Mama Vallone's is a longtime staple in Cle Elum. Authentic Italian cuisine is their specialty and everything we've ever eaten here has been exceptional. I don't know why they added Steakhouse to the name, but am assuming because they also offer many cuts of beef and offer their excellent slow-roasted prime rib on Friday and Saturday. We can't pass up the two options of veal dishes since it's rare to see veal on a menu. Both choices are excellent. The server was knowledgeable and pleasant and the timing between courses was perfect. Love this place and have fond memories of seeing Grandma Vallone there decades ago. The food has stayed true to her roots. read more

Delicious Steak & Shrimp dish. Everything is made to order so anyone can still have a wonderful meal! Our waitress, Kelly was friendly, professional, and accommodating! The hostess also did fabulous job this evening! Another shout out to the chef for making a tasty dairy free dinner! Riccardo Clementi's beautiful artwork displayed. I recommend MaMa Vallone's read more

Mama Vallone's Steak House - Steak and shrimp dinner - Steakhouses Near Me - Cle Elum, Washington

We had dinner here for the first time, the food wasn't very good. The service was ok but my salad was the end of the lettuce head and it was bitter, my husband's lasagna was the worst he has ever had. We asked for more butter but never received it. No wine list, given. This place is not for us. read more

Great little restaurant for a cozy dinner! Very home like vibe, food came fast and service was great. read more

Mama Vallone's Steak House - Delicious shrimp fettuccine and chicken gnocchi with pesto cream sauce! Yum - Steakhouses Near Me - Cle Elum, Washington

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Attended a celebratory dinner here this weekend and everything was outstanding! The food was delicious! Their lasagna al forno and focaccia bread were PHENOMENAL, definitely the best I have ever had! We also enjoyed their chicken fettuccine Alfredo, salad and traditional Sicilian apple cake. The staff and service were wonderful. Loved seeing little pieces of history here with photos of "Grandma and Grandpa Vallone" on the walls and original drawings of the building. Will definitely be a favorite spot for my trips to the Suncadia/Cle Elum area! I can't wait to come back and try more! read more

Such a great spot! Great service, cozy environment and fantastic food. We had some dietary restrictions and the staff and Chef took excellent care of us - you could tell they actually CARED. We will be back - we had such a wonderful time and it was so delicious! Everyone left so happy - thank you Mama Vallone's! read more

Best chicken Parmigiana ever!!!! Unexpected gem in Cle Elum. I'd drive over from Seattle once a month for this meal read more

Mama Vallone's Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Cle Elum, Washington

This is a real neighborhood gem. Great menu variety, the food is excellent, and the service warm and genuine. First time here tonight but I look forward to coming back! Cozy wonderful dining room. read more

First time here and it was delicious. Service was friendly and attentive. The prime rib was excellent and so was the pasta. Cute place with ample seating. read more

Delicious food that was able to accommodate our 13 people party that just showed up on Sunday night. Fabulous job for the 1 chef who finished cooking our food to deliver at the same time without. Only thing is if the guest asks to order the steak well done (I know.. My friend's fault for doing this), it may be good to set expectations on what a well done steak will look, including how well blackened it will be so that the burnt parts are hard to cut off. Service was friendly and awesome. Definitely a place to keep in mind on the way back from a hike in Eastern WA. read more

