I have came here so many time now and it never disappoint me ever. Although this place is isolated and seems like a old family pop shop. It gives a welcoming feeling, the owner is very nice and funny. I have order the spaghetti here and it is a simple but a very delicious dish. It taste like homemade spaghetti and the meatballs are soft and tender. Most of the pasta dishes come with a garlic butter bread. The pasta Thomas is good but I didn't like zucchini much so this would have been my third choice. However, don't take my words for it, this dish might be for other. My friends and my favorite dish is the pasta Mandola, it was so good. Creamy but not heavy, and the chicken is delicious and perfectly season for me. I highly recommend anyone who is in the area around University of Houston to come here for a simple lunch that won't break the bank either. Update! Definitely try their pizza! I for the life of me, hate bell pepper but it was amazing on that pizza. The crust is flakey like a croissant and not too doughy. read more

We went during lunch. There was a decent amount of people there, but there were no line. I had the Spaghetti and Meatballs. There could have been a few more meatballs to the order...it only comes with three medium mb. Also include is garlic bread, YUM! Great patio seating. Service was quick and friendly. Free WIFI didn't work when I went. read more

Mandola's Deli - Spaghetti and meatballs, comes with a side of garlic bread. - Delis Near Me - Houston, Texas

I've been wanting to come in here for a while but never had a reason to be in the area for lunch. Expansive dining room with a lot of additional seating outside (not the most scenic area). Typical Italian deli - lots of takeout stuff in counter display cases plus big menu with a lengthy list of dishes ranging from pasta and po boys to burgers. We ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, the muffaletta special (Thursday), a slice of Italian creme cake and 2 fountain drinks - all for $30. Texture of the pasta and flavor of the sauce was amazing. The muffaletta was not what I was expecting - french bread was super fresh and flavor was great (olive salad) however it wasn't as overwhelming as most of the muffalettas that I've had (i.e. piles of meat and cheese). Very, very well executed. We will be back. read more

See all

I come for lunch, since it's close to the job. Great food, every time!! It's a nice casual place to get great Italian food. They also have a burger, but who is going to pass up Italian for a burger? read more

Classic. Simple. Hearty. Spaghetti and meatballs. Delicious. Husband had a sausage poor boy. It was so good. read more

Mandola's Deli - Delis Near Me - Houston, Texas

Mandola's Deli is a Houston institution. It's one of those places you return to again and again because the food is delicious and going there feels like going home. Some of my favorite dishes include the meatball appetizer (their homemade tomato sauce is sublime!), the white bean and sausage soup, their pizzas, and the stuffed artichokes. We've taken groups of friends on several occasions. We have friends now who regularly return just to buy the homemade sausage. The counter service makes eating and paying very easy. We've never had any problems with seating--even for groups of more than a dozen; it's easy to pull tables together to accommodate your group. read more

Love this spot near UH wonderful food casual atmosphere the best casual Italian in the Houston area. It's great food at a great price a favorite of many long time Houston residents Mandolas never disappoints read more

I don't ever make reviews- but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to give Mandola's Deli their props! I just discovered Mandola's about 2 weeks ago & have had it almost everyday for lunch! Not only is the food amazing- but Mr. Frank is so kind; and I believe it may be Mr. Frank's son- so nice! Definitely give them a try- you won't be disappointed! read more

Great food as always. Excellent service and quick. Close to campus and downtown. Yum

The Prices are fare, and the food is great A must try is there sausages, meatballs desserts are. very good You will love it!!!!$$ read more

I came here for lunch and ordered the chicken parm sandwich. It was pretty good, but four stars because it didn't necessarily blow me away - just was a good sandwich (I should come back and try more). The chicken wasn't dry and had the right amount of sauce and melty cheese (yum!). Good proportions on the bread and the chicken, and a good portion size because it was perfect for lunch. This place had a really nice feel to it - very homey and friendly family service. Definitely check it out! read more

Mandola's Deli - Chicken Parm Sandwich - Delis Near Me - Houston, Texas

How have I lived in Houston, Texas my entire life and only now discovering this remarkable place? A huge fan of nostalgia this place takes me back to the '70s. The decor, the menu, the service, the prices. All fantastic. And something I never knew existed, FRIED LASAGNA!!! I also shared a muffuletta sandwich and spaghetti and meatballs with my dining companion. All delicious. Thank you Joanie for introducing me to this wonderful place. Restaurant appears to be run by a second, or possibly 3rd. generation member of the Mandola family so it looks promising that this restaurant will endure for some time. read more

Mandola's Deli - Joanie and a plate of delicious fried lasagna. - Delis Near Me - Houston, Texas

So yummy!! Had the eggplant parmigiana sandwich, was delicious. It was super thin and crispy, perfect!! Will definitely be back!

