Great food, drinks and daily specials. Wonderful hospitality provided by the entire staff as well with cozy interior and outdoor seating.

The service was great, but the food (Alfredo sauce, noodle consistency, eggplant parm) was not. The cannolis were pretty good, though!

You cannot go wrong with anything on the menu. The garlic bread is insanely delicious! HUGE portions. read more

Maola's Pizza and Restaurant - Garlic bread! - Italian Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

Visited this restaurant last night with a group of teenagers and we were very happy with our dining experience. There were a few bumps, and everyone agreed that we rated a 3.5, but I bumped it up to 4 because our food was good. The place is tucked into a shopping center, but don't let that fool you: it's a really nice space. They have an outdoor seating are, but it just overlooks the parking lot, so no idea why anyone would want to sit out there. It was full and the inside had plenty of seating, though it did fill up quickly after we arrived at 6:30. It took a minute for a waitress to come over, but it wasn't a big deal. The sweet tea was served with just a few ice cubes and was barely sweet at all. I had to ask for sugar substitute. For appetizers we had garlic bread and a Caesar salad. The garlic bread was studded with sliced cloves of garlic and topped with melted mozzarella. Very basic, but well done. The Caesar salad was fresh, tangy and delicious. The girls all got calzones, and one was cold on the inside and had to be returned to re-heat. That was taken care of quickly. The calzones were good but the girls reported they had too much ricotta for their tastes. They were served with a side of marinara that was really simple but tasty. I had a Cajun shrimp pasta that was on special that night and the shrimp were huge and tasty, and I loved how the vegetables were thinly sliced. The creamy sauce it was in was spicy and yummy. We all agreed we'd return soon. read more

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not bad, just not great... was in the area provisioning and figured I could pick up a bite while I was out. nice outdoor seating on the end of the strip so not too much vehicle exhaust while dining. note on the door says covering and courtesy are expected, inside is clean and marked for distancing and the staff is appropriately attired for our times. popped in to place an order and saw an empty glass case where I would expect goodies on display if not for the plague. I was told that a personal pizza would take about 20-25 minutes so I asked for sausage and onion expecting it to be ready when I was... ...got back at little early and found a seat away from the counter for the short wait. still amazed that people won't wait their turn in the check-in and pay line but head straight for the pick-up side to demand service in practiced ignorance. my pizza looked and smelled good in the box but something was amiss when I got it home. the crust is medium thin with good flavor but MLB says too much chew for new york, the sauce was a paler shade of red without the bite of chicago or the mess of new york, sausage was sliced rather than 'loose', and the onions had no zing :-( I have no clue about the style origins of this pizza but I am pretty sure that it was exactly what is was supposed to be. foods can lose something in smaller sizes, perhaps that is what happened here? or maybe I wouldn't know "authentic regional" if it bit me? or maybe I just ordered the wrong thing, that happens sometimes... I will have to try something else when I try again, so three *** for now read more

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Im not "alluding" to anything, this is exactly what I was told, word for word. I knew nothing of an art center opening across the street and found out about it only when I was trying to make my weekly reservation. Also noted is my reservations were always on Fridays before 5/5:30, and we would also order take out a few times a month. I currently work in the hospitality industry and had 2 other jobs in this industry as well, all at the corporate level, and this is just bad business to treat your loyal, almost weekly for many years customers. If this happened at any of the companies I work/worked for someone would be getting written up for sure. read more

Food was ok. Sauce kinda bland. The server never came back to check on us. Not that big of a portion for what ya pay for it too.