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This is as the penultimate fancy food destination in the 1980's living in Ellensburg. A quaint home, with a cute dining room, great food and a fancy atmosphere. I literally haven't visited since perhaps 1985? A fancy Thanksgiving dinner with my mom and her older women's studies professor... hm, maybe mom was in her feelings? At any rate, it's a good memory in a sea of bad. At any rate, we had a reservation for four at 5 on a Sunday. There was only one other diner at that time. We sat in the front window and were greeted with the lovely wait staff. Five stars for the service!! They were amazing. We ordered the Bagna Cauda for the appetizer. The description had many things on it, but the majority of what we had was Napa cabbage and other assorted vegetables, not including cauliflower, which is my favorite. So according to the server who brought out the cauldron and put it on the hot plate. You have to keep it completely full without letting the garlic burn. At any rate, even though I wished we had had more cauliflower or broccoli it was very delicious and the focaccia bread that was with it was so soft and delicious. Let's move on to the entrées. We each ordered something different with the thought of sharing, and I think the best thing that we got on the table was the shrimp linguine with the butter garlic sauce. The next best thing was the cheese ravioli with white sauce in my friends sampler. She also had the lasagna which is pretty good, and I had the prime rib ravioli, which was just a dry, really, really dry. Also, I did not like the marinara sauce. It had a taste of some sort of five spice or cinnamon. I'm not sure not my favorite First favorite sauce is garlic. Butter second is cream and coming in at a very late third is marinara. At any rate, it was a very nice presentation, and we all had a lovely time. I just don't know if I would go back, because the flavors and the atmosphere weren't enough to justify the price. Honestly, I would go back and just have the Bagna Cauda and the bread and a side salad and a nice drink and have a lovely time. read more

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Great food!! My hubby loved his Gnocchi and marinara, and my Salmon and broccoli was charbroiled to perfection! Kelly, the owner, was our server, and she was wonderful! We will be back! read more

Mama Vallone's Steak House - Mama Vallone's with my luv!! - Steakhouses Near Me - Cle Elum, Washington

We drive over 80 miles to come here for special occasions. Great food and wonderful service.

Wow! We were so looking forward to a nice meal here on the way home from golf in Yakima. The ribeye order was not the 12 oz the menu stated and it was thin cut. Way overcooked and tough! Our other order was chicken Parmesan. It was just alright. Service was spotty and a large group of 8 people were seated in the very small main dining room. This group had already been drinking and was yelling profanities at the other diners. Needless, to say this is our last visit here. read more

Great food and service! The Bagna Cauda is a real treat and I have not seen this at any other restaurant.

We're from Texas visiting daughter here. It was our 37th anniversary. Ambiance was nice- really old uncomfortable chairs- 5 adults no alcohol- we mostly wanted prime rib - were told that's only Fri n sat! Oh well- one server small crowd. Service was on slow side- soup pasta fagioli was very good. My wife had the 8oz filet/ good not great- I had puttanesca spaghetti added 2 meatballs- puttanesca was very good- meatballs were a bit scorched and dry. Granddaughter had gnocci and grilled chicken - was good. Son in law had veal- excellent- daughter had full pound ribeye was good not great. Bill was $207 so there ya go. Not likely to return- sunset cafe down the street is consistently great cheaper and service much better. Back to Texas tomorrow read more

after having driven past this place many times we decided to give it a go. Though the general appearance is humble, we could not be more surprise. we had 2 servers attending which was the first surprise and it was obvious they were into sync with each other and with us. 5 stars for service despite being short on wait staff. the dinner selections were the next surprise. Sicilian cod and shrimp in a creamy sauce, and sirloin steak. WOW. amazing blending of flavors on both plates. 6 stars for taste if I could. side salads with blue cheese lacked a bit...could have been better and dressing was weak. only real area needing help was wine list had few choices and wait staff was not very well versed in what they offered. dessert was creme brûlée and was excellent. overall we decided this is our new restaurant of choice in Cle Elum. read more

Ate there A lot of times 20 years ago was so disappointed way overpriced the prawns were hardly even edible steak was dry and chewy and no flavor no music no atmosphere so overpriced read more

Coffee was good! Steak was a B-/C+. Bleu Cheese salad was poor! Soup and spaghetti were very good! Service was abysmal, waitress dissed us and took two party's of 5 never came back. A lady from kitchen came out to help. It isn't busy at all and this happened! Cherry Italian Soda was great! A little better than mediocre overall! read more

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Lasagna to die for!!! Very cute and romantic spot for dinner. Staff always friendly. Don't drive through Cle Elum without stopping for dinner! read more

