Mamma Teresa Ristorante in Ottawa

Excellent all around, food service and venue.

NO! No, I wont eat here again. For the high prices youre paying, things should be better. My wife had an allergic reaction to he salad, my salad was drenched in oil, my main course (pasta bolognaise) was not very good and the cappuccino I asked for was lukewarm after asked for very hot). Give this place a pass. They dont deserve your patronage.

The service is excellent, the meals delicious and the portions generous! We will come back

Typically recognized Italian restaurant. Very nice atmosphere and great courteous and attentive service. Generous plates at a good price. You will be spoiled for choice.

awesome place

In the best pasta I have eaten

Service and ambience: I came today for a reservation at 8pm for a table of 8. We were made to wait til almost 9pm, constantly told that the table before us was still occupying it. It took a long time for anyone to come to our table to give us water or check in. Then when we finally got to order and the food came it was 10pm. We waited extremely long but thats not even the worst part. The waiters were so cold and rude to us. They barely paid attention to my table while for others they were constantly hovering and checking in. The female server was so rude to one of my friends. They didnt let us know that the kitchen was closed so we couldnt order more. Most restaurants always come by and alert you when the kitchen is closing. It was not our fault that we were sat so late and that our food came at 10pm. A server later just dropped the desert menu on us without telling us what it was. Near the end it was really rushed which I would normally understand since it was closing time but it felt very unfair this time as it was out of our hands. We came on time at 8pm but had food in our mouths at 10pm. Food: Very bland to be honest. We felt unsatisfied. The tiramisu was frozen at the bottom lol Overall, this was so disappointing. I wanted to like this restaurant a lot since the pictures look good and everyone raves about it but after this experience I dont think I can ever recommend anyone eating here. Rude service, overpriced food

We just arrived today evening to Ottawa no much information about where we stay or stop for dinner, luckily end up Mamma Teresa Italian traditional beautiful restaurant. Highly recommend for people they like the best. thanks for the wonderful experience first evening in Ottawa.

Food was so good! Highly recommend. Its a family run business. Support local!

Outdated, overpriced, and incredibly underwhelming. The portions are a decent size, but i could have easily made the same tasting/quality dish at home for an eighth of the price. I also spent $20 on a cocktail that was basically just orange juice. I imagine theres a nostalgia factor for those who may have dined here in earlier years, but for someone experiencing it for the first time in 2024, it felt stuck in the past in a sad way.

Great Service. Had Bruschettas, Lasagna, and Tiramisu.

My son cried because he was so disappointed with his spaghetti meetballs. He said, this meal is ruining a meal in my life. But the tiramisu was able to dry his tears. Garry, the server, is very friendly. He made us laugh, especially when he told us that the spaghetti meetballs were excellent. Too expensive! Flee, poor fools!

The food was excellent. Gary offered us exceptional service and excellent advice in French. I recommend.

Excellent restaurant from starter to dessert! I recommend it very highly.

An absolutely enjoyable dinner with great Italian food. Thanks Mark, our waiter, for the wonderful and friendly service. Highly recommended.

I have not been here for maybe 5 years or so and I don t think I will be back any sooner. Our number one Italian restaurant was closed on Sunday, I decided to try Mama Teresa again. It was a wedding anniversary and I was hopeful for a great night. I have no issue to pay for quality. This is a very old building and it feels like it. Dinner was 250.00 chicken parmigiana was burnt and tough to cut, pasta was really disappointing. My wife ordered a lemon chicken dish which came with potato and veg, she asked for pasta. Funny enough the waiter said it s an extra charge. An extra charge to substitute for pasta at an Italian restaurant? Ok .. salads were not served cold and they were grounding is dressing, making the lettuce limp and soggy. Wine 20.00 a glass was ok but, maybe 6oz. My wife thought her chicken was good , Alfredo pasta was really blah. After dinner I attended the washroom. The ceiling air return vent is full of dirt, hair and debris. Look at it, tell me I am wrong, washroom was dirty, toilet seat was broken, and no lock on the stall door. Tell me I am wrong and I can post pictures for you. My expectations for a restaurant of this so called caliber is much higher than what I received. Clean the place, change your lighting, you can update lights and keep them down low. Your lighting is not good ambience. Because of the state of washroom the over all cleanliness of the restaurant and the poor food, I can t return. I look forward to returning to our regular special occasion Italian ristorante. I m trying to be honest with this review and show you where you are failing your guests.

