WOW! - Mangia Maintains Greatness and Adds Awesome! Still the same great atmosphere! - Big enough for a family party, a business meeting, or a night out with friends; and small enough for a private dinner for two.- The New Additions to the Menu are pleasing to us meat-eaters out there - Check out their Awesome Ribs, Ribeye Steaks and their well presented Rich in flavor desserts! ! Their portions were so big my husband and I split usually a meal between us, unless of course its steak ;) (Huge Baked Potato) They also offer 10% off the bill to their cash paying customers. - Over All: Mangia Mangia is a great place to dine for almost any kind of event! Great Food, Great People, Can't wait to go back!! -Check out their website! mangiamangia-restaurant.…
(5)
H H.
Let me begin by saying I dislike giving poor reviews (despite the fact that this will be my second poor review of a restaurant in Chicago), because there are people working here that are not responsible for the actual quality/taste of the food, despite the fact that they themselves did their jobs rather well. The atmosphere and decor was fitting for a warm cozy little Italian eatery, they were child friendly, and generally friendly waiters/waitresses. The limited drinks selection was also passable for such a small place, that being beer/wine only. They have two menus. You read that right. Two. Huge. Menus. Each weighing in at about 10lbs, they contained hundreds of selections, because apparently, this chef knows how to make every Italian themed dish EVER created in the history of the universe. On top of that, they have a "specials" menu, so that's three total menus just for "food". Yes, I realize I put the word food in quotes, I did that on purpose. While I found the appetizers passable (we had the calamari and the bruschetta), they weren't exceptional by any means, but they were, by far, the best part of the meal...aside from my Blue Moon Belgian Ale, that is. Which makes sense, since they didn't make the beer. I won't go far into detail on the main entrees, as the food is frozen/thawed, pre-packaged, reheated and microwaved swill. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even want my kid eating it...I was positive I'd wake up with food poisoning this morning. You'd be better off -- by far -- just going to *cough* Olive Garden.
(1)
Tiara Lynn A.
A pretty dismal rating, perhaps, but everything disappointed from start to finish except our server, who was very nice and attentive while his friends (apparently other bored employees) shot us the occasional "are you done yet" glances, as we came near the end of the night. I'll grant you we were late arrivals, but the place was EMPTY and we felt like we were keeping everyone who was there. Not cool. If I've learned one thing from Gordon Ramsey, it's that places with massive menus rarely cook fresh food, so I was skeptical even before I noticed the insane prices for the pasta dishes. $15.00 for cheese ravioli? $19 for salmon? Ridiculous. I went for the $8 sandwich, which would've been a good value if my eggplant parm was tasty. It wasn't. There was no seasoning on the thick breading and I question its freshness. The sauce wasn't bad, but I wanted more flavor. It was too unwieldy to eat as a sandwich. My husband's french onion soup was tasty enough, but the house Italian dressing had massive chunks of raw garlic (as others have noted) and was pretty much just oil. The calamari... meh? It wasn't bad. Half was well-cooked, the other half was rubbery. It lacked seasoning. I'll own that I'm pretty picky about my Italian food, but delicious is delicious and this tasted like I just went to a friend's house for dinner... you know that friend. You eat a little before you head to her house because it's a crapshoot whether dinner will be edible... Yeah, that friend, and it was a bad night. Our server was awesome and earned the place a star, but we left wishing we'd just gone home and made some quick spaghetti.
(2)
Jason M.
I agree with the other posters on the prices and excessive garlic. The food is just average. The service was pretty good, but it's a little confusing when you walk in if you're supposed to wait for a host to seat you or if you go up to the counter. I guess you can do either, which is a bit strange. We had gnocci and spinach fettucini, both with meat sauce. The spinach fettucini was pretty good, but the gnocci was bland and mushy. We both started with a salad with the house dressing and the garlic was overpowering. I like garlic but this was WAY too much. I was still tasting it the next day! The portions are pretty big and we both had enough to take home for another meal. We won't be rushing back, but if we're shopping nearby and hungry we'd stop in again and order something different.
(2)
Margaretsen H.
My husband and I tried this place twice. Didn't like the taste the first time. Second time was for someone's birthday dinner of their choice. I ordered grouper. The server giving out the dishes announced it as salmon. I said grouper, they said oh yeah grouper. as I start to eat I'm pretty sure it's salmon. Asked the main server and he said it was grouper. It tasted and looked like salmon, whatever it was not horrible. Yet our server overall was bored to help us and never smiled and rolled his eyes when we said we did not want dessert. I have better Italian.
(2)
Melissa B.
I've been coming here for years and Mangia Mangia never disappoints! All you can eat cod and eggplant parmesan are two of my favorites. Great service, great food, great atmosphere!
(5)
Natalie D.
I couldn't understand why this place had such good reviews... I was here in December and ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell and a Caesar salad. It was so disappointing. First of all: oysters weren't served on ice which meant that the longer they sat there on the plate the worse they tasted. I couldn't finish them! Also, the Caesar came with some other kind of dressing! Or it was just the worst version of a Caesar I've ever had... Flash forward to January: I came here again with my family but this time we got calamari, pizza as an app, and I got the homemade gnocchi with ala vodka sauce. Calamari was very good and came with cocktail sauce which is how I like it. The pizza was shockingly amazing!! Like super efing good!my gnocchi was just fine... They were more like dumplings though. I like them small and they are supposed to be like little fluffy pillows -these were big, doughy and tough. Vodka sauce also needed salt, pepper, and lots of spicy pepper flakes. That all aside, it was a nice dinner. I got the side salad with italian dressing which comes with a bunch of roasted garlic... It was very good but here is the best way to eat it: get some one at the table to order the blue cheese dressing on their salad and go 50/50... It sounds nuts but it's soo good (chicago oven grinders has salad like this with the 2 dressings.) Service is great. Decor is fine. Food is solid.
(3)
Matt A.
I gave it 2 stars based on what yelp states next to the stars when you select how many stars, 3 stars is "A-OK", and 2 stars is "meh. I've experienced better." 2 stars is right, meh, I've experienced better. The first time I was there, I had soup and salad, because it was semi-cheap, and I didn't want to spend $12 on lunch. It wasn't great, the soup tasted like it was canned broth, with tortellinis in it, completely unseasoned, and the salad was just a handful of iceberg with a single slice of plum tomato, and nothing else... VERY unimpressed. I went again today, because people I work with were going for lunch again. I ordered the saltimbocca sandwich, which is supposed to be grilled chicken with prosciutto on bread. The "grilled" chicken could not have been more colorless or flavorless, leading me to believe it was not grilled. There was literally one thin slice of prosciutto on top, which was a lot more like deli ham than prosciutto. The bread was buttered with some super oily-like butter, and was about 3 inches longer than the chicken breast inside it; and the whole thing was saturated in a butter sauce. Was it terrible? No, but it will keep me from going there again. I expected something I could eat with my hands... I will eat a dipped italian beef sandwich with my hands, but this was far too slippery and oily. Maybe some of their other dishes are better, I haven't tried their pasta, but pasta only gets so good, it's never amazing... I'm just not impressed... They have a huge menu, so if you arent too picky, maybe you would like this place, but for the $11 I spent for a sandwich, I had higher expectations...
(2)
Pamalama B.
Great food, generous portions, good atmosphere, and the staff is polite. Chicken fettuccini alfredo with a side of marinara yummy!!
(4)
Patrycja K.
I ordered the special salad with fillet mignon, and it was absolutely delicious. The salad came with large pieces of avocado, roasted peppers and tomatoes. Their house salad was very unique-- it had real garlic and herbs that complimented the salad very well. The fillet mignon was very tender and juicy. I dropped in for a quick lunch and had a wonderful experience that made me want to rate this place. So simple yet so delicious -- hidden gem .
(5)
AnDrew B.
The service is great the food even better. Best chicken parmigiana I have ever had. French onion soup is amazing tastes home made. Have to try the Angelo's calamari it's amazing
(5)
Lisette M.
The food wasn't bad but I've eaten better pasta in other places. Nothing was seasoned very well but I guess you could say it was edible.
(2)
Greg Z.
Damn super huge beef sandwiches. Service was fast. Neat place very Italian feel to it. Tucked away in a little plaza. Ordered the beef and sausage combo and could not finish it cause it was huge! Tasty fries
(4)
Natalie V.
Impressed. They must have new owners because if I remember correctly, I did not enjoy this restaurant the last time I went. Menu is extensive, includes many great new items, and an impressive fish/lobster list. I came for lunch and it was great. Chopped salad was very refreshing. I can't wait to come back and try dinner.
(5)
Linda N.
Good service. We were seated right away at about 7:30-8:00 on Friday evening. Pretty empty at that time. Tried the bruschetta (good), fried calamari (bland), shrimp scampi (good), baked mostacoli (good), chicken picante with side of potatoes (good), chicken parmesan over side of spaghetti (good), minestrone soup (really good).
(3)
L S.
Stopping for a quick lunch or dinner great place. People are always friendly and great service. The soup has huge pieces of vegetables and and hot. Great discount when paying with cash. Great find in a strip mall. Something for all in the family.
(4)
James H.
Went here for lunch and had the breaded steak sandwich. Wasn't the worst I've ever had but certainly not the best either. Everything was basically just passing. My steak sandwich was definitely thrown in the microwave because there were hot spots in the thing that aren't attainable when food is cooked fresh. I'm talking so hot that it burned the roof of my mouth, my lip, and my tongue and I had to wait awhile for it to cool off. I really hate when restaurants use a microwave. If I wanted microwaved food I'd stay at home. My advice to anyone running a restaurant that has a microwave in it would be to throw the thing in the alley. My wife had a salad which looked and tasted decent but it wasn't anything exceptional. The service was okay but the servers seemed like they weren't really used to being servers in a restaurant setting and seemed to treat it like any other entry level job. In other words, they did the bare minimum and had to be signaled for things like drink refills. Overall, not a place I feel the need to return to.
(2)
Tiredofbadfood L.
Great portions, prices average. We were amazed that a strip mall restaurant actually has good food. You will not leave hungry There is one big drawback. They do not know how to make spaghetti sauce. The meat sauce was pink and tasted bland. C'mon! No true Italian makes sauce like that. Where are the beef neck bones, the oxtails and the ribs. Those types of meats must be well browned before you make sauce. If they used meat in their meat sauce it must have walked thru on stilts! There was no oregano, bay leaf or tomato paste in it either. What is this Irish spaghetti? If there was ground beef in it I couldn't tell. The chef needs more Sauce training. I notice there is a lot of complaining about too much garlic. That's because they are not off-setting it with other spices. The chicken Marsala was good, the all u can eat cod was great. Soup is out of a can; get the salad instead. I will say it is a whole lotta food for the money. They didn't charge me 15 bucks for 23 strings of pasta like some places. And I didn't get sick! No diarrhea! Yay! Restrooms were clean.
(3)
Erich R.
The food was good and plenty of it. Nicer than you would think for being in a strip mall. Kid friendly and great lunch specials. Will definitely come back again.
(4)
Critic L.
I love this place! We always order the baked clams, oyster rockafellers, casino oysters, and mussels! Very reasonable prices for great food
(5)
Jim E.
We stopped into this little place in a strip mall without high expectations. When you walk in the door it is much bigger then it appears outside, and the decor is very nicely done. They had a huge menu and lots of specials. Everything we had was excellent and very large portions. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because my Eggplant Parm was only room temp, and the dinner salad was very plain with only 1 small tomato slice and lettuce. The pastas are all homemade and you can mix ingredients from one dish to another. This place was a very pleasant surprise and will become a regular for us. I would like to mention our server Nicki , she was very helpful, knowledgable, attentive and truly enthusiastic about the food.
(4)
Julie A.
we eat here quite often. I am always please with the food. Its not fancy by any means, but tasty and great for the family. My hubby loves the fettuchinni with peas and I like the Chicken Franchese & grilled asparagus.
(4)
Marissa D.
One of my favorite places. So cute and comfortable. The food is absolutely amazing! The baked clams are small but taste so good and flavorful! The dishes are super huge so it's always a good idea to spilt dinners. the parking lot is huge so that is never a problem. I honestly have nothing bad to say about every experience here.
(5)
Erin Y.
Recently carried out the gnocchi with vodka sauce and was very impressed. The sauce wasn't spectacular, but I really enjoyed the gnocchi itself. It was soft yet chewy, just the way I like! Huge portion and huge gnocchis. One pasta entree is definitely enough to feed two people. We ordered meatballs on the side, and those were just okay. But I was pleased with the friendly and quick service for carry out. They give you tons of food to take home with you, including bread and soup/salad. The prices are a little on the steep side for what it is ($35 for two pasta entrees and meatballs) but the food is tasty and the portions are big so I won't complain too much. I know we will definitely be back when we need to carry out good Italian food.
(4)
Greg W.
First time here waiter was lacking in service, glasses were empty almost all the time after we asked for drinks, were not offered. Food was pretty good traditional italian food great atmosphere. With a little training of the staff this place could be a great place to come regularly.
(3)
Megan S.
I've never had a bad meal at Mangia Mangia. Whether we dine in or carry out, the food is always great. The gnocchi are the best I have ever had. Even now that I live 3 states away I still crave their food and make a point to eat there every time I'm in town
(5)
John G.
Don't. Seriously, I wish we had gone to Olive Garden - not only is it cheaper, you get better food (not kidding here) and warm bread. New dining rule - if an italian joint brings you cold, stale white bread and a ramekin of butter to start your meal, you should just leave. We ordered the chicken francese and fettucini. The italian wedding soup consisted of cold greens thrown into canned chicken broth, and their house salad wasn't much better - drown lettuce in olive oil and whole garlic cloves at home to get some idea. Their chicken francese was horrendous - unpounded, overcooked, and tough chicken breasts tossed in entirely unseasoned egg batter over some canned, tasteless lemon sauce that had the consistency of gravy. The fettucini was better, though still subpar. The sauce seemed pretty Chef Boyardee-ish, for reference. Yes, the portions are huge, but good luck bringing yourself to eat the leftovers. That and a couple glasses of wine (the only part of the meal that wasn't screwed up) rounded out to ~$70 bucks. Do not, under any circumstances, dine here.
(1)
Mike R.
Wow! How does this place stay open?? We have serious issues with Mangia Mangia. Its website clearly states Wednesday night is Pasta Night, offering most pasta dishes for $12.95. So we chose Mangia Mangia on the basis of that clearly indicated offer. Ha! You might think pasta-discount night might bring in a few more people, but I saw only two other hardy customers amid a sea of empty seating. Mangia Mangia also clearly advertised cash payment gets a 10% discount off the bill. Ha! When we were charged the full price for two pasta dishes that were advertised at being $12.95 each, I questioned the bill. Staff said its website is old, they do not honor what I clearly saw on their website. This escalated into an argument over advertising. At some point I suggested Mangia Mangia should pull down the web page so as not to confuse customers. "Connie" said, "We're not P. F. Chang's!" Huh? What does P.F. Chang's have to do with advertising on a restaurant website? When given the bill, I offer a gift certificate and cash for the advertised 10% discount. Ha! Oh, no. "Connie" tells me the cash 10% discount is only for ALL cash...So, let me get this straight. If you have a Mangia Mangia gift certificate, which Mangia Mangia has cashed and put in its bank months ago collecting interest, and then attempt to pay with cash and gift certificate, Mangia Mangia will not honor that and charge you full price. And worse, "Connie" will not only fail to honor advertised prices, she will call you names I would never imagine to be customer-oriented. I once had high regards for this operation but clearly the word is out. A frightening experience.
Hubby and I dined at this restaurant this past Wednesday. Place was pretty empty but that was ok. We both love Italian food and have dined here previously - love the menu and the deco. What we don't understand was why Mexican music was blarring from the speakers? Maybe every 5th song was an Italian selection - Really??? Kinda ruined the experience.
(3)
Dino D.
My wife & I enjoy this eatery very much, been going for years. One thing you need to remember here.... GO HUNGRY ! I kid you not one pasta dish is more than enough for 2 some dishes could make 3 people happy. A quick line to "Kevin S" ?? A samwich, Chick-parm samwich you remarked about $13 cost for a dinner.... i don't get it. Had you opted for the Chicken Parm with pasta plate you would have went home with enough for lunch tomorrow. Didn't you look around while you were sitting there at the staff bringing out other plates ???? Did you have blinders on? Didn't you see the size of all the dinners (lunches) what more could you ask for ?? Go back again Steve get the 6lb linguine with clams & shrimp order a glass of wine & enjoy. We will always go back.... it doesn't get any better
(5)
Chris B.
Great little restaurant that I'm not sure many people apart from the locals know about. Lots of classic italian dishes to choose from. The italian beef is good too. Portions are huge. They have a big wine list as well, but I havne't seen too many people drinking wine there. The atmosphere is pretty laid back, it doesn't feel like a fancy restaurant at all. It can get pretty busy on certain nights. You can call in and pick up orders too.
They have decent lunch specials and prices. Pasta Fagioli was good and so was the Meat Lasagna. The wait staff is very nice and they give you a 10% discount if you pay Cash. It's by far not the best Italian food I've ever had but an alternative to all of the "fast food" restaurants in the area.
(3)
Nichole M.
TOO MUCH GARLIC. I have been going to this restaurant for many years and try and come back every few months because it's one of my favorites in the suburbs. But my last two visits, I have noticed a bit of a problem...I couldn't taste anything but garlic. Now, I'm Italian and I love garlic with all of my heart, but there's a point when it's too much. There were HUGE chunks of garlic on the brushcetta, ok I guess that's fine, but why in the side of spinach? I don't get it. I still give this restaurant 4 stars though because I love the ambiance, the service is good and the food is usually outstanding. The Clam dishes are among my favorites. Ease up on the garlic, please.
(4)
Dwaine H.
I've had their catering and thought it was pretty good si I decided to give the restaurant a try. It's a nice looking place inside, but, our appetizer was way overcooked. The soup, minestrone, was excellent. I had pasta with arrabbiato sauce. SALTY! I couldn't eat it. The prices are kind of high also. Won't be going back.
(2)
Kathy G.
I'm surprised and disappointed by the bad reviews for this place since our experience was the complete opposite. I hope the great meal we had is the norm. We have been looking at this place for years and always wanted to stop. Finally did on a busy Saturday night and we loved it. I liked the casual atmosphere and the wait staff couldn't have been more attentive. I ordered the blackened salmon Florentine and my bf ordered Mussels. I asked if they would make my salmon less spicy and it came out perfect. It was such a huge portion that I took half of it home. I will agree with the abundance of garlic comments. I think next visit I'll just ask that they go easy on it. All in all, we loved it and have recommended to friends who gave it good reviews too.
(5)
Amy T.
The food channel has shows about horrible places like this! Ripped seats, ripped plastic tableclothes, two sets of menus that overlap/comtradict, well meaning waiters that have no idea why the menus differ and have to ask management to sort things out. Dinner here is overpriced, uninspired and just plain bad. Specifically, my side salad was a wet pool of iceberg lettuce and a half a slice of mealy tomato. My side of blue cheese "ish" dressing dissolved into a runny mess of wet lettuce. My eggplant sandwhich was a slimy pool of mush on a toasted bunny bread hoagie roll. My friend had what had to be one of the more strange, cheap lettuce heavy, chicken salads that I have ever seen for $16.95.... We thought the wine (merlot at $24 a bottle) was corked but decided that it was just plain bad. That throat burn that keeps on giving... Even if you are ok with quantity, marginal food this place is a stretch.Save your cash and go to any number of other great Italian joints in the area.
(1)
Crystal S.
This place will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart. 1st because I went to HS with the daughter of the owner. 2nd because my husband and I had our first date there, which was a blind date and incidentally a favorite spot for both of us BEFORE ever meeting each other. This place is cozy and tucked in a strip mall. Prices are good and portions are unbelievable! You will definitely have a full meal for lunch the next day. Very family friendly and good for big groups as well.
(4)
Sergio P.
Just ate dinner here for 1st time. Great values. Oysters were super fresh blue points and only $12 doz...served on a bed of greens that could be a salad when done. The special wine list had Folie D. Zin for $10. Pizza was med crust ... Brown on bottom perfect with large chunks of sausage and fresh sliced mushrooms...as if mama made in it in your kitchen. Calamari were tender perfect. The Veal Francese was one of the best I ever had...pounded veal in the egg batter perfect. Had to find that prep in Italian restaurants these days. Nice decor as well. Fun meal.
(4)
Maria S.
My husband and I went here for lunch. I've wanted to try it for years and was hoping that I would like it, but it was awful. The first thing I noticed as we walked in was that they were offering a 10% discount if you paid in cash. That's not a good sign. Restaurants that do that are usually hurting for the cash. The decor in the restaurant is overkill. Way too many places for dust and dirt to collect. Next we got our menus. We looked at the dinner and lunch menu because we wanted to order an appetizer. I had heard the servings were large so we decided to do the lunch portions of pasta. The prices on the dinner menu were ridiculous. I would rather have a decent portion of pasta and pay less than pay for a triple serving. There was also a lot of items on the menu which leads me to believe that they do not use fresh products. They list so many seafood options that there is no way they would go through all of that stock quickly enough, which means the fish is frozen and items are prepackaged. We ordered the calamari to start with. It had no taste and the sauce that came with it tasted like jarred cocktail sauce. I ordered the 1/2 fettuccine with meat sauce and a cup of the fajoli soup. My husband had a salad and 1/2 gnocchi with meat sauce. The soup was okay. I had to add some salt to it to make it better. The fettuccine was pretty bad. The noodles did taste like they were fresh, but the sauce tasted like it was from Chef Boyardee. This is no joke. Go there and try it and then eat a can of Chef Boyardee and you will see. My husband thought the same thing about his meal. Needless to say we had a couple of bites and that was it. We were so disappointed and our waiter didn't seem to care that we barely touched our meal. He obviously didn't care since he never once asked us how our meals were or whether we needed anything. It was just a bad experience overall. We will not be going back and I will not recommend this place to anyone. Anyone who does like this restaurant has obviously never had good authentic Italian food.
(1)
Chris M.
First time here, I'll come back again. Veal Marsala was good. Lobster was bland. Great service.
(3)
Bobby O.
I am not terribly impressed by this place. I get the feeling like the servers really are not restaurant people and they are kind of working there. Food is decent but I am in the know when it comes to Italian food and something is lacking. As a side note you do get 10% off if you pay with cash. Hmmm...
(3)
Jen M.
My husband and I ate here unexpectedly, as we were leaving Marshall's. Everything was great, the decor, the service, and the food! We ordered off the lunch menu and the prices were ridiculously cheap. My husband got a huge slice of homemade sausage pizza for 4 bucks and I got half a meatball sub with the option of soup, salad, or fries for 6 bucks. We were stuffed, as the portions were plentiful and the food delicious. Our server was really nice, constantly refilling our water glasses and even put a rush on it as we were in a hurry. We tipped him over 20%. We will definitely return!
(4)
Amanda C.
We went to this place for dinner late Saturday night after a day of shopping. I should have let the inner alarm guide me as I walked in and saw picnic table tablecloths and paper napkins folded over the silverware, with a stockpile of straws at every table. Sometimes a dive is a diamond in the rough though, so I like to keep an open mind. I started with the cream of broccoli soup and my boyfriend had the pasta fagioli. My soup tasted like it came out of a can and they added a few frozen broccoli stalks to it. I didn't taste my boyfriends, it looked dreadful and he stated it was mediocre (and he will eat anything.) For entree's I had the chicken Marsala and roasted potatoes and my boyfriend had the chicken parmigiana. Mine was disgusting. I;m not sure if my chicken was baked or boiled but it wasn't seasoned and was swimming in a pool of oil topped with mushrooms from a can. If there was any Marsala wine in there at all I couldn't taste it. My boyfriends dish was made with processed chicken, take it out of a bag in the freezer and pop it in the oven type. topped with canned marinara sauce and smothered in cheese. Completely disgusting, and I did taste it. Our potatoes were covered in dry Italian seasoning, I mean COVERED and swimming in some oily broth. So gross. I couldn't even eat them. The bread they serve with dinner was cold and boring. I asked the waiter if the bread was supposed to be cold and he said it was but he could heat it up for me. I'd rather eat cold bread than microwaved bread. Or waiter noticed our glasses were empty after about 10 minutes and brought over a pitcher of cola and left it at our table. I guess that makes it easier for him not to have to check up on us. The whole dinner all the staff was in the dining room moving tables and chairs around being loud. The decor on the wall is a hodgepodge mess with extension cords hanging from the ceiling to add that extra special feel. This is a complete disaster. If you want to eat this food, just buy a can of chef boyardee and save the extra money. We will never return. Our total ticket was 45 dollars. ROBBERY!
(1)
Victoria h.
Holy Garlic! I've been here a total of 3 times and will probably come back a lot more. That said, boy oh boy are they heavy handed on their garlic. I usually order salads and their house dressing has actual chunks of garlic in it. I suggest they strain the dressing and then add the spices, but who's going to listen to me?! They have Fox News playing in the background which I find kind of strange and it's always super cold there. The servers are really nice and the you get your food pretty quickly. I've been there for dinner and lunch and have never seen it busy. Oh and if you pay in cash, they give you a small discount. That said, I think it's a bit overpriced for the quality of food (no, the food's not bad, it's very average) but the portions are huge. So, if you're shopping next door at TJ Maxx/Home Goods and need some fuel this is a great place but don't drive out of your way to come here.
(3)
Claudia G.
I have always been a bit dubious about restaurants in strip malls...I should simply say my expectations are not so high. Between Retro Bistro in Mt. Prospect and Mangia Mangia in La Grange I have great cause to move away from these feelings moving forward. The food at Mangia Mangia is quite good. Our polenta appetizer to start was simply good. I wish they had done a bit more with the polenta itself (like put in sun-dried tomatoes or something) rather than rely on the cheese toppings and sauce to bring the flavor. Nevertheless, a good start. Then we ordered a pizza for the main course. Honestly, some of the best pizza I have had in my life and I have sampled a fair share of pizza between traveling the States and a few jumps over to Italy. The crust is perfect - not too thick or thin - with a very good flavor itself. My beau was taken by the sauce. We ordered mushrooms, green peppers and artichokes for toppings and all were fresh and chunky. I just had some leftovers for lunch and still delicious - hot or cold. They do tell you it takes 30-40 minutes to prepare and it took about that. They also have a nice wine list. I ordered a glass of Shiraz/Cabernet (Penfolds, Australia) and it was delish. The decor is really cute and the staff so welcoming, helpful and congenial. The benefit of the strip mall locale is parking is a cinch.
(4)
Kirk W.
I really WANT to like Mangia Mangia - it's convenient, it's local, it's not a chain - all the things I like to support. So I keep going, trying to like it - finally after my 3rd attempt, I think I'll give up. The food is just not very good - I've yet to have a noodle cooked correctly. And the atmosphere is .... well, it's better since they moved. It's still pretty dark in there and stuffed between a TJ Maxx and and Payless Shoes. Not trying to hate on the place, but there are so many better Italian options available for your money.
(2)
BB C.
I have been to this place twice. Although the second time i decided to give it another try. The bread was ok. The ambiance is nice and so is the music, gets you in the mood. But when it comes to the food. Blah...to salty or no flavor whatsoever. Never again, maybe thats why its located in a strip mall?
(1)
R B.
The location is unimpressive in a strip mall but don't let that put you off. We went to Mangia Mangia using a $15 for $30 coupon on a Tuesday night. My wife and I had the broccoli soup and Veal Marsala and the braciole (sp?) soup and grouper over angel hair pasta. Both soups were flavorful, really homemade and served in huge bowls. Portions were also large for the entrees. The veal (4 thinly sliced pieces) was tender and made in a correct marsala sauce with lots of mushrooms. The grouper was also perfectly cooked flaky and over a broccoli and angel hair pasta nicely seasoned with fresh garlic, More than enough, and very tasty. Not much reason to go to Taylor street after eating here. The young man who waited on us was attentive without being overbearing. Pricing was a value. The veal dish for example came with excellent rosemary roasted potatos and your choice of soup or salad for $18.99 less a 10% cash discount!
(5)
Jen M.
I used to frequent Mangia Mangia heavily back in 1997-2000 when I worked in the Chicago burbs. I was so excited to be back in the area so I could taste what I remembered to be great Italian food. I ordered my usual....a side of baked mostaccoli with extra sauce and a side of meatballs. I forgot how HUGE the portions are. Baked Mostaccoli was every bit as good as i remember it ( love the tomato-ey sauce and all that ooey gooey cheese). Now, the meatballs were a different story. Almost gray in color and overly beef flavor, clearly they are made in house but have been frozen and reheated. All in, my lunch cost $13. Sure, a little pricey considering the location. Volare charges similar prices and I think their food is way better. I agree with the other posters...what is up with the 10% discount if you pay cash? That is weird. And feels shady. It makes me sad because this place exudes so much charm and has always held a special place in my heart. Sniff sniff.
(3)
Eric W.
Edit: This has become our go-to place when we're looking for good Italian food. Yeah, it's pricey but it's always good, the service is always good, parking is convenient, and the atmosphere is casual. Due to the price we can't go here as often as we'd like, but it's a good restaurant. *** The food here is very good, but the prices are very high, especially for a casual place like this. 3 of us ate here, eating 1 spaghetti, 1 lasagna, a side of sausage, and 1 chicken parmesan, all of which included soup and bread, and 3 sodas. The bill came to $63 with tax, before tip. A previous visit a couple years ago gave us similar sticker shock. The food is good, the portions are generous, and both times we ate here we enjoyed good table service. My main objection is the price. FWIW, their online menu does not reflect what we paid, as our dinner totalled up there was $49.95 before tax and tip, which would have been much more reasonable.
(4)
Brent S.
Picked up lunch, had a chicken motz sammie and my wife had spaghetti with meatballs, the sammie was tasty but the spaghetti was just ok.
(3)
J S.
