The pizza here is excellent, some of the best I've had. The lasagna is wonderful, made with ricotta, not pasty cheap bechemel! The veal sandwich was disappointing. It was very thin veal, so much so that the breading overtook the taste of the veal which was very dry. The spaghetti with meatballs.....meh. It was ok. But not exceptional. Their homemade noodles are more like spaetzel or dumplings! Don't get them! It doesn't taste right, just get the regular noodles/pasta. The marinara sauce was very sugary....too sweet if you ask me. And they serve it in a deli tub when you get it to go. Not terribly appetizing. The meatballs were mediocre at best. In short, go for the pizza and lasagna. That's it. Go elsewhere for everything else, not even the spaghetti and meatballs (a basic, ya know?)! read more

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Visited Mama Santa's finally. There was a line waiting to be seated but it moved fairly quick. The place is not large and they were busy but you didn't feel like you're on top of anyone. It had a real authentic old school feel. We started off with basic mozzarella sticks and they hit the spot. Very fresh. I had the chicken parmigiana with spaghetti. Best sauce ever. Period. Loved it. The chicken was good but the sauce made it the best spaghetti I've ever tasted. My wife's pizza came out a little later. They let you know on the menu that they have 2 kitchens so that may happen but it was worth it. Great pizza. Portnoy have it a 7.6. I'd go higher. My wife and I shared both plates and it was a great evening read more

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Mama Santos in Little Italy had the kind of energy that made the whole experience feel rushed for no good reason. The manager/owner seemed tense and impatient, pushing customers to sit at dirty tables and creating some awkward moments. There wasn't much direction on seating, which only added to the confusion. We did try the pizza, and it was... fine. Average, nothing bad, nothing particularly memorable. In a neighborhood packed with great Italian food, that just doesn't quite cut it. Little Italy should feel welcoming and relaxed, and this experience missed that mark. read more

Great food. Old world authentic Italian. You have to get the house made noodles for any dish. The lasagna is perfect. Love the garlic bread to soak up any leftover sauce on your plate. Make sure to pair your dinner with some authentic Italian beer as well. You should order a pizza to take home with you as well. read more

Mama Santa's - Lasagna - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Greasy and exactly as ordered. Nothing special but nothing lacking either. Dripping with grease flavorful chicken pizzaioli with lots of goopy onion and pepper pieces and rotini with sauce. Came with three slices of totally plain bread which was kind of confusing. The mozzarella sticks are exactly what you'd get frozen at the store but again nothing bad, just there. $30 including 15% tip for both items in all. read more

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THEY BURN THE PIZZA EVERY TIME. every single time. Unless you tell them in advance "DON''T burn the pizza". Seriously read more

Mama Santa's - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Came as part of my 5,700 mile 30 city food tour research as I wanted to explore little Italy in Cleveland. Very friendly staff. Poorly lit and semi outdated dining space. Ordered the veal scalopini in a red wine tomato sauce with food network featured spaghetti noodles. Nothing was bad. But nothing was remotely memorable. Meat slightly oily with the sauce. Spaghetti felt like basic out of the box. Even the plating was a bit on the boring side. read more

Mama Santa's - Veal Scaloppini Combination - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Food was good except I ordered a veal cutlet and I got a veal scallopini. That should be changed on the menu. Our server was good but looked frazzled. I prefer a restaurant that takes reservations. I won't be returning very soon. read more

Great food very flavorful, the young man that served us was great. The dining area was vintage (good). This place I highly recommend!! read more

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Food is delicious. I recommend the Cavatelli and add the meatballs, you won't be disappointed. Service was good and friendly. Ambience definitely had what I imagine to be an old school Italian dining feel. Seating was really cramped for us as we were at a table against the wall but decent amount of room in the dining room overall. Absolutely recommend and is a must in Cleveland and the Little Italy area since 1961. read more

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We drove from Michigan to come here. I love authentic 'old school' Italian food and this is where we decided to eat. Pizza was amazing! Chianti was very good! My wife had the Fettuccini Alfredo. It was so good, I ordered one myself. I came here with an appetite. Service was mediocre. I liked the old look of the restaurant instead of it being updated so I could care less what the interior looked inside. My wife went across the street to Corbo's Italian bakery for some desserts. We will definitely be back! read more