We weren't impressed with our one and only visit to Maola's. My husband and I stopped by one Saturday for dinner after one of the Oak Street Mill festivals. I had the shrimp scampi, and he had a calzone. The scampi is served with a side. Thinking I'd get pasta to go along with the scampi sauce, I asked for that. But it came doused in their marinara sauce. They willingly replaced it with plain pasta, but shouldn't the server have thought to ask if I wanted sauce on the pasta, as scampi is usually served with PLAIN pasta? Regardless, the scampi itself was unimpressive. It was served with far too much sauce, and while the shrimp were large, it was lacking in overall flavor. My husband's calzone was ok, but nothing special. It had far too much cheese, which just overwhelmed the rest of the toppings. The bread they serve with the meals was not much better. It's just a simple loaf of bread (not homemade, if I can tell by taste), served with cold butter. Service was slow and almost disinterested the night we visited. I'm not sure I understand all the positive reviews for this place, because that was not our experience. We don't plan to return. read more

First time customers at Maola's and our delivery order did not go smoothly. I ordered the Alfredo pasta and added in grilled shrimp. My pasta arrived with chicken. I don't eat meat so this left me with no dinner to eat. It was served with a bread bun on the side that resembled a burger bun or maybe a Kaiser roll. We won't be going back. read more

When your Yelp reviews are good and I walk into an empty restaurant, someone is lying! In this case the Yelp reviews were false! This place is horrendous! Our server was a lot on the slow side and not just physically slow. The bread was cold and the butter was frozen! A clear sign of a bad restaurant. But still we decided to stay and give it a try. She ordered spaghetti and meatballs in a garlic and oil sauce and what arrived was the most pathetic excuse for pasta I've ever seen. I will post pictures so you can see how incompetent the people cooking in this place are. Picture a soup with meatballs floating on top! It was DROWNING in oil! My Chicken Frances was no better as they clearly use low quality frozen chicken. We ended up paying over 30$ for disgusting pasta. I would never recommend this place to anyone! THEY'RE HORRIBLE! read more

Clearly management is non existent. Read the reviews below. Food is okay but service is one of the worst in the industry!

Great family restaurant, good people, awesome food...a hidden gem in Cornelius. I grew up in NY, but for NC Maola's fills the void.

They take reservations but they do not hold reservations. Manager was rude and flippant.... Very disappointing! Not the way to run a business. read more

What a meh experience at Maola's Pizza. Very underwhelming considering the high rating this place has received. Maybe I ordered the wrong item so whatever you do yelpers, don't go Sicilian Cheese. The entire pizza was harder than chewing bark off a Douglas Fir tree. It was unpleasant to eat and look at. Size was maybe half of a Digiorno's Crispy Pan Pizza and not even as good. On the menu it's listed under classic pizzas for $8, but I got charged for a "specialty pizza" price. Asked the waitress if that was correct and she said yes, the Sicilian is a specialty pizza. Well, there sure was nothing "special" about that piece of meteor rock that almost took the teeth out my mouth. This place was filled with a 70's + elderly crowd, and I should of observed what they ordered because the Sicilian Cheese was not it. read more

Maola's Pizza and Restaurant - Sicilian Cheese Pizza. - Italian Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

My wife and I had dinner there. The serve was prompt and friendly. The food was excellent !! Large portions at a reasonable price. We definitely will be dining here again. read more

Oh. My. Goodness Some people in our neighborhood have been posting on Facebook about this new italian/pizza place and how yummy it was... and they weren't kidding! Yes this place is veryyyy good and yes I can tell they've done this before (fellow long islander)! Tonight we ordered the grandma pie... which is second to none in the area!! We also ordered the carbonara sauce with linguine. Not only was the pasta dish enough to easily feed 4 people but the flavor is insanely good!!Move over Mama's!! Anyway- try it out and enjoy!! read more

Maola's Pizza and Restaurant - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

