NOT AUTHENTIC. As an Italian women it was honestly a mockery to eat here. They put pineapple on the pizza we ordered, no hate to people who enjoy that but that is not Italian cuisine. As for the fettuccine Alfredo it was buttered noodles with no flavor and no cheese, there was as well random penne noodles incorporated in it. The service was good but I can't believe they also are blind to how white washed the food is there. It's honestly distasteful to have fake candles going for how expensive things were. Will not be going back. read more

This is my go-to restaurant when I want an exceptional meal. Their Linguine Vongole is to die for, and their pizzas are delicious! Wine choices always hit the spot (no mediocre cheap wine here). All in all, a excellent destination for any palate. read more

Mambo's is one of those places that you hear a lot of people talk about around town. It has the locals all say, they have some of the best flavors for Italian food. Grabbed lunch there. They don't have a lunch menu, so the prices are the same anytime. The prices are not bad for this kind of food for lunch. Tried the Cabonara, I haven't had it in a long time. Quick service on ordering and getting to the kitchen. While waiting, noticed on the walls, they have a lot of art for sale by local artists. I'm not an art collector, it did seem kind of nice. You may want to check it out yourself if you like paintings. The Carbonara came and looked really great. The first bite was more then I expected. The was so rich in luxury food taste. Very creaming and packed with flavor. Bacon, and the creaminess of the sauce. The chef really knows how to make this dish correctly. Pleasent surprise, I knew they were good, but this was a little extra on how well they made it. You'll be surprised when you try it also. *!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!* Please let me know if you like the review and click "Useful" Let me know what else you would like to see by clicking the "Compliment" button, any thoughts you have are always appreciated. Thank you for reading the review. See you on Yelp! read more

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An honest review is what I provide here always. So I decided to try Mambo Italiano tonight. Ordered the Chicken Parmesan. It was terrible. The chicken was okay and the sauce was dry and too spicy. Sauce was served with rigatoni pasta that was under cooked. Came with ann odd side of carrots and zucchini and mushrooms. Server was not at all concerned at all to ask if I enjoyed my meal, seei G as I hardly touched it. This is not truly Italian. Seems Bellingham does not know how to make true Italian food. They should visit and try Ciao Bella's in Anacortes. This is the truest Italian in the Pacific Northwest. Service was very poor and waitress was not ever paying attention. Small place. So puzzled why she was not paying attention from the moment I sat down to the time I gave my plate back. She did refill my drink once though. I will not be going back. read more

Cute pizza place located in the heart of Fairhaven. We sat on the west side, closer to the kitchen. The wait staff was very young, and seem to have a lot of fun. We thought it was funny that we ordered just a pizza and then our waitress brings us a basket of bread to eat while waiting for our order.... seems a bit odd. We ordered the Mambo deluxe. It was very strange how it had so many ingredients on it, but was definitely missing something.. The flavors didn't seem balanced properly. Not the best, but great potential read more

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Excellent food but it was our server Katie who made the night. Playful and attentive she anticipated our needs before we asked her. Top notch. read more

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Mambo has always never disappointed me but date night turned bad night after getting the special that was recommended (I was so sick). I'm so disappointed with my favorite restaurant serving such a sub par dish. Shrimp moose paddy smelled like fish I didn't finish because it was that bad. read more

Portion size is amazing! We ordered the spinach salad and I would highly recommend it. The carbonara is a bit heavy with the cream but still tasty. The fettuccine cacciatore is ok, but it will fill you up. Not bad for a very reasonable price! read more

My experience with Mambo this past weekend has definitely changed my opinion on this restaurant. After a particularly bad experience with Caio Bella in Anacortes on Valentines Day, we decided to try Mambo again in an attempt to get some good pasta. Success! The Caprese salad was a perfect, refreshing starter. My boyfriend loved the chicken alfredo dish he ordered. I tasted it and was impressed as well; the toasted walnuts were a great touch! My linguine vongole was good, albeit a tad lacking in flavor. You can never have too much garlic in my opinion. Our server (Saoirse?) was delightful, and overall we had a really nice time. read more

Food was pretty good, service was pretty basic, table was small and felt cramped. Had the capprese, meatball appetizer and ravioli. Was very full. The cucumber specialty drink was very good. The espresso drink was not good. Wife had shrimp pasta dish that was pretty good, lots of large shrimp read more

