Mama Sid sure takes care of her children! I'm comparing children to her customers. As a college student, I'm constantly searching for cheap but tasty food and the pizza buffet here for 4.99 fits that bill. Unlimited buffet pizza lasted me a couple rounds and was tastier then Stevie Bs and Cicis. Nothing will blow you away here but they have good taste for a very reasonable price. Only issue I had was refill service on my beverage. read more

I love this restaurant. It's super casual and laid back. The pizza is good and the prices are awesome.

GREAT PIZZA! I usually don't like pizza (I know weirdo alert) but their pizza is GREAT and the staff is always friendly.

Went here for a catholic convention with my friends and was expecting an authentic Italian experience and walked away with much more. The pizza was good but they didn't have the s'mores dessert pizza which was a huge letdown. I'll be back maybe and consider getting trash cans that don't take the toilet paper. read more

Been coming here for years, first as a student and now with my own kids. The pizza is consistently excellent and the value for the buffet is outstanding. They are always happy to make whatever requests that you may have for the buffet as well. Sid's is a true Athens institution. read more

Best Pizza in Athens , also lasagna is out of this world . - the new server (Cali) is so friendly and efficient too. read more

Good local pizza restaurant with a good feel to it. I have only tried the pizza buffet and prefer it over cici's buffet. Sometimes you have to wait on pizza to be made, but its a small shop. Definitely try their grease balls, they are great. Dont forget to order some dessert pizza also. Great food for the price. read more

i love mama sids. i also like to eat lunch in a reasonable window. an hr and 15 for a sandwich is crazy. update** after a conversation with them, chalking it up to eatstreet not providing accurate information re delivery times. meanwhile i can continue to enjoy their amazing food. read more

I read all of the reviews and was looking very forward to trying this place so we made the drive over to Athens. It was pretty cool seeing the side of town I lived on before I graduated UGA and how it had grown. We normally only get over to the Epps Bridge area so I had not seen the Barnett Shoals side of town in a long, long time. After arriving at Mama Sid's, the experience could not have been more disappointing. It is supposed to be a pizza buffet. When we arrived during prime lunch time on a SATURDAY afternoon (12:30 pm), there was only one other party. It was one large booth of college kids. I counted eight of them. There was no pizza on this buffet when I looked at it. Literally nothing but one dirty pan sitting on there. After about ten minutes of having NOTHING on the bar, they brought out one buffalo chicken pizza and one with that was some other style. The 8 college kids got up and took every single slice of both pizzas within 30 seconds. So we waited about 10 minutes. They bring out another one and basically the same thing happened. Instead of girls always feeling they have to go to the bathroom together, apparently these 8 kids (6 dudes and 2 chicks) all felt they could not do the buffet bar alone. Now, this is not their fault that the place was not keeping the buffet stocked. However, it was definitely inconsiderate that they did not even think about the fact that another family who had not had anything was there now and they still gobbled it ALL up. So round 3 comes. Luckily the college table patrons were getting full. I have a feeling that what I considered round 3 since I was there, was probably round 4 or 5 for the kids. Anyhow, concerning round 3, the problem is another family had just sat down. Basically, they call this a buffet but they cannot keep up with more than 5-6 people at a time. I hate to sound ugly, but the 2 pizza slingers back in the kitchen were working at a sloth's pace at best. The little bit of pizza we did get to sample was actually pretty decent. I would have given the pizza alone 4 stars. But the fact they cannot even keep up with more than 8 people is pretty darn pathetic. There was never more than the equivalent of an entire pizza put on the bar. I have never seen anything quite like it. Now, let's talk about service. I believe I have only stiffed (not tipped) a waiter or waitress like 3 times in my entire life. You have to be extremely pathetic for me to do that. Well guess what.....this guy made the "stiff cut". Did not leave the dude a dime and I usually tip 20% on mediocre service. He was a big dull dud. You could tell he was just miserable being there and had no desire to serve anyone. Also moving at a sloth's pace I might add. I had to get up and go to the counter to track him down for refills. I do not think he said one single word the entire time other than if you asked him a direct question. Not sure why management would even employ him in this capacity. He would be much better not being on the front lines of service. How this place has survived since 1983 is beyond me. I guess I could see it being an ok place for take out. Although I am sure from the time you phoned in your order till the time they made it and it came out of the oven would be like 45 minutes or more if they were not busy. Other noteworthy things: the bathroom reminded me of an outhouse. It was clearly grandfathered in and does not have to be up to code, because a physically challenged and/or elderly person would likely not be able to get into it. The step up to get to the bathroom was about a 15" inches or more high. Pretty pathetic. You have been open, assuming the location has not changed since 1983, for 32 years and you could not have fixed it by now? I know Athens is a college town and all, and I graduated from UGA myself, but you must expect more than just college students are going to patronize your place. At any rate, the experience was so bad that I probably would not go back even if the owner reached out to me and offered me to come back with everything being on the house. Absolutely terrible overall experience. If you like pizza "buffets" with hardly any pizza on them, the slowest and worst service you have ever had in your life, and have PLENTY of time on your hands, then you should most definitely hit up this place ASAP. Otherwise, you will be much better off going to Cici's. Their pizza will not taste quite as good, but it will be available in many options and replenished in a timely fashion with people who actually hustle to take care of the customer. read more