Pizza is absolutely delicious and the energy you get when you first walk in is quite homey. The staff is friendly and the quality of their food is great. I'm glad that I found this place being that it is about 5 minutes from my job. I wouldn't mind ordering something new here at least once a week. read more

So.... I am not a big deli person but this place by far exceeded my expectations of a great non-tradition turkey deluxe po-boy. All I can say is yummy. read more

Completely heat. Chicken parm and penne Alfredo with a little pesto. You will be in heaven.

The food is good. Though, the line is quite slow. Only one guy who takes the order which makes the service so much slower. Some of the items on the chalkboard are priced weird. For example, faccia de vecchia, for bread it's priced like a meal. For only three small cubes, not worth it. read more

See all

I really wanted to like this place. Food was pricey for the small quantity. The staff is usually nice, but there's one guy (younger- maybe in his 30s) who can be pretty rude. Overall, Houston badly needs more Italian restaurants. If Mandola's decreases the prices a tad and focus on the fundamentals, I think they can be a solid 4/5. read more

Not very much parking so get there early. You have to like go to a counter and order your food there. Your food will come out and I'll bring up your table. Everything is done fresh and delicious ready to eat. I recommend the lasagna that was really delicious. read more

Mandola's Deli - The best lasagna in town definitely a place to check out - Delis Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great place! Old School Houston / Galveston Italian with deli standards, but stick to the homemade items like their sausage, meatballs and cookies (maybe only during the holidays) for the biggest pleasure bang! I would love to make it there more often, but I live to far away, but I always make it a point to stop by during the holidays to pick up sausage and their sauce so I can cook up some peppers and sausage for the family.... it's always a hit and super easy. Mr. Mandola is a treasure.... and really the entire staff - good people. read more

Probably one of my favorite spots. Everything is delicious, the staff are incredibly friendly, and campus is right down the street. Can't beat it. The Italian beef with cheese is my favorite hands down. read more

Great place if you don't mind paying $9.00 for a very small sandwich. They really skimp on the size and the taste isn't good enough to make up for it. They are nice and it's a cool place so I gave a few more stars than I should have. read more

This is my go-to Italian place in the area! Mandola's has its own parking lot, which is super convenient. The inside is very cozy and family-like and the employees are always friendly and helpful. The food itself... fricken awesome. I've tried the muffaletta deluxe, the chicken alfredo pasta, and the meatball and mozzarella poboy. All cooked to perfection and delicious. Sometimes I feel heavy and sluggish after eating at other Italian places, but I'm always ready to get up and go about my day after eating here. Highly recommend! read more

This place should have a line wrapped around the block, It's that good. Easily the best Italian deli in town. We had the deluxe po'boy and chicken parm, all amazing. I'll get pictures next time. Go Coogs! read more

Well 4.5 stars, I have to try this! I can appreciate a mom and pop shop. The customers love this place, I chatted with a woman just super excited about this place, practically had everything on the menu! My opinion, the food was decent but I think 4.5 is a little stretch, sorry, that's my honest opinion. I was a little disappointed too. My spaghetti was ok, the Italian Sausage was good. The salad is just normal but the Italian wedding cookies were yummy! Overall, decent experience, it was ok. But don't let me sway you, you may love it! read more

See all

My friend said she wanted Italian so I got on Yelp and found this spot. The reviews seemed promising and we were not disappointed! The food was great and so was the service. I had the pasta brocato and my friend had the lasagna. Both were very good portion sizes and tasty. I saw a few other dishes, that had been ordered by other patrons, and they looked good as well. I will be returning!! read more

I would like to think of Mandola's Deli as the Italian family I never had... You know the kind where grandma makes the BEST spaghetti and meatballs and your uncle cooks up an awesome lasagna. Yeah...that's the kind of feeling I get every time I walk into Mandola's. This place serves authentic Italian food in Houston in the most casual atmosphere. It's about 5 minutes from the UH main campus, so my coworkers and I go here for lunch quite often. And get this...Mandola's loves UH so much that they offer students and faculty (with their IDs) a 10% discount! So my usual is the spaghetti and meatballs. I think hands down one of the best I've had. The dish also comes with some garlic bread, which are average. The meatballs are pretty amazing...moist, flavorful, and cooked to perfection. It's a darn shame they only serve three of those bad boys per plate. I think the best thing about this dish is how authentic and simple it is. For 7 bucks, it's a satisfying meal. I've also tried the chicken parm po'boy, which was also pretty good. The interior could definitely use a renovation or two...because almost everything hanging on their wall and the walls themselves are old. Honestly, it doesn't really bother me because everyone who works here is amazing. They treat you like family and serve you like you're their own. If you're near this area, definitely stop by for some Italian food here. read more