My husband loved the carbonara. Excellent even without homemade pasta. The price at $11 was very reasonable. I had the meatball appetizer. The meatballs were fair but the marinara sauce had a little kick. We both had side salads. My husband's ranch dressing tasted extremely good with a distinct dill flavor. I had the white basalmic vinegarette. It was also good. Tasted homemade. The cold bread was like eating soft flour. It was the miss. Overall we really enjoyed our lunch. read more

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We went for lunch, my friend highly recommended this place. They have outside dining and we found a table in the shade, which was nice. Our server was prompt and friendly. My lunch date really bragged up the bread and she couldn't wait to show me hot good the bread was, well......the bread came and it was obviously out of a box, very generic, I've seen the same bread at many other restaurants, and it's not very good. It was Sunday, so maybe they ran out of their good bread and had to open an emergency box from the freezer. We split a Caesar Salad and it was excellent, we ordered light dressing and the salad was just perfect. I just love good spaghetti so I had to try the Spaghetti and Meatballs, I wasn't letdown. A very nice portion, the sauce was great (although a tad bit watery) and the meatballs were awesome. They bring out a jar or Parmesan cheese so you can add what you like, the dish looked a little plain without it. My date ordered the Penne Primavera, that is a very good dish as well, lighter, but very flavorful. There are many other dishes I want to go back to try, and I can't wait to do so. Our lunch came out quickly, we didn't have to wait long at all. This would have been five star review if they had served bread that matched the excellent quality of our lunch. Oh, and to add to the outside dining experience there must have been a car show nearby, there were so many nice classic cars driving past while we had lunch. read more

Mambo Italiano Cafe - This bread was from a box, very generic, not what I expected. I've seen the same bread at so many other restaurants. - Italian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Yum! Quaint and cozy little Italian spot. The rooms are filled with eclectic and interesting art for sale, the seating was comfortable and the ambience was delightful. I had the fettuccini Alfredo and my husband had the chicken Parmesan. His game with roasted veggies and I had to steal a few because they were to die for. I had a glass of Pinot noir- Duck Pond, it was perfect. I would definitely recommend read more

Mambo Italiano Cafe - Couldn't wait it was delicious. Consider the fettuccini with fried chicken! Delicious - Italian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Wow; no idea how we missed this spot. A bit expensive but dang, it's good. Pizza was dope, Carbonara pasta was wowza, seafood pasta dish was damn good. All takeout, so minimal service but was good and prompt. Pizza was top 3 in town, imho. read more

My wife and I have been coming here since they opened in 2001. We have been here literally hundreds of times over the years. However in the last year or so we have noticed a decrease in portion size, an increase in pricing and most of all, inconsistency from one visit to the next. The chicken parm used to come with a side of sauteed veggies, no more. We actually had to send the bruschetta back on our last visit. It didn't come with pancetta as the menu states, it was doused with Italian dressing and they forgot to put it under the broiler so there was just a pile of grated parmesan on top. Even my small pizza seemed smaller than normal. It used to be served on the pizza pan, now it fits on a dinner plate. Overall, pretty disappointing! read more

Great Pasta, It's my favorite place to get Salmon fettuccine Alfredo. If you're looking for Pasta in Fairhaven Mambo is the best.

This place has awesome Italian food. Not quite as good as back home in New York and New Jersey but still very very good. I've enjoyed eating there in the past and was looking forward to it today also. Due to covid I was hoping to have my order to go. But it turns out the restaurant has decided not to offer takeout. I can't imagine it would cost them more money other than the packaging, play one also turn their tables over faster and should generate more income. They were quite nice about it but in this day and age it's hard to believe that a restaurant couldn't accommodate my needs due to covid and my dining companion and I having poor immunity. I don't know if I will return even though they did have great food in the past. read more

Adorable little spot with incredible food. We came here during lunch, on a Saturday and parked for free on the street behind the cafe. My husband and I ordered two different pasta dishes and both were so good! read more

Their Kitchen Sink Pizza is great, and pairs with any red wine. I love their bread and their red sauce is very flavorful. Their homemade pasta is worth a try. It can get very loud in the dining room, but overall it is a pleasant experience and the food has consistently been great. read more

Too hot inside. Flies on table. Staff stressed and rather indifferent. Seafood Puttanesca, their signature dish, was good. Iced tea was cloudy and not good. Won't be back for a while; too many other options. read more

Stopped in for dinner with the family. Outdoor seating options were available and there was a hand sanitizer dispenser located just inside. Everyone was very courteous and the staff worked well as a team to ensure every table was well attended to. I opted for the Greek Salad with an add on of grilled prawns. The salad by itself was delicious and reminiscent of my time in Crete. The prawns were a worthy add on - deveined, nicely seasoned and grilled to perfection. The family enjoyed their pastas and noted they'd be more than happy to return the next time we're in the Fairhaven area. read more