I've lived in Athens for most of my life but had never been to Mama Sids until last night. It was one of a few restaurants open on the Eastside in all the snow/ice so we dropped in. The place was pretty packed with only one waitress on staff that I could see. We had to seat ourselves and stand there holding the baby while we waited for the waitress to come and offer us a high chair (which she didn't - we had to ask her twice). Once we were finally seated she took another 20 minutes to inquire what we'd like to drink. We ordered off the menu and I ordered my son a slice of cheese pizza. The waitress told us we could get that ourselves from off the buffet. When we went to the buffet there was no cheese pizza there, only meat options. We waited and waited and waited a good half hour before our waitress reappeared and asked her again for the cheese pizza, and our appetizers. She never came back. Finally we went up to the buffet and got a piece of spinach pizza for my son even though that was not what we wanted. It was overcooked and not very good. Finally the waitress came back to ask us if we'd like refills and we asked again about our appetizers and salads. She walked off and didn't come back. After about 15 minutes we were fed up. We'd been there nearly an hour and had no refills, no appetizers, and when my husband walked up to the front he saw that the cooks were only just now putting our appetizer in the oven. We paid for our drinks and left. When he explained the bad service to the waitress she just shrugged as if she wasn't bothered. I think she was angry that we ordered off the menu and didn't just go to the buffet (which had almost no vegetarian options at all). She didn't even bother to apologize for the bad service. I was speaking to another friend who'd recently eaten there and they said they had also left the restaurant after about half an hour with no drinks - she said they were completely ignored the entire time that they sat their waiting. Terrible, terrible way to run a business. If the waitress is overbooked, then hire two waitresses. There were enough customers to warrant it. I'm very disappointed. Been meaning to try this restaurant for many years as it's been here a long time and I like to support local non-chain businesses. But I won't be back. Awful service and the bite of food I got to try was not good. read more

Very good pizza! They even have a lunch buffet for a reasonable price. I would definitely recommend this place if you like pizza topped with flavor. Just a heads up, the pizza joint is a whole in a wall, but the pizza there makes up for it! read more

I picked up a simple double-pepperoni pizza tonight and it was honestly the best pizza I have ever had in Athens. I eat pizza all over town all the time, so I know what I am talking about! I have decided that I don't go to Mama Sid's often enough. read more

