Glorified Olive Garden. I was able to try a pasta dish, pepperoni pizza and the chicken parmigiana sandwich. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the worst Italian food i've had and the price was pretty decent. But i don't think I would go out of my way to eat here. It's just very americanized Italian food of decent quality. read more

Mama Santa's - pepperoni pizza - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Mama Santa is an institution in Little Italy The food is absolutely delicious from the pizzas to the pastas! This is a wonderful family owned restaurant that takes pride in everything they serve! The staff is on point and so friendly making your dining experience so enjoyable! read more

Most fire place ever. Incredibly authentic. One of a kind. Unique. For everyone. Will be back.

The mozzarella sticks were good but the sauce was so oily it wouldn't stick to the stick. Got the veal parmesan and the veal was good but again the sauce was very lacking. Date got the Alfredo and it smelled like a deviled egg. The house chianti was a 10 dollar Walmart wine. The meatballs had no texture. Over processed and probably frozen. But the seasoning of the meat was good. The service sucked. Some old Nona grunted at us and was very slow even though the place was practically empty. Every time I said "Thank you" she replied "Yeah" or "Ok." I won't be coming back read more

Since moving to cleveland I had searched high and low for some authentic Italian pizza. Every Clevelander i talked to raved about Mama Santa's and so finally I caved and ended up in Little Italy for some pizza finding. What I found was heaven. The staff are so adorable, an older man helped us to our socially distant table, sanitized our cloth and made sure we were welcomed with open arms during such a crazy time in America. The menu is simple and straight to the point of why you're there. PIZZA. They have classic toppings nothing too crazy, truly authentic style. They also have some simple italian appetizers that brought back memories of being in little italy NY and my nonnas kitchen. We got just a plain (cheese) pizza and it came out well done like i love it, thin crust, sauced to perfection, loads of cheese and PERFECTLY cooked. MY kids devoured it and so we had to order another one. They came out pretty fast which was great, and because of their small and to the point menu you're able to get served quickly. The wait staff was awesome, bilingual in italian (AWESOMEEE) and very friendly. I truly felt at home. The pizza was BOMB DOT COM. Crust cooked to perfection, crispy and crunchy, steaming hot, makes you HUF HUF HUF when eating it because i was greedy and didnt want to wait for it to cool. There is take out too which was popping, which further proves just how awesome this little eatery is. Lots of spacial seating and masks required. Hand sanitizer available and they have contactless pay. All in all i am so happy that i finally got to come here and i am so happy it was everything people made it out to be! read more

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Charming Retro Restaurant! Don't except thematic decor or a colorful atmosphere, but you'll enjoy through back charm that reminds you of when restaurants where a family business. I was traveling on business and wanted to something unique. I wasn't disappointed. The server was very friendly and helpful in making my selections. I ordered the lasagna, Chianti and cannoli. As I waited. They served bread with butter, tasted fresh but had a feeling it's not made in-house. The lasagna presentation was a little unique as it was a tight, but good sized, flat, all most perfect rectangle. I had a feeling it may have been frozen and reheated for service. It was not evenly warm throughout, yet still retained a nice flavor. The ricotta cheese was generously infused. As for the flavor, It was unique. I've had lasagna many places around the world, this one stands out as not trying to copy any others. It's enjoyable. Could have been warmer, but was very reminiscent of a family recipe. I had asked if they made their own cannoli's and was told they purchase from a local bakery. It was wonderful ! Don't miss the cannoli!!! Overall, I enjoyed it ! Loved the retro music, the 70s decor and the tasty meal. read more

Mama Santa's - Entrance - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Reasonable price for Italian food in Little Italy. The pasta entrees seemed more worth it than the pizza given that you are charged per topping for pizzas. Nonetheless, we ordered the homemade spaghetti and a small pizza. Pizza was pretty good and came out piping hot, and while the crust was a bit thicker than I'd prefer, the dough was very good. Homemade spaghetti with meatballs was a solid dish as I really enjoyed the noodles. The meatballs were mediocre and a bit cold. Inside they are much larger than it appears from the outside, with checked tables all around, though it was a tad too dark for my liking. My main complaint comes from paying the bill. You walk up to the front to pay, and I was asked if I wanted to add tip using my card, to which I said yes. The total amount I was charged though, didn't match up to the percentage I asked them to put down (either calculating before or after tax on my bill), which was a bummer and because I wasn't given the option to choose the amount myself. Parking would be difficult since it is Little Italy. read more