Were not strangers to the Mandola Deli... Regulars since opening. But like many "Regulars" . You have a tendency to order the same things. (The hot Italian Beef is REALLY GOOD) But,today I stepped outside the box and ordered something so simple as a Meatball Sub...OMG! The Marinara... from heaven.. the Meatballs. Flavor to please the Ancient Gods of Rome... i want to order the meatballs by the pan now. Best in town. Try the Cannoli.. read more

The name is familiar in the food biz and Frank (the owner) is a character. The turkey deluxe sandwich is a fav, so is the lasagna and garlic bread. The menu has the usual Italian dishes with a pretty good hamburger or chicken fried steak sandwich if you aren't feeling the Italian mood. Fries will be extra and free refills on some drinks.... don't be surprised to be told to help yourself. Location is out of the way but worth the effort. Inside is clean and there is usually someone to watch over cars in the parking lot. Open for lunch time only. read more

Looking for something to eat in a part where of town I'm not familiar with; I'm glad I stumbled across this deli. The customer service was just right and the food was delicious; I paid $10 for the sandwich and the pasta read more

See all

Okay, I wasn't always a fan of this place... mostly because I had been ordering the wrong thing. I always ordered something safe- like a chicken salad sandwich or something to that effect. Only until recently, did I try THE ORIGINAL!! Oh gosh, when the original is warmed up, it's too delicious to not eat all at once (even though it's huge)!! The staff is friendly and warm. Frank Mandola greets all his clients from the register, and you can tell a lot of them have been regulars for decades... Apparently they are trying to make Mandola's Deli a dinner place- I don't know that there is much potential for that- it's location isn't conducive to a large dinner clientele, but as a lunch deli, this place is spectacular! read more

After reading the reviews, I knew I had to try this place as soon as possible! We recently bought a house in the area and are pretty new to the neighborhood. We've wasted absolutely no time in trying all of the delicious food around, Mandola's included! When you walk in for dinner it's pretty dead which kind of worried me on the quality of food. You're immediately greeted by Mr. Mandola himself before you head over to the deli counter to order your food. We let them know it was our first time here and even asked if they are normally busy or if it's an off night. Luckily, the guy let us know that they are packed during the lunch hour since they're so close to downtown. Geez..on to the food already, lady! We started with the fried lasagna bites (holy moly!) and went on to order a chicken parmigiana and spaghetti with meatballs. Mandola warned us that we wouldn't be able to eat all of the food but my boyfriend and I weren't in a sharing frame of mind that night. You order your food at the deli counter, walk down to pay Mandola, and seat yourself wherever you'd like while you wait for your food. The fried lasagna comes with 8 pieces! This is when we knew we were going to need to-go boxes. The crispness of the batter and the gooeyness of the cheesy lasagna inside went perfectly with the marinara sauce the lasagna comes with. If you've never tried these.....you NEED to! My chicken parmigiana was delicious and enough food for two people. My poor boyfriend had to fight me off with his fork because the spaghetti and meatballs were amazing! Granted, this place is a no frills Italian joint that is serving homemade pasta done right. If you're looking for something fancy, this is not the place for you. To top everything off, they have IBC rootbeer on tap. Sweet baby Jesus that's good. I honestly think this is the longest review I've ever written because Mandola's Deli made me so happy. We will definitely be regulars! read more

I love Mandola's. I love their Eggplant Parmesan that could probably fill up two people's tummies. So crispy and yummy. I love their Veggie Po-Boy: Spinach, Fried Eggplant, Mushrooms... Goodness. I love the people, they are so good looking and friendly. They even came by my table to see if I liked their Veggie Po-Boy. I love it! If they could make like a larger size of the po-boy, like they do their pastas, I would be set. My friends loved their lasagna and the garlic bread. read more

Had employee training down the road and someone suggested we try this Italian place. I didn't want to be overly-stuffed going back for the afternoon lug of classwork so I just had a meatball sub. I have to say that it did have some great flavor and the bread was about as fresh-tasting as I've had in the past. From the looks of it, this place has been a Houston staple for more than a couple decades....I'd definitely make an effort to come try a couple more things on a free weekend since I don't live in the area. read more