Yum yummy yum love everything about this place! Great pizza, delicious bread, amazing pasta and even the salad is delicious

Well, I went i for lunch. I had the spaghetti and meatballs. I was disappointed, the sauce was bland, the meatballs were mushy and pretty flavorless, the bread was great though. My sangria was fantastic! I also had the tirimisu, not so great. I will try it again and have the clams and muscles, and maybe a pizza or alfredo. It may have been an off day. read more

Bland italian cuisine and terrible customer service but it's Bellingham, what do you expect. They offer take-out but at least 50% of the time they say their kitchen is backed up and call again in an hour. Really? Skip this place and head to Milanos. They don't do take-out but the food is so much better. read more

The pictures are of a real chicken piccata and Mambo Italiano's very poor substitute. The picture of breaded and sautéd chicken is from Bon Appetit. The shredded chicken in a sauce with penne is Mambo Italiano' poor substitute. read more

Mambo Italiano Cafe - Italian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Growing up on the east coast with a super critical Italian mother who cooks bangin' authentic meals, I believe this place dominates the area for Italian food. Everything I get here is great, the smoked salmon penne is amazing, the pizza is great, fair haven location is super cute, and the servers are always nice. Love it. read more

We've been eying this restaurant for a while and we figured why not try it out. But I should have read the reviews on yelp before wasting $100+ for three people and getting an upset stomach. The bread they gave was rubbery, which was only warm on the bottom. The store bought bread would be better than that bread. I ordered salmon penne. I expected it to have a piece of salmon with pasta which I've had at other restaurants before, but what I received looked like canned salmon since it was in pieces mixed with the sauce and little bits of artichoke and a crap load of sun dried tomatoes. The worst part is that the salmon tasted old and has a really sweet taste that made it unbearable to eat and enjoy. Think of salmon penne as a dessert, that's what they served me. My husband didn't enjoy his meal either since the flavor was off and it just didn't live up to what it was supposed to be. We also ordered alfredo pasta which was super greasy and lacked flavor. Truly a sad and unsatisfying experience. The place was filled with overpriced simple paintings that they're also trying to sell. The service was great though, as well as the cranberry juice. They should really work on the food they serve. It's not a cheap/affordable restaurant so I had high hopes that the food would be worth it. The price they ask from customers is really high for the quality they serve. The receipt recommends 18% or higher, but there's no way I'm tipping that high for that low quality food! I honestly would not go back to this restaurant. read more

We drove an hour to try this restaurant. It was definitely worth the drive. From the fesh cut bread to out entrees everything was delicious. The service was fast and efficient. We made reservations which I am glad we did. The place was packed and the people never stopped coming in. read more

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I took my mom and daughter for lunch and the service was bad. Food was mixed. We ordered bruschetta and asked for 1 more minute to order lunch. Cami came back 15 min later for our order. There were 2 servers for about 6 tables, idk how much side work she had, but we were not a priority. We waited a long time for service, boxes, a bag & the check. I drank my daughter's water- there were no refills or check-ins. After an hour for lunch, my mom and daughter went to the car while I waited for the check. I was overcharged for 3 lunch items. I asked her fix the bill to reflect the lunch menu she had given us and we had ordered from. She fixed 2 prices and then argued with me that the 3rd item (bruschetta) was priced wrong on the menu and what was in the computer was accurate. She did not apologize for the long wait, inattention, charging me 3X and not correcting it the first time I asked. We will not be back. The only positives: my mom enjoyed the smoked salmon pasta and my daughter enjoyed the carbonara. My Gorgonzola pasta was okay and would have been better if it had Gorgonzola in it, but it was missing. read more

We are driving back to Seattle from Vancouver and needed a restaurant right off the I-5. It's not exactly right off the freeway, which annoyed me, but this town is so pretty in the fall and street parking is free :) It was 2:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, but it was very busy. In reality, it was just a 5-minute drive from the freeway. As for the restaurant...wow!!! Their pasta carbonara is better than mine. I'm always curious to see how a restaurant makes their carbonara and it's usually never as good as mine, let alone better than mine. My son had the chicken parmesan...it's 2 cuts of breast. We prefer thigh meat, but it was still good, and not dry the way breast can get. The vegetables with his parmesan were really good as well. Also, their bread is made in-house and is amazing. Second best bread I've tasted in America. The beer on tap is good. I ordered the Aslan...light enough, but with a slight hoppy taste. Good enough to order a second pint :) The waitress/bartender, Monica, was friendly, efficient and just plain lovely. There were a few regulars when we walked in, and that's how you know it's a good restaurant. read more