It was a cold night in Cle Elum, and we followed our noses to Mama Vallone's Italian Steak House. The scent of grilled steak was heady on the crisp air, and simply too good to be resisted. Walking in, I noticed two things immediately. It was a small place, and it was nearly empty. For a random Sunday night in December in a small town, this wasn't exactly a surprise. But the tables were set, and looked welcoming, and the good smells wafting from the kitchen were encouraging. A sign told us to seat ourselves - we found a nice table in the corner and were soon greeted by the waitress. For a place found essentially on a whim, we could not have asked for a better experience. Service was friendly and efficient, with a steady stream of food and drink flowing almost immediately. The only hiccup was when our server had to find someone old enough to open our bottle of wine (whoops), which took a few minutes. We quickly ordered an appetizer - mushrooms swimming in a buttery garlic sauce - and were presented with fresh bread as well. Pro tip: the sauce for the mushrooms is perfect for the bread too, and there's plenty of it.. As our main course, we chose variations on steak, of course - how could we not? I went with the steak fettucine in cream sauce with house-made pasta fagioli, and my wife got a steak, grilled medium well, with a salad and spaghetti on the side. When the food appeared, even though we had already feasted on appetizers, our stomachs were heard to growl - both dishes looked remarkable. And they proved to live up to their appearance. The soup was delicious, the steak grilled to perfection, the fettucine rich and creamy and flavourful. This was, simply put, the dinner we didn't realize we'd been needing, and we devoured it. Which left us too full for dessert. We got a chocolate decadence cake to go, and when we tried it later, it was only ok. Perhaps it was lost in the moment, but next time we might skip dessert. Doesn't matter - the main course should be enough for anyone (maybe that's the point). So. If you're lost in Cle Elum, and don't know where to go, just follow your nose. Follow the smell of grilled steak to Mama Vallone's, pick yourself a table, and tuck in. You won't be disappointed. read more

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Food was very good,reasonable wine list for the area. Not enough servers for a busy Friday night, so it took forever to get our entree's. If you are in a rush, not for you. Overall good ambiance and food. read more

Had high hopes as this place came highly recommended by friends...both steaks over cooked and dry. Vegetables were bland...wait staff was very friendly! 1 star on food, 4 star on staff. read more

Was at Suncadia nearby and got tired of overpriced, underseasoned food, so headed into town to see what we could find. After a failed attempt to get food Tuesday, we were ultimately successful Thursday night. I had a lovely sirloin steak, fresh salad, side of spaghetti, and a slice of mud pie for dessert. My wife had a special of ravioli filled with prime rib, in garlic butter sauce, along with a salad. The meal was excellent in all regards. Portions were big, food was seasoned and cooked very well, and most importantly, it tasted and looked like it was homemade in house for the items, which was a welcome relief. The spaghetti sauce on my side of pasta was a little sweeter than I liked personally, but boldly and richly seasoned with herbs and spices. The steak had a nice crust upon it and was cooked at a medium rare. My wife's ravioli was almost explosive with the amount of prime rib meat stuffed into beautiful and pillowy dough. It's rough trying to operate a restaurant for takeout right now, but the food here made it worth it; take out is via the kitchen door on the side, and the folks on the phone are friendly. We'll come back next time we're in Cle Elum. read more

Sadly I felt people need to be made aware....we have eaten at Mama's for over 20 years. Back in the day when Lexi lit up that place with smiles, laughter, love, fabulous food and customer service that had this restaurant written up in food and wine magazines, two hr waits were normal and service was superb!. My husband, myself and our friend ate their last Sunday. Our reservation was for 6:45 pm. My husband and I ordered a 24 oz prime rib to split along with the other items ordered at our table. It was served "medium well". It was tasteless and tough. When our waitress, Sarah, came back to ask how our dinner was we stated this meat is medium well and we ordered medium rare (our friend had a smaller cut at medium rare and it was perfect).....our waitress's deadpan response was simply, yes, that's all we had left!! What??? You should ask the customer when the order is placed with the kitchen and waitstaff is made aware, that that is ALL that is available would you still like that or would you like to order something else! I was stunned. My coffee creamer also curdled and she explained they ran out of 1/2 & 1/2 and so she served heavy cream and that's just what it does. That was it. No adjustments required to our bill or apologies insuring our return. We won't do that again! Very disappointing. We ended up giving that tough, overcooked meat to our dog. read more

