We had the baked clams oreganato (clams chopped :-/ ), fried calamari and mozarella sticks for apps, they were just ok. I had the special, mixed seafood fra diavolo and I upgraded to homemade linguini. I have to say that made me so happy. It was a real fra diavolo, spicy and delish; the shrimp, crab and scallops were cooked perfectly. It was a good size dish and I liked it so much, I kept eating til it was all gone. My husband had the veal and he was underwhelmed. My kids are simple, pasta with no sauce so they were happy with that. Selfishly I would go back to repeat what I had. I would steer my husband to something that he would like better. As for upkeep and atmosphere...it's runned down and that's ok if the food makes up for it. The critical thing I must say is that they were poor with keeping the customers safe from their walkway from the snow and ice. How difficult is it to throw some salt on it? It was like walking on an ice skating rink or oiled floor. read more

Went here because: 1) kid-friendly menu; 2) high health score (Yelp, why tell us thus score if we can't use it to sort results?); and 3) location. Kids pastas we're fine. My wife's chicken Francese was good, she enjoyed it. I wasn't overly impressed with the chicken scarpariello. The waitress talked me into it over the lasagna, and I regret it. First, cooking chicken bone-in and skin-on is more forgiving, but Mama Riso still found a way to overlook it until it was dry and stringy. Second, the chicken parts were very roughly chopped so that sharp bone fragments were sticking out. This made it very difficult to carve with a knife and fork, I had to eat with my hands. Third, the spicy brown gravy, which was limp in consistency and lacked flavor complexity, got everywhere. The sausage was good but too skimpy. The pepper was good. So, a lot of work without much reward. read more

This place is a cozy little spot. My husband and I ordered the pasta with marinara sauce, we had the option to order the "homemade linguine", which we did. The service was fast and efficient. The dish was delicious! I will definitely eat here again. The reason I only gave it 4 stars is because I'm vegan and would have liked to have more options on the menu, maybe a pasta primavera. read more

Came here for the first time last night while visiting from out of state. Hesitated after reading some of the reviews but decided to try anyway. Our water glasses that were on the table were dirty and had white specks stuck on all of them. The waitress took them away and another waitress replaced them ten minutes later with more dirty glasses with lipstick stains on them so none of us drank the water at all. The food was decent however, I ordered the chicken scarpiello which actually was quite tasty, but was made with very small pieces of chicken that were wings. No thighs, legs or breasts.. just wings. Another gentleman posted the same thing and he was absolutely correct. It was not made with big bone in pieces of chicken at all! Very disappointing especially about the dirty glasses. If you see the dirty glasses when you take them away, wouldn't you absolutely make sure that the next set you bring are clean? We would never eat here again read more

The food at this place is home cooked. Delicious! Prices were average and service was good. We did outside dining. We got the clams casino- they were ok- a little dry. But the shrimp & scallop Pasta was delicious read more

Used to come here years ago, and it has definitely changed. Can't complain about the service, which was everything you'd expect from a nice Italian restaurant. I ordered chicken marsala (which isn't on the menu surprisingly, but veal marsala is, so they made it for me). I've had chicken marsala from many restaurants, and even in chains like the Cheesecake Factory, I love the sauce and the bed of pasta that comes underneath. At Mama Riso's there was hardly any sauce at all, 3 mushrooms, that's all. And 3 miniature pieces of chicken over maybe a cup and a half of pasta. The portion size was so small that I finished it in literally 5 minutes. In fact I noticed the rest of my party all had small portions of what they ordered. Except for my son who ordered penne ala vodka. Just feels like they're being very cheap with the protein. You shouldn't be paying $25 for an entree and be hungry after. Will not be returning. Very disappointed. read more

From NYC & LI, I would say the food here is pretty good for upstate! It was my first time and I was pleasantly surprised. All of our food was really good, but for some reason I thought the cheesy garlic bread was the best I ever had! I had the veal parmagiane and it was pretty good! I can't wait to come back and try something else! read more