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Its good, but not great....yet. It's BRAND new, and we've had two different experiences so far. (To be expected with the newness). First time, we had 2 slices in the restaurant, and the dough/crust definitely could of been cooked longer. It was more chewy than crunchy, and didn't have that typical brown colored crust (due to undercooked). Also, it was strange they didn't have Parmesan cheese or red pepper flakes at each table. It was still great, just needed to be baked a little longer. Also- per slice, it's only $2.50! That's a great deal! We ordered take out yesterday (18in cheese and fries). Pizza was MUCH better this go around. Baked perfectly! I would suggest some type of extra seasoning. Whether it be garlic, or something. It's missing a little "umph". The fries are a total miss. I love that they are HUGE steak fries, however with the tin they come in, by the time I got home (5 minutes away) there was so much condensation created, they were all soggy and mushy. Gross. That needs to change for sure. Side notes: hope they implement a menu above the register. It's a HUGE open empty and under utilized space. I'd assume they will, just with it being so new, might not be in the plans yet. Also, being closed on Mondays is a huge miss. With Harris Teeter having pizza deals on Monday nights, it's an opportunity to pull from those customers with some kind of promotion. Especially with being across the street. Also with the Disc Golf Glow League on Monday nights (at Bailey park) a lot of players get pizza after. Another miss. However, I'm definitely glad to have some "NY style" pizza down in the south, that is actually good. read more

Maola's Pizza and Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

Got an alert about a new Italian restaurant and read the reviews. Based on those I had to try it. I was not disappointed. Wife and I tried this on a Friday evening and we really enjoyed. We couldn't decide on what we wanted so we tried a few dishes (pizza, eggplant rolitini with a salad. Service was really good. Once we were seated we were treated right away. She provided some good recommendations and felt that she had a good understanding of what was good. Attentive throughout the entire meal without being overbearing. Food. Like I said, we tried a number of things. We had the Maola's Special pizza and the eggplant rolitini. Both were very generous portions and really good quality. I really liked the roasted peppers on the pizza. Really enjoyed our experience and look forward to returning. They have so many things on the menu that I want to try. Nice Job!!! read more

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I Just had the chicken piccata to die for. That's what I always order here. Last time I tried the lasagna and it was delicious too. I'm having a cannoli for dessert. Love this place. Good Italian food at reasonable prices. read more

I've seen this place for a while, tonight I was on the way home and ordered, got a cheese pizza and a cx parm hero as they called it. Ok hero was good, not great but was better than the pizza, pizza sauce has a strange taste to it, nothing id consider a NY Style, the crust was tough which I usually don't mind but it didn't have good flavor to it, I've made pizza professionally for 30 yrs, I can tell you your pizza needs improvement. read more

We've eaten here twice. The first first visit was really good but the second was just meh. The service was uneven too with the first visit being good and the second almost rude. Hopefully it was just a bad night for them. read more

We come here often as service is always friendly, the news owners are very pleasant, prices are convenient, portions are hefty and the food is relatively good. You have the option of pasta or a side salad in dishes like chicken Marsala. Recommend the eggplant rollatini!!! Clean restaurant with improved lighting (low lights now) and simple yet nice decor. Don't miss their half price bottles of wine on Wednesday's. They have other specials on other nights of the week, check them out. Eat in or take out. Truly a neighborhood eatery! read more

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I have never had a good meal here. The NY Classic was stiff as a board and flavorless. Absolutely not NY style pizza. The Cajun shrimp pasta I ordered had no "Cajun" in it at all. There was shrimp and penne in a plain butter and flour sauce. The dish was supposed to have muscles, clams and calamari along with shrimp in a marinara sauce. I paid $16 for shrimp penne and butter! The Sicilian pizza was flavorless and very very dry even the edges. There are WAY too many pizza places in the area to patron this place again. When I spoke with the manager/owner he did not care and launched into a monologue about how they make their pizza without even asking what it was we did not like. It was a total waste of time. Manager was not interested in our experience. I did not dine here under the previous ownership so I cannot compare but I am wondering why they are still listed on the about of this page and not that the restaurant is under different ownership/management. Update after owner response: This is the menu from Maola's website describing the Cajun Shrimp Pasta which contradicts owners description. It was 2 hours after ordering not receiving (1 hr for delivery). I told you the Sicilian was dry as previously stated in the above review. Similar claims as mine concerning customer service and food were also listed by other members on said post. read more

