I have been ordering from Mama Lucia's in Silver Spring for the past six or seven years and while it is not gourmet Italian they always do a great job. I usually order out when I am overwhelmed and my wife and I just don't have time to cook. This has become more of a necessity over the past three and half years, because I have three and a half year old twin boys. My wife has been out of town and I have been on major Daddy Duty. I usually call with no menu in hand and the exceptional staff walks me through the choices and always delivers before the quoted time. Well this past Saturday they came through again and kept myself and my boys very happy. They loved the chicken tenders and fries and the next night noshed on the spaghetti and meat balls. I went with the meat lovers Stromboli and it was delicious! Thanks guys for making my life a little easier and keep up the good work!!
(5)
Tim S.
Food was very good. Was a great place to stop for a nice lunch. Staff was friendly and made good recommendations since I had never been there before. A little pricy, yet it was a very good meal.
(4)
M L.
This place is sub-par. I ordered a NY style cheese pizza, a side of meatballs and the fried zucchini for delivery. The pizza was a little flimsy, personally I like my thin crust pizza to be crunchy, perhaps I should have ordered it well-done. The pizza was okay, not terrible, but not worth going back for. The meatballs were very dry. No matter how much marinara I put on them they still tasted dry. The zucchini chips were my favorite part. They could have been crispier, but it's understandable that they were a little soggy since I ordered this for delivery. I will say that the customer service was good, but I think the place is a little overpriced. My bill came out to be $36, which I found to be a bit much given that the food wasn't even good.
(2)
Chandani C.
I only had coffee and dessert when I visited yesterday, but I had to write this review because the service here is exceptional! From the moment I walked in to the moment I walked out - the entire staff was so polite, kind, and attentive. As for the food, I did have dinner here a few years ago and remember it being good. I don't know if the food is still the same, but you will definitely receive wonderful service and feel very welcome here.
(5)
Koral S.
I appreciate this place in the neighborhood. Good place for slices of pizza. I've only tried a few things. All have been good. The mushroom Ravioli was outstanding (new to the menu). Things are overpriced and might feel worth if dining in, but I doubt it since everything is too much considering the quality, quantity and location.
(3)
Rhianna B.
Mama Lucia's is a DC chain restaurant which is basically a glorified Olive Garden. I like it better though because the food is better and it has a local feel. The wine list is extensive, but on more than one occasion I've ordered something and they've told me they don't have it. They give you bread and garlic/Parmesan olive oil when you first sit down which is unique and delicious! Their menu is HUGE! They offer the basic pastas then a ton of specialty dishes with various meats and seafood. They have pizza and subs too, but the pasta is just too good to pass up! I've tried the arrabiata, marinara, and vodka sauces which are all delicious and the pastas are perfectly cooked. The chicken is delicious and the perfect thickness, but don't hold your breath if you order something stuffed in the chicken because it won't be substantial. Service is hit or miss. I've had great servers but I've also had to wait 15 minutes before anyone talked to me. They also have a gelato bar and on Mondays, they have a deal on pasta.
(4)
Keila H.
I used to live right around corner from this place and never thought to go in. Bad idea. I stopped in yesterday and the food was fantastic, plus prompt and awesomely friendly service for a good price. I didn't realize it was a chain, but it is one I would continue to frequent if it were nearby (come to VA!) BONUS: the large portion size kept me from having to cook dinner today. Amen.
(5)
Michael T. R.
We were recommended by a friend to try this pizza place, and after our first delivery order, I'm not sure our money was well spent. The pizza was way too expensive ($22), greasy, flat, and generally tasteless. We ordered buffalo wings with it, and while the wings were meaty and the outside crispy, but hardly any buffalo sauce at all. It's like they put a few drops of buffalo sauce on the raw chicken before breading and frying them, and called them buffalo wings. We also ordered a caesar salad, which was the only item we ordered that actually tasted like it should. In the same breath, it was highly overpriced for the amount we received (which was only enough lettuce to feed a rabbit). For me, what really did it was the delivery driver. It was raining heavily when he arrived, and rather than getting out of his car to bring it up, the delivery driver asked us to come down from our third floor apartment to get the pizza ourselves. He said he would "wait down by the stairs for a few minutes." Taken aback, I insisted that he come deliver it, since that's his job, and he took at least 5 minutes to get out of his car to bring it up, I would assume waiting for the rain to let up. I get that these guys have difficult jobs, and generally pay for their own gas when delivering, but that request was a tad outrageous. I'm not coming out into the rain because you don't want to do your job, man, sorry. All-in-all, I don't think we would repeat.
(1)
Kelley G.
The gluten free pasta dishes are delish. I go to Mama Lucia's at least once a week. The food is well seasoned and well prepared. The portions are large enough for two people to split. Try the gluten free mostaccioli, and any salad with salmon or chicken.
(4)
Katie G.
We came back for the pizza...now we know what the fuss is all about. Great New York style pizza. Got it twice in one week...oops.
(4)
Jacquelyn W.
When I was first apartment hunting in the DC area (nearly 4 years ago), my parents and I checked out the Blairs. After going there and having some time before the next appointment, we decided to stop at Mamma Lucia's. Coming from NJ just outside of NYC, we literally went to check out the pizza situation. Pizza's a staple, so if you can't find a good place to grab a quick slice you're screwed. I was more than happy with the quality of their pizza. The sauce has a bit of sweetness that isn't standard for a NY-slice, but I really liked it and have continued to frequent this location. Their pasta dishes are also very tasty. Baked ravioli and gnocci (when it's on the menu) are my absolute favorites. The prices range, but overall I think it's pretty reasonable. I've brought friends from NJ & NYC here and they've all been impressed. Looking forward to getting my next slice!
(4)
Lex G.
If I could give .5 stars I would, and the half star would be for the kind waitress only! I came in on a Sunday afternoon, hungry for some homemade Italian food. I ordered carbonara pasta and my friend ordered pesto pasta. The food came out in a reasonable amount of time. The carbonara pasta was WAY too thick. There was literally a puddle of grease on the bottom of the plate, just congealing as it puddled around the pasta. It was hard to stay hungry while looking at that. The sauce was clumpy and fatty, tasted more like diabetes than pasta sauce! The pesto was not very good. I've bought store brand pesto in a jar that tasted better. The pesto was dry and not very flavorful. I'm a terrible cook, and this tasted worse than my cooking (which says a lot). The worst part was the PRICE. Pasta starts in the mid teens and go to the early 20s once you add any meat. I've eaten pasta in NYC that tasted better and was half the price, and we all know NYC should cost more than Silver Spring. I genuinely feel bad that their food was so bad. The owners and waitstaff were very nice people. But the food was utterly terrible, and the prices were outrageous. If you're going to charge so much, I expect it to be a quality product. But this stuff wasn't worth $5! If you're considering going here, save yourself disappointment and money. Check out somewhere else.
(1)
Rahul M.
Food was terrible - their garlic bread was sliced bread you find in a store with garlic butter poured over it. Things never got better from there. Pizza looked better, but didnt have it. The pastas we had were sub par at best. Waiter also offered a sangria on the house if we buy one. They were both on the bill when the bill came. Was too annoyed by then to try to fix it. We just tipped below what we normally would have and walked out.
(1)
Elle F.
My husband's comment to you yelpers is "don't pay full price!" Come on a night when there is a special and your perception of how good the food is will be much, much higher. On a Wed night, when the wines are half priced, we ventured from the Blair apartments to try some pasta. I ordered the salmon special, which was a full fillet of salmon on a bed of spinach with shrimps and a side of penne pasta. This dish had way too much marinara sauce and it desperately needed more flavor. My hubbie ordered a seafood special with fettuccini Alfredo. The dish had a generous amount of shrimp, crab, and scallops. But again, the food was missing the pizzaz we were hoping for. Tons of food that lacks in flavor but the specials make up for it. Especially the Monday one for a second dish at $3.99 and the Wed one for half priced wines. But if you want EXCELLENT Italian, go to Olazzo. The prices are not that much different.
(2)
Amanda D.
I have finally found the closest thing to a real NY slice. And the gelato? Fuggedddabbbouutit. Best pizza in the DC area hands down. Staff is courteous and offer military discount. We crave this place now.
(5)
Michelle B.
I like Mamma Lucia. I don't recall ever having a bad meal over the past year since I first stopped in. The first time was for lunch on my first day at my new job. I got a slice of pizza, and it was pretty good. Since then, I have ordered whole pies to take home, tried the chicken parmesan sub, and the gelato. All items were equally enjoyable, and I will continue to order food from this location. The people are always friendly, and the food is always fresh which is wonderful to me.
(4)
Gaftie M.
This rating is based on the pizza. To be called an italian eatery I was a little disappointed. Maybe its the 5 years Ive worked in an italian establishment or the fact that I just visited Italy a couple weeks ago but this place is still just ok. At $5 a slice and $20 a pie you should not be serving canned mushrooms, cheap mozzarella and bagged meats as pizza toppings. I guess the profit margin is going into that sleek ride I saw the (I assume) owner/manager get into. I may try the pasta one day.
(3)
Ling W.
Great family owned restaurant. They sell pizza by the slice as well as having a complete restaurant menu. Some day I'll try the gelato.
(4)
Karol L.
Best Pizza in DTSS hands down. Mamma Lucia is great for delivery, pick p on in the restaurant. It is very family friendly which helps when you need to go out with the kids.
(5)
Regan H.
I'm wondering by the good reviews if I ordered the wrong item. I always see people at Mama Lucia's so I figured it must be pretty good but I was wrong! I ordered the chicken carboligini (sp?) to go and it was AWFUL. I was tempted to call and complain and ask to have the meal refunded because I never tasted worse Italian food. I'm giving it 2 stars because I'm hoping that I just picked a bad dish. However, I don't think I'll return anytime soon.
(2)
Ritzie C.
I never saw myself writing a review for Mamma Lucia's but what the hell ... I ate there. I'll admit it. And truth be told, it did not suck! I actually went for a random lunch on Sunday. The Captain and I could not agree on a restaurant to save our lives but then he remembered ... he had a gift certificate here. Well, that's reason enough for me. Mamma Lucia's it is. I ordered risotto balls (or Shwetty balls, as I shall now call them) as an appetizer and a small portion of spaghetti carbonara as my entree. The Shwetty balls were delicious. Panko coated, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside with a nibble of beef in the center. Perfect. I'm certain that as soon as I finish typing this I'll regret it, but here goes ... (wait for it) ... the spaghetti carbonara had too much bacon in it. Whaaaa? There's a such thing as "too much bacon"?! Yes! It's true. There was too much. But the dish itself was rich and quite tasty. Although I may not order it again, I wasn't displeased with the dish. Give Mamma Lucia's a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.
(3)
Libby F.
I've lived a mile away from this place ever since it opened, and this is the first time I've been here. There once was a Mamma Lucia's in Aspen Hill when I lived there almost 20 years ago that I frequented often. I liked the bread basket slices and the garlicky butter spread for starters. I could of had just that and a salad and been happy. But... I shared a 14" mushroom and feta pizza with my friend. It's really quite large with six generous-sized slices. It's a good pizza, but I was surprised and disappointed, being that it's a "down home Italian cooking" restaurant and they use canned mushrooms! No Italian Mamma would do that! If I return, I will most definitely not order a pizza with mushrooms, which is my favorite topping. $18.00 (w/ 2 toppings) isn't all that cheap. The calamari appetizer was awful! $12.50 for rubbery rings and a few of the tentacle kind. The menu says 'fresh squid", but I beg to disagree. If you are a calamari fan, please, please go to 8407 Kitchen bar and get the best and freshest calamari in Silver Spring (It's walking distance from here!). Plus it's much cheaper AND you get more. The best thing about this restaurant though is the men behind the counter, especially the older gentleman who treats you like family. My friend's daughter passed away last year, leaving her to care for her nine year old son. Mamma Lucia's was a place he and his mother frequently visited and everyone knew them. The workers had a good rapport with the boy then, but now when his grandma brings him in they entertain him, and give him a small piece of pizza dough to swirl and take home. He loves going here, and it makes me happy to know that a group of caring individuals would take the time to show kindness to a boy who has suffered a great loss.
(3)
Deborah N.
Gelato! They have gelato! It's tasty and good and refreshing. Easy and free parking lot. Takeout pasta is great - and they will sell you a lunch portion at dinnertime. Same two guys have been at the counter for 10 years!
(4)
Chris C.
It's a chain and I've been to 3 of them. This is the best Italian I have found in the area. Is it better than NYC Italian, not a chance, but I like it. I always get the pink sauce seafood pasta which I think is awesome. The bread they give out is also great. Portions are big as they should be given the price of an entree and you usually don't need to order an appetizer. I can't say anything about the pizza, but I doubt anything in the area comes even remotely close to NYC.
(4)
Angela T.
It's a little hit and miss. The pizza is pretty good. The pasta is decent. I've had dishes that felt like they weren't prepared with the care I expect given their prices. The basic pasta sometimes has sauce that is too runny and doesn't stick to the pasta. Salads are fresh but not anything special. The service tends to be good. The bread is delicious. My toddler asks to go here specifically for the bread. Stay away from the chicken tenders on the kids menu. I don't know what you have to do to make tenders that tough without burning them, but apparently their chef does. Even the new ones they made were awful. Overall we've had good experiences here and will go back.
(3)
Sam S.
I've only been here twice. For me it's a 3.5 kind of place but I'll probably be back whenever I'm in the mood. First time I came I ordered bake ziti and I added chicken to it. Wow!!! The sauce on this is phenomenal!!! Was surprised by the amount of flavor. Plus its a good sauce to dip it with the bread they give you. Second time I got the baked ziti and shrimp scampi pasta. Baked ziti hit the spot. Shrimp scampi had 0 flavor. Also for $21 I only got 4 pieces of shrimp. I get a bag of shrimp for way less than that at Giant. I believe on Monday and Tuesday they have specials on their pizza and pasta so maybe I'll do that next. I say get something tomatoey if you decide to come. Bon apetito :)
(4)
Lorena B.
Mamma Lucia's is overpriced and I can definitely make better lasagna myself (and I'm not even Italian). That said, I hate Mondays. By 5 p.m. every Monday, I rue living in workaholic America. I just want to pick up dinner on the way to the metro so I can stuff my face without having to cook. So when I discovered that ML has a buy one pasta and get the second for $4 deal on Monday, suddenly it didn't seem so bad. Certainly it was more wallet friendly. Truthfully, I like the lasagna. It's cheesy, made with beef, and beats Stouffer's. The portion is huge and I can save half for lunch the next day. Plus the pastas come with a side salad and garlic bread. Actually, I really like their bread since it's doused with oil and red pepper flakes. I can't speak for any other pasta dishes myself but my dad really likes the spaghetti and meatballs. Of course, he also refuses to eat anywhere where a Hanes white tee is outside of the dress code, so accept that endorsement at your own risk.
(3)
Kenny C.
Elly was a great server!!! Risotto balls with mozzarella and beef was flavorless. Penne with Italian sausage saved the day.
(2)
Monica S.
Not exactly crazy good Italian! I have had better! In saying this it was not horrible either. Their pasta is cooked al dente the way I like it! I cannot stand mushy pasta! Also their white/alfredo sauce was rather tasty. I did not care for the chicken with my pasta. It tasted kind of on the rubbery side, like over cooked. Would I go back? Probably not for the lunch or dinner, but maybe for dessert. The service was however excellent and the people are all very kind! It is a little pricey for lunch. I spent $11.25 for my meal which included bread and just fountain water.
(2)
Val A.
first time here, new to the area, got a mothers day special eggplant and chicken stack, delicious!
(5)
Tawana A.