Not even sure where to start.. we have been here before and we loved the food and the service. We visited again this year with 16 of us, three different families. We politely asked the waitress if we could have separate check for her to rudely say "I can't tonight", in a very rude manner. So we let that go! Meals came out, we asked for more water, we never received the water at all! The food was good, pasta was cooked a little to much but we were ok with that.. upon completing our meal and trying to pay the check, after she took our two credit cards as our form of payment, our waitress comes out to tell us that their credit card machine was down and that we would have to go across or down the street to get cash? Very very strange, and why weren't we informed of this earlier? There was no way that anyone of us was walking to the ATM or paying the fee to get the cash to use to pay our bill. After we sat and finally demanded to see a manager, miraculously the machine was working! We were all very embarrassed as others were watching! Not a good experience at all! read more

It seemed like my waitress got lost because she never came to us. The food was okbut it took too long to get our food

We had high hopes for this restaurant for the prices they charge. This restaurant is inside of a big house. Decor is bit dated. For appetizers we had eggplant rollatini, calamari and garlic bread. The garlic bread was very basic and plain. The calamari was a disappointment. Do not order the calamari here. No salt just battered and not enough calamari. The plate was mostly empty. The eggplant rollatini was actually pretty good. For dinner we had pasta with veggies(off the menu), Penne a la vodka, chicken scarpariello and chicken parmigiana. The Penne a la vodka was just ok nothing special. The chicken parmigiana and the chicken scarpariello were disgusting. The pasta with veggie was delicious. I wanted to give this restaurant only two starts but the waitress earned them one e tea star. She was the only one working the dining room and they had three parties over six people each. She was fast, friendly and efficient. She deserves to be recognized by the owners as she might be the only one who might be working hard at this restaurant. read more

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Great family restaurant, our kids and we enjoyed pasta with meatballs and shrimp marinara. Homemade cheesecake is the most delicious I've ever tried. Kids loved the limoncello ice cream. Very friendly owners. read more

My family goes to Mama Riso's every year on our summer vacation. Usually we are very pleased with our experience, but this year things were a bit different. We were seated promptly after our 6:30 reservation, but the hostess asked if we would mind waiting a bit for our waitress. We didn't think she meant 40 minutes!! We sat for 40 minutes before we even saw our waitress! We didn't even get water. The hostess was walking around carrying a baby the entire night-- very unprofessional! She also yelled at a waitress in front of my entire family saying it was her fault that she knocked over a bunch of dishes. The best part of our dinner was the fried calamari and the bread. Everything else was mediocre and the salad was DRENCHED in dressing! We couldn't even eat it. If you go here, make sure you ask for the salad dressing on the side! I was looking forward to having chicken parmesan for dinner but my meal was cold. If you go to Mama Riso's I would recommend going at a time when it isn't so crowded. It was very crowded when my family went and it was clear that the staff couldn't handle the chaos. read more

I had the veal, eggplant Parmesan. It was delicious and well prepared. The marinara sauce was tasty! And the bread served prior to the meal was outstanding...hot and very good. My wife ordered the seafood special which had both shrimp and scallops in a spicy marinara sauce. It too was excellent. Both meals were generous portions. Neither of us were able to finish our meal despite arriving very hungry. Service was prompt and courteous. read more

We came to lake George for family vacations, so we don't know around, but we had good luck with this place ! It's rustic inside. The staff very very friendly. Minestrone soup tasted like your grandmas cook. The bread was amazing ! We had one of the ser food specials and chicken wings with pasta. I don't like spiny but those wings were delicious. I will definetly come back to this restaurant read more

We have been going here since 1991. Drive from New Hampshire for dinner.You just can't get anything better then this.Always the best meal you will ever have read more

Just left and it was a bizarre experience. People waiting outside I go in and ask hostess how long for 4 people she said oh no not 4 more. I asked is that a problem she said yes. I said should I leave and she said I think that would be better. So now I'm at Marios for a community that relays on summer business to turn away a party of four willing to wait at 7;30 on a Thursday night is insane. I will never attempt to ever go here again I still can't believe that happened read more

