My favorite restaurant ever !!! the best food for gluten free, vegans, and even regular people ! The staff is always extremely friendly and attentive. 10/10 would recommend and will keep coming here for ever! read more

Very disappointing. Service was extremely lacking (and I say this as a server myself). The food was overall bland, with one dish was missing a key ingredient that was advertised. The vegan chocolate cake, as mentioned in other reviews, is sliced so thin that it can't be more than half an inch thick if even that, and it's $11. I get a huge slice of the same cake in a downtown manhattan restaurant for less than that. Overall overpriced and just not good food. Edit: In response to the owner, I am aware of exactly where your cake comes from, and I am telling you that the same bakery delivers to a restaurant in downtown manhattan that charges less for a full slice, than you do for a slice that's so thin you could put 4 slices together and still not have a normal sized piece. I've seen other reviews telling you the same thing about the price and yet you've raised it from $8-$11 instead of reducing it. read more

The owner is simply amazing. Made us feel comfortable ordering food for my son's allergy. He even made a special order of milk and egg free mozzarella sticks for my son. Highly recommend! read more

Great ambiance ! Everyone is always friendly ! Food is delicious and owner is extremely accommodating! That is how you run a restaurant!

A for effort on offering plenty of vegan dishes but I don't think I can go back anymore. Each time I've felt robbed and underwhelmed/offended by overpriced pasta dishes. I've been reassured in the past that prices are due to the freshest ingredients etc.. but about a month ago I went out with my husband and I am happy to splurge on good vegan food but this dish was a complete joke. We got the vegan rigatoni Alfredo dish with broccoli which was over $20 and the sauce was super bland and not creamy in the slightest but what was most offensive was that the broccoli was without a doubt in my mind microwaved. It was water logged, tasteless, and limp. We got a calzone which was really delicious but that was the only dish that impressed us. Cute place and friendly staff but these vegan dishes really need to be worked on.. there's so many ways to make them better, especially for those prices! read more

Molto Bene! A grand welcome back to my hometown and real deal Jersey Pizza! Awesome! I grew up around the corner when Mama's first opened in the Hackettstown Mall. As kids we would grab a slice and a soda. Fast forward almost 50 yrs and this Jersey gem is still amazing with the best pizza around. Josh was our waiter and got us going with drinks and appetizers...Then...There it was...That delicious cheese pizza I've been craving since moving to the West Coast...Delicious! Very happy! Truly great! Ciao! read more

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I have to say I had high expectations from Yelp and was a little let down after eating dinner there tonight. We had a group of 7 and had a little bit of a wait (which wasn't a huge deal) however I feel they should have asked us if we wanted to eat in the room with the live music. My in laws had eaten in that room before where you can barely hear so we chose to eat in another room which was more of a wait. We ended up in a back room which was probably just as loud (but again- everyone was enjoying themselves so that was fine). The main reason for me giving 3 stars is due to the service or lack there of. We had two people who are gluten free and for a place that "accommodates" to the gluten free population, it took them a very long time to get their own separate dinner menus, gluten free appetizer and gluten free bread. My father in law also had to ask two extra times for a Moscow mule that he ordered when we sat down and got just before we started eating. They also gave my mother in law a gluten free dinner option when she didn't order it. Again- not a huge deal because we were very hungry but it all added up. The food was good and didn't take too long to come out. However, with the crappy service I'd think about coming back again. Tonight truly shows how important it is to have good service. read more

This review is for catering. Attention to detail is amazing. Food delivered promptly, hot, fresh and tasty. Guests raved. Experience counts! Catering consultation invaluable, and nothing left to chance. Highly recommend Mama's for your next event for Italian catering. Everyone is engaged in your party's success at Mama's. Enjoy being a guest at your next event by calling Mama's! read more

Hands down the best Italian restaurant I've been to in the area. The food isn't just outstanding, but the service and staff is as well. One of my favorite qualities of Mama's is their special attention to dietary restrictions, such as Gluten Free and Vegan, offering their own unique and individual menus with extensive Italian options. They even have vegan garlic knots and canollis! I've been going to Mama's for over 5 years now and the food just keeps getting better and better. I even had my baby shower there because it's just too good not so share with others! Everyone was so pleased and still rave about the quality of the food. 5 stars isn't enough! read more

Its a cute & cozy lil place. OMG the food was delicious! I had the eggplant rollatini and my daughter had the lobster ravioli for our entrees. The portions are huge. For our appetizer we had bruschetta and vegetarian portabella mushroom. I love the fact that the hostess asked us if we wanted a vegetarian/vegan menu. They also have vegetarian desserts. I will definitely be coming back. read more