I have been going to this place for a while and I love it. This restaurant is small, however it is not extremely busy where you will have to wait. The parking can suck mostly due to the surrounding stores such as T.J. Max taking up spaces. With that being said the food is very good. They offer free bread which is delicious when dipped in their oil and parmesan cheese. The food is good as well as the calimari. Their homemade house dressing on theirs salads is also awesome if you like garlic. My biggest compliment goes out to their catering services. We had a bunch of family over for my daughters baptism and decided to use Mantis Language for catering. We ordered baked pasta, sausage, and lemon chicken, plus salad. The cost was roughly $12 a person which was reasonable. They also threw in a bunch of bread. Sliced rolls for the sausage as well as oil and cheese to dip the bread in. Granted we live about 30-35 min away, the drive showed up early and the food was very hot. My family very much enjoyed and we still have plenty left over to last us the whole week. If you are looking for an enjoyable restaurant or need someone to cater quality Italian food you can't go wrong.
(5)
Patrick C.
We've been going to Mangia Mangia since they were on Joliet Road next to the Dominick's. Not my favorite Italian place, but a steady performer. The reviews are a little mixed and I think that is accurate. I've had great experiences and not so great experiences here. They offer table service, but you have to ask when you're being seated. You can also order at the counter and the food will be brought to your table. Generally, the service is very good, but if the place is crowded and they are short-handed, the service can suffer. The portions are generally large enough that we bring something home. Excellent bread and they will keep it coming if you ask. Grated mozzarella and olive oil on the table. I've never had an issue with a credit card being accepted.
(3)
Janet F.
Went last night and was very disappointed with the food. For the appetizer had the stuffed artichoke. No meat at all on the artichoke (9.00??? pricey, then immediately when appetizer came out they brought out soup and salads. So we stopped the appetizer to begin to eat our dinner. For the prices I would expect them to at least make sure that spacing during courses would be provided. Asked for lemon, never received, butter had to wait for and only 4 tables occupied. Ordered Chicken picante, they must be big on cornstarch because that definitely was the sauce, a lot of food, but doesn't help that you are paying 17.00 for a meal and you are getting a hot dog stand consistency. Side order of mostaccoli with meat sauce, sauce was burnt. Other guest had chicken marsala, wasn't impressed and salad so so, really don't even have a house salad??? Cream of Broccoli soup was cream of chicken soup with broccoli in it and obviously canned. So that was certainly nothing to write home about. Parmesan cheese on the table in shaker, cannot afford to provide freshly grated cheese for the guests especially at Maggiano's prices and even more expensive. I get that at least at Olive Garden. Dessert was very good such as cannoli and Tirimisu. Not worth going back. Will go to Maggiano's for cheaper prices, better service and food taste.
(1)
Nick L.
Low quality food. Too expensive. Not worth the trip.
(1)
Nancy K.
I love this place! Everything is so delicious plus it's really cute inside and the staff is very attentive! I highly recommend the eggplant parmesan, breaded ravioli appetizer and the chicken spezzatini. Although the prices may seem high it's well worth every penny since the portions are out of control! Added bonus, get 10% off bill if you pay using cash.
(5)
Baron M.
When an establishment consistently delivers great food and service over a period of years, this is called a trend. My wife and I visited a couple of days ago and once again were completely satisfied. When I go to a restaurant, I usually order something I can't somewhat create at home and almost always order the pasta Carbonara at Mangia Mangia. The entree is served piping hot and a few minutes are needed to let it cool off before attacking. Creamy smooth sauce with tons of pancetta mixed in. Same can be said for the fettuccine Alfredo with blackened chicken. Yes, there is a ton of garlic in the house dressing and the bread is not served warm, and that makes this restaurant pretty authentic. The portion size is enough for two meals, so pricing is very fair for the quality you receive and the service is always top notch.
(4)
Scott W.
They menu is very extensive at Mangia Mangia. I was really looking forward to trying this place for a wile. My friend and I were not eating meat at the time so we decided to go there since they had so many fish dishes. We were seated promptly on a Saturday night around 7 PM. It was not crowded at all. The menu is very large so it took us a long time to read it over but after about a half hour we still had not been greeted by a waitress. At last she came over and said "sorry hope you weren't waiting too long. I just spotted some people I haven't seen in a long time so I was chatting with them" We were ok with it because we were in no hurry but had it been any other day we would have been in a rush and this would not have worked for us. It is true that they do serve very large portions. When we go out to dinner we often order several things and try a little of each. I have been known to order two entrees and several appetizers to try several things that sound good. Here many things sounded good so we went for it. I ordered the Caesars salad and the minestrone soup. The pasta in the soup was homemade which made it very good. The appetizers were average and not really a stand out. We ordered the special that night which was the lake perch. We were both disappointed when it arrived. It was way over fried and hard. The taste was very strong as well. Very "fishy" like it was not fresh. We asked before we ordered if it was fresh and they assured us it was. Me and my friend both only took a few bites and left the rest. Thank God we had already tanked up on the appetizers, soup and salads otherwise we would have left hungry. I would try them again but I think I would try the pasta and pizza next time and steer clear of the fish. They insisted on wrapping up the fish for us to take home and we promptly threw it away at the nearest dumpster behind the neighboring T.J. Maxx. We didn't want to be rude but we weren't about to risk getting sick either.
(2)
Cleofous S.
Bring extra cash, average dinner between $20-$25, as soon as I saw menu we left and went to the Flame, same price, and it,s no pasta joint.
(1)
Mario C.
If this was the very first time you dined at an Italian restaurant, you may find the food to be acceptable. Eat at one other Italian restaurant, and you will know better. This restaurant is a quasi self serve, overpriced, over salted, over sauced mess. The bread was dry and hard as rock. Two chicken breasts hid comfortably under a mound of sauce and cheese so dense that 6 bites into my meal, I still could not find the chicken. While their sauce (gravy) was overly sweet and lacked any flavor, it was abundant. It you spun the table, our four meals were indistinguishable. You could not tell the chicken from the veal from the lasagna from the eggplant. A disaster covered in sauce. Some yelpers rave about the portion size, slow down! More does not mean better and what you get here you certainly pay for as it is very expensive. If this is your idea of quality, well priced Italian food, try Sbaros at your local mall, it's cheaper. Don't go here.
(1)
krystal k.
Wow. This place is amazing! We found it by accident one day ((it's in a little strip mall)) and I'm so glad! It's very cozy inside, not too big, great for families. The food is excellent, we've never had a bad thing there. And the service is also great, they are very friendly and constantly keeping you satisfied!! I definitely suggest this place
(5)
Janet B.
Small place that's a bit different. Initially order at the counter, they give you a number to place on your table and bring the food to you. The wait staff then checks in to see if more drinks or dessert are wanted. Ordering at the table is also available since they moved to the new location on Brainard. I love the sauce that comes on the Chicken Limone and Chicken Francese but they have a tendency to overcook the chicken on those. Chicken Vesuvio is very good and the roasted Vesuvio potatoes are wonderful. My husband loves the Spagetti with Fresh Mussels and white sauce. Most of the dinners come with a side of pasta topped with red sauce- which I never eat because I don't like the red sauce here. Tastes too much like tomato paste- not enough seasoning. Appetizers $4-10, Pasta $13-16, Chicken dishes $16, Fish $16-22. Pork& Veal $16-19, Steak $22. Sandwiches $5.50-7.50 For about the same prices, I prefer Marconi's in downtown La Grange.
(3)
Chris M.
I wasn't too sure what to expect, but was instantly charmed by the atmosphere and decor of the restaurant. They have a very large menu and the portions are no different. Everything from the unique house dressing they use for salads all the way to the sauce they use for spaghetti has their own touch to it. If you are in the mood for Italian and in the area, definitely stop in.
(4)
L. R.
I wish my experience was like those of other yelpers and I could give this place 4 stars. Unfortunately, it was not. We went during lunchtime on Saturday. The restaurant was empty, but I assume it had a lot of customers because it was so big. I suspect Friday and Saturday evenings are crowded there. We sat down and were brought a basket of bread along with our drinks. The bread was spongy, like it was just put into the microwave and heated and given to us. Both the garlic bread (orange and spongy) and the white bread were like that. I ordered the chopped salad. My dining partner ordered the tortellini. I thought the prices were a little high, but felt maybe the food was worth it. I was wrong. The chopped salad was so soggy, even the mushrooms were waterlogged. There was a small pool of water in the bottom of my dish. I did, however, like the creamy garlic/Italian dressing they served with it. It looked like plain mayo but it tasted really good. My dining partner bit into the tortellini and said, this is so mushy. I tasted a couple and she was right, overcooked. Some people like it this way. We are Italian, we like al dente. I sent the salad back it was so awful. I didn't want to try anything else because I had lost my appetite on the salad. The waitress did tell us it was their most popular salad and it probably was. It was probably fresher at rush hour. This seems like it sat a little too long for my taste. So they removed the salad. I had a glass of iced tea, my partner had water with lemon and the tortelllini. Our bill was over $18. Highway robbery for such mediocre food. We were informed when we sat down that the restaurant gives a 10% discount for cash-paying customers which is really a nice perk.
(2)
Amanda B.
It's one of our favorite restaurants. Amazing italian food, old world style. Kick Olive Garden in the pants and go here. We do the catering (which everyone raves about).
(5)
krystal k.
Wow. This place is amazing! We found it by accident one day ((it's in a little strip mall)) and I'm so glad! It's very cozy inside, not too big, great for families. The food is excellent, we've never had a bad thing there. And the service is also great, they are very friendly and constantly keeping you satisfied!! I definitely suggest this place
(5)
Claudia G.
I have always been a bit dubious about restaurants in strip malls...I should simply say my expectations are not so high. Between Retro Bistro in Mt. Prospect and Mangia Mangia in La Grange I have great cause to move away from these feelings moving forward. The food at Mangia Mangia is quite good. Our polenta appetizer to start was simply good. I wish they had done a bit more with the polenta itself (like put in sun-dried tomatoes or something) rather than rely on the cheese toppings and sauce to bring the flavor. Nevertheless, a good start. Then we ordered a pizza for the main course. Honestly, some of the best pizza I have had in my life and I have sampled a fair share of pizza between traveling the States and a few jumps over to Italy. The crust is perfect - not too thick or thin - with a very good flavor itself. My beau was taken by the sauce. We ordered mushrooms, green peppers and artichokes for toppings and all were fresh and chunky. I just had some leftovers for lunch and still delicious - hot or cold. They do tell you it takes 30-40 minutes to prepare and it took about that. They also have a nice wine list. I ordered a glass of Shiraz/Cabernet (Penfolds, Australia) and it was delish. The decor is really cute and the staff so welcoming, helpful and congenial. The benefit of the strip mall locale is parking is a cinch.
(4)
Kirk W.
I really WANT to like Mangia Mangia - it's convenient, it's local, it's not a chain - all the things I like to support. So I keep going, trying to like it - finally after my 3rd attempt, I think I'll give up. The food is just not very good - I've yet to have a noodle cooked correctly. And the atmosphere is .... well, it's better since they moved. It's still pretty dark in there and stuffed between a TJ Maxx and and Payless Shoes. Not trying to hate on the place, but there are so many better Italian options available for your money.
(2)
BB C.
I have been to this place twice. Although the second time i decided to give it another try. The bread was ok. The ambiance is nice and so is the music, gets you in the mood. But when it comes to the food. Blah...to salty or no flavor whatsoever. Never again, maybe thats why its located in a strip mall?
(1)
R B.
The location is unimpressive in a strip mall but don't let that put you off. We went to Mangia Mangia using a $15 for $30 coupon on a Tuesday night. My wife and I had the broccoli soup and Veal Marsala and the braciole (sp?) soup and grouper over angel hair pasta. Both soups were flavorful, really homemade and served in huge bowls. Portions were also large for the entrees. The veal (4 thinly sliced pieces) was tender and made in a correct marsala sauce with lots of mushrooms. The grouper was also perfectly cooked flaky and over a broccoli and angel hair pasta nicely seasoned with fresh garlic, More than enough, and very tasty. Not much reason to go to Taylor street after eating here. The young man who waited on us was attentive without being overbearing. Pricing was a value. The veal dish for example came with excellent rosemary roasted potatos and your choice of soup or salad for $18.99 less a 10% cash discount!
(5)
Chris B.
Great little restaurant that I'm not sure many people apart from the locals know about. Lots of classic italian dishes to choose from. The italian beef is good too. Portions are huge. They have a big wine list as well, but I havne't seen too many people drinking wine there. The atmosphere is pretty laid back, it doesn't feel like a fancy restaurant at all. It can get pretty busy on certain nights. You can call in and pick up orders too.
(5)
Tiara Lynn A.
A pretty dismal rating, perhaps, but everything disappointed from start to finish except our server, who was very nice and attentive while his friends (apparently other bored employees) shot us the occasional "are you done yet" glances, as we came near the end of the night. I'll grant you we were late arrivals, but the place was EMPTY and we felt like we were keeping everyone who was there. Not cool. If I've learned one thing from Gordon Ramsey, it's that places with massive menus rarely cook fresh food, so I was skeptical even before I noticed the insane prices for the pasta dishes. $15.00 for cheese ravioli? $19 for salmon? Ridiculous. I went for the $8 sandwich, which would've been a good value if my eggplant parm was tasty. It wasn't. There was no seasoning on the thick breading and I question its freshness. The sauce wasn't bad, but I wanted more flavor. It was too unwieldy to eat as a sandwich. My husband's french onion soup was tasty enough, but the house Italian dressing had massive chunks of raw garlic (as others have noted) and was pretty much just oil. The calamari... meh? It wasn't bad. Half was well-cooked, the other half was rubbery. It lacked seasoning. I'll own that I'm pretty picky about my Italian food, but delicious is delicious and this tasted like I just went to a friend's house for dinner... you know that friend. You eat a little before you head to her house because it's a crapshoot whether dinner will be edible... Yeah, that friend, and it was a bad night. Our server was awesome and earned the place a star, but we left wishing we'd just gone home and made some quick spaghetti.
(2)
Jason M.
I agree with the other posters on the prices and excessive garlic. The food is just average. The service was pretty good, but it's a little confusing when you walk in if you're supposed to wait for a host to seat you or if you go up to the counter. I guess you can do either, which is a bit strange. We had gnocci and spinach fettucini, both with meat sauce. The spinach fettucini was pretty good, but the gnocci was bland and mushy. We both started with a salad with the house dressing and the garlic was overpowering. I like garlic but this was WAY too much. I was still tasting it the next day! The portions are pretty big and we both had enough to take home for another meal. We won't be rushing back, but if we're shopping nearby and hungry we'd stop in again and order something different.
(2)
Maria S.
My husband and I went here for lunch. I've wanted to try it for years and was hoping that I would like it, but it was awful. The first thing I noticed as we walked in was that they were offering a 10% discount if you paid in cash. That's not a good sign. Restaurants that do that are usually hurting for the cash. The decor in the restaurant is overkill. Way too many places for dust and dirt to collect. Next we got our menus. We looked at the dinner and lunch menu because we wanted to order an appetizer. I had heard the servings were large so we decided to do the lunch portions of pasta. The prices on the dinner menu were ridiculous. I would rather have a decent portion of pasta and pay less than pay for a triple serving. There was also a lot of items on the menu which leads me to believe that they do not use fresh products. They list so many seafood options that there is no way they would go through all of that stock quickly enough, which means the fish is frozen and items are prepackaged. We ordered the calamari to start with. It had no taste and the sauce that came with it tasted like jarred cocktail sauce. I ordered the 1/2 fettuccine with meat sauce and a cup of the fajoli soup. My husband had a salad and 1/2 gnocchi with meat sauce. The soup was okay. I had to add some salt to it to make it better. The fettuccine was pretty bad. The noodles did taste like they were fresh, but the sauce tasted like it was from Chef Boyardee. This is no joke. Go there and try it and then eat a can of Chef Boyardee and you will see. My husband thought the same thing about his meal. Needless to say we had a couple of bites and that was it. We were so disappointed and our waiter didn't seem to care that we barely touched our meal. He obviously didn't care since he never once asked us how our meals were or whether we needed anything. It was just a bad experience overall. We will not be going back and I will not recommend this place to anyone. Anyone who does like this restaurant has obviously never had good authentic Italian food.
(1)
Chris M.
First time here, I'll come back again. Veal Marsala was good. Lobster was bland. Great service.
(3)
Bobby O.
I am not terribly impressed by this place. I get the feeling like the servers really are not restaurant people and they are kind of working there. Food is decent but I am in the know when it comes to Italian food and something is lacking. As a side note you do get 10% off if you pay with cash. Hmmm...
(3)
Jen M.
My husband and I ate here unexpectedly, as we were leaving Marshall's. Everything was great, the decor, the service, and the food! We ordered off the lunch menu and the prices were ridiculously cheap. My husband got a huge slice of homemade sausage pizza for 4 bucks and I got half a meatball sub with the option of soup, salad, or fries for 6 bucks. We were stuffed, as the portions were plentiful and the food delicious. Our server was really nice, constantly refilling our water glasses and even put a rush on it as we were in a hurry. We tipped him over 20%. We will definitely return!
(4)
Amanda C.
We went to this place for dinner late Saturday night after a day of shopping. I should have let the inner alarm guide me as I walked in and saw picnic table tablecloths and paper napkins folded over the silverware, with a stockpile of straws at every table. Sometimes a dive is a diamond in the rough though, so I like to keep an open mind. I started with the cream of broccoli soup and my boyfriend had the pasta fagioli. My soup tasted like it came out of a can and they added a few frozen broccoli stalks to it. I didn't taste my boyfriends, it looked dreadful and he stated it was mediocre (and he will eat anything.) For entree's I had the chicken Marsala and roasted potatoes and my boyfriend had the chicken parmigiana. Mine was disgusting. I;m not sure if my chicken was baked or boiled but it wasn't seasoned and was swimming in a pool of oil topped with mushrooms from a can. If there was any Marsala wine in there at all I couldn't taste it. My boyfriends dish was made with processed chicken, take it out of a bag in the freezer and pop it in the oven type. topped with canned marinara sauce and smothered in cheese. Completely disgusting, and I did taste it. Our potatoes were covered in dry Italian seasoning, I mean COVERED and swimming in some oily broth. So gross. I couldn't even eat them. The bread they serve with dinner was cold and boring. I asked the waiter if the bread was supposed to be cold and he said it was but he could heat it up for me. I'd rather eat cold bread than microwaved bread. Or waiter noticed our glasses were empty after about 10 minutes and brought over a pitcher of cola and left it at our table. I guess that makes it easier for him not to have to check up on us. The whole dinner all the staff was in the dining room moving tables and chairs around being loud. The decor on the wall is a hodgepodge mess with extension cords hanging from the ceiling to add that extra special feel. This is a complete disaster. If you want to eat this food, just buy a can of chef boyardee and save the extra money. We will never return. Our total ticket was 45 dollars. ROBBERY!
(1)
Victoria h.
Holy Garlic! I've been here a total of 3 times and will probably come back a lot more. That said, boy oh boy are they heavy handed on their garlic. I usually order salads and their house dressing has actual chunks of garlic in it. I suggest they strain the dressing and then add the spices, but who's going to listen to me?! They have Fox News playing in the background which I find kind of strange and it's always super cold there. The servers are really nice and the you get your food pretty quickly. I've been there for dinner and lunch and have never seen it busy. Oh and if you pay in cash, they give you a small discount. That said, I think it's a bit overpriced for the quality of food (no, the food's not bad, it's very average) but the portions are huge. So, if you're shopping next door at TJ Maxx/Home Goods and need some fuel this is a great place but don't drive out of your way to come here.
(3)
Jen M.
I used to frequent Mangia Mangia heavily back in 1997-2000 when I worked in the Chicago burbs. I was so excited to be back in the area so I could taste what I remembered to be great Italian food. I ordered my usual....a side of baked mostaccoli with extra sauce and a side of meatballs. I forgot how HUGE the portions are. Baked Mostaccoli was every bit as good as i remember it ( love the tomato-ey sauce and all that ooey gooey cheese). Now, the meatballs were a different story. Almost gray in color and overly beef flavor, clearly they are made in house but have been frozen and reheated. All in, my lunch cost $13. Sure, a little pricey considering the location. Volare charges similar prices and I think their food is way better. I agree with the other posters...what is up with the 10% discount if you pay cash? That is weird. And feels shady. It makes me sad because this place exudes so much charm and has always held a special place in my heart. Sniff sniff.
(3)
Eric W.
Edit: This has become our go-to place when we're looking for good Italian food. Yeah, it's pricey but it's always good, the service is always good, parking is convenient, and the atmosphere is casual. Due to the price we can't go here as often as we'd like, but it's a good restaurant. *** The food here is very good, but the prices are very high, especially for a casual place like this. 3 of us ate here, eating 1 spaghetti, 1 lasagna, a side of sausage, and 1 chicken parmesan, all of which included soup and bread, and 3 sodas. The bill came to $63 with tax, before tip. A previous visit a couple years ago gave us similar sticker shock. The food is good, the portions are generous, and both times we ate here we enjoyed good table service. My main objection is the price. FWIW, their online menu does not reflect what we paid, as our dinner totalled up there was $49.95 before tax and tip, which would have been much more reasonable.
(4)
Brent S.
Picked up lunch, had a chicken motz sammie and my wife had spaghetti with meatballs, the sammie was tasty but the spaghetti was just ok.
(3)
Amy T.
The food channel has shows about horrible places like this! Ripped seats, ripped plastic tableclothes, two sets of menus that overlap/comtradict, well meaning waiters that have no idea why the menus differ and have to ask management to sort things out. Dinner here is overpriced, uninspired and just plain bad. Specifically, my side salad was a wet pool of iceberg lettuce and a half a slice of mealy tomato. My side of blue cheese "ish" dressing dissolved into a runny mess of wet lettuce. My eggplant sandwhich was a slimy pool of mush on a toasted bunny bread hoagie roll. My friend had what had to be one of the more strange, cheap lettuce heavy, chicken salads that I have ever seen for $16.95.... We thought the wine (merlot at $24 a bottle) was corked but decided that it was just plain bad. That throat burn that keeps on giving... Even if you are ok with quantity, marginal food this place is a stretch.Save your cash and go to any number of other great Italian joints in the area.
(1)
Crystal S.
This place will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart. 1st because I went to HS with the daughter of the owner. 2nd because my husband and I had our first date there, which was a blind date and incidentally a favorite spot for both of us BEFORE ever meeting each other. This place is cozy and tucked in a strip mall. Prices are good and portions are unbelievable! You will definitely have a full meal for lunch the next day. Very family friendly and good for big groups as well.
(4)
Sergio P.
Just ate dinner here for 1st time. Great values. Oysters were super fresh blue points and only $12 doz...served on a bed of greens that could be a salad when done. The special wine list had Folie D. Zin for $10. Pizza was med crust ... Brown on bottom perfect with large chunks of sausage and fresh sliced mushrooms...as if mama made in it in your kitchen. Calamari were tender perfect. The Veal Francese was one of the best I ever had...pounded veal in the egg batter perfect. Had to find that prep in Italian restaurants these days. Nice decor as well. Fun meal.
(4)
Patrick C.
We've been going to Mangia Mangia since they were on Joliet Road next to the Dominick's. Not my favorite Italian place, but a steady performer. The reviews are a little mixed and I think that is accurate. I've had great experiences and not so great experiences here. They offer table service, but you have to ask when you're being seated. You can also order at the counter and the food will be brought to your table. Generally, the service is very good, but if the place is crowded and they are short-handed, the service can suffer. The portions are generally large enough that we bring something home. Excellent bread and they will keep it coming if you ask. Grated mozzarella and olive oil on the table. I've never had an issue with a credit card being accepted.
(3)
J S.
I have been going to this place for a while and I love it. This restaurant is small, however it is not extremely busy where you will have to wait. The parking can suck mostly due to the surrounding stores such as T.J. Max taking up spaces. With that being said the food is very good. They offer free bread which is delicious when dipped in their oil and parmesan cheese. The food is good as well as the calimari. Their homemade house dressing on theirs salads is also awesome if you like garlic. My biggest compliment goes out to their catering services. We had a bunch of family over for my daughters baptism and decided to use Mantis Language for catering. We ordered baked pasta, sausage, and lemon chicken, plus salad. The cost was roughly $12 a person which was reasonable. They also threw in a bunch of bread. Sliced rolls for the sausage as well as oil and cheese to dip the bread in. Granted we live about 30-35 min away, the drive showed up early and the food was very hot. My family very much enjoyed and we still have plenty left over to last us the whole week. If you are looking for an enjoyable restaurant or need someone to cater quality Italian food you can't go wrong.
(5)
Kathy G.
I'm surprised and disappointed by the bad reviews for this place since our experience was the complete opposite. I hope the great meal we had is the norm. We have been looking at this place for years and always wanted to stop. Finally did on a busy Saturday night and we loved it. I liked the casual atmosphere and the wait staff couldn't have been more attentive. I ordered the blackened salmon Florentine and my bf ordered Mussels. I asked if they would make my salmon less spicy and it came out perfect. It was such a huge portion that I took half of it home. I will agree with the abundance of garlic comments. I think next visit I'll just ask that they go easy on it. All in all, we loved it and have recommended to friends who gave it good reviews too.
(5)
Janet F.
Went last night and was very disappointed with the food. For the appetizer had the stuffed artichoke. No meat at all on the artichoke (9.00??? pricey, then immediately when appetizer came out they brought out soup and salads. So we stopped the appetizer to begin to eat our dinner. For the prices I would expect them to at least make sure that spacing during courses would be provided. Asked for lemon, never received, butter had to wait for and only 4 tables occupied. Ordered Chicken picante, they must be big on cornstarch because that definitely was the sauce, a lot of food, but doesn't help that you are paying 17.00 for a meal and you are getting a hot dog stand consistency. Side order of mostaccoli with meat sauce, sauce was burnt. Other guest had chicken marsala, wasn't impressed and salad so so, really don't even have a house salad??? Cream of Broccoli soup was cream of chicken soup with broccoli in it and obviously canned. So that was certainly nothing to write home about. Parmesan cheese on the table in shaker, cannot afford to provide freshly grated cheese for the guests especially at Maggiano's prices and even more expensive. I get that at least at Olive Garden. Dessert was very good such as cannoli and Tirimisu. Not worth going back. Will go to Maggiano's for cheaper prices, better service and food taste.
(1)
Nick L.
Low quality food. Too expensive. Not worth the trip.
(1)
Nancy K.
I love this place! Everything is so delicious plus it's really cute inside and the staff is very attentive! I highly recommend the eggplant parmesan, breaded ravioli appetizer and the chicken spezzatini. Although the prices may seem high it's well worth every penny since the portions are out of control! Added bonus, get 10% off bill if you pay using cash.
(5)
Baron M.
When an establishment consistently delivers great food and service over a period of years, this is called a trend. My wife and I visited a couple of days ago and once again were completely satisfied. When I go to a restaurant, I usually order something I can't somewhat create at home and almost always order the pasta Carbonara at Mangia Mangia. The entree is served piping hot and a few minutes are needed to let it cool off before attacking. Creamy smooth sauce with tons of pancetta mixed in. Same can be said for the fettuccine Alfredo with blackened chicken. Yes, there is a ton of garlic in the house dressing and the bread is not served warm, and that makes this restaurant pretty authentic. The portion size is enough for two meals, so pricing is very fair for the quality you receive and the service is always top notch.
(4)
Scott W.
They menu is very extensive at Mangia Mangia. I was really looking forward to trying this place for a wile. My friend and I were not eating meat at the time so we decided to go there since they had so many fish dishes. We were seated promptly on a Saturday night around 7 PM. It was not crowded at all. The menu is very large so it took us a long time to read it over but after about a half hour we still had not been greeted by a waitress. At last she came over and said "sorry hope you weren't waiting too long. I just spotted some people I haven't seen in a long time so I was chatting with them" We were ok with it because we were in no hurry but had it been any other day we would have been in a rush and this would not have worked for us. It is true that they do serve very large portions. When we go out to dinner we often order several things and try a little of each. I have been known to order two entrees and several appetizers to try several things that sound good. Here many things sounded good so we went for it. I ordered the Caesars salad and the minestrone soup. The pasta in the soup was homemade which made it very good. The appetizers were average and not really a stand out. We ordered the special that night which was the lake perch. We were both disappointed when it arrived. It was way over fried and hard. The taste was very strong as well. Very "fishy" like it was not fresh. We asked before we ordered if it was fresh and they assured us it was. Me and my friend both only took a few bites and left the rest. Thank God we had already tanked up on the appetizers, soup and salads otherwise we would have left hungry. I would try them again but I think I would try the pasta and pizza next time and steer clear of the fish. They insisted on wrapping up the fish for us to take home and we promptly threw it away at the nearest dumpster behind the neighboring T.J. Maxx. We didn't want to be rude but we weren't about to risk getting sick either.
(2)
Cleofous S.
Bring extra cash, average dinner between $20-$25, as soon as I saw menu we left and went to the Flame, same price, and it,s no pasta joint.
(1)
Mario C.
If this was the very first time you dined at an Italian restaurant, you may find the food to be acceptable. Eat at one other Italian restaurant, and you will know better. This restaurant is a quasi self serve, overpriced, over salted, over sauced mess. The bread was dry and hard as rock. Two chicken breasts hid comfortably under a mound of sauce and cheese so dense that 6 bites into my meal, I still could not find the chicken. While their sauce (gravy) was overly sweet and lacked any flavor, it was abundant. It you spun the table, our four meals were indistinguishable. You could not tell the chicken from the veal from the lasagna from the eggplant. A disaster covered in sauce. Some yelpers rave about the portion size, slow down! More does not mean better and what you get here you certainly pay for as it is very expensive. If this is your idea of quality, well priced Italian food, try Sbaros at your local mall, it's cheaper. Don't go here.