This is a classic, old-school Italian restaurant if ever there was one. The decor, menu, ambiance, down to the career-waiters dressed for the occasion. We took our family there for a b-day and the 14 of us came out very satisfied indeed. John, our server, was terrific, the menu is huge and the food was as good as expected (to my wifes delight, they still had Venetian mussles like they did some 30+ years ago). All in all, a wonderful trip back down memory lane for us and a pleasant experience for our kids and grandkids.

The food here was terrible. $190 for absolutely disgusting pasta, the tiniest portion of mussels I have ever seen, 1 glass of white wine which was warm and a caprese salad. Neither myself or my guest could eat our mains. I specifically asked if the clams were fresh for the linguine with clam sauce. There wasn t a shell in sight. Totally from a jar with zero flavor. I spend a lot of time in Italy . have eaten 5 panini that were better. I would be mortified to bring anyone to this restaurant.

Parking: Compter 5cad Food

Amazing service, and amazing food. Definitely will come back !

It has been many years since our last time here, and nothing has changed, which is a great thing! You dont mess with something that works so well, and Mama Teresa is as amazing as it ever was. Top notch service, fresh delicious food served piping hot. Just perfection.

The pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauce was delicious! The olives, bread and balsamic that come with the dish are stunning. I enjoyed the spumoni dessert tremendously! I m from NYC and I can certify that THIS is good Italian food :) :)

Amazing place. Delicious food, great hospitality... would love to come back

One of the best pasta in Ottawa

The amount of times that I have said this is the best seafood pasta I ve ever had since trying it last night is crazy!!! If you like a good seafood pasta, this is the spot!

The food was very very ordinary, but they let us stay past closing, which was very nice of them.

Server was rude and pushy, did not have patience to explain food choices and prices, the special was way over priced for the amount of seafood in the dish, my sister in law found a hair in her food, her food was compensated as my brother was, as my brother was turned off and could not eat his meal.

Excellent, with very nice ambiance

Went for dinner tonight, was recommended as the best Italian food in Ottawa! First they are very unwelcoming as they were near closing hours and just didnt want us to sit and eventually the waiter almost forcefully pushed us to order fast. Secondly, the olive plate came with EATEN OLIVE SEEDS SPITTED OUT and when I asked the waiter he said am sorry and he went to replace it, but another waiter/supervisor came and said oh, it just fell out of olive its not eaten and never brought another plate of olives coz ye knew hell be caught! No apology nothing. Pasta came stale, so did the bread. Only good thing was the tiramisu! Will never recommend to go there to anyone ever again! 10$ for a 2 inch piece of extra chicken, old stale meatballs and poorest customer experience!

Dietary restrictions: Gluten-free Food

We had to send back our meat plate ande get pasta

My husband and I really enjoyed our time here Thursday night. Our server Gary was the best server we have ever had. He went above and beyond and made our experience so great!! The food was delicious as always and they have a very attentive support staff! Overall such a great experience!!

Amazing food and service!

Excellent service

Needs to introduce new dishes to the menu.

Great place for a lovely dinner and a chat with friends. Our server, John, was very patient, accommodating, and attentive. He made sure we were ok and kept our water glasses refilled. The food and atmosphere were excellent.

Just called the restaurant to get some details on their hours and menu, but the person answering was quite rude, curt and not want to answer any questions as if they didnt care and as if he is doing me a favor even by picking up the phone. Too bad as it turned me off even before we had a chance to visit the place. Just wondering what the service would be if end up going there.

A historic restaurant but the food was just ok. Veal Parm was tough.

I had the most wonderful server, Jerry (sp?) He was entertaining, welcoming and gave excellent recommendations. The cannelloni and spaghetti carbonara were absolutely perfect. Had a great evening here. Would highly recommend!

Great food at reasonable prices. Fried zucchini was a great appetizer, and tiramisu was an amazing dessert.

The service was very good, even though it was very busy. The rose wine very lovely. The calamari entrees just delicious. Parking: They have a parking lot,in the back of the house.

The service and the food were excellent.

Had a very unpleasant experience with their manager over the phone. I have been dining here for years as well as my family and friends. When inquiring about a kitchen position the manager abruptly hung on me while I was explaining my job experience, before I could get to it. Safe to say they have lost business from this unfortunate happening.

Coming from an Italian family. I can honestly say this is authentic Italian and the cooks know what they are doing! Perfectly done! Not everything soaked in cheese and overly salted like most of the other Italian restaurants in Ottawa. Just being honest. Mama T is 1,000 better than all the rest.

We ate 2 different pastas, very tasteless and too expensive for the quality No parking nearby except a dirt car park with water holes

First time visiting this place. A pleasant experience with good food, great service, and charming atmosphere.

This restaurant is always a pleasant experience! Amazing food- my go to is the Linguine alla Tina which is just delicious if you love seafood. Johnny is the best server. He really delivers fast and friendly service!

