Mandola's Italian Kitchen

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It’s Mirandavia Google

3 months ago

Came to visit a well praised Italian place as my boyfriend and I are local Houstonians on a trip to Austin. As a pasta lover, I was disappointed with how the fettuccine from my chicken Parmesan dish turned out. Sauce was thin and watery, not much thickness or flavor. Chicken was thin and dry with what looked like a slab of precut cheese thrown on top. My boyfriend got the gnocchi with meat sauce which was honestly better but felt like it was missing something. Service was as good as it can be when it comes to walking up to place your order at a cashier counter and having the food brought to you. Took some tiramisu to go and had some the next day. Not sure if alcohol is used at all in the recipe but it sure did taste like it. Later that night (as I was throwing it away) I realized there was an expiration sticker on the bottom of the tiramisu and it had already been 3 days past best by date when we actually went to the restaurant to eat. (Best by 12/15, went to eat on the 18th). I had very high hopes with this restaurant and was very disappointed on deciding to eat here. The good part of our meal was sadly only the bread they offer for starting and the Caesar salad.

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Abbie Chen Linvia Google

4 months ago

Date of Visit: varies. Food: 10/10 Drinks: 9/10 Price: 9/10 Service: 10/10 Ambience/Atmosphere: 10/10 Food/Drinks: I have tried two pastas: the tomato meatball spaghetti and the fettuccini spaghetti. Both were spectacular. I am usually not a fan of meatballs, but the meatballs from this restaurant are really yummy! There is also complimentary bread they give as a starter, very yummy bread actually, for real. The drinks are just fountain drinks. Price: Looking at the portions, the price here is reasonably affordable, albeit just a teeny tiny bit pricey (for a student). But it's nothing too bad. Something I noticed is that the tips are automatically added to the card. I am not a fan of that, so I opt not to pay tips using the machine. I like leaving cash on the table instead. Please do that as well, because you never know whether the electronic tips "actually" get distributed to workers' paychecks. Service: The workers here are very nice. On my first visit, a worker kindly explained how the ordering system works, and I also received a complimentary chocolate-caramel cake (on the house). Ambience/Atmosphere: The restaurant has a very cozy vibe, with dim lighting that gives a bricky-hut-lofi beat (if that makes any sense :,D). The walls are adorned with historical photos, so one can tell that Mandola's Italian Kitchen has a long history, which I find endearing.

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Erika Dvia Google

5 months ago

This was our first time visiting this establishment. It looks a bit chaotic when you walk in. It was very noisy. The protocol is to look at a menu, place your order, pay the cashier. They give you a number, then you find a table to wait for your order to be delivered by a server? The question mark for server, is because this setup is more reflective of a serve yourself type restaurant. Okayyy, so we find a table in this cramped restaurant. I mean tables are so close to each other, it was like we were dining with our neighbors. Yikes! The music was very loud, difficult to carry on a conversation. There was seating outside, but in 90 plus degree weather, ummm, no thank you. The cashier was very friendly. The food subpar. I make a better garlic shrimp scampi at home. The Italian cream cake was, blah. Mandola, prices should reflect quality. Bottom line. We won't be back.

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Eddie Rodriguezvia Google

5 months ago

This is a great little gem of a restaurant where the food is made from scratch every day. The food is great and the coffee is delicious. The desserts are also great. I was amazed at how inexpensive the lunch specials were. Everyone from the bus boy to the servers are so friendly. Sam runs a tight and efficient ship here. I was so impressed how efficient he was at moving the tickets for every order that came in and doing it with a smile. I was so impressed that I had to go up to him and congratulate him on his excellent work. I travel for work all over the country and have to say this is one of the best places I’ve enjoyed. Definitely will back again.

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Tubosun Olowolayemovia Google

7 months ago

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬. We ordered three things: cheese ravioli, fiorentina chicken pizza, and the lunette modo mio. To start, the ravioli wasn’t too flavorful or flashy and lacked a sharpness to it that makes ravioli so appealing. My least favorite item. The pizza was ok, the sauce was the highlight and the breading was good as well. Not amazing, just good. Lastly, we enjoyed the Lunette and our pasta was warm as though it had been prepared earlier for someone else instead of hot and fresh for our party. Overall, the environment was excellent and the service was nice. Our servers were knowledgeable and friendly and the outside seating area was lively and fun to eat at. Definitely worth taking a group of friends – it’s a good place to spend time after a meal.