(1)
L. R.
I wish my experience was like those of other yelpers and I could give this place 4 stars. Unfortunately, it was not. We went during lunchtime on Saturday. The restaurant was empty, but I assume it had a lot of customers because it was so big. I suspect Friday and Saturday evenings are crowded there. We sat down and were brought a basket of bread along with our drinks. The bread was spongy, like it was just put into the microwave and heated and given to us. Both the garlic bread (orange and spongy) and the white bread were like that. I ordered the chopped salad. My dining partner ordered the tortellini. I thought the prices were a little high, but felt maybe the food was worth it. I was wrong. The chopped salad was so soggy, even the mushrooms were waterlogged. There was a small pool of water in the bottom of my dish. I did, however, like the creamy garlic/Italian dressing they served with it. It looked like plain mayo but it tasted really good. My dining partner bit into the tortellini and said, this is so mushy. I tasted a couple and she was right, overcooked. Some people like it this way. We are Italian, we like al dente. I sent the salad back it was so awful. I didn't want to try anything else because I had lost my appetite on the salad. The waitress did tell us it was their most popular salad and it probably was. It was probably fresher at rush hour. This seems like it sat a little too long for my taste. So they removed the salad. I had a glass of iced tea, my partner had water with lemon and the tortelllini. Our bill was over $18. Highway robbery for such mediocre food. We were informed when we sat down that the restaurant gives a 10% discount for cash-paying customers which is really a nice perk.
(2)
Amanda B.
It's one of our favorite restaurants. Amazing italian food, old world style. Kick Olive Garden in the pants and go here. We do the catering (which everyone raves about).
(5)
Janet B.
Small place that's a bit different. Initially order at the counter, they give you a number to place on your table and bring the food to you. The wait staff then checks in to see if more drinks or dessert are wanted. Ordering at the table is also available since they moved to the new location on Brainard. I love the sauce that comes on the Chicken Limone and Chicken Francese but they have a tendency to overcook the chicken on those. Chicken Vesuvio is very good and the roasted Vesuvio potatoes are wonderful. My husband loves the Spagetti with Fresh Mussels and white sauce. Most of the dinners come with a side of pasta topped with red sauce- which I never eat because I don't like the red sauce here. Tastes too much like tomato paste- not enough seasoning. Appetizers $4-10, Pasta $13-16, Chicken dishes $16, Fish $16-22. Pork& Veal $16-19, Steak $22. Sandwiches $5.50-7.50 For about the same prices, I prefer Marconi's in downtown La Grange.
(3)
Chris M.
I wasn't too sure what to expect, but was instantly charmed by the atmosphere and decor of the restaurant. They have a very large menu and the portions are no different. Everything from the unique house dressing they use for salads all the way to the sauce they use for spaghetti has their own touch to it. If you are in the mood for Italian and in the area, definitely stop in.
They have decent lunch specials and prices. Pasta Fagioli was good and so was the Meat Lasagna. The wait staff is very nice and they give you a 10% discount if you pay Cash. It's by far not the best Italian food I've ever had but an alternative to all of the "fast food" restaurants in the area.
(3)
Nichole M.
TOO MUCH GARLIC. I have been going to this restaurant for many years and try and come back every few months because it's one of my favorites in the suburbs. But my last two visits, I have noticed a bit of a problem...I couldn't taste anything but garlic. Now, I'm Italian and I love garlic with all of my heart, but there's a point when it's too much. There were HUGE chunks of garlic on the brushcetta, ok I guess that's fine, but why in the side of spinach? I don't get it. I still give this restaurant 4 stars though because I love the ambiance, the service is good and the food is usually outstanding. The Clam dishes are among my favorites. Ease up on the garlic, please.
(4)
Dwaine H.
I've had their catering and thought it was pretty good si I decided to give the restaurant a try. It's a nice looking place inside, but, our appetizer was way overcooked. The soup, minestrone, was excellent. I had pasta with arrabbiato sauce. SALTY! I couldn't eat it. The prices are kind of high also. Won't be going back.
(2)
Lisa A.
WOW! - Mangia Maintains Greatness and Adds Awesome! Still the same great atmosphere! - Big enough for a family party, a business meeting, or a night out with friends; and small enough for a private dinner for two.- The New Additions to the Menu are pleasing to us meat-eaters out there - Check out their Awesome Ribs, Ribeye Steaks and their well presented Rich in flavor desserts! ! Their portions were so big my husband and I split usually a meal between us, unless of course its steak ;) (Huge Baked Potato) They also offer 10% off the bill to their cash paying customers. - Over All: Mangia Mangia is a great place to dine for almost any kind of event! Great Food, Great People, Can't wait to go back!! -Check out their website! mangiamangia-restaurant.…
(5)
H H.
Let me begin by saying I dislike giving poor reviews (despite the fact that this will be my second poor review of a restaurant in Chicago), because there are people working here that are not responsible for the actual quality/taste of the food, despite the fact that they themselves did their jobs rather well. The atmosphere and decor was fitting for a warm cozy little Italian eatery, they were child friendly, and generally friendly waiters/waitresses. The limited drinks selection was also passable for such a small place, that being beer/wine only. They have two menus. You read that right. Two. Huge. Menus. Each weighing in at about 10lbs, they contained hundreds of selections, because apparently, this chef knows how to make every Italian themed dish EVER created in the history of the universe. On top of that, they have a "specials" menu, so that's three total menus just for "food". Yes, I realize I put the word food in quotes, I did that on purpose. While I found the appetizers passable (we had the calamari and the bruschetta), they weren't exceptional by any means, but they were, by far, the best part of the meal...aside from my Blue Moon Belgian Ale, that is. Which makes sense, since they didn't make the beer. I won't go far into detail on the main entrees, as the food is frozen/thawed, pre-packaged, reheated and microwaved swill. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even want my kid eating it...I was positive I'd wake up with food poisoning this morning. You'd be better off -- by far -- just going to *cough* Olive Garden.
(1)
Erin Y.
Recently carried out the gnocchi with vodka sauce and was very impressed. The sauce wasn't spectacular, but I really enjoyed the gnocchi itself. It was soft yet chewy, just the way I like! Huge portion and huge gnocchis. One pasta entree is definitely enough to feed two people. We ordered meatballs on the side, and those were just okay. But I was pleased with the friendly and quick service for carry out. They give you tons of food to take home with you, including bread and soup/salad. The prices are a little on the steep side for what it is ($35 for two pasta entrees and meatballs) but the food is tasty and the portions are big so I won't complain too much. I know we will definitely be back when we need to carry out good Italian food.
(4)
Greg W.
First time here waiter was lacking in service, glasses were empty almost all the time after we asked for drinks, were not offered. Food was pretty good traditional italian food great atmosphere. With a little training of the staff this place could be a great place to come regularly.
(3)
Megan S.
I've never had a bad meal at Mangia Mangia. Whether we dine in or carry out, the food is always great. The gnocchi are the best I have ever had. Even now that I live 3 states away I still crave their food and make a point to eat there every time I'm in town
(5)
John G.
Don't. Seriously, I wish we had gone to Olive Garden - not only is it cheaper, you get better food (not kidding here) and warm bread. New dining rule - if an italian joint brings you cold, stale white bread and a ramekin of butter to start your meal, you should just leave. We ordered the chicken francese and fettucini. The italian wedding soup consisted of cold greens thrown into canned chicken broth, and their house salad wasn't much better - drown lettuce in olive oil and whole garlic cloves at home to get some idea. Their chicken francese was horrendous - unpounded, overcooked, and tough chicken breasts tossed in entirely unseasoned egg batter over some canned, tasteless lemon sauce that had the consistency of gravy. The fettucini was better, though still subpar. The sauce seemed pretty Chef Boyardee-ish, for reference. Yes, the portions are huge, but good luck bringing yourself to eat the leftovers. That and a couple glasses of wine (the only part of the meal that wasn't screwed up) rounded out to ~$70 bucks. Do not, under any circumstances, dine here.
(1)
Mike R.
Wow! How does this place stay open?? We have serious issues with Mangia Mangia. Its website clearly states Wednesday night is Pasta Night, offering most pasta dishes for $12.95. So we chose Mangia Mangia on the basis of that clearly indicated offer. Ha! You might think pasta-discount night might bring in a few more people, but I saw only two other hardy customers amid a sea of empty seating. Mangia Mangia also clearly advertised cash payment gets a 10% discount off the bill. Ha! When we were charged the full price for two pasta dishes that were advertised at being $12.95 each, I questioned the bill. Staff said its website is old, they do not honor what I clearly saw on their website. This escalated into an argument over advertising. At some point I suggested Mangia Mangia should pull down the web page so as not to confuse customers. "Connie" said, "We're not P. F. Chang's!" Huh? What does P.F. Chang's have to do with advertising on a restaurant website? When given the bill, I offer a gift certificate and cash for the advertised 10% discount. Ha! Oh, no. "Connie" tells me the cash 10% discount is only for ALL cash...So, let me get this straight. If you have a Mangia Mangia gift certificate, which Mangia Mangia has cashed and put in its bank months ago collecting interest, and then attempt to pay with cash and gift certificate, Mangia Mangia will not honor that and charge you full price. And worse, "Connie" will not only fail to honor advertised prices, she will call you names I would never imagine to be customer-oriented. I once had high regards for this operation but clearly the word is out. A frightening experience.
My husband and I tried this place twice. Didn't like the taste the first time. Second time was for someone's birthday dinner of their choice. I ordered grouper. The server giving out the dishes announced it as salmon. I said grouper, they said oh yeah grouper. as I start to eat I'm pretty sure it's salmon. Asked the main server and he said it was grouper. It tasted and looked like salmon, whatever it was not horrible. Yet our server overall was bored to help us and never smiled and rolled his eyes when we said we did not want dessert. I have better Italian.
(2)
Matt A.
I gave it 2 stars based on what yelp states next to the stars when you select how many stars, 3 stars is "A-OK", and 2 stars is "meh. I've experienced better." 2 stars is right, meh, I've experienced better. The first time I was there, I had soup and salad, because it was semi-cheap, and I didn't want to spend $12 on lunch. It wasn't great, the soup tasted like it was canned broth, with tortellinis in it, completely unseasoned, and the salad was just a handful of iceberg with a single slice of plum tomato, and nothing else... VERY unimpressed. I went again today, because people I work with were going for lunch again. I ordered the saltimbocca sandwich, which is supposed to be grilled chicken with prosciutto on bread. The "grilled" chicken could not have been more colorless or flavorless, leading me to believe it was not grilled. There was literally one thin slice of prosciutto on top, which was a lot more like deli ham than prosciutto. The bread was buttered with some super oily-like butter, and was about 3 inches longer than the chicken breast inside it; and the whole thing was saturated in a butter sauce. Was it terrible? No, but it will keep me from going there again. I expected something I could eat with my hands... I will eat a dipped italian beef sandwich with my hands, but this was far too slippery and oily. Maybe some of their other dishes are better, I haven't tried their pasta, but pasta only gets so good, it's never amazing... I'm just not impressed... They have a huge menu, so if you arent too picky, maybe you would like this place, but for the $11 I spent for a sandwich, I had higher expectations...
(2)
Patrycja K.
I ordered the special salad with fillet mignon, and it was absolutely delicious. The salad came with large pieces of avocado, roasted peppers and tomatoes. Their house salad was very unique-- it had real garlic and herbs that complimented the salad very well. The fillet mignon was very tender and juicy. I dropped in for a quick lunch and had a wonderful experience that made me want to rate this place. So simple yet so delicious -- hidden gem .
(5)
AnDrew B.
The service is great the food even better. Best chicken parmigiana I have ever had. French onion soup is amazing tastes home made. Have to try the Angelo's calamari it's amazing
(5)
Melissa B.
I've been coming here for years and Mangia Mangia never disappoints! All you can eat cod and eggplant parmesan are two of my favorites. Great service, great food, great atmosphere!
(5)
Natalie D.
I couldn't understand why this place had such good reviews... I was here in December and ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell and a Caesar salad. It was so disappointing. First of all: oysters weren't served on ice which meant that the longer they sat there on the plate the worse they tasted. I couldn't finish them! Also, the Caesar came with some other kind of dressing! Or it was just the worst version of a Caesar I've ever had... Flash forward to January: I came here again with my family but this time we got calamari, pizza as an app, and I got the homemade gnocchi with ala vodka sauce. Calamari was very good and came with cocktail sauce which is how I like it. The pizza was shockingly amazing!! Like super efing good!my gnocchi was just fine... They were more like dumplings though. I like them small and they are supposed to be like little fluffy pillows -these were big, doughy and tough. Vodka sauce also needed salt, pepper, and lots of spicy pepper flakes. That all aside, it was a nice dinner. I got the side salad with italian dressing which comes with a bunch of roasted garlic... It was very good but here is the best way to eat it: get some one at the table to order the blue cheese dressing on their salad and go 50/50... It sounds nuts but it's soo good (chicago oven grinders has salad like this with the 2 dressings.) Service is great. Decor is fine. Food is solid.
(3)
Pamalama B.
Great food, generous portions, good atmosphere, and the staff is polite. Chicken fettuccini alfredo with a side of marinara yummy!!
(4)
Ronni H.
Hubby and I dined at this restaurant this past Wednesday. Place was pretty empty but that was ok. We both love Italian food and have dined here previously - love the menu and the deco. What we don't understand was why Mexican music was blarring from the speakers? Maybe every 5th song was an Italian selection - Really??? Kinda ruined the experience.
(3)
Lisette M.
The food wasn't bad but I've eaten better pasta in other places. Nothing was seasoned very well but I guess you could say it was edible.
(2)
Greg Z.
Damn super huge beef sandwiches. Service was fast. Neat place very Italian feel to it. Tucked away in a little plaza. Ordered the beef and sausage combo and could not finish it cause it was huge! Tasty fries
(4)
Natalie V.
Impressed. They must have new owners because if I remember correctly, I did not enjoy this restaurant the last time I went. Menu is extensive, includes many great new items, and an impressive fish/lobster list. I came for lunch and it was great. Chopped salad was very refreshing. I can't wait to come back and try dinner.
(5)
Linda N.
Good service. We were seated right away at about 7:30-8:00 on Friday evening. Pretty empty at that time. Tried the bruschetta (good), fried calamari (bland), shrimp scampi (good), baked mostacoli (good), chicken picante with side of potatoes (good), chicken parmesan over side of spaghetti (good), minestrone soup (really good).
(3)
L S.
Stopping for a quick lunch or dinner great place. People are always friendly and great service. The soup has huge pieces of vegetables and and hot. Great discount when paying with cash. Great find in a strip mall. Something for all in the family.
(4)
James H.
Went here for lunch and had the breaded steak sandwich. Wasn't the worst I've ever had but certainly not the best either. Everything was basically just passing. My steak sandwich was definitely thrown in the microwave because there were hot spots in the thing that aren't attainable when food is cooked fresh. I'm talking so hot that it burned the roof of my mouth, my lip, and my tongue and I had to wait awhile for it to cool off. I really hate when restaurants use a microwave. If I wanted microwaved food I'd stay at home. My advice to anyone running a restaurant that has a microwave in it would be to throw the thing in the alley. My wife had a salad which looked and tasted decent but it wasn't anything exceptional. The service was okay but the servers seemed like they weren't really used to being servers in a restaurant setting and seemed to treat it like any other entry level job. In other words, they did the bare minimum and had to be signaled for things like drink refills. Overall, not a place I feel the need to return to.
(2)
Tiredofbadfood L.
Great portions, prices average. We were amazed that a strip mall restaurant actually has good food. You will not leave hungry There is one big drawback. They do not know how to make spaghetti sauce. The meat sauce was pink and tasted bland. C'mon! No true Italian makes sauce like that. Where are the beef neck bones, the oxtails and the ribs. Those types of meats must be well browned before you make sauce. If they used meat in their meat sauce it must have walked thru on stilts! There was no oregano, bay leaf or tomato paste in it either. What is this Irish spaghetti? If there was ground beef in it I couldn't tell. The chef needs more Sauce training. I notice there is a lot of complaining about too much garlic. That's because they are not off-setting it with other spices. The chicken Marsala was good, the all u can eat cod was great. Soup is out of a can; get the salad instead. I will say it is a whole lotta food for the money. They didn't charge me 15 bucks for 23 strings of pasta like some places. And I didn't get sick! No diarrhea! Yay! Restrooms were clean.
(3)
Erich R.
The food was good and plenty of it. Nicer than you would think for being in a strip mall. Kid friendly and great lunch specials. Will definitely come back again.
(4)
Critic L.
I love this place! We always order the baked clams, oyster rockafellers, casino oysters, and mussels! Very reasonable prices for great food
(5)
Jim E.
We stopped into this little place in a strip mall without high expectations. When you walk in the door it is much bigger then it appears outside, and the decor is very nicely done. They had a huge menu and lots of specials. Everything we had was excellent and very large portions. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because my Eggplant Parm was only room temp, and the dinner salad was very plain with only 1 small tomato slice and lettuce. The pastas are all homemade and you can mix ingredients from one dish to another. This place was a very pleasant surprise and will become a regular for us. I would like to mention our server Nicki , she was very helpful, knowledgable, attentive and truly enthusiastic about the food.
(4)
Julie A.
we eat here quite often. I am always please with the food. Its not fancy by any means, but tasty and great for the family. My hubby loves the fettuchinni with peas and I like the Chicken Franchese & grilled asparagus.
(4)
Marissa D.
One of my favorite places. So cute and comfortable. The food is absolutely amazing! The baked clams are small but taste so good and flavorful! The dishes are super huge so it's always a good idea to spilt dinners. the parking lot is huge so that is never a problem. I honestly have nothing bad to say about every experience here.
(5)
Dino D.
My wife & I enjoy this eatery very much, been going for years. One thing you need to remember here.... GO HUNGRY ! I kid you not one pasta dish is more than enough for 2 some dishes could make 3 people happy. A quick line to "Kevin S" ?? A samwich, Chick-parm samwich you remarked about $13 cost for a dinner.... i don't get it. Had you opted for the Chicken Parm with pasta plate you would have went home with enough for lunch tomorrow. Didn't you look around while you were sitting there at the staff bringing out other plates ???? Did you have blinders on? Didn't you see the size of all the dinners (lunches) what more could you ask for ?? Go back again Steve get the 6lb linguine with clams & shrimp order a glass of wine & enjoy. We will always go back.... it doesn't get any better
(5)
Linda N.
Good service. We were seated right away at about 7:30-8:00 on Friday evening. Pretty empty at that time. Tried the bruschetta (good), fried calamari (bland), shrimp scampi (good), baked mostacoli (good), chicken picante with side of potatoes (good), chicken parmesan over side of spaghetti (good), minestrone soup (really good).
(3)
L S.
Stopping for a quick lunch or dinner great place. People are always friendly and great service. The soup has huge pieces of vegetables and and hot. Great discount when paying with cash. Great find in a strip mall. Something for all in the family.
(4)
Melissa B.
I've been coming here for years and Mangia Mangia never disappoints! All you can eat cod and eggplant parmesan are two of my favorites. Great service, great food, great atmosphere!
(5)
Julie A.
we eat here quite often. I am always please with the food. Its not fancy by any means, but tasty and great for the family. My hubby loves the fettuchinni with peas and I like the Chicken Franchese & grilled asparagus.
(4)
Marissa D.
One of my favorite places. So cute and comfortable. The food is absolutely amazing! The baked clams are small but taste so good and flavorful! The dishes are super huge so it's always a good idea to spilt dinners. the parking lot is huge so that is never a problem. I honestly have nothing bad to say about every experience here.
(5)
Natalie D.
I couldn't understand why this place had such good reviews... I was here in December and ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell and a Caesar salad. It was so disappointing. First of all: oysters weren't served on ice which meant that the longer they sat there on the plate the worse they tasted. I couldn't finish them! Also, the Caesar came with some other kind of dressing! Or it was just the worst version of a Caesar I've ever had... Flash forward to January: I came here again with my family but this time we got calamari, pizza as an app, and I got the homemade gnocchi with ala vodka sauce. Calamari was very good and came with cocktail sauce which is how I like it. The pizza was shockingly amazing!! Like super efing good!my gnocchi was just fine... They were more like dumplings though. I like them small and they are supposed to be like little fluffy pillows -these were big, doughy and tough. Vodka sauce also needed salt, pepper, and lots of spicy pepper flakes. That all aside, it was a nice dinner. I got the side salad with italian dressing which comes with a bunch of roasted garlic... It was very good but here is the best way to eat it: get some one at the table to order the blue cheese dressing on their salad and go 50/50... It sounds nuts but it's soo good (chicago oven grinders has salad like this with the 2 dressings.) Service is great. Decor is fine. Food is solid.
(3)
Margaretsen H.
My husband and I tried this place twice. Didn't like the taste the first time. Second time was for someone's birthday dinner of their choice. I ordered grouper. The server giving out the dishes announced it as salmon. I said grouper, they said oh yeah grouper. as I start to eat I'm pretty sure it's salmon. Asked the main server and he said it was grouper. It tasted and looked like salmon, whatever it was not horrible. Yet our server overall was bored to help us and never smiled and rolled his eyes when we said we did not want dessert. I have better Italian.
(2)
Matt A.
I gave it 2 stars based on what yelp states next to the stars when you select how many stars, 3 stars is "A-OK", and 2 stars is "meh. I've experienced better." 2 stars is right, meh, I've experienced better. The first time I was there, I had soup and salad, because it was semi-cheap, and I didn't want to spend $12 on lunch. It wasn't great, the soup tasted like it was canned broth, with tortellinis in it, completely unseasoned, and the salad was just a handful of iceberg with a single slice of plum tomato, and nothing else... VERY unimpressed. I went again today, because people I work with were going for lunch again. I ordered the saltimbocca sandwich, which is supposed to be grilled chicken with prosciutto on bread. The "grilled" chicken could not have been more colorless or flavorless, leading me to believe it was not grilled. There was literally one thin slice of prosciutto on top, which was a lot more like deli ham than prosciutto. The bread was buttered with some super oily-like butter, and was about 3 inches longer than the chicken breast inside it; and the whole thing was saturated in a butter sauce. Was it terrible? No, but it will keep me from going there again. I expected something I could eat with my hands... I will eat a dipped italian beef sandwich with my hands, but this was far too slippery and oily. Maybe some of their other dishes are better, I haven't tried their pasta, but pasta only gets so good, it's never amazing... I'm just not impressed... They have a huge menu, so if you arent too picky, maybe you would like this place, but for the $11 I spent for a sandwich, I had higher expectations...
(2)
Pamalama B.
Great food, generous portions, good atmosphere, and the staff is polite. Chicken fettuccini alfredo with a side of marinara yummy!!
(4)
Patrycja K.
I ordered the special salad with fillet mignon, and it was absolutely delicious. The salad came with large pieces of avocado, roasted peppers and tomatoes. Their house salad was very unique-- it had real garlic and herbs that complimented the salad very well. The fillet mignon was very tender and juicy. I dropped in for a quick lunch and had a wonderful experience that made me want to rate this place. So simple yet so delicious -- hidden gem .
(5)
AnDrew B.
The service is great the food even better. Best chicken parmigiana I have ever had. French onion soup is amazing tastes home made. Have to try the Angelo's calamari it's amazing
(5)
Lisette M.
The food wasn't bad but I've eaten better pasta in other places. Nothing was seasoned very well but I guess you could say it was edible.
(2)
Greg Z.
Damn super huge beef sandwiches. Service was fast. Neat place very Italian feel to it. Tucked away in a little plaza. Ordered the beef and sausage combo and could not finish it cause it was huge! Tasty fries
(4)
Natalie V.
Impressed. They must have new owners because if I remember correctly, I did not enjoy this restaurant the last time I went. Menu is extensive, includes many great new items, and an impressive fish/lobster list. I came for lunch and it was great. Chopped salad was very refreshing. I can't wait to come back and try dinner.
(5)
James H.
Went here for lunch and had the breaded steak sandwich. Wasn't the worst I've ever had but certainly not the best either. Everything was basically just passing. My steak sandwich was definitely thrown in the microwave because there were hot spots in the thing that aren't attainable when food is cooked fresh. I'm talking so hot that it burned the roof of my mouth, my lip, and my tongue and I had to wait awhile for it to cool off. I really hate when restaurants use a microwave. If I wanted microwaved food I'd stay at home. My advice to anyone running a restaurant that has a microwave in it would be to throw the thing in the alley. My wife had a salad which looked and tasted decent but it wasn't anything exceptional. The service was okay but the servers seemed like they weren't really used to being servers in a restaurant setting and seemed to treat it like any other entry level job. In other words, they did the bare minimum and had to be signaled for things like drink refills. Overall, not a place I feel the need to return to.
(2)
Tiredofbadfood L.
Great portions, prices average. We were amazed that a strip mall restaurant actually has good food. You will not leave hungry There is one big drawback. They do not know how to make spaghetti sauce. The meat sauce was pink and tasted bland. C'mon! No true Italian makes sauce like that. Where are the beef neck bones, the oxtails and the ribs. Those types of meats must be well browned before you make sauce. If they used meat in their meat sauce it must have walked thru on stilts! There was no oregano, bay leaf or tomato paste in it either. What is this Irish spaghetti? If there was ground beef in it I couldn't tell. The chef needs more Sauce training. I notice there is a lot of complaining about too much garlic. That's because they are not off-setting it with other spices. The chicken Marsala was good, the all u can eat cod was great. Soup is out of a can; get the salad instead. I will say it is a whole lotta food for the money. They didn't charge me 15 bucks for 23 strings of pasta like some places. And I didn't get sick! No diarrhea! Yay! Restrooms were clean.
(3)
Erich R.
The food was good and plenty of it. Nicer than you would think for being in a strip mall. Kid friendly and great lunch specials. Will definitely come back again.
(4)
Critic L.
I love this place! We always order the baked clams, oyster rockafellers, casino oysters, and mussels! Very reasonable prices for great food
(5)
Jim E.
We stopped into this little place in a strip mall without high expectations. When you walk in the door it is much bigger then it appears outside, and the decor is very nicely done. They had a huge menu and lots of specials. Everything we had was excellent and very large portions. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because my Eggplant Parm was only room temp, and the dinner salad was very plain with only 1 small tomato slice and lettuce. The pastas are all homemade and you can mix ingredients from one dish to another. This place was a very pleasant surprise and will become a regular for us. I would like to mention our server Nicki , she was very helpful, knowledgable, attentive and truly enthusiastic about the food.
(4)
Erin Y.
Recently carried out the gnocchi with vodka sauce and was very impressed. The sauce wasn't spectacular, but I really enjoyed the gnocchi itself. It was soft yet chewy, just the way I like! Huge portion and huge gnocchis. One pasta entree is definitely enough to feed two people. We ordered meatballs on the side, and those were just okay. But I was pleased with the friendly and quick service for carry out. They give you tons of food to take home with you, including bread and soup/salad. The prices are a little on the steep side for what it is ($35 for two pasta entrees and meatballs) but the food is tasty and the portions are big so I won't complain too much. I know we will definitely be back when we need to carry out good Italian food.
(4)
Greg W.
First time here waiter was lacking in service, glasses were empty almost all the time after we asked for drinks, were not offered. Food was pretty good traditional italian food great atmosphere. With a little training of the staff this place could be a great place to come regularly.
(3)
Megan S.
I've never had a bad meal at Mangia Mangia. Whether we dine in or carry out, the food is always great. The gnocchi are the best I have ever had. Even now that I live 3 states away I still crave their food and make a point to eat there every time I'm in town
(5)
John G.
Don't. Seriously, I wish we had gone to Olive Garden - not only is it cheaper, you get better food (not kidding here) and warm bread. New dining rule - if an italian joint brings you cold, stale white bread and a ramekin of butter to start your meal, you should just leave. We ordered the chicken francese and fettucini. The italian wedding soup consisted of cold greens thrown into canned chicken broth, and their house salad wasn't much better - drown lettuce in olive oil and whole garlic cloves at home to get some idea. Their chicken francese was horrendous - unpounded, overcooked, and tough chicken breasts tossed in entirely unseasoned egg batter over some canned, tasteless lemon sauce that had the consistency of gravy. The fettucini was better, though still subpar. The sauce seemed pretty Chef Boyardee-ish, for reference. Yes, the portions are huge, but good luck bringing yourself to eat the leftovers. That and a couple glasses of wine (the only part of the meal that wasn't screwed up) rounded out to ~$70 bucks. Do not, under any circumstances, dine here.
(1)
Mike R.
Wow! How does this place stay open?? We have serious issues with Mangia Mangia. Its website clearly states Wednesday night is Pasta Night, offering most pasta dishes for $12.95. So we chose Mangia Mangia on the basis of that clearly indicated offer. Ha! You might think pasta-discount night might bring in a few more people, but I saw only two other hardy customers amid a sea of empty seating. Mangia Mangia also clearly advertised cash payment gets a 10% discount off the bill. Ha! When we were charged the full price for two pasta dishes that were advertised at being $12.95 each, I questioned the bill. Staff said its website is old, they do not honor what I clearly saw on their website. This escalated into an argument over advertising. At some point I suggested Mangia Mangia should pull down the web page so as not to confuse customers. "Connie" said, "We're not P. F. Chang's!" Huh? What does P.F. Chang's have to do with advertising on a restaurant website? When given the bill, I offer a gift certificate and cash for the advertised 10% discount. Ha! Oh, no. "Connie" tells me the cash 10% discount is only for ALL cash...So, let me get this straight. If you have a Mangia Mangia gift certificate, which Mangia Mangia has cashed and put in its bank months ago collecting interest, and then attempt to pay with cash and gift certificate, Mangia Mangia will not honor that and charge you full price. And worse, "Connie" will not only fail to honor advertised prices, she will call you names I would never imagine to be customer-oriented. I once had high regards for this operation but clearly the word is out. A frightening experience.
(1)
Chris B.
Great little restaurant that I'm not sure many people apart from the locals know about. Lots of classic italian dishes to choose from. The italian beef is good too. Portions are huge. They have a big wine list as well, but I havne't seen too many people drinking wine there. The atmosphere is pretty laid back, it doesn't feel like a fancy restaurant at all. It can get pretty busy on certain nights. You can call in and pick up orders too.
Hubby and I dined at this restaurant this past Wednesday. Place was pretty empty but that was ok. We both love Italian food and have dined here previously - love the menu and the deco. What we don't understand was why Mexican music was blarring from the speakers? Maybe every 5th song was an Italian selection - Really??? Kinda ruined the experience.
(3)
Dino D.