Rude waiter.The restaurant was empty and said couldn t accommodate 2 people because we have no reservation.

Such a yummy food experience. Went out for dinner for a wedding anniversary with the family and kids. Everyone enjoyed their meals. Would definitely recommend if you are in the area!

Mamma Teresa is easily my favorite Italian restaurant in Ottawa. Classic menu at a beautiful old mansion. Friendly service, reasonable prices and great portions. I especially love the side peppers and olives, and the creative presentation of the desserts. Highly recommend!

Loved the whole experience.

Wonderful Italian Restaurant! Great food and service.

Food, wine and service all fabulous

My husband and I made a takeout order. We had the carbonara, cannelloni, and the lobster ravioli. All dishes were incredible. Even during the pick up process, the staff were incredibly friendly and the restaurant seem to have a really lovely feel to it (family owned and cozy). As other reviews mentioned, the outside doesn t accurately convey the interior it definitely feels much more formal. We will absolutely be going back! Kid-friendliness: We do have a young son so we were sure about dining in but after taking a peek inside, it looks like there is a decent amount of room between tables. However the front entrance is not accessible, so I would plan to not have a stroller. Wheelchair accessibility: The front entrance is unfortunately not accessible.

Nice traditional style Italian restaurant. The service was wonderful, portions were generous and you can definitely taste that it was house made. Highly recommend

Loved the food and ambiance and experience. Loved walking into the famous room Food

Servers were nice so three stars for that. Food is expensive and overpriced for pasta. It took a long time to get our drinks and food but if it was freshly made and delicious then waiting for a bit is ok. Unfortunately, my young daughters fettuccine Alfredo was very hard which I only discovered after getting home, otherwise I would have mentioned it at the restaurant. Theres al dente, and then there is crunchy way undercooked pasta and for what theyre charging for these dishes, should not be happening, EVER. They should have consistent quality control. I got the veal and it was tasty but the sauce on it was a bit too salty. So for the price, its not really worth it in my opinion. Food is okay but to warrant what they are charging, especially for pasta, it should be done right each and every time. No excuse for hard crunchy pasta and over-salted sauces.

Couldn t understand the hype. For starters, my partner and I ordered the minestrone and a chef s salad. Salad was painfully overdressed, felt like I was drinking it down. Soup was okay. For dinner, I ordered the Lobster ravioli and was extremely disappointed with the lack of depth in flavour. I had a cake brought in since we were celebrating with some friends, and they charged us a $3/slice fee to cut the cake for us we paid $30 to have the cake cut (more than the actual cake itself)! Pretty ridiculously overpriced for mid food and service wasn t anything special. Don t plan on returning.

The calamari was amazing, fresh and crisp! The veal combo was very tasty too. I would recommend this restaurant highly- MUST try! Service was very attentive and well paced! Thanks for an outstanding experience!

Excellent food, and super friendly staff. We were able to reserve on the phone with ease and were greeted so warmly into the restaurant. If you re looking for Italian comfort food but you want to go out and sit down in a nice place, this is the place for you! I had the lobster ravioli and it came with a lobster bisque which was super flavourful. The house bread was delicious as well & goes great with the bisque if you want something else to dip it in! Really reasonable prices for what you are getting. 10/10

Owner regularly uses their neighbouring businesses parking for various things like unloading their stock, but regularly harasses said neighbours customers if they dare park in what MT perceives as their spot. They refuse to mark the space as theirs, instead regularly instigating issues with customers. Police report filed. Confirmed theyve had other reports of the owners/managers harassing and assaulting others as well. Dont support people like this. Edit: The business saying they cant confirm this is just saving face. The owners/managers have pictures and videos of several incidents and attempt to intimidate people while taking them, while knowing they have no ability to take action. Put a sign up for your parking and it solves all your issues, but you wont, because you simply have an issue with a pot shop beside you because youre prejudiced and closed minded.

Used to be my favourite but food was ok. Expensive for quality Food

A big thank you to Walter and his team for squeezing us in last minute on Valentine s Day. The service was outstanding and the food was even better. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for an authentic Italian meal in Ottawa. You won t be disappointed. Look forward to my next meal here!

A quaint little spot with an old timey feel. The house made pasta was a bit thick but otherwise good food. Seafood was cooked well, and the garlic bread was great. We got a private room which was cute.

My husband and I had an amazing dinner at Mamma Teresas. Our server, John, was excellent! The atmosphere is perfect for a date night. We will definitely be returning in the future. Thank you Mamma Teresas!