Maola's Pizza and Restaurant - Description of Cajun Shrimp Pasta from Maola's website. - Italian Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

I have had the pleasure of eating at Maola's on a few different occasions. First I'll begin the saying the food, which I tried both pizzas and pasta entres are amazing. Yes the place is small and packed on weekends, all the more reason to join in the fun. In addition the service is exceptional. The staff is friendly and sure to please. Don't let this strip mall, hole in the wall location fool you. Try it for yourself, I have and I'll be back. read more

We've been twice and both times the food was amazing. We've had pasta entrees, pizza, hero sandwiches, and Stromboli. The menu is pricey but the portions are generous. On our most recent visit the service was quite slow. You could tell that the kitchen was doing a pretty steady take out business on a Friday night. Our server was pleasant and apologetic and did everything she could to make up for delays and mistakes. Our food was piping hot and delicious when it did come out. We will definitely visit again. read more

Nice ambiance, food freshly prepared. Open on a Sunday... Shareable salad was a nice surprise. read more

Ordered a large Philly cheesesteak pizza for 21.00. My husband ordered it and waited there to bring home. They showed it to him and It had lots of cheese so he figured the goodies were underneath. He got home and we started to eat it. The entire pizza was ground beef and cheese. No steak, mushrooms, onions or green peppers. We called and spoke with them. They asked us to bring the pizza back. My husband took it back so the owner could inspect it. He found two small green peppers, one mushroom and a small piece of diced onion. He would not give us another pizza or refund. This place is a rip off and the owners suck. read more

Maola's Pizza and Restaurant - This is the pizza on their website. DOES NOT REFLECT what it looks like in person - Italian Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

Large menu. Great food. Nice clean environment. The personal pizza was a generous size. White pizza, fresh bread, and pasta carbonara were all delicious. read more

Tried for the first time getting a couple pies to go. The 18New York style was great, nice chewy crust with just the right ratio of chew and crunch on the edges. Plenty of fresh cheese and toppings. We also ordered a Grandma's described as a thin crust on the menu. It's actually a "thinner sicilian style. It was good but not thin. I'll be back to try the Italian menu as I am always searching for good Italian in this area with few choices. The place was packed, the staff extremely friendly. Second visit I dined in. Tried the chicken francese which had just the right amount of white wine to lemon ratio. Two large chicken cutlets with just the right amount breading were laid over penne pasta which the waitress asked if I wanted in red sauce or the same wine/lemon sauce. Good attention to detail as I preferred the wine sauce. I love this place it's like mama's Italian kitchen with all the family Upgraded to five stars. Maola's continues to get better with menu additions and their recent addition of software Slice on line ordering which is a huge plus. Just used it last night and the system allowed me to customize my pasta order, plus tried their toasted rav app which is spot on. Wish they would add a meat toasted rav option but the cheese filled are great. Arrived at 5:15 to pick up my to-go order and the place was packed. Kudos to ownership for their continued efforts to raise the bar on some of the greatest Italian food in Lake Norman area. read more

Prepare to be over promised and under delivered. Reputation for giving you an estimated time of pickup about 30 minutes before your food is actually ready. read more

Service was alright. Employees don't seem to know the menu too much. Ordered spaghetti & meatballs, but honestly should've just made it myself instead of ordering from this place.. the meatballs were very mushy and very bland. I was able to smush the meatball with my fork and I was pretty sure if I threw the meatball at a flat surface, it would spread thin. The only thing I was able to kind of enjoy was the spaghetti & the mozzarella sticks were pretty good but overall I wouldn't come back nor recommend this place. read more

Maola's Pizza and Restaurant - Pasta and Meatballs - Italian Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