My wife & I enjoy this eatery very much, been going for years. One thing you need to remember here.... GO HUNGRY ! I kid you not one pasta dish is more than enough for 2 some dishes could make 3 people happy. A quick line to "Kevin S" ?? A samwich, Chick-parm samwich you remarked about $13 cost for a dinner.... i don't get it. Had you opted for the Chicken Parm with pasta plate you would have went home with enough for lunch tomorrow. Didn't you look around while you were sitting there at the staff bringing out other plates ???? Did you have blinders on? Didn't you see the size of all the dinners (lunches) what more could you ask for ?? Go back again Steve get the 6lb linguine with clams & shrimp order a glass of wine & enjoy. We will always go back.... it doesn't get any better
They have decent lunch specials and prices. Pasta Fagioli was good and so was the Meat Lasagna. The wait staff is very nice and they give you a 10% discount if you pay Cash. It's by far not the best Italian food I've ever had but an alternative to all of the "fast food" restaurants in the area.
(3)
Nichole M.
TOO MUCH GARLIC. I have been going to this restaurant for many years and try and come back every few months because it's one of my favorites in the suburbs. But my last two visits, I have noticed a bit of a problem...I couldn't taste anything but garlic. Now, I'm Italian and I love garlic with all of my heart, but there's a point when it's too much. There were HUGE chunks of garlic on the brushcetta, ok I guess that's fine, but why in the side of spinach? I don't get it. I still give this restaurant 4 stars though because I love the ambiance, the service is good and the food is usually outstanding. The Clam dishes are among my favorites. Ease up on the garlic, please.
(4)
Dwaine H.
I've had their catering and thought it was pretty good si I decided to give the restaurant a try. It's a nice looking place inside, but, our appetizer was way overcooked. The soup, minestrone, was excellent. I had pasta with arrabbiato sauce. SALTY! I couldn't eat it. The prices are kind of high also. Won't be going back.
(2)
Lisa A.
WOW! - Mangia Maintains Greatness and Adds Awesome! Still the same great atmosphere! - Big enough for a family party, a business meeting, or a night out with friends; and small enough for a private dinner for two.- The New Additions to the Menu are pleasing to us meat-eaters out there - Check out their Awesome Ribs, Ribeye Steaks and their well presented Rich in flavor desserts! ! Their portions were so big my husband and I split usually a meal between us, unless of course its steak ;) (Huge Baked Potato) They also offer 10% off the bill to their cash paying customers. - Over All: Mangia Mangia is a great place to dine for almost any kind of event! Great Food, Great People, Can't wait to go back!! -Check out their website! mangiamangia-restaurant.…
(5)
H H.
Let me begin by saying I dislike giving poor reviews (despite the fact that this will be my second poor review of a restaurant in Chicago), because there are people working here that are not responsible for the actual quality/taste of the food, despite the fact that they themselves did their jobs rather well. The atmosphere and decor was fitting for a warm cozy little Italian eatery, they were child friendly, and generally friendly waiters/waitresses. The limited drinks selection was also passable for such a small place, that being beer/wine only. They have two menus. You read that right. Two. Huge. Menus. Each weighing in at about 10lbs, they contained hundreds of selections, because apparently, this chef knows how to make every Italian themed dish EVER created in the history of the universe. On top of that, they have a "specials" menu, so that's three total menus just for "food". Yes, I realize I put the word food in quotes, I did that on purpose. While I found the appetizers passable (we had the calamari and the bruschetta), they weren't exceptional by any means, but they were, by far, the best part of the meal...aside from my Blue Moon Belgian Ale, that is. Which makes sense, since they didn't make the beer. I won't go far into detail on the main entrees, as the food is frozen/thawed, pre-packaged, reheated and microwaved swill. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even want my kid eating it...I was positive I'd wake up with food poisoning this morning. You'd be better off -- by far -- just going to *cough* Olive Garden.
(1)
Tiara Lynn A.
A pretty dismal rating, perhaps, but everything disappointed from start to finish except our server, who was very nice and attentive while his friends (apparently other bored employees) shot us the occasional "are you done yet" glances, as we came near the end of the night. I'll grant you we were late arrivals, but the place was EMPTY and we felt like we were keeping everyone who was there. Not cool. If I've learned one thing from Gordon Ramsey, it's that places with massive menus rarely cook fresh food, so I was skeptical even before I noticed the insane prices for the pasta dishes. $15.00 for cheese ravioli? $19 for salmon? Ridiculous. I went for the $8 sandwich, which would've been a good value if my eggplant parm was tasty. It wasn't. There was no seasoning on the thick breading and I question its freshness. The sauce wasn't bad, but I wanted more flavor. It was too unwieldy to eat as a sandwich. My husband's french onion soup was tasty enough, but the house Italian dressing had massive chunks of raw garlic (as others have noted) and was pretty much just oil. The calamari... meh? It wasn't bad. Half was well-cooked, the other half was rubbery. It lacked seasoning. I'll own that I'm pretty picky about my Italian food, but delicious is delicious and this tasted like I just went to a friend's house for dinner... you know that friend. You eat a little before you head to her house because it's a crapshoot whether dinner will be edible... Yeah, that friend, and it was a bad night. Our server was awesome and earned the place a star, but we left wishing we'd just gone home and made some quick spaghetti.
(2)
Jason M.
I agree with the other posters on the prices and excessive garlic. The food is just average. The service was pretty good, but it's a little confusing when you walk in if you're supposed to wait for a host to seat you or if you go up to the counter. I guess you can do either, which is a bit strange. We had gnocci and spinach fettucini, both with meat sauce. The spinach fettucini was pretty good, but the gnocci was bland and mushy. We both started with a salad with the house dressing and the garlic was overpowering. I like garlic but this was WAY too much. I was still tasting it the next day! The portions are pretty big and we both had enough to take home for another meal. We won't be rushing back, but if we're shopping nearby and hungry we'd stop in again and order something different.
(2)
Maria S.
My husband and I went here for lunch. I've wanted to try it for years and was hoping that I would like it, but it was awful. The first thing I noticed as we walked in was that they were offering a 10% discount if you paid in cash. That's not a good sign. Restaurants that do that are usually hurting for the cash. The decor in the restaurant is overkill. Way too many places for dust and dirt to collect. Next we got our menus. We looked at the dinner and lunch menu because we wanted to order an appetizer. I had heard the servings were large so we decided to do the lunch portions of pasta. The prices on the dinner menu were ridiculous. I would rather have a decent portion of pasta and pay less than pay for a triple serving. There was also a lot of items on the menu which leads me to believe that they do not use fresh products. They list so many seafood options that there is no way they would go through all of that stock quickly enough, which means the fish is frozen and items are prepackaged. We ordered the calamari to start with. It had no taste and the sauce that came with it tasted like jarred cocktail sauce. I ordered the 1/2 fettuccine with meat sauce and a cup of the fajoli soup. My husband had a salad and 1/2 gnocchi with meat sauce. The soup was okay. I had to add some salt to it to make it better. The fettuccine was pretty bad. The noodles did taste like they were fresh, but the sauce tasted like it was from Chef Boyardee. This is no joke. Go there and try it and then eat a can of Chef Boyardee and you will see. My husband thought the same thing about his meal. Needless to say we had a couple of bites and that was it. We were so disappointed and our waiter didn't seem to care that we barely touched our meal. He obviously didn't care since he never once asked us how our meals were or whether we needed anything. It was just a bad experience overall. We will not be going back and I will not recommend this place to anyone. Anyone who does like this restaurant has obviously never had good authentic Italian food.
(1)
Chris M.
First time here, I'll come back again. Veal Marsala was good. Lobster was bland. Great service.
(3)
Bobby O.
I am not terribly impressed by this place. I get the feeling like the servers really are not restaurant people and they are kind of working there. Food is decent but I am in the know when it comes to Italian food and something is lacking. As a side note you do get 10% off if you pay with cash. Hmmm...
(3)
Jen M.
My husband and I ate here unexpectedly, as we were leaving Marshall's. Everything was great, the decor, the service, and the food! We ordered off the lunch menu and the prices were ridiculously cheap. My husband got a huge slice of homemade sausage pizza for 4 bucks and I got half a meatball sub with the option of soup, salad, or fries for 6 bucks. We were stuffed, as the portions were plentiful and the food delicious. Our server was really nice, constantly refilling our water glasses and even put a rush on it as we were in a hurry. We tipped him over 20%. We will definitely return!
(4)
Amanda C.
We went to this place for dinner late Saturday night after a day of shopping. I should have let the inner alarm guide me as I walked in and saw picnic table tablecloths and paper napkins folded over the silverware, with a stockpile of straws at every table. Sometimes a dive is a diamond in the rough though, so I like to keep an open mind. I started with the cream of broccoli soup and my boyfriend had the pasta fagioli. My soup tasted like it came out of a can and they added a few frozen broccoli stalks to it. I didn't taste my boyfriends, it looked dreadful and he stated it was mediocre (and he will eat anything.) For entree's I had the chicken Marsala and roasted potatoes and my boyfriend had the chicken parmigiana. Mine was disgusting. I;m not sure if my chicken was baked or boiled but it wasn't seasoned and was swimming in a pool of oil topped with mushrooms from a can. If there was any Marsala wine in there at all I couldn't taste it. My boyfriends dish was made with processed chicken, take it out of a bag in the freezer and pop it in the oven type. topped with canned marinara sauce and smothered in cheese. Completely disgusting, and I did taste it. Our potatoes were covered in dry Italian seasoning, I mean COVERED and swimming in some oily broth. So gross. I couldn't even eat them. The bread they serve with dinner was cold and boring. I asked the waiter if the bread was supposed to be cold and he said it was but he could heat it up for me. I'd rather eat cold bread than microwaved bread. Or waiter noticed our glasses were empty after about 10 minutes and brought over a pitcher of cola and left it at our table. I guess that makes it easier for him not to have to check up on us. The whole dinner all the staff was in the dining room moving tables and chairs around being loud. The decor on the wall is a hodgepodge mess with extension cords hanging from the ceiling to add that extra special feel. This is a complete disaster. If you want to eat this food, just buy a can of chef boyardee and save the extra money. We will never return. Our total ticket was 45 dollars. ROBBERY!
(1)
Victoria h.
Holy Garlic! I've been here a total of 3 times and will probably come back a lot more. That said, boy oh boy are they heavy handed on their garlic. I usually order salads and their house dressing has actual chunks of garlic in it. I suggest they strain the dressing and then add the spices, but who's going to listen to me?! They have Fox News playing in the background which I find kind of strange and it's always super cold there. The servers are really nice and the you get your food pretty quickly. I've been there for dinner and lunch and have never seen it busy. Oh and if you pay in cash, they give you a small discount. That said, I think it's a bit overpriced for the quality of food (no, the food's not bad, it's very average) but the portions are huge. So, if you're shopping next door at TJ Maxx/Home Goods and need some fuel this is a great place but don't drive out of your way to come here.
(3)
Claudia G.
I have always been a bit dubious about restaurants in strip malls...I should simply say my expectations are not so high. Between Retro Bistro in Mt. Prospect and Mangia Mangia in La Grange I have great cause to move away from these feelings moving forward. The food at Mangia Mangia is quite good. Our polenta appetizer to start was simply good. I wish they had done a bit more with the polenta itself (like put in sun-dried tomatoes or something) rather than rely on the cheese toppings and sauce to bring the flavor. Nevertheless, a good start. Then we ordered a pizza for the main course. Honestly, some of the best pizza I have had in my life and I have sampled a fair share of pizza between traveling the States and a few jumps over to Italy. The crust is perfect - not too thick or thin - with a very good flavor itself. My beau was taken by the sauce. We ordered mushrooms, green peppers and artichokes for toppings and all were fresh and chunky. I just had some leftovers for lunch and still delicious - hot or cold. They do tell you it takes 30-40 minutes to prepare and it took about that. They also have a nice wine list. I ordered a glass of Shiraz/Cabernet (Penfolds, Australia) and it was delish. The decor is really cute and the staff so welcoming, helpful and congenial. The benefit of the strip mall locale is parking is a cinch.
(4)
Kirk W.
I really WANT to like Mangia Mangia - it's convenient, it's local, it's not a chain - all the things I like to support. So I keep going, trying to like it - finally after my 3rd attempt, I think I'll give up. The food is just not very good - I've yet to have a noodle cooked correctly. And the atmosphere is .... well, it's better since they moved. It's still pretty dark in there and stuffed between a TJ Maxx and and Payless Shoes. Not trying to hate on the place, but there are so many better Italian options available for your money.
(2)
BB C.
I have been to this place twice. Although the second time i decided to give it another try. The bread was ok. The ambiance is nice and so is the music, gets you in the mood. But when it comes to the food. Blah...to salty or no flavor whatsoever. Never again, maybe thats why its located in a strip mall?
(1)
R B.
The location is unimpressive in a strip mall but don't let that put you off. We went to Mangia Mangia using a $15 for $30 coupon on a Tuesday night. My wife and I had the broccoli soup and Veal Marsala and the braciole (sp?) soup and grouper over angel hair pasta. Both soups were flavorful, really homemade and served in huge bowls. Portions were also large for the entrees. The veal (4 thinly sliced pieces) was tender and made in a correct marsala sauce with lots of mushrooms. The grouper was also perfectly cooked flaky and over a broccoli and angel hair pasta nicely seasoned with fresh garlic, More than enough, and very tasty. Not much reason to go to Taylor street after eating here. The young man who waited on us was attentive without being overbearing. Pricing was a value. The veal dish for example came with excellent rosemary roasted potatos and your choice of soup or salad for $18.99 less a 10% cash discount!
(5)
Jen M.
I used to frequent Mangia Mangia heavily back in 1997-2000 when I worked in the Chicago burbs. I was so excited to be back in the area so I could taste what I remembered to be great Italian food. I ordered my usual....a side of baked mostaccoli with extra sauce and a side of meatballs. I forgot how HUGE the portions are. Baked Mostaccoli was every bit as good as i remember it ( love the tomato-ey sauce and all that ooey gooey cheese). Now, the meatballs were a different story. Almost gray in color and overly beef flavor, clearly they are made in house but have been frozen and reheated. All in, my lunch cost $13. Sure, a little pricey considering the location. Volare charges similar prices and I think their food is way better. I agree with the other posters...what is up with the 10% discount if you pay cash? That is weird. And feels shady. It makes me sad because this place exudes so much charm and has always held a special place in my heart. Sniff sniff.
(3)
Eric W.
Edit: This has become our go-to place when we're looking for good Italian food. Yeah, it's pricey but it's always good, the service is always good, parking is convenient, and the atmosphere is casual. Due to the price we can't go here as often as we'd like, but it's a good restaurant. *** The food here is very good, but the prices are very high, especially for a casual place like this. 3 of us ate here, eating 1 spaghetti, 1 lasagna, a side of sausage, and 1 chicken parmesan, all of which included soup and bread, and 3 sodas. The bill came to $63 with tax, before tip. A previous visit a couple years ago gave us similar sticker shock. The food is good, the portions are generous, and both times we ate here we enjoyed good table service. My main objection is the price. FWIW, their online menu does not reflect what we paid, as our dinner totalled up there was $49.95 before tax and tip, which would have been much more reasonable.
(4)
Brent S.
Picked up lunch, had a chicken motz sammie and my wife had spaghetti with meatballs, the sammie was tasty but the spaghetti was just ok.
(3)
J S.
I have been going to this place for a while and I love it. This restaurant is small, however it is not extremely busy where you will have to wait. The parking can suck mostly due to the surrounding stores such as T.J. Max taking up spaces. With that being said the food is very good. They offer free bread which is delicious when dipped in their oil and parmesan cheese. The food is good as well as the calimari. Their homemade house dressing on theirs salads is also awesome if you like garlic. My biggest compliment goes out to their catering services. We had a bunch of family over for my daughters baptism and decided to use Mantis Language for catering. We ordered baked pasta, sausage, and lemon chicken, plus salad. The cost was roughly $12 a person which was reasonable. They also threw in a bunch of bread. Sliced rolls for the sausage as well as oil and cheese to dip the bread in. Granted we live about 30-35 min away, the drive showed up early and the food was very hot. My family very much enjoyed and we still have plenty left over to last us the whole week. If you are looking for an enjoyable restaurant or need someone to cater quality Italian food you can't go wrong.
(5)
Kathy G.
I'm surprised and disappointed by the bad reviews for this place since our experience was the complete opposite. I hope the great meal we had is the norm. We have been looking at this place for years and always wanted to stop. Finally did on a busy Saturday night and we loved it. I liked the casual atmosphere and the wait staff couldn't have been more attentive. I ordered the blackened salmon Florentine and my bf ordered Mussels. I asked if they would make my salmon less spicy and it came out perfect. It was such a huge portion that I took half of it home. I will agree with the abundance of garlic comments. I think next visit I'll just ask that they go easy on it. All in all, we loved it and have recommended to friends who gave it good reviews too.
(5)
Amy T.
The food channel has shows about horrible places like this! Ripped seats, ripped plastic tableclothes, two sets of menus that overlap/comtradict, well meaning waiters that have no idea why the menus differ and have to ask management to sort things out. Dinner here is overpriced, uninspired and just plain bad. Specifically, my side salad was a wet pool of iceberg lettuce and a half a slice of mealy tomato. My side of blue cheese "ish" dressing dissolved into a runny mess of wet lettuce. My eggplant sandwhich was a slimy pool of mush on a toasted bunny bread hoagie roll. My friend had what had to be one of the more strange, cheap lettuce heavy, chicken salads that I have ever seen for $16.95.... We thought the wine (merlot at $24 a bottle) was corked but decided that it was just plain bad. That throat burn that keeps on giving... Even if you are ok with quantity, marginal food this place is a stretch.Save your cash and go to any number of other great Italian joints in the area.
(1)
Crystal S.
This place will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart. 1st because I went to HS with the daughter of the owner. 2nd because my husband and I had our first date there, which was a blind date and incidentally a favorite spot for both of us BEFORE ever meeting each other. This place is cozy and tucked in a strip mall. Prices are good and portions are unbelievable! You will definitely have a full meal for lunch the next day. Very family friendly and good for big groups as well.
(4)
Sergio P.
Just ate dinner here for 1st time. Great values. Oysters were super fresh blue points and only $12 doz...served on a bed of greens that could be a salad when done. The special wine list had Folie D. Zin for $10. Pizza was med crust ... Brown on bottom perfect with large chunks of sausage and fresh sliced mushrooms...as if mama made in it in your kitchen. Calamari were tender perfect. The Veal Francese was one of the best I ever had...pounded veal in the egg batter perfect. Had to find that prep in Italian restaurants these days. Nice decor as well. Fun meal.
(4)
Patrick C.
We've been going to Mangia Mangia since they were on Joliet Road next to the Dominick's. Not my favorite Italian place, but a steady performer. The reviews are a little mixed and I think that is accurate. I've had great experiences and not so great experiences here. They offer table service, but you have to ask when you're being seated. You can also order at the counter and the food will be brought to your table. Generally, the service is very good, but if the place is crowded and they are short-handed, the service can suffer. The portions are generally large enough that we bring something home. Excellent bread and they will keep it coming if you ask. Grated mozzarella and olive oil on the table. I've never had an issue with a credit card being accepted.
(3)
Janet F.
Went last night and was very disappointed with the food. For the appetizer had the stuffed artichoke. No meat at all on the artichoke (9.00??? pricey, then immediately when appetizer came out they brought out soup and salads. So we stopped the appetizer to begin to eat our dinner. For the prices I would expect them to at least make sure that spacing during courses would be provided. Asked for lemon, never received, butter had to wait for and only 4 tables occupied. Ordered Chicken picante, they must be big on cornstarch because that definitely was the sauce, a lot of food, but doesn't help that you are paying 17.00 for a meal and you are getting a hot dog stand consistency. Side order of mostaccoli with meat sauce, sauce was burnt. Other guest had chicken marsala, wasn't impressed and salad so so, really don't even have a house salad??? Cream of Broccoli soup was cream of chicken soup with broccoli in it and obviously canned. So that was certainly nothing to write home about. Parmesan cheese on the table in shaker, cannot afford to provide freshly grated cheese for the guests especially at Maggiano's prices and even more expensive. I get that at least at Olive Garden. Dessert was very good such as cannoli and Tirimisu. Not worth going back. Will go to Maggiano's for cheaper prices, better service and food taste.
(1)
Nick L.
Low quality food. Too expensive. Not worth the trip.
(1)
Nancy K.
I love this place! Everything is so delicious plus it's really cute inside and the staff is very attentive! I highly recommend the eggplant parmesan, breaded ravioli appetizer and the chicken spezzatini. Although the prices may seem high it's well worth every penny since the portions are out of control! Added bonus, get 10% off bill if you pay using cash.
(5)
Baron M.
When an establishment consistently delivers great food and service over a period of years, this is called a trend. My wife and I visited a couple of days ago and once again were completely satisfied. When I go to a restaurant, I usually order something I can't somewhat create at home and almost always order the pasta Carbonara at Mangia Mangia. The entree is served piping hot and a few minutes are needed to let it cool off before attacking. Creamy smooth sauce with tons of pancetta mixed in. Same can be said for the fettuccine Alfredo with blackened chicken. Yes, there is a ton of garlic in the house dressing and the bread is not served warm, and that makes this restaurant pretty authentic. The portion size is enough for two meals, so pricing is very fair for the quality you receive and the service is always top notch.
(4)
Scott W.
They menu is very extensive at Mangia Mangia. I was really looking forward to trying this place for a wile. My friend and I were not eating meat at the time so we decided to go there since they had so many fish dishes. We were seated promptly on a Saturday night around 7 PM. It was not crowded at all. The menu is very large so it took us a long time to read it over but after about a half hour we still had not been greeted by a waitress. At last she came over and said "sorry hope you weren't waiting too long. I just spotted some people I haven't seen in a long time so I was chatting with them" We were ok with it because we were in no hurry but had it been any other day we would have been in a rush and this would not have worked for us. It is true that they do serve very large portions. When we go out to dinner we often order several things and try a little of each. I have been known to order two entrees and several appetizers to try several things that sound good. Here many things sounded good so we went for it. I ordered the Caesars salad and the minestrone soup. The pasta in the soup was homemade which made it very good. The appetizers were average and not really a stand out. We ordered the special that night which was the lake perch. We were both disappointed when it arrived. It was way over fried and hard. The taste was very strong as well. Very "fishy" like it was not fresh. We asked before we ordered if it was fresh and they assured us it was. Me and my friend both only took a few bites and left the rest. Thank God we had already tanked up on the appetizers, soup and salads otherwise we would have left hungry. I would try them again but I think I would try the pasta and pizza next time and steer clear of the fish. They insisted on wrapping up the fish for us to take home and we promptly threw it away at the nearest dumpster behind the neighboring T.J. Maxx. We didn't want to be rude but we weren't about to risk getting sick either.
(2)
Cleofous S.
Bring extra cash, average dinner between $20-$25, as soon as I saw menu we left and went to the Flame, same price, and it,s no pasta joint.
(1)
Mario C.
If this was the very first time you dined at an Italian restaurant, you may find the food to be acceptable. Eat at one other Italian restaurant, and you will know better. This restaurant is a quasi self serve, overpriced, over salted, over sauced mess. The bread was dry and hard as rock. Two chicken breasts hid comfortably under a mound of sauce and cheese so dense that 6 bites into my meal, I still could not find the chicken. While their sauce (gravy) was overly sweet and lacked any flavor, it was abundant. It you spun the table, our four meals were indistinguishable. You could not tell the chicken from the veal from the lasagna from the eggplant. A disaster covered in sauce. Some yelpers rave about the portion size, slow down! More does not mean better and what you get here you certainly pay for as it is very expensive. If this is your idea of quality, well priced Italian food, try Sbaros at your local mall, it's cheaper. Don't go here.
(1)
krystal k.
Wow. This place is amazing! We found it by accident one day ((it's in a little strip mall)) and I'm so glad! It's very cozy inside, not too big, great for families. The food is excellent, we've never had a bad thing there. And the service is also great, they are very friendly and constantly keeping you satisfied!! I definitely suggest this place
(5)
Janet B.
Small place that's a bit different. Initially order at the counter, they give you a number to place on your table and bring the food to you. The wait staff then checks in to see if more drinks or dessert are wanted. Ordering at the table is also available since they moved to the new location on Brainard. I love the sauce that comes on the Chicken Limone and Chicken Francese but they have a tendency to overcook the chicken on those. Chicken Vesuvio is very good and the roasted Vesuvio potatoes are wonderful. My husband loves the Spagetti with Fresh Mussels and white sauce. Most of the dinners come with a side of pasta topped with red sauce- which I never eat because I don't like the red sauce here. Tastes too much like tomato paste- not enough seasoning. Appetizers $4-10, Pasta $13-16, Chicken dishes $16, Fish $16-22. Pork& Veal $16-19, Steak $22. Sandwiches $5.50-7.50 For about the same prices, I prefer Marconi's in downtown La Grange.
(3)
Chris M.
I wasn't too sure what to expect, but was instantly charmed by the atmosphere and decor of the restaurant. They have a very large menu and the portions are no different. Everything from the unique house dressing they use for salads all the way to the sauce they use for spaghetti has their own touch to it. If you are in the mood for Italian and in the area, definitely stop in.
(4)
L. R.
I wish my experience was like those of other yelpers and I could give this place 4 stars. Unfortunately, it was not. We went during lunchtime on Saturday. The restaurant was empty, but I assume it had a lot of customers because it was so big. I suspect Friday and Saturday evenings are crowded there. We sat down and were brought a basket of bread along with our drinks. The bread was spongy, like it was just put into the microwave and heated and given to us. Both the garlic bread (orange and spongy) and the white bread were like that. I ordered the chopped salad. My dining partner ordered the tortellini. I thought the prices were a little high, but felt maybe the food was worth it. I was wrong. The chopped salad was so soggy, even the mushrooms were waterlogged. There was a small pool of water in the bottom of my dish. I did, however, like the creamy garlic/Italian dressing they served with it. It looked like plain mayo but it tasted really good. My dining partner bit into the tortellini and said, this is so mushy. I tasted a couple and she was right, overcooked. Some people like it this way. We are Italian, we like al dente. I sent the salad back it was so awful. I didn't want to try anything else because I had lost my appetite on the salad. The waitress did tell us it was their most popular salad and it probably was. It was probably fresher at rush hour. This seems like it sat a little too long for my taste. So they removed the salad. I had a glass of iced tea, my partner had water with lemon and the tortelllini. Our bill was over $18. Highway robbery for such mediocre food. We were informed when we sat down that the restaurant gives a 10% discount for cash-paying customers which is really a nice perk.
(2)
Amanda B.
It's one of our favorite restaurants. Amazing italian food, old world style. Kick Olive Garden in the pants and go here. We do the catering (which everyone raves about).
(5)
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Address :5555 S Brainard Ave,Ste 400
Countryside, IL, 60525
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
Lisa A.
WOW! - Mangia Maintains Greatness and Adds Awesome! Still the same great atmosphere! - Big enough for a family party, a business meeting, or a night out with friends; and small enough for a private dinner for two.- The New Additions to the Menu are pleasing to us meat-eaters out there - Check out their Awesome Ribs, Ribeye Steaks and their well presented Rich in flavor desserts! ! Their portions were so big my husband and I split usually a meal between us, unless of course its steak ;) (Huge Baked Potato) They also offer 10% off the bill to their cash paying customers. - Over All: Mangia Mangia is a great place to dine for almost any kind of event! Great Food, Great People, Can't wait to go back!! -Check out their website! mangiamangia-restaurant.…
(5)H H.
Let me begin by saying I dislike giving poor reviews (despite the fact that this will be my second poor review of a restaurant in Chicago), because there are people working here that are not responsible for the actual quality/taste of the food, despite the fact that they themselves did their jobs rather well. The atmosphere and decor was fitting for a warm cozy little Italian eatery, they were child friendly, and generally friendly waiters/waitresses. The limited drinks selection was also passable for such a small place, that being beer/wine only. They have two menus. You read that right. Two. Huge. Menus. Each weighing in at about 10lbs, they contained hundreds of selections, because apparently, this chef knows how to make every Italian themed dish EVER created in the history of the universe. On top of that, they have a "specials" menu, so that's three total menus just for "food". Yes, I realize I put the word food in quotes, I did that on purpose. While I found the appetizers passable (we had the calamari and the bruschetta), they weren't exceptional by any means, but they were, by far, the best part of the meal...aside from my Blue Moon Belgian Ale, that is. Which makes sense, since they didn't make the beer. I won't go far into detail on the main entrees, as the food is frozen/thawed, pre-packaged, reheated and microwaved swill. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even want my kid eating it...I was positive I'd wake up with food poisoning this morning. You'd be better off -- by far -- just going to *cough* Olive Garden.
(1)Tiara Lynn A.
A pretty dismal rating, perhaps, but everything disappointed from start to finish except our server, who was very nice and attentive while his friends (apparently other bored employees) shot us the occasional "are you done yet" glances, as we came near the end of the night. I'll grant you we were late arrivals, but the place was EMPTY and we felt like we were keeping everyone who was there. Not cool. If I've learned one thing from Gordon Ramsey, it's that places with massive menus rarely cook fresh food, so I was skeptical even before I noticed the insane prices for the pasta dishes. $15.00 for cheese ravioli? $19 for salmon? Ridiculous. I went for the $8 sandwich, which would've been a good value if my eggplant parm was tasty. It wasn't. There was no seasoning on the thick breading and I question its freshness. The sauce wasn't bad, but I wanted more flavor. It was too unwieldy to eat as a sandwich. My husband's french onion soup was tasty enough, but the house Italian dressing had massive chunks of raw garlic (as others have noted) and was pretty much just oil. The calamari... meh? It wasn't bad. Half was well-cooked, the other half was rubbery. It lacked seasoning. I'll own that I'm pretty picky about my Italian food, but delicious is delicious and this tasted like I just went to a friend's house for dinner... you know that friend. You eat a little before you head to her house because it's a crapshoot whether dinner will be edible... Yeah, that friend, and it was a bad night. Our server was awesome and earned the place a star, but we left wishing we'd just gone home and made some quick spaghetti.
(2)Jason M.
