I'm going to go ahead and give this place 5 stars. The food was excellent and the portions were ample. There were too many things that I wanted to eat that made it difficult deciding what I was going to order. The specials sounded sexy and the regular menu had me drooling. The beer selection was decent and I'm sure they sold wine too. There were four of us out to eat that night and everyone greatly enjoyed their meal. Not one complaint was to be had. The service was something that needed to be mentioned as a separate note. They waiter we had was excellent, he was friendly and not too in your face. Was around often but not to the point of being annoying. He even gave what felt like actual opinions on the food when asked. He didn't just say that everything was good. Our drinks never got empty other than of our own will and everything came out perfectly. The prices were better than expected, it was actually cheaper than we had calculated in our heads between the beers and everything else. While it's not the cheapest meal you'll eat, for a nice Italian restaurant it didn't clean out my wallet. I came her on a suggestion from a few other people and will now be telling others to go here myself. read more

When you are visiting the Lockport area. This is one of those places that you should not pass up. It's your local small own business, serving Italian cuisines. Which I'd have to say were exceptional. Before you begin you meal the waiter or waitress will bring forth dinner rolls which are fresh, with garlic and olive oil. ( you will not be able to resist by only having one. ) Our choice was to start the appetizer off with an spinach sauté. Which was amazingly good. For the main course I chose the penne w/sausage & red peppers, My wife, the Pasta Del Sol. Both dishes were cooked and prepared to perfection. Each bite was very pleasant, Not to much salt. Nor one flavor overpowering thee other. Just delicious. I'd have to say next time I decide to venture out into the Lockport area. I will be returning to try some more dishes. Oh yeah and before I forget. The staff was exceptional. Very friendly & welcoming. as well for the owner. Catering to whatever it is that you would need. read more

My husband and I just moved to Lockport from Chicago and were craving some Italian. He used to live in the area a few years ago - so knowing what was out here we were not feeling too optimistic. However found this gem on yelp tried it out and now after dinner had to compliment on how amazing it was!!!! Thoroughly impressed and this will be a regular spot for us. I ordered chicken Parmesan that was so good! The chicken was very juicy but still maintaining good balance of crisp to the breading and cheese on top. Sauce was very flavorful and fresh. Even the side of spaghetti was cooked perfectly. My husband got the special which was Asiago stuffed gnocchi. Whenever we get Italian he always orders gnocchi so this was a sign from the start! Very rich and flavorful. Both of us enjoyed sharing one another's dishes! Our waitress Ariana was so nice as well as the rest of the staff. I can't even think of one complaint. Great price point. Great portions. Loved ambience. My husband and I literally high fived each other we were so glad to find a great place out in Lockport read more

I have been here twice. Once for lunch which was probably a four star meal. The garlic knots that day were soft and the side order of meatballs came in their own bowl with a slightly different sauce which I enjoyed. I also liked that the meatballs were dense like my Nonna used to make. Last night, however, the stuffed shells I ordered were WAY over salted. My dining companions (who I had talked the place up to) also reported their food was over salted. My add-on meatballs came on my entree plate this visit and were dry and bland. Our garlic knots this visit were hard. I think I'll give the restaurant one more try since it is fairly close to where I live and we do not have many good dining options out here. Maybe last night was just an off night? read more

I really like this place....not for special occasion but as a go-to, local place for a solid, pleasant meal. Decor is mostly nondescript. Service is always cheerful and attentive, yet not always accurate (as far as what I ordered). My highlight is always the sauteed spinach-so good. The warm buns bathed in olive oil and diced garlic look better than they taste. Wine selection is pedestrian but reasonably priced. I've had a number of their entrees and I've always been satisfied with quality and portion. Spaghetti putenesca is always good, if you like spicy. The restaurant is in historic Lockport and an after-meal stroll down State St. is an entertaining and informative way to walk off a great meal. read more