I am surprised with the low reviews. I've been living in the SS area for almost 2 years and, because of the number of patrons I saw in the restaurant, decided to give it a try. My boyfriend and I dined there a few weeks ago and LOVED the food! The reason I'm giving this a 4 star because all the desserts I wanted they were out of. Last night I picked up a calzone and a lasagne pizza. I'm assuming the calzone was good (that was my boyfriends) but I can say the pizza was AMAZING!! Best pizza I've ever had! And the service at Mamma's was FANTASTIC! They are very personable and friendly! That I would give 5 stars. Oh. They were out of the desserts I wanted too. :-( Maybe the third time will be the charm.
(4)
Brian G.
good food but very over priced for their location.
(3)
Tim H.
The reference point is Olive Garden, as noted by other reviews. ML wins on menu, which is more expansive and interesting, and ambiance, which is less contrived. The price is a bit higher, though, and it's not clear what justifies that premium. I've only had pasta dishes, which were ample and well prepared, but not particularly unique. OG at least has one thing it absolutely nails (breadsticks), and as far as I can tell ML has nothing so memorable. Our service at this location was very good, and it was of course clean and neat. It benefits from not having particularly impressive competition in the area, but if you're in Silver Spring and want Italian, try Sergio's in the Hilton. I can't think of a reason to choose ML given that option.
(2)
Traci V.
Visiting DC and saw some good reviews on this restaurant so we decided to give them a try. When first walking in it doesn't feel like an Italian restaurant (more like a diner atmosphere) but they start you off with some delicious bread and dipping sauce and you can tell its going to be a good meal. We started off with Caesar salads which were excellent, and then shared a pasta dish that was Delicious! I can't remember the name but it was an Alfredo sauce and they give you two large chicken breasts and enough pasta that both my husband and myself were full after our meal. The server was friendly and food came out pretty quickly. Excellent experience, I would highly recommend trying them out if you're in the area.
(4)
Bridget M.
We decided to try this on a whim because it's around the corner from my apartment and we were craving Italian. In terms of food, what we got was really good--the penne vodka I ordered was excellent (and a huge portion--I had it for dinner the next day, too), and the mozzerella fritte as an appetizer also hit the spot. The bread you are given once you sit down is amazing--drizzled with this red, pepper-y oil. On the way out, I ordered gelato to go, and I was impressed with this, too. This place loses a star for service, though. Our waiter was a disinterested young man who was inattentive and did the bare minimum--took our order, dropped off our food, and brought us the check without even asking if we wanted dessert. When we got drink refills, it was another employee who had come and asked if we needed another drink. A bus boy asked us if we would like another serving of bread. So, OK, I correct my previous statement--the service is good, but the particular waiter we had sucked. Note: We ordered pizza as take-out on another occasion, and it was excellent. (I'd recommend it with meatball!)
(4)
Corbin S.
So, this place is overpriced and I'm surprised people actually eat there more than once. I got my order delivered, so I can't comment on the service of the restaurant. However, the food is TERRIBLE! Delivery or dine-in, there's no helping the quality of that food. I ordered the "Pollo Marsala" b/c it's one of my favorite dishes, plus really easy to make and almost impossible to mess up. Well, Mamma Lucia's really REALLY messed up that recipe. I've had better marsala sauce out of a bottle! There was no flavor and my meal tasted watered down. The pasta was watery and the chicken tasted like it was sitting in water b/c there was absolutely no flavor. My girlfriend ordered the "Penne Vodka Sauce" and I've made better pasta dishes myself. How do you smother pasta in vodka sauce and cheese and come out with a dish that tastes like there's only a tablespoon of sauce on the whole thing?!?! There was absolutely no kick to either of the two meals. There's more flavor to a plain rice cake compared to whatever it is that we ordered! And how about that garlic bread?! Thanks for the slice of Italian bread that only had garlic and butter in the center, Mamma Lucia. The only decent thing that came with our meals were our Greek salads that we both nibbled at. We actually ordered garden salads, but I'm not upset that they got it wrong b/c I needed that dressing to dip my chicken into. I guess that's what we get for taking a break from cooking dinner one night. We were in the mood for Italian food and ended up EXTREMELY disappointed. Next time either one of us isn't in the mood to cook, I guess a pizza joint is the easy fix.
(2)
James C.
Shame this place only has 3 star average, should be at LEAST 4 stars. Everyone there treats us like king and queen, the way it should be! Food is amazing -- so again, I say, I'm frustrated some on here are giving this place 1 and 2 stars
(5)
Marisa B.
I would probably give this place a 3.5 if I could. I miss NY-style pizza sometimes, and their pizza is the closest I can get to it within walking distance from my home. However, I consider this a pizza place, full stop. My friend tried "Italian" food here: a simple seafood dish with marinara sauce. Clearly, the cooks have little experience making anything close to Italian (or Italian-American) food: the marinara sauce consisted of red sauteed olive oil and whatever kinds of grease they use. It was inedible, and we did complain (I've worked in the food industry before and do not like doing this), but the server just apologized and that was that.
(3)
Natasha S.
I've returned again maybe a few more times in a span of a couple years. While I really like some of the pastas, I can't always eat pasta. So because I am watching my weight and diet, I decided to order a salad this time. I ordered the grilled seafood salad, which was generous in size. The seafood was good, but the lettuce could have been fresher. The dressing also wasn't that great, so stick to oil vinegar. My girlfriend ordered a shrimp pasta, which I resisted on trying. It looked amazing, an she seemed to love it. We had a fried mozzarella appetizer which was a tad burnt and overcooked. That was a bummer. The service was good, but for these prices I think I will probably stick to more authentic Italian places....
(3)
Joseph G.
I never expected the pizza to be amazing or similar to NY, but I definitely didn't expect the large pepperoni and large BBQ chicken pie to be as disappointing as it was. I really wanted more than anything to like this pizza being that the owner is from a city in New York right next to where I grew up. I was told by the owner that the dough would never be the same as New York which I completely understood. The Pizza was doughy and just hard to get down. The worst part is that everyone is feeling the after effects of the pizza by feeling like we have a brick in our stomachs. The cheese, sauce and chicken were not bad at all, but the dough really destroyed it. When I called today to give the on duty manager a heads up, he didn't seem to really care and trying to make it seem as though the pizza is never like that. Spending almost 45 dollars on 2 pies and not enjoying any of it was not only a waste of money, but a waste of time and calories considering it was a "cheat" day for some of my family on a diet. I will definitely not be ordering from Mamma Lucia again.
(1)
Hailey H.
I don't eat Italian out very much - but we needed a kid friendly place near the metro and this fit the bill. In the future, I'll be eating elsewhere. EVERYTHING comes with pasta! Okay, fine, ninety five percent of the menu. Even the salmon special that was ordered came with a side of pasta on another plate! I tried to order the mussels in marinara appetizer (and even said the word "appetizer" as I was ordering) to avoid the carb overload and I received the mussels on pasta entree instead. Knowing very well that I'd probably be eating the same exact mussels if I sent it back, I kept it, but I later realized that was silly because it was a $6 price difference. yes, six dollars for noodles. (okay, fine, and maybe four more mussels. still.) There wasn't much (if any) emphasis on the pizza side at this location. Yes, it was on the menu, but I didn't see one person order anything other than pasta the whole time we were there (and that was a while). They also sell gelato (looked good, didn't try). Our server was just fine, my side greek salad was nicely made (though my dressing on the side could have come in something other than a plastic to-go container) and the components tasted as they should, but when the bill came we were oddly surprised at how everything quickly added up, especially since the only reason we were mildly satisfied was because of our stomachs full of pasta, not because it really felt worth it/tasted that great. I think I'd rather go to an OG, and I haven't stepped in one of those in years.
(2)
Emily V.
This place is "lunch friendly." What I mean by that, is your expectations aren't super high for lunch food. You know, it's your office cafeteria or Chipotle or someplace like this. Under that criteria it fits the bill. I always get pizza with a side Greek salad. Is it the best pizza in town? Definitely not. But there are huge slices, the salad's average but good, and there's free garlic bread on the side. You can get stuffed on $7 or so which rocks. Service is friendly and super quick and there's a big seating area. If you're one of those people who eats gelato in the middle of the workday, there's a huge gelato bar. Some wine selection, but nothing special. Overall, a good lunch choice for when your expectations aren't too high.
(3)
Stephanie C.
It's all about the Gelato. You can get what's been called "decent Italian" here or at the other location on the Pike, but skip the lines to get into the Chinese place across the street and stop by for some Gelato, some of the best and most homemade in the area. Call ahead to see when they make it and what the flavor spread is for the day. It's worth a visit. Located by the Giant on E-W Highway.
(5)
Monica T.
This spot was nicely located across the street from where I was working while spending a week in Silver Spring, so I ended up eating two lunches here on my trip. Both were extremely pleasant. The first time, I ordered the Mussels Arrabiata, which didn't seem so angry but still had a nice flavor. They gave a generous portion of fresh, tasty mussels, so I appreciated that. The second time, I had the Penne alla Vodka. The sauce hit that perfect balance between tomato and cream, and the sausage bits were a nice touch. The prices weren't too bad, the service was quick and matter-of-fact, but always friendly. They had sparkling water in the soda fountain. I have no complaints. This was my favorite lunch spot of the week.
(4)
Hilary G.
Mamma Lucia's is packed during lunch for some reason, so be forewarned. It was chaotic and the woman was on the phone taking orders so I didn't get a chance to pay until after I got my food, which took over 20 minutes. The eggplant sandwich was ok, but way too fried. The eggplant is thinly sliced and fried so the ratio of batter to eggplant is way off. The sauce that came with it tasted too much like vinegar as well. Most of the options here are overpriced, especially considering the cheap atmosphere. The biggest plus about Mamma Lucia's is the gelato.
(2)
Nicole M.
I've heard so much about this place, so I decided to give it a go. I'm use to authentic NY style pizza as I am from up north. This place was not the answer I paid damn near $8.00 for two lousy slices and they were lousy. If you want decent pizza go to flippin pizza or pete's new haven style pizza which are right up the street.
(2)
Mike S.
The food is good. Maybe not up to the level of expensive Italian restaurants, but it's casual and not expensive. They give you a lot in the pasta dishes. You might not have room for the gelato or cannoli, though somehow I always seem to find room. :-) The service is always good. I haven't had a problem even when it's full.
(4)
Shakeem B.
My first but certainly not my last visit! Everything about this place makes me want to come back. From the garlic bread to the gelato to the customer service. I can't wait to return to try some more of their dishes. The calamari is good but could use more seasoning. The lamb and mashed potatoes are DIVINE! I just ate the rest for lunch today. Great portion sizes. True to the Italian food customs
(4)
Cheryl L.
My cousin introduced me to this place. She kept talking about the lasagna here, so when I went to visit her we had to go. The lasagna is HOT and cheesy, which I love. There's something about the type of cheese they use--it's so creamy and addictive! I was stuffed and I still had about half of the meal to take home and eat later. I can understand the complaints about it being crowded. We went in the evening and it wasn't bad, but I can see how it could get really packed during peak hours.
(4)
Mark S.
Got dinner here with my girlfriend after work on Friday. We had heard a decent amount of people say that this restaurant is good.. so we decided to give it a try. PROS: We both ordered pastas.. I ordered some spicy marina penne pasta dish (forgot the name) and my girlfriend ordered the ravioli rosa (ravioli in red sauce). The pastas were delicious and they give you a good amount of food. The service was pretty good and the waitress gave us their daily specials that weren't listed on the menu. CONS: The bread they give you.. felt like it had been sitting around for awhile. It was kind of chewy/stale. Seems like they baked it in the oven... then just let it sit there. They give you a salad too with your order (at least for pasta).. we got the house salad.. it wasn't that great. The price was fairly expensive for 'pasta'.. but I guess in downtown silver spring.. that's how it is. it was like $14 for each plate of pasta before tax. But it does come with a salad. 4 stars because the price was ehh for meatless pasta.. and the bread/salad weren't that great. pasta was delicious though.
(4)
Katelyn K.
Mamma Lucia's is hit or miss. I have had some incredible meals here with friendly and quick service during dinner and some other not so pleasant experiences where it seemed like the meal took hours. The food is good, but not incredible. They are also fairly expensive for pizza and pasta compared to most places in the area. We are just looking for convenience for food, we usually end up elsewhere for a faster and cheaper bite.
(3)
Shane B.
This place is really *not* all that. It is very overpriced, and it always smells better than it tastes. The pasta sauces have a very cheap feel to them (I have never had the pizza). Someone else said Olive Garden quality at twice the price, but I feel that is too generous. This not as good as Olive Garden.
(2)
McKinley J.
4 stars for the food - pizza was delicious, bolognese was out-of-this-world...benissimo! 2 stars for the service. My only complaint and don't get me wrong - I like attentive waiters/waitresses, but PUH-LEEEZZ, let me get the food in my mouth before you come over and ask me how it is or before you take the bowl away! I haven't even touched the food yet and you are cleaning up my table? I guess she was anxious to get us out the door.
(3)
Patrick T.
I had initially resisted coming here because the place looks so much like a cheap national chain from the outside. Even the interior is needlessly crappy. But I am glad that I did go in. The food is quite good. From the pizza to the pasta to the seafood to the gelato. You would never guess from the outside that this place would have such good food, but it does. This place is also a favorite of my wife and mine for take out. I can call ahead and on my way home from work pick up a great meal of pasta and mussels or stuffed ravioli or another one of their great dishes. It's also a good place for takeout pizza. My advice to the owners would be to spruce this place up a bit. Walking by you can see a fountain drink station that makes this place seem like a fast food joint. That fountain drink station isn't for customers, but you don't know that unless you go in there. The only bad experience I've had is that I've had a few things that I ordered over the phone have come out incorrectly. Make sure you give your order clearly and slowly, as the guy who answers the phone doesn't always get it right (it's loud and frenetic at their register/phone). Also, you should double check what you have ordered. If this place fixed their phone ordering issues and made the interior more inviting and intimate, it could really be something. Don't let this book's cover (and inside pages) fool you. The food is well worth it.
(4)
Isabelle L.
The pizza was good. They give you Italian portions which is great. The service could be a little better.
(3)
Julieth M.
I can't deny that their pizza and gelato are so good.,although I think it is too pricey and their food it's not that good!! If you want to go to a nice Italian restaurant.,go to Christina's restorante!! Food it's delicious and prices are worth the food!!
(2)
Clay R.
Poor service. Overpriced food. Won't return.
(1)
Anthony N.
For DC/MD/VA this place has pretty good pizza and pasta. Doesnt meet my NJ/NYC standards, but isnt bad. Wide variety available daily. Pasta dishes are also good. Perfect for a quick lunch meeting, and dresses up pretty nice for dinner. Pizza is a little pricey, pasta dishes are more reasonable for what you get. Give it a shot.
(4)
Jason T.
Giving 2 stars because customer service needs improvement and order was wrong. I would not recommend this place. Of course there are not many options for Italian cuisine in Silver Spring. If I am craving Italian I will just put it off. Unhappy customer.
(2)
Richard N.
I've been patronizing Mamma Lucia's since their early days in Rockville near the old putt putt course (long gone). I live in NW DC across the park, but regularly drive over for take-out pizza. Mamma Lucia's makes one of the best NY-style pizzas in the DC area. From time to time, my family and I have eaten here as well. Not the best atmosphere (cross between a carry-out and nicer sit down restaurant), the pasta is generally quite good. The house salad dressing is a bit tart. The bread is okay, but not great. Stick with the pizza and you can't lose out.
(4)
Bryony B.