My family and I have been frequent visitors to Lake George for more than 7 years now and I unfortunately experienced a poor evening at Mama Riso's. The service was very poor and the food was below average; considering they made chicken parm in recently used shrimp oil and two pieces we couldn't cut with a knife. I'll end by saying that food that poor with service below average earns a "no star" in my book. read more

Didn't even get to eat, waited forever for the waitress she took our drink order only. We waited another 15 minutes and got up and left

Most of the restaurants in the Lake George area are just okay, and the other Italian offerings are no better than Olive Garden quality. Mama Riso's restaurant is just outside the village toward Queensbury. We've passed the place probably two dozen times, but went in on recommendation of a friend who is a long time vacationer to the area. The whole family was pleasantly surprised. Real Italian food. They even make their own pasta. In the absence of Lazio's in Queensbury, this is the best Italian you're going to get in Lake George. We'll be back. read more

Not a great value. Service was subpar as was the meals. Chicken parmesan was small, veal parmesan was tough and the sauce was bland and watery. Server had no timing in creating a pleasurable experience. Dinners came out 5 minutes after appetizer. Water was left unfilled for most of the meal. My salad serving was tiny could see the bottom of the plate at the start. Warm bread was nice but was served with very hard butter. We weren't even told what the specials were before we ordered. Heard the specials from the server at another table after we ordered. Not busy at all. The server knew we were unhappy but preferred to stay away from us. No signs of owner or management throughout whole meal. This place seemed to be only about making a lot of money for subpar service and food, both quality and quantity. Would not recommend or return. read more

Don't get the calamari. It was obviously frozen. The garlic bread was pretty tasty. We also had the muscles and spaghetti & meatballs which was average. Nothing to write home about. read more

Mama Riso's is a staple when we visit Lake George. Its probably one of the best Italian-american meals we have. The Eggplant Rolatini and Pasta Fagioli is my favorite. The Chicken Scarp is some of the best. When the homemade pasta is featured as a special it makes any meal that much better. They have great sauce in any form. The staff is beyond friendly and the service is always great read more

My family has been enjoying Mama's for as long as I can remember. Food is always good along with the service. My parents celebrated their 60th anniversary there. A lot of people attended and Sal and Anna made it flawless. I was there last night, 8/27/2017, with six people, our dinner was excellent. Our entrees included steak, mussels marinara, chicken parm, the pork and seafood fra diavalo specials along with a kids' meal of spaghetti. We were sorry we were too full to enjoy their wonderful desserts. read more

This restaurants food is by far one of the best on the lake. The sauce was delicious. The shrimp scampi blew away another Italian restaurant up here in Bolton called Cate's. I had shrimp scampi there earlier in the week and there was no comparison; Mama Rizzo's wins hands down. Plus, Rizzo's is at least 10% less expensive. Hot bread was perfect. And coffee was served and the pot was put on the table for us. Nice and friendly staff. read more

Steak was not very tender and took a long time to receive food and the check about, an hour and a half the desert was ok but the "truffle" was just ice cream. read more

Went to this establishment on a work trip when little else was open due to being the areas off-season. The food was simply average. I ordered fettuccine alfredo, which is my go to at any Italian restaurant. The sauce was merely alright. There are many other better establishments out there, however, during offseason, most of those are closed in Lake George. The dish was $15 and was not very much quantity for the price. I would not come back. I would go get food at the Walmart down the road instead. read more

Service was super slow, over an hour for our food to come and we had 4 kids at our table so imagine the grumpy faces we had to deal with. Food tasted like they were from a pizzeria. We couldn't wait to leave so we asked them to box our dessert. That took another 20 minutes. Then another 20 minutes for the check to come. They even over charged us $19! Good thing we checked our bill. Gosh, don't come here if you have a choice. read more