Not sure if people who love Little Italy are just used to unseasoned, half-cooked, low quality, overpriced food but just seems like the pattern here. I really have yet to have passable pasta anywhere in Little Italy and Mama Santa's is as bad as Maxi's. The sausage was good though. It was seasoned, good texture and a reasonable portion. But my, my, we have to talk about their pasta. I got the olive oil fettucine and what--do they just stop seasoning after a drizzle of olive oil? What about salt? Pepper? Italian herbs? Anything? Others in my party got the cavatelli and meatballs and it all looked like a plastic play-dough dish...inedible. This picture I included was after I dumped half a bottle of red pepper flakes, pepper and salt (had to ask for them b/c they weren't even at the table!) and parmesan cheese (I don't even like this but it gave it flavor!). The "garlic bread" that was served was plan, thin, cheap pieces of white bread toasted and scraped with the minimum of butter with garlic powder. How is everyone okay with this??? Portions were tiny and prices were high. Our server was nice but her voice was so raspy it was hard to hear. So yeah, 1 star for their sausage and 1 more for their tiramisu which was pretty good. read more

Mama Santa's - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

I brought my friends who were visiting from out of town. We were very underwhelmed. It's not the Mama Santa's of my youth. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. My friends ordered a pizza and I ordered a pizza to go. The noodles and sauce were ok. The meatballs (2 of them) looked and tasted like they came out of a bag from the frozen food section of a grocery store. They were smaller than a golf ball. Apparently this dish comes with only 1 meatball because they charged me $2.95 for a second meatball. Seriously?? I had to waive down the waitress for more water. I just got up and got a container for the left over pizza. Just not impressed. read more

Little Italy. Narrow streets. Parking half on the sidewalk. Adorable places to visit for a meal. Coming here, someone was touting this as their best memories from their college days in the area. Go and get the pizza, they said... Well, the sausage pizza was okay. The problem was that it reminded me of Tree Tavern frozen pizza. Wow! For little Italy I was hoping for a lot better experience. The place and service feels like a typical pizza place in any town USA so that made the experience even more out of place. The punch line, however, was a 30% service charge for a large group. Yes, we were a LARGE group that took up probably almost the entire place. Yes, the food is cheap. 30%? On what planet does that make sense? read more

Mama Santa's - Sausage pizza - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Total order was reasonably priced and excellent quality food. Order was takeout but was warm and ready for pickup when I arrived .

Food is authentic we had spaghetti and the veal real taste great The food took a while but we were a party of 10. All pasta cooked to order read more

Was in Cleveland visiting my son and wanted some pizza. My husband is gluten intolerant and the reviews for this places gluten pizza were really good, so we decided to stop for dinner. It's a cozy little place in a decent part of town. The staff is friendly and the food is phenomenal (including the gluten free pizza). I also ordered an antipasto salad and was not disappointed. It was a total win. Can't wait to go back. read more

Mama Santa's is an institution in Little Italy and somehow still underrated. Step inside and it feels like time paused in the best possible way. No frills, no hype just seriously good pies. read more

LOVE this place. We used to go here more-frequent (prior to kids). Went here on a Friday, lunch hour. As-always, kind and courteous staff and delicious food. I remember the garlic bread more buttery and garlicky. Didn't quite get that this time around. If you're in-town, and have never been here, visit this place! read more

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My husband and I walked in today for our first visit to this restaurant. It is very dark, and old looking when you walk in, but I had a good feeling about it when a very Italian woman came up to the checkout counter to tell the younger man working there that, "His mom wanted to talk to him in the back when he got a chance." Then she looked at us and asked how many, then led us to our table. The tables are the old Formica topped tables like all our grandmas had in their kitchens. The tables and decor have obviously been there a while, however it was all very clean, and well cared for. My husband and I were there after a long morning traveling from Indiana to the Cleveland Clinic, and were there in the late afternoon before the evening rush. We just wanted a good meal, and then our bed back at the hotel. We both ordered homemade pasta with red sauce, and meatballs. The red sauce is delicious. The meatballs are tender and flavorful. The pasta is worth the hype. I had the fettuccine, and my husband got the cavatini. Four thumbs up from us both. Our service was wonderful, and literally what you think of when you come to Little Italy to eat. If you want simple, delicious, homemade food like mama makes, this is your place. read more