Such a nice, chic restaurant! The service was impeccable, the decor and ambiance is very romantic but most importantly, the food is just absolutely wonderful! Every bite was a treat! It isnt the most budget friendly place, but it is worth every penny as the quality of the food is amazing! If youre looking for a nice Italian restaurant with an authentic feel, this is the place! Vegetarian options: There arent a lot of vegan options (if any), but there are plenty of vegetarian options

This is probably my favourite eatery in Ottawa. Delicious Italian cuisine and fantastic service (especially if youre in Garys section) Would highly recommend ! Food

Our server, Gary was great. Excellent service. The food was good, but very expensive for the quality. Hard to justify spending almost $40 on a main! Restaurant is nice inside, but has seen better days.

Delicious food n the pasta came piping hot n even till end of meal. As I always like my food hot. Not like some restaurant food that its cold towards the end. Has good atmosphere n service is good

All good..but youbpay for it.

Hate italian, but my friend really liked it so I would definitely recommend.

Super good food especially the Casalinga antipasto followed by ravioli or spaghetti Bolognese

Amazing place wether in Ottawa or Chelsea.

Unsure of the food. Owner parked very close behind my vehicle and expected me to move, apparently I was in his *still* unmarked parking spot. I finished my transaction and came to my vehicle to move within 5 minutes, likely less. He looked at me and kept me blocked in for several minutes (unlawful restraint?). When he moved, I flipped him off. He tried to smash my window to assault me after this. Do not support aggressive people like this. P.s. owner has confirmed being flipped off is reason to attempt breaking into a vehicle for assault

Wow, wow and wow I cant describe our experience with food, services and staff. Mainly thanks to Gary, who made my husbands birthday a special event. Thank you Recommended dishes

Every now and then, I get wowed . Tonight was such a night. The food was great, the ambience lovely and the service from Gary was top notch. I highly recommend Mamma Teresa when you are in Ottawa.

This place is great for date night! Food, service and ambience. I highly recommend this place and the chicken parm!

Loved the food and atmosphere. Very authentic .

Great place to eat.

One of the best restaurants in Ottawa! Impeccable service and even better pasta! Gnocchi is to die for. Portions are big.

Had a wonderful experience at dinner with a big group outside on the gorgeous patio. As someone who works in the service industry I appreciate good service. The staff were absolutely fantastic, attentive and kind. It s clear they have an efficient system and everything felt very smooth Oh and the food is always great. We love the Mama Ravioli. Dessert was also delicious Definitely recommend

A great food experience in Ottawa Right in downtown. Accessible location The green perking is located close by, 3 minutes walking distance. They have a good selection of red wines and pastas. They have an interesting menu Tasty veals, this is what I tried. Nice staff. Respectful management. Highly recommended for quality food.

A little expensive, but Gary was great. Food was pretty delicious, I recommend the chefs seafood pasta

Came here yesterday with my mom and we had such a great time. Food was great, portions were huge, wine was perfect. The service and atmosphere were fantastic. We will definitely be back.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Mama Teresa Ristorante, and I must say it was a culinary delight! From the moment I stepped inside, the cozy ambiance and friendly staff made me feel right at home. The menu was filled with authentic Italian dishes, and each one exceeded my expectations. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauces were rich and flavorful. The attention to detail in every dish was evident, and the ingredients tasted incredibly fresh. Mama Teresa Ristorante truly captures the essence of Italian cuisine, and I highly recommend it to anyone craving an authentic Italian dining experience.

I had a great experience last night at Mama Theresa last night, great seafood pasta.

A mainstay in the Ottawa area that has great selection of quality food and wines with good service.

Wonderful atmosphere with excellent staff and great service. Food presentation was mouthwatering. The bolognese sauce on the spaghetti was salty, as was the lasagna. Otherwise, everything was perfect. Had Italian salad, Ceasar salad and caprese salad along with the Lasagna White, Veal Parmigiana, Fettuccine Pesto and Ravioli with a tomato sauce instead of the rose cream sauce.

Service is really good. I gave 20% tip. However, the food is horrible. The sole is dry and tasteless(literally just deep fried without any seasoning or sauce), and the vegetables were super salty. Anyone can make a way better fish at home than this. I love fish and usually i can finish a whole fish, but this time I couldn t even have half of the filet.

We found Mamma s years ago after it was recommended by my mother in law. We ve been back every year during our annual visit home from Thailand. Having been blessed to travel the world a few times, eaten at Michelin starred restaurants, to family joints, Mamma Teresa s is easily in our global top 5 places to eat. Consistently delicious, staff has always been great to us. Frank is a gem, and will keep us coming back.

Consistently great .

Excellent Italian restaurant, impeccable service.

