she stated, "no half sizes and you can't order from the kids menu or ill get fired". So much for a family restaurant?!? I wanted the chicken parm, but not a huge plate of it as I am traveling and wouldn't have much use for leftovers. So I didn't order anything, the kids chicken parm would have been the perfect portion. I mean wouldn't they rather make $10 instead of no dollars? Need to work on that customer service. Have you ever shopped at Nordstrom? Ever wonder why they are so successful. Take notes! I just ate at a restaurant in Little Italy, NYC and they were MORE THAN HAPPY to accommodate! Anyway, ended up plate sharing and one of my friends had ordered a plate with a mixture of meats, chicken parm being one of them. He cut his gigantic piece in half and gave me a bit of the linguini. Both were very good, and just the right amount. I prolly won't return to this restaurant simply because they don't accommodate. (Or won't) The food just simply isn't enough to bring me back. read more

The food was good- felt like a home-cooked meal and had a family vibe. I would come back here again. Note that it's BYOB and very tiny.

Excellent food with large portions and a buzzing (yep homey) ambiance. Some people may be deterred by the way that they pack in customers, however it certainly doesn't bother me. I can't recall having a bad meal here and the garlic bread is incredible if you're a garlic lover! Being BYOB is just the icing on the cake. read more

The food is good, potions are big but they should be for the price. Sharing charge, is crazy. I ordered a appetizer for my meal and my hubby ordered his meal and we told to bring out the appetizer first. Server told me that he still had to charge us for sharing even though I had 2 bite from his dish (not a separate plate). Then when we got our bill hubby got coffee to drink and then was charged for the 2nd cup. I hate to be nickeled and dime for everything. For this reason I won't go back. I know to many other good Italian restaurants to go to. Also if you hate sitting in top of people then this is not a place to go to either... or they might put you downstairs where it's even tighter. No thank you. read more

Food was great but the runners really rubbed me the wrong way. Before any of us were done eating a waitress came around and took our plates from us and put them into to-go containers. Felt rushed out of there. When ordering a coffee was told "we have them in to go cups as well". In addition we overheard the manager tell another couple to wait outside in the cold while their table was being set in a very rude manner. read more

A few weeks ago we had a group of four meet here for dinner. The night was beautiful and we were willing to wait for an outdoor table. While we waited the hostess put the beer and wine we brought on ice, so when we sat down it was nice and cold. Our wine was opened an poured promptly and our dinner orders taken soon after that. Now the only negative of the night...our dinners took a LONG time to come out. This really was not a tragedy because the night was comfortable, they brought copious servings of garlic knots, and we were having a great time chatting. I'll tell you what though, the food was well worth the wait. The shrimp parm was unbelievable. The shrimp were large, well breaded, and fried perfectly. Also, my wife's penne with vodka sauce was flavorful, creamy, and over perfectly prepared. We did not have room for dessert, mostly due to the handfuls of garlic knots we ate. Several tables around us had desert and they look delicious. Really the only reason I can't give a five is because of the long wait. If the night had been hot or we were all really hungry, the wait would have been torturous, especially having to watch the other tables around us chowing down on great food. BYOB make Mama Nina's an affordable place to have great Italian food. I also had lunch at Mama Nina once. I had a sub and salad that was huge. The salad was literally overflowing on the plate. The prices were pretty good and I brought half of my sub home with me. read more

Went here yesterday for dinner after hearing good reviews about the food and "not so good" reviews about the service.... When I arrived the place was rather small with many tables, a homey feel slightly bordering a bit crowded.. I recommend asking for a booth. The waitress awkwardly spent longer than necessary trying to figure out where to seat us when the restaurant was 1/3 empty so I just asked for a booth because i did not want to be cramped in the middle of the restaurant. Anyways, our waitress (with a seemingly un-delighted demeanor) opened our bottle of wine and gave us that delicious garlic bread everyone has been raving about (warning:gave me garlic breath for days to come...jk). I had the Tour of Mama Nina and my friend had the Chicken Fantasy. When the plates, no...mounds of food were set before me I just stared, I had no idea where to begin. This thing had an enormous piece of chicken covering/draped over a large meatball (just okay for me), sausage (not as flavorful as I would like), eggplant rollatini with pasta underneath. I would say that although the portion is well worth the money, I would try something more flavorful next time, all the flavors began to seem muddled. My friend's Chicken Fantasy was delicious though. The amount of food they give you can feed you for half a week. I would say that the food was good, pasta was cooked nicely, portions were well worth the money. I'd come back to try something else on the menu. read more