I was looking to avoid traffic on 45 and Google Maps brought me to this place. I've been on a hunt for a great meatball sub and just seeing the name reminded me this was a good spot. Mandola's harkens back to a Houston before property values in certain places started to shoot up. If a couple of hipster bars open nearby, won't belong before you see some fixed gears outside in the lot, and a bunch of skinny jean wearing types sipping on beers from Houston breweries. The inside is old school. Wood paneling, U of H pictures from the 80's at least. Clientele is pretty Houston as well. Work boots and company issued iPads populated the place when I was there. The Menu - a lot of your red sauce favorites. They had Italian subs, and all the standard pasta dishes. (kinda surprised I didn't see Pizza on the menu, but I wasn't looking for it) They did have my meatball sub. Pro-Tip, if you get the smaller bag of chips, they'll give you 2 for the price of 1. Sub + 2 bags of Chips + Carbonated HCFS - ~10 bucks. The meatballs - baked variety. The bread - also of the baked variety, thankfully The gravy was great. And the whole thing came with a blanket of provolone or mozz. Respectable and dependable meatball sub. But why is this place rated so well? 4 and 5 stars typically. The staff. Service here is exceptional personalized. It's kinda like going to your elementary school best friends mom's house and having her cook you up something. Quality home cooking for sure, but they make you feel right at home. I almost asked for the remote. (I actually didn't, I'm not even sure if there was a TV) This place is hopefully a Houston institution. read more

I was on the South side of town for work a few days ago and a friend in our party found this place on Yelp. Good old family Italian food is a rarity in Houston so I was really excited when we found this place as this is a part of town I do not frequent. Also, being as it is so close to the U of H Campus I thought it would be good food at a cheap price to accommodate the college crowd. I'm have to say I was slightly disappointed. Overall, I enjoyed the family atmosphere and down home ambiance of the place. You could tell it had been there for a while and all the people who worked there were extremely friendly. Very nice people. My two biggest complaints were the food and the price. I paid fourteen dollars plus for a sausage, peppers and cheese sandwich, sides, and drink for lunch. That's a little steep for a sandwich that was somewhere between a six inch and footlong subway sandwich. Now to the thing I was most disappointed in. I'm part Italian and from well North of the Mason Dixon. This is the food of my childhood. I have never heard of putting melted cheese with Italian sausage! In fact, at first, I thought it was a typo. Then I asked the person taking my order if the sandwich came with peppers. They told me they could add them! Add them, sausage and cheese sandwich? No peppers? I had to add them. Now I'm not sure if they charged me extra for that? I didn't even think of adding onions I was so perplexed. I can tell you no Italian I know would think of such a combination. It's basically the equivalent of putting sour cream on your tacos! You'd get dirty looks. I guess when in Rome! I mean, Texas! Bottom line. Food tasted pretty good. Friendly people and nice atmosphere. That is why they get 3 stars. Pricey for lunch and not Italian food I recognize. I don't think it warrants 4.5 stars. I guess the quest for authentic Italian will continue. read more

I love this place and probably get takeout from it about every 2-3 weeks. Never had less than a very good meal. The owners and staff are very friendly, the prices are very reasonable, it's a very laid-back place, and the service is very quick. Even better, it's in my neighborhood, so it's only a couple of minutes away. I recommend the Pasta Thomas (penne with veggies and Italian sausage in a creamy tomato sauce), the Wop/olive salad, the Giovanni (sliced Italian sausage and meatballs in marinara with a side--I chose sauteed spinach), Pasta Mandola (chicken and penne in a cream sauce), and the muffaletta deluxe (even though it comes on a po-boy roll instead of the round bread that I'm used to). They'll even sub chicken for sausage in the Pasta Thomas if you ask. They have a selection of inexpensive wines to choose from (the Grillo pairs well with calamari) and feature a few Saint Arnold beers on tap as well as Southern Star in cans. This sounds like an advert, but I'm just very familiar with the place as it's probably the restaurant I've been to most frequently since moving to Houston. read more

Great spot for great food! When I was in school I was probably here 3 times a week ! Everything I've had is great but the spaghetti is definitely my favorite! If you're in the mood for a sandwich try the deluxe ! Yummy! You should definitely check it out! read more

Delicious Italian comfort food. Nothing fancy, but it's always good! Very clean. They have wine and beer. Highly recommend the lasagna.

We come here sometimes for work lunch. It's rare because it's not particularly healthy, but I love it. Last time I came I ordered the special of meatball sandwich with fries. So delicious. I was in a food coma afterward. Make sure you are hungry. The place is also really cute because you can tell it's locally owned. Lots of UH stuff on the walls and old photos of the owner's family. Prepare to eat yummy food! read more

Mandola's Deli - Cashier area. Walk to the far end and you come around to order - Delis Near Me - Houston, Texas