Excellent service thank you

Terrible experience, worse service. We called and made reservations for 9:00 pm to make sure we d have enough time before they close (closing at 10:30 pm). We got to the place at 9:06 and we were first told that sorry the kitchen is closed. When we said we made a reservation, the person said oh ok you just have to be quick with your order. Once we sat down, the waiter came with the menu and said the same thing that we have to be very quick. I don t think we had more than 30 seconds to even go through the first page to scan the menu and the waiter comes to ask for the order. Nonetheless we were ready considering they told us twice. We asked for calamari, and he said no sorry we can t do fried stuff, the kitchen closed that. So we just decided to leave, the waiter kept insisting we can just order anything else like a salad. Might as well order us whatever he craves at that point. Don t understand how a kitchen closes at 9:00 when the place closes at 10:30. Terrible service.

Hands down the best Italian restaurant in Ottawa. Can never go wrong with the Lobster Ravioli. Delicious food and terrific staff. Food

I love taking my out of town guests to Mamma s. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is comfortable and the service is excellent (you can tell they really care about their clientele). Will always recommend the gnocchi and chef s special seafood pasta! There is also something special about a restaurant that uses white tablecloths - every meal here just feels so special.

Food was to die for and service was excellent! I will definitely be coming back :)

In my humble opinion, Mamma Teresa is one of, if not the, best restaurants in Ottawa. Genuine, unique atmosphere. Incredibly attentive and professional staff. Authentic, high quality, good tasting food. No gimmicks, just incredible food and excellent atmosphere that keeps me coming back time and time again.

Classic black tie service Italian food in a heritage home.

Italian? Mama Teresa s Service? Mama Teresa s Ambience? Mama Teresa s Romantic? You know it! Mama Teresa s.

I wish I could give it 5 stars for food but I cant. The bruschetta was disappointing, the breaded veal cutlet was undercooked and there was a hair in my sons ravioli dish. The service was really good though and the angel hair pomodoro was amazing.

Very bad. Very bad.

Good pasta. An institution in Ottawa.

First timer at this restaurant to celebate family birthday. It would have been better to eat at the patio as inside of the restaurant was kinda dark with minimal lighting. Service was great and food was decent. Kinda pricey though.

I had a lasagna and it was good, nothing more. I found the food to be expensive. On the other hand, good little cocktail and good flavored coffee. Friendly atmosphere and good service.

Absolutely fantastic food, and exceptional service. Everything we ordered was impeccable. You can tell by the bread and olive oil that is served to you before your meal that everything is high quality and made fresh in house. There is absolutely nothing you can order on this menu that will disappoint you. I highly recommend.

If I could give 7 stars I would. First, John, our server was just the best and nicest server Ive ever had. You could tell that he loves his work and he loves people and his passion is in the food and making the atmosphere this exciting and fun, yet intimate Italian dinner. Secondly, the food was just so good, you can taste the passion from the kitchen in the food. I had the lobster ravioli and my partner had the seafood pasta. Both were very good and surprisingly not too heavy. We had the bruschetta to start and it was like a little pizza bite, also delicious. We ended with the tiramisu and the Irish and french coffee and they were well made, the tiramisu was fresh and delicate. An awesome dinner and would recommend...ask for John

Authentic Italian restaurant, original interior. Friendly and warm welcome. Delicious dishes and delicious aperitifs and wines. The restaurant is located in a quiet area of Ottowa in a beautiful historic building. Upon entering you will be virtually greeted by Mom Teresa

Beautiful atmosphere, nice terrace, nice view, service was excellent. I wish they had more options in their menu but good place for pizza or pasta lovers. Vegetarian options: Pizza

Food is really good but wait 15minutes still didnt gave us bill. And not even came.

Good food and service. It seemed to be expensive but perhaps I am just out of touch with the new reality.

They will treat you bad if you don t order any wine. And the tip would be charged of 20% including in the bill even through they treated you very bad. The food was not good as I expected. Penne sausage is quite salty. However, I just wondering what s wrong with the service? At the beginning, the server was nice and friendly. After we decided not to order any wine, he just became quite awkward and coldness. Besides, another server walked around and said hi to all other tables except us. The bill was also added the tip with 20% automatically. I don t think he deserved that much. Maximum 10% but only for the women server. Such an awful experience in such a nice late summer evening.