I get that the service industry is tough right now, but we had a terrible experience. It was 8 pm and my son and his girlfriend decided to get the buffet because they were so hungry. They requested meat lovers pizza for the buffet when asked their preference. My husband and I ordered a salad and a bacon, ham and sausage pizza, not the buffet. We got our salads and drinks and that held us while our son and his gf got what was on the buffet--cheese, Hawaiian, and Buffalo chicken. After a couple of trips to our table to refill drinks, our server asked if there was anything else he could get us. Yes, our pizza, please. It had been an hour. He said there was a mixup, and it was currently being cooked and asked if we wanted it to-go? At 9:15 we left with our order, got home at 9:45 and ate dinner, which was the wrong order at that. The server did comp $10 off, but seeing how we waited as long as we did and that the buffet never had the meat lovers requested, we shouldn't have paid $38 for the kitchen sink pizza we didn't order. We were too tired and hungry to even argue. read more

I gotta say I'm glad this place is here. Every area needs some local pizza and this definitely fits the bill. Solid pizza. Solid staff. Solid experience :) read more

Go into Mama Sid's with the right outlook. My outlook is that it's a perfect, no frills, shabby, inexpensive college pizza joint. The old-school, worn 80s decor is perfect for college decadence. The price is right on their buffet. I walked in and received friendly service. The coolest thing is that they voluntarily let you order a pizza with whatever you want for the buffet! That's really cool. Waiter was friendly, always refilled my drinks, etc. These are nice people who own a local business. Support your local friendly business please! The pizza is fair enough. This can pass for a college hangout pizza place where you can get your fattening pizza fix. I've been to other chain pizza buffets that were so gross and so full of air and poor ingredients I wanted to throw up and kicked myself for even going no matter what the price. But this reminded me of the neighborhood inexpensive but fair pizza hangouts that are located throughout the good old USA! College kids especially should go there because they welcome them, it's affordable, it's very informal, you don't have to worry about messing the place up, you can hangout and not be rushed out, be comfortable and the service is good. Also the classic pop rock they play on the radio is very good. read more

The pizza was sub par, the price was $2 for a drink that wasn't included in the "$6 student buffet" so when you do a student buffet, it really ends up costing you $9. Also, the crust and sauce were both below average. Probably not going to come back read more

This is the first time I've had Mama Sid's in 20 years. The pasta and pizza bread are really outstanding. Comforting and delicious. The pasta marinara sauce is rich and satisfying. Pasta seems fresh-type quality, like they may make it in house, or they have sourced it well. The pizza, well, that's where I took a star off. I'm glad the Waters have withstood the test of the food service industry and time and are still doing things well. Thanks! read more

Dropped in today for pizza. Didn't know what to expect, but the buffet was excellent. They kept bringing out hot pizza and they cooked it just right. Great crust. The staff was also very attentive especially given that it was a buffet. The price is also right. Buffet plus drink for 8.50 is a great deal. read more

If you need pizza that satisfies and doesn't break the bank, Mama Sid's has got you covered.

The pizza is great but... the service seems totally lackluster. The bar is really small so their is only about 4-5 pizzas out at a time. Seems like you have to pull teeth to get more than 2 refills. No good desert pizzas and no BBQ pizza are 2 major downers. read more

So much better than D.P. dough. A lot more flavor. Faster delivery, and more food for what you pay at mama sids. Really yummy. A lot of flavor and toppings. read more

Awesome pizza, especially microwaved the day after. Recommend the Buffalo chicken especially.

We are still loving Mama Sid's! Would love a salad bar in addition to pizza bar but for pizza, you cant beat the taste, freshness and variety! My boys LOVE it here! read more

Mama Sid's is an Athens establishment. Their pizza crust is awesome, as is the pizza sauce. It is very cool that a family owned pizza business can still hold its own with so many pizza chains! Courteous service, good food, locally owned! read more

The pizza at Mama Sid's Pizza is second to none and I say that as a man from pizza country up North. Very good product and very modest prices, to boot. We're moving out of state and our weekly outings to Mama Sid's will be sorely missed. read more

Great pizza! Friendly staff! Retro feel!! They makes custom buffet pizza on request and only 5.00 for students. I am always full when i leave here. read more