I agree with the other posters on the prices and excessive garlic. The food is just average. The service was pretty good, but it's a little confusing when you walk in if you're supposed to wait for a host to seat you or if you go up to the counter. I guess you can do either, which is a bit strange. We had gnocci and spinach fettucini, both with meat sauce. The spinach fettucini was pretty good, but the gnocci was bland and mushy. We both started with a salad with the house dressing and the garlic was overpowering. I like garlic but this was WAY too much. I was still tasting it the next day! The portions are pretty big and we both had enough to take home for another meal. We won't be rushing back, but if we're shopping nearby and hungry we'd stop in again and order something different.
(2)Margaretsen H.
My husband and I tried this place twice. Didn't like the taste the first time. Second time was for someone's birthday dinner of their choice. I ordered grouper. The server giving out the dishes announced it as salmon. I said grouper, they said oh yeah grouper. as I start to eat I'm pretty sure it's salmon. Asked the main server and he said it was grouper. It tasted and looked like salmon, whatever it was not horrible. Yet our server overall was bored to help us and never smiled and rolled his eyes when we said we did not want dessert. I have better Italian.
(2)Melissa B.
I've been coming here for years and Mangia Mangia never disappoints! All you can eat cod and eggplant parmesan are two of my favorites. Great service, great food, great atmosphere!
(5)Natalie D.
I couldn't understand why this place had such good reviews... I was here in December and ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell and a Caesar salad. It was so disappointing. First of all: oysters weren't served on ice which meant that the longer they sat there on the plate the worse they tasted. I couldn't finish them! Also, the Caesar came with some other kind of dressing! Or it was just the worst version of a Caesar I've ever had... Flash forward to January: I came here again with my family but this time we got calamari, pizza as an app, and I got the homemade gnocchi with ala vodka sauce. Calamari was very good and came with cocktail sauce which is how I like it. The pizza was shockingly amazing!! Like super efing good!my gnocchi was just fine... They were more like dumplings though. I like them small and they are supposed to be like little fluffy pillows -these were big, doughy and tough. Vodka sauce also needed salt, pepper, and lots of spicy pepper flakes. That all aside, it was a nice dinner. I got the side salad with italian dressing which comes with a bunch of roasted garlic... It was very good but here is the best way to eat it: get some one at the table to order the blue cheese dressing on their salad and go 50/50... It sounds nuts but it's soo good (chicago oven grinders has salad like this with the 2 dressings.) Service is great. Decor is fine. Food is solid.
(3)Matt A.
I gave it 2 stars based on what yelp states next to the stars when you select how many stars, 3 stars is "A-OK", and 2 stars is "meh. I've experienced better." 2 stars is right, meh, I've experienced better. The first time I was there, I had soup and salad, because it was semi-cheap, and I didn't want to spend $12 on lunch. It wasn't great, the soup tasted like it was canned broth, with tortellinis in it, completely unseasoned, and the salad was just a handful of iceberg with a single slice of plum tomato, and nothing else... VERY unimpressed. I went again today, because people I work with were going for lunch again. I ordered the saltimbocca sandwich, which is supposed to be grilled chicken with prosciutto on bread. The "grilled" chicken could not have been more colorless or flavorless, leading me to believe it was not grilled. There was literally one thin slice of prosciutto on top, which was a lot more like deli ham than prosciutto. The bread was buttered with some super oily-like butter, and was about 3 inches longer than the chicken breast inside it; and the whole thing was saturated in a butter sauce. Was it terrible? No, but it will keep me from going there again. I expected something I could eat with my hands... I will eat a dipped italian beef sandwich with my hands, but this was far too slippery and oily. Maybe some of their other dishes are better, I haven't tried their pasta, but pasta only gets so good, it's never amazing... I'm just not impressed... They have a huge menu, so if you arent too picky, maybe you would like this place, but for the $11 I spent for a sandwich, I had higher expectations...
(2)Pamalama B.
Great food, generous portions, good atmosphere, and the staff is polite. Chicken fettuccini alfredo with a side of marinara yummy!!
(4)Patrycja K.
I ordered the special salad with fillet mignon, and it was absolutely delicious. The salad came with large pieces of avocado, roasted peppers and tomatoes. Their house salad was very unique-- it had real garlic and herbs that complimented the salad very well. The fillet mignon was very tender and juicy. I dropped in for a quick lunch and had a wonderful experience that made me want to rate this place. So simple yet so delicious -- hidden gem .
(5)AnDrew B.
The service is great the food even better. Best chicken parmigiana I have ever had. French onion soup is amazing tastes home made. Have to try the Angelo's calamari it's amazing
(5)Lisette M.
The food wasn't bad but I've eaten better pasta in other places. Nothing was seasoned very well but I guess you could say it was edible.
(2)Greg Z.
Damn super huge beef sandwiches. Service was fast. Neat place very Italian feel to it. Tucked away in a little plaza. Ordered the beef and sausage combo and could not finish it cause it was huge! Tasty fries
(4)Natalie V.
Impressed. They must have new owners because if I remember correctly, I did not enjoy this restaurant the last time I went. Menu is extensive, includes many great new items, and an impressive fish/lobster list. I came for lunch and it was great. Chopped salad was very refreshing. I can't wait to come back and try dinner.
(5)Linda N.
Good service. We were seated right away at about 7:30-8:00 on Friday evening. Pretty empty at that time. Tried the bruschetta (good), fried calamari (bland), shrimp scampi (good), baked mostacoli (good), chicken picante with side of potatoes (good), chicken parmesan over side of spaghetti (good), minestrone soup (really good).
(3)L S.
Stopping for a quick lunch or dinner great place. People are always friendly and great service. The soup has huge pieces of vegetables and and hot. Great discount when paying with cash. Great find in a strip mall. Something for all in the family.
(4)James H.
Went here for lunch and had the breaded steak sandwich. Wasn't the worst I've ever had but certainly not the best either. Everything was basically just passing. My steak sandwich was definitely thrown in the microwave because there were hot spots in the thing that aren't attainable when food is cooked fresh. I'm talking so hot that it burned the roof of my mouth, my lip, and my tongue and I had to wait awhile for it to cool off. I really hate when restaurants use a microwave. If I wanted microwaved food I'd stay at home. My advice to anyone running a restaurant that has a microwave in it would be to throw the thing in the alley. My wife had a salad which looked and tasted decent but it wasn't anything exceptional. The service was okay but the servers seemed like they weren't really used to being servers in a restaurant setting and seemed to treat it like any other entry level job. In other words, they did the bare minimum and had to be signaled for things like drink refills. Overall, not a place I feel the need to return to.
(2)Tiredofbadfood L.
Great portions, prices average. We were amazed that a strip mall restaurant actually has good food. You will not leave hungry There is one big drawback. They do not know how to make spaghetti sauce. The meat sauce was pink and tasted bland. C'mon! No true Italian makes sauce like that. Where are the beef neck bones, the oxtails and the ribs. Those types of meats must be well browned before you make sauce. If they used meat in their meat sauce it must have walked thru on stilts! There was no oregano, bay leaf or tomato paste in it either. What is this Irish spaghetti? If there was ground beef in it I couldn't tell. The chef needs more Sauce training. I notice there is a lot of complaining about too much garlic. That's because they are not off-setting it with other spices. The chicken Marsala was good, the all u can eat cod was great. Soup is out of a can; get the salad instead. I will say it is a whole lotta food for the money. They didn't charge me 15 bucks for 23 strings of pasta like some places. And I didn't get sick! No diarrhea! Yay! Restrooms were clean.
(3)Erich R.
The food was good and plenty of it. Nicer than you would think for being in a strip mall. Kid friendly and great lunch specials. Will definitely come back again.
(4)Critic L.
I love this place! We always order the baked clams, oyster rockafellers, casino oysters, and mussels! Very reasonable prices for great food
(5)Jim E.
We stopped into this little place in a strip mall without high expectations. When you walk in the door it is much bigger then it appears outside, and the decor is very nicely done. They had a huge menu and lots of specials. Everything we had was excellent and very large portions. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because my Eggplant Parm was only room temp, and the dinner salad was very plain with only 1 small tomato slice and lettuce. The pastas are all homemade and you can mix ingredients from one dish to another. This place was a very pleasant surprise and will become a regular for us. I would like to mention our server Nicki , she was very helpful, knowledgable, attentive and truly enthusiastic about the food.
(4)Julie A.
we eat here quite often. I am always please with the food. Its not fancy by any means, but tasty and great for the family. My hubby loves the fettuchinni with peas and I like the Chicken Franchese & grilled asparagus.
(4)Marissa D.
One of my favorite places. So cute and comfortable. The food is absolutely amazing! The baked clams are small but taste so good and flavorful! The dishes are super huge so it's always a good idea to spilt dinners. the parking lot is huge so that is never a problem. I honestly have nothing bad to say about every experience here.
(5)Erin Y.
Recently carried out the gnocchi with vodka sauce and was very impressed. The sauce wasn't spectacular, but I really enjoyed the gnocchi itself. It was soft yet chewy, just the way I like! Huge portion and huge gnocchis. One pasta entree is definitely enough to feed two people. We ordered meatballs on the side, and those were just okay. But I was pleased with the friendly and quick service for carry out. They give you tons of food to take home with you, including bread and soup/salad. The prices are a little on the steep side for what it is ($35 for two pasta entrees and meatballs) but the food is tasty and the portions are big so I won't complain too much. I know we will definitely be back when we need to carry out good Italian food.
(4)Greg W.
First time here waiter was lacking in service, glasses were empty almost all the time after we asked for drinks, were not offered. Food was pretty good traditional italian food great atmosphere. With a little training of the staff this place could be a great place to come regularly.
(3)Megan S.
I've never had a bad meal at Mangia Mangia. Whether we dine in or carry out, the food is always great. The gnocchi are the best I have ever had. Even now that I live 3 states away I still crave their food and make a point to eat there every time I'm in town
(5)John G.
Don't. Seriously, I wish we had gone to Olive Garden - not only is it cheaper, you get better food (not kidding here) and warm bread. New dining rule - if an italian joint brings you cold, stale white bread and a ramekin of butter to start your meal, you should just leave. We ordered the chicken francese and fettucini. The italian wedding soup consisted of cold greens thrown into canned chicken broth, and their house salad wasn't much better - drown lettuce in olive oil and whole garlic cloves at home to get some idea. Their chicken francese was horrendous - unpounded, overcooked, and tough chicken breasts tossed in entirely unseasoned egg batter over some canned, tasteless lemon sauce that had the consistency of gravy. The fettucini was better, though still subpar. The sauce seemed pretty Chef Boyardee-ish, for reference. Yes, the portions are huge, but good luck bringing yourself to eat the leftovers. That and a couple glasses of wine (the only part of the meal that wasn't screwed up) rounded out to ~$70 bucks. Do not, under any circumstances, dine here.
(1)Mike R.
Wow! How does this place stay open?? We have serious issues with Mangia Mangia. Its website clearly states Wednesday night is Pasta Night, offering most pasta dishes for $12.95. So we chose Mangia Mangia on the basis of that clearly indicated offer. Ha! You might think pasta-discount night might bring in a few more people, but I saw only two other hardy customers amid a sea of empty seating. Mangia Mangia also clearly advertised cash payment gets a 10% discount off the bill. Ha! When we were charged the full price for two pasta dishes that were advertised at being $12.95 each, I questioned the bill. Staff said its website is old, they do not honor what I clearly saw on their website. This escalated into an argument over advertising. At some point I suggested Mangia Mangia should pull down the web page so as not to confuse customers. "Connie" said, "We're not P. F. Chang's!" Huh? What does P.F. Chang's have to do with advertising on a restaurant website? When given the bill, I offer a gift certificate and cash for the advertised 10% discount. Ha! Oh, no. "Connie" tells me the cash 10% discount is only for ALL cash...So, let me get this straight. If you have a Mangia Mangia gift certificate, which Mangia Mangia has cashed and put in its bank months ago collecting interest, and then attempt to pay with cash and gift certificate, Mangia Mangia will not honor that and charge you full price. And worse, "Connie" will not only fail to honor advertised prices, she will call you names I would never imagine to be customer-oriented. I once had high regards for this operation but clearly the word is out. A frightening experience.
(1)Frank M.
Service was ok and the Frito Misto was excellent but that's about it. We got mostly bread ends in our basket that were too chewy to eat without looking like a rabid dog. We asked for a 2nd basket that never arrived. The kids pizza was the size of a small frozen pizza (9 pcs) and was way too much food for our 2 year old daughter. We wouldn't of ordered a kids pasta meal for our son had we known the pizza could've been shared. It wasn't browned, the crust was soggy and it was dangerously hot. My lasagna was buried in meat sauce and the pasta was thick and gooey as if it was over cooked. It tasted like I was eating Chef Boyardee. It too was super hot. My wife's Angel Hair Tomato Basil with Chicken was supposed to have sun dried tomatoes but it only contained canned tomatoes. The chicken had that fake moistness from the oil but almost turned to powder when chewed. My wife scorched her mouth because her dish was also unnaturally hot. I soon realized all of our entrées were probably microwaved! What a shame since we were celebrating Mother's Day early. I've been a lunch customer of Mangia-Mangia since they were at their original location and even though I've only had sandwiches with fries or the salads, I assumed the dinner would be just as good. It wasn't.
(1)Ronni H.
Hubby and I dined at this restaurant this past Wednesday. Place was pretty empty but that was ok. We both love Italian food and have dined here previously - love the menu and the deco. What we don't understand was why Mexican music was blarring from the speakers? Maybe every 5th song was an Italian selection - Really??? Kinda ruined the experience.
(3)Dino D.
My wife & I enjoy this eatery very much, been going for years. One thing you need to remember here.... GO HUNGRY ! I kid you not one pasta dish is more than enough for 2 some dishes could make 3 people happy. A quick line to "Kevin S" ?? A samwich, Chick-parm samwich you remarked about $13 cost for a dinner.... i don't get it. Had you opted for the Chicken Parm with pasta plate you would have went home with enough for lunch tomorrow. Didn't you look around while you were sitting there at the staff bringing out other plates ???? Did you have blinders on? Didn't you see the size of all the dinners (lunches) what more could you ask for ?? Go back again Steve get the 6lb linguine with clams & shrimp order a glass of wine & enjoy. We will always go back.... it doesn't get any better
(5)Chris B.
Great little restaurant that I'm not sure many people apart from the locals know about. Lots of classic italian dishes to choose from. The italian beef is good too. Portions are huge. They have a big wine list as well, but I havne't seen too many people drinking wine there. The atmosphere is pretty laid back, it doesn't feel like a fancy restaurant at all. It can get pretty busy on certain nights. You can call in and pick up orders too.
(5)Will S.
My wife and I had dinner again at Mangia Mangia a few nights ago. We were quickly seated, and were met with a friendly server. We ordered our water, and then the server came back quickly to take our dinner orders. My wife had Chicken Marsala (a favorite of both of us), and I ordered the full slab of ribs (which was a special this night). We had soup or salad offered with the meal, along with the included side dish of Mostaccioli with marinara sauce; it was delicious.. I took the salad, and my wife the cheese gnocchi soup. I ordered vinaigrette dressing on my salad. My wife only had a few spoonfuls of soup, and I had two or three bites of the salad. The dressing just didn't taste right, and she was not impressed with the soup. Our entrées arrived; my wife enjoyed the Chicken Marsala, but my ribs were very tough and somewhat gristly. When I did get the meat off the bone, the flavor was satisfactory, however, the "battle" I had getting the rib meat off the bone was pretty extensive. I never did complain to the server, so we just took our leftovers home and ate them later. I'm reducing my rating from five to three stars because we really didn't enjoy our meal. I felt that the ribs shouldn't have been so tough, and thought that the vinaigrette dressing should have just tasted better. I don't know what was wrong with my wife's cheese gnocchi soup, but she just didn't like or enjoy it at all. We will probably return here again, and I'm certain I'll order Chicken Marsala next time.
(3)Carm B.
They have decent lunch specials and prices. Pasta Fagioli was good and so was the Meat Lasagna. The wait staff is very nice and they give you a 10% discount if you pay Cash. It's by far not the best Italian food I've ever had but an alternative to all of the "fast food" restaurants in the area.
(3)Nichole M.
TOO MUCH GARLIC. I have been going to this restaurant for many years and try and come back every few months because it's one of my favorites in the suburbs. But my last two visits, I have noticed a bit of a problem...I couldn't taste anything but garlic. Now, I'm Italian and I love garlic with all of my heart, but there's a point when it's too much. There were HUGE chunks of garlic on the brushcetta, ok I guess that's fine, but why in the side of spinach? I don't get it. I still give this restaurant 4 stars though because I love the ambiance, the service is good and the food is usually outstanding. The Clam dishes are among my favorites. Ease up on the garlic, please.
(4)Dwaine H.
I've had their catering and thought it was pretty good si I decided to give the restaurant a try. It's a nice looking place inside, but, our appetizer was way overcooked. The soup, minestrone, was excellent. I had pasta with arrabbiato sauce. SALTY! I couldn't eat it. The prices are kind of high also. Won't be going back.
(2)Kathy G.
I'm surprised and disappointed by the bad reviews for this place since our experience was the complete opposite. I hope the great meal we had is the norm. We have been looking at this place for years and always wanted to stop. Finally did on a busy Saturday night and we loved it. I liked the casual atmosphere and the wait staff couldn't have been more attentive. I ordered the blackened salmon Florentine and my bf ordered Mussels. I asked if they would make my salmon less spicy and it came out perfect. It was such a huge portion that I took half of it home. I will agree with the abundance of garlic comments. I think next visit I'll just ask that they go easy on it. All in all, we loved it and have recommended to friends who gave it good reviews too.
(5)Amy T.
The food channel has shows about horrible places like this! Ripped seats, ripped plastic tableclothes, two sets of menus that overlap/comtradict, well meaning waiters that have no idea why the menus differ and have to ask management to sort things out. Dinner here is overpriced, uninspired and just plain bad. Specifically, my side salad was a wet pool of iceberg lettuce and a half a slice of mealy tomato. My side of blue cheese "ish" dressing dissolved into a runny mess of wet lettuce. My eggplant sandwhich was a slimy pool of mush on a toasted bunny bread hoagie roll. My friend had what had to be one of the more strange, cheap lettuce heavy, chicken salads that I have ever seen for $16.95.... We thought the wine (merlot at $24 a bottle) was corked but decided that it was just plain bad. That throat burn that keeps on giving... Even if you are ok with quantity, marginal food this place is a stretch.Save your cash and go to any number of other great Italian joints in the area.
(1)Crystal S.
This place will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart. 1st because I went to HS with the daughter of the owner. 2nd because my husband and I had our first date there, which was a blind date and incidentally a favorite spot for both of us BEFORE ever meeting each other. This place is cozy and tucked in a strip mall. Prices are good and portions are unbelievable! You will definitely have a full meal for lunch the next day. Very family friendly and good for big groups as well.
(4)Sergio P.
Just ate dinner here for 1st time. Great values. Oysters were super fresh blue points and only $12 doz...served on a bed of greens that could be a salad when done. The special wine list had Folie D. Zin for $10. Pizza was med crust ... Brown on bottom perfect with large chunks of sausage and fresh sliced mushrooms...as if mama made in it in your kitchen. Calamari were tender perfect. The Veal Francese was one of the best I ever had...pounded veal in the egg batter perfect. Had to find that prep in Italian restaurants these days. Nice decor as well. Fun meal.
(4)Maria S.
My husband and I went here for lunch. I've wanted to try it for years and was hoping that I would like it, but it was awful. The first thing I noticed as we walked in was that they were offering a 10% discount if you paid in cash. That's not a good sign. Restaurants that do that are usually hurting for the cash. The decor in the restaurant is overkill. Way too many places for dust and dirt to collect. Next we got our menus. We looked at the dinner and lunch menu because we wanted to order an appetizer. I had heard the servings were large so we decided to do the lunch portions of pasta. The prices on the dinner menu were ridiculous. I would rather have a decent portion of pasta and pay less than pay for a triple serving. There was also a lot of items on the menu which leads me to believe that they do not use fresh products. They list so many seafood options that there is no way they would go through all of that stock quickly enough, which means the fish is frozen and items are prepackaged. We ordered the calamari to start with. It had no taste and the sauce that came with it tasted like jarred cocktail sauce. I ordered the 1/2 fettuccine with meat sauce and a cup of the fajoli soup. My husband had a salad and 1/2 gnocchi with meat sauce. The soup was okay. I had to add some salt to it to make it better. The fettuccine was pretty bad. The noodles did taste like they were fresh, but the sauce tasted like it was from Chef Boyardee. This is no joke. Go there and try it and then eat a can of Chef Boyardee and you will see. My husband thought the same thing about his meal. Needless to say we had a couple of bites and that was it. We were so disappointed and our waiter didn't seem to care that we barely touched our meal. He obviously didn't care since he never once asked us how our meals were or whether we needed anything. It was just a bad experience overall. We will not be going back and I will not recommend this place to anyone. Anyone who does like this restaurant has obviously never had good authentic Italian food.
(1)Chris M.
First time here, I'll come back again. Veal Marsala was good. Lobster was bland. Great service.
(3)Bobby O.
I am not terribly impressed by this place. I get the feeling like the servers really are not restaurant people and they are kind of working there. Food is decent but I am in the know when it comes to Italian food and something is lacking. As a side note you do get 10% off if you pay with cash. Hmmm...
(3)Jen M.
My husband and I ate here unexpectedly, as we were leaving Marshall's. Everything was great, the decor, the service, and the food! We ordered off the lunch menu and the prices were ridiculously cheap. My husband got a huge slice of homemade sausage pizza for 4 bucks and I got half a meatball sub with the option of soup, salad, or fries for 6 bucks. We were stuffed, as the portions were plentiful and the food delicious. Our server was really nice, constantly refilling our water glasses and even put a rush on it as we were in a hurry. We tipped him over 20%. We will definitely return!
(4)Amanda C.
We went to this place for dinner late Saturday night after a day of shopping. I should have let the inner alarm guide me as I walked in and saw picnic table tablecloths and paper napkins folded over the silverware, with a stockpile of straws at every table. Sometimes a dive is a diamond in the rough though, so I like to keep an open mind. I started with the cream of broccoli soup and my boyfriend had the pasta fagioli. My soup tasted like it came out of a can and they added a few frozen broccoli stalks to it. I didn't taste my boyfriends, it looked dreadful and he stated it was mediocre (and he will eat anything.) For entree's I had the chicken Marsala and roasted potatoes and my boyfriend had the chicken parmigiana. Mine was disgusting. I;m not sure if my chicken was baked or boiled but it wasn't seasoned and was swimming in a pool of oil topped with mushrooms from a can. If there was any Marsala wine in there at all I couldn't taste it. My boyfriends dish was made with processed chicken, take it out of a bag in the freezer and pop it in the oven type. topped with canned marinara sauce and smothered in cheese. Completely disgusting, and I did taste it. Our potatoes were covered in dry Italian seasoning, I mean COVERED and swimming in some oily broth. So gross. I couldn't even eat them. The bread they serve with dinner was cold and boring. I asked the waiter if the bread was supposed to be cold and he said it was but he could heat it up for me. I'd rather eat cold bread than microwaved bread. Or waiter noticed our glasses were empty after about 10 minutes and brought over a pitcher of cola and left it at our table. I guess that makes it easier for him not to have to check up on us. The whole dinner all the staff was in the dining room moving tables and chairs around being loud. The decor on the wall is a hodgepodge mess with extension cords hanging from the ceiling to add that extra special feel. This is a complete disaster. If you want to eat this food, just buy a can of chef boyardee and save the extra money. We will never return. Our total ticket was 45 dollars. ROBBERY!
(1)Victoria h.
Holy Garlic! I've been here a total of 3 times and will probably come back a lot more. That said, boy oh boy are they heavy handed on their garlic. I usually order salads and their house dressing has actual chunks of garlic in it. I suggest they strain the dressing and then add the spices, but who's going to listen to me?! They have Fox News playing in the background which I find kind of strange and it's always super cold there. The servers are really nice and the you get your food pretty quickly. I've been there for dinner and lunch and have never seen it busy. Oh and if you pay in cash, they give you a small discount. That said, I think it's a bit overpriced for the quality of food (no, the food's not bad, it's very average) but the portions are huge. So, if you're shopping next door at TJ Maxx/Home Goods and need some fuel this is a great place but don't drive out of your way to come here.
(3)Claudia G.
I have always been a bit dubious about restaurants in strip malls...I should simply say my expectations are not so high. Between Retro Bistro in Mt. Prospect and Mangia Mangia in La Grange I have great cause to move away from these feelings moving forward. The food at Mangia Mangia is quite good. Our polenta appetizer to start was simply good. I wish they had done a bit more with the polenta itself (like put in sun-dried tomatoes or something) rather than rely on the cheese toppings and sauce to bring the flavor. Nevertheless, a good start. Then we ordered a pizza for the main course. Honestly, some of the best pizza I have had in my life and I have sampled a fair share of pizza between traveling the States and a few jumps over to Italy. The crust is perfect - not too thick or thin - with a very good flavor itself. My beau was taken by the sauce. We ordered mushrooms, green peppers and artichokes for toppings and all were fresh and chunky. I just had some leftovers for lunch and still delicious - hot or cold. They do tell you it takes 30-40 minutes to prepare and it took about that. They also have a nice wine list. I ordered a glass of Shiraz/Cabernet (Penfolds, Australia) and it was delish. The decor is really cute and the staff so welcoming, helpful and congenial. The benefit of the strip mall locale is parking is a cinch.
(4)Kirk W.
I really WANT to like Mangia Mangia - it's convenient, it's local, it's not a chain - all the things I like to support. So I keep going, trying to like it - finally after my 3rd attempt, I think I'll give up. The food is just not very good - I've yet to have a noodle cooked correctly. And the atmosphere is .... well, it's better since they moved. It's still pretty dark in there and stuffed between a TJ Maxx and and Payless Shoes. Not trying to hate on the place, but there are so many better Italian options available for your money.
(2)BB C.
I have been to this place twice. Although the second time i decided to give it another try. The bread was ok. The ambiance is nice and so is the music, gets you in the mood. But when it comes to the food. Blah...to salty or no flavor whatsoever. Never again, maybe thats why its located in a strip mall?
(1)R B.
The location is unimpressive in a strip mall but don't let that put you off. We went to Mangia Mangia using a $15 for $30 coupon on a Tuesday night. My wife and I had the broccoli soup and Veal Marsala and the braciole (sp?) soup and grouper over angel hair pasta. Both soups were flavorful, really homemade and served in huge bowls. Portions were also large for the entrees. The veal (4 thinly sliced pieces) was tender and made in a correct marsala sauce with lots of mushrooms. The grouper was also perfectly cooked flaky and over a broccoli and angel hair pasta nicely seasoned with fresh garlic, More than enough, and very tasty. Not much reason to go to Taylor street after eating here. The young man who waited on us was attentive without being overbearing. Pricing was a value. The veal dish for example came with excellent rosemary roasted potatos and your choice of soup or salad for $18.99 less a 10% cash discount!
(5)Jen M.
I used to frequent Mangia Mangia heavily back in 1997-2000 when I worked in the Chicago burbs. I was so excited to be back in the area so I could taste what I remembered to be great Italian food. I ordered my usual....a side of baked mostaccoli with extra sauce and a side of meatballs. I forgot how HUGE the portions are. Baked Mostaccoli was every bit as good as i remember it ( love the tomato-ey sauce and all that ooey gooey cheese). Now, the meatballs were a different story. Almost gray in color and overly beef flavor, clearly they are made in house but have been frozen and reheated. All in, my lunch cost $13. Sure, a little pricey considering the location. Volare charges similar prices and I think their food is way better. I agree with the other posters...what is up with the 10% discount if you pay cash? That is weird. And feels shady. It makes me sad because this place exudes so much charm and has always held a special place in my heart. Sniff sniff.
(3)Eric W.
Edit: This has become our go-to place when we're looking for good Italian food. Yeah, it's pricey but it's always good, the service is always good, parking is convenient, and the atmosphere is casual. Due to the price we can't go here as often as we'd like, but it's a good restaurant. *** The food here is very good, but the prices are very high, especially for a casual place like this. 3 of us ate here, eating 1 spaghetti, 1 lasagna, a side of sausage, and 1 chicken parmesan, all of which included soup and bread, and 3 sodas. The bill came to $63 with tax, before tip. A previous visit a couple years ago gave us similar sticker shock. The food is good, the portions are generous, and both times we ate here we enjoyed good table service. My main objection is the price. FWIW, their online menu does not reflect what we paid, as our dinner totalled up there was $49.95 before tax and tip, which would have been much more reasonable.
(4)Brent S.
Picked up lunch, had a chicken motz sammie and my wife had spaghetti with meatballs, the sammie was tasty but the spaghetti was just ok.
(3)J S.
I have been going to this place for a while and I love it. This restaurant is small, however it is not extremely busy where you will have to wait. The parking can suck mostly due to the surrounding stores such as T.J. Max taking up spaces. With that being said the food is very good. They offer free bread which is delicious when dipped in their oil and parmesan cheese. The food is good as well as the calimari. Their homemade house dressing on theirs salads is also awesome if you like garlic. My biggest compliment goes out to their catering services. We had a bunch of family over for my daughters baptism and decided to use Mantis Language for catering. We ordered baked pasta, sausage, and lemon chicken, plus salad. The cost was roughly $12 a person which was reasonable. They also threw in a bunch of bread. Sliced rolls for the sausage as well as oil and cheese to dip the bread in. Granted we live about 30-35 min away, the drive showed up early and the food was very hot. My family very much enjoyed and we still have plenty left over to last us the whole week. If you are looking for an enjoyable restaurant or need someone to cater quality Italian food you can't go wrong.
(5)Patrick C.
We've been going to Mangia Mangia since they were on Joliet Road next to the Dominick's. Not my favorite Italian place, but a steady performer. The reviews are a little mixed and I think that is accurate. I've had great experiences and not so great experiences here. They offer table service, but you have to ask when you're being seated. You can also order at the counter and the food will be brought to your table. Generally, the service is very good, but if the place is crowded and they are short-handed, the service can suffer. The portions are generally large enough that we bring something home. Excellent bread and they will keep it coming if you ask. Grated mozzarella and olive oil on the table. I've never had an issue with a credit card being accepted.