This place is really close to my boyfriends apartment and is easy to walk to. The food has a lot of fat in it, but of course that makes it taste good. Their pizza is suprisingly really good.....its kind of more of a thinner crust. I think the bread with the cheesy oil is actually good here...but again, terrible for you. My boyfriend ordered a pasta called ravioli romana, which is cheese ravioli in a cream sauce....wow, this dish was amazing. They also have wine/beer, which kind of surprised me, since the place almost looks like a better version of cici's. Every time I go the waitress is helpful in making suggestions for which wine i might like and both times has been nice in letting me get my pizza with two completely different halves (sauce included!). They let you try the wines before you order some, which is a plus since you can almost get a free glass before you even buy one if you try a couple. Lastly, this place has gelatto....supposedly the only location which does. I tried oreos and cream when I was there and was underwhelmed, but will go back to make sure it wasn't a fluke since i've heard good things from everyone else. This place is zagat rated too and on mondays, you can get your second pasta dish for $3.99.
(4)
Rob B.
Great pizza but the best gelato in silver spring.
(4)
Lacey P.
We have never dined in at the restaurant, but we have taken out from this restaurant many, many times. We've tried multiple pizzas-- they're all delicious-- really great pizza. I've tried the fettucini which was good, but VERY fattening and made me feel a little gross aterwards. The garlic bread is okay and the salads are medicore. The best part might just be the gelato... get the snickers gelato, amazing!
(3)
Amber D.
I live less than a block away and am convinced the only reason this place is ever busy is because of the location. Between the metro and Giant they have a steady stream of customers for food that is often average and unmemorable at best. We've tried almost everything but their pizza and not one thing has been worth returning for. It's decent enough if you're exhausted and in a hurry but otherwise there are much better Italian places within 5 minutes.
(2)
Sarah L.
To be honest, I don't even know how this place is still in business. I've had better food at Olive Garden - and at 1/3 of the price. I've been to Mamma Lucia three times in the last three years. I've experienced burned eggplant parmigiana, cold and undercooked ravioli, and lately, a pizza with barely any cheese, dried out chicken, and inexplicably salty sauce. Usually when I find a place with just plain awful food I can usually say "at least it's cheap." Not here. I ordered delivery this past weekend and it cost $64 for one large pizza and a chicken parmigiana dinner. Utter crap. The only reason I gave it two stars is the service. They're usually nice, courteous, and prompt. But good service cannot make up for the abysmal and overpriced food. 3 strikes and Mamma Lucia is out. I'm never eating there again. Order Dominoes or Pizza Hut, it's 100x better and you get what you pay for.
(2)
B. C.
The food was delicious (I had the pesto chicken ravioli and gelato). Unfortunately, afterwards the waitress told us there was a problem with the POS system and our credit cards couldn't go through. Like fools, we waited about an hour for the system to go back up before she asked us if we'd like to pay in cash. We were without our cards the whole time. When we said we didn't have enough cash on us, she was miraculously able to swipe our cards at a different register. The next day someone tried to buy $2000+ worth of jewelry online with my credit card. I wish I had stopped at the ATM on the way. I would've rated the food very highly (like a 4), but now the whole experience is marred by what seems to be a dishonest employee.
(2)
Rohan P.
I should give Mamma Lucia's a terrible rating. But I can't. I like it. I bought two jumbo slices of pizza for lunch one day. The cost was $8.00. Sounds normal, right? Well, they ran it up as $80.00, and charged my debit card. I signed the receipt without noticing, but saw it on my bank statement a few days later. Although I had to come back twice after discovering it, once to talk to the guy in charge of the debit receipts, and another to make sure the charge was revoked, all-in-all it wasn't as terrible as it could have been. They were genuinely apologetic, and offered me a free slice. And the pizza is good. I guess that's why I continue to go. It's NY style, which to me means large, oily, fatty slices. Yum. The pastas are pretty good, though not great, and we ordered a large pizza there once, and that was pretty good too. Sure, it is expensive, but the owners are front and center, take pride in their local chain enterprise, and the service makes for a quick, yummy lunch.
(3)
Scot W.
Mamma Lucia offers some pretty good pasta dishes and a solid pizza. Their pizza is good, if a little greasy, with good cheese and good sauce. The crust can sometimes get a little soggy from the greasiness of the cheese, but other than that, no real complaints. Their pastas are almost always pretty good; they give you a healthy portion and their sauces are flavorful. I like most of their seafood type pastas, especially a couple of the specials with lobster or shrimp that come and go from the roster. Their salads are reasonable as is their calamari. Actually, the calamari themselves are fairly tasteless, but the marinara sauce that comes on the side is delicious. It is not a sparkling, deluxe restaurant by any means; another reviewer said that the place is dirty. I disagree with that but would say that they are certainly not the paragon of sparkliness or class. The food is solid, the service is friendly and fast, the rest is tacky but, ultimately, less important than the food and the reasonable prices.
(3)
Kevin J.
Really, I go in and grab a quick lunch occasionally, so I have not tried any sit-down dishes. However, I was extremely happy because before Mama Lucia there was no place to get by-the-slice pizza around Silver Spring. Their portions are good and they heat it up well so it doesn't taste like old pizza. I also like their pepperoni rolls (like a stromboli). I would recommend these to anyone. Cons are sometimes the wait is a little long and it gets crowded when trying to order or pick up your to-go. Nothing that I would avoid the store about, though.
(3)
Jung-Ah P.
I just realized how much I dine alone, and that people must think I'm quite strange as I coo over my food and perform a photo shoot before (or sometimes in the middle of) the feast. I must say I have been eating out alone more since I started writing Tasty Bites entries - I used to hate doing that, but now I have a purpose for doing so. It's research, you see. So this one fine afternoon, I stopped in at CVS at Blair Park, and on the way out decided to grab a bite to eat at Mama Lucia's which is next door. For research, of course. I have never been, so I wasn't sure how the place worked. It seemed a little bit disorganized, you walk up to the counter and there are 3 men taking orders/payment. They are all very nice, but they are also loud and want to know what you want to order as soon as you walk in. I looked at the menu and I wanted to try everything as I was quite hungry. I debated between a pizza or a pasta, decided to get a pasta, then had to choose from about 20 different items, gah!! I wanted carbs but also some seafood, so linguine alla mare chiara sounded perfect. I ordered my food and a bottle of water from one man, paid another man, and then yet another man appeared from (I promise this is what happened) under the counter and handed me the water. The man I ordered from told me to sit at any table, so I did, all the while wondering how the food was going to find me, since the dining room was pretty full. Lunch rush, I guess, it was about 1:30pm. About 10 minutes later, a young lady came by with a basket of bread and my pasta. How did she know it was mine? How did she know where I was? It was like magic!! I took a bite of the pasta with one of the clams, and oh! It was exactly what I wanted - yummy pasta with yummy sauce with yummy seafood. As a lady pretending to watch her girlish figure, I didn't touch the bread basket, but the contents seemed pretty old and stale. The pasta was of good texture, not overcooked, the seafood was delish, the shrimp, clams and calamari tasted fresh and didn't have the strange, synthetic texture that frozen seafood sometimes have. The sauce was decent, not magnificent, but it was good enough to hit the spot. It was a pretty hefty portion and I'm a little embarrassed to say that I ate the whole thing. After checking my email and Facebook on my phone, I managed to remove myself from the table and waddle out of the restaurant. If I get a chance to go back, I would really like to try the spaghetti aglio e olio and the penne norcina. They have a couple of specials - Monday nights are pasta nights, where you can get a second pasta dish for $3.99 and Tuesday nights are pizza nights, where you can get a second pizza for $2.99. Oh carbs, you're so delicious. Tasty tasty!!
(3)
Mallory C.
As stated in earlier reviews, the ordering process is...different. I had 3 people help me with my order of 1 slice of pizza. Maybe it works better with larger groups. The thing you need to know is this. They use canned mushrooms on the pizza. The crust was good and the sauce decent, but nothing can make canned mushrooms OK.
(2)
Asha A.
I went here during lunch and ordered a Sicilian. It wasn't bad. Heavy lunch crowd but not packed.
(3)
Zachary H.
Mamma Lucia's is one step below Macaroni Grill and one step above Denny's. The prices imply illusions of grandeur. I so worked here in high school. On our first and likely only visit, we had their pasta carbonara and the penne zucchini. The penne was bad. Zero flavor in the sauce and the pasta was very much overcooked. The carbonara was decent. Nice sized pieces of bacon, nice white sauce, though a bit heavy, and the serving was far too much. On the service, our server - Mike A - was ok, but he spent most of the dinner at the table next to ours talking to a fellow patron about other job opportunities that he was exploring. This was tacky and made it difficult to get his attention at times. Thanks Mamma Lucia. You didn't totally suck, but we'll go to Macaroni Grill the next time we want mediocre Italian food.
(2)
Brennan S.
Mamma Lucia's is a local chain. The food is not authentic italian, not in the slightest. Nor is it flavorful. The pizza is the definition of subpar, and the pasta dishes, well, week old leftovers are better than here. Considering the abysmal quality of the food, it is vastly overpriced. As the food is quite deplorable, I can only think of one redeeming quality for Mamma Lucia's - the foppishly dressed proprietor! The gourmand said to his friend, "Depart this place, and return, nevermore"
(1)
Alexis D.
i RARELY eat italian food outside of NY (or other places with sizeable, established italian communities ...) For some mysterious reason, knowing I would almost certainly hate myself afterwards, I ventured into an italian restaurant in the DC-metro area instead of going home and making a delicious pasta meal for myself. I sat down and in my line of sight were box upon box of DeCecco pasta (the same brand my mom uses at home in the BX!!!) At the end of my first meal there, I decided to let the owner know that the food was the best I've had outside of NY and that his macaroni was the same kind my mom used - he told me "are u kidding im from the bronx!?!?!" which was the golden seal of approval in my eyes So I've eaten the spaghetti carbonara on EVERY occasion i've been here - always wonderful (and its one of my fav foods on earth) the matriciana is solid, as is the shrip fra diavolo,c hicken piccata was nice, the linguine con vongole was the bomb. Salad tastes like good arthur avenue //morris park italian restaurant house salad very good sign Only thing that wasnt really up to snuff were teh calamari - not crispy, a lil chewy... id never tried them again after that first and only subpar experience, so it could have been a fluke, but i wont be the one to test that theory Overall very solid italian dining experience - and for being south of the mason dixon line, that is quite a feat! And to the dude who said this is a step below macaroni grill, he CLEARLY has a different taste criteria for italian food.......
(4)
Josh O.
Yet another convenient lunch place from my new job! Just tried out Mamma Lucia's today with a group from work. Pretty decent pizza. For a place that's not in New York or New Jersey, that is. ;) I'm sure I'll be back, though in the future I think I'll probably only order one slice; I'm stuffed!
(3)
Suzanne A.
We are fans, whether dining in or carrying out. What they lack in ambience, Mama Lucia's makes up for in upscale Italian food at an affordable price. A true gem. Try their weeknight specials.
(4)
Laura W.
I have been here on a couple of occasions and would give Mamma Lucia's 3.5 stars. The first time I came was for some pizza, later in the evening, about 15 minutes before closing. I just ordered a couple of slices of the by-the-slice selection. I realize restaurants are busy near closing time. However, the way my group and I were treated, though, you would have thought we'd come in 5 minutes before closing asking for a sit-down table for 15 people. The manager/cashier was unnecessarily abrupt with us. Be that as it may, I returned for a sit-down dinner with my parents when they came to visit me. Mamma Lucia's is one of downtown silver spring's only offerings to the kind of sit-down family restaurant that I can take my folks too. They're picky eaters, and don't like anything "spicy" or unusual to them (which pretty much rules out anything indian, thai, mexican, greek, or tasty). They also don't want to eat anywhere they could eat "at home" such as a ruby tuesday or red lobster. So, Mamma Lucia's is a safe bet, and I will probably return here with them the next time they visit. I was pretty satisfied with what we ordered, and the service this time was much friendlier. I also liked the quiet, parent-friendly atmosphere. We ordered: spaghetti and meatballs, chicken florentine in a cream sauce, and seafood marinara with linguini. The portions, as others have noted, are plentiful. There's enough pasta on a plate for at least 3 meals. We got take out boxes and I had enough leftover for 3-4 more meals. (Unfortunately my waitress packed the boxes on their sides and a lot of the sauces leaked out). She did include extra garlic bread, though, which was very nice. I would have to say though, that my "seafood marinara" was loaded down with oil. I specifically ordered this dish because I thought it would be a healthier alternative to getting a cream-based pasta, but the amounts of oil ruled that out. I'm not sure why it was necessary to put oil on this dish, but if I ordered it again, I would request no oil. The bites I had of the chicken florentine and the spaghetti and meatballs tasted delicious so I would also try those again. The prices, as others have called attention to, are on the high side, considering the casualness of the restaurant (it's in a strip mall, so they're not kidding anyone). I think the size of the portions could be cut in half and they could decrease the prices to reflect this.
(3)
Morgan O.
Terrible. They didn't even use fresh ingredients. The chicken was frozen, bread was left over from lunch and they didn't even salt the water for the pasta to cook in. a disgrace to italian food!
(1)
Joanne C.
This location has much better pasta than the Bethesda, MD location. My boyfriend received gift cards for Mamma Lucia recently. We stopped in on a Monday night which turns out to be buy one pasta dish, get one at $3.99 night. Seeing as both he and I are very cheap we both got super excited. Since that first night we have gone back ONLY on Monday nights. I'm not a huge fan of their plain marinara sauce, so I ask for the rose sauce on whatever pasta dish I get that has a red sauce. Every pasta dish I've had from here is flavorful. The pasta dish also comes with a side salad. The service is nothing fantastic, however I guess I shouldn't say that. They never gotten my order wrong, and don't mind when I ask for the rose sauce. This last time we went the manager/owner (not sure which one) came out and asked how everything was. This is the first time this has happened. Overall 4 stars. I only hold off on that last star b/c I haven't tried their pizza.
(4)
Lindsay H.
Mamma mia, that was possibly the most bizzare dining experience I've had lately. A friend and I stopped in for dinner on a Saturday night; the place was not completely full, but close. The two hostesses sat at two tables in the front chatting with each other--tables that could have been used to seat diners. They paid little attention to diners coming in and we were only seated after the guy at the take-out counter alerted them that we were there. My friend and I were led past several empty tables for two to a table all the way in the back next to the bathrooms and an extremely loud, crowded table occupied by a family with four small children. Eeek. "Is this ok?" the hostess asked. Ahem. Seriously? The waitress, Evelyn, was fanstastic--quick, efficient, and was apparently serving THE ENTIRE RESTAURANT. She did a great job of it, too, but I am floored that they thought two preoccupied hostesses and one waitress could take care of the entire operation. And now for the food--the bread basket with the oil and parmesan was great, and the house salad was really nice. The entree, however, was incredibly overpriced for what I got. I got the chicken parm--a simple dish that I usually order when I try any new Italian place--if they can do that well, then that bodes well for the rest of the menu. Not here. I paid $17 for a reheated, overcooked slab of chicken with rubbery processed mozzerella glued to it and a pile of overcooked spaghetti. The sauce on the spaghetti had a nice flavor, but the noodles were so overcooked and watery that it was like chewing paste. When we went to leave, we opted to walk down the counter in front of the kitchen (dusty, full of pizza that had been sitting out too long). Unopened boxes of beer and wine were stacked down the aisle--an area where customers are apparently (?) supposed to walk. It was like dining in a warehouse. I spied a nice looking pizza on someone's table, so I may try a takeout pie at some point, but I won't be dining here again. Other than the waitress--who again, did a great job--this was truly terrible.
(1)
Anish P.
I really liked their pizza. It is admittedly very greasy - but I like that. The bread that they bring out (free) while you wait was pretty good (but very buttery - which, again, I like!) I will certainly eat there again and plan on trying the pasta. Although, the prices for the pasta looked pretty high so I don't know if I'll make this a regular dinner spot.
(4)
Shreema M.
Let's be real -- this is a solid but unexceptional Italian-American restaurant. I wouldn't make a night out of coming here...However, I LOVE the garlic knots. Being from the NYC suburbs, I missed them a great deal and have never seen them anywhere in DC except here. And they taste like the real deal. Definitely worth going, just for the garlic knots.