This cozy little restaurant placed right outside the village offers a large Italian menu. The staff was the most friendly and attentive that we have experienced while in lake George. The salad offered with our entree was just the right size and fresh. The bread was the perfect Italian bread, soft warm and delicious. I had the veal sorrentino, which was layered with delicate eggplant and cheese mushrooms and a delicious wine sauce. We chose a wonderful old vines Zinfandel to pair it with. Our whole experience was excellent, it's a hidden gem that all who visit lake George should try. read more

Here for my 40 th wed anv. Great food, great service. Worth the effort to go to. Veal parm was perfect. The sauce(aka gravy) Was very good. Not to spicy not to bland. Backed Clams were very good. read more

We had calamari, and garlic bread as appetizers. Both were okay. Minestrone should be avoided - it was flavorless. Two of us had seafood fra diavolo with homemade linguine. Unfortunately we neglected to ask for the linguine to be al dente, so it was mush. The seafood - shrimp and scallops were good - not overcooked. The veal parmesan was unremarkable. All in all we would not go back. read more

Be pepared to wait over an hour for your entree to come to your table and then 20 minutes for you to get the check... by youself after the wait. Only 2 person working. One serve one cleanup. Foods are terrible. Seriously, don't go here unless you want to have your time wasted by them. I wouldn't go back there even when it's free. read more

I have eaten at momma's for 15 years. This is one of the few restaurants in Lake George Village that is worth the trip. Enjoy read more

Mama Risos Restaurant - Scungili. Never tried it before here. Excellent - Italian Near Me - Lake George, New York

3.5 Service was prompt and the waitress was very nice and accommodating, food was overall good but overpriced like every other restaurant in Lake George. Decor and tables/chairs are quite dated but clean. We had mozzarella and tomato to start, mozzarella and roasted peppers were very good but (and I never understand this) they were paired with frozen tomatoes. Why have a good mozzarella if your going to serve crappy frozen tomato? They served warm fresh bread for the table which was very good. My wife had pasta with tomato sauce, my daughter had ravioli, they both liked their meal. I had the chicken parm which was served over linguini with TS, chicken wasn't the best I ever had but was good and the TS was very tasty. Again overall good but overpriced read more

Two families. A party of 6 and a party of 4. They placed 2 tables together. We requested separate checks. After placing our orders we waited almost 70 minutes for the food to be brought out. The food was cold, and they had to take back to the kitchen to microwave our food to warm it. My veal was like rubber. I tasted better sauce from a jar. The shrimp did not taste fresh. We did not see any waitress again until she brought out our checks, and then she placed an 18% tip on both checks even though we were a party of 4. After complaining about the food and the service to the manager, and asking her to allow us to tip what we thought was appropriate since we were not happy customers, and the service was lousy she the manager refused to do anything, and threatened to call the police if we did not pay the 18% tip. STAY CLEAR!!! I know at least 10 people which will never be going back. read more

From the Seafood fried Diablo and Chicken Parmesan. To my Veal Piccata. The food was was superb. Generous tray of Garlic Bread. Minestrone soup, Clams. All great. Dessert of Cheesecake and Cappachino. The wait staff was top notch, especially our server Michelle. When at Lake George stop At Mama's. read more

Very nice place! Roxanne (our waitress) was perfect with her great attitude and service. Food was delicious and very reasonably priced. I truly recommend this place. read more

Stopped in because it was always crowded. Bread was awful, service was mediocre and the waitress said had to chill our chianti because it was hot! The eggplant rollatini appetizer and spumoni dessert were the best part of our meal. We never got grated cheese for our pasta and our waitress decided to give us a pitcher of water at dessert. We were not happy and probably wont go back! read more

Wonderful meal! Minestrone soup was fabulous, homemade pasta melted in your mouth. Marina sauce was excellent. Tiramisu perfect ending!!!

Went on Yelp's recommendation.... Decor dated but food excellent. Homemade linguine worth couple bucks more. Sauce great. Italian bread warm , soft and crunchy crust. Definitely would come back. read more

Had dinner here last night. Food and service was great. Only negative was the homemade salad dressing tasted like straight vinegar. We will come back for dinner when we are in this area. read more