It doesn't look like much from the outside but once you walk in & try their food you'll be in love. I've eaten here many of times & never had a bad dish yet. The waitress automatically puts fresh bread knots with chunks of garlic on the table. Try the Mana Nina salad it's enough for two. Plus you get so much food it's enough for the next day. read more

I used to love this restaurant, but it seems like it's gone downhill a bit. It was earlier on a Wed night, around 6p. We sat outside, and although the garlic bread was on our table before we blinked, unfortunately the waiter was not very prompt. We had to ask for one. We ordered calamari and sent it back (rubbery & chewy). We received a second plate and again, returned it for the same problem. Our waiter even tried one and agreed that it wasn't good. Our entrees were good, not great. The chunks of garlic with the bread is not appetizing to me and even though I scrapped off all the garlic, 3 pieces of bread really upset my stomach. Do they realize that many people cannot tolerate nearly raw garlic? I much prefer Paolo's in Northampton for a good Italian byob. read more

I've stopped here before once on a Saturday afternoon. The food was tasty and the service was good. I decided to give it a try on a Saturday night (after 8pm). I knew the place was small and it would most likely be busy... and I was OK with waiting for a table. What I wasn't OK with was having 3 employees walk right by without even acknowledging me. I guess they were too busy for our business. Oh well....we left and went to Tre Scalini instead. (And that restaurant gets 5 stars!) read more

This place is sooo good! Beware of garlic and calories!! What's nice about this restaurant, is that everyone working has a helping hand so you won't go without water or silverware. I wouldn't recommend bringing a large group of friends here. This place is small, and it gets PACKED! Def call ahead if you plan on coming here on the weekend or during the summer. read more

Fantastic Italian Food! I've been here twice now and have had great service and food. A bit pricey but totally worth it. If you're on main street this is the place to go. read more

I'm leaving tonight feeling incredibly disappointed. My family and I have been coming here for a few years whenever we come up to the Lehigh valley vineyards. Today will be the last. The staff tries their very best to accommodate the customers. However, today although we had reservations for 7pm we were not seated until 7:45. We were seated in the basement next to the storage closet which by the way has no exits in case of a fire. We were given two square tables And a round table that didn't fit us comfortably. We were told we could wait to be seated upstairs. That NEVER happened. We were not even taken care of until 8:30. The owner/manager was super inconsiderate and didn't care about how uncomfortable and upset we were... The food is still great but due to the service, we will NOT be returning. Hopefully this is being read, along with all the other negative comments referring to the service, and the restaurant manager changes things for the better because it's a shame this great place is going down. read more

I've eaten at Mama Nina now 5 or 6 times. It is perfect for dinner to catch up with friends, or to go out with family. The portions are absolutely HUGE. I had the linguine bolognese, and I ate to my heart's content. Then I took my leftovers and shared it for lunch with my older brother. I think the dish was about 2.5 pounds when they served it to me. Remember to ask for the complimentary glass of wine with dinner, and if they ask if you want garlic on your bread...say yes! The house salad has the my favorite balsamic vinaigrette I have had to date (and they put cheese and roasted red/yellow peppers on it also). The only caveat to Mama Nina is that it is always packed because it is so good. I typically eat there for midweek lunches or midweek dinners not between 6:30-7:30. But if you are in Bethlehem and can only eat at one restaurant without spending a lot of money, Mama Nina is the best option by far. read more

Mama Nina's food is delicious! Great food, atmosphere, and value. The portions are huge--my husband and I shared one entrée (the Bolognese) and were both full. The garlic bread was also delicious. We'll definitely be back! read more

Really enjoyed the experience. Warm friendly fast service. Garlic bread was delish. Complimentary wine was a bonus. Wish I had known it was byob. Had apps : mussel sopa, decent. Fried calamari, wonderful. Entree : Ziti with bolognese, pretty good, huge portion. All dishes were more than enough for two. Waiter was attentive and expediant. Overall great dining. read more

A gem of italian in PA. Amazing pasta primavera and the garlic bread its to die for. A wait everytime but what a great area to walk around.

