Mama Nina’s Foccacheria : User Reviews

Just wanted to let RIADOZZO know that needs to be educated! My daughter still works there and still gets treated like crap from Nino...he's just a miserable little man who cuts corners all the time in order to increase profits..again I suggest PAOLO's...the reason he stopped working for Nino when he had Pan e Vino is because Paolo wouldn't compromise on quality as Nino wanted!

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I have eaten at Mama Nia's several times in the last two years and it has been consistently great food. I do not get the rolls covered in garlic but my husband does he really enjoys them. The crab cake appetizer is my all time favorite. The place is quite cramped. We always have leftovers. We have eaten inside and out. I prefer inside. I have not seen or heard rude comments while there. I have Also Eaten at Paolo's Mentioned in another review and the food is really good too you can tell it is the same style of cooking. We ate there int he winter and the host people were very rude and told us to wait outside in the cold. We had a reservations and they were late not us. But the service was great when our party was seated and the waitress was very nice. I think the prices are very fair. We have lucked out I guess we have not had to wait but I have definitely seen parties wait.

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the people who write these neg reviews have no class. If you go to a rest that is that small and that packed get yelled at for sitting too long then you deserve it. BE RESPECTFUL to the people who are waiting. And to the one guy who cried about paying 100 dollars for 4 people you are obviously cheap because any where you go anymore costs 100 dollars and you barely get left overs maybe mc donalds will be better for u. To the other person who bitched about getting over seasoned garlic bread for FREE while waiting why didn't you just say no thanks!! I have eaten there millions of times never had a problem. OHHH... to the guy who's daughter worked there maybe she just was a sucky server/ hostes/ busgirl who needed to get yelled at for not doing a good job. You people should appreciate good quality food. If you DONT like abything there then cook your selves dinner cuz they are amazing. WOW that felt good now i know why people write reviews. THANKS MAMMA NINAS FOR BEING THE BEST ITALIAN REST IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY

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I went out with my parents, uncle and his partner. We knew prior that it was going to be busy, it almost always is. And just as we suspected, the place was packed. We were told a 15 minute wait from the owner. Not a single table was open, and the restaurant is sort of tiny so I understand things can get pretty stressful. We patiently waited and chatted amongst each other. There was a large party ahead of us and when the table was ready, half the of the party weren't even there! Of course the guy who just set up your table was annoyed. Hell even I was annoyed with them. They were causing a scene and disturbing the people eating outside. Nino threatens to get rid of their table and they finally shut it. When our table is getting arranged Nino was extremely polite and let us in. Okay so we had a four person both with a table awkwardly shoved on the end (that would be my seat). I'm easy to please and starving so I just shut up and sat down. The waitress was a little..forgetful but no one's perfect. The food was INCREDIBLE. I'm not generally a fan of florentine but that was amazing. Everyone else was very satisfied. I had some guy way too close to me (from being shoved to the end of the table) who was coughing all over me. We also had the window view. So besides from the guy hacking his brains out on me, and being crammed in way way too tight I had a good experience and plan on going back. Yum!

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I work in downtown Bethlehem and have had the opportunity to eat at Mama Nina's 3 times in the past year. The first time we sat outside. The service was slow and the food marginally tasty at best. The 2nd time was in the winter so sat inside. Food was very good on that trip. Had a salad with fresh greens, light tasty dressing and fresh parmesan. The seating inside was very cramped and uncomfortable but the food made up for it.

This last time we ate there was last week. Sat outside again where I realized I could easily fall into oncoming traffic if I wasn't careful when getting up. The chains that should be on the posts that line the street to keep people safe were missing. Maybe the owner needed to squeeze an extra table or two in. Anyway, the food this time was again disappointing. Ordered the same salad I had in the winter. The greens were limp. My salad consisted of just greens and dressing....no fresh parmesan. After 15 minutes finally got the waitresses attention and asked about the cheese. She told us they were out of parmesan. How can an Italian restaurant be out of parmesan? I was there at 11:45 for lunch, the restaurant had not been open long. In addition they were out of two of the daily specials. Again, how can that be at 11:45 in the morning? They had to have run out the night before but no one could be bothered to pick up fresh supplied in the morning before opening. I also wish I had been advised of the lack of parmesan up front as that makes the Caesar Salad I had ordered. Had I thought of it at the time I would have asked for a credit for an incomplete salad. I think 7.50 is a bit steep for greens and dressing.

