MAMA Oakland

It's February and I'm outside with two heaters turned up high and a blanket, and a friendly sever taking my order Leek soup was lovely with nice chunks of meat potato and herb things Focaccia add on was good with kumquat jellySugo had Al dente pasta and great meaty sauce risotto was very rich ( contains cream) with nice herby notes Portions are small but with all 3 courses we are full and it's a very fair price If you were showing a loved one Lake Merritt and needed a romantic or comfortable place for dinner, great choice. Good neighborhood spot Dessert light chocolate One glass of wineIf you dine outside there is some noise from loud people: revving motorcycles, blasting stereos. Total was $142. Not the cheapest. Still reasonable, warm, great service and food. We will be back

Came without a reservation and the host was kind enough to squeeze us in last minute! Extra points for that. The prix fixe menu was $40 with a gratuity fee. It was good! Definitely worth trying. I think my order of what I liked best was: dessert, entree, and starters. I'd say get the mushroom soup, and add on the foccacia to dip in it. The foccacia was definitely on the hard end for bread, I prefer soft bread, but it was a good addition for the starters. Both pastas are solid, and both desserts were great. I'd say we definitely felt a little rushed between the courses, but overall service was attentive. Cute little restaurant with a date like ambiance! I don't think I would return but I would recommend for those interested to try it out.

Love Mama, one of my favorite restaurants in Oakland. A rotating menu kept at $40 for a prix fixe, appropriate portions, beautiful presentation. When the 4:30 sunsets and rainy weather get me down, I think about Mama's summer menu with their medley of sweet, perfectly ripe tomatoes, and it inspires me to push through. Also their wine selection is outta control! My partner and I got a bottle of really nice Barolo for about $40. Ugh, can't wait to go back.

My experience at Mama's was awesome! Came in on a Wednesday night with reservations and was seated immediately. The service was incredible. The waiter was so kind and so knowledgeable - for example, I asked a question about the Caesar dressing and got a whole breakdown on how the dressing is made. So helpful!As an indecisive person, I also greatly appreciated the prefix menu - This or that. The food was amazing, especially the focaccia bread! My only disappointment was the dessert, but it was simply because I didn't like the flavor. Everything about it was fresh and the presentation was awesome. I'm just a chocolate girly in general.

This place is an absolute gem in Oakland! After hearing about this place from friends, I came here with my boyfriend to try it out! A definite highlight of this place is that for $40 per person, you get a 3-course prix fixe meal. There are additional things to add on for extra. There are outdoor and indoor seating options with a chef's counter seat that you can reserve. For this visit, my boyfriend and I sat at the chef's counter and it was a real treat! I felt like I got a glimpse into The Bear TV show. The inside is lively and clean. Throughout the meal, the service was stand-out and very friendly. Our server filled our waters promptly and explained what we were about to eat. For the first course, I had the roasted potato and fennel soup. This soup was creamy and had a nice flavor from the sausage in it. My boyfriend and I also got the focaccia add-on for an additional $6. It came with a persimmon jam and ricotta. The focaccia itself was definitely worth it and the texture was perfectly spongy. For the entree, I got the Mafaldine and Mama's Sugo. The pasta was cooked al dente and the tomato braised beef was delicious. The rich beef flavor really comes through and marries nicely to the tomato sauce. My boyfriend got the lemon ricotta lumache. I tried his and it was also very good. The zing of the lemon really comes through and the pasta was cooked perfectly. For dessert, I had the saffron poached pear. I was initially unsure if I would like this flavor combination but I was really surprised by how much I liked it. The saffron taste was subtle and not too over-powering. The olive oil cake was very moist. I tried my boyfriend's dessert which was a dark chocolate tart and it was also very tasty. Overall, I will be coming back to this restaurant. I think this would be a good place for a celebration or just to get together with friends. The service was great and the food was even better!