Went here on another visit to Lehigh and a quest for another enjoyable dinner out with a couple of sons. Though I am service orientated in my reviews, it is more a factor of attitude as compared to quickness. I Hate being rushed, enjoy at least two hours for dining and most of the service complaints on Yelp were about slowness, which bothers me zero. I am about eating and enjoying the company of my table-mates. This place is small and tightly spaced. Expect to lean forward and pull your chair in as servers walk by. Also, the tables are small, except for the booths. We were three on a four top and could barely fit the food and glasses on the table. There is no way around this as there is limited space for the plethora of diners desiring to eat here and I did not consider the aforementioned reality a negative, just a .....reality. Nice ambiance,rustic-ish and your typical Italian music blend in the back-ground. Pictures of the owner with Clinton and Obama. Yuck! Cant blame the guy if a pres. stops by your place, though. I found the service to be casual and friendly. If you want water, you have to ask for it. If you want more water, you have to ask for it again and then again. The one thing I hated, as usual, was the feeling of being rushed. Hate it! Nice waitress, very nice, but stop rushing me to order. We are the last people to come in, so no one needs to turn this table. The only negative of the night was that as we are still eating the last bites of our apps, she comes over and says that the entrees are ready and could she clear the apps. I couldn't answer since I still had a mouthful of said apps. Are you kidding me? Whats the rush? And I still gave four stars. Onto the food. We had two apps and three entrees between the three of us, four of those were off the specials for the evening menu. All were very good and we all enjoyed everything very much. You have to understand the style though. The things we ordered were all very rich and full flavored. This is olive oil and butter and heavy cream style cooking. Old world, like before skim milk lattes and a cardiologist on every corner. And I for one yearn for the good old days. Unless you go out every day, visiting a restaurant should be the one meal where you give yourself a little leeway and allow yourself to indulge in a little sinful decadence. This place falls into that mode of dining. And I for one enjoyed the quart of heavy cream on my dinner. (Only kidding). (About the quart, not the enjoying, that is). The dishes were all well prepared and tasty. I had a stuffed salmon and requested that it be under-cooked since everyone kills seafood as if there is a danger with medium rare or medium cooked seafood. Isn't there a type of cuisine out there where you actually eat raw seafood? Gasp! Anyway, it came out like a medium rare and it was wonderful! Crab stuffing also good though heavy on the red peppers, and shrimp and sauce and loads of pasta. The crab cake special was the same style of crabmeat, also voluminous, shrimp, scallops,sauce and loads of pasta. The seafood combo, much the same and all really good. As to the garlic bread, it was more like small oblong soft rolls bathed in olive oil and lots of fresh chunks of garlic. Decadent and delicious. This is not what you normally think of when you think of "garlic bread". As to the cost and the portion sizes, both are on the higher than normal range. The apps were $13 to $15 and the entrees were $25+ each for the specials. Granted, you get a large plate of food but in reality, you get a large plate of the least expensive part of the dish, that being the pasta. You get a normal to large portion of the protein. When you get your plate, you dont say Wow, look at all those shrimp, you say Wow look at all that food. If you ate the protein and a little of the pasta, it would still be a really good meal, just not with the over-kill. By the way, in all honesty, I eat a very low-carb diet so lots of pasta doesn't excite me. But I will be making an exception when it comes to eating the left-overs. BTW, there are less expensive choices on the menu and also pizza so the budget minded dont have to spend lots of dough. Unfortunately for my wallet, that doesn't work too well for me. All in all a really great place, one that I would recommend to others and will certainly be returning to soon. Heck, maybe if I'm not rushed, maybe 5 stars? Finally done with my longest Yelp review yet. Time to eat some pasta! read more

Started with crab stuffed mushrooms and for entree had lobster stuffed ravioli. Both super delish!! Large portions- good for sharing.