(3)
Kevin M.
Not much to say because this is just an average Italian place. Solid food. Decent service.
(3)
G W.
So this review is long in the making, long overdue. I have taken my family to the Mama Lucia location in Silver Spring more times than I can recall. For almost a year, we faithfully went there every Friday. Their host and wait staff were excellent. They were friendly, timely and helpful. We typically went there for the pizza. Being from South Jersey, I'm a bit of a pizza snob and generally don't find the pizza here in the DMV very good. The pizza at Mama Lucia Silver Spring was in my top two, so we frequented the restaurant often. We tried many of their pasta offerings, but often found them over cooked and not too flavorful. About a year ago, I stopped bringing my family to the restaurant because I noticed that while the owner/manager would make his rounds to various tables to ask people how they enjoyed their meals, he never made his way to our table. Our children are often the most well behaved children in this extremely child friendly restaurant. They didn't wander between the tables, interrupting other diners or getting in the way of the wait staff. We usually tipped our excellent wait staff 20%-25% on each check. For whatever reason however, the owner/manager never made an attempt to stop by our table. In fact, very rarely did he even say goodbye as we walked out; something I watched him do several times to many other diners. After a year though, the excellent wait staff could no longer cover for their owner/manager. Last Friday (2/3/2012), I took my family back to Mama Lucia Silver Spring. We only saw about two familiar wait staff. The owner/manager was still there, and it looked like they brought on a new floor manager and hostess. We ordered pizza and while not as good as it was in the past, it was still better than most in this area. Towards the end of the meal, the hostess comes over to the table next to ours and basically asks them to leave. They had finished their meal and paid their bill. She then comes to our table and says that she had a long wait for tables and that if we were done, if we would leave to open up the table for others. I wouldn't have been so offended if we had paid the bill and were simply taking our time wrapping up. I can understand a restaurant turning tables. I don't agree with the approach, but I can understand the effort. However, we hadn't gotten our check. In fact, we hadn't even finished our meal and had intended to order desert. A clear expression of disgust must have come across my face because the hostess immediately back pedaled and said that it didn't matter if we left or not (to which I wondered after the fact, why then would you even bring it up?). The hostess was less than professional. If she needs to turn tables, she needs to address her wait staff to have them expedite food, communicate more frequently with their tables to see if they'll need anything else, and get them their checks. Wait staff turns tables, not hostesses. Instead, she insulted paying customers and in my case, lost one. I will never go back to Mama Lucia Silver Spring. Terrible experience. Ps...the other great pizza place is Vace in Cleveland Park (Washington, DC)
(1)
Jade T.
Mamma Lucia is my favorite pizza restaurant in all of Silver Spring. Why? Here's my odd Star rating: 1 Star: Convenient Location! Mamma Lucia is about 2 blocks from the Silver Spring Metro Station, across the street from NOAA, and 4 to 5 blocks from Downtown Silver Spring and and Discovery Communications. However, parking at the shopping plaza can be chaotic due to the Giant next door. 2 Star: Atmosphere! It's relaxed, even a little upscale. Mamma Lucia is a great spot for family food outings (mind you, this isn't Chuck-E-Cheese), work lunches, and even casual dates. I assume that the restaurant is quite bustling on the weekends. 3 Star: Delicious pizza! I'm addicted to all kinds of pizzas now, but I crave New York style once in a while. They offer pizza by the slice here. The cheese pizza always comes out hot, cheesy, greasy, but oh so good! While Mamma Lucia's prices are much higher than your standard Pizza Hut, they have weekly specials. For example, Monday is Pasta Night (buy one pasta entree, get the 2nd for $3.99) and Tuesday is Pizza night (buy one large pizza, get the 2nd for $2.99). By the way, the owners are from the Bronx if you're wary of their pizza's "authenticity". 4 Star: Large portions (including pizza slices)! Enough said. 5 Star: Employees! I am greeted with smiles every time I walk in. I'm serious. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming here, especially the men at the counter. No one scoffs, sneers or sighs. Everyone has a positive attitude. (I'm a major pessimist, but my mood lifts dramatically when the food is just as good as the service.) I have only ordered carry-out, but even that is a pleasant experience. Gosh, I love these guys. Mamma Lucia is a popular spot among citizens working or living in Silver Spring. For good reason: The food is consistently good, and the employees are most gregarious. I highly recommend this place.
(5)
Mahsa K.
Everyone says this place is soo great but even my cousin from NYC came to visit and we agreed it's alright. Nothing outta this world and me especially--- I am a white pizza freak and their version was very disappointing. It tasted good, if it was supposed to be REGULAR cheese, where are the CLUMPS of RICOTTA???
(2)
Geo N.
If you want an I don't care about the customer attitude, call on your order... Sheesh
(2)
Brent J.
My friends and I go here often. It's cheap and has great food. Sometimes we eat in. Sometimes we order for pickup. It's always a good experience.
(4)
Natalie F.
My second favorite pizza in the Baltimore/Washington area. I always get carry out from here because it's fast and super convenient. The service is always friendly and helpful. I have dined in once here and found it to be really over priced as far as entrees and wine go. 9.00 for a glass of HOUSE RED?! That's absurd. So I stick to carry out. The mushroom pizza is to die for, and it goes great with their Greek salad. The location is great, so close to the Silver Spring metro and within walking distance to the "Downtown" Silver Spring mayhem.
(4)
Sophie C.
Waitress was terrible. Kept knocking wine glasses, almost spilling them. Then didn't put in one person's order, so three dinners came out instead of 4. When we asked her when the 4th dinner will be coming out she said to my friend "you told me you didn't want the pasta anymore." Wait, what? So my friend orders dinner, but when the waitress forgets to put the order in it's my friend's fault? And nothing was comped on the check and when I raised that and asked for something to be taken off all she took off was 1 drink. Never going back! terrible strip mall restaurant.
(1)
Sheri D.
Love this food! Took two co-workers and they fell in love with it too!
(4)
Paul T.
Walked by this place while on vacation in the D.C. area. Not big into pasta, so ordered up a pepperoni & black olive calzone. They asked if I was willing to wait while one was made up and it didn't take long at all. A little on the small side, but dough was excellent. Being able to refill my own drink was a plus, too. Hate waiting for a refill in the middle of a meal. Waitress was friendly. Hi Mary!
(3)
Greg W.
While many will complain that the pizza is a tad pricey, it is still the best slice you can get in Silver Spring. Beats Flippin' any day of the week, especially thanks to their dozen+ offerings of different slice toppings (compared to Flippin Pizza's 4 or 5) Quality is there, with rich sauce and the proper cheese. Havent tried their pasta dishes but I hear good things. The quick service and spacious seating area is also a major plus for a quick lunch
(4)
Tom B.
Big hat, no cattle. The take away pizza may be OK, but "dining" in at the Silver Spring location is not a good experience. The menu and wine prices are very high given the cheesy, red plastic, "Denny's-like" ambiance of the eating space, which is located in a less than tranquil and badly aging Eisenhower-era shopping center. The tables for two are jammed so closely together in one section that fit, regular sized adults can barely get into and out of the seats. The "server" did not know the specials and did not bother to find them out for us, and could not coherently answer even the most basic questions about the regular menu or the wines. The Caesar salad was made with bottled Ranch dressing, and the manager had the gall to try and tell me I was mistaken, and that was "how it was supposed to be". The "server" brought the entrees out BEFORE we had even started the salads, and brought them back repeatedly every two minutes or so while the salads were being eaten. The pasta dishes were gluey and tasteless, and cold after having been carried hither and yon repeatedly by our alleged waiter, who appeared to be high as a kite. The manager would not cut us a break for the extraordinarily bad service or the Ranch dressing on the Caesar salad. I left so angry that I felt like driving my car right thru the front doors. Don't bother with this mess, especially when there are so many really fine and fun eateries in Silver Spring now.
(1)
Jonathan B.
Great place to grab a slice of pizza, but the order-at-the-counter style seems better suited for lunch than dinner.
(4)
KiKi L.
Delicious! I haven't even tried their pizza (which made my mouth water with abandon while waiting for my salad), but their employees are feisty and fun and their Greek salad with chicken is awesome! It comes with three thick slices of their delicious buttered bread.
(4)
Angel B.
It's not the best Italian. But the portions are generous, and the service is prompt. I've ever only had the pasta dishes, and I've never been displeased. The gelato is GREAT! Good luck finding a parking space in the vast lot that also serves as parking spaces for a Giant, other restaurants and an apartment complex. Mama Lucia is plentiful, good, hearty Italian food that is reasonably priced.
(4)
Scott S.
Mamma Lucia has the best pizza in the Silver Spring area. This location in particular has a large selection of pizza by the slice options that are all delicious. They don't just have regular style pizzas either, they have interesting creations such as chicken parm pizza, and alfredo chicken, and a fantastic pizza with bbq sauce. They have great "new style" Italian pasta dishes as well, but the pizza at this location is the best. I much prefer the pasta dishes at the Rockville location.
(4)
Natalie O.
Family and I just moved to the area two weeks ago and decided to try the local establishments out. We will never return for pasta here ever again. The restaurant is not as big as any nation wide chain, but at 6:00 on a Saturday there was no wait for a party of four or under. That's probably because the floor-to-ceiling windows will bake anyone unfortunate enough to be seated near them! It was uncomfortably hot and could easily be fixed with some sun screens or window coverings. The bread and dipping sauce was tasty and refilled quickly (as were the drinks), though I think I could make better at home. The salads were of good portion, with a tad too much dressing. Then came the true bummer: dinner. We ordered the oil and cheese (whoops, I mean the lasagna), the chicken parmesan, and the pasta norcina. The lasagna was the worst I have ever seen in my life. It is literally layers of pasta, oil, and cheese topped with some marina sauce. My sister took two bites and left it alone. The chicken parmesan was alright, large enough portion, but was not anything to write home about according to my brother-in-law. I liked the pasta norcina, but it was way overpriced at 14 when it was home-style quality. Gellato is always expensive anywhere you go and so we passed on the 2.50 for a small cup temptation. CVS and Giant is right next door if it sparks your interest. We did not try the pizza, but I'm not sure I want to come back after this. Save yourself the money and trouble and find a pasta recipe online somewhere.
(1)
N S.
WAY WAY WAY overpriced. It is the closest you can get to NY pizza in that area, but prices are ridiculous for essentially your neighborhood pizzeria. Haven't been impressed with the entrees.
(3)
Priya M.
My hubby and I went here a few times for their ny style pizza. It comes out oily, hot and delicious. They also give you bread and garlic butter/oil for dipping and it is delicious. We definately like this place and will continue to go here. The next time I go I want to try their pasta dishes but from the reviews they don't sound too good. I may have to stick with the pizza then.
(4)
Becky T.
Star rating is based on the pasta dishes the bf and I got. I got the italian sausage dish which was average, which sucks though because it was like $15 or something like that and I could have made the same thing at home that tasted better for under $5. My bf got the server's recommendation of this chicken spinach pasta, which was the biggest mistake because the creamy white sauce that it was served with was so bland and the chicken itself was underseasoned. In order to make it palatable he had to take some of my tomato based sauce to mix in with his. We were very disappointed. If I ever go back it will be to try the pizza.
(2)
Betsy G.
Support a locally owned restaurant that has great food, good prices, friendly people, and even better pizza! The entrees are large and tasty and the employees are all cheerful, welcoming, and competent. The prices are a little high for the "atmosphere" but the food is good. Buy local and try Mama Lucia!
(5)
Vivian K.
so you're craving a simple but good cheese pizza where the cheese is piping hot and it trails really far when you grab a slice off the pie.... you want the tomato sauce to be just right, where it's not too much sauce but it just coats the crust and makes each bite just as juicy and as flavorful as the next... and that crust, you want it to be soo good you want to eat the end crust too.. that's where this place can satisfy all your needs... the pizza is huge, and although pricey, i do believe its worth every penny.. THE FOOD: you can get cannolis, pastas, thin, and thick crust pizzas by the slice or by the pie.. the gelati is fabulous and even if you're not a big sweets person like i am, you still haveta have a lil' bit of their creamy gelati.. the portions are huge for the price you pay, and the calamari is light and tasty. what's another two pounds of fat, when it tastes soo good when it goes down??? THE PRICE: now good pizza is not always cheap.. a 16 inch cheese pizza is prolli going to be $20 bones but your'e going to be very well fed since it is 16 inches of finesse. now i always thought how much more different can this pizza be compared to papa johns which is like 3 pizzas for 12 bucks or something? but once you've had it you can't go back.. if you're not gonna do it for yourself, at least do it for your date who won't appreciate the quantity vs. quality ideal you hold. THE SERVICE: the place is a sit down, but for lunch you order first and they bring it to you.. on the weeknites and weekends, the waitresses are friendly and are definitely helpful when you ask for suggestions.. calamari was great and caesar salad is decent. THE ATMOSPHERE: it's a pizza place.. so no candles, and no lady and tramp setting for you to share a string of pasta... the 3 year old next to you will grab your hair if your'e not careful.. and every once in a while you get the occasional baby crying and loud chef yelling about how the order's ready.. but hey.. who cares once you're in heaven after the first bite. the only thing you should be indulging in at mamma lucias is your taste buds havin' sex with the tomato sauce.. besides, after this pizza and after the amount you're gonna eat, you're not gonna want to have sex with your potbelly hangin out.. so just relax, enjoy, and fork out the well worth it $20 bones.
(5)
Brad W.
I have been going here for almost 5 years, as they are right across the street from my work. Food is good, but as of right now they appear to have a roach problem. There have been more than one citing by my coworkers within the last couple of weeks, including in prepared food. I am sure they will get this under control eventually, but you might want to reconsider in the short-term.
(1)
Nan W.
It's hard to think of a reason to go here. Chain food. Sauce made from tomato paste. Cheese slathered all over everything to hide the utter lack of soul, imagination, decent ingredients. And it isn't even cheap!! 'Nuff said.
(1)
Krista A.
Wish I had read these reviews. Got dragged there by my teeny-bopper daughter. This was without a doubt one of the worst restaurant experiences I've had. The food was bland, overpriced and completely without any saving grace. The only thing that saved the meal was our waiter's attentiveness and good nature and willingness to replace dishes that we obviously weren't eating. A meal for four with one small pizza, one appetizer, 1 salad, 2 entrees (one was pasta, the other chicken...although it tasted like rubber) and 2 lemonades cost--hold your hats--68.00. I actually gave the waiter a big tip--why penalize him for having to serve the horrible food. Do not go here.
(1)
Jim F.
I am an Italian born and raised in N.Y. But the reason for this post has nothing to do with the quality, authenticity, or value of the food. Today I was having lunch with a friend when a customer came in and very angrily slammed down his bag of takeout on the counter. He pulled from the bag a piece of bread with a dead cock roach laying on top. The man behind the counter very embarrassed reached into the cash register and handed the man back his cash. No real apology or attempt to get the man's name or number to perhaps pass on to the owners so maybe they could make it right with the customer. The man walked out and said " I will never come here again" By the way, this happened right in front of about ten other customers just about to order their food. Now I know it is tough controlling everything that happens in a business especially a busy restaurant. However, that man will most likely tell many people of this experience and maybe even share on sites like this for hundreds to view. Next time make it right! never let the customer leave that angry.
(1)
christopher m.
Having been to the Mama Lucia's in Bethesda several times, I have to say that this one in Silver Spring just doesn't live up to the ML Bethesda's quality. First of all the garlic bread seems like they took old bread from last week, poured some Wishbone Italian dressing on it and baked it too long. The pasta is often bad and the sauce is not like other good Italian restaurants in the DC area. And if you are looking for good pizza see Vance's or 2 Amy's. The only saving grace is the mussels are cheap and overall hard to ruin. Unless the other restaurants in the area are not open, avoid this ML.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
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Pizza
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Eric T.