Mama Santa's - Homemade spaghetti with meatballs - $9.95 - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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I have eaten out all over the US and Europe. This was definitely my worst experience ever with Italian food. All I can say is, how can a restaurant as old as this have such horrible pasta and Alfredo sauce? I have never had pasta with the texture and odd sizes. It was definitely a dry manufactured pasta and not fresh. The menu posted one price and the price charged was higher at $23.95. Also, the chicken was called a cutlet. It was no more than 1/4 of a chicken breast pounded down to approximately 1/4 inch and then breaded. It was so over fried it was like a piece of flavorless cardboard. No flavor in either of its main components. It is a shame because I was looking forward to a meal in Little Italy. We also ordered garlic bread that came out with burnt edges and was very hard. It to was cut very thin. They didn't even bother to bring us the bread that was to come with our meal. I would not recommend wasting your money at this disappointing restaurant. I know we will not return. As for atmosphere, could use an upgrade on the decor. read more

First time - our outing to Little Italy on a rainy Saturday. We were immediately seated at a quaint small table. Our waiter was prompt & friendly. We opted for a bottle of Sangiovese over the carafes. We decided to both order from the homemade noodles menu. Grace had beef ravioli and I tried the lasagna. Dishes came out fast. They were smothered in a simple, tasty marinara sauce. The texture and bite of the noodles was awesome! The ravioli was stuffed so full! My lasagna was a tasty layering of the great noodles, meat, and cheese - all in perfect proportion. So many restaurants think more cheese must be better - not for me. Mama Santa's knows the right way to make Italian food much more like my experiences in Italy! We normally don't do dessert but we gad to try their house made tiramisu- lovely with bold espresso, soft lady fingers, silky mascarpone, and dark chocolate powder. Not too sweet- really nice. I look forward to trying their pizza next time! read more

Mama Santa's - Ravioli & Lasagna - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Outstanding food and service, decor could use updating but still nice feel. Homemade Spaghetti read more

We've heard this is the place to get the best cavatelli in Little Italy, tried it out. Didn't get cavatelli. Fettuccine Alfredo was spectacularly mediocre. Nice people. Wouldn't take someone I was trying to impress here, better for a breakup. Nice people. read more

Wanted to visit Little Italy and decided to check out Mama Santa's and grab some pizza. Staff was super friendly. We were immediately sat. We ordered pizza well done and meatballs to start. We started with meatballs and were pretty impressed. Our pizza looked delicious and definitely appeared well done. However, the bottom of the crust was a little too doughy for our liking. read more

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This is the most "casual" restaurant in Little Italy. You can be relaxed and sit at a checkered table cloth and feel like you can visit with your family over a less pricey but great homemade meal. We ordered a pizza as an appetizer as we have been dying to try it as we hear a lot of excellent reviews on their pizzas. They did not disappoint! The pizza is flavorful and all 4 of us were happy! We each ordered different pasta meals. My father and daughter order the chicken Parmesan with a side of "regular" spaghetti. The chicken is very tender and good, and the spaghetti is "generic" however much better than the homemade spaghetti. I ordered the homemade noodles spaghetti and am not a fan. The noodles are much thicker and more chewy than regular spaghetti noodles and it was difficult to eat. I felt the noodles would be great on a chicken and noodles meal, but not spaghetti. My mother ordered the ravioli with Alfredo and was happy with the Alfredo saying it was creamy and not too cheesy. They bring out a bread basket with butter so be prepared to carb up while you are there. When we go back we will just order a pizza. read more

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solid old school Italian place. we had the veal parm and the pasta and cici bean soup. both were pretty good and reasonably priced. sauce is good, ambiance is not great, but what you expect for an old joint. good place to go for a reasonably priced Italian mean in little Italy. read more

It was ok....we chose this restaurant because we had children with us. The portions and price point for the meal is great value. The taste, however, has a lot to be desired. I have been to Italy many many many times and have never been served food like this. The lasagne was burnt all around the edges and dry inside and was just covered in marinara sauce "to hide" it? The meat sauce was probably the best as this did taste like it has been cooking for hours like it should be. The marinara sauce had no flavor and was lacking seasoning. On the plus side the ambiance and service were very good! The whole little italy area is very cute, but is this the best restaurant there? Probably not! read more