Really wonderful place. The pasta is as good as it is in Italy

DISSATISFIED AND DISAPPOINTED Last time we were there years ago, the food was very good. This time it was disappointing!! The Pinot Grigio we ordered was absolutely awful and no other available by the glass - a bottle would have been too much and there were only 2 to select from. The physical menus are tattered and need replacing. The bread with oil, balsamic and olives were very good! Best part of our meal!! My wife ordered the minestrone soup - quite tasty - and the halibut. It was totally dry, too salty and came with penne but no vegetables. In order to moisten the halibut we added the dipping oil and vinegar used for the bread. Not great a great dish! I ordered the Escargot Bourginione as I have had for the past 50 years. Big mistake!! The escargots were served on a small sides bowl, swimming in a sea of green liquid! Some garlic and some butter I think were in the dish but by no means Bourginione!! 0/10!! Then I ordered the chefs special seafood pasta. It was edible. Not a good linguini manufacture was used and tasted starchy, as though it had been reheated after being previously cooked. While there were enough shrimp and scallops it showed lack of imagination for a $42 pasta dish on the chef s part for what was his special and the type of fish used. No dessert was had. We had it elsewhere. All in all I had great expectations from the last visit but this time - TOTALLY DISAPPOINTING! Won t be back. Oh, the service, however, was very good!

The atmosphere is great but unfortunately the food was not, nor were the prices. I ordered the Spaghetti Aglio Olio Picante which was essentially 35$ buttered noodles. The pasta did not taste fresh and the description in the menu did not match what was served to me. It was described to have porcini mushrooms and a spicy oil. There was not a single mushroom in my dish and the oil was very bland. Extremely disappointed and I will not be eating here again.

Was a fantastic meal the service was amazing the waiter was wonderful the food is outstanding I would highly recommend this restaurant

Food is excellent. Amazing atmosphere. One of my favourite spots.

I didn t know one could make BAD italian food until I ate here. Bland and untasteful- the food felt like it had been made out of cans and frozen product only. I ordered a fish fillet which had little to no flavour. A few others ordered pasta dishes which also turned out to be tasteless. While service is good and ambience is not bad - definitely not worth the food. (I usually don t write bad reviews and am not fussy but this was really just the worse food I ve eaten in Ottawa so far) Vegetarian options: The aubergine maybe - but really that too is last resort of anything that tastes mildly palatable.

BEST. ITALIAN. EVER. Not only is the service amazing but the food is without a doubt the best authentic Italian you can find in Ottawa. We always order calimari and bruschetta to start which are great options for sharing, then move into our entrees. My husband and I will never leave this place without lobster ravioli, chefs special, and a smile on our face.

Mamma Teresa was one of our favorite restaurants in the 80s and the 90s. After 25years we returned. We were very pleased with the food, atmosphere, our waiter and the busboy. Definitely be back Thank you Walter Kid-friendliness: Thank you John and the young man who kept making sure we had, water, bread, etc.

The ambience, pasta and courtesy of this place make this place a hit.

First visit to this restaurant but certainly not the last! Pasta was amazingly good and portions generous. All 4 of us were very pleased and I could have licked my plate it was soooo good! Great service too ! Waiter was knowledgeable, gave great wine recommendations and was pleasant. We had a great evening out and recommend this restaurant!

One of my favourite places to go to in Ottawa! I love their spritz and the Bacon Carbonara, is one of my favourite meals to eat here. I try very hard to order something different when I go. All the meals my wife and I have had here leave us with a smile, and full happy bellies! I d say this place is a must visit if you are in Ottawa looking for Italian fair!

Overpriced & overcooked pasta, the waiter did not offer the special to our table but we overheard him offering it to the table beside & when we asked about it, he said it was not available...... This is very North American-ized Italian, it is not true Italian. The Carbonara was made with an Alfredo sauce, same as the chicken Alfredo.... hmmmm The bread was lovely The cesar salad had more croutons than lettuce . It has been years since I had been to Mama Teresas and had memories of significantly better meals & service. It seemed very run down.

Loved the food and atmosphere ! We had a great time and will visit again soon.

I always have a wonderful experience at Mamma Teresa! The staff truly make you feel like family, and the food really does reflect that feeling! Whether its summer, fall, winter or spring, we love coming in for a cozy and delicious date night or family get together meal. My absolute favourite main is the Cabonara! If youre looking for a yummy meal with a heartwarming atmosphere, I would highly recommend this place! Thank you Frank, Walter, Anthony, Nic, Sav and team for always taking such good care of us!

Food was delicious. My husband had the vegetable lasagne and I had fillet of sole. Lovely desserts and delicious coffee.

We had a wonderful time! The food and wine were amazing! Will be going back 100%!

The atmosphere in the restaurant is great. The service is perfect, the dishes are perfect. Full dinner, bread and butter non stop. Big dishes. An experience worth every dollar!