(3)Janet F.
Went last night and was very disappointed with the food. For the appetizer had the stuffed artichoke. No meat at all on the artichoke (9.00??? pricey, then immediately when appetizer came out they brought out soup and salads. So we stopped the appetizer to begin to eat our dinner. For the prices I would expect them to at least make sure that spacing during courses would be provided. Asked for lemon, never received, butter had to wait for and only 4 tables occupied. Ordered Chicken picante, they must be big on cornstarch because that definitely was the sauce, a lot of food, but doesn't help that you are paying 17.00 for a meal and you are getting a hot dog stand consistency. Side order of mostaccoli with meat sauce, sauce was burnt. Other guest had chicken marsala, wasn't impressed and salad so so, really don't even have a house salad??? Cream of Broccoli soup was cream of chicken soup with broccoli in it and obviously canned. So that was certainly nothing to write home about. Parmesan cheese on the table in shaker, cannot afford to provide freshly grated cheese for the guests especially at Maggiano's prices and even more expensive. I get that at least at Olive Garden. Dessert was very good such as cannoli and Tirimisu. Not worth going back. Will go to Maggiano's for cheaper prices, better service and food taste.
(1)Nick L.
Low quality food. Too expensive. Not worth the trip.
(1)Nancy K.
I love this place! Everything is so delicious plus it's really cute inside and the staff is very attentive! I highly recommend the eggplant parmesan, breaded ravioli appetizer and the chicken spezzatini. Although the prices may seem high it's well worth every penny since the portions are out of control! Added bonus, get 10% off bill if you pay using cash.
(5)Baron M.
When an establishment consistently delivers great food and service over a period of years, this is called a trend. My wife and I visited a couple of days ago and once again were completely satisfied. When I go to a restaurant, I usually order something I can't somewhat create at home and almost always order the pasta Carbonara at Mangia Mangia. The entree is served piping hot and a few minutes are needed to let it cool off before attacking. Creamy smooth sauce with tons of pancetta mixed in. Same can be said for the fettuccine Alfredo with blackened chicken. Yes, there is a ton of garlic in the house dressing and the bread is not served warm, and that makes this restaurant pretty authentic. The portion size is enough for two meals, so pricing is very fair for the quality you receive and the service is always top notch.
(4)Scott W.
They menu is very extensive at Mangia Mangia. I was really looking forward to trying this place for a wile. My friend and I were not eating meat at the time so we decided to go there since they had so many fish dishes. We were seated promptly on a Saturday night around 7 PM. It was not crowded at all. The menu is very large so it took us a long time to read it over but after about a half hour we still had not been greeted by a waitress. At last she came over and said "sorry hope you weren't waiting too long. I just spotted some people I haven't seen in a long time so I was chatting with them" We were ok with it because we were in no hurry but had it been any other day we would have been in a rush and this would not have worked for us. It is true that they do serve very large portions. When we go out to dinner we often order several things and try a little of each. I have been known to order two entrees and several appetizers to try several things that sound good. Here many things sounded good so we went for it. I ordered the Caesars salad and the minestrone soup. The pasta in the soup was homemade which made it very good. The appetizers were average and not really a stand out. We ordered the special that night which was the lake perch. We were both disappointed when it arrived. It was way over fried and hard. The taste was very strong as well. Very "fishy" like it was not fresh. We asked before we ordered if it was fresh and they assured us it was. Me and my friend both only took a few bites and left the rest. Thank God we had already tanked up on the appetizers, soup and salads otherwise we would have left hungry. I would try them again but I think I would try the pasta and pizza next time and steer clear of the fish. They insisted on wrapping up the fish for us to take home and we promptly threw it away at the nearest dumpster behind the neighboring T.J. Maxx. We didn't want to be rude but we weren't about to risk getting sick either.
(2)Cleofous S.
Bring extra cash, average dinner between $20-$25, as soon as I saw menu we left and went to the Flame, same price, and it,s no pasta joint.
(1)Mario C.
If this was the very first time you dined at an Italian restaurant, you may find the food to be acceptable. Eat at one other Italian restaurant, and you will know better. This restaurant is a quasi self serve, overpriced, over salted, over sauced mess. The bread was dry and hard as rock. Two chicken breasts hid comfortably under a mound of sauce and cheese so dense that 6 bites into my meal, I still could not find the chicken. While their sauce (gravy) was overly sweet and lacked any flavor, it was abundant. It you spun the table, our four meals were indistinguishable. You could not tell the chicken from the veal from the lasagna from the eggplant. A disaster covered in sauce. Some yelpers rave about the portion size, slow down! More does not mean better and what you get here you certainly pay for as it is very expensive. If this is your idea of quality, well priced Italian food, try Sbaros at your local mall, it's cheaper. Don't go here.
(1)krystal k.
Wow. This place is amazing! We found it by accident one day ((it's in a little strip mall)) and I'm so glad! It's very cozy inside, not too big, great for families. The food is excellent, we've never had a bad thing there. And the service is also great, they are very friendly and constantly keeping you satisfied!! I definitely suggest this place
(5)Janet B.
Small place that's a bit different. Initially order at the counter, they give you a number to place on your table and bring the food to you. The wait staff then checks in to see if more drinks or dessert are wanted. Ordering at the table is also available since they moved to the new location on Brainard. I love the sauce that comes on the Chicken Limone and Chicken Francese but they have a tendency to overcook the chicken on those. Chicken Vesuvio is very good and the roasted Vesuvio potatoes are wonderful. My husband loves the Spagetti with Fresh Mussels and white sauce. Most of the dinners come with a side of pasta topped with red sauce- which I never eat because I don't like the red sauce here. Tastes too much like tomato paste- not enough seasoning. Appetizers $4-10, Pasta $13-16, Chicken dishes $16, Fish $16-22. Pork& Veal $16-19, Steak $22. Sandwiches $5.50-7.50 For about the same prices, I prefer Marconi's in downtown La Grange.
(3)Chris M.
I wasn't too sure what to expect, but was instantly charmed by the atmosphere and decor of the restaurant. They have a very large menu and the portions are no different. Everything from the unique house dressing they use for salads all the way to the sauce they use for spaghetti has their own touch to it. If you are in the mood for Italian and in the area, definitely stop in.
(4)L. R.
I wish my experience was like those of other yelpers and I could give this place 4 stars. Unfortunately, it was not. We went during lunchtime on Saturday. The restaurant was empty, but I assume it had a lot of customers because it was so big. I suspect Friday and Saturday evenings are crowded there. We sat down and were brought a basket of bread along with our drinks. The bread was spongy, like it was just put into the microwave and heated and given to us. Both the garlic bread (orange and spongy) and the white bread were like that. I ordered the chopped salad. My dining partner ordered the tortellini. I thought the prices were a little high, but felt maybe the food was worth it. I was wrong. The chopped salad was so soggy, even the mushrooms were waterlogged. There was a small pool of water in the bottom of my dish. I did, however, like the creamy garlic/Italian dressing they served with it. It looked like plain mayo but it tasted really good. My dining partner bit into the tortellini and said, this is so mushy. I tasted a couple and she was right, overcooked. Some people like it this way. We are Italian, we like al dente. I sent the salad back it was so awful. I didn't want to try anything else because I had lost my appetite on the salad. The waitress did tell us it was their most popular salad and it probably was. It was probably fresher at rush hour. This seems like it sat a little too long for my taste. So they removed the salad. I had a glass of iced tea, my partner had water with lemon and the tortelllini. Our bill was over $18. Highway robbery for such mediocre food. We were informed when we sat down that the restaurant gives a 10% discount for cash-paying customers which is really a nice perk.
(2)Amanda B.
It's one of our favorite restaurants. Amazing italian food, old world style. Kick Olive Garden in the pants and go here. We do the catering (which everyone raves about).
(5)krystal k.
Wow. This place is amazing! We found it by accident one day ((it's in a little strip mall)) and I'm so glad! It's very cozy inside, not too big, great for families. The food is excellent, we've never had a bad thing there. And the service is also great, they are very friendly and constantly keeping you satisfied!! I definitely suggest this place
(5)Claudia G.
I have always been a bit dubious about restaurants in strip malls...I should simply say my expectations are not so high. Between Retro Bistro in Mt. Prospect and Mangia Mangia in La Grange I have great cause to move away from these feelings moving forward. The food at Mangia Mangia is quite good. Our polenta appetizer to start was simply good. I wish they had done a bit more with the polenta itself (like put in sun-dried tomatoes or something) rather than rely on the cheese toppings and sauce to bring the flavor. Nevertheless, a good start. Then we ordered a pizza for the main course. Honestly, some of the best pizza I have had in my life and I have sampled a fair share of pizza between traveling the States and a few jumps over to Italy. The crust is perfect - not too thick or thin - with a very good flavor itself. My beau was taken by the sauce. We ordered mushrooms, green peppers and artichokes for toppings and all were fresh and chunky. I just had some leftovers for lunch and still delicious - hot or cold. They do tell you it takes 30-40 minutes to prepare and it took about that. They also have a nice wine list. I ordered a glass of Shiraz/Cabernet (Penfolds, Australia) and it was delish. The decor is really cute and the staff so welcoming, helpful and congenial. The benefit of the strip mall locale is parking is a cinch.
(4)Kirk W.
I really WANT to like Mangia Mangia - it's convenient, it's local, it's not a chain - all the things I like to support. So I keep going, trying to like it - finally after my 3rd attempt, I think I'll give up. The food is just not very good - I've yet to have a noodle cooked correctly. And the atmosphere is .... well, it's better since they moved. It's still pretty dark in there and stuffed between a TJ Maxx and and Payless Shoes. Not trying to hate on the place, but there are so many better Italian options available for your money.
(2)BB C.
I have been to this place twice. Although the second time i decided to give it another try. The bread was ok. The ambiance is nice and so is the music, gets you in the mood. But when it comes to the food. Blah...to salty or no flavor whatsoever. Never again, maybe thats why its located in a strip mall?
(1)R B.
The location is unimpressive in a strip mall but don't let that put you off. We went to Mangia Mangia using a $15 for $30 coupon on a Tuesday night. My wife and I had the broccoli soup and Veal Marsala and the braciole (sp?) soup and grouper over angel hair pasta. Both soups were flavorful, really homemade and served in huge bowls. Portions were also large for the entrees. The veal (4 thinly sliced pieces) was tender and made in a correct marsala sauce with lots of mushrooms. The grouper was also perfectly cooked flaky and over a broccoli and angel hair pasta nicely seasoned with fresh garlic, More than enough, and very tasty. Not much reason to go to Taylor street after eating here. The young man who waited on us was attentive without being overbearing. Pricing was a value. The veal dish for example came with excellent rosemary roasted potatos and your choice of soup or salad for $18.99 less a 10% cash discount!
(5)Chris B.
Great little restaurant that I'm not sure many people apart from the locals know about. Lots of classic italian dishes to choose from. The italian beef is good too. Portions are huge. They have a big wine list as well, but I havne't seen too many people drinking wine there. The atmosphere is pretty laid back, it doesn't feel like a fancy restaurant at all. It can get pretty busy on certain nights. You can call in and pick up orders too.
(5)Tiara Lynn A.
A pretty dismal rating, perhaps, but everything disappointed from start to finish except our server, who was very nice and attentive while his friends (apparently other bored employees) shot us the occasional "are you done yet" glances, as we came near the end of the night. I'll grant you we were late arrivals, but the place was EMPTY and we felt like we were keeping everyone who was there. Not cool. If I've learned one thing from Gordon Ramsey, it's that places with massive menus rarely cook fresh food, so I was skeptical even before I noticed the insane prices for the pasta dishes. $15.00 for cheese ravioli? $19 for salmon? Ridiculous. I went for the $8 sandwich, which would've been a good value if my eggplant parm was tasty. It wasn't. There was no seasoning on the thick breading and I question its freshness. The sauce wasn't bad, but I wanted more flavor. It was too unwieldy to eat as a sandwich. My husband's french onion soup was tasty enough, but the house Italian dressing had massive chunks of raw garlic (as others have noted) and was pretty much just oil. The calamari... meh? It wasn't bad. Half was well-cooked, the other half was rubbery. It lacked seasoning. I'll own that I'm pretty picky about my Italian food, but delicious is delicious and this tasted like I just went to a friend's house for dinner... you know that friend. You eat a little before you head to her house because it's a crapshoot whether dinner will be edible... Yeah, that friend, and it was a bad night. Our server was awesome and earned the place a star, but we left wishing we'd just gone home and made some quick spaghetti.
(2)Jason M.
I agree with the other posters on the prices and excessive garlic. The food is just average. The service was pretty good, but it's a little confusing when you walk in if you're supposed to wait for a host to seat you or if you go up to the counter. I guess you can do either, which is a bit strange. We had gnocci and spinach fettucini, both with meat sauce. The spinach fettucini was pretty good, but the gnocci was bland and mushy. We both started with a salad with the house dressing and the garlic was overpowering. I like garlic but this was WAY too much. I was still tasting it the next day! The portions are pretty big and we both had enough to take home for another meal. We won't be rushing back, but if we're shopping nearby and hungry we'd stop in again and order something different.
(2)Maria S.
My husband and I went here for lunch. I've wanted to try it for years and was hoping that I would like it, but it was awful. The first thing I noticed as we walked in was that they were offering a 10% discount if you paid in cash. That's not a good sign. Restaurants that do that are usually hurting for the cash. The decor in the restaurant is overkill. Way too many places for dust and dirt to collect. Next we got our menus. We looked at the dinner and lunch menu because we wanted to order an appetizer. I had heard the servings were large so we decided to do the lunch portions of pasta. The prices on the dinner menu were ridiculous. I would rather have a decent portion of pasta and pay less than pay for a triple serving. There was also a lot of items on the menu which leads me to believe that they do not use fresh products. They list so many seafood options that there is no way they would go through all of that stock quickly enough, which means the fish is frozen and items are prepackaged. We ordered the calamari to start with. It had no taste and the sauce that came with it tasted like jarred cocktail sauce. I ordered the 1/2 fettuccine with meat sauce and a cup of the fajoli soup. My husband had a salad and 1/2 gnocchi with meat sauce. The soup was okay. I had to add some salt to it to make it better. The fettuccine was pretty bad. The noodles did taste like they were fresh, but the sauce tasted like it was from Chef Boyardee. This is no joke. Go there and try it and then eat a can of Chef Boyardee and you will see. My husband thought the same thing about his meal. Needless to say we had a couple of bites and that was it. We were so disappointed and our waiter didn't seem to care that we barely touched our meal. He obviously didn't care since he never once asked us how our meals were or whether we needed anything. It was just a bad experience overall. We will not be going back and I will not recommend this place to anyone. Anyone who does like this restaurant has obviously never had good authentic Italian food.
(1)Chris M.
First time here, I'll come back again. Veal Marsala was good. Lobster was bland. Great service.
(3)Bobby O.
I am not terribly impressed by this place. I get the feeling like the servers really are not restaurant people and they are kind of working there. Food is decent but I am in the know when it comes to Italian food and something is lacking. As a side note you do get 10% off if you pay with cash. Hmmm...
(3)Jen M.
My husband and I ate here unexpectedly, as we were leaving Marshall's. Everything was great, the decor, the service, and the food! We ordered off the lunch menu and the prices were ridiculously cheap. My husband got a huge slice of homemade sausage pizza for 4 bucks and I got half a meatball sub with the option of soup, salad, or fries for 6 bucks. We were stuffed, as the portions were plentiful and the food delicious. Our server was really nice, constantly refilling our water glasses and even put a rush on it as we were in a hurry. We tipped him over 20%. We will definitely return!
(4)Amanda C.
We went to this place for dinner late Saturday night after a day of shopping. I should have let the inner alarm guide me as I walked in and saw picnic table tablecloths and paper napkins folded over the silverware, with a stockpile of straws at every table. Sometimes a dive is a diamond in the rough though, so I like to keep an open mind. I started with the cream of broccoli soup and my boyfriend had the pasta fagioli. My soup tasted like it came out of a can and they added a few frozen broccoli stalks to it. I didn't taste my boyfriends, it looked dreadful and he stated it was mediocre (and he will eat anything.) For entree's I had the chicken Marsala and roasted potatoes and my boyfriend had the chicken parmigiana. Mine was disgusting. I;m not sure if my chicken was baked or boiled but it wasn't seasoned and was swimming in a pool of oil topped with mushrooms from a can. If there was any Marsala wine in there at all I couldn't taste it. My boyfriends dish was made with processed chicken, take it out of a bag in the freezer and pop it in the oven type. topped with canned marinara sauce and smothered in cheese. Completely disgusting, and I did taste it. Our potatoes were covered in dry Italian seasoning, I mean COVERED and swimming in some oily broth. So gross. I couldn't even eat them. The bread they serve with dinner was cold and boring. I asked the waiter if the bread was supposed to be cold and he said it was but he could heat it up for me. I'd rather eat cold bread than microwaved bread. Or waiter noticed our glasses were empty after about 10 minutes and brought over a pitcher of cola and left it at our table. I guess that makes it easier for him not to have to check up on us. The whole dinner all the staff was in the dining room moving tables and chairs around being loud. The decor on the wall is a hodgepodge mess with extension cords hanging from the ceiling to add that extra special feel. This is a complete disaster. If you want to eat this food, just buy a can of chef boyardee and save the extra money. We will never return. Our total ticket was 45 dollars. ROBBERY!
(1)Victoria h.
Holy Garlic! I've been here a total of 3 times and will probably come back a lot more. That said, boy oh boy are they heavy handed on their garlic. I usually order salads and their house dressing has actual chunks of garlic in it. I suggest they strain the dressing and then add the spices, but who's going to listen to me?! They have Fox News playing in the background which I find kind of strange and it's always super cold there. The servers are really nice and the you get your food pretty quickly. I've been there for dinner and lunch and have never seen it busy. Oh and if you pay in cash, they give you a small discount. That said, I think it's a bit overpriced for the quality of food (no, the food's not bad, it's very average) but the portions are huge. So, if you're shopping next door at TJ Maxx/Home Goods and need some fuel this is a great place but don't drive out of your way to come here.
(3)Jen M.
I used to frequent Mangia Mangia heavily back in 1997-2000 when I worked in the Chicago burbs. I was so excited to be back in the area so I could taste what I remembered to be great Italian food. I ordered my usual....a side of baked mostaccoli with extra sauce and a side of meatballs. I forgot how HUGE the portions are. Baked Mostaccoli was every bit as good as i remember it ( love the tomato-ey sauce and all that ooey gooey cheese). Now, the meatballs were a different story. Almost gray in color and overly beef flavor, clearly they are made in house but have been frozen and reheated. All in, my lunch cost $13. Sure, a little pricey considering the location. Volare charges similar prices and I think their food is way better. I agree with the other posters...what is up with the 10% discount if you pay cash? That is weird. And feels shady. It makes me sad because this place exudes so much charm and has always held a special place in my heart. Sniff sniff.
(3)Eric W.
Edit: This has become our go-to place when we're looking for good Italian food. Yeah, it's pricey but it's always good, the service is always good, parking is convenient, and the atmosphere is casual. Due to the price we can't go here as often as we'd like, but it's a good restaurant. *** The food here is very good, but the prices are very high, especially for a casual place like this. 3 of us ate here, eating 1 spaghetti, 1 lasagna, a side of sausage, and 1 chicken parmesan, all of which included soup and bread, and 3 sodas. The bill came to $63 with tax, before tip. A previous visit a couple years ago gave us similar sticker shock. The food is good, the portions are generous, and both times we ate here we enjoyed good table service. My main objection is the price. FWIW, their online menu does not reflect what we paid, as our dinner totalled up there was $49.95 before tax and tip, which would have been much more reasonable.
(4)Brent S.
Picked up lunch, had a chicken motz sammie and my wife had spaghetti with meatballs, the sammie was tasty but the spaghetti was just ok.
(3)Amy T.
The food channel has shows about horrible places like this! Ripped seats, ripped plastic tableclothes, two sets of menus that overlap/comtradict, well meaning waiters that have no idea why the menus differ and have to ask management to sort things out. Dinner here is overpriced, uninspired and just plain bad. Specifically, my side salad was a wet pool of iceberg lettuce and a half a slice of mealy tomato. My side of blue cheese "ish" dressing dissolved into a runny mess of wet lettuce. My eggplant sandwhich was a slimy pool of mush on a toasted bunny bread hoagie roll. My friend had what had to be one of the more strange, cheap lettuce heavy, chicken salads that I have ever seen for $16.95.... We thought the wine (merlot at $24 a bottle) was corked but decided that it was just plain bad. That throat burn that keeps on giving... Even if you are ok with quantity, marginal food this place is a stretch.Save your cash and go to any number of other great Italian joints in the area.
(1)Crystal S.
This place will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart. 1st because I went to HS with the daughter of the owner. 2nd because my husband and I had our first date there, which was a blind date and incidentally a favorite spot for both of us BEFORE ever meeting each other. This place is cozy and tucked in a strip mall. Prices are good and portions are unbelievable! You will definitely have a full meal for lunch the next day. Very family friendly and good for big groups as well.
(4)Sergio P.
Just ate dinner here for 1st time. Great values. Oysters were super fresh blue points and only $12 doz...served on a bed of greens that could be a salad when done. The special wine list had Folie D. Zin for $10. Pizza was med crust ... Brown on bottom perfect with large chunks of sausage and fresh sliced mushrooms...as if mama made in it in your kitchen. Calamari were tender perfect. The Veal Francese was one of the best I ever had...pounded veal in the egg batter perfect. Had to find that prep in Italian restaurants these days. Nice decor as well. Fun meal.
(4)Patrick C.
We've been going to Mangia Mangia since they were on Joliet Road next to the Dominick's. Not my favorite Italian place, but a steady performer. The reviews are a little mixed and I think that is accurate. I've had great experiences and not so great experiences here. They offer table service, but you have to ask when you're being seated. You can also order at the counter and the food will be brought to your table. Generally, the service is very good, but if the place is crowded and they are short-handed, the service can suffer. The portions are generally large enough that we bring something home. Excellent bread and they will keep it coming if you ask. Grated mozzarella and olive oil on the table. I've never had an issue with a credit card being accepted.
(3)J S.
I have been going to this place for a while and I love it. This restaurant is small, however it is not extremely busy where you will have to wait. The parking can suck mostly due to the surrounding stores such as T.J. Max taking up spaces. With that being said the food is very good. They offer free bread which is delicious when dipped in their oil and parmesan cheese. The food is good as well as the calimari. Their homemade house dressing on theirs salads is also awesome if you like garlic. My biggest compliment goes out to their catering services. We had a bunch of family over for my daughters baptism and decided to use Mantis Language for catering. We ordered baked pasta, sausage, and lemon chicken, plus salad. The cost was roughly $12 a person which was reasonable. They also threw in a bunch of bread. Sliced rolls for the sausage as well as oil and cheese to dip the bread in. Granted we live about 30-35 min away, the drive showed up early and the food was very hot. My family very much enjoyed and we still have plenty left over to last us the whole week. If you are looking for an enjoyable restaurant or need someone to cater quality Italian food you can't go wrong.
(5)Kathy G.
I'm surprised and disappointed by the bad reviews for this place since our experience was the complete opposite. I hope the great meal we had is the norm. We have been looking at this place for years and always wanted to stop. Finally did on a busy Saturday night and we loved it. I liked the casual atmosphere and the wait staff couldn't have been more attentive. I ordered the blackened salmon Florentine and my bf ordered Mussels. I asked if they would make my salmon less spicy and it came out perfect. It was such a huge portion that I took half of it home. I will agree with the abundance of garlic comments. I think next visit I'll just ask that they go easy on it. All in all, we loved it and have recommended to friends who gave it good reviews too.
(5)Janet F.
Went last night and was very disappointed with the food. For the appetizer had the stuffed artichoke. No meat at all on the artichoke (9.00??? pricey, then immediately when appetizer came out they brought out soup and salads. So we stopped the appetizer to begin to eat our dinner. For the prices I would expect them to at least make sure that spacing during courses would be provided. Asked for lemon, never received, butter had to wait for and only 4 tables occupied. Ordered Chicken picante, they must be big on cornstarch because that definitely was the sauce, a lot of food, but doesn't help that you are paying 17.00 for a meal and you are getting a hot dog stand consistency. Side order of mostaccoli with meat sauce, sauce was burnt. Other guest had chicken marsala, wasn't impressed and salad so so, really don't even have a house salad??? Cream of Broccoli soup was cream of chicken soup with broccoli in it and obviously canned. So that was certainly nothing to write home about. Parmesan cheese on the table in shaker, cannot afford to provide freshly grated cheese for the guests especially at Maggiano's prices and even more expensive. I get that at least at Olive Garden. Dessert was very good such as cannoli and Tirimisu. Not worth going back. Will go to Maggiano's for cheaper prices, better service and food taste.
(1)Nick L.
Low quality food. Too expensive. Not worth the trip.
(1)Nancy K.
I love this place! Everything is so delicious plus it's really cute inside and the staff is very attentive! I highly recommend the eggplant parmesan, breaded ravioli appetizer and the chicken spezzatini. Although the prices may seem high it's well worth every penny since the portions are out of control! Added bonus, get 10% off bill if you pay using cash.
(5)Baron M.
When an establishment consistently delivers great food and service over a period of years, this is called a trend. My wife and I visited a couple of days ago and once again were completely satisfied. When I go to a restaurant, I usually order something I can't somewhat create at home and almost always order the pasta Carbonara at Mangia Mangia. The entree is served piping hot and a few minutes are needed to let it cool off before attacking. Creamy smooth sauce with tons of pancetta mixed in. Same can be said for the fettuccine Alfredo with blackened chicken. Yes, there is a ton of garlic in the house dressing and the bread is not served warm, and that makes this restaurant pretty authentic. The portion size is enough for two meals, so pricing is very fair for the quality you receive and the service is always top notch.
(4)Scott W.
They menu is very extensive at Mangia Mangia. I was really looking forward to trying this place for a wile. My friend and I were not eating meat at the time so we decided to go there since they had so many fish dishes. We were seated promptly on a Saturday night around 7 PM. It was not crowded at all. The menu is very large so it took us a long time to read it over but after about a half hour we still had not been greeted by a waitress. At last she came over and said "sorry hope you weren't waiting too long. I just spotted some people I haven't seen in a long time so I was chatting with them" We were ok with it because we were in no hurry but had it been any other day we would have been in a rush and this would not have worked for us. It is true that they do serve very large portions. When we go out to dinner we often order several things and try a little of each. I have been known to order two entrees and several appetizers to try several things that sound good. Here many things sounded good so we went for it. I ordered the Caesars salad and the minestrone soup. The pasta in the soup was homemade which made it very good. The appetizers were average and not really a stand out. We ordered the special that night which was the lake perch. We were both disappointed when it arrived. It was way over fried and hard. The taste was very strong as well. Very "fishy" like it was not fresh. We asked before we ordered if it was fresh and they assured us it was. Me and my friend both only took a few bites and left the rest. Thank God we had already tanked up on the appetizers, soup and salads otherwise we would have left hungry. I would try them again but I think I would try the pasta and pizza next time and steer clear of the fish. They insisted on wrapping up the fish for us to take home and we promptly threw it away at the nearest dumpster behind the neighboring T.J. Maxx. We didn't want to be rude but we weren't about to risk getting sick either.
(2)Cleofous S.
Bring extra cash, average dinner between $20-$25, as soon as I saw menu we left and went to the Flame, same price, and it,s no pasta joint.
(1)Mario C.
If this was the very first time you dined at an Italian restaurant, you may find the food to be acceptable. Eat at one other Italian restaurant, and you will know better. This restaurant is a quasi self serve, overpriced, over salted, over sauced mess. The bread was dry and hard as rock. Two chicken breasts hid comfortably under a mound of sauce and cheese so dense that 6 bites into my meal, I still could not find the chicken. While their sauce (gravy) was overly sweet and lacked any flavor, it was abundant. It you spun the table, our four meals were indistinguishable. You could not tell the chicken from the veal from the lasagna from the eggplant. A disaster covered in sauce. Some yelpers rave about the portion size, slow down! More does not mean better and what you get here you certainly pay for as it is very expensive. If this is your idea of quality, well priced Italian food, try Sbaros at your local mall, it's cheaper. Don't go here.
(1)L. R.
I wish my experience was like those of other yelpers and I could give this place 4 stars. Unfortunately, it was not. We went during lunchtime on Saturday. The restaurant was empty, but I assume it had a lot of customers because it was so big. I suspect Friday and Saturday evenings are crowded there. We sat down and were brought a basket of bread along with our drinks. The bread was spongy, like it was just put into the microwave and heated and given to us. Both the garlic bread (orange and spongy) and the white bread were like that. I ordered the chopped salad. My dining partner ordered the tortellini. I thought the prices were a little high, but felt maybe the food was worth it. I was wrong. The chopped salad was so soggy, even the mushrooms were waterlogged. There was a small pool of water in the bottom of my dish. I did, however, like the creamy garlic/Italian dressing they served with it. It looked like plain mayo but it tasted really good. My dining partner bit into the tortellini and said, this is so mushy. I tasted a couple and she was right, overcooked. Some people like it this way. We are Italian, we like al dente. I sent the salad back it was so awful. I didn't want to try anything else because I had lost my appetite on the salad. The waitress did tell us it was their most popular salad and it probably was. It was probably fresher at rush hour. This seems like it sat a little too long for my taste. So they removed the salad. I had a glass of iced tea, my partner had water with lemon and the tortelllini. Our bill was over $18. Highway robbery for such mediocre food. We were informed when we sat down that the restaurant gives a 10% discount for cash-paying customers which is really a nice perk.
(2)Amanda B.
It's one of our favorite restaurants. Amazing italian food, old world style. Kick Olive Garden in the pants and go here. We do the catering (which everyone raves about).
(5)Janet B.