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Love it. Ate dinner at a spot in Little Italy, and still had to come through and grab a small medium for take home. I'll never step foot in Little Italy and not pay respects to Mama Santas. Very grateful for their pie and foods. read more

Mama Santa's - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Classic old school Italian in the heart of Little Italy. The fresh pasta was delicious as was the Alfredo and pesto sauce that we mixed it with. Also, don't sleep on the anti-pasta salad! Staff is very friendly read more

Went here on a friday night with high expectations. Unfortunately, nothing in this establishment reached them. We ordered a cheese pizza, garlic toast and a salad. The garlic toast was white bread with garlic added to it, was very thin and unappetizing. The pizza was disgusting, I would rather eat costco pizza left out on my counter for a week than this lazy excuse for pizza. at least the water was good read more

On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, I had the homemade Cavatelli & meatballs listed at $13.95 on the menu and also ordered a small pizza with sausage since the waitress said the sausage was made in house. The homemade Cavatelli with meatballs was excellent in taste, but the portion was quite small. The pizza left a lot to be desired. The crust was like burnt cardboard, hardly any cheese and the couple pieces of sausage that were the size of a dime in diameter and thickness, with NO flavor. But the complaint I have is while the Cavatelli and meatballs was advertised as $13.95, they charged $2.00 extra for the meatballs and the extra $2.00 charge for the sausage on the pizza was exorbitant when you don't get what would be equivalent to 1 small bite of meat. My advice is to stay away from Mama Santa's Restaurant! read more

Pizza was delicious and service was awesome!! It's a cute small location that has a lot of character. Great for a date night!

my husband brought me here for my birthday dinner. I ordered the fettuccine with chicken cutlet. I did not like it. the sauce had peppers in it and it had a very off flavor. It was very watery as well. I preferred a thicker Alfredo sauce with more a cheese flavor instead of pepper. An older man came over and asked how we were doing - I told him I wasn't a fan of the dish and asked him to take it off my bill. He then questioned what I didn't like about it and when I explained he verbally accused me loudly in a dinner room full of others and told me "I'm one in a thousand" because that is one of the most popular dishes. I will NEVER go there ever again. I am very disappointed and so looking forward to lunch. I left the restaurant and the older man came back up to my husband and said he tasted the dish and there was nothing wrong with it. also my husband ordered a pizza and honestly it wasn't they great either. Definitely would have preferred olive garden or Luca's pizza in Stow. read more

Pizza is amazing! Got a regular cheese pizza and manicotti pasta. Both were fabulous. Went for lunch on a Tuesday and had the best time!

This was the worse meal of my entire life...chicken parm on untoasted wonder bread and not fully cooked chicken...#disgusting

Price is right and it's a crisper/not soggy pie by nature. Still the old school vibe as I used to come here 15 years ago. Thumbs up there! But, the pie tastes like there is a TON of something artificial in there or just excess salt. Top of my mouth is burnt/raw like eating too many Doritos. Not good. I don't know what is happening but you can't taste the sauce or anything. Just this bizarre mouthfeel/taste. It's not what I grew up with. The pie looks good and it's nicely crisp but something is off. Good toppings it seems. Was like a salt bomb every bite and my mouth is still feeling it hours after! read more

Mama Santa's - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

We love our Pizza. Especially Mama Santas in Little Italy. It's cheesy, crispy, and just overall amazing. We split a carafe of their house red wine and just had an overall amazing time with friends. Love the casual and homey atmosphere. We highly recommend their plain cheese pizza - ~$10 and it is incredible, definitely our go-to when we aren't sure what to do for dinner or eat when in Little Italy. Their meatballs are also amazing and you can never go wrong with splitting wine with friends here. Love this establishment and is a staple in Little Italy. read more

Mama Santa's - Large Cheese Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Mama Santa's has been around for decades, and it's comforting to visit and sit in the familiar space at familiar tables and enjoy familiar food. And all the food is delicious. I have been eating here for decades, and the pizza always puts a huge smile on my face. While my family will often get other dishes like spaghetti or eggplant Parmesan, I always get the same things: antipasto, garlic toast, and pepperoni pizza. It is so good! If you order spaghetti you get the option of house made noodles, and the eggplant Parmesan isn't breaded snd fried, it is more like lasagna. There are other Italian restaurants in Cleveland that I like, and even some I love, but I will always love mama Santa's the most! read more

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Reliable spot in little Italy for good pizza and salad. I did get their lasagnas last time and the noodles were hard, but the sauce was good. Perfect location to explore the area! read more