Mama's Cafe Baci - Vegetarian portabella mushroom & bruschetta for our appetizer. Eggplant rollentini & lobster ravioli for our entrees - Italian Near Me - Hackettstown, New Jersey

Happened to be in Hackettstown for a friend's event and had heard great things about this place from other people. My boyfriend and I ordered two personal pizzas to share. I got the margherita pizza and my boyfriend got the vegan pisa pizza. The pizzas were both amazing and very flavorful. The service was great. All the employees were very friendly. I highly recommend this place and will definitely be going back! read more

We have been meaning to try this place since we moved in almost 2 months ago. For a birthday celebration, we decided to give it a shot and we're not disappointed. First of all, they have food for all different dietary restrictions and lifestyles. As you walk in you are offered vegan or gluten free menus. We didn't order off of it, but as someone who does not eat red meat I am planning to try the vegan sausage next time! We started with a large insalata to split. I thought it was perfect. It is lightly dressed, which I like, but if you prefer a lot, ask for more on the side. The salad is large enough to split or to get as an entree. For our meals, I got the Cosmopolitan and he got the Lobster Ravioli. Both of us were very happy. This is one of the only places that doesn't over cook the pasta. Also very flavorful sauce and perfectly cooked shrimp. The service was kind and quick. Will go back! Updating my rating. Only downside is the price you pay for the portion you get. Can be pricy and all a la carte. read more

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Being an owner as well (in california) there are things you don't do in this business and Cafe Baci did it. You first sample the easy things on the menu that should be the places "cash cow" such as the pizza. Other thing you should do if live up to your reviews of food this and that, they didn't. Walked in and there was an understandable wait, and we were willing to wait. The owner refused and sat us in about 15 minutes. I rather of waited however long it took. Luckily Covid was over, but this guy didn't care whatsoever how many he had in the main dining room. Tables that were designed for 2 people (and we thought only two people were going to sit there) he turned them into table for 4, making everyone that sat at these tables have 1/2 their body sticking out of the size of the table, and basically coming to the point of having the other customer's really touching them. The owner just cared how many he could pack in the place, so that he could pocket an over priced menu, that was nothing more than medicore Pizza type dining. So first thing we had to sample was like we said their money maker, the pizza. The pizza that was served to our table was from at least 5 hours ago and they had the nerve to serve it to a customer. You could tell immediately that the pizza was not fresh. Fresh pizza starts out a yellow color and the older it stays it turns more of an orange color. So the pizza was delivered, the pizza we knew was at least 5 hours or more, the pizza was totally orange, the cheese was that great, and it was leaking oil all over the dish. You can tell that reheated pizza is reheated just by the way it looks and tastes, well this was no different. So here's were customers get ripped off. The platting, this place's idea of platting and displaying food to the customer is exactly like the olive garden. Make it look like a full plate with cheap stuff. The plate was long and narrow, meaning that your getting about 20% less food than a normal circular plate. So we asked purposely to place our pasta on a separate plate just to see how much was actual the item we had ordered vs. how much "fluff" there was. "Fluff is something in the industry meaning something used to make something appear bigger and is cheap. Such as whipped cream on a desert, cheap pasta as a side order, or a small amount of vegetables on a place etc." For $24.99 plus tax, you received 6 to 7 oz of chicken and a bread dish sized amount of pasta. The pasta took up more than 1/2 the plate and was placed on the same plate as the chicken just to make it look bigger. We went to the waitress, went to her and say, this is a pizzeria and nothing more, is this really $24.99 she yes yes, took the plate of pasta off the dish, and said the same thing over again, she took a few steps back as in "holly sxxt" to relieze how much of a rip off the actual dinner was. I said the total amount of chicken on that plate was no more than $3 with 35 cents worth of pasta! We didn't take anything out on her, because she wasn' t the one that made the prices, we all knew that. Food was nothing to jump and down on, it was typical pizzeria style. Desert. oh boy, RIP OFF THEN SOME! Using this as an example, a Pod of Lavazza is $18.49 for a 40 servings, making it about 50 cents a cup. (https://www.webstaurantstore.com/lavazza-perfetto-coffee-single-serve-keurig-k-cup-pods-box/110LVKCPERFT.html) . Lavazza is one of the best brands to use, especially for businesses. He wasn't using it. Heres the rip off, $8.00 FOR A CUPPCCINO! / EXPRESSO. Soda, $3.49 that cost places less than 5 cents an ounce, and the list goes on and on! The owner kisses too much but and tries to over play the place, that's his job to hide the fact that the food is way over priced, the deserts are boxed from a bakery or from bendi or nesto's. Mama's is nothing more than a pizzeria with a way overpriced menu. Whether people don't care, have no clue on what dinning is, or whatever, the BS this guy is blowing up people's buts is amazing. He's cashing in on everyone that is decides to believe the false hipe! You could go to a normal pizzeria, pay 1/2 as much as what this place charges, get more food than MaMa's. Main course, slice of pizza, and a soda, was over $45 dollars. You could get the same exact order at a local pizzeria for about $18 to $20. We're sure there are a lot better places, that won't take advantage of your wallet. read more