I am in Suncadia often and have a few favorite restaurants--this is one of them. Great soups, and salads and enjoy both the steaks and garlic chicken special :) I met the owner this week--love the feel of the older home and family owned business. I see other reviews complaining about the service but have never experienced that myself. I am also not usually in a rush either. Great food and genuine small town, family owned business. read more

We just had chicken parmigiana and the prime rib ravioli as take out. They did a fantastic job and the portions were huge and the prices were very reasonable. Do yourself a favor and order take out from here ! read more

First time eating here, we were not disappointed. The food is very authentic. Just like grandma used to make. We shared the chicken parmesan and shrimp fettuccine. The button mushroom appetizer is a must. Fresh focaccia bread with garlic herb butter accompanies appetizers, great for dipping in the amazing sauce from the mushrooms. Saved from for dessert, crème brûlée is my all time favorite. I was nicely done. Complete delight! Suggestion for improvement Wine list was way over priced and no beer on tap. The shrimp seemed to possibly be frozen, not a big surprise since this is eastern Washington. Not as much fresh saltwater seafood available. All in all a strong YUM! The building is a re-vamped large old-school home, the wainscoting and other wood trim details along with the antiques made for a very nice ambience. read more

We came across this restaurant because we were staying the the air bnb located on the second floor of the building. Couldn't help but smell the delicious food so we had to try it for ourselves! We ordered the combo appetizer to go and it was absolutely delicious! read more

Awesome food, great service & fair prices. Can't miss with the ribeye. Caesar with shrimp & lasagna were great too.

ZOMG, another F!RST... Oh wait, it's from Cle Elum... again. This may be the last review of a Cle Elum restaurant I write, but then again, it may not. Mama Vallone's is one of the two "Italian" restaurants in Cle Elum. As an alternative to a meatball sub from Subway, it has its merits. But on its own, it's only okay. Claiming "The Best Prime Rib in Town" in a town the size of Cle Elum is akin to me claiming to be the best club dancer currently in my living room: it's technically true, but the competition ain't all that. Unfortunately, I can't comment on the merits of said prime rib because they were sold out. At 6 pm. On a Tuesday. According to the waitress, they usually sell out "early" and had we wanted the prime rib, we should have shown up "earlier." Than 6 pm. On a Tuesday. Personally, I'm all for the trend of reducing waste in the restaurant industry, even if it means that occasionally, you have to substitute for your chosen item. But to consistently run out of something that the restaurant hangs its hat on (at 6 pm. On a Tuesday. Did I mention that?) seems a bit silly. So, we got the "marinated steak," which ended up being a thoroughly average cut of meat served with an iceberg salad, average baked potato and slightly below average "fried plate appetizer." The mediocrity was compounded by the waitress only refilling my iced tea once... when she brought the check. All in all, it was the best prime rib in Cle Elum. Or so I heard... read more

Family of 4 driving through. Mediocre at best. And not worth the price. Prime rib was almost warm and over salty. Stuffed shells could have come from Costco. Salads appeared to be bagged with average bottled dressing. Kids plates are inexpensive but again they looked and tasted like they came right from the grocery store isle. Nothing appeared to be "house made" but rather "some assembly required." Super average and very over priced for such poor quality. Updated: Two days have gone by and I am still thinking about how disappointing this place was so I am downgrading to 1 star from 2. read more

I have to admit that the guy that wrote the other review went in looking for steak and I have no experience ordering steak at Mama Vallone's. The thing I have come to know this place for is amazing Italian food. My boyfriend and I went in to Mama's for a romantic meal on a weekend away. Now, we knew heading into town from the cabin that there would be limited choices and luckily enough he and I aren't picky eaters. At the north/west end of town we saw Mama's. We were greeted warmly by the hostess who asked us if we would like a booth or a table and were placed in a quiet booth near the window. We had a couple of cocktails which were made with some great vodka and poured very well. The bread was nice and piping hot when it came to the table and had an amazing whipped garlic butter. The meal started off great. Shane had a cup (looked like a bowl) of the pasta soup which was really tasty and perfectly seasoned. I had a simple garden salad which was delightfully topped with house made ranch, something you don't see often. Shane had the sampler platter complete with a few spinach stuffed ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs and a generous portion of lasagna. All of which he was very impressed with. I myself had the lasagna which yes, was to die for. Layers of ricotta, meat and spinach with a zesty red sauce and then drizzled ever so lightly with a garlic cream to add contract and presentation value. Our waitress was just the sweetest thing you could imagine. And as a gay couple going into a town like Cle Elum looking for a romantic dinner, we were prepared to deal with some stares. None to be had here, she was a wonderful person to us. If you're headed over I-90, make the pit stop here for dinner. You'll have a meal to remember. And if you get too tired from all the pasta, they've got the Inn upstairs. Which we didn't go see though the entire house was kept up very well. read more