I have been ordering from Mama Lucia's in Silver Spring for the past six or seven years and while it is not gourmet Italian they always do a great job. I usually order out when I am overwhelmed and my wife and I just don't have time to cook. This has become more of a necessity over the past three and half years, because I have three and a half year old twin boys. My wife has been out of town and I have been on major Daddy Duty. I usually call with no menu in hand and the exceptional staff walks me through the choices and always delivers before the quoted time. Well this past Saturday they came through again and kept myself and my boys very happy. They loved the chicken tenders and fries and the next night noshed on the spaghetti and meat balls. I went with the meat lovers Stromboli and it was delicious! Thanks guys for making my life a little easier and keep up the good work!!
(5)Tim S.
Food was very good. Was a great place to stop for a nice lunch. Staff was friendly and made good recommendations since I had never been there before. A little pricy, yet it was a very good meal.
(4)M L.
This place is sub-par. I ordered a NY style cheese pizza, a side of meatballs and the fried zucchini for delivery. The pizza was a little flimsy, personally I like my thin crust pizza to be crunchy, perhaps I should have ordered it well-done. The pizza was okay, not terrible, but not worth going back for. The meatballs were very dry. No matter how much marinara I put on them they still tasted dry. The zucchini chips were my favorite part. They could have been crispier, but it's understandable that they were a little soggy since I ordered this for delivery. I will say that the customer service was good, but I think the place is a little overpriced. My bill came out to be $36, which I found to be a bit much given that the food wasn't even good.
(2)Chandani C.
I only had coffee and dessert when I visited yesterday, but I had to write this review because the service here is exceptional! From the moment I walked in to the moment I walked out - the entire staff was so polite, kind, and attentive. As for the food, I did have dinner here a few years ago and remember it being good. I don't know if the food is still the same, but you will definitely receive wonderful service and feel very welcome here.
(5)Koral S.
I appreciate this place in the neighborhood. Good place for slices of pizza. I've only tried a few things. All have been good. The mushroom Ravioli was outstanding (new to the menu). Things are overpriced and might feel worth if dining in, but I doubt it since everything is too much considering the quality, quantity and location.
(3)Rhianna B.
Mama Lucia's is a DC chain restaurant which is basically a glorified Olive Garden. I like it better though because the food is better and it has a local feel. The wine list is extensive, but on more than one occasion I've ordered something and they've told me they don't have it. They give you bread and garlic/Parmesan olive oil when you first sit down which is unique and delicious! Their menu is HUGE! They offer the basic pastas then a ton of specialty dishes with various meats and seafood. They have pizza and subs too, but the pasta is just too good to pass up! I've tried the arrabiata, marinara, and vodka sauces which are all delicious and the pastas are perfectly cooked. The chicken is delicious and the perfect thickness, but don't hold your breath if you order something stuffed in the chicken because it won't be substantial. Service is hit or miss. I've had great servers but I've also had to wait 15 minutes before anyone talked to me. They also have a gelato bar and on Mondays, they have a deal on pasta.
(4)Keila H.
I used to live right around corner from this place and never thought to go in. Bad idea. I stopped in yesterday and the food was fantastic, plus prompt and awesomely friendly service for a good price. I didn't realize it was a chain, but it is one I would continue to frequent if it were nearby (come to VA!) BONUS: the large portion size kept me from having to cook dinner today. Amen.
(5)Michael T. R.
We were recommended by a friend to try this pizza place, and after our first delivery order, I'm not sure our money was well spent. The pizza was way too expensive ($22), greasy, flat, and generally tasteless. We ordered buffalo wings with it, and while the wings were meaty and the outside crispy, but hardly any buffalo sauce at all. It's like they put a few drops of buffalo sauce on the raw chicken before breading and frying them, and called them buffalo wings. We also ordered a caesar salad, which was the only item we ordered that actually tasted like it should. In the same breath, it was highly overpriced for the amount we received (which was only enough lettuce to feed a rabbit). For me, what really did it was the delivery driver. It was raining heavily when he arrived, and rather than getting out of his car to bring it up, the delivery driver asked us to come down from our third floor apartment to get the pizza ourselves. He said he would "wait down by the stairs for a few minutes." Taken aback, I insisted that he come deliver it, since that's his job, and he took at least 5 minutes to get out of his car to bring it up, I would assume waiting for the rain to let up. I get that these guys have difficult jobs, and generally pay for their own gas when delivering, but that request was a tad outrageous. I'm not coming out into the rain because you don't want to do your job, man, sorry. All-in-all, I don't think we would repeat.
(1)Kelley G.
The gluten free pasta dishes are delish. I go to Mama Lucia's at least once a week. The food is well seasoned and well prepared. The portions are large enough for two people to split. Try the gluten free mostaccioli, and any salad with salmon or chicken.
(4)Katie G.
We came back for the pizza...now we know what the fuss is all about. Great New York style pizza. Got it twice in one week...oops.
(4)Jacquelyn W.
When I was first apartment hunting in the DC area (nearly 4 years ago), my parents and I checked out the Blairs. After going there and having some time before the next appointment, we decided to stop at Mamma Lucia's. Coming from NJ just outside of NYC, we literally went to check out the pizza situation. Pizza's a staple, so if you can't find a good place to grab a quick slice you're screwed. I was more than happy with the quality of their pizza. The sauce has a bit of sweetness that isn't standard for a NY-slice, but I really liked it and have continued to frequent this location. Their pasta dishes are also very tasty. Baked ravioli and gnocci (when it's on the menu) are my absolute favorites. The prices range, but overall I think it's pretty reasonable. I've brought friends from NJ & NYC here and they've all been impressed. Looking forward to getting my next slice!
(4)Lex G.
If I could give .5 stars I would, and the half star would be for the kind waitress only! I came in on a Sunday afternoon, hungry for some homemade Italian food. I ordered carbonara pasta and my friend ordered pesto pasta. The food came out in a reasonable amount of time. The carbonara pasta was WAY too thick. There was literally a puddle of grease on the bottom of the plate, just congealing as it puddled around the pasta. It was hard to stay hungry while looking at that. The sauce was clumpy and fatty, tasted more like diabetes than pasta sauce! The pesto was not very good. I've bought store brand pesto in a jar that tasted better. The pesto was dry and not very flavorful. I'm a terrible cook, and this tasted worse than my cooking (which says a lot). The worst part was the PRICE. Pasta starts in the mid teens and go to the early 20s once you add any meat. I've eaten pasta in NYC that tasted better and was half the price, and we all know NYC should cost more than Silver Spring. I genuinely feel bad that their food was so bad. The owners and waitstaff were very nice people. But the food was utterly terrible, and the prices were outrageous. If you're going to charge so much, I expect it to be a quality product. But this stuff wasn't worth $5! If you're considering going here, save yourself disappointment and money. Check out somewhere else.
(1)Rahul M.
Food was terrible - their garlic bread was sliced bread you find in a store with garlic butter poured over it. Things never got better from there. Pizza looked better, but didnt have it. The pastas we had were sub par at best. Waiter also offered a sangria on the house if we buy one. They were both on the bill when the bill came. Was too annoyed by then to try to fix it. We just tipped below what we normally would have and walked out.
(1)Elle F.
My husband's comment to you yelpers is "don't pay full price!" Come on a night when there is a special and your perception of how good the food is will be much, much higher. On a Wed night, when the wines are half priced, we ventured from the Blair apartments to try some pasta. I ordered the salmon special, which was a full fillet of salmon on a bed of spinach with shrimps and a side of penne pasta. This dish had way too much marinara sauce and it desperately needed more flavor. My hubbie ordered a seafood special with fettuccini Alfredo. The dish had a generous amount of shrimp, crab, and scallops. But again, the food was missing the pizzaz we were hoping for. Tons of food that lacks in flavor but the specials make up for it. Especially the Monday one for a second dish at $3.99 and the Wed one for half priced wines. But if you want EXCELLENT Italian, go to Olazzo. The prices are not that much different.
(2)Amanda D.
I have finally found the closest thing to a real NY slice. And the gelato? Fuggedddabbbouutit. Best pizza in the DC area hands down. Staff is courteous and offer military discount. We crave this place now.
(5)Michelle B.
I like Mamma Lucia. I don't recall ever having a bad meal over the past year since I first stopped in. The first time was for lunch on my first day at my new job. I got a slice of pizza, and it was pretty good. Since then, I have ordered whole pies to take home, tried the chicken parmesan sub, and the gelato. All items were equally enjoyable, and I will continue to order food from this location. The people are always friendly, and the food is always fresh which is wonderful to me.
(4)Gaftie M.
This rating is based on the pizza. To be called an italian eatery I was a little disappointed. Maybe its the 5 years Ive worked in an italian establishment or the fact that I just visited Italy a couple weeks ago but this place is still just ok. At $5 a slice and $20 a pie you should not be serving canned mushrooms, cheap mozzarella and bagged meats as pizza toppings. I guess the profit margin is going into that sleek ride I saw the (I assume) owner/manager get into. I may try the pasta one day.
(3)Ling W.
Great family owned restaurant. They sell pizza by the slice as well as having a complete restaurant menu. Some day I'll try the gelato.
(4)Karol L.
Best Pizza in DTSS hands down. Mamma Lucia is great for delivery, pick p on in the restaurant. It is very family friendly which helps when you need to go out with the kids.
(5)Regan H.
I'm wondering by the good reviews if I ordered the wrong item. I always see people at Mama Lucia's so I figured it must be pretty good but I was wrong! I ordered the chicken carboligini (sp?) to go and it was AWFUL. I was tempted to call and complain and ask to have the meal refunded because I never tasted worse Italian food. I'm giving it 2 stars because I'm hoping that I just picked a bad dish. However, I don't think I'll return anytime soon.
(2)Ritzie C.
I never saw myself writing a review for Mamma Lucia's but what the hell ... I ate there. I'll admit it. And truth be told, it did not suck! I actually went for a random lunch on Sunday. The Captain and I could not agree on a restaurant to save our lives but then he remembered ... he had a gift certificate here. Well, that's reason enough for me. Mamma Lucia's it is. I ordered risotto balls (or Shwetty balls, as I shall now call them) as an appetizer and a small portion of spaghetti carbonara as my entree. The Shwetty balls were delicious. Panko coated, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside with a nibble of beef in the center. Perfect. I'm certain that as soon as I finish typing this I'll regret it, but here goes ... (wait for it) ... the spaghetti carbonara had too much bacon in it. Whaaaa? There's a such thing as "too much bacon"?! Yes! It's true. There was too much. But the dish itself was rich and quite tasty. Although I may not order it again, I wasn't displeased with the dish. Give Mamma Lucia's a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.
(3)Libby F.
I've lived a mile away from this place ever since it opened, and this is the first time I've been here. There once was a Mamma Lucia's in Aspen Hill when I lived there almost 20 years ago that I frequented often. I liked the bread basket slices and the garlicky butter spread for starters. I could of had just that and a salad and been happy. But... I shared a 14" mushroom and feta pizza with my friend. It's really quite large with six generous-sized slices. It's a good pizza, but I was surprised and disappointed, being that it's a "down home Italian cooking" restaurant and they use canned mushrooms! No Italian Mamma would do that! If I return, I will most definitely not order a pizza with mushrooms, which is my favorite topping. $18.00 (w/ 2 toppings) isn't all that cheap. The calamari appetizer was awful! $12.50 for rubbery rings and a few of the tentacle kind. The menu says 'fresh squid", but I beg to disagree. If you are a calamari fan, please, please go to 8407 Kitchen bar and get the best and freshest calamari in Silver Spring (It's walking distance from here!). Plus it's much cheaper AND you get more. The best thing about this restaurant though is the men behind the counter, especially the older gentleman who treats you like family. My friend's daughter passed away last year, leaving her to care for her nine year old son. Mamma Lucia's was a place he and his mother frequently visited and everyone knew them. The workers had a good rapport with the boy then, but now when his grandma brings him in they entertain him, and give him a small piece of pizza dough to swirl and take home. He loves going here, and it makes me happy to know that a group of caring individuals would take the time to show kindness to a boy who has suffered a great loss.
(3)Deborah N.
Gelato! They have gelato! It's tasty and good and refreshing. Easy and free parking lot. Takeout pasta is great - and they will sell you a lunch portion at dinnertime. Same two guys have been at the counter for 10 years!
(4)Chris C.
It's a chain and I've been to 3 of them. This is the best Italian I have found in the area. Is it better than NYC Italian, not a chance, but I like it. I always get the pink sauce seafood pasta which I think is awesome. The bread they give out is also great. Portions are big as they should be given the price of an entree and you usually don't need to order an appetizer. I can't say anything about the pizza, but I doubt anything in the area comes even remotely close to NYC.
(4)Angela T.
It's a little hit and miss. The pizza is pretty good. The pasta is decent. I've had dishes that felt like they weren't prepared with the care I expect given their prices. The basic pasta sometimes has sauce that is too runny and doesn't stick to the pasta. Salads are fresh but not anything special. The service tends to be good. The bread is delicious. My toddler asks to go here specifically for the bread. Stay away from the chicken tenders on the kids menu. I don't know what you have to do to make tenders that tough without burning them, but apparently their chef does. Even the new ones they made were awful. Overall we've had good experiences here and will go back.
(3)Sam S.
I've only been here twice. For me it's a 3.5 kind of place but I'll probably be back whenever I'm in the mood. First time I came I ordered bake ziti and I added chicken to it. Wow!!! The sauce on this is phenomenal!!! Was surprised by the amount of flavor. Plus its a good sauce to dip it with the bread they give you. Second time I got the baked ziti and shrimp scampi pasta. Baked ziti hit the spot. Shrimp scampi had 0 flavor. Also for $21 I only got 4 pieces of shrimp. I get a bag of shrimp for way less than that at Giant. I believe on Monday and Tuesday they have specials on their pizza and pasta so maybe I'll do that next. I say get something tomatoey if you decide to come. Bon apetito :)
(4)Lorena B.
Mamma Lucia's is overpriced and I can definitely make better lasagna myself (and I'm not even Italian). That said, I hate Mondays. By 5 p.m. every Monday, I rue living in workaholic America. I just want to pick up dinner on the way to the metro so I can stuff my face without having to cook. So when I discovered that ML has a buy one pasta and get the second for $4 deal on Monday, suddenly it didn't seem so bad. Certainly it was more wallet friendly. Truthfully, I like the lasagna. It's cheesy, made with beef, and beats Stouffer's. The portion is huge and I can save half for lunch the next day. Plus the pastas come with a side salad and garlic bread. Actually, I really like their bread since it's doused with oil and red pepper flakes. I can't speak for any other pasta dishes myself but my dad really likes the spaghetti and meatballs. Of course, he also refuses to eat anywhere where a Hanes white tee is outside of the dress code, so accept that endorsement at your own risk.
(3)Kenny C.
Elly was a great server!!! Risotto balls with mozzarella and beef was flavorless. Penne with Italian sausage saved the day.
(2)Monica S.
Not exactly crazy good Italian! I have had better! In saying this it was not horrible either. Their pasta is cooked al dente the way I like it! I cannot stand mushy pasta! Also their white/alfredo sauce was rather tasty. I did not care for the chicken with my pasta. It tasted kind of on the rubbery side, like over cooked. Would I go back? Probably not for the lunch or dinner, but maybe for dessert. The service was however excellent and the people are all very kind! It is a little pricey for lunch. I spent $11.25 for my meal which included bread and just fountain water.
(2)Val A.
first time here, new to the area, got a mothers day special eggplant and chicken stack, delicious!
(5)Tawana A.