Great food, the calamari was amazing and the veal parmigiana was very delicious. The staff are extremely hospitable and the owner checked to see how we were doing multiple times. 10/10 food and service Food

Always a great evening @ Mama s

Could be good cuisine for a North American! But for a French person, I cook better at home! Starter to share, tomato mozzarella! It was far from being REAL mozzarella! Just a runny, bland white paste... Cows milk? Escalope parmigiana, even at the Independent, they are better! As a main course I took a sole..... Defrosted.... No dessert, quite disgusted by the indecent prices for the quality of the meals offered! You just pay for the fact that its not frequented by politicians. Thats all. Nothing to say about the service, correct. If you want to eat in a real Italian atmosphere, look elsewhere. There are some very good ones, for much less money in Ottawa...

Staff were excellent and the setting is cozy, however, the menu is quite overpriced (there are other Italian restaurants in Ottawa with similar if not better food for almost half the price.)

Honestly the best Italian restaurant I have eaten in my life. The waiter offered us family service and even accommodated us because we were not fluent in English. He made sure we didnt miss anything. I had the gnocchi and my partner had the veal plate combined with two kinds of pasta. It was delicious, tasty, hot. I recommend 100% Thank you.

Delicious homemade pasta combined with the traditional flavors of Italy preserving the ancestral recipes, served in a pleasant place and excellent service.

This was the most fun I ve had at any restaurant. The atmosphere was incredibly charming and cozy. Service from John was first class, he was an absolute delight. The manager came by a few times to makes sure we were taken care of. Everything we ordered was super amazing, we had the mussels, bruschetta and Prosciutto di Parma, and a bottle of Dom Pérignon to start, we ordered lasagna, filet mignon and shrimp, carbonara and risotto for dinner, and the mama Teresa cake, lemon sorbet, tiramisu and tarfuto for dessert, all spectacular! I highly recommend this place to eat any time. There is something here for everyone even kids. I can not wait to return for another wonderful evening. Thank you so much!!

Recommended by a dear friend whose tastes I trust(ed) implicitly, it would seem that this Ottawa institution seems to have seen a marked dive in most every quantifiable way since his days stomping around the 613. The restaurant presents nicely both outside and in (for the most part), quite clearly tugging at our collective nostalgic heartstrings, throwing it back to simpler times (and that goes for the food as well). We were tended to by two servers whom could notve been more different in their warmth/personality, one being a younger gentleman with slicked back hair and a ponytail, who was not the most pleasant fellow Ive encountered (shocking at such an establishment, tbh), the other being a young Ukrainian girl who was just a ray of sunshine; super warm, friendly, and attentive. I cannot really knock the service though, even with his unpleasant demeanour, they both performed sufficiently well. I really did enjoy the atmosphere inside, which is a real throwback, though one question which kept relentlessly running through my mind was did all these famous politicians, celebrities, etc. really use THIS bathroom?- it is in dire need of updating, friends. Onto the food... it is plainly evident that this place is mostly catering to a faithful old Anglo clientele whose palates simply dont expect all that much culinary excitement, whether it be from depth of flavour (or, rather, lack-thereof, as everything was criminally under-seasoned) , the cook (everything being an overcooked, mushy, mess), and so on. The Caesar salad was just a sad, bland, mess. The gnocchi are literally just tasteless calorie pillows in an equally tasteless tomato sauce- the saddest dish of the evening. Chicken cutlet with bolognese... cutlet, a soggy, flavourless, disaster, and on the bolognese: I appreciate kitchens are all about expediting things, but it simply lacks the depth of flavour of a bolo thats been cooked down for 5+ hours and left to sit overnight, and then reheated (my tip to the restaurant... a widely known secret, that bolo is always (much) better the next day). Happy to offer a free further breakdown on bolognese-creation. The best dish, relatively speaking, was the lasagna (which, ironically, our unpleasant waiter advised against (while promoting the totally lacklustre gnocchi)), but yeah, thats just relatively speaking- no need to elaborate; totally forgettable. All in, about $190 for this sad, over-cooked, soggy, flavourless, pile of what is a poor excuse for Italian/Italian-American fare- I feel cheated and upset; total waste of money. Again, very obvious who their target demographic is, and with that, it makes sense this place is still around (and seemingly thriving)- riding on the coattails of yesterdays successes... a yesterday when there simply must notve been a better game in town for Italian.

Excellent Italian food and superb service. Always a superior go to in Ottawa

I had a high expectations. The place is great. The food . I can make it better at home. Besides I was very disappointed that they have no none alcoholic ofer. At all.. it s very expensive. For what they get to offer. I brought my partner for his birthday. I would never come back

Mamma Teresa is a beautiful Italian restaurant with a great atmosphere! Its certainly a nice place to enjoy a memorable evening! It wasnt our first time here and once again, we had a delicious meal. We were so grateful to be served by a waiter who has many years of experience at this location. Thank you, Saverino, for the excellent service!!