My favorite restaurant in the Hackettstown area, I don't think I've ever had a bad meal here. The menu feels like it's right out of a restaurant in Rome, I've had everything from pizza to meat & seafood as well as pastries. Highly recommend it read more

Today I had the vegan flatbread loaded with mushrooms and garlic to start; followed by vegan spinach ravioli. I'm going home stuffed and with leftovers. The pasta was made to perfection. Sorry no photos, was too busy enjoying the hell out of it. I'll be sweating garlic for days. read more

Updating to 5 stars because someone took the time to respond to my original review so I did actually stop by and order something on my own. I ordered a couple appetizers- the fresh mozzarella and calamari. It was a complete 180 from the catering order and staff was amazing. Fresh, quality, and delicious read more

Of course you come to a restaurant for the food. But this spot is a whole experience. My husband and I came here on a Friday night and there was live acoustic music in the Cafe room. Of course we chose the Cafe. The owner and the staff were so welcoming and patient explaining and clarifying questions regarding the menu. I'm (unfortunately) gluten free so Italian restaurants can be scary. This place has a whole menus for gluten free... a literal physical menu! And a gluten free drinks menu! The food was amazing. It is the first time in years I had mozzarella sticks that tasted better than non gluten free ones (all gluten free!). Definitely coming back many more times. read more

My friends are vegan and I'm pescatarian and when we go out together we find it hard to settle on a restaurant. Well not anymore. We have been here numerous times and find it to be wonderful. The staff is good, the food has been excellent and the prices are reasonable. The only issue I have is there can be an awfully long wait for a table depending on what time you arrive. We have gotten the arrival time down to a science and have to wait less frequently to be seated. I guess that's the price you have to pay for going to a popular. They have 3 different menus (reg,vegan and vegetarian) and they have 2 separate kitchen to avoid cross contamination. The owner walks around and greets everyone and explains the menus to first time diners. For italian food, Mama is the place to go. read more

This restaurant is wonderful, particularly the staff! They offer a good selection of food at decent prices and it was all delicious, especially the shrimp crostini! The best part, however, was the staff. The manager gave us a complete tour of the restaurant because it was our first time there. He checked on us throughout the meal and even gave us free food to try. Several people on the waitstaff helped during the meal and they were all very friendly and helpful as well. We will definitely be going back! read more

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Wednesday was my birthday, and we decided to order from Mama's due to their gluten & dairy free menu. I was overwhelmed with all of the options I had! Never before have I seen a menu with so many gluten and dairy free items. After much deliberation, I decided on the Champagne Palma penne and breadsticks. My boyfriend, who does not have food allergies, ordered the chicken parmigiana and spaghetti. Our order was ready for pickup in under 30 minutes, and was still nice and hot when we got it home. My food was labeled gluten free and dairy free, and everything was individually wrapped with no chance of cross contamination-including bread. We were both so impressed! I have been disappointed with dairy free cheeses and sauces in the past, but not here! Every bite was so delicious and I didn't feel I was missing out on anything. Since I had ordered breadsticks, the gluten free bread included I have been having with lunch since. It's still soft and tasty! This was our first time ordering from Mama's but it will not be our last! I look forward to the time when indoors of restaurants are open again so we can have that experience too. Thank you Mama's for allowing me to have a wonderful birthday dinner during quarantine. read more

Mama's Cafe Baci - Champagne Penne Palma, Gluten and dairy free - Italian Near Me - Hackettstown, New Jersey