Mama Santas was very tasty. It was Recommended by a friend. Very reasonable and tasty. Only drawback was lack of parking which looked to be the case for the whole area. read more

The food was excellent. The service was excellent. I have the sausage fettuccine. It was all homemade red sauce and we also had pizza had a gluten-free crust. It was perfect. Must have. We drove up from Canton Ohio. It was worth the drive. read more

First visit- what a cozy little piece of little Italy heaven! I love the cozy little atmosphere and the waitresses are on the spot (we had Erin, super sweet)!!!! Everything is super authentic and delicious! read more

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BEST. ITALIAN. RESTAURANT. EVER. The owners were Sicilian so you KNOW it's going to be good! Several employees are relatives of the original owners and they haven't changed hands. Digging the vintage 70's interiors! It's hard to choose! Pepperoni Pizza? Amazing! Chicken soup? Amazing? Mozzarella sticks? Amazing! Cavatelli pasta? Amazing! Cannolis? Amazing! I think their best dish is their Chicken Parmesan! Unlike some places they use fresh REAL chicken and they hand bread it and fry it so that it's CRISP not soggy! Mangia! Mangia! BELLISSIMO!! TI AMO MAMA SANTA'S!! read more

Always a wonderful experience! Always treated like family and the food is delicious....almost as good as Nani's!

5/5 for everything on the menu except the pizza, which I'd say is about a 3/5... still good, but there are better pizza places around. That said, the pasta, chicken Parmigiana, and garlic bread dishes are all outstanding. The marinara sauce is THE BEST I've had anywhere. read more

As usual, a fantastic meal! Pizza is the best in town! Cavatelli was delicious, homemade noodles. Lasagna was right on and the bread is really delicious! Great service as always. read more

4/5 Pizza but rest of the menu needs work The first time I went to Mama Santa's a few years ago, I remembered having really good pizza and that still was true. I went to Mama Santa's last month with a friend after getting many rave reviews. As far as Cleveland pizza goes I'd give it a 3.8/5. The place itself is kind of cramped and it's hard to follow COVID restrictions though they did have socially distanced tables. Also it's a bit too dim for me. I don't recommend driving there. We walked since it's much less hectic. In the restaurant, we were seated comfortably on the side and received our menu and bread. The pizza was great. We got the cheese and pepperoni. The crust was crispy and the sauce was rich and zesty. The pepperoni was nice and well done. The only thing I didn't like was the cheese ravioli. I wish they had a white sauce option (I'm not the one to ask, so maybe they would of done it if I did) but it did seem a bit undercooked. My Italian relatives would of been upset. Regardless, we were treated kindly walking in and out the door. Solid experience overall and solidly priced (except ravioli). However, when I told my black friend about my experience, I was told that Mama Santa's was actually one of the "friendlier" Little Italy restaurants. They told me the history of racism in Little Italy and how it's still an issue. They said that when they went with their Asian friend she said, "when I bring you here, we don't seem to get bread served to our table." To test this, a few days ago I went to Mama Santa's with them. We were greeted in and out and sat to our table. But like they said, we didn't get bread until we asked. It might've been that our waiter forgot since they had other tables, but it wasn't that busy. As well, service seemed slower at our table. Checking our drinks, seeing how we were doing, it wasn't as warm as before while we saw others get checked on. Maybe it was just that day, but my friend felt off about it too. Either way, the pizza was as good as before. I found out that the place is originally Sicilian so it made sense. Overall, the ma and pa shop does well for itself. I just wish Little Italy would let go of its racist past so that ALL people feel welcome. It would be smarter and better for business. Our legion may call for collective action if it's not otherwise. read more

Best pizza I have eaten in a long time. Loaded with toppings!! Quick delivery as well!!!

Small place, great service, my meal was delicious, and the price was right. I am from out of town and was very lucky to get a good local recommendation. read more

College food.... I remember this place being awesome when i was in school down there... either I've been jaded by life or my taste buds have evolved since the chugging beer days, but it is not great. Soggy cavatelli, not drained with a spoon full of sauce on top... save your money and go to Lucas Aqueduct... he's Armenian but knows how to cook Italian! read more

Great food and service I had eggplant and homemade noodles my friend had the spaghetti and meatballs all great

So yummy! Had the fried zucchini and the cannelloni. Everything was delicious. Service was great too! Def recommend!