Small place that's a bit different. Initially order at the counter, they give you a number to place on your table and bring the food to you. The wait staff then checks in to see if more drinks or dessert are wanted. Ordering at the table is also available since they moved to the new location on Brainard. I love the sauce that comes on the Chicken Limone and Chicken Francese but they have a tendency to overcook the chicken on those. Chicken Vesuvio is very good and the roasted Vesuvio potatoes are wonderful. My husband loves the Spagetti with Fresh Mussels and white sauce. Most of the dinners come with a side of pasta topped with red sauce- which I never eat because I don't like the red sauce here. Tastes too much like tomato paste- not enough seasoning. Appetizers $4-10, Pasta $13-16, Chicken dishes $16, Fish $16-22. Pork& Veal $16-19, Steak $22. Sandwiches $5.50-7.50 For about the same prices, I prefer Marconi's in downtown La Grange.
(3)Chris M.
I wasn't too sure what to expect, but was instantly charmed by the atmosphere and decor of the restaurant. They have a very large menu and the portions are no different. Everything from the unique house dressing they use for salads all the way to the sauce they use for spaghetti has their own touch to it. If you are in the mood for Italian and in the area, definitely stop in.
(4)Will S.
My wife and I had dinner again at Mangia Mangia a few nights ago. We were quickly seated, and were met with a friendly server. We ordered our water, and then the server came back quickly to take our dinner orders. My wife had Chicken Marsala (a favorite of both of us), and I ordered the full slab of ribs (which was a special this night). We had soup or salad offered with the meal, along with the included side dish of Mostaccioli with marinara sauce; it was delicious.. I took the salad, and my wife the cheese gnocchi soup. I ordered vinaigrette dressing on my salad. My wife only had a few spoonfuls of soup, and I had two or three bites of the salad. The dressing just didn't taste right, and she was not impressed with the soup. Our entrées arrived; my wife enjoyed the Chicken Marsala, but my ribs were very tough and somewhat gristly. When I did get the meat off the bone, the flavor was satisfactory, however, the "battle" I had getting the rib meat off the bone was pretty extensive. I never did complain to the server, so we just took our leftovers home and ate them later. I'm reducing my rating from five to three stars because we really didn't enjoy our meal. I felt that the ribs shouldn't have been so tough, and thought that the vinaigrette dressing should have just tasted better. I don't know what was wrong with my wife's cheese gnocchi soup, but she just didn't like or enjoy it at all. We will probably return here again, and I'm certain I'll order Chicken Marsala next time.
(3)Carm B.
They have decent lunch specials and prices. Pasta Fagioli was good and so was the Meat Lasagna. The wait staff is very nice and they give you a 10% discount if you pay Cash. It's by far not the best Italian food I've ever had but an alternative to all of the "fast food" restaurants in the area.
(3)Nichole M.
TOO MUCH GARLIC. I have been going to this restaurant for many years and try and come back every few months because it's one of my favorites in the suburbs. But my last two visits, I have noticed a bit of a problem...I couldn't taste anything but garlic. Now, I'm Italian and I love garlic with all of my heart, but there's a point when it's too much. There were HUGE chunks of garlic on the brushcetta, ok I guess that's fine, but why in the side of spinach? I don't get it. I still give this restaurant 4 stars though because I love the ambiance, the service is good and the food is usually outstanding. The Clam dishes are among my favorites. Ease up on the garlic, please.
(4)Dwaine H.
I've had their catering and thought it was pretty good si I decided to give the restaurant a try. It's a nice looking place inside, but, our appetizer was way overcooked. The soup, minestrone, was excellent. I had pasta with arrabbiato sauce. SALTY! I couldn't eat it. The prices are kind of high also. Won't be going back.
(2)Lisa A.
WOW! - Mangia Maintains Greatness and Adds Awesome! Still the same great atmosphere! - Big enough for a family party, a business meeting, or a night out with friends; and small enough for a private dinner for two.- The New Additions to the Menu are pleasing to us meat-eaters out there - Check out their Awesome Ribs, Ribeye Steaks and their well presented Rich in flavor desserts! ! Their portions were so big my husband and I split usually a meal between us, unless of course its steak ;) (Huge Baked Potato) They also offer 10% off the bill to their cash paying customers. - Over All: Mangia Mangia is a great place to dine for almost any kind of event! Great Food, Great People, Can't wait to go back!! -Check out their website! mangiamangia-restaurant.…
(5)H H.
Let me begin by saying I dislike giving poor reviews (despite the fact that this will be my second poor review of a restaurant in Chicago), because there are people working here that are not responsible for the actual quality/taste of the food, despite the fact that they themselves did their jobs rather well. The atmosphere and decor was fitting for a warm cozy little Italian eatery, they were child friendly, and generally friendly waiters/waitresses. The limited drinks selection was also passable for such a small place, that being beer/wine only. They have two menus. You read that right. Two. Huge. Menus. Each weighing in at about 10lbs, they contained hundreds of selections, because apparently, this chef knows how to make every Italian themed dish EVER created in the history of the universe. On top of that, they have a "specials" menu, so that's three total menus just for "food". Yes, I realize I put the word food in quotes, I did that on purpose. While I found the appetizers passable (we had the calamari and the bruschetta), they weren't exceptional by any means, but they were, by far, the best part of the meal...aside from my Blue Moon Belgian Ale, that is. Which makes sense, since they didn't make the beer. I won't go far into detail on the main entrees, as the food is frozen/thawed, pre-packaged, reheated and microwaved swill. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even want my kid eating it...I was positive I'd wake up with food poisoning this morning. You'd be better off -- by far -- just going to *cough* Olive Garden.
(1)Erin Y.
Recently carried out the gnocchi with vodka sauce and was very impressed. The sauce wasn't spectacular, but I really enjoyed the gnocchi itself. It was soft yet chewy, just the way I like! Huge portion and huge gnocchis. One pasta entree is definitely enough to feed two people. We ordered meatballs on the side, and those were just okay. But I was pleased with the friendly and quick service for carry out. They give you tons of food to take home with you, including bread and soup/salad. The prices are a little on the steep side for what it is ($35 for two pasta entrees and meatballs) but the food is tasty and the portions are big so I won't complain too much. I know we will definitely be back when we need to carry out good Italian food.
(4)Greg W.
First time here waiter was lacking in service, glasses were empty almost all the time after we asked for drinks, were not offered. Food was pretty good traditional italian food great atmosphere. With a little training of the staff this place could be a great place to come regularly.
(3)Megan S.
I've never had a bad meal at Mangia Mangia. Whether we dine in or carry out, the food is always great. The gnocchi are the best I have ever had. Even now that I live 3 states away I still crave their food and make a point to eat there every time I'm in town
(5)John G.
Don't. Seriously, I wish we had gone to Olive Garden - not only is it cheaper, you get better food (not kidding here) and warm bread. New dining rule - if an italian joint brings you cold, stale white bread and a ramekin of butter to start your meal, you should just leave. We ordered the chicken francese and fettucini. The italian wedding soup consisted of cold greens thrown into canned chicken broth, and their house salad wasn't much better - drown lettuce in olive oil and whole garlic cloves at home to get some idea. Their chicken francese was horrendous - unpounded, overcooked, and tough chicken breasts tossed in entirely unseasoned egg batter over some canned, tasteless lemon sauce that had the consistency of gravy. The fettucini was better, though still subpar. The sauce seemed pretty Chef Boyardee-ish, for reference. Yes, the portions are huge, but good luck bringing yourself to eat the leftovers. That and a couple glasses of wine (the only part of the meal that wasn't screwed up) rounded out to ~$70 bucks. Do not, under any circumstances, dine here.
(1)Mike R.
Wow! How does this place stay open?? We have serious issues with Mangia Mangia. Its website clearly states Wednesday night is Pasta Night, offering most pasta dishes for $12.95. So we chose Mangia Mangia on the basis of that clearly indicated offer. Ha! You might think pasta-discount night might bring in a few more people, but I saw only two other hardy customers amid a sea of empty seating. Mangia Mangia also clearly advertised cash payment gets a 10% discount off the bill. Ha! When we were charged the full price for two pasta dishes that were advertised at being $12.95 each, I questioned the bill. Staff said its website is old, they do not honor what I clearly saw on their website. This escalated into an argument over advertising. At some point I suggested Mangia Mangia should pull down the web page so as not to confuse customers. "Connie" said, "We're not P. F. Chang's!" Huh? What does P.F. Chang's have to do with advertising on a restaurant website? When given the bill, I offer a gift certificate and cash for the advertised 10% discount. Ha! Oh, no. "Connie" tells me the cash 10% discount is only for ALL cash...So, let me get this straight. If you have a Mangia Mangia gift certificate, which Mangia Mangia has cashed and put in its bank months ago collecting interest, and then attempt to pay with cash and gift certificate, Mangia Mangia will not honor that and charge you full price. And worse, "Connie" will not only fail to honor advertised prices, she will call you names I would never imagine to be customer-oriented. I once had high regards for this operation but clearly the word is out. A frightening experience.
(1)Frank M.
Service was ok and the Frito Misto was excellent but that's about it. We got mostly bread ends in our basket that were too chewy to eat without looking like a rabid dog. We asked for a 2nd basket that never arrived. The kids pizza was the size of a small frozen pizza (9 pcs) and was way too much food for our 2 year old daughter. We wouldn't of ordered a kids pasta meal for our son had we known the pizza could've been shared. It wasn't browned, the crust was soggy and it was dangerously hot. My lasagna was buried in meat sauce and the pasta was thick and gooey as if it was over cooked. It tasted like I was eating Chef Boyardee. It too was super hot. My wife's Angel Hair Tomato Basil with Chicken was supposed to have sun dried tomatoes but it only contained canned tomatoes. The chicken had that fake moistness from the oil but almost turned to powder when chewed. My wife scorched her mouth because her dish was also unnaturally hot. I soon realized all of our entrées were probably microwaved! What a shame since we were celebrating Mother's Day early. I've been a lunch customer of Mangia-Mangia since they were at their original location and even though I've only had sandwiches with fries or the salads, I assumed the dinner would be just as good. It wasn't.
(1)Margaretsen H.
My husband and I tried this place twice. Didn't like the taste the first time. Second time was for someone's birthday dinner of their choice. I ordered grouper. The server giving out the dishes announced it as salmon. I said grouper, they said oh yeah grouper. as I start to eat I'm pretty sure it's salmon. Asked the main server and he said it was grouper. It tasted and looked like salmon, whatever it was not horrible. Yet our server overall was bored to help us and never smiled and rolled his eyes when we said we did not want dessert. I have better Italian.
(2)Matt A.
I gave it 2 stars based on what yelp states next to the stars when you select how many stars, 3 stars is "A-OK", and 2 stars is "meh. I've experienced better." 2 stars is right, meh, I've experienced better. The first time I was there, I had soup and salad, because it was semi-cheap, and I didn't want to spend $12 on lunch. It wasn't great, the soup tasted like it was canned broth, with tortellinis in it, completely unseasoned, and the salad was just a handful of iceberg with a single slice of plum tomato, and nothing else... VERY unimpressed. I went again today, because people I work with were going for lunch again. I ordered the saltimbocca sandwich, which is supposed to be grilled chicken with prosciutto on bread. The "grilled" chicken could not have been more colorless or flavorless, leading me to believe it was not grilled. There was literally one thin slice of prosciutto on top, which was a lot more like deli ham than prosciutto. The bread was buttered with some super oily-like butter, and was about 3 inches longer than the chicken breast inside it; and the whole thing was saturated in a butter sauce. Was it terrible? No, but it will keep me from going there again. I expected something I could eat with my hands... I will eat a dipped italian beef sandwich with my hands, but this was far too slippery and oily. Maybe some of their other dishes are better, I haven't tried their pasta, but pasta only gets so good, it's never amazing... I'm just not impressed... They have a huge menu, so if you arent too picky, maybe you would like this place, but for the $11 I spent for a sandwich, I had higher expectations...
(2)Patrycja K.
I ordered the special salad with fillet mignon, and it was absolutely delicious. The salad came with large pieces of avocado, roasted peppers and tomatoes. Their house salad was very unique-- it had real garlic and herbs that complimented the salad very well. The fillet mignon was very tender and juicy. I dropped in for a quick lunch and had a wonderful experience that made me want to rate this place. So simple yet so delicious -- hidden gem .
(5)AnDrew B.
The service is great the food even better. Best chicken parmigiana I have ever had. French onion soup is amazing tastes home made. Have to try the Angelo's calamari it's amazing
(5)Melissa B.
I've been coming here for years and Mangia Mangia never disappoints! All you can eat cod and eggplant parmesan are two of my favorites. Great service, great food, great atmosphere!
(5)Natalie D.
I couldn't understand why this place had such good reviews... I was here in December and ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell and a Caesar salad. It was so disappointing. First of all: oysters weren't served on ice which meant that the longer they sat there on the plate the worse they tasted. I couldn't finish them! Also, the Caesar came with some other kind of dressing! Or it was just the worst version of a Caesar I've ever had... Flash forward to January: I came here again with my family but this time we got calamari, pizza as an app, and I got the homemade gnocchi with ala vodka sauce. Calamari was very good and came with cocktail sauce which is how I like it. The pizza was shockingly amazing!! Like super efing good!my gnocchi was just fine... They were more like dumplings though. I like them small and they are supposed to be like little fluffy pillows -these were big, doughy and tough. Vodka sauce also needed salt, pepper, and lots of spicy pepper flakes. That all aside, it was a nice dinner. I got the side salad with italian dressing which comes with a bunch of roasted garlic... It was very good but here is the best way to eat it: get some one at the table to order the blue cheese dressing on their salad and go 50/50... It sounds nuts but it's soo good (chicago oven grinders has salad like this with the 2 dressings.) Service is great. Decor is fine. Food is solid.
(3)Pamalama B.
Great food, generous portions, good atmosphere, and the staff is polite. Chicken fettuccini alfredo with a side of marinara yummy!!
(4)Ronni H.
Hubby and I dined at this restaurant this past Wednesday. Place was pretty empty but that was ok. We both love Italian food and have dined here previously - love the menu and the deco. What we don't understand was why Mexican music was blarring from the speakers? Maybe every 5th song was an Italian selection - Really??? Kinda ruined the experience.
(3)Lisette M.
The food wasn't bad but I've eaten better pasta in other places. Nothing was seasoned very well but I guess you could say it was edible.
(2)Greg Z.
Damn super huge beef sandwiches. Service was fast. Neat place very Italian feel to it. Tucked away in a little plaza. Ordered the beef and sausage combo and could not finish it cause it was huge! Tasty fries
(4)Natalie V.
Impressed. They must have new owners because if I remember correctly, I did not enjoy this restaurant the last time I went. Menu is extensive, includes many great new items, and an impressive fish/lobster list. I came for lunch and it was great. Chopped salad was very refreshing. I can't wait to come back and try dinner.
(5)Linda N.
Good service. We were seated right away at about 7:30-8:00 on Friday evening. Pretty empty at that time. Tried the bruschetta (good), fried calamari (bland), shrimp scampi (good), baked mostacoli (good), chicken picante with side of potatoes (good), chicken parmesan over side of spaghetti (good), minestrone soup (really good).
(3)L S.
Stopping for a quick lunch or dinner great place. People are always friendly and great service. The soup has huge pieces of vegetables and and hot. Great discount when paying with cash. Great find in a strip mall. Something for all in the family.
(4)James H.
Went here for lunch and had the breaded steak sandwich. Wasn't the worst I've ever had but certainly not the best either. Everything was basically just passing. My steak sandwich was definitely thrown in the microwave because there were hot spots in the thing that aren't attainable when food is cooked fresh. I'm talking so hot that it burned the roof of my mouth, my lip, and my tongue and I had to wait awhile for it to cool off. I really hate when restaurants use a microwave. If I wanted microwaved food I'd stay at home. My advice to anyone running a restaurant that has a microwave in it would be to throw the thing in the alley. My wife had a salad which looked and tasted decent but it wasn't anything exceptional. The service was okay but the servers seemed like they weren't really used to being servers in a restaurant setting and seemed to treat it like any other entry level job. In other words, they did the bare minimum and had to be signaled for things like drink refills. Overall, not a place I feel the need to return to.
(2)Tiredofbadfood L.
Great portions, prices average. We were amazed that a strip mall restaurant actually has good food. You will not leave hungry There is one big drawback. They do not know how to make spaghetti sauce. The meat sauce was pink and tasted bland. C'mon! No true Italian makes sauce like that. Where are the beef neck bones, the oxtails and the ribs. Those types of meats must be well browned before you make sauce. If they used meat in their meat sauce it must have walked thru on stilts! There was no oregano, bay leaf or tomato paste in it either. What is this Irish spaghetti? If there was ground beef in it I couldn't tell. The chef needs more Sauce training. I notice there is a lot of complaining about too much garlic. That's because they are not off-setting it with other spices. The chicken Marsala was good, the all u can eat cod was great. Soup is out of a can; get the salad instead. I will say it is a whole lotta food for the money. They didn't charge me 15 bucks for 23 strings of pasta like some places. And I didn't get sick! No diarrhea! Yay! Restrooms were clean.
(3)Erich R.
The food was good and plenty of it. Nicer than you would think for being in a strip mall. Kid friendly and great lunch specials. Will definitely come back again.
(4)Critic L.
I love this place! We always order the baked clams, oyster rockafellers, casino oysters, and mussels! Very reasonable prices for great food
(5)Jim E.
We stopped into this little place in a strip mall without high expectations. When you walk in the door it is much bigger then it appears outside, and the decor is very nicely done. They had a huge menu and lots of specials. Everything we had was excellent and very large portions. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because my Eggplant Parm was only room temp, and the dinner salad was very plain with only 1 small tomato slice and lettuce. The pastas are all homemade and you can mix ingredients from one dish to another. This place was a very pleasant surprise and will become a regular for us. I would like to mention our server Nicki , she was very helpful, knowledgable, attentive and truly enthusiastic about the food.
(4)Julie A.
we eat here quite often. I am always please with the food. Its not fancy by any means, but tasty and great for the family. My hubby loves the fettuchinni with peas and I like the Chicken Franchese & grilled asparagus.
(4)Marissa D.
One of my favorite places. So cute and comfortable. The food is absolutely amazing! The baked clams are small but taste so good and flavorful! The dishes are super huge so it's always a good idea to spilt dinners. the parking lot is huge so that is never a problem. I honestly have nothing bad to say about every experience here.
(5)Dino D.
My wife & I enjoy this eatery very much, been going for years. One thing you need to remember here.... GO HUNGRY ! I kid you not one pasta dish is more than enough for 2 some dishes could make 3 people happy. A quick line to "Kevin S" ?? A samwich, Chick-parm samwich you remarked about $13 cost for a dinner.... i don't get it. Had you opted for the Chicken Parm with pasta plate you would have went home with enough for lunch tomorrow. Didn't you look around while you were sitting there at the staff bringing out other plates ???? Did you have blinders on? Didn't you see the size of all the dinners (lunches) what more could you ask for ?? Go back again Steve get the 6lb linguine with clams & shrimp order a glass of wine & enjoy. We will always go back.... it doesn't get any better
(5)Linda N.
Good service. We were seated right away at about 7:30-8:00 on Friday evening. Pretty empty at that time. Tried the bruschetta (good), fried calamari (bland), shrimp scampi (good), baked mostacoli (good), chicken picante with side of potatoes (good), chicken parmesan over side of spaghetti (good), minestrone soup (really good).
(3)L S.
Stopping for a quick lunch or dinner great place. People are always friendly and great service. The soup has huge pieces of vegetables and and hot. Great discount when paying with cash. Great find in a strip mall. Something for all in the family.
(4)Melissa B.
I've been coming here for years and Mangia Mangia never disappoints! All you can eat cod and eggplant parmesan are two of my favorites. Great service, great food, great atmosphere!
(5)Julie A.
we eat here quite often. I am always please with the food. Its not fancy by any means, but tasty and great for the family. My hubby loves the fettuchinni with peas and I like the Chicken Franchese & grilled asparagus.
(4)Marissa D.
One of my favorite places. So cute and comfortable. The food is absolutely amazing! The baked clams are small but taste so good and flavorful! The dishes are super huge so it's always a good idea to spilt dinners. the parking lot is huge so that is never a problem. I honestly have nothing bad to say about every experience here.
(5)Natalie D.
I couldn't understand why this place had such good reviews... I was here in December and ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell and a Caesar salad. It was so disappointing. First of all: oysters weren't served on ice which meant that the longer they sat there on the plate the worse they tasted. I couldn't finish them! Also, the Caesar came with some other kind of dressing! Or it was just the worst version of a Caesar I've ever had... Flash forward to January: I came here again with my family but this time we got calamari, pizza as an app, and I got the homemade gnocchi with ala vodka sauce. Calamari was very good and came with cocktail sauce which is how I like it. The pizza was shockingly amazing!! Like super efing good!my gnocchi was just fine... They were more like dumplings though. I like them small and they are supposed to be like little fluffy pillows -these were big, doughy and tough. Vodka sauce also needed salt, pepper, and lots of spicy pepper flakes. That all aside, it was a nice dinner. I got the side salad with italian dressing which comes with a bunch of roasted garlic... It was very good but here is the best way to eat it: get some one at the table to order the blue cheese dressing on their salad and go 50/50... It sounds nuts but it's soo good (chicago oven grinders has salad like this with the 2 dressings.) Service is great. Decor is fine. Food is solid.
(3)Margaretsen H.
My husband and I tried this place twice. Didn't like the taste the first time. Second time was for someone's birthday dinner of their choice. I ordered grouper. The server giving out the dishes announced it as salmon. I said grouper, they said oh yeah grouper. as I start to eat I'm pretty sure it's salmon. Asked the main server and he said it was grouper. It tasted and looked like salmon, whatever it was not horrible. Yet our server overall was bored to help us and never smiled and rolled his eyes when we said we did not want dessert. I have better Italian.
(2)Matt A.
I gave it 2 stars based on what yelp states next to the stars when you select how many stars, 3 stars is "A-OK", and 2 stars is "meh. I've experienced better." 2 stars is right, meh, I've experienced better. The first time I was there, I had soup and salad, because it was semi-cheap, and I didn't want to spend $12 on lunch. It wasn't great, the soup tasted like it was canned broth, with tortellinis in it, completely unseasoned, and the salad was just a handful of iceberg with a single slice of plum tomato, and nothing else... VERY unimpressed. I went again today, because people I work with were going for lunch again. I ordered the saltimbocca sandwich, which is supposed to be grilled chicken with prosciutto on bread. The "grilled" chicken could not have been more colorless or flavorless, leading me to believe it was not grilled. There was literally one thin slice of prosciutto on top, which was a lot more like deli ham than prosciutto. The bread was buttered with some super oily-like butter, and was about 3 inches longer than the chicken breast inside it; and the whole thing was saturated in a butter sauce. Was it terrible? No, but it will keep me from going there again. I expected something I could eat with my hands... I will eat a dipped italian beef sandwich with my hands, but this was far too slippery and oily. Maybe some of their other dishes are better, I haven't tried their pasta, but pasta only gets so good, it's never amazing... I'm just not impressed... They have a huge menu, so if you arent too picky, maybe you would like this place, but for the $11 I spent for a sandwich, I had higher expectations...
(2)Pamalama B.
Great food, generous portions, good atmosphere, and the staff is polite. Chicken fettuccini alfredo with a side of marinara yummy!!
(4)Patrycja K.
I ordered the special salad with fillet mignon, and it was absolutely delicious. The salad came with large pieces of avocado, roasted peppers and tomatoes. Their house salad was very unique-- it had real garlic and herbs that complimented the salad very well. The fillet mignon was very tender and juicy. I dropped in for a quick lunch and had a wonderful experience that made me want to rate this place. So simple yet so delicious -- hidden gem .
(5)AnDrew B.
The service is great the food even better. Best chicken parmigiana I have ever had. French onion soup is amazing tastes home made. Have to try the Angelo's calamari it's amazing
(5)Lisette M.
The food wasn't bad but I've eaten better pasta in other places. Nothing was seasoned very well but I guess you could say it was edible.
(2)Greg Z.
Damn super huge beef sandwiches. Service was fast. Neat place very Italian feel to it. Tucked away in a little plaza. Ordered the beef and sausage combo and could not finish it cause it was huge! Tasty fries
(4)Natalie V.
Impressed. They must have new owners because if I remember correctly, I did not enjoy this restaurant the last time I went. Menu is extensive, includes many great new items, and an impressive fish/lobster list. I came for lunch and it was great. Chopped salad was very refreshing. I can't wait to come back and try dinner.
(5)James H.
Went here for lunch and had the breaded steak sandwich. Wasn't the worst I've ever had but certainly not the best either. Everything was basically just passing. My steak sandwich was definitely thrown in the microwave because there were hot spots in the thing that aren't attainable when food is cooked fresh. I'm talking so hot that it burned the roof of my mouth, my lip, and my tongue and I had to wait awhile for it to cool off. I really hate when restaurants use a microwave. If I wanted microwaved food I'd stay at home. My advice to anyone running a restaurant that has a microwave in it would be to throw the thing in the alley. My wife had a salad which looked and tasted decent but it wasn't anything exceptional. The service was okay but the servers seemed like they weren't really used to being servers in a restaurant setting and seemed to treat it like any other entry level job. In other words, they did the bare minimum and had to be signaled for things like drink refills. Overall, not a place I feel the need to return to.
(2)Tiredofbadfood L.
Great portions, prices average. We were amazed that a strip mall restaurant actually has good food. You will not leave hungry There is one big drawback. They do not know how to make spaghetti sauce. The meat sauce was pink and tasted bland. C'mon! No true Italian makes sauce like that. Where are the beef neck bones, the oxtails and the ribs. Those types of meats must be well browned before you make sauce. If they used meat in their meat sauce it must have walked thru on stilts! There was no oregano, bay leaf or tomato paste in it either. What is this Irish spaghetti? If there was ground beef in it I couldn't tell. The chef needs more Sauce training. I notice there is a lot of complaining about too much garlic. That's because they are not off-setting it with other spices. The chicken Marsala was good, the all u can eat cod was great. Soup is out of a can; get the salad instead. I will say it is a whole lotta food for the money. They didn't charge me 15 bucks for 23 strings of pasta like some places. And I didn't get sick! No diarrhea! Yay! Restrooms were clean.
(3)Erich R.
The food was good and plenty of it. Nicer than you would think for being in a strip mall. Kid friendly and great lunch specials. Will definitely come back again.
(4)Critic L.
I love this place! We always order the baked clams, oyster rockafellers, casino oysters, and mussels! Very reasonable prices for great food
(5)Jim E.
We stopped into this little place in a strip mall without high expectations. When you walk in the door it is much bigger then it appears outside, and the decor is very nicely done. They had a huge menu and lots of specials. Everything we had was excellent and very large portions. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because my Eggplant Parm was only room temp, and the dinner salad was very plain with only 1 small tomato slice and lettuce. The pastas are all homemade and you can mix ingredients from one dish to another. This place was a very pleasant surprise and will become a regular for us. I would like to mention our server Nicki , she was very helpful, knowledgable, attentive and truly enthusiastic about the food.
(4)Erin Y.
Recently carried out the gnocchi with vodka sauce and was very impressed. The sauce wasn't spectacular, but I really enjoyed the gnocchi itself. It was soft yet chewy, just the way I like! Huge portion and huge gnocchis. One pasta entree is definitely enough to feed two people. We ordered meatballs on the side, and those were just okay. But I was pleased with the friendly and quick service for carry out. They give you tons of food to take home with you, including bread and soup/salad. The prices are a little on the steep side for what it is ($35 for two pasta entrees and meatballs) but the food is tasty and the portions are big so I won't complain too much. I know we will definitely be back when we need to carry out good Italian food.
(4)Greg W.
First time here waiter was lacking in service, glasses were empty almost all the time after we asked for drinks, were not offered. Food was pretty good traditional italian food great atmosphere. With a little training of the staff this place could be a great place to come regularly.
(3)Megan S.
I've never had a bad meal at Mangia Mangia. Whether we dine in or carry out, the food is always great. The gnocchi are the best I have ever had. Even now that I live 3 states away I still crave their food and make a point to eat there every time I'm in town
(5)John G.
Don't. Seriously, I wish we had gone to Olive Garden - not only is it cheaper, you get better food (not kidding here) and warm bread. New dining rule - if an italian joint brings you cold, stale white bread and a ramekin of butter to start your meal, you should just leave. We ordered the chicken francese and fettucini. The italian wedding soup consisted of cold greens thrown into canned chicken broth, and their house salad wasn't much better - drown lettuce in olive oil and whole garlic cloves at home to get some idea. Their chicken francese was horrendous - unpounded, overcooked, and tough chicken breasts tossed in entirely unseasoned egg batter over some canned, tasteless lemon sauce that had the consistency of gravy. The fettucini was better, though still subpar. The sauce seemed pretty Chef Boyardee-ish, for reference. Yes, the portions are huge, but good luck bringing yourself to eat the leftovers. That and a couple glasses of wine (the only part of the meal that wasn't screwed up) rounded out to ~$70 bucks. Do not, under any circumstances, dine here.
(1)Mike R.
Wow! How does this place stay open?? We have serious issues with Mangia Mangia. Its website clearly states Wednesday night is Pasta Night, offering most pasta dishes for $12.95. So we chose Mangia Mangia on the basis of that clearly indicated offer. Ha! You might think pasta-discount night might bring in a few more people, but I saw only two other hardy customers amid a sea of empty seating. Mangia Mangia also clearly advertised cash payment gets a 10% discount off the bill. Ha! When we were charged the full price for two pasta dishes that were advertised at being $12.95 each, I questioned the bill. Staff said its website is old, they do not honor what I clearly saw on their website. This escalated into an argument over advertising. At some point I suggested Mangia Mangia should pull down the web page so as not to confuse customers. "Connie" said, "We're not P. F. Chang's!" Huh? What does P.F. Chang's have to do with advertising on a restaurant website? When given the bill, I offer a gift certificate and cash for the advertised 10% discount. Ha! Oh, no. "Connie" tells me the cash 10% discount is only for ALL cash...So, let me get this straight. If you have a Mangia Mangia gift certificate, which Mangia Mangia has cashed and put in its bank months ago collecting interest, and then attempt to pay with cash and gift certificate, Mangia Mangia will not honor that and charge you full price. And worse, "Connie" will not only fail to honor advertised prices, she will call you names I would never imagine to be customer-oriented. I once had high regards for this operation but clearly the word is out. A frightening experience.