Real rating: 2.5 stars. I'm not sure why this place has such good reviews. Maybe I just have higher standards and expectations than everyone else in Lockport. Like others have said, the garlic knots were delivered to the table pretty quickly. The only problem is that they were literally covered with what appeared and tasted like canned garlic. Don't get me wrong, I love garlic, but why not use fresh garlic? This was clearly the stuff you get by the giant jar at a warehouse club. I got the sausage, penne, and portobello mushrooms. The dish was okay for the price and was hot, but again, had way too much of the canned garlic. My girlfriend got the stuffed shells. The plate came with only 3 shells and covered in red sauce. She said the food was barely room temperature and had hot spots meaning it was probably microwaved. The shells looked and tasted like they came from Aldi (which isn't a terrible thing because Aldi has good stuffed shells, when they have them) but we expected more (quantity and quality) from a restaurant and for the price ($13.00). The worst part (and this is one of my biggest gripes) is the check took about 10-15 minutes. We got boxes for the food which were brought quickly. One would think that if you were going to bring boxes, naturally you would bring the check with the boxes or immediately afterward. Not here. The waitress brought the boxes and then stood and chatted with another table for at least 10-15 minutes. Not until I stood up and put my coat on did she bother to get the check. read more

To sum it up: Terrible house salad, Mediocre soup, impressive wine list, the fried calamari was acceptable. My main disappointment was the Eggplant Parmigiana. It was edible and that's all it was to it. The frozen kind I get at a store is a hundred times better. Will not be coming at this dud of an Italian restaurant. read more

Ordered last Friday for our Friday Night Movie and once again food was outstanding. We could just drink the vodka sauce. We ordered the Chianti Braised Ravioli and once again just great great food. We love Kyle's cooking. Till next times Frank and Kyle.-Sue Mueller-Lockport IL read more

The food isn't bad, the price is a little high for the quality. But I don't mind going here once in a while.

A friend took me here and I had such a great experience! The food is great and the decor is exactly what you'd want from a family owned Italian restaurant. My favorite part of the meal was the sausage, it was so fresh. Get something with sausage. If you're hesitant to visit because of reviews of the staff, ask for Marty. He was a fantastic server. Also, be sure to make a reservation so you won't have to wait. And if you aren't sold yet, here's a YouTube video review about it. http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ic7gzxJHpc8 I highly recommend Mamma Onesta's. read more

I rarely post a review unless it's positive,but last nite's dinner at Onesta's was the worst I had ever had. We have eaten there numerous Times as well as getting take out and the service and food was always A+.I had Called for a 8 Pm reservation and the host saw that my wife Was using a cane and immediately got us a table. Then everything went south from there.Our waitress Hilary ? Started to to take our order, We got Diet Pepsi instead of Tea because I prefer fresh brewed instead of instant. My wife ordered Gnocchi Gorgonzola and I ordered Colossal Shrimp along with a Reg salad.I asked for extra dressing .She got our drinks and went back to the kitchen. At approximately 8:15 she dropped off the the salads turned around quickly and headed back to the kitchen before we could say anything. The salads had little if no dressing at all dry. We waited hoping to catch her but alas we did not see her again until approximately 8:42 27 min later carrying our main course. I nicely explained the issue about the No salad dressings .As she placed the plates in front of us She asked if we wanted her to get us more salad dressing. Knowing that our meals would get cold I declined. I then observed the noodles which were supposed to be changed to fettuccine from angel hair was not done. She offered to have it remade, but by this point I just wanted to eat. I had requested extra lobster sauce, but it was not on the entree. Again she disappeared. I told my wife to not wait for me and was able to catch a gentleman waiter who took the plate back to the Kitchen to get me the required sauce. The shrimp was a little over cooked but by now I just wanted to get out of here. I told my wife I was going to the wash room and get my meal wrapped. When I came back this was done and again we waited for about 10 min more to be able to get our bill. I only left15% tip instead of my usual 20-25 % since we know things are rough due to the pandemic. In all fairness she did credit off the salads. I Noted on the Receipt WORST SERVICE EVER. YES I WAS UPSET and just wanted to take my wife out for a nice meal. Also the Mgr who a was in a small room 2 tables behind us never came out. Sad to say it will be a long time before we come back here, bar none. PS I am a business owner with 51 yrs in the service industry with 19+ employees. I know how hard this pandemic has been but it's a TWO WAY STREET "BAD SERVICE IS NO SERVICE" Chet D read more