Pretty good pizza. The location was a bit weird and from the outside it looks pretty shabby but the pizza was still good! Pizza is pizza, honestly. Service was relatively fast as well so that's a plus read more

The pizza for the price was good but our server was the most unpleasant woman I've ever encountered. She had a constant look of disgust, didn't explain anything at all, and seemed annoyed that we asked her what pizzas they had. Won't go back because of her. read more

Mama Sids is a no frills,no gimmicks, no fancy decor ,straight up old school pizzeria. It is the oldest in town. It has survived for thirty years now on its pizza alone. If you want great pizza,for a great price. This place is for you. If you insist on paying alot for pizza, there are many hipster places in this town where you can overpay for less quality than Mama Sids.You can't go wrong here,great pizza is what you want, then great pizza is what you get , period. read more

My daughter and her family live in Athens. One of our favorite things to do when we visit is take all the family to Mama Sid's. They are very family friendly, so I am comfortable taking my grandchildren and great-grandchildren with us. Last time we went, there were nine of us and everyone found something they liked. The pizza bar is always a hit. The pizza's are hot and fresh and they have lots of choices. Our waiter was extremely patient, courteous and friendly. He kept our drinks refilled and had a couple of special request pizza's made for us. Since grandmother usually picks up the bill, I was quite pleased at how reasonable it was even though we had a large group. Next time I am in Athens we will be back. Thanks and keep up the good work. Sonja, S., Flowery Branch, GA. read more

i got lasagna and a chef salad to go......they made the chef salad while they microwaved the lasagna.....i got home and the salad was warm.....and i couldn't even tell that it was lasagna.....looked like a cheese blob in the pan......was a very small serving for 7.95...and it tasted like Stouffer's frozen......it WAS HORRIBLE!!!!!...will never go back there!!!!!!! read more

Don't be fooled by other reviews! DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY HERE!!! The food is ok, and I admit it is better somewhat than Cici's. HOWEVER, there is hardly any food available! I was there for over an hour. The only pizza on the buffet other than the one pizza I requested they make was four slices of various old pizzas. I am not exaggerating!!! The people were nice, but this was hardly a buffet. There is no dessert pizza. There are no salads. There is no pasta. There are no choices AT ALL. The atmosphere sucked. It was dirty. There were no locks on the bathroom doors or mirrors. The place was falling apart and desolate. I WOULD NEVER GO BACK AGAIN. Seriously. Heed my warning. read more

Mama Sid's is the BEST pizza in Athens, Ga. I am older now, but used to go as a teenager with our usual group of friends(we would eat at Mama Sid's and then play some pool and video games at the game room next door...now that is telling my age). Thankful Y'all are still around! Our family picks a pizza up every Fri. night..."Pizza Night" Blessings to the whole staff! read more

I went here for lunch one day with a group during our lunch break. The buffet only had 3 pieces of pizza on it so we asked the waitress how long it took to make the pasta since we had limited time, she said about 15 minutes so we all ordered it. 45 minutes went by and we still didn't have our pasta and our lunch break was up we had to race back to be there on time and eat our food on the ride back. The worst part about it was the waitresses were rude and made comments that were uncalled for. Needless to say even though the pasta was good I will not step foot back in that restaurant thanks to how my friends and I were treated when we were respectful and not rude we did not receive the same treatment. read more

Unlimited pizza buffet for cheap is hard to beat, but when they take requests for custom pizzas it gets so much better! Of recommend this to anyone! read more

The best pizza in town better than Johnny's New York pizza and little Italy and possibly better than peppino's?

