Authentic Italian dining with a curated wine experience in the heart of Oakland.
MAMA Oakland offers a refined Italian dining experience with a focus on seasonal, fixed-course menus and an extensive, thoughtfully curated wine list. Located on Grand Ave, we provide both indoor and outdoor seating in a warm, inviting atmosphere. Our dishes, from herbed focaccia to mushroom risotto and meatballs, are crafted with high-quality ingredients to delight food enthusiasts and wine lovers alike. Perfect for celebrations, date nights, or casual gatherings, we prioritize attentive service and a memorable culinary journey. Reservations are recommended to secure your spot.
Seasonal three-course menus featuring dishes like mushroom risotto, pesto pasta, and house-made meatballs, with options for dietary restrictions.
An extensive wine list with detailed descriptions, offering thoughtful pairings to complement our Italian cuisine.
Comfortable dining options including a patio for al fresco meals and a cozy interior with a lively atmosphere.
Ideal for birthdays and events, with attentive service and a focus on creating memorable dining experiences.
Convenient to-go options for leftovers, ensuring you can enjoy our flavors at home.
There was a lot about mama that should merit four star or five star experience. Reasonably priced with a great Wine list. So what went wrong? We arrived at 6 o’clock and we’re seated outside. throughout of the meal we were rushed through every course. The worst was the main where they attempted to clear our plates three or four times by different people before we had finished. Wine glasses were routinely filled while still half full. And the general sense was they wanted you out of there which they did to us by 715. I understand the need to have many seatings but if you’re gonna have a 6 o’clock reservation an hour and 15 minutes is not enough to enjoy dinner. I would also add that the main course ravioli Sugo was very tomato driven after the waiter explained to me that it was primarily meat and not very acidic. It was. Other courses were delicious especially the appetizers. Thid could’ve been averted if they had warned us, and we would not have made the reservation.
Excellent set meals with an extensive and very tempting wine list. Service was spectacular. We sat outside which we enjoyed due to the cool fall air and low noise. Inside has a nice atmosphere but be ready to compete with everyone else’s conversations. Highly recommend reservations
We opted this restaurant to celebrate my birthday and I am so glad we did. They have a 3 course fixed menu with few add on options. Even though they have such limited options, they ensure that every dietary restriction can be met with the available options. We started with the add on herbed focaccia bread which was served with mascarpone cheese and a house made jam. The bread was just perfectly baked and flavoured. We loved it. For the appetizer course we had chicken soup with butternut squash pieces. This was also a very well balanced dish and we loved it. For the main course we had a mushroom risotto and pesto pasta with ragu sauce. The risotto was delicious with a drizzle of truffle oil. The ragu sauce in pesto pasta added a very good flavor and my husband enjoyed it. He also ordered their famous meatballs and loved them. The portion sizes for the three course meal are enough to fill you up. We had to take the meatballs leftovers togo. For the dessert we had almond cake and espresso budino. Both the deserts were not overly sweet and had perfect balance. Overall we had a great experience and we will be looking forward to their new menu to go back and try it again.
I get that they have tight table turnover scheduling, but the food doesn't warrant that kind of pressure. The pre-fixe menu was okay, some of the flavor combos were lackluster. And so salty! They swore the chicken was the most popular addition but I can't tell why. Plus, they knew it was a birthday but no one said or did anything towards it. We don't have to repeat the experience.
Have never had a miss even though the menu changes frequently. I have been coming here for five years with some regularity and truly always enjoy it. The wine list has some of the most thoughtful descriptions I’ve ever seen (and great options).
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