The staff is very friendly, the place is kind of narrow, but it's worth a stop. The amazing looking buns that are in the bowl full of garlic look delicious but there's something wrong with them. Maybe the oil that they're sitting in, maybe too sweet, but something ain't right with them, too bad. I had the ziti and the Italian sausage and it was the best I've ever had anywhere! read more

So I had no idea that Lockport had a quaint little downtown area. I was even more surprised to find that Mamma Onesta's is there, and it rivals any Italian restaurant on the south side. This place is the bomb for authentic Italian served in a homey atmosphere. We came in on a Saturday night sans reservations, and there was a 45 minute wait. We decided to saddle up to the bar and we ordered a couple of martini's. Both drinks were well mixed, and both bartenders were friendly and efficient. After only 15 minutes our table opened up, so we were seated promptly by the hostess. Server was nice as can be (can't recall her name). The food was awesome. We started with the calamari (cooked perfectly, not too heavy). We also had spicy corn soup with habaneros... this was excellent. I had chicken parmigana, my GF had eggplant parmigana. Both dishes were enormous and delicious. Total bill with drinks was less than $100, which I thought was quite fair. The service and food are awesome. We also met the owner who was telling us a bit about the history of the building and downtown Lockport. Overall an excellent place- I'm excited to come here again! read more

Last night was my second visit to Mamma Onesta's. I had not even known this restaurant existed, but was pleasantly surprised to find it. The décor is nice and the service is good. The menu selections are the usual for an Italian restaurant, but they seem to have some nice specials. I ate the Swai fish last night which was advertised as "spicy" and it was! The flavor was good. I would definitely order it again if it is offered. The other items salad, rolls and wine were good too. It's nice to have a good Italian restaurant close by! read more

I came in today (Friday) around 5:15pm, 9-14-2013 The garlic knots were at our table within seconds of sitting down, A MAZ ING!! I ordered a drink, Italian Sunrise, it was delicious and only $6, later with my dinner I enjoyed a delicious Lambrusco. I ordered the Veal Parmigiana, and it was quite delicious, though not as large portioned as I hoped. Overall it was very good. It came with spaghetti with tomato sauce, I love the sauce. Nice touches all around, lemons in the water, excellent service etc, they even made a child portion of Gnocchi for my little one , Although my wife disliked her entree, and only had one bite, they promptly removed it from our bill. I would of gave a 5 however the next table were 2 couples, one of them was drunk, rude and classless, Throwing F bombs like they were candy, and saying out loud," I need to piss" Not very lady like, she was so offensive and drunk, she annoyed the other lady at her table to the point where you stood up, took her keys and purse and headed out the front door Management witnessed this and didn't ask the drunk, belligerent woman to leave, that was a bad move. For this reason my wife will not come back here, but I will, the sauce is that good. read more

Beer cheese soup unavailable as of two days ago. I will check back on this in a month. Ordered: chicken pompeii, Peroni Italian Beer, cream of roasted red pepper (soup of the day = GOOD!), minestrone soup..also nice. coffee with creme..good..tiramisu good. Big portions; take 'em home in a box! Awesome lady with green hair. Dip AWESOME garlic knots in soup, check! Give server very good tip..Ashley!!!! read more

Delicious food! Had the veal Parmesan and it was to die for . We will def be back to try more of the dishes. They were very fast with their service as well. read more

Phenomenal doesn't even begin to describe how great the food is here! From beginning to end, I don't have a single complaint about the food. Which probably has you scratching your head as to why I gave it only 4 stars. Unfortunately, the table service was less than stellar. Had our waitress done a better job I would have given 5 stars. Also, entering the restaurant is odd. During the winter, you have to come in the back door and shuffle past customers waiting for the restrooms. When we arrived, they were quite busy but they prepared a table for us immediately and they seated us quickly. Let's start with the bad service so we can end this on a good note, shall we? Our server was Trish. Although she was very friendly, she was not so timely and she would disappear for long periods of time. Also, when we asked for more water, she brought wine. Overall, the service was lacking. The food itself was as good as it gets. I ordered the Spicy Tilapia. It came with shrimp, mushrooms, spinach and pasta. It was cooked in a wine sauce with red pepper flakes. Very spicy but, good. The fish was cooked perfectly. The portions are good size and you won't go home hungry. My husband ordered the chicken that was featured on Chicago's Best. The name escapes me but, holy heck was it delicious! The chicken was so tender, you only needed a fork. The creamy Italian dressing with the salad was really good too. I mean 'lick the plate' good! The dinner rolls were drenched in oil but, it's just bread. So, no worries. We had the tiramisu for dessert and it was a nice ending to a great meal. The prices were so reasonable, $67 for two entrees, dessert and two glasses of wine. I really can't wait to go back and try it again. read more