Cute place. I ordered the garlic chicken which was very good but I was disappointed in the pasta options to go with it. Angel hair would be perfect for this dish. The waitress was fun and on top of everything read more

The soup and the sauce on that lasagne were very salty. I have to give 3 stars instead of 2 because they did offer to try and fix it. But we were just stopping by on our way home for the weekend and I did not have time to try for a better fix. Such a cute venue, and great location. Tip for chefs everywhere: people who like lots of salt can add it easily. There is no way for other to take it out. read more

I was so excited to find out my husband has planned a surprise dinner date for V-day and even more excited when I found out it would be in cle elum as I've gotten bored of the restaurants in Yakima. We arrived earlier than what our reservations were for (1/2 hr) and the hostess seemed annoyed and slightly passive aggressive. But she did find us a table (it wasn't that busy). The decor was chic rustic Italian, not sure how else to describe it but it was somewhat "romantic". We ended up ordering the baugna cauda dinner for two at 45.99. I chose salad as my side and my husband got the minestrone. The salad looked pre-bagged with bottled dressing and the minestrone was mediocre. He also had a baked potato that came with it and I had the steamed veggies which had no salt or seasoning of any kind. More veggies and a side of raw meats (shrimp, chicken, steak) and raw veggies come with the baugna cauda which you cook in a cast iron skillet filled with some sort of garlic butter "soup" (for lack of a better term), and a side of plain white bread completes the meal. "soup" (which really makes or breaks the dish) was nothing spectacular. In fact the only flavor I tasted was garlic and an overwhelming layer of butter floating on the top didn't make anymore appetizing. On the plus side it was a good amount of food. One star is given for the amount of food and the second star would be for the short amount of time it took to get our food. Minus 3 stars for the taste and lack of creativity, the price, and attitude of the staff. I will not be returning. read more

I almost didn't go here because of some of the reviews but the restaurant was close by. I'm so glad we did!! The service was so thoughtful and engaging. The food was really delicious. We had prime rib and a seafood pasta dish with cream sauce. We asked our server to bring us a red wine of her choice and it was perfect (though I admit not having the most refined wine palate, I do know what tastes good.) I will go back next time I'm in town. No question. read more

Total agreement with the last five star review of this restaurant. Mama Vallone's is a rare breed of restaurant. There are very few steak houses that serve Italian fare, and while I've had a good steak or two at an Italian restaurant, there are few Italian restaurants that I would classify a steak house. Mama Vallone's is one of them. My wife and I had a hard time deciding what to order since everything on their menu looked tempting. I had head their prime rib was to die for but the pastas on the menu all sounded scrumptious as well. After much deliberation we decided to just order a 16oz. prime rib and the pasta sampler to share between the two of us. Wow! The prime rib was everything I had read about--quite possibly the best restaurant prime rib I've ever had. The temperature was perfect, the outer seasoning was flavorful, and the meat was exceptionally tender. Aside from my wife's, my mom's, and one other restaurant's (sadly no longer in business)--this prime rib is by far my favorite. The pasta sampler was also excellent. Again, my wife and I had difficulty deciding on what to order, even when it came down to our choice of sauces on the pasta sampler. Since there were three different pastas in the dish (spaghetti, ravioli, and lasagne) and three different sauces to choose from (marinara, garlic butter, and cream) we thought it logical to try all three sauces as well. All pastas and sauces were delicious...with one caveat--read on further. I should've mentioned that soup or salad came with both dinner entrees and my wife and I both had the pasta fagioli which was savory. After dinner we ordered desert with my wife having her favorite dish, creme brulee--and for myself, I decided to live on the wild side and try their "Chocolate Decadence" which consisted of a six layer chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting, chocolate chips, chocolate syrip, chocolate...well, you get the idea. =) Now for that caveat. Everything about our dinner was simply above expectation, with the sole exception of the lasagna on our sampler. The bottom layer of noodles tasted a tad burnt, and quite honestly I've had better before. It wasn't bad, mind you...it just didn't seem to live up to the other dishes. I find this a bit perplexing since I've always said you can tell a lot about a restaurant by how well their lasagna is. But then again, I've never been to an Italian restaurant that I'd classify as a steak house...so I'm throwing all conventional wisdom out the door in this review. That's why I'm giving Mama Vallone's five stars--the prime rib more than made up for the lasagna. I'm actually looking forward to our next visit to Cle Elum so my wife and I can dine again at Mama Vallone's. If you're ever on the road and pass by Cle Elum in time for dinner, check this place out...it is definitely a gem along I90. read more