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Mama's has one huge advantage going for it: they cater beautifully to different dietary requirements. They have one of the most substantive and varied gluten free (suitable for celiacs) menus, as well as a truly impressive vegan menu. Vegetarian food is easy to do at Italian/Italian-American places, but vegan is hard to come by. And at Mama's, you can get vegan *everything!* They also let you do "duo" entrees, so you can mix and match and choose two different things. I came with my family for a Father's Day dinner. The food we ate (appetizers, entrees, and dessert) all ranged from good to great/excellent. The vegan eggplant francese was out of this world, and well worth going back for! My gluten-free and omnivore relatives all enjoyed their dishes, too. There were a couple of hiccups. The vegan eggplant pisa tasted good, but was not what I expected based on the menu description: it was basically a salad (including iceburg lettuce) with peppers and vegetables with little strips of breaded eggplant on top, topped with a balsamic drizzle; I was expecting an eggplant cutlet topped with vegetables. And the vegan meatball appetizer we ordered was listed as coming with a nut-based ricotta, which they were out of; they brought us three tiny gardein style meatballs in sauce as the appetizer, which was disappointing. (If a key ingredient isn't available, the server should probably ask the customer if they still want it!) The eggplant The main reason I'm not giving a higher star rating is that the prices are really absurd for what you get. The meatball appetizer (which doesn't appear to be on the menu any longer the last time I looked) was around $15; vegan garlic bread is $8. Entrees are around $20 - $28, which isn't unusual for upscale Italian places. But Mama's has a more casual atmosphere (complete with live music each night, that can be loud and make it hard to hold a conversation.) Desserts are also around $8 - $10. You expect an $8 slice of cake to be pretty sizeable; the slice of vegan chocolate cake we got was so thinly cut that they had to lay it on its side, cause it couldn't stand up on its own. In sum: go to Mama's if you need to cater to a wide range of dietary needs, but be prepared to pay a premium for it. read more

Had a meal with friends last Saturday and sadly all of us were disappointed by the food. The antipasto was so bland and didn't meet expectations of an authentic Italian appetizer. Two of us ordered chicken breast dishes, not sure what your chef are pretending to make because one entree was hardly edible. Eggplant rollette dish was ok. Highly recommend nixing the live music in the dining room, combined with overall loudness of that room, it's way too noisy and our table of 4 could barely hear one another. Been there before and enjoy a booth much more. The service was good except we had to ask about drink orders twice. read more

I will come back forever to eat the Osso bucco. It's my fav thing on the menu but honestly I have liked everything I have tried!

As a vegan options at most restaurants tend to have very limited options for me (vegan restaurants excluded), but not Mama's. Their vegan menu is astounding and everything is delicious! I had the vegan scallops (mushrooms), eggplant rollatini, and the chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake cupcake for desert. The rollatini is currently in a trial phase so I highly recommend going as soon as possible to try it. My only complaint is that I wish I lived closer. They have pizza, Stromboli, desert and alcohol options for vegans. This place is wonderful! read more

Everything was amazing. I have been looking for an amazing gf restaurant and this place is amazing. Service was excellent and the food was excellent. read more

The best Italian restaurant by far in our area. The staff and ownership are second to none. read more

For a pizzeria this is a very nice establishment... The food is good... Their packaging when being delivered it's pretty good.. I'd order again. read more

Mamas stepped in last moment to cater my daughters wedding when our assigned caterer cancelled. Highly recommend Mamas for excellent food and service! read more

I am so glad we found this place! I literally cannot day enough about Mama's Cafe Baci! The decor is so inviting, they have one side with live music and everything! The food- well omg the food, so tasty, very fresh and the portions are huge. The owner comes around and talks to people and chats, the service is great as well. Just a complete find! Wish I lived in NJ - this would be a weekly spot for me. Kudos for creating such an amazing restaurant! read more

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We had take out from this place. The food is great! We ordered vegetarian pasta and pizza.

Fabulous food and great owners. They are always busy so be patient. But you won't go wrong. Best gluten free / vegan food around!!