I don't know how its taken me so long to write a review for Mama - I love coming here and bring friends and family here too. It is such an incredibly reasonably priced meal for the quality you get. For $40 per person, you get a 3 course prix fixe meal to start - an appetizer, a pasta, and a dessert. We always add the housemade focaccia. They have an optional entree add-on - which I think could be worth if you had at least 4+ people but for 2 people, it was too much with our 3 courses + bread.They also add a 20% gratuity to the bill so you dont need to add additional tip when it comes - which I appreciate because I hate doing the math myself! All in all, for about $100, my husband and I can treat ourselves to a nice date night with good food where we leave full and happy! Since there are two options of each item offered, we get to try everything on the menu and pick our favorites. The menu rotates regularly, depending on the season. We have enjoyed every version of the menu we've had so far.They offer indoor and outdoor seating. I love grabbing a seat at the chef's counter so I can watch the staff put together the plates before they come out. Generally recommend getting a reservation if you're planning on going on a weekend especially. Street parking only.

Incredible date spot. Went on a Monday night for a date. We sat at the chefs counter. It was very fun to watch the kitchen operate. The chefs and staff work so well together. Everyone seemed to enjoy their coworkers and the job itself. Very pleasant experience with the staff.The food was my favorite Italian in Oakland. The starter was a smoked chicken soup. It had great flavor and presentation. The pasta/kale/ chicken came in a bowl and they poured the soup base from a tea pot. Initially I was very concerned I wouldn't like the kale or that the kale my ruin the dish. I was so wrong. It was the best part and it was all good. Added on the house baked focaccia and it was so good. The herbs and oil on it were perfect. The side spread was fantastic too. Would come just for the bread and spread. The entree was a flat wide noodle with a great sauce. Noodles were perfect and the sauce and meat had so much flavor. Added on the meat balls. The interior was juicy and good but the exterior was kind of tough and leathery. I was 100 percent sure the meatballs would be my favorite. They were probably my least favorite, still ok. Added on the Fried Pork Short ribs. A little heavy. A little fatty. The hot mustard was good with it, but the sweet calabrian chili oil was beyond good. Helped cut right through the heavy/ fat and made it one delicious flavor. Meat, sweet and heat. We each had different deserts. The Olive oil cake won in our opinions. The chocolate cheesecake was very semi sweet. I did love the bourbon cherries it was served with though. Great dining experience. Will definitely be back. Thank you for having us.

We tried Mama Oakland for the first time last night. Everything about the evening was perfect. We were seated at the chef's table and could watch all the action in the kitchen. The wait staff were attentive and kind. The food was absolutely delicious and the wine recommendations were amazing! The honey soaked brioche in the panna cotta reminded me of Korean Yakgwa that my mother used to make! Brought me home!

I've had this place bookmarked for a long time since it was recommended by a few people. They offer a 3-course prix fixe dinner for $39.95 per person. I decided to make a reservation for my family to celebrate my dad's birthday. I made the mistake of reserving that same week on Resy so ended up with an 8:15pm reservation. I wasn't sure about the ambiance for outdoor seating so decided on dining room instead, which is a better choice in my opinion. We found parking in the neighborhood but had to make a loop first. We arrived a couple minutes before our reservation, and we were immediately seated. The restaurant itself is not that big with only a handful of tables available and they were all full, which is why making a reservation is crucial. I don't think they would be able to accommodate walk-ins. I really liked the moody and romantic ambiance that the restaurant gives. Since there was 4 of us, and two options to choose from per course, we decided to order one from each. I really enjoyed the salad and the bisque. They were both full of flavorful and the perfect start to the meal. I wasn't a fan of the pesto pasta since it was room temperature and more al dente. The sauce for the ricotta lasagna on the other hand was to die for. It was hearty and the braised pork was tender. The desserts were too sweet, especially the Dulce de Leche Tart. Overall, a great restaurant in Oakland to try at least once. Not sure how often they change your their menu but it is available on their website. FYI they do charge a mandatory 20% service charge to all checks.

The food was great. But weirdly the restaurant was really cold, where it became uncomfortable. We also got asked to hurry up which rubbed me the wrong way. But staff and food was amazing:)