Had takeout from Maola's tonight... the wings were excellent and full of flavor - not breaded which was even better. Upcharge for a small portion of extra blue cheese, but understood. Got the white pie which was unfortunately lacking flavor (no hints of garlic, needed salt) and a traditional pie add olives and sausage - lacked that bit of "oomph" in flavor but was prepared well (crispy crust!). Calamari was disappointing overall... the peppers were deep fried and not tossed in fresh with the squid - a real bummer - the dish was served with both marinara and sweet & sour sauce. That's on us for not fully reading the description and getting excited about calamari - we were hoping for fresh lemon and a higher flavor profile overall. Not a total disappointment. read more

We had dinner there on a recommendation. The service was friendly and acceptable. The dim lighting in the restaurant was uncomfortable. I had spaghetti and meatballs and unfortunately the sauce and meatballs were the worst I have tasted with a taste and smell that was nauseous. I had a couple of bites and frankly was unable to force another bite. Very disappointed. read more

Excellent food and service. Great fun and casual. Great for pre theater dinner. Thanks Maola staff.

Maola's is a "Happy Place" for us! Whenever we have had a busy day at work and need someone to care well for us, we go to Maola's. The wait staff is exceptional. The food is yummy and plentiful. And, everytime we have been there, one of the owners is there, on-site, overseeing the work and greeting everyone with a warm, welcoming smile. Our server, Celeste Gunai, found a not-so-busy moment to chat with us and, in response to our queries, shared a little bit of her background. It is these personal touches that make Maola's special! Sally S. read more

Was happy to see that there were plenty of staff when we walked in. Having said that it took awhile before we were acknowledged and seated. And once seated it was quite awhile before we got drinks. Staff walked by the table without looking at whether anything needed to be refilled or whether dishes had to be removed or even noticed we needed silverware setups. Much of the time the staff were behind the counter talking amongst themselves. Our four meals were delivered at separate times with one lagging behind by 15 minutes. We joked, did dinner get lost back there? And when it came out it was burnt on the bottom and sides and the rest was very "crispy". Edible but disappointing. We have eaten here in the past with no issues and food was excellent. The food while still good but not as good as usual. I'm definitely hoping this was just a one time issue as we have always enjoyed it in the past. read more

Very good place if you are in the mood for Italian. Not a lot of good places to throw Italian in the mix in Huntersville/Davidson /Cornelius so this will go into our rotation! I had the fried brussels pasta with fried chicken which was good. read more

Ordered pick up tonight. Social distancing and masks worn by the staff. The man that helped us was the manager/ owner. Super friendly. And the food was great! read more

Maola's Pizza and Restaurant - Not skimpy with the basil. - Italian Near Me - Cornelius, North Carolina

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We've been to Maola's many a times, both for take out and dining in. It's a relatively new restaurant in the area, but there really aren't that many good pizza places in the area, so we gave Maola's a shot and haven't looked back. The wait staff is always friendly, welcoming, and attentive. Whether the food is take out or dine in, its consistently delicious. The calzones are good, the pasta is good and so are the portion sizes. I've had the buffalo chicken pizza and I kind of made my own "brooklyn white" with Italian sausage, spinach, and ricotta. Both of these pizzas were delicious. I know Maola's recently changed ownership, so hopefully the new owners can keep up the high standard of service. We'll be back. read more

I think this place isn't for me. There are so many great reviews, my wife included, so this must just be me. I've been twice and, in my opinion, everything was just okay. The facility is small and set up a little weird but I think they will eventually outgrow this place and move into a spot that will better suit how busy they are are. The service was a little slow but this place but bumping each time that I went. The first time I went, I ordered the Drunken Sicilian: thick crust with mozzarella, vodka sauce and basil. In my opinion, it just wasn't very flavorful... the crust nor the sauce. Don't get me wrong, it was a decent pizza but just wasn't for me. The second time that I went, I got the cheese ravioli in tomato sauce. I pretty much has the same experience. Now... my experiences from a flavor standpoint haven't been out of the park but the service has always been okay and the place is kept up well. AND... I have heard that their stuffed shells and their calzones are bomb though. read more