On various occasions we have walked by the restaurant during lunch time. The owner tends to park his vehicle in the limited on street parking. If the parking spot in front of his restaurant isn't open he'll double park creating a safety hazard on Main St. I would think he would want to leave the on street parking for his customers.

To sum it up....keep on walking by when tempted to stop. The prices do not warrant the food or ambiance.

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Burned spaghetti, dry bread hardly qualifies as a decent meal. After my first experience at this restaurant in which the eggplant parmigiana consisted of half cooked eggplant in a watered down sauce with globby cheese I decided to try it again after about 7 months. This time it was take out. The burned spaghetti sauce was so noticeable I was offended that the chef would attempt to pass this off as palatable. The sauce was filled with burned pot scrapings. I tasked the sauce and it was bitter from having been burned. I guest they thought I would not notice it or would not care. Also this was served during prime time dinner hour at 6:30p. If you like decent food, DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!! The prices are too high for the quality of food that's served inside.
This place is for folks who don't know how to cook and who do not know what good food really tastes like. 2 awful experiences with the food here. STAY AWAY!!!!!

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This is my second visit to the restaurant - thought I would give it a second chance after a year's time in between. Owners are RUDE; staff walk around like chicken's without heads and do not care about the customers; food took way too long to come out; the same five songs were played over and over again. The food is not bad but it doesn't make up for the feeling of not being care about, of the packed room where there is no space, where the servers are on top of you and each other, running around constantly without caring about your dining experience. This place is a mess!

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We took my 17 yo, her bf, my 12 yo, and two grandmothers to eat around 5 p.m. on a Monday night. It was empty except for one other table for nearly the whole experience. We shared salads, appetizers, entrees and skipped dessert. The adult women had compiimentary wine. The waitreess was very flexible and helpful taking our order and setting us up for sharing. The bill came to $112 and we had a good size meal to take home. We loved the balsamic calameri. I enjoyed the creamy taste of the alfredo sauce. It wasn't cheesy enough for the rest though. The pita outlasted it's brushetta but we used it with other salads. Overhall we were very satisfied with the food and service.

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I have taken friends and family to Mama's and it is always great to go there. The owners are always nice and generous with the food and the smiles. It reminds us (friends) of the small restaurants in Italy. It is great to see this in the downtown.
We have gone there early and late. If we were told it was going to be a wait then we walked around and shopped at a few stores.
Of course it is crowded and it would not be polite to squat there all night, but I have never been asked to leave. However, maybe my friends and I know when to arrive and leave.
The negative reviews seem to be rather rude themselves. When the person who stated that they stayed longer even after being asked to leave, and reported that they yelled a rude response as well. A small restaurant has a character and ambience all of its own, but not everyone can appreciate it. If you want a lot of room, eat at a chain restaurant at the mall and leave the seats for us who love the people there and enjoy the food.

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First 2 times there in Summer were OK,k Food pretty goodk, and Main St. is a good people watching place.

Last 2 visits - similar to others below - Owners are rudek, 2 (that's 2 people) had to wait over an hour for our dinners & they kept trying to shove over seasoned garlic knots down our throats the entire time.

After we finally got our dinner we were also TOLD to leave because of "HAVING TO TURN OVER TABLES" as they so poliety put it. I ignored their order to do so until they were actually almost threatening me & my wife. I left no tip because of all the absurditiesk, and they loudly called me out on it while leaving. I told them they deserved less that what I leftk, and they continued moaning about it in front of all of their other customers. No class.

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