(1)Chris B.
Great little restaurant that I'm not sure many people apart from the locals know about. Lots of classic italian dishes to choose from. The italian beef is good too. Portions are huge. They have a big wine list as well, but I havne't seen too many people drinking wine there. The atmosphere is pretty laid back, it doesn't feel like a fancy restaurant at all. It can get pretty busy on certain nights. You can call in and pick up orders too.
(5)Frank M.
Service was ok and the Frito Misto was excellent but that's about it. We got mostly bread ends in our basket that were too chewy to eat without looking like a rabid dog. We asked for a 2nd basket that never arrived. The kids pizza was the size of a small frozen pizza (9 pcs) and was way too much food for our 2 year old daughter. We wouldn't of ordered a kids pasta meal for our son had we known the pizza could've been shared. It wasn't browned, the crust was soggy and it was dangerously hot. My lasagna was buried in meat sauce and the pasta was thick and gooey as if it was over cooked. It tasted like I was eating Chef Boyardee. It too was super hot. My wife's Angel Hair Tomato Basil with Chicken was supposed to have sun dried tomatoes but it only contained canned tomatoes. The chicken had that fake moistness from the oil but almost turned to powder when chewed. My wife scorched her mouth because her dish was also unnaturally hot. I soon realized all of our entrées were probably microwaved! What a shame since we were celebrating Mother's Day early. I've been a lunch customer of Mangia-Mangia since they were at their original location and even though I've only had sandwiches with fries or the salads, I assumed the dinner would be just as good. It wasn't.
(1)Ronni H.
Hubby and I dined at this restaurant this past Wednesday. Place was pretty empty but that was ok. We both love Italian food and have dined here previously - love the menu and the deco. What we don't understand was why Mexican music was blarring from the speakers? Maybe every 5th song was an Italian selection - Really??? Kinda ruined the experience.
(3)Dino D.
My wife & I enjoy this eatery very much, been going for years. One thing you need to remember here.... GO HUNGRY ! I kid you not one pasta dish is more than enough for 2 some dishes could make 3 people happy. A quick line to "Kevin S" ?? A samwich, Chick-parm samwich you remarked about $13 cost for a dinner.... i don't get it. Had you opted for the Chicken Parm with pasta plate you would have went home with enough for lunch tomorrow. Didn't you look around while you were sitting there at the staff bringing out other plates ???? Did you have blinders on? Didn't you see the size of all the dinners (lunches) what more could you ask for ?? Go back again Steve get the 6lb linguine with clams & shrimp order a glass of wine & enjoy. We will always go back.... it doesn't get any better
(5)Will S.
My wife and I had dinner again at Mangia Mangia a few nights ago. We were quickly seated, and were met with a friendly server. We ordered our water, and then the server came back quickly to take our dinner orders. My wife had Chicken Marsala (a favorite of both of us), and I ordered the full slab of ribs (which was a special this night). We had soup or salad offered with the meal, along with the included side dish of Mostaccioli with marinara sauce; it was delicious.. I took the salad, and my wife the cheese gnocchi soup. I ordered vinaigrette dressing on my salad. My wife only had a few spoonfuls of soup, and I had two or three bites of the salad. The dressing just didn't taste right, and she was not impressed with the soup. Our entrées arrived; my wife enjoyed the Chicken Marsala, but my ribs were very tough and somewhat gristly. When I did get the meat off the bone, the flavor was satisfactory, however, the "battle" I had getting the rib meat off the bone was pretty extensive. I never did complain to the server, so we just took our leftovers home and ate them later. I'm reducing my rating from five to three stars because we really didn't enjoy our meal. I felt that the ribs shouldn't have been so tough, and thought that the vinaigrette dressing should have just tasted better. I don't know what was wrong with my wife's cheese gnocchi soup, but she just didn't like or enjoy it at all. We will probably return here again, and I'm certain I'll order Chicken Marsala next time.
(3)Carm B.
They have decent lunch specials and prices. Pasta Fagioli was good and so was the Meat Lasagna. The wait staff is very nice and they give you a 10% discount if you pay Cash. It's by far not the best Italian food I've ever had but an alternative to all of the "fast food" restaurants in the area.
(3)Nichole M.
TOO MUCH GARLIC. I have been going to this restaurant for many years and try and come back every few months because it's one of my favorites in the suburbs. But my last two visits, I have noticed a bit of a problem...I couldn't taste anything but garlic. Now, I'm Italian and I love garlic with all of my heart, but there's a point when it's too much. There were HUGE chunks of garlic on the brushcetta, ok I guess that's fine, but why in the side of spinach? I don't get it. I still give this restaurant 4 stars though because I love the ambiance, the service is good and the food is usually outstanding. The Clam dishes are among my favorites. Ease up on the garlic, please.
(4)Dwaine H.
I've had their catering and thought it was pretty good si I decided to give the restaurant a try. It's a nice looking place inside, but, our appetizer was way overcooked. The soup, minestrone, was excellent. I had pasta with arrabbiato sauce. SALTY! I couldn't eat it. The prices are kind of high also. Won't be going back.
(2)Lisa A.
WOW! - Mangia Maintains Greatness and Adds Awesome! Still the same great atmosphere! - Big enough for a family party, a business meeting, or a night out with friends; and small enough for a private dinner for two.- The New Additions to the Menu are pleasing to us meat-eaters out there - Check out their Awesome Ribs, Ribeye Steaks and their well presented Rich in flavor desserts! ! Their portions were so big my husband and I split usually a meal between us, unless of course its steak ;) (Huge Baked Potato) They also offer 10% off the bill to their cash paying customers. - Over All: Mangia Mangia is a great place to dine for almost any kind of event! Great Food, Great People, Can't wait to go back!! -Check out their website! mangiamangia-restaurant.…
(5)H H.
Let me begin by saying I dislike giving poor reviews (despite the fact that this will be my second poor review of a restaurant in Chicago), because there are people working here that are not responsible for the actual quality/taste of the food, despite the fact that they themselves did their jobs rather well. The atmosphere and decor was fitting for a warm cozy little Italian eatery, they were child friendly, and generally friendly waiters/waitresses. The limited drinks selection was also passable for such a small place, that being beer/wine only. They have two menus. You read that right. Two. Huge. Menus. Each weighing in at about 10lbs, they contained hundreds of selections, because apparently, this chef knows how to make every Italian themed dish EVER created in the history of the universe. On top of that, they have a "specials" menu, so that's three total menus just for "food". Yes, I realize I put the word food in quotes, I did that on purpose. While I found the appetizers passable (we had the calamari and the bruschetta), they weren't exceptional by any means, but they were, by far, the best part of the meal...aside from my Blue Moon Belgian Ale, that is. Which makes sense, since they didn't make the beer. I won't go far into detail on the main entrees, as the food is frozen/thawed, pre-packaged, reheated and microwaved swill. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even want my kid eating it...I was positive I'd wake up with food poisoning this morning. You'd be better off -- by far -- just going to *cough* Olive Garden.
(1)Tiara Lynn A.
A pretty dismal rating, perhaps, but everything disappointed from start to finish except our server, who was very nice and attentive while his friends (apparently other bored employees) shot us the occasional "are you done yet" glances, as we came near the end of the night. I'll grant you we were late arrivals, but the place was EMPTY and we felt like we were keeping everyone who was there. Not cool. If I've learned one thing from Gordon Ramsey, it's that places with massive menus rarely cook fresh food, so I was skeptical even before I noticed the insane prices for the pasta dishes. $15.00 for cheese ravioli? $19 for salmon? Ridiculous. I went for the $8 sandwich, which would've been a good value if my eggplant parm was tasty. It wasn't. There was no seasoning on the thick breading and I question its freshness. The sauce wasn't bad, but I wanted more flavor. It was too unwieldy to eat as a sandwich. My husband's french onion soup was tasty enough, but the house Italian dressing had massive chunks of raw garlic (as others have noted) and was pretty much just oil. The calamari... meh? It wasn't bad. Half was well-cooked, the other half was rubbery. It lacked seasoning. I'll own that I'm pretty picky about my Italian food, but delicious is delicious and this tasted like I just went to a friend's house for dinner... you know that friend. You eat a little before you head to her house because it's a crapshoot whether dinner will be edible... Yeah, that friend, and it was a bad night. Our server was awesome and earned the place a star, but we left wishing we'd just gone home and made some quick spaghetti.
(2)Jason M.
I agree with the other posters on the prices and excessive garlic. The food is just average. The service was pretty good, but it's a little confusing when you walk in if you're supposed to wait for a host to seat you or if you go up to the counter. I guess you can do either, which is a bit strange. We had gnocci and spinach fettucini, both with meat sauce. The spinach fettucini was pretty good, but the gnocci was bland and mushy. We both started with a salad with the house dressing and the garlic was overpowering. I like garlic but this was WAY too much. I was still tasting it the next day! The portions are pretty big and we both had enough to take home for another meal. We won't be rushing back, but if we're shopping nearby and hungry we'd stop in again and order something different.
(2)Maria S.
My husband and I went here for lunch. I've wanted to try it for years and was hoping that I would like it, but it was awful. The first thing I noticed as we walked in was that they were offering a 10% discount if you paid in cash. That's not a good sign. Restaurants that do that are usually hurting for the cash. The decor in the restaurant is overkill. Way too many places for dust and dirt to collect. Next we got our menus. We looked at the dinner and lunch menu because we wanted to order an appetizer. I had heard the servings were large so we decided to do the lunch portions of pasta. The prices on the dinner menu were ridiculous. I would rather have a decent portion of pasta and pay less than pay for a triple serving. There was also a lot of items on the menu which leads me to believe that they do not use fresh products. They list so many seafood options that there is no way they would go through all of that stock quickly enough, which means the fish is frozen and items are prepackaged. We ordered the calamari to start with. It had no taste and the sauce that came with it tasted like jarred cocktail sauce. I ordered the 1/2 fettuccine with meat sauce and a cup of the fajoli soup. My husband had a salad and 1/2 gnocchi with meat sauce. The soup was okay. I had to add some salt to it to make it better. The fettuccine was pretty bad. The noodles did taste like they were fresh, but the sauce tasted like it was from Chef Boyardee. This is no joke. Go there and try it and then eat a can of Chef Boyardee and you will see. My husband thought the same thing about his meal. Needless to say we had a couple of bites and that was it. We were so disappointed and our waiter didn't seem to care that we barely touched our meal. He obviously didn't care since he never once asked us how our meals were or whether we needed anything. It was just a bad experience overall. We will not be going back and I will not recommend this place to anyone. Anyone who does like this restaurant has obviously never had good authentic Italian food.
(1)Chris M.
First time here, I'll come back again. Veal Marsala was good. Lobster was bland. Great service.
(3)Bobby O.
I am not terribly impressed by this place. I get the feeling like the servers really are not restaurant people and they are kind of working there. Food is decent but I am in the know when it comes to Italian food and something is lacking. As a side note you do get 10% off if you pay with cash. Hmmm...
(3)Jen M.
My husband and I ate here unexpectedly, as we were leaving Marshall's. Everything was great, the decor, the service, and the food! We ordered off the lunch menu and the prices were ridiculously cheap. My husband got a huge slice of homemade sausage pizza for 4 bucks and I got half a meatball sub with the option of soup, salad, or fries for 6 bucks. We were stuffed, as the portions were plentiful and the food delicious. Our server was really nice, constantly refilling our water glasses and even put a rush on it as we were in a hurry. We tipped him over 20%. We will definitely return!
(4)Amanda C.
We went to this place for dinner late Saturday night after a day of shopping. I should have let the inner alarm guide me as I walked in and saw picnic table tablecloths and paper napkins folded over the silverware, with a stockpile of straws at every table. Sometimes a dive is a diamond in the rough though, so I like to keep an open mind. I started with the cream of broccoli soup and my boyfriend had the pasta fagioli. My soup tasted like it came out of a can and they added a few frozen broccoli stalks to it. I didn't taste my boyfriends, it looked dreadful and he stated it was mediocre (and he will eat anything.) For entree's I had the chicken Marsala and roasted potatoes and my boyfriend had the chicken parmigiana. Mine was disgusting. I;m not sure if my chicken was baked or boiled but it wasn't seasoned and was swimming in a pool of oil topped with mushrooms from a can. If there was any Marsala wine in there at all I couldn't taste it. My boyfriends dish was made with processed chicken, take it out of a bag in the freezer and pop it in the oven type. topped with canned marinara sauce and smothered in cheese. Completely disgusting, and I did taste it. Our potatoes were covered in dry Italian seasoning, I mean COVERED and swimming in some oily broth. So gross. I couldn't even eat them. The bread they serve with dinner was cold and boring. I asked the waiter if the bread was supposed to be cold and he said it was but he could heat it up for me. I'd rather eat cold bread than microwaved bread. Or waiter noticed our glasses were empty after about 10 minutes and brought over a pitcher of cola and left it at our table. I guess that makes it easier for him not to have to check up on us. The whole dinner all the staff was in the dining room moving tables and chairs around being loud. The decor on the wall is a hodgepodge mess with extension cords hanging from the ceiling to add that extra special feel. This is a complete disaster. If you want to eat this food, just buy a can of chef boyardee and save the extra money. We will never return. Our total ticket was 45 dollars. ROBBERY!
(1)Victoria h.
Holy Garlic! I've been here a total of 3 times and will probably come back a lot more. That said, boy oh boy are they heavy handed on their garlic. I usually order salads and their house dressing has actual chunks of garlic in it. I suggest they strain the dressing and then add the spices, but who's going to listen to me?! They have Fox News playing in the background which I find kind of strange and it's always super cold there. The servers are really nice and the you get your food pretty quickly. I've been there for dinner and lunch and have never seen it busy. Oh and if you pay in cash, they give you a small discount. That said, I think it's a bit overpriced for the quality of food (no, the food's not bad, it's very average) but the portions are huge. So, if you're shopping next door at TJ Maxx/Home Goods and need some fuel this is a great place but don't drive out of your way to come here.
(3)Claudia G.
I have always been a bit dubious about restaurants in strip malls...I should simply say my expectations are not so high. Between Retro Bistro in Mt. Prospect and Mangia Mangia in La Grange I have great cause to move away from these feelings moving forward. The food at Mangia Mangia is quite good. Our polenta appetizer to start was simply good. I wish they had done a bit more with the polenta itself (like put in sun-dried tomatoes or something) rather than rely on the cheese toppings and sauce to bring the flavor. Nevertheless, a good start. Then we ordered a pizza for the main course. Honestly, some of the best pizza I have had in my life and I have sampled a fair share of pizza between traveling the States and a few jumps over to Italy. The crust is perfect - not too thick or thin - with a very good flavor itself. My beau was taken by the sauce. We ordered mushrooms, green peppers and artichokes for toppings and all were fresh and chunky. I just had some leftovers for lunch and still delicious - hot or cold. They do tell you it takes 30-40 minutes to prepare and it took about that. They also have a nice wine list. I ordered a glass of Shiraz/Cabernet (Penfolds, Australia) and it was delish. The decor is really cute and the staff so welcoming, helpful and congenial. The benefit of the strip mall locale is parking is a cinch.
(4)Kirk W.
I really WANT to like Mangia Mangia - it's convenient, it's local, it's not a chain - all the things I like to support. So I keep going, trying to like it - finally after my 3rd attempt, I think I'll give up. The food is just not very good - I've yet to have a noodle cooked correctly. And the atmosphere is .... well, it's better since they moved. It's still pretty dark in there and stuffed between a TJ Maxx and and Payless Shoes. Not trying to hate on the place, but there are so many better Italian options available for your money.
(2)BB C.
I have been to this place twice. Although the second time i decided to give it another try. The bread was ok. The ambiance is nice and so is the music, gets you in the mood. But when it comes to the food. Blah...to salty or no flavor whatsoever. Never again, maybe thats why its located in a strip mall?
(1)R B.
The location is unimpressive in a strip mall but don't let that put you off. We went to Mangia Mangia using a $15 for $30 coupon on a Tuesday night. My wife and I had the broccoli soup and Veal Marsala and the braciole (sp?) soup and grouper over angel hair pasta. Both soups were flavorful, really homemade and served in huge bowls. Portions were also large for the entrees. The veal (4 thinly sliced pieces) was tender and made in a correct marsala sauce with lots of mushrooms. The grouper was also perfectly cooked flaky and over a broccoli and angel hair pasta nicely seasoned with fresh garlic, More than enough, and very tasty. Not much reason to go to Taylor street after eating here. The young man who waited on us was attentive without being overbearing. Pricing was a value. The veal dish for example came with excellent rosemary roasted potatos and your choice of soup or salad for $18.99 less a 10% cash discount!
(5)Jen M.
I used to frequent Mangia Mangia heavily back in 1997-2000 when I worked in the Chicago burbs. I was so excited to be back in the area so I could taste what I remembered to be great Italian food. I ordered my usual....a side of baked mostaccoli with extra sauce and a side of meatballs. I forgot how HUGE the portions are. Baked Mostaccoli was every bit as good as i remember it ( love the tomato-ey sauce and all that ooey gooey cheese). Now, the meatballs were a different story. Almost gray in color and overly beef flavor, clearly they are made in house but have been frozen and reheated. All in, my lunch cost $13. Sure, a little pricey considering the location. Volare charges similar prices and I think their food is way better. I agree with the other posters...what is up with the 10% discount if you pay cash? That is weird. And feels shady. It makes me sad because this place exudes so much charm and has always held a special place in my heart. Sniff sniff.
(3)Eric W.
Edit: This has become our go-to place when we're looking for good Italian food. Yeah, it's pricey but it's always good, the service is always good, parking is convenient, and the atmosphere is casual. Due to the price we can't go here as often as we'd like, but it's a good restaurant. *** The food here is very good, but the prices are very high, especially for a casual place like this. 3 of us ate here, eating 1 spaghetti, 1 lasagna, a side of sausage, and 1 chicken parmesan, all of which included soup and bread, and 3 sodas. The bill came to $63 with tax, before tip. A previous visit a couple years ago gave us similar sticker shock. The food is good, the portions are generous, and both times we ate here we enjoyed good table service. My main objection is the price. FWIW, their online menu does not reflect what we paid, as our dinner totalled up there was $49.95 before tax and tip, which would have been much more reasonable.
(4)Brent S.
Picked up lunch, had a chicken motz sammie and my wife had spaghetti with meatballs, the sammie was tasty but the spaghetti was just ok.
(3)J S.
I have been going to this place for a while and I love it. This restaurant is small, however it is not extremely busy where you will have to wait. The parking can suck mostly due to the surrounding stores such as T.J. Max taking up spaces. With that being said the food is very good. They offer free bread which is delicious when dipped in their oil and parmesan cheese. The food is good as well as the calimari. Their homemade house dressing on theirs salads is also awesome if you like garlic. My biggest compliment goes out to their catering services. We had a bunch of family over for my daughters baptism and decided to use Mantis Language for catering. We ordered baked pasta, sausage, and lemon chicken, plus salad. The cost was roughly $12 a person which was reasonable. They also threw in a bunch of bread. Sliced rolls for the sausage as well as oil and cheese to dip the bread in. Granted we live about 30-35 min away, the drive showed up early and the food was very hot. My family very much enjoyed and we still have plenty left over to last us the whole week. If you are looking for an enjoyable restaurant or need someone to cater quality Italian food you can't go wrong.
(5)Kathy G.
I'm surprised and disappointed by the bad reviews for this place since our experience was the complete opposite. I hope the great meal we had is the norm. We have been looking at this place for years and always wanted to stop. Finally did on a busy Saturday night and we loved it. I liked the casual atmosphere and the wait staff couldn't have been more attentive. I ordered the blackened salmon Florentine and my bf ordered Mussels. I asked if they would make my salmon less spicy and it came out perfect. It was such a huge portion that I took half of it home. I will agree with the abundance of garlic comments. I think next visit I'll just ask that they go easy on it. All in all, we loved it and have recommended to friends who gave it good reviews too.
(5)Amy T.
The food channel has shows about horrible places like this! Ripped seats, ripped plastic tableclothes, two sets of menus that overlap/comtradict, well meaning waiters that have no idea why the menus differ and have to ask management to sort things out. Dinner here is overpriced, uninspired and just plain bad. Specifically, my side salad was a wet pool of iceberg lettuce and a half a slice of mealy tomato. My side of blue cheese "ish" dressing dissolved into a runny mess of wet lettuce. My eggplant sandwhich was a slimy pool of mush on a toasted bunny bread hoagie roll. My friend had what had to be one of the more strange, cheap lettuce heavy, chicken salads that I have ever seen for $16.95.... We thought the wine (merlot at $24 a bottle) was corked but decided that it was just plain bad. That throat burn that keeps on giving... Even if you are ok with quantity, marginal food this place is a stretch.Save your cash and go to any number of other great Italian joints in the area.
(1)Crystal S.
This place will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart. 1st because I went to HS with the daughter of the owner. 2nd because my husband and I had our first date there, which was a blind date and incidentally a favorite spot for both of us BEFORE ever meeting each other. This place is cozy and tucked in a strip mall. Prices are good and portions are unbelievable! You will definitely have a full meal for lunch the next day. Very family friendly and good for big groups as well.
(4)Sergio P.
Just ate dinner here for 1st time. Great values. Oysters were super fresh blue points and only $12 doz...served on a bed of greens that could be a salad when done. The special wine list had Folie D. Zin for $10. Pizza was med crust ... Brown on bottom perfect with large chunks of sausage and fresh sliced mushrooms...as if mama made in it in your kitchen. Calamari were tender perfect. The Veal Francese was one of the best I ever had...pounded veal in the egg batter perfect. Had to find that prep in Italian restaurants these days. Nice decor as well. Fun meal.
(4)Patrick C.
We've been going to Mangia Mangia since they were on Joliet Road next to the Dominick's. Not my favorite Italian place, but a steady performer. The reviews are a little mixed and I think that is accurate. I've had great experiences and not so great experiences here. They offer table service, but you have to ask when you're being seated. You can also order at the counter and the food will be brought to your table. Generally, the service is very good, but if the place is crowded and they are short-handed, the service can suffer. The portions are generally large enough that we bring something home. Excellent bread and they will keep it coming if you ask. Grated mozzarella and olive oil on the table. I've never had an issue with a credit card being accepted.
(3)Janet F.
Went last night and was very disappointed with the food. For the appetizer had the stuffed artichoke. No meat at all on the artichoke (9.00??? pricey, then immediately when appetizer came out they brought out soup and salads. So we stopped the appetizer to begin to eat our dinner. For the prices I would expect them to at least make sure that spacing during courses would be provided. Asked for lemon, never received, butter had to wait for and only 4 tables occupied. Ordered Chicken picante, they must be big on cornstarch because that definitely was the sauce, a lot of food, but doesn't help that you are paying 17.00 for a meal and you are getting a hot dog stand consistency. Side order of mostaccoli with meat sauce, sauce was burnt. Other guest had chicken marsala, wasn't impressed and salad so so, really don't even have a house salad??? Cream of Broccoli soup was cream of chicken soup with broccoli in it and obviously canned. So that was certainly nothing to write home about. Parmesan cheese on the table in shaker, cannot afford to provide freshly grated cheese for the guests especially at Maggiano's prices and even more expensive. I get that at least at Olive Garden. Dessert was very good such as cannoli and Tirimisu. Not worth going back. Will go to Maggiano's for cheaper prices, better service and food taste.
(1)Nick L.
Low quality food. Too expensive. Not worth the trip.
(1)Nancy K.
I love this place! Everything is so delicious plus it's really cute inside and the staff is very attentive! I highly recommend the eggplant parmesan, breaded ravioli appetizer and the chicken spezzatini. Although the prices may seem high it's well worth every penny since the portions are out of control! Added bonus, get 10% off bill if you pay using cash.
(5)Baron M.
When an establishment consistently delivers great food and service over a period of years, this is called a trend. My wife and I visited a couple of days ago and once again were completely satisfied. When I go to a restaurant, I usually order something I can't somewhat create at home and almost always order the pasta Carbonara at Mangia Mangia. The entree is served piping hot and a few minutes are needed to let it cool off before attacking. Creamy smooth sauce with tons of pancetta mixed in. Same can be said for the fettuccine Alfredo with blackened chicken. Yes, there is a ton of garlic in the house dressing and the bread is not served warm, and that makes this restaurant pretty authentic. The portion size is enough for two meals, so pricing is very fair for the quality you receive and the service is always top notch.
(4)Scott W.
They menu is very extensive at Mangia Mangia. I was really looking forward to trying this place for a wile. My friend and I were not eating meat at the time so we decided to go there since they had so many fish dishes. We were seated promptly on a Saturday night around 7 PM. It was not crowded at all. The menu is very large so it took us a long time to read it over but after about a half hour we still had not been greeted by a waitress. At last she came over and said "sorry hope you weren't waiting too long. I just spotted some people I haven't seen in a long time so I was chatting with them" We were ok with it because we were in no hurry but had it been any other day we would have been in a rush and this would not have worked for us. It is true that they do serve very large portions. When we go out to dinner we often order several things and try a little of each. I have been known to order two entrees and several appetizers to try several things that sound good. Here many things sounded good so we went for it. I ordered the Caesars salad and the minestrone soup. The pasta in the soup was homemade which made it very good. The appetizers were average and not really a stand out. We ordered the special that night which was the lake perch. We were both disappointed when it arrived. It was way over fried and hard. The taste was very strong as well. Very "fishy" like it was not fresh. We asked before we ordered if it was fresh and they assured us it was. Me and my friend both only took a few bites and left the rest. Thank God we had already tanked up on the appetizers, soup and salads otherwise we would have left hungry. I would try them again but I think I would try the pasta and pizza next time and steer clear of the fish. They insisted on wrapping up the fish for us to take home and we promptly threw it away at the nearest dumpster behind the neighboring T.J. Maxx. We didn't want to be rude but we weren't about to risk getting sick either.
(2)Cleofous S.
Bring extra cash, average dinner between $20-$25, as soon as I saw menu we left and went to the Flame, same price, and it,s no pasta joint.
(1)Mario C.
If this was the very first time you dined at an Italian restaurant, you may find the food to be acceptable. Eat at one other Italian restaurant, and you will know better. This restaurant is a quasi self serve, overpriced, over salted, over sauced mess. The bread was dry and hard as rock. Two chicken breasts hid comfortably under a mound of sauce and cheese so dense that 6 bites into my meal, I still could not find the chicken. While their sauce (gravy) was overly sweet and lacked any flavor, it was abundant. It you spun the table, our four meals were indistinguishable. You could not tell the chicken from the veal from the lasagna from the eggplant. A disaster covered in sauce. Some yelpers rave about the portion size, slow down! More does not mean better and what you get here you certainly pay for as it is very expensive. If this is your idea of quality, well priced Italian food, try Sbaros at your local mall, it's cheaper. Don't go here.
(1)krystal k.
Wow. This place is amazing! We found it by accident one day ((it's in a little strip mall)) and I'm so glad! It's very cozy inside, not too big, great for families. The food is excellent, we've never had a bad thing there. And the service is also great, they are very friendly and constantly keeping you satisfied!! I definitely suggest this place
(5)Janet B.
Small place that's a bit different. Initially order at the counter, they give you a number to place on your table and bring the food to you. The wait staff then checks in to see if more drinks or dessert are wanted. Ordering at the table is also available since they moved to the new location on Brainard. I love the sauce that comes on the Chicken Limone and Chicken Francese but they have a tendency to overcook the chicken on those. Chicken Vesuvio is very good and the roasted Vesuvio potatoes are wonderful. My husband loves the Spagetti with Fresh Mussels and white sauce. Most of the dinners come with a side of pasta topped with red sauce- which I never eat because I don't like the red sauce here. Tastes too much like tomato paste- not enough seasoning. Appetizers $4-10, Pasta $13-16, Chicken dishes $16, Fish $16-22. Pork& Veal $16-19, Steak $22. Sandwiches $5.50-7.50 For about the same prices, I prefer Marconi's in downtown La Grange.
(3)Chris M.
I wasn't too sure what to expect, but was instantly charmed by the atmosphere and decor of the restaurant. They have a very large menu and the portions are no different. Everything from the unique house dressing they use for salads all the way to the sauce they use for spaghetti has their own touch to it. If you are in the mood for Italian and in the area, definitely stop in.
(4)L. R.
I wish my experience was like those of other yelpers and I could give this place 4 stars. Unfortunately, it was not. We went during lunchtime on Saturday. The restaurant was empty, but I assume it had a lot of customers because it was so big. I suspect Friday and Saturday evenings are crowded there. We sat down and were brought a basket of bread along with our drinks. The bread was spongy, like it was just put into the microwave and heated and given to us. Both the garlic bread (orange and spongy) and the white bread were like that. I ordered the chopped salad. My dining partner ordered the tortellini. I thought the prices were a little high, but felt maybe the food was worth it. I was wrong. The chopped salad was so soggy, even the mushrooms were waterlogged. There was a small pool of water in the bottom of my dish. I did, however, like the creamy garlic/Italian dressing they served with it. It looked like plain mayo but it tasted really good. My dining partner bit into the tortellini and said, this is so mushy. I tasted a couple and she was right, overcooked. Some people like it this way. We are Italian, we like al dente. I sent the salad back it was so awful. I didn't want to try anything else because I had lost my appetite on the salad. The waitress did tell us it was their most popular salad and it probably was. It was probably fresher at rush hour. This seems like it sat a little too long for my taste. So they removed the salad. I had a glass of iced tea, my partner had water with lemon and the tortelllini. Our bill was over $18. Highway robbery for such mediocre food. We were informed when we sat down that the restaurant gives a 10% discount for cash-paying customers which is really a nice perk.
(2)Amanda B.
It's one of our favorite restaurants. Amazing italian food, old world style. Kick Olive Garden in the pants and go here. We do the catering (which everyone raves about).
(5)