I am surprised with the low reviews. I've been living in the SS area for almost 2 years and, because of the number of patrons I saw in the restaurant, decided to give it a try. My boyfriend and I dined there a few weeks ago and LOVED the food! The reason I'm giving this a 4 star because all the desserts I wanted they were out of. Last night I picked up a calzone and a lasagne pizza. I'm assuming the calzone was good (that was my boyfriends) but I can say the pizza was AMAZING!! Best pizza I've ever had! And the service at Mamma's was FANTASTIC! They are very personable and friendly! That I would give 5 stars. Oh. They were out of the desserts I wanted too. :-( Maybe the third time will be the charm.
(4)Brian G.
good food but very over priced for their location.
(3)Tim H.
The reference point is Olive Garden, as noted by other reviews. ML wins on menu, which is more expansive and interesting, and ambiance, which is less contrived. The price is a bit higher, though, and it's not clear what justifies that premium. I've only had pasta dishes, which were ample and well prepared, but not particularly unique. OG at least has one thing it absolutely nails (breadsticks), and as far as I can tell ML has nothing so memorable. Our service at this location was very good, and it was of course clean and neat. It benefits from not having particularly impressive competition in the area, but if you're in Silver Spring and want Italian, try Sergio's in the Hilton. I can't think of a reason to choose ML given that option.
(2)Traci V.
Visiting DC and saw some good reviews on this restaurant so we decided to give them a try. When first walking in it doesn't feel like an Italian restaurant (more like a diner atmosphere) but they start you off with some delicious bread and dipping sauce and you can tell its going to be a good meal. We started off with Caesar salads which were excellent, and then shared a pasta dish that was Delicious! I can't remember the name but it was an Alfredo sauce and they give you two large chicken breasts and enough pasta that both my husband and myself were full after our meal. The server was friendly and food came out pretty quickly. Excellent experience, I would highly recommend trying them out if you're in the area.
(4)Bridget M.
We decided to try this on a whim because it's around the corner from my apartment and we were craving Italian. In terms of food, what we got was really good--the penne vodka I ordered was excellent (and a huge portion--I had it for dinner the next day, too), and the mozzerella fritte as an appetizer also hit the spot. The bread you are given once you sit down is amazing--drizzled with this red, pepper-y oil. On the way out, I ordered gelato to go, and I was impressed with this, too. This place loses a star for service, though. Our waiter was a disinterested young man who was inattentive and did the bare minimum--took our order, dropped off our food, and brought us the check without even asking if we wanted dessert. When we got drink refills, it was another employee who had come and asked if we needed another drink. A bus boy asked us if we would like another serving of bread. So, OK, I correct my previous statement--the service is good, but the particular waiter we had sucked. Note: We ordered pizza as take-out on another occasion, and it was excellent. (I'd recommend it with meatball!)
(4)Corbin S.
So, this place is overpriced and I'm surprised people actually eat there more than once. I got my order delivered, so I can't comment on the service of the restaurant. However, the food is TERRIBLE! Delivery or dine-in, there's no helping the quality of that food. I ordered the "Pollo Marsala" b/c it's one of my favorite dishes, plus really easy to make and almost impossible to mess up. Well, Mamma Lucia's really REALLY messed up that recipe. I've had better marsala sauce out of a bottle! There was no flavor and my meal tasted watered down. The pasta was watery and the chicken tasted like it was sitting in water b/c there was absolutely no flavor. My girlfriend ordered the "Penne Vodka Sauce" and I've made better pasta dishes myself. How do you smother pasta in vodka sauce and cheese and come out with a dish that tastes like there's only a tablespoon of sauce on the whole thing?!?! There was absolutely no kick to either of the two meals. There's more flavor to a plain rice cake compared to whatever it is that we ordered! And how about that garlic bread?! Thanks for the slice of Italian bread that only had garlic and butter in the center, Mamma Lucia. The only decent thing that came with our meals were our Greek salads that we both nibbled at. We actually ordered garden salads, but I'm not upset that they got it wrong b/c I needed that dressing to dip my chicken into. I guess that's what we get for taking a break from cooking dinner one night. We were in the mood for Italian food and ended up EXTREMELY disappointed. Next time either one of us isn't in the mood to cook, I guess a pizza joint is the easy fix.
(2)James C.
Shame this place only has 3 star average, should be at LEAST 4 stars. Everyone there treats us like king and queen, the way it should be! Food is amazing -- so again, I say, I'm frustrated some on here are giving this place 1 and 2 stars
(5)Marisa B.
I would probably give this place a 3.5 if I could. I miss NY-style pizza sometimes, and their pizza is the closest I can get to it within walking distance from my home. However, I consider this a pizza place, full stop. My friend tried "Italian" food here: a simple seafood dish with marinara sauce. Clearly, the cooks have little experience making anything close to Italian (or Italian-American) food: the marinara sauce consisted of red sauteed olive oil and whatever kinds of grease they use. It was inedible, and we did complain (I've worked in the food industry before and do not like doing this), but the server just apologized and that was that.
(3)Natasha S.
I've returned again maybe a few more times in a span of a couple years. While I really like some of the pastas, I can't always eat pasta. So because I am watching my weight and diet, I decided to order a salad this time. I ordered the grilled seafood salad, which was generous in size. The seafood was good, but the lettuce could have been fresher. The dressing also wasn't that great, so stick to oil vinegar. My girlfriend ordered a shrimp pasta, which I resisted on trying. It looked amazing, an she seemed to love it. We had a fried mozzarella appetizer which was a tad burnt and overcooked. That was a bummer. The service was good, but for these prices I think I will probably stick to more authentic Italian places....
(3)Joseph G.
I never expected the pizza to be amazing or similar to NY, but I definitely didn't expect the large pepperoni and large BBQ chicken pie to be as disappointing as it was. I really wanted more than anything to like this pizza being that the owner is from a city in New York right next to where I grew up. I was told by the owner that the dough would never be the same as New York which I completely understood. The Pizza was doughy and just hard to get down. The worst part is that everyone is feeling the after effects of the pizza by feeling like we have a brick in our stomachs. The cheese, sauce and chicken were not bad at all, but the dough really destroyed it. When I called today to give the on duty manager a heads up, he didn't seem to really care and trying to make it seem as though the pizza is never like that. Spending almost 45 dollars on 2 pies and not enjoying any of it was not only a waste of money, but a waste of time and calories considering it was a "cheat" day for some of my family on a diet. I will definitely not be ordering from Mamma Lucia again.
(1)Hailey H.
I don't eat Italian out very much - but we needed a kid friendly place near the metro and this fit the bill. In the future, I'll be eating elsewhere. EVERYTHING comes with pasta! Okay, fine, ninety five percent of the menu. Even the salmon special that was ordered came with a side of pasta on another plate! I tried to order the mussels in marinara appetizer (and even said the word "appetizer" as I was ordering) to avoid the carb overload and I received the mussels on pasta entree instead. Knowing very well that I'd probably be eating the same exact mussels if I sent it back, I kept it, but I later realized that was silly because it was a $6 price difference. yes, six dollars for noodles. (okay, fine, and maybe four more mussels. still.) There wasn't much (if any) emphasis on the pizza side at this location. Yes, it was on the menu, but I didn't see one person order anything other than pasta the whole time we were there (and that was a while). They also sell gelato (looked good, didn't try). Our server was just fine, my side greek salad was nicely made (though my dressing on the side could have come in something other than a plastic to-go container) and the components tasted as they should, but when the bill came we were oddly surprised at how everything quickly added up, especially since the only reason we were mildly satisfied was because of our stomachs full of pasta, not because it really felt worth it/tasted that great. I think I'd rather go to an OG, and I haven't stepped in one of those in years.
(2)Emily V.
This place is "lunch friendly." What I mean by that, is your expectations aren't super high for lunch food. You know, it's your office cafeteria or Chipotle or someplace like this. Under that criteria it fits the bill. I always get pizza with a side Greek salad. Is it the best pizza in town? Definitely not. But there are huge slices, the salad's average but good, and there's free garlic bread on the side. You can get stuffed on $7 or so which rocks. Service is friendly and super quick and there's a big seating area. If you're one of those people who eats gelato in the middle of the workday, there's a huge gelato bar. Some wine selection, but nothing special. Overall, a good lunch choice for when your expectations aren't too high.
(3)Stephanie C.
It's all about the Gelato. You can get what's been called "decent Italian" here or at the other location on the Pike, but skip the lines to get into the Chinese place across the street and stop by for some Gelato, some of the best and most homemade in the area. Call ahead to see when they make it and what the flavor spread is for the day. It's worth a visit. Located by the Giant on E-W Highway.
(5)Monica T.
This spot was nicely located across the street from where I was working while spending a week in Silver Spring, so I ended up eating two lunches here on my trip. Both were extremely pleasant. The first time, I ordered the Mussels Arrabiata, which didn't seem so angry but still had a nice flavor. They gave a generous portion of fresh, tasty mussels, so I appreciated that. The second time, I had the Penne alla Vodka. The sauce hit that perfect balance between tomato and cream, and the sausage bits were a nice touch. The prices weren't too bad, the service was quick and matter-of-fact, but always friendly. They had sparkling water in the soda fountain. I have no complaints. This was my favorite lunch spot of the week.
(4)Hilary G.
Mamma Lucia's is packed during lunch for some reason, so be forewarned. It was chaotic and the woman was on the phone taking orders so I didn't get a chance to pay until after I got my food, which took over 20 minutes. The eggplant sandwich was ok, but way too fried. The eggplant is thinly sliced and fried so the ratio of batter to eggplant is way off. The sauce that came with it tasted too much like vinegar as well. Most of the options here are overpriced, especially considering the cheap atmosphere. The biggest plus about Mamma Lucia's is the gelato.
(2)Nicole M.
I've heard so much about this place, so I decided to give it a go. I'm use to authentic NY style pizza as I am from up north. This place was not the answer I paid damn near $8.00 for two lousy slices and they were lousy. If you want decent pizza go to flippin pizza or pete's new haven style pizza which are right up the street.
(2)Mike S.
The food is good. Maybe not up to the level of expensive Italian restaurants, but it's casual and not expensive. They give you a lot in the pasta dishes. You might not have room for the gelato or cannoli, though somehow I always seem to find room. :-) The service is always good. I haven't had a problem even when it's full.
(4)Shakeem B.
My first but certainly not my last visit! Everything about this place makes me want to come back. From the garlic bread to the gelato to the customer service. I can't wait to return to try some more of their dishes. The calamari is good but could use more seasoning. The lamb and mashed potatoes are DIVINE! I just ate the rest for lunch today. Great portion sizes. True to the Italian food customs
(4)Cheryl L.
My cousin introduced me to this place. She kept talking about the lasagna here, so when I went to visit her we had to go. The lasagna is HOT and cheesy, which I love. There's something about the type of cheese they use--it's so creamy and addictive! I was stuffed and I still had about half of the meal to take home and eat later. I can understand the complaints about it being crowded. We went in the evening and it wasn't bad, but I can see how it could get really packed during peak hours.
(4)Mark S.
Got dinner here with my girlfriend after work on Friday. We had heard a decent amount of people say that this restaurant is good.. so we decided to give it a try. PROS: We both ordered pastas.. I ordered some spicy marina penne pasta dish (forgot the name) and my girlfriend ordered the ravioli rosa (ravioli in red sauce). The pastas were delicious and they give you a good amount of food. The service was pretty good and the waitress gave us their daily specials that weren't listed on the menu. CONS: The bread they give you.. felt like it had been sitting around for awhile. It was kind of chewy/stale. Seems like they baked it in the oven... then just let it sit there. They give you a salad too with your order (at least for pasta).. we got the house salad.. it wasn't that great. The price was fairly expensive for 'pasta'.. but I guess in downtown silver spring.. that's how it is. it was like $14 for each plate of pasta before tax. But it does come with a salad. 4 stars because the price was ehh for meatless pasta.. and the bread/salad weren't that great. pasta was delicious though.
(4)Katelyn K.
Mamma Lucia's is hit or miss. I have had some incredible meals here with friendly and quick service during dinner and some other not so pleasant experiences where it seemed like the meal took hours. The food is good, but not incredible. They are also fairly expensive for pizza and pasta compared to most places in the area. We are just looking for convenience for food, we usually end up elsewhere for a faster and cheaper bite.
(3)Shane B.
This place is really *not* all that. It is very overpriced, and it always smells better than it tastes. The pasta sauces have a very cheap feel to them (I have never had the pizza). Someone else said Olive Garden quality at twice the price, but I feel that is too generous. This not as good as Olive Garden.
(2)McKinley J.
4 stars for the food - pizza was delicious, bolognese was out-of-this-world...benissimo! 2 stars for the service. My only complaint and don't get me wrong - I like attentive waiters/waitresses, but PUH-LEEEZZ, let me get the food in my mouth before you come over and ask me how it is or before you take the bowl away! I haven't even touched the food yet and you are cleaning up my table? I guess she was anxious to get us out the door.
(3)Patrick T.
I had initially resisted coming here because the place looks so much like a cheap national chain from the outside. Even the interior is needlessly crappy. But I am glad that I did go in. The food is quite good. From the pizza to the pasta to the seafood to the gelato. You would never guess from the outside that this place would have such good food, but it does. This place is also a favorite of my wife and mine for take out. I can call ahead and on my way home from work pick up a great meal of pasta and mussels or stuffed ravioli or another one of their great dishes. It's also a good place for takeout pizza. My advice to the owners would be to spruce this place up a bit. Walking by you can see a fountain drink station that makes this place seem like a fast food joint. That fountain drink station isn't for customers, but you don't know that unless you go in there. The only bad experience I've had is that I've had a few things that I ordered over the phone have come out incorrectly. Make sure you give your order clearly and slowly, as the guy who answers the phone doesn't always get it right (it's loud and frenetic at their register/phone). Also, you should double check what you have ordered. If this place fixed their phone ordering issues and made the interior more inviting and intimate, it could really be something. Don't let this book's cover (and inside pages) fool you. The food is well worth it.
(4)Isabelle L.
The pizza was good. They give you Italian portions which is great. The service could be a little better.
(3)Julieth M.
I can't deny that their pizza and gelato are so good.,although I think it is too pricey and their food it's not that good!! If you want to go to a nice Italian restaurant.,go to Christina's restorante!! Food it's delicious and prices are worth the food!!
(2)Clay R.
Poor service. Overpriced food. Won't return.
(1)Anthony N.
For DC/MD/VA this place has pretty good pizza and pasta. Doesnt meet my NJ/NYC standards, but isnt bad. Wide variety available daily. Pasta dishes are also good. Perfect for a quick lunch meeting, and dresses up pretty nice for dinner. Pizza is a little pricey, pasta dishes are more reasonable for what you get. Give it a shot.
(4)Jason T.
Giving 2 stars because customer service needs improvement and order was wrong. I would not recommend this place. Of course there are not many options for Italian cuisine in Silver Spring. If I am craving Italian I will just put it off. Unhappy customer.
(2)Richard N.
I've been patronizing Mamma Lucia's since their early days in Rockville near the old putt putt course (long gone). I live in NW DC across the park, but regularly drive over for take-out pizza. Mamma Lucia's makes one of the best NY-style pizzas in the DC area. From time to time, my family and I have eaten here as well. Not the best atmosphere (cross between a carry-out and nicer sit down restaurant), the pasta is generally quite good. The house salad dressing is a bit tart. The bread is okay, but not great. Stick with the pizza and you can't lose out.
(4)Bryony B.