Very lovely, quiet & elegant restaurant. Perfect place for my 12 year anniversary with my wife, highly recommend the food! I ordered the Linguine Ginliano, theyre very lucky I didnt pick up the plate to lick it! Excellent service, the price is very well deserved for the quality given!

Lovely restaurant with very high quality Italian food!!

The food was terrible. I had the bruschetta, minestrone soup, veal parmigiana with spaghetti and mamma s cake and all of these were bad (even the spaghetti which I didn t know spaghetti could be bad). The service, however, was superb! I find that getting good service in Ottawa is very difficult but it was excellent at mamma teresa.

Food and service was okay. Im not sure if the pasta is made in-house. Pastas were okay. Honestly, for 00 flour made with eggs (hopefully with eggs), and a sauce, the price of dishes seemed quite high. I found the dishes to be too salty. Lots of customers working in the government dine here on weekdays, so thats the atmosphere youll get. Our server was okay: neither friendly nor cold, he just did his job. Desserts were not that special.

Terrible food. Great service in a historical house.

Absolutely top notch service. Took care of my kids, took care of my family. Easy enough to say we have a new staple when visiting Ottawa. 10-15 minute walk from our place in the glebe. Cant wait to bring my parents. Great pricing. So full.

We had the most wonderful time on an extremely busy night. We were told the place was full of reservations, but luckily, were seated. What a wonderful experience with cocktails to start and wine with our meals. The food was very delicious (only thing was it wasnt that hot at all) but the restaurant was extremely busy. The server was so very friendly and attentive even with a full restaurant.

Bruschetta was soggy and the pasta was under seasoned. When we asked for salt as it was under seasoned the staff commented that my sister and I should think it s like candy (because we look like we come from India and another customer shared the same comment). Completely inappropriate comment, underwhelming food - will NOT go back.

So beautifully decorated for the holiday season. The food was outstanding and the service top notch. Love love love Mamma Teresas , definitely a fav!

Authentic Italian experience in the heart of downtown Ottawa. I highly recommend. I ate the chicken parmigiana and the starter to share, Prosciutto and fried squid, a real delight. The service was beyond excellent.

This was one of the best Italian restaurants I have ever visited. The food and service was excellent. We will be back.

Everything was perfect and delicious

Had a wonderful evening at Mamma s with colleagues for an end of year gathering the space was perfect tor our group and beautifully decorated for the season (Xmas). Service was warm and super professional while also making us feel like part of the family. Food was excellent and there was something for everyone. Loved the experience and ambiance, and would highly recommend.

Hours of operation are meaningless! Visited Mamma Teresa in 2018 - fantastic experience all around. Returned to Ottawa last week, and was looking forward to enjoying Mamma Teresa again. I wouldn t be lying if I said that Mamma Teresa was the main attraction. Unfortunately, I was denied the experience I was looking forward to for many months. I arrived at 8:54pm (their hours posted on Maps and on the door say they close at 9:30), asked for a table for one, and was told sorry, the kitchen has shut down - they ve already cleaned up and are about to go home. To have cleaned up a kitchen with soap and sponges by 8:54pm, as the person who greeted me told me they had, they would have had to close the kitchen at 8:15-8:30pm, even though they close at 9:30. My appeals, and logical reasoning, given the closing time posted on the front door, were met with apathy. Other reviewers, even with a reservation, have complained about the same poor experience. Perhaps ownership or management of Mamma Teresa has changed? Either way, the customer experience apathy is sad. EDIT: I received this dismissive response to my review: Your complaint is very unique. We post our hours and go above and beyond them but our staff can not be at the restaurant all the time. My complaint is not unique. Other reviewers have had similar experiences. Nobody expects staff to be at the restaurant all the time, we only expect staff to welcome customers during the posted hours.

Always a treat dining here, food is great as is the service and atmosphere. Book ahead and it is on the pricey side Food : 5/5

Everything was phenomenal! The food was some of the best Italian food in Ottawa, our food and drinks came minutes after we ordered! Our server Max was exceptional, very quick to check up on us at all stages of our meal. We will be back very soon!

I loved this place as if I have been to Italy again. Big portions, high quality italian cuisine for the price. Available parking at the back. Recommend you pick your drinks from wine menu, cocktails was average.

Unfortunately they only have a soave white house wine. I prefer a pinot grigio.

Vegetarian options: Some limited vegetarian options Food