I've been here twice visiting my sister in Hackettstown and it's so good! We went with a group of 4 for dinner, I got the duet and they are awesome about letting you swap and share since they are huge plates. The chicken toscana and tortellini was delicious! The pasta was tender with a flavorful sauce and the chicken was perfectly cooked with prosciutto and spinach. It was a huge plate and would be enough for leftovers but we all got several duets and shared them. The penne with champagne was fantastic as well. My brother thought his entree came with pasta and since it was a duet, it didn't. He told the server it was no big deal and she brought him a bowl of linguine anyways. She was so sweet! They give you bread and a sampling of one of their favorite pastas before your dinner comes. It's a big restaurant as well. Has that Italian feel and a cute cafe side with live music. I also had their aperol spritz which was so delicious I ordered a second one. I would definitely recommend this place for a delicious Italian dinner with family or a special occasion. read more

Mama's Cafe Baci - Aperol Spritz - Italian Near Me - Hackettstown, New Jersey

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The Crab stuffed Portabella.... imitation crab. And it wasn't cooked to order which is why it was tough because it was sitting around somewhere for hours. They go through the trouble of buying real prosciutto but can't get real crab? $12 a pound for lump crab meat at restaurant supply. I can assure you my crab stuffed Portabella isn't tough and it has real crab in it. The pasta purses... tough. Eggplant Parm... tough. They have glimmers of possibly being a great place but when I was there... not really anything outstanding. Of course I may be biased being Italian and cooking for over 50 years. read more

Yesterday we had a great family get-together meal catered by Mama's Cafe Baci. The customer service experience was excellent from Sheri who took the order by phone in the Catering Department to Chris who delivered the food. Sheri was patient and took the time to explain the food entrees as we finalized a menu for traditional and vegan items. No waiting and wondering on Sunday, because Chris arrived about 5 minutes early for setup of the food racks, serving utensils, Sterno heat sources and tent labels showing what each pan contained. He also discussed the checklist of serving items that needed to be returned to the restaurant in the next couple of days. So, 12 of us feasted on "Party Combo" appetizers (hot wings, fried ravioli, and mozzarella and zucchini sticks), "House Salad" with very fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions and black olives with a couple of dressings, "Italian Flare" bread platter, Aglio e Olio with spiral pasta and Eggplant, Rigatoni Primavera with a tube-shaped pasta and vegetables in a red sauce, and a favorite of many, "Chicken Tuscany" with prosciutto, roasted peppers and spinach in a white wine sauce. Cake came from a bakery, but that is another good review. Anybody hungry for leftovers? We had plenty and plan to enjoy them on Monday night too. We can heartily recommend Mama's Cafe Baci catering. It was a great food and catering experience. read more

We had lunch delivered to the office. The sandwiches and bruschetta were absolutely delicious!

I understand this place is very popular. My family was very disappointed with all dishes except the salad and pasta with sauce. The broccoli cavetelli was hard and dry and it was thrown away. The pasta with clams the flavor was bland. The clams themselves on the shell were good. When we tasted the garlic pieces in the dishes they did not have flavor. They appeared to have been previously frozen and water logged. The bread was cold and was salty. The chicken marsala tasted as if the broth was made from a beef bouillon cube and the chicken was tough and not eaten. I have bought from this place before but I keep having friends enjoying the meals. So I tried again but the food is still not good. The owner and staff are very friendly but the prices are extremely high for food that taste more American than Italian. Which is ok for those who like their food to taste that way. As an Italian American I like my food to taste more the way I had growing up in Brooklyn. read more

Seriously awesome! Mama's is a staple in the community and pivoted during the pandemic to serving awesome food safely! I really appreciate the complimentary bread with a takeout/delivery order! Yum! read more

This place advertises as having gluten free options and protocol which is why I found it- I have celiac disease and get incredibly ill by consuming even a particle of gluten. I was really excited to eat here. Mama's has potential to be amazing, but yesterday was the second time I've been glutened there. The first time, I was assured by the waitstaff that my bread was gluten free. After I ate two bites of the roll, they came back and said "oh no, that has gluten, sorry!" The manager denied the issue at first and was apologetic only after I got teary. I got very sick that night. I decided to give Mama's another try after several months due to their reputation and hoping that was a one-time mistake. Yesterday, I went there for lunch and ordered a salad and sandwich. I was told the salad / croutons were gluten free. I ate some and then asked again, because the croutons seemed "normal". I asked the waitress who said she was told they were gluten free, but that the chef was on a break and she couldn't ask him. She said she would make me another salad. The new salad that came out had very different croutons- that were gluten free. I got very sick again. I'm really sad about it bc this place has great gf food and has potential- but there's a disconnect with the kitchen / communication. I've now gotten very sick twice and probably will not go back. read more

Great Experience tonight at mamas, food was great, highly recommend and will be back soon. The service was great and the waiter was checking in perfectly. Owner was conversing with everyone and made everyone feel welcome. Overall great experience!! read more

Great food, great atmosphere. Been a customer for years. A real family restaurant, run by a real, local family.