My husband and I have been to this establishment twice before this last visit in January 2014, once in 2011 and once in 2012. We had the MaMa Vallone's Lasagna al forno, pure heaven both times. In 2012 my sister was with us had she also thought the Lasagna was pure heaven. My husband and I were so excited to get back and have and have this fantastic dish. We arrived at 4:48PM on our third visit. We did make reservations, we were seated immediately, and we knew exactly what we wanted so we ordered right away. Our salad and soup arrived in 2 minutes, seriously I timed it. The service was perfect throughout the entire meal. Dun - Dun - DUUUUN!!! The soup, I don't think we have had the pasta feolgi before but it tasted just like canned soup. They say on the menu everything is made from scratch. Maybe they make it in big batches and then can it themselves, IDK. The bread was so sad, stale homemade white bread, Yuk. The Lasagna looked as good as our last two dining experiences but the taste could not have been more horrible. I did not mind the overcooked noodles, but what tasted like canned tomatoes sauce could not be over looked. The worst part was a layer of puréed tasteless meat. My husband and I started to discuss what could have happened. This was not the same Lasagna al forno we had experience twice before. Seriously we talked about this lasagna for months. We even thought it was better than Maggiano's in Bellevue. Could the restaurant have changed hands, is there a different chief????? There was a family next to us a Husband, wife and twin 14 year old boys, a really delightful family was enjoying the Bagna Cauda Appetizer. I did not get a good look at it but it seemed like a lot of fun. That family said it was wonderful. They seemed to be regulars and new the owners by name. They mentioned that the regular chief Kevin (owners husband) was no longer in the kitchen because he was busy being a stay at home dad. My husband and I will come back, the place is cute and clean with good service. I assure you we will not be ordering MaMa Vallone's Lasagna al forno anytime soon, if ever again but we will try some other things on the menu. I read on the website the owner is Kelly Vallone Rowe. This place has great history but after reading the recent reviews and my personal dining experience this restaurant is heading in the wrong direction. A kind word of advice, call Chef Robert Irvine. LOL, KEVIN ROWE STRAP YOUR BABY ON AND GET YOU'RE (A##) BACK IN THAT KITCHEN AND TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT IS GOING ON IN THERE!!! Kevin & Kelly I hope you find this review Helpful. Wishing you lots of prosperity and success! read more

Too bad, so sad. About four years ago my wife and I had a lovely evening meal here in the month of January before chaining up our car to cross over Snoqualmie Pass. Back then, the food was yummy, fresh, beautifully served and worth every dollar spent. This September we revisited Cle Elum in hopes of rekindling the dining experience which we have talked about so many times since. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed by a lackluster menu that produced an entree so unremarkable that, sitting back home here in Golden Valley, Minnesota, I can't even seem to recall. And, we had travelled on this latest trip west with a close friend whom we wanted to wow with a great Italian supper. To no avail. Price for three entrees and a couple glasses of wine was nearly ninety bucks after tax. Never again. And apparently the locals know as well, since at the height of the dinner hour only two other couples were present in the restaurant. read more