We found this place on Chicago's Best and had to try it. The Chicken Fiorintino and the veal zingara were both great, tender and tastey. The olives on the veal dish were not pitted, which was a little surprising. Great marinara! Our server, Will, was attentive and brought our old school dirty Martinis with blue cheese olives without spilling a drop. We did not try any of the appetizers because I saw the desserts and had to try the gelato, which are huge, and big enough to share. Four stars for sure. read more

Mamma Onesta's - Chicken Fiorintino - Italian Near Me - Lockport, Illinois

Not happy with the service I received last night at all. Ordered my food just to get to the restaurant for them to tell me that they haven't even started to cook the main course of my meal. After waiting 25 minutes for them to cook chicken I left and got home to only find out that they never bagged my other meal. I called the restaurant back and asked for a refund and to get my other food back. Get to the restaurant for them to tell me that they threw the food away and the receipt handed to me and never got an apology. read more

Same great food, now with great service too. Trisha, our server was really great. She brought out full coloring books and full crayon sets for the kids. We sat outside since the weather was nice and had a great time. I'd highly recommend Mamma Onestas to anyone traveling near Lockport. read more

Can't say enough good things. The food is as close to homade as I can tell. Deserts are great as well. I recently had the sausage , portobello and penne pasta in garlic and oil. Fantastic. Veal was very nice as well. read more

Mamma Onesta's - Veal param - Italian Near Me - Lockport, Illinois

First timers. Nice ambience, though a little on the noisy side. Two little garlic biscuits as a substitute for bread were bland and nothing special. Massive menu. Salad and entrees were very good. Will definitely come back. read more

Wife and I went for anniversary dinner. They didn't know it was our anniversary. The evening was still a great experience they didn't rush us and we will will return. Just for a quiet romantic dinner that's local. Can't beat. read more

Mamma Onesta's - Italian Near Me - Lockport, Illinois

This is one of the Best Italian Restaurants I have ever eaten at. The Lasagna was to die for. The Salmon cakes were awesome and best of all they have a pro gun sign on the door, incuageing legal concealed carry holders to carry into the Restaurant... read more

My family and I were all meeting at the bar across the way for trivia night, but it was too packed. We stumbled into this lovely restaurant, under dressed, and starving. I ordered the tortellini with Alfredo and pesto sauce, and my husband ordered the penne with sausage and Portobello. Both were absolutely delicious, with very generous portions, and flavored very well. Our service was quick and accommodating, even when we each wanted a separate check. Although I don't expect to be in Lockport again anytime soon, I would absolutely visit here again. read more

I'd like to give 3 stars to the food, and 4 stars to the overall experience. We always get good service here, and the garlic rolls with oil are a great starter. Most of the fare seems to be pretty standard Italian, My favorite being the Lobster Ravioli. Although it is pretty salty, it is excellent and a little less salt would be my only suggestion. read more

This is our first time to Momma Onesta's but won't be the last! Absolutely the BEST Italian food I've ever tasted! I had the Eggplant Parmesan and Nick is enjoying Veal Onesta--absolutely amazing! And we KNOW Italian food! Also, the Zauott wine from Montepulciano, Italy was lovely. We live in Naperville but with the drive to Lockport. We normally take the "extras" home but are every bite. Dug in too quickly to even take a pic! Next time will take a photo but I'm sure anything you order at this special restaurant will be the best you've ever tasted! read more

Mamma Onesta's - Italian Near Me - Lockport, Illinois

This is by far my favorite restaurant!! If I could eat here every day I would! Especially love the garlic knots they provide for the table!

