Mamma Lucia’s Restaurant
“The interior is small and cozy, but very intimate, and the staff is very friendly and attentive.”
“We didn't have wine or coffee (it's a school night!), but the cheesecake was very good, almost good enough to make up for not being a cannoli.”
“Gentrification is happening all over this city and gems like his place are slowly dying out and turning into crap candle stores.”
Mamma Lucia’s Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
3 reviews
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I am very surprised no one has reviewed this restaurant yet. I'm more surprised it took me so long.This has been in the neighborhood for at least 25yrs. I first went here with my parents as a teenager and it became our go to place whenever we didn't feel like going too far from home.
I arrive on Saturday night around 7pm hoping they're not too busy. Well nothing to worry about I was the only one there.I pause thinking maybe they're closed for private function, but no they invite to sit anywhere.Starting to wonder is the food not as good as it used to be? I have no problem dining alone but being the only one in the restaurant is a little weird.
I sit down and am promptly given warm Italian bread with butter.It's little packets of hotel bar butter but that's fine with me. As I wait for my appetizer I start thinking of other times I've been here. Mother's Day, birthdays, the first dates, the last dates (is it mathematically possible to have more last dates than first dates?) and wonder why I haven't been coming here as much as I use to. Is it one of those mind tricks we play on ourselves remembering things as better than they actually were? Have my taste gotten more sophisticated? Have I spent so much time exploring new restaurants that I took Mama's for granted?
My appetizer was clams alla mama lucia, which is baked clams in a tomato,basil garlic broth. I prepare myself to be disappointed, convinced that somehow my memories deceived me. But no disappoint here. It was fantastic.The clams were meaty and not rubbery in the slightest.The sauce was killer. One of those sauces that make you want to lick the plate clean. Well it's an empty restaurant so …why not? The waiter must have guessed what I was gonna do and came over with more bread to sop up the sauce.
For entree I had a veal parmigiana which was good. It wasn't as orgasmic as the clams but perfectly fine.It came with a delicious side of pan roast potatoes and zucchini . I was pretty full after meal so skipped desert.The price seemed pretty reasonable.Appetizer entree and soda for $30. Not cheap but not gonna break the bank.
I saw 2 people come in to p/u take out orders while i was dining. That's it. This can't be good on a Saturday night. Maybe it was an off night. I truly hope so.
I really want to like this place because it's on my way home, but after two tries I gave up. It's always empty, despite every place on Cortelyou and Newkirk being packed. They keep irregular hours. The food is quite expensive compared to other places in the neighborhood and considering the food. All the menu items are variations on two or three things – veal, chicken, or mussels. It's all that bland American Italian food, which I sort of have a soft spot for, but somehow this doesn't trigger my Jersey Italian nostalgia. It just makes me wish I'd boiled my own pasta at home.
On a Saturday evening this intimate, cozy restaurant was nearly empty, but I guess it's because the neighborhood isn't attractive. I know the place from 25, 30 years ago when it was great and I was a regular. I miss the original brothers who used to run the place, and felt nostalgic looking at their pictures with celebrities on the walls.
Over the years I've checked it out from time to time and found it overpriced and just okay. This time they had a complete dinner for $18-20 that includes:
* soup, antipasto, tomato juice, or fruit cup
* parmesan entree
* pasta or vegetable
* ice cream, cheesecake, carrot cake, or something else I forgot
* coffee, espresso, cappuccino or tea.
Our meal including a carafe of wine averaged about $28.00 per person. The complimentary bread was warm, crusty and good, and the black olives in olive oil were a nice touch. My pasta e fagioli was very pleasant and hit the spot. The antipasto salad looked really good and the people who had it were very happy. Everybody agreed the red sauce was bland but passable, and the entree portion sizes weren't generous but acceptable. I can't report on the pasta since I had the veg side dish of green beans & potatoes, but those who had pasta ate it all without complaint. We had the ricotta cheesecake with strawberry slices, and cappuccino and were very pleased with them. The waiter and busboy did just fine.
While Mamma Lucia isn't on the top of my list, it's not on the bottom, and I'm sure I'll be back because I enjoyed the comfy and warm atmosphere.