I decided to take my mother here for Mother's Day for the first time. When arrived the outside was busy but there was seating inside. However this restaurant is so tiny, there was hardly any ventilation with door open and it was warm that day. We came about 2 pm and we wanted lunch and they stated on Saturdays there's no lunch menu for your awareness. They sat us in a booth and it was 5 of us with baby in high chair, so were pretty tight. The waiter was very nice and attentive. We got our drinks and they charge for a refill. We received our bread and it was warm and very good but drenched in olive oil and we did get few refills of bread for no charge. We ordered our food and we got chicken parm, chicken broccoli and chicken fantasy. I must say the plates were huge and you will need a doggie bag which is good so you can eat off it again. The chicken parm I thought was good in a regular way, nothing special. Same with chicken broccoli. My mother didn't like what was in chicken fantasy or sauce and they said they wouldn't exchange it or they would but there would still be a charge for it which was very upsetting. Also, I asked for a complimentary glass of wine and waiter said not till 4pm. So, I thought for the dinner menu it was a little pricy for that restaurant. It's too small and stuffy and can barely breathe. The food is just decent not spectacular like some people made it seem. I wouldn't go back because of these things. I've eaten at better places. read more

Great authentic italian food with a very comfortable atmosphere. Everything from the starters to dessert is fantastic. I've tried multiple items and have always been pleased and enjoyed myself. Get ready to wait w/o reservations.. Im not the only one who love Mama Nina's. read more

Love love love this place. Everything I've had here is delicious. The food is fresh and great quality. The pasta is some of the best around. Calamari & garlic knots are also fantastic. Great service, food usually comes out pretty quick. Sitting outside when it's warm is really nice. read more

The food is unreal. Perfect authentic Italian. Service is super speedy even when it's overly crowded. The only downfall is the size of the restaurant but it's so worth it! read more

Family run operation that welcomes you and makes you feel at home. I really enjoyed the expeience. the veal fantasy is a must try... read more

This place is great. Manhattan style: always crowded, loud, and slow service. The food tastes fresh and the portions are generous. Location on quaint main street is another attracting factor read more

Small, and often overcrowded, but there's good reason - the food is amazing, and Mama Nina treats all her guests like family. Nothing I've tried has ever been less than 4-star, my favorite being the balsamic calamari (when they have it...). Prices are a little higher than average for Italian, but I can usually get 2-3 additional meals from the leftovers I take home :-) read more

The food was delicious and had a decent time. The pasta was not homemade but delicious. However, the waitress should have been friendlier.

It's a very good Italian place on the North Side. I've never tried any of the other Italian places on the North Side because I know that I'll have a good experience at Mama Nina's. It's a bit small, so the wait can be long if you don't get there early. The garlic bread is very good. read more

Food is just OK. Fortunately they are reasonably inexpensive. Lack of a reservation system is very inconvenient unless you want to make Mama Ninas a whole night, you don't! Inside tables are tightly packed. Service is OK. Too many other good choices in downtown Bethlehem. read more

It was just ok. Being shoved down in the basement didn't help after we requested to be moved from a booth after getting claustrophobic from having your neighbors practically sitting on top of you. The food was good and you do get a lot but for what you pay, the atmosphere kills it. read more

Crab cakes dinner is remarkable. .. when I say something is good it's because it is and trust me it is truly the best I've ever tasted!!!

Great, authentic Italian food. Super nice staff. Great garlic bread. Just bring some mints for afterwards! Keyword: garlic!!! So good. Pasta meals are exceptional read more

I agree with Joshua r. Worst Italian food I ever had !! I ordered shrimp cocktail and they brought me a dish with small shrimp that looked like they came out of a can swimming in some kind of red water . Then made the mistake of ordering the chicken francias the pieces were to thick and tasteless !!! It's a simple dish how can you screw that up ? I've eaten in some of the best Italian restaurants in little Italy (NYC) maybe they should send their cook's there to learn how to do it right !!!! Never going to eat there again !!!!! read more

Absolutely my favorite Italian restaurant this side of Italy. Get the Mozzarella Bella and Penne a la Vodka!