I used to get their delivery quite a bit until I found a long hair in my salad. Needless to say I was disgusted. I'm pretty sure the delivery driver put it there on purpose, since it was his hair, and since it was so long and disgusting that the people preparing the food would have obviously noticed it. Another reason I say this is because it was always the same guy delivering and he always seem like an a**hole, even though I was always polite and tipped well. NEVER EVER AGAIN! read more

Since I've lived in Athens for the past year, Mama Sids has been one of my favorite go-to places for a nice, cheap dinner. Up until about three/four months ago, I would rate this place 5 stars without a doubt -- the pizza is delicious (especially for buffet), the ingredients are fresh and Mama Sids offers a wide array of toppings to choose from -- including feta cheese, which is pretty impressive to me. The student buffet price is amazing, just $5, $1 salads and drinks. So to start with, yes, the food and prices are out of this world. The atmosphere is something similar to the feeling you get when watching 90s sitcom shows. Pictures of the owners on their trips abroad border the walls of the restaurant, including pictures of panda bears, which are my personal favorites. There's always two TVs on showing basketball or football games, which is also very pleasing and fun. Here's the deal breaker. For the first few months of dining in here, I had the experience of always being waited on by one of the two very friendly and helpful evening servers. These two people, after a few visits from my boyfriend and I, would never again have to ask for our drinks or our pizza request. Super nice college kids with seemingly bright personalities. Starting earlier this year, we started to notice that these two servers weren't working in the evenings as much, and a new server took their place. This one particular person is the worst server I've ever encountered in my life. Ask for water with lemon, get water only. Well, that's fine and understandable. Ask for extra dressing, it never comes. Put in a pizza request, the server will ask you at least 5 times exactly what three toppings you wanted (as if that's so terribly hard to remember) and then when it comes out, maybe it has one topping you wanted, and if you're lucky maybe it even has the right sauce you wanted, and if you hit the jackpot, the pizza will have cheese (I recently ordered a pizza and it literally came out without cheese, only dough and toppings). Then if you need a refill, it's guaranteed you'll wait at least 15 minutes with this person, even being the only customer in the building, and then when this server does bring you a refill, it's only fair that they spill half of the pitcher of water on you. Oh, and don't even order a salad. No matter how simple you keep it, it's not even gonna come close to what you ordered. Oh, I forgot to mention this person has next to no personality when on the job. Don't expect a smile, or a "how are you", or even "what can I get you?". This person is always, and I do mean ALWAYS extremely rude. Now it seems like this server has a new apprentice just recently hired. Oh, what fun. This person makes me miss the previously mentioned server, as apprentice now waits on me mostly. The apprentice is exactly like aforementioned server, but worse. I won't go into detail, as you probably get the idea. However, I will say that this waiter argued prices with me once after I tried to explain that my student buffet and salad should only total around $6, where the apprentice made me pay a few dollars more. I could go on forever with different things I've experienced with the service in my time at Mama Sids, but I'll conclude by saying that after being served a cheese-less pizza, I've had enough and won't be back, regardless of how delicious the pizza might be. My best offer to you is to order delivery or carryout so that you don't leave feeling absolutely depressed from the presence of the servers. read more

Great pizza. It was worth the 30 minute drive to get there. The pizza was delicious. so much better than the big pizza chains and other pizza buffets. No comparison in quality, as I said great pizza. They even took our requests and had them on the buffet promptly. It is a BYOB establishment. They will bring an icy cold mug and bucket of ice for your beverages. How great is that! The building is older but we did not go there for a fancy meal. We just wanted good pizza at a good price and we were not disappointed. We will be going back. THANKS MAMA SIDS. read more

This is the best pizzeria I have ever visited. There is not a more friendly, locally owned, pizza preparing location in the U.S. We have eaten there on a regular basis now for 11 years. They are in every local coupon publication I have ever laid my hands on in Athens. They custom make pizzas to your desire that are usually ready in 10-15 minutes. Sure they may get swamped every now and then, who doesn't. They are very down to Earth and if I were there during a swamping and I wanted a refill I would go to the counter/register and ask nicely. Same goes for ordering a plain cheese pizza. Give them a chance or perhaps a second chance and you won't regret it. I recently invited a family of 5 who has lived in Athens for 25 years. The last time any of them was in Mama Sid's was when the Mother was an Undergrad...24 years ealier. We had much great pizza...the father even ordered anchovies, but we all agreed the Buffalo Chicken Pizza was best! read more