This was a nice find after a day at the corn maze. Really nice menu and very accomodating service. The eggplant Parmesan was perfect. Cozy atmosphere. read more

Never a disappointment! Authentic Italian, wide variety. Service was amazing. I would have given 5 stars but they charged us extra for substituting the sauce on of our dishes but didn't tell us read more

Had a party of 6 adults and 2 kids for dinner tonight. Everything from appetizers to drinks, and main course to dessert was 10 out of 10! Delicious food and such a beautiful restaurant. I have no bad things to say about my experience. Waitress was very attentive and thorough in making sure we had an amazing dinner. It was my first time here and I can guarantee it won't be my last! Highly recommended. read more

I dined there twice. Both times the food and service were excellent. Love the atmosphere.

Service: For the restaurant that it is, and our waitress, 5/5 Menu: 4/5 Food: 0/5, for being barely edible. read more

Great Italian food. A bit noisy due to the old building, but great food everytime we've been there.

We went to dinner there last Friday , 2/21/14. We were a party of 17! I want to say I had the best waitress in the world! Her name is Sara. She took are orders on a timely manner. All are food came out hot. Never had to wait to re order a drink. My 2nd glass of wine didn't taste like the 1st glass. I told Sara. She went to the bartender , told him. He gave her the bottle of wine and she poured me another glass . She gave us separate checks. Always had a smile on her face. Never got flustered with the big loud group of us. I always recommend This restaurant . The food is very good. ( but the chef could cut back on the garlic, ) This is a nice place in a dump of a town! read more

I have been eating here since they opened. Always friendly great atmosphere, not to mention the food is excellent. read more

We go there for our wedding anniversary every year. Reservations always honored pleasant staff and great food. Awesome!!!!!!

Italian food is one of the most difficult cuisines to make in the fast paced environment of fine dining. That said, one could say I have had my fair share of fine Italian food as well as some not so fine fast food. My first impressions of Mama Onesta's was its exclusive nature. It's located on the corner of a street, tucked away amongst the many restaurants and bars that line the streets of downtown Lockport. This, paired with the winter entrance located in the back of the establishment gave me a feeling of exclusivity. I felt like I was Henry Hill in that scene from "Goodfellas" walking through the back entrance into a dimly lit yet very inviting restaurant. Now, this place tends to get full rather quickly, so reservations are recommended. The first time I went to give it a try I had trouble getting a table, resulting in me having to leave. The hostesses are very warm, as I felt more like an old friend stopping by for a home cooked meal rather than a customer. The server was welcoming, offering me her recommendations for drinks and apps. Overall, I found the food to be very well made, and I love the aesthetic of the tables. It's as if the set up never changed from its original, vintage, gangster film set pieces. The food itself was presented very well. I had the fried calamari to start, which was made very well balanced. I then had a broccoli cream soup followed by the steak risotto, which was recommended by the server. The risotto stole the show. The meat was tender so it went very well with the cheeses in the dish. There's this beautiful marriage between the cheese and seasoning of the steak, it was difficult not to eat the plate as fast as I could. To finish off I had a tiramisu that was absolutely divine. To conclude, when you go to mama Onesta's, you are going for more than good Italian food, you are going for a good Italian experience. From the aesthetic of the staff uniforms (black shirts and black pants) to the taste of authentic Italian food, this is the place to go for a truly fine night. The only, and yes I mean ONLY criticism I have of the restaurant has to be the soup. It was a little tasteless in my opinion. Overall, I recommend this restaurant, and may go back in the near future. -Dolf read more

Visited last Saturday and expected better. I had lasagna and it was hard, burnt, with sauce on top; I don't know how many days it was sitting in the refrigerator, but it was a big disappointment. All of the others ordered freshly made meals; spaghetti and chicken dishes and they all looked spectacular and were reportedly excellent. My lesson is don't order lasagna there. We ordered dessert and $5 got you one somewhat small cannoli with room-temperature filling and no pistachio or chocolate chips on the ends, felt cheated. Our waitress was nice and friendly. However she must have been brand new, really green. Had to ask for things several times, she would only carry one thing in each hand and make several trips back and forth (she didn't use a tray), and asked if we wanted the leftovers wrapped while we had 1/2 the food still on our plates, forks in hand, and chewing!!! I'd say she lacked common sense, but I am a forgiving person, so we all hope she will get some better direction from management. We probably will try again based on the strength of the non-lasagna meals. read more