This place is really close to my boyfriends apartment and is easy to walk to. The food has a lot of fat in it, but of course that makes it taste good. Their pizza is suprisingly really good.....its kind of more of a thinner crust. I think the bread with the cheesy oil is actually good here...but again, terrible for you. My boyfriend ordered a pasta called ravioli romana, which is cheese ravioli in a cream sauce....wow, this dish was amazing. They also have wine/beer, which kind of surprised me, since the place almost looks like a better version of cici's. Every time I go the waitress is helpful in making suggestions for which wine i might like and both times has been nice in letting me get my pizza with two completely different halves (sauce included!). They let you try the wines before you order some, which is a plus since you can almost get a free glass before you even buy one if you try a couple. Lastly, this place has gelatto....supposedly the only location which does. I tried oreos and cream when I was there and was underwhelmed, but will go back to make sure it wasn't a fluke since i've heard good things from everyone else. This place is zagat rated too and on mondays, you can get your second pasta dish for $3.99.
(4)Rob B.
Great pizza but the best gelato in silver spring.
(4)Lacey P.
We have never dined in at the restaurant, but we have taken out from this restaurant many, many times. We've tried multiple pizzas-- they're all delicious-- really great pizza. I've tried the fettucini which was good, but VERY fattening and made me feel a little gross aterwards. The garlic bread is okay and the salads are medicore. The best part might just be the gelato... get the snickers gelato, amazing!
(3)Amber D.
I live less than a block away and am convinced the only reason this place is ever busy is because of the location. Between the metro and Giant they have a steady stream of customers for food that is often average and unmemorable at best. We've tried almost everything but their pizza and not one thing has been worth returning for. It's decent enough if you're exhausted and in a hurry but otherwise there are much better Italian places within 5 minutes.
(2)Sarah L.
To be honest, I don't even know how this place is still in business. I've had better food at Olive Garden - and at 1/3 of the price. I've been to Mamma Lucia three times in the last three years. I've experienced burned eggplant parmigiana, cold and undercooked ravioli, and lately, a pizza with barely any cheese, dried out chicken, and inexplicably salty sauce. Usually when I find a place with just plain awful food I can usually say "at least it's cheap." Not here. I ordered delivery this past weekend and it cost $64 for one large pizza and a chicken parmigiana dinner. Utter crap. The only reason I gave it two stars is the service. They're usually nice, courteous, and prompt. But good service cannot make up for the abysmal and overpriced food. 3 strikes and Mamma Lucia is out. I'm never eating there again. Order Dominoes or Pizza Hut, it's 100x better and you get what you pay for.
(2)B. C.
The food was delicious (I had the pesto chicken ravioli and gelato). Unfortunately, afterwards the waitress told us there was a problem with the POS system and our credit cards couldn't go through. Like fools, we waited about an hour for the system to go back up before she asked us if we'd like to pay in cash. We were without our cards the whole time. When we said we didn't have enough cash on us, she was miraculously able to swipe our cards at a different register. The next day someone tried to buy $2000+ worth of jewelry online with my credit card. I wish I had stopped at the ATM on the way. I would've rated the food very highly (like a 4), but now the whole experience is marred by what seems to be a dishonest employee.
(2)Rohan P.
I should give Mamma Lucia's a terrible rating. But I can't. I like it. I bought two jumbo slices of pizza for lunch one day. The cost was $8.00. Sounds normal, right? Well, they ran it up as $80.00, and charged my debit card. I signed the receipt without noticing, but saw it on my bank statement a few days later. Although I had to come back twice after discovering it, once to talk to the guy in charge of the debit receipts, and another to make sure the charge was revoked, all-in-all it wasn't as terrible as it could have been. They were genuinely apologetic, and offered me a free slice. And the pizza is good. I guess that's why I continue to go. It's NY style, which to me means large, oily, fatty slices. Yum. The pastas are pretty good, though not great, and we ordered a large pizza there once, and that was pretty good too. Sure, it is expensive, but the owners are front and center, take pride in their local chain enterprise, and the service makes for a quick, yummy lunch.
(3)Scot W.
Mamma Lucia offers some pretty good pasta dishes and a solid pizza. Their pizza is good, if a little greasy, with good cheese and good sauce. The crust can sometimes get a little soggy from the greasiness of the cheese, but other than that, no real complaints. Their pastas are almost always pretty good; they give you a healthy portion and their sauces are flavorful. I like most of their seafood type pastas, especially a couple of the specials with lobster or shrimp that come and go from the roster. Their salads are reasonable as is their calamari. Actually, the calamari themselves are fairly tasteless, but the marinara sauce that comes on the side is delicious. It is not a sparkling, deluxe restaurant by any means; another reviewer said that the place is dirty. I disagree with that but would say that they are certainly not the paragon of sparkliness or class. The food is solid, the service is friendly and fast, the rest is tacky but, ultimately, less important than the food and the reasonable prices.
(3)Kevin J.
Really, I go in and grab a quick lunch occasionally, so I have not tried any sit-down dishes. However, I was extremely happy because before Mama Lucia there was no place to get by-the-slice pizza around Silver Spring. Their portions are good and they heat it up well so it doesn't taste like old pizza. I also like their pepperoni rolls (like a stromboli). I would recommend these to anyone. Cons are sometimes the wait is a little long and it gets crowded when trying to order or pick up your to-go. Nothing that I would avoid the store about, though.
(3)Jung-Ah P.
I just realized how much I dine alone, and that people must think I'm quite strange as I coo over my food and perform a photo shoot before (or sometimes in the middle of) the feast. I must say I have been eating out alone more since I started writing Tasty Bites entries - I used to hate doing that, but now I have a purpose for doing so. It's research, you see. So this one fine afternoon, I stopped in at CVS at Blair Park, and on the way out decided to grab a bite to eat at Mama Lucia's which is next door. For research, of course. I have never been, so I wasn't sure how the place worked. It seemed a little bit disorganized, you walk up to the counter and there are 3 men taking orders/payment. They are all very nice, but they are also loud and want to know what you want to order as soon as you walk in. I looked at the menu and I wanted to try everything as I was quite hungry. I debated between a pizza or a pasta, decided to get a pasta, then had to choose from about 20 different items, gah!! I wanted carbs but also some seafood, so linguine alla mare chiara sounded perfect. I ordered my food and a bottle of water from one man, paid another man, and then yet another man appeared from (I promise this is what happened) under the counter and handed me the water. The man I ordered from told me to sit at any table, so I did, all the while wondering how the food was going to find me, since the dining room was pretty full. Lunch rush, I guess, it was about 1:30pm. About 10 minutes later, a young lady came by with a basket of bread and my pasta. How did she know it was mine? How did she know where I was? It was like magic!! I took a bite of the pasta with one of the clams, and oh! It was exactly what I wanted - yummy pasta with yummy sauce with yummy seafood. As a lady pretending to watch her girlish figure, I didn't touch the bread basket, but the contents seemed pretty old and stale. The pasta was of good texture, not overcooked, the seafood was delish, the shrimp, clams and calamari tasted fresh and didn't have the strange, synthetic texture that frozen seafood sometimes have. The sauce was decent, not magnificent, but it was good enough to hit the spot. It was a pretty hefty portion and I'm a little embarrassed to say that I ate the whole thing. After checking my email and Facebook on my phone, I managed to remove myself from the table and waddle out of the restaurant. If I get a chance to go back, I would really like to try the spaghetti aglio e olio and the penne norcina. They have a couple of specials - Monday nights are pasta nights, where you can get a second pasta dish for $3.99 and Tuesday nights are pizza nights, where you can get a second pizza for $2.99. Oh carbs, you're so delicious. Tasty tasty!!
(3)Mallory C.
As stated in earlier reviews, the ordering process is...different. I had 3 people help me with my order of 1 slice of pizza. Maybe it works better with larger groups. The thing you need to know is this. They use canned mushrooms on the pizza. The crust was good and the sauce decent, but nothing can make canned mushrooms OK.
(2)Asha A.
I went here during lunch and ordered a Sicilian. It wasn't bad. Heavy lunch crowd but not packed.
(3)Zachary H.
Mamma Lucia's is one step below Macaroni Grill and one step above Denny's. The prices imply illusions of grandeur. I so worked here in high school. On our first and likely only visit, we had their pasta carbonara and the penne zucchini. The penne was bad. Zero flavor in the sauce and the pasta was very much overcooked. The carbonara was decent. Nice sized pieces of bacon, nice white sauce, though a bit heavy, and the serving was far too much. On the service, our server - Mike A - was ok, but he spent most of the dinner at the table next to ours talking to a fellow patron about other job opportunities that he was exploring. This was tacky and made it difficult to get his attention at times. Thanks Mamma Lucia. You didn't totally suck, but we'll go to Macaroni Grill the next time we want mediocre Italian food.
(2)Brennan S.
Mamma Lucia's is a local chain. The food is not authentic italian, not in the slightest. Nor is it flavorful. The pizza is the definition of subpar, and the pasta dishes, well, week old leftovers are better than here. Considering the abysmal quality of the food, it is vastly overpriced. As the food is quite deplorable, I can only think of one redeeming quality for Mamma Lucia's - the foppishly dressed proprietor! The gourmand said to his friend, "Depart this place, and return, nevermore"
(1)Alexis D.
i RARELY eat italian food outside of NY (or other places with sizeable, established italian communities ...) For some mysterious reason, knowing I would almost certainly hate myself afterwards, I ventured into an italian restaurant in the DC-metro area instead of going home and making a delicious pasta meal for myself. I sat down and in my line of sight were box upon box of DeCecco pasta (the same brand my mom uses at home in the BX!!!) At the end of my first meal there, I decided to let the owner know that the food was the best I've had outside of NY and that his macaroni was the same kind my mom used - he told me "are u kidding im from the bronx!?!?!" which was the golden seal of approval in my eyes So I've eaten the spaghetti carbonara on EVERY occasion i've been here - always wonderful (and its one of my fav foods on earth) the matriciana is solid, as is the shrip fra diavolo,c hicken piccata was nice, the linguine con vongole was the bomb. Salad tastes like good arthur avenue //morris park italian restaurant house salad very good sign Only thing that wasnt really up to snuff were teh calamari - not crispy, a lil chewy... id never tried them again after that first and only subpar experience, so it could have been a fluke, but i wont be the one to test that theory Overall very solid italian dining experience - and for being south of the mason dixon line, that is quite a feat! And to the dude who said this is a step below macaroni grill, he CLEARLY has a different taste criteria for italian food.......
(4)Josh O.
Yet another convenient lunch place from my new job! Just tried out Mamma Lucia's today with a group from work. Pretty decent pizza. For a place that's not in New York or New Jersey, that is. ;) I'm sure I'll be back, though in the future I think I'll probably only order one slice; I'm stuffed!
(3)Suzanne A.
We are fans, whether dining in or carrying out. What they lack in ambience, Mama Lucia's makes up for in upscale Italian food at an affordable price. A true gem. Try their weeknight specials.
(4)Laura W.
I have been here on a couple of occasions and would give Mamma Lucia's 3.5 stars. The first time I came was for some pizza, later in the evening, about 15 minutes before closing. I just ordered a couple of slices of the by-the-slice selection. I realize restaurants are busy near closing time. However, the way my group and I were treated, though, you would have thought we'd come in 5 minutes before closing asking for a sit-down table for 15 people. The manager/cashier was unnecessarily abrupt with us. Be that as it may, I returned for a sit-down dinner with my parents when they came to visit me. Mamma Lucia's is one of downtown silver spring's only offerings to the kind of sit-down family restaurant that I can take my folks too. They're picky eaters, and don't like anything "spicy" or unusual to them (which pretty much rules out anything indian, thai, mexican, greek, or tasty). They also don't want to eat anywhere they could eat "at home" such as a ruby tuesday or red lobster. So, Mamma Lucia's is a safe bet, and I will probably return here with them the next time they visit. I was pretty satisfied with what we ordered, and the service this time was much friendlier. I also liked the quiet, parent-friendly atmosphere. We ordered: spaghetti and meatballs, chicken florentine in a cream sauce, and seafood marinara with linguini. The portions, as others have noted, are plentiful. There's enough pasta on a plate for at least 3 meals. We got take out boxes and I had enough leftover for 3-4 more meals. (Unfortunately my waitress packed the boxes on their sides and a lot of the sauces leaked out). She did include extra garlic bread, though, which was very nice. I would have to say though, that my "seafood marinara" was loaded down with oil. I specifically ordered this dish because I thought it would be a healthier alternative to getting a cream-based pasta, but the amounts of oil ruled that out. I'm not sure why it was necessary to put oil on this dish, but if I ordered it again, I would request no oil. The bites I had of the chicken florentine and the spaghetti and meatballs tasted delicious so I would also try those again. The prices, as others have called attention to, are on the high side, considering the casualness of the restaurant (it's in a strip mall, so they're not kidding anyone). I think the size of the portions could be cut in half and they could decrease the prices to reflect this.
(3)Morgan O.
Terrible. They didn't even use fresh ingredients. The chicken was frozen, bread was left over from lunch and they didn't even salt the water for the pasta to cook in. a disgrace to italian food!
(1)Joanne C.
This location has much better pasta than the Bethesda, MD location. My boyfriend received gift cards for Mamma Lucia recently. We stopped in on a Monday night which turns out to be buy one pasta dish, get one at $3.99 night. Seeing as both he and I are very cheap we both got super excited. Since that first night we have gone back ONLY on Monday nights. I'm not a huge fan of their plain marinara sauce, so I ask for the rose sauce on whatever pasta dish I get that has a red sauce. Every pasta dish I've had from here is flavorful. The pasta dish also comes with a side salad. The service is nothing fantastic, however I guess I shouldn't say that. They never gotten my order wrong, and don't mind when I ask for the rose sauce. This last time we went the manager/owner (not sure which one) came out and asked how everything was. This is the first time this has happened. Overall 4 stars. I only hold off on that last star b/c I haven't tried their pizza.
(4)Lindsay H.
Mamma mia, that was possibly the most bizzare dining experience I've had lately. A friend and I stopped in for dinner on a Saturday night; the place was not completely full, but close. The two hostesses sat at two tables in the front chatting with each other--tables that could have been used to seat diners. They paid little attention to diners coming in and we were only seated after the guy at the take-out counter alerted them that we were there. My friend and I were led past several empty tables for two to a table all the way in the back next to the bathrooms and an extremely loud, crowded table occupied by a family with four small children. Eeek. "Is this ok?" the hostess asked. Ahem. Seriously? The waitress, Evelyn, was fanstastic--quick, efficient, and was apparently serving THE ENTIRE RESTAURANT. She did a great job of it, too, but I am floored that they thought two preoccupied hostesses and one waitress could take care of the entire operation. And now for the food--the bread basket with the oil and parmesan was great, and the house salad was really nice. The entree, however, was incredibly overpriced for what I got. I got the chicken parm--a simple dish that I usually order when I try any new Italian place--if they can do that well, then that bodes well for the rest of the menu. Not here. I paid $17 for a reheated, overcooked slab of chicken with rubbery processed mozzerella glued to it and a pile of overcooked spaghetti. The sauce on the spaghetti had a nice flavor, but the noodles were so overcooked and watery that it was like chewing paste. When we went to leave, we opted to walk down the counter in front of the kitchen (dusty, full of pizza that had been sitting out too long). Unopened boxes of beer and wine were stacked down the aisle--an area where customers are apparently (?) supposed to walk. It was like dining in a warehouse. I spied a nice looking pizza on someone's table, so I may try a takeout pie at some point, but I won't be dining here again. Other than the waitress--who again, did a great job--this was truly terrible.
(1)Anish P.
I really liked their pizza. It is admittedly very greasy - but I like that. The bread that they bring out (free) while you wait was pretty good (but very buttery - which, again, I like!) I will certainly eat there again and plan on trying the pasta. Although, the prices for the pasta looked pretty high so I don't know if I'll make this a regular dinner spot.
(4)Shreema M.
Let's be real -- this is a solid but unexceptional Italian-American restaurant. I wouldn't make a night out of coming here...However, I LOVE the garlic knots. Being from the NYC suburbs, I missed them a great deal and have never seen them anywhere in DC except here. And they taste like the real deal. Definitely worth going, just for the garlic knots.