Alrighty, well for one we didn't wait much for a table. Waiter was not at all attentive for a place that wasn't busy. Food was a solid 8.5/10, it did taste homemade but one of our dishes was wrong. They do bring out the pizza first before the dinner dishes but we were aware of that. Refills are not free! Over all, cleanish place. FYI: We were a party of 7 and we were charged a 20% gratitude tip. SO DONT TIP CASH. read more

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This little Italian restaurant is adorable and the chefs are obviously very talented, but it's more like a 4 1/2 star restaurant than a 5 star one, but I digress. I've never been to Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood before and wanted to hit the best-of spots for my first visit. This affordable joint was highly recommended on the Cleveland subreddit, so we went for a weekend lunch visit with a slight bias already. The place was packed, but we were seated very quickly and provided with yummy Italian bread as a starter. The staff were all kind and very warm and this might sound a little presumptuous, but I immediately wanted to become a regular and become engrossed in this restaurant's "family!" That's a good sign for a long established family restaurant. My brother and I asked for the two "must-tries" and ended up sharing a sausage and pepper small thin-crust pizza as well as their pasta specialty, cavatelli with meatballs. The pizza dough was perfect, the toppings well-distributed, and the cheese pull was decent. But the sauce made the pizza taste like a high-end Totino's frozen pizza. Is that a good thing? I don't know. The pasta also had a sauce problem - it was better than Ragu but needed herbs, spices... something! BUT the meatballs... oh boy. Now those were the best part of the meal! They were absolutely packed with flavor and the meat quality was solid. I could keep eating the pasta and meatballs forever - just with a different sauce. In all, I loved my visit here and plan to visit again very soon! read more

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Our server was amazing! It was a very busy Monday lunchtime during Christmas week and she was in the ball. The pepperoni pizza was delicious! Well seasoned, tender crust, good amount of pepperoni. Came out piping hot! We had ordered it as an appetizer and it came out before lunch. Highly recommend the pizza! I did have higher expectations for their pasta dishes since Mama Santa's has been a staple in Little Italy for so long but was disappointed. The spaghetti was bland and the tomato sauce was nothing to write home about. It didn't have much texture or taste, I wouldn't consider it well seasoned. I got the veal parmesan and the same sauce as on that. The veal was crispy but the breading was salty and the slice of veal thin. The garlic bread was thinly sliced white bread with butter doused in a lot of garlic powder and salt, so much so that the bread's color is a pasty tan/grey. It shouldn't take much to make a good garlic bread. Finally, the bathrooms are in an area requiring you to navigate between narrowly spaced tables and then to scoot behind a table, all the while customers are eating. I feel bad for the people at the table closest to the bathrooms. All in all, I wouldn't go back unless it was for the pizza. read more

A great old school Italian restaurant. I always get either the Veal Scaloppini or the Chicken Cacciatori. I add mushroom sauce to my pasta. I've always had great service. read more

My boyfriend and I have gotten takeout pizza from Mama Santa's twice and we absolutely LOVE it. The pizza is so delicious (freshly made, buttery crispy crust), the service is fast, and everyone is SO nice there. One of the times, we ordered pizza to go but asked if we could dine in since it was pouring outside. We were immediately sat and they gave us our pizza on a hot tray. The restaurant seems family owned and it gives a wonderful sense of community. Definitely go support !!! read more

Mama Santa's - sausage and onion pizza - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Been frequenting this establishment since 1996. Always enjoy their homemade pasta, decent pizza. Not gourmet but good wholesome food. Love the long time staff who are always attentive and helpful. read more

I saw MAMA kissing SANTA'S... We came right after Xmas & it was packed at 5 pm already. The server was nice & came pretty fast. They brought homemade bread & butter which was a nice teaser to the rest of the meal. Fried half chicken was interesting, it wasn't breaded just fried. Came w/ no sauce or dip but a side of pasta. I requested a side of ranch to dip in. Large cheese pizza was delicious, right amount of greasy & salty. Crust was nice & thin. The fettuccine was really good w/ mushrooms and a good amount of sauce. To go boxes came out fast w/ the check. In & out under an hour! read more