YUUUUUUMMM!!! Pros? -The food is AMAZING. Truly not something I could make at home, which makes the pricing WAY worth it. -Each dish has a significant portion of meat and unique sauce, unlike a lot of places which have so much pasta as filler -Super friendly and proficient service -Enjoyable atmosphere -Romantic enough for date night -Open kitchen Cons? -Errrrrr.... makes my home cooked italian look and taste bad :-) read more

Delicious authentic Italian food in Fairhaven wa. I love eating in the restaurant or the courtyard.

We have been long-time happy customers of Mambo's but were disappointed last week when one bite into our lunch meals, we couldn't go on since they were very, very salty. I had ordered spaghetti carbonara which does normally have a salty taste because of the pancetta, but this was a wallop of salt! My partner had pasta pomodoro which was also extremely salty at first taste. We regretted sending our meals back, it's something we rarely do, but these dishes were that salty. Now we understand everyone has an off day sometimes and the serving staff was ever so courteous and apologetic. What prompted me to write a review is that management chose to still charge us 50% of the bill; it was not comped. The overhead music then started playing "Hit the Road Jack". Probably an unfortunate coincidence, but we won't be back. We would leave 2 stars but added the third because the serving staff on the floor was so attentive and courteous. read more

We were headed to the border crossing and decided to eat before joining what we expected to be a long line of cars so we exited for Bellingham. There were a number of options, but we noticed this restaurant seemed be doing an excellent business. My wife and I shared a panini club on soft, baked bread that included thick sliced roasted chicken breast, prosciutto ham, lettuce, tomato, aioli, provolone and a house dressing. Rosemary Clooney would have been happy with this sandwich. read more

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If you like Italian this is a must try! Great environment and quality food! So tasty and wonderful salads too!

I have no doubt that, compared to other options in Bellingham, Mambo is above average. Iunno, maybe I'm not giving B-ham enough credit... but that's the only real explanation I came up with for this place to be rated a solid four stars. I mean, there wasn't anything particularly wrong with our meal; there wasn't anything particularly memorable either. If you ask my wife, she'll say "it was just there." My Seafood Puttanesca had decent flavor, however much of the seafood was on the overcooked side. I ended up not eating it all, which is kinda a big deal for a pasta slut like me. The Mrs. has the ravioli and found it to be far too much of an Alfredo to be described as a rose. If I recall, she wasn't lapping hers up either. The antipasti was probably the best thing of the night. Yup... sliced meat and cheese. The service was friendly, attentive and easily accommodated us on the patio despite not having recommendations. Their patio was also nice for a mid-summer's evening meal, although I swear I got a sunburn while waiting for my food. I don't blame them for that though. How many people can say they get a sunburn in PacNW anyway? All and all, Mambo is an okay option if you find yourself in the area. Disclaimer: I'm an Italian food snob. read more

Mambo Italiano Cafe - Italian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

One of my favorite Italian restaurants of all time! I've had a variety of their dishes including the spaghetti carbonara, spaghetti and meatballs, bolognese, and I've also had their meatball pizza. Their meatballs are to die for. So moist and delicious! The carbonara is extremely good as well and it's so creamy and has fantastic flavors. Their staff is always very attentive and always so nice to get us seated right away even when it gets busy. The restaurant is pretty small inside so if you're coming around dinner time you should make a reservation as it usually gets pretty busy. read more

Mambo Italiano Cafe - Spaghetti Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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My wife and I went last night. Our waitress was of pleasant disposition and quite charming. Thats where it stops! She didn't know how to cork a bottle of wine as it took four of us to coach her. I ordered the veal marsala. It was cold and covered in sauce that looked the same as it came out this morning! The veal was tough and over cooked as though it was prepared the night before. The side of penne with red sauce was watery and bland. Not visiting this establishment ever again! read more

Dined here the other week, service was fine. Food tasted good. I ordered carbonara and was surprised that the sauce resembled an Alfredo rather than classic carbonara. There was cream and no pecorino. Real carbonara is egg and pecorino romano. Hard to do but for $18 I'd expect the real thing. read more

Can I eat here every day? The staff is delightful, cocktails are and the food is really well-made and delicious. Hilariously the only dish to ever disappoint was the spaghetti and meatballs (just less flavorful in comparison)! Can't wait to try more of the pasta dishes. Great ambience, too. Has immediately become a favorite spot. read more