(3)Kevin M.
Not much to say because this is just an average Italian place. Solid food. Decent service.
(3)G W.
So this review is long in the making, long overdue. I have taken my family to the Mama Lucia location in Silver Spring more times than I can recall. For almost a year, we faithfully went there every Friday. Their host and wait staff were excellent. They were friendly, timely and helpful. We typically went there for the pizza. Being from South Jersey, I'm a bit of a pizza snob and generally don't find the pizza here in the DMV very good. The pizza at Mama Lucia Silver Spring was in my top two, so we frequented the restaurant often. We tried many of their pasta offerings, but often found them over cooked and not too flavorful. About a year ago, I stopped bringing my family to the restaurant because I noticed that while the owner/manager would make his rounds to various tables to ask people how they enjoyed their meals, he never made his way to our table. Our children are often the most well behaved children in this extremely child friendly restaurant. They didn't wander between the tables, interrupting other diners or getting in the way of the wait staff. We usually tipped our excellent wait staff 20%-25% on each check. For whatever reason however, the owner/manager never made an attempt to stop by our table. In fact, very rarely did he even say goodbye as we walked out; something I watched him do several times to many other diners. After a year though, the excellent wait staff could no longer cover for their owner/manager. Last Friday (2/3/2012), I took my family back to Mama Lucia Silver Spring. We only saw about two familiar wait staff. The owner/manager was still there, and it looked like they brought on a new floor manager and hostess. We ordered pizza and while not as good as it was in the past, it was still better than most in this area. Towards the end of the meal, the hostess comes over to the table next to ours and basically asks them to leave. They had finished their meal and paid their bill. She then comes to our table and says that she had a long wait for tables and that if we were done, if we would leave to open up the table for others. I wouldn't have been so offended if we had paid the bill and were simply taking our time wrapping up. I can understand a restaurant turning tables. I don't agree with the approach, but I can understand the effort. However, we hadn't gotten our check. In fact, we hadn't even finished our meal and had intended to order desert. A clear expression of disgust must have come across my face because the hostess immediately back pedaled and said that it didn't matter if we left or not (to which I wondered after the fact, why then would you even bring it up?). The hostess was less than professional. If she needs to turn tables, she needs to address her wait staff to have them expedite food, communicate more frequently with their tables to see if they'll need anything else, and get them their checks. Wait staff turns tables, not hostesses. Instead, she insulted paying customers and in my case, lost one. I will never go back to Mama Lucia Silver Spring. Terrible experience. Ps...the other great pizza place is Vace in Cleveland Park (Washington, DC)
(1)Jade T.
Mamma Lucia is my favorite pizza restaurant in all of Silver Spring. Why? Here's my odd Star rating: 1 Star: Convenient Location! Mamma Lucia is about 2 blocks from the Silver Spring Metro Station, across the street from NOAA, and 4 to 5 blocks from Downtown Silver Spring and and Discovery Communications. However, parking at the shopping plaza can be chaotic due to the Giant next door. 2 Star: Atmosphere! It's relaxed, even a little upscale. Mamma Lucia is a great spot for family food outings (mind you, this isn't Chuck-E-Cheese), work lunches, and even casual dates. I assume that the restaurant is quite bustling on the weekends. 3 Star: Delicious pizza! I'm addicted to all kinds of pizzas now, but I crave New York style once in a while. They offer pizza by the slice here. The cheese pizza always comes out hot, cheesy, greasy, but oh so good! While Mamma Lucia's prices are much higher than your standard Pizza Hut, they have weekly specials. For example, Monday is Pasta Night (buy one pasta entree, get the 2nd for $3.99) and Tuesday is Pizza night (buy one large pizza, get the 2nd for $2.99). By the way, the owners are from the Bronx if you're wary of their pizza's "authenticity". 4 Star: Large portions (including pizza slices)! Enough said. 5 Star: Employees! I am greeted with smiles every time I walk in. I'm serious. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming here, especially the men at the counter. No one scoffs, sneers or sighs. Everyone has a positive attitude. (I'm a major pessimist, but my mood lifts dramatically when the food is just as good as the service.) I have only ordered carry-out, but even that is a pleasant experience. Gosh, I love these guys. Mamma Lucia is a popular spot among citizens working or living in Silver Spring. For good reason: The food is consistently good, and the employees are most gregarious. I highly recommend this place.
(5)Mahsa K.
Everyone says this place is soo great but even my cousin from NYC came to visit and we agreed it's alright. Nothing outta this world and me especially--- I am a white pizza freak and their version was very disappointing. It tasted good, if it was supposed to be REGULAR cheese, where are the CLUMPS of RICOTTA???
(2)Geo N.
If you want an I don't care about the customer attitude, call on your order... Sheesh
(2)Brent J.
My friends and I go here often. It's cheap and has great food. Sometimes we eat in. Sometimes we order for pickup. It's always a good experience.
(4)Natalie F.
My second favorite pizza in the Baltimore/Washington area. I always get carry out from here because it's fast and super convenient. The service is always friendly and helpful. I have dined in once here and found it to be really over priced as far as entrees and wine go. 9.00 for a glass of HOUSE RED?! That's absurd. So I stick to carry out. The mushroom pizza is to die for, and it goes great with their Greek salad. The location is great, so close to the Silver Spring metro and within walking distance to the "Downtown" Silver Spring mayhem.
(4)Sophie C.
Waitress was terrible. Kept knocking wine glasses, almost spilling them. Then didn't put in one person's order, so three dinners came out instead of 4. When we asked her when the 4th dinner will be coming out she said to my friend "you told me you didn't want the pasta anymore." Wait, what? So my friend orders dinner, but when the waitress forgets to put the order in it's my friend's fault? And nothing was comped on the check and when I raised that and asked for something to be taken off all she took off was 1 drink. Never going back! terrible strip mall restaurant.
(1)Sheri D.
Love this food! Took two co-workers and they fell in love with it too!
(4)Paul T.
Walked by this place while on vacation in the D.C. area. Not big into pasta, so ordered up a pepperoni & black olive calzone. They asked if I was willing to wait while one was made up and it didn't take long at all. A little on the small side, but dough was excellent. Being able to refill my own drink was a plus, too. Hate waiting for a refill in the middle of a meal. Waitress was friendly. Hi Mary!
(3)Greg W.
While many will complain that the pizza is a tad pricey, it is still the best slice you can get in Silver Spring. Beats Flippin' any day of the week, especially thanks to their dozen+ offerings of different slice toppings (compared to Flippin Pizza's 4 or 5) Quality is there, with rich sauce and the proper cheese. Havent tried their pasta dishes but I hear good things. The quick service and spacious seating area is also a major plus for a quick lunch
(4)Tom B.
Big hat, no cattle. The take away pizza may be OK, but "dining" in at the Silver Spring location is not a good experience. The menu and wine prices are very high given the cheesy, red plastic, "Denny's-like" ambiance of the eating space, which is located in a less than tranquil and badly aging Eisenhower-era shopping center. The tables for two are jammed so closely together in one section that fit, regular sized adults can barely get into and out of the seats. The "server" did not know the specials and did not bother to find them out for us, and could not coherently answer even the most basic questions about the regular menu or the wines. The Caesar salad was made with bottled Ranch dressing, and the manager had the gall to try and tell me I was mistaken, and that was "how it was supposed to be". The "server" brought the entrees out BEFORE we had even started the salads, and brought them back repeatedly every two minutes or so while the salads were being eaten. The pasta dishes were gluey and tasteless, and cold after having been carried hither and yon repeatedly by our alleged waiter, who appeared to be high as a kite. The manager would not cut us a break for the extraordinarily bad service or the Ranch dressing on the Caesar salad. I left so angry that I felt like driving my car right thru the front doors. Don't bother with this mess, especially when there are so many really fine and fun eateries in Silver Spring now.
(1)Jonathan B.
Great place to grab a slice of pizza, but the order-at-the-counter style seems better suited for lunch than dinner.
(4)KiKi L.
Delicious! I haven't even tried their pizza (which made my mouth water with abandon while waiting for my salad), but their employees are feisty and fun and their Greek salad with chicken is awesome! It comes with three thick slices of their delicious buttered bread.
(4)Angel B.
It's not the best Italian. But the portions are generous, and the service is prompt. I've ever only had the pasta dishes, and I've never been displeased. The gelato is GREAT! Good luck finding a parking space in the vast lot that also serves as parking spaces for a Giant, other restaurants and an apartment complex. Mama Lucia is plentiful, good, hearty Italian food that is reasonably priced.
(4)Scott S.
Mamma Lucia has the best pizza in the Silver Spring area. This location in particular has a large selection of pizza by the slice options that are all delicious. They don't just have regular style pizzas either, they have interesting creations such as chicken parm pizza, and alfredo chicken, and a fantastic pizza with bbq sauce. They have great "new style" Italian pasta dishes as well, but the pizza at this location is the best. I much prefer the pasta dishes at the Rockville location.
(4)Natalie O.
Family and I just moved to the area two weeks ago and decided to try the local establishments out. We will never return for pasta here ever again. The restaurant is not as big as any nation wide chain, but at 6:00 on a Saturday there was no wait for a party of four or under. That's probably because the floor-to-ceiling windows will bake anyone unfortunate enough to be seated near them! It was uncomfortably hot and could easily be fixed with some sun screens or window coverings. The bread and dipping sauce was tasty and refilled quickly (as were the drinks), though I think I could make better at home. The salads were of good portion, with a tad too much dressing. Then came the true bummer: dinner. We ordered the oil and cheese (whoops, I mean the lasagna), the chicken parmesan, and the pasta norcina. The lasagna was the worst I have ever seen in my life. It is literally layers of pasta, oil, and cheese topped with some marina sauce. My sister took two bites and left it alone. The chicken parmesan was alright, large enough portion, but was not anything to write home about according to my brother-in-law. I liked the pasta norcina, but it was way overpriced at 14 when it was home-style quality. Gellato is always expensive anywhere you go and so we passed on the 2.50 for a small cup temptation. CVS and Giant is right next door if it sparks your interest. We did not try the pizza, but I'm not sure I want to come back after this. Save yourself the money and trouble and find a pasta recipe online somewhere.
(1)N S.
WAY WAY WAY overpriced. It is the closest you can get to NY pizza in that area, but prices are ridiculous for essentially your neighborhood pizzeria. Haven't been impressed with the entrees.
(3)Priya M.
My hubby and I went here a few times for their ny style pizza. It comes out oily, hot and delicious. They also give you bread and garlic butter/oil for dipping and it is delicious. We definately like this place and will continue to go here. The next time I go I want to try their pasta dishes but from the reviews they don't sound too good. I may have to stick with the pizza then.
(4)Becky T.
Star rating is based on the pasta dishes the bf and I got. I got the italian sausage dish which was average, which sucks though because it was like $15 or something like that and I could have made the same thing at home that tasted better for under $5. My bf got the server's recommendation of this chicken spinach pasta, which was the biggest mistake because the creamy white sauce that it was served with was so bland and the chicken itself was underseasoned. In order to make it palatable he had to take some of my tomato based sauce to mix in with his. We were very disappointed. If I ever go back it will be to try the pizza.
(2)Betsy G.
Support a locally owned restaurant that has great food, good prices, friendly people, and even better pizza! The entrees are large and tasty and the employees are all cheerful, welcoming, and competent. The prices are a little high for the "atmosphere" but the food is good. Buy local and try Mama Lucia!
(5)Vivian K.
so you're craving a simple but good cheese pizza where the cheese is piping hot and it trails really far when you grab a slice off the pie.... you want the tomato sauce to be just right, where it's not too much sauce but it just coats the crust and makes each bite just as juicy and as flavorful as the next... and that crust, you want it to be soo good you want to eat the end crust too.. that's where this place can satisfy all your needs... the pizza is huge, and although pricey, i do believe its worth every penny.. THE FOOD: you can get cannolis, pastas, thin, and thick crust pizzas by the slice or by the pie.. the gelati is fabulous and even if you're not a big sweets person like i am, you still haveta have a lil' bit of their creamy gelati.. the portions are huge for the price you pay, and the calamari is light and tasty. what's another two pounds of fat, when it tastes soo good when it goes down??? THE PRICE: now good pizza is not always cheap.. a 16 inch cheese pizza is prolli going to be $20 bones but your'e going to be very well fed since it is 16 inches of finesse. now i always thought how much more different can this pizza be compared to papa johns which is like 3 pizzas for 12 bucks or something? but once you've had it you can't go back.. if you're not gonna do it for yourself, at least do it for your date who won't appreciate the quantity vs. quality ideal you hold. THE SERVICE: the place is a sit down, but for lunch you order first and they bring it to you.. on the weeknites and weekends, the waitresses are friendly and are definitely helpful when you ask for suggestions.. calamari was great and caesar salad is decent. THE ATMOSPHERE: it's a pizza place.. so no candles, and no lady and tramp setting for you to share a string of pasta... the 3 year old next to you will grab your hair if your'e not careful.. and every once in a while you get the occasional baby crying and loud chef yelling about how the order's ready.. but hey.. who cares once you're in heaven after the first bite. the only thing you should be indulging in at mamma lucias is your taste buds havin' sex with the tomato sauce.. besides, after this pizza and after the amount you're gonna eat, you're not gonna want to have sex with your potbelly hangin out.. so just relax, enjoy, and fork out the well worth it $20 bones.
(5)Brad W.
I have been going here for almost 5 years, as they are right across the street from my work. Food is good, but as of right now they appear to have a roach problem. There have been more than one citing by my coworkers within the last couple of weeks, including in prepared food. I am sure they will get this under control eventually, but you might want to reconsider in the short-term.
(1)Nan W.
It's hard to think of a reason to go here. Chain food. Sauce made from tomato paste. Cheese slathered all over everything to hide the utter lack of soul, imagination, decent ingredients. And it isn't even cheap!! 'Nuff said.
(1)Krista A.
Wish I had read these reviews. Got dragged there by my teeny-bopper daughter. This was without a doubt one of the worst restaurant experiences I've had. The food was bland, overpriced and completely without any saving grace. The only thing that saved the meal was our waiter's attentiveness and good nature and willingness to replace dishes that we obviously weren't eating. A meal for four with one small pizza, one appetizer, 1 salad, 2 entrees (one was pasta, the other chicken...although it tasted like rubber) and 2 lemonades cost--hold your hats--68.00. I actually gave the waiter a big tip--why penalize him for having to serve the horrible food. Do not go here.
(1)Jim F.
I am an Italian born and raised in N.Y. But the reason for this post has nothing to do with the quality, authenticity, or value of the food. Today I was having lunch with a friend when a customer came in and very angrily slammed down his bag of takeout on the counter. He pulled from the bag a piece of bread with a dead cock roach laying on top. The man behind the counter very embarrassed reached into the cash register and handed the man back his cash. No real apology or attempt to get the man's name or number to perhaps pass on to the owners so maybe they could make it right with the customer. The man walked out and said " I will never come here again" By the way, this happened right in front of about ten other customers just about to order their food. Now I know it is tough controlling everything that happens in a business especially a busy restaurant. However, that man will most likely tell many people of this experience and maybe even share on sites like this for hundreds to view. Next time make it right! never let the customer leave that angry.
(1)christopher m.
Having been to the Mama Lucia's in Bethesda several times, I have to say that this one in Silver Spring just doesn't live up to the ML Bethesda's quality. First of all the garlic bread seems like they took old bread from last week, poured some Wishbone Italian dressing on it and baked it too long. The pasta is often bad and the sauce is not like other good Italian restaurants in the DC area. And if you are looking for good pizza see Vance's or 2 Amy's. The only saving grace is the mussels are cheap and overall hard to ruin. Unless the other restaurants in the area are not open, avoid this ML.
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