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We went to Mama Santa's for lunch after a great day in Lakeview at Daffodil hill and really enjoyed ourselves. It was a fairly long wait for seating and service and getting the food but it was a glorious day in Little Italy so it was to be expected. The staff was courteous and friendly, the manager (owner?) was very friendly with everyone who entered and checked on us during out meal. The restaurant was dark like many true Italian places tend to be but the bottles and maps on the wall made it feel very comfortable. The food was above-par. Bonnie's Manicotti was delicious. My fettuccini was not what I was expecting... I guess I did not read the menu correctly. I was expecting Fettuccini Alfredo with Meatballs but it was delicious. The pasta was so light and fluffy it Has to be homemade. Victory really enjoyed his pizza and it was good. The pepperoni was a thicker cut while the crust was thin and well done. Excellent. I would definitely try this place again. read more

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Mama Santa's! A place so good that when you tell your family you're heading there, they literally reply with an "I'm jealous!" and sigh with an expression of admiration. Mama Santa's is a Cleveland institution in the heart of Little Italy with a space a lot bigger than you might think. Compared to some other spots, they have an ample amount of seating. The prices are also super reasonable, making Mama Santa's an all-around slam dunk. I agree with Tom - this might be some of the best pizza in Cleveland! The service is lightning fast. I can't say enough good things about the pizza here. They are huge pieces with ooey gooey cheese and delicious flavor. You can totally split a pizza with another person and be more than full. I've also had the cavatelli and meatballs and can confirm the meatballs are an A+. If I lived closer, I would stop in for takeout all the time to enjoy the Sicilian amazingness of Mama Santa's. read more

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Came right in on a Saturday with no wait for lunch: service was very slow. They have no kids menu despite saying they are kid friendly. Pizza was good. No one cared for the cheese ravioli. Cavaetelli was okay read more

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Mama Santa's is located in Little Italy. My husband and I stopped by here for lunch on a Tuesday afternoon, a little after 1 pm, after a friend (who is local to the area) had suggested this place. The place was busy and the place looked like they were a little understaffed. As soon as we walked in, we were acknowledged by an employee behind the counter and told me she would be with us in a minute. We waited a little over 5 minutes and then were seated at a booth by the restrooms. We were not seated in the main dining room due to it being all filled up. After looking over our menus, we ended up getting: Complementary bread- Although pretty standard fare that was not memorable, it was nice that our bread basket was refilled more than once during our meal. Large Antipasto, $8.95 prior to tax (dressing was requested on the side)- I wanted a nice green salad with our meal so I ordered this. I thought the size was fair to share. I think I would have been find without the meat and cheese. The amount of the cheese and meat is minimal. I liked that there were sliced olives, shredded carrots and purple lettuce but wished they used something better than the cheap iceberg lettuce. Homemade Noodles Spaghetti Di Cada with Sausage, $15.95 prior to tax- The handmade noodle dish is $11.95 and the sausage is $4. The noodles itself had a nice chew to it. I thought the marinara sauce was good and I really liked the sausage, it had a nice flavor to it. Portion size is on the small side but because my husband and I were already sharing the salad, I think this was fine for the both of us. ------------------------------ (Total= $26.89 after tax, prior to tip) Service was actually pretty good, which surprised me. I was expecting for us to be forgotten because we were not sitting in the main dining room. But the employee who sat us (also the same one who took our order) was actually quite attentive. Food was pretty good and the prices was pretty fair, in comparison to some of the other more expensive restaurants here in Little Italy. I enjoyed my dining experience and would come back here. Please note that this restaurant does have a small parking lot in the back but it most likely will be filled when you come. There is (metered) street parking available but can be a challenge if you come during peak time (especially weekends). read more

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We went for lunch. I had to have pizza! It was super delicious! Pleasant server! Nice atmosphere!

Can't go wrong with a stop at Mama Santa's. Everything we had was delicious. Waiter was quick and frequently checked in to make sure we had everything we needed. Garlic toast is a must! Homemade pasta is delicious. It is an added charge to pay with a credit card so I recommend making sure you bring cash. read more

Mama Santa's - Basket of Garlic Toast Fettuccini Pepperoni pizza - Pizza Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio