I ordered a special of the day for delivery , stuffed shells with bolognse, and it was terrible. It was supposed to come with a meat sauce, but instead it was a cream sauce. The order taker did not describe the item properly, I asked her what was in the bolognse and she said it was a meat sauce, so I was expecting a tomato based sauce. I called back and she said bolognse is always a cream sauce. Maybe at Mama Lucia it is always that way but not when my Mama made it at home. There were only 2 stuffed shells and it looked more like a casserole than what one would think of as a stuffed shell. Very disappointing, it was not edible and I had to throw it out, wasted $19.00. read more

Mamma Lucia of Silver Spring - Italian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I stopped thru one of my favorite lunch spots today for a couple of slices & a garden salad! Anthony (The Manager) greeted me as family, which is amazing in itself because most managers are nowhere to be found in most establishments! Fatima was my server and was amazingly attentive, checking on me constantly! I love Mamma Lucia's!! Thank you guys for being so authentic in every way possible!! Cheers read more

Friendly staff, great food, nice clean restaurant & restrooms. My wife and I have gone here for about 10 years now.

Honestly grabbed pizza and a Passat dish from here because it's on our doorstep! Was impressed by both the quality of the pie and the speed of prep! Will def be returning read more

The shrimp appetizer was subpar. Breading falling off of the shrimp and it looked like someone drenched the shrimp in the orange sauce. Shrimp had zero flavor and was soggy due to it being drenched in sauce. Spaghetti had no taste. The meatballs tasted like mystery meat and the seafood pasta was so bad that we took it off our bill. Great daily specials but the food is lacking. read more

We recently moved to the area and were looking for good delivery pizza that we could count on eachFriday night. Mamma Lucia is that pizza! The pepperoni is so good and if you order directly from them as opposed to a food delivery service it's cheaper with less fees! read more

Let me begin this review by saying...I have never had the pizza here. But the sandwiches are very good, and budget friendly. I believe most of the menu may be overpriced a bit, but the food I have had has been good, and the staff very friendly. read more

My dinner experience here at Mama Lucias was great! Went in with a couple of colleagues and was not disappointed with the service or the food. I ordered one of their entree special pasta with seafood and it was so delicious, flavorful and very filling! I also got gelato for dessert and that was amazing too! Exceptional food and service. Will go back and highly recommend! read more

Mamma Lucia of Silver Spring - Delicious dinner entree special pasta with seafood variations. Loved it!! - Italian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I'm a former New Yorker, and I take my pizza seriously. Mamma Lucia's is one of the better pizzas in the DMV, and I order it fairly regularly. The sauce is tasty, the amount of cheese is just right, and the crust is both soft and chewy, as it should be! 95% of the time delivery is fast, and on the phone and in person staff are always super friendly. I definitely recommend Mamma Lucia's. omnomnom! read more

It's official. This pizza place that has been around forever next to the Giant Supermarket won't have me back as a customer. Their pizzas are pricy once you add some toppings. Ordering online, you ask for toppings like Extra Sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and every topping is an extra $2.50 each. Your personal pizza starts to add up in price. Then when you get the pizza, the toppings are scant and hardly there. I ordered over the weekend and their NY Pizza had zilch toppings, no extra sauce, and it hardly tasted like pizza from NYC. This place has really gone downhill and so surprised it's still open even with the Covid Impact. By the way, for two pizzas, my tab was over $50. read more

Good food and service inside, some items should be considered dine in only. The restaurant may want to reconsider using leafy veg to garnish dishes for delivery. The pizza and pasta are good choices. read more

The pizza was amazing, just like New York pizza. The sauce was was excellent not to acidic. The crust was thin. Alls I can say it was perfect & it was in MD. read more

I should give Mamma Lucia's a terrible rating. But I can't. I like it. I bought two jumbo slices of pizza for lunch one day. The cost was $8.00. Sounds normal, right? Well, they ran it up as $80.00, and charged my debit card. I signed the receipt without noticing, but saw it on my bank statement a few days later. Although I had to come back twice after discovering it, once to talk to the guy in charge of the debit receipts, and another to make sure the charge was revoked, all-in-all it wasn't as terrible as it could have been. They were genuinely apologetic, and offered me a free slice. And the pizza is good. I guess that's why I continue to go. It's NY style, which to me means large, oily, fatty slices. Yum. The pastas are pretty good, though not great, and we ordered a large pizza there once, and that was pretty good too. Sure, it is expensive, but the owners are front and center, take pride in their local chain enterprise, and the service makes for a quick, yummy lunch. read more

Worst Italian food in the area.Ordered Lasagne, garlic bread, and Caesar Salad from the Connecticut Ave NW location. Cold Lasagne was thrown together, lasagne noodles were under cooked and surrounded by canned pasta sauce. Garlic bread was plain, limp white sliced bread, toasted with no hint of garlic. Caesar salad was romaine lettuce sprinkled with salty cheese, and a side of heavy dressing. The price was about $24.00. Trashed the entire meal and will never order from this restaurant again. I am not Italian, but can make more authentic, flavorful, carefully prepared lasagne, tasty garlic bread and Caesar salad than this seriously fast food shadow of an Italian restaurant. read more

I have been here on a couple of occasions and would give Mamma Lucia's 3.5 stars. The first time I came was for some pizza, later in the evening, about 15 minutes before closing. I just ordered a couple of slices of the by-the-slice selection. I realize restaurants are busy near closing time. However, the way my group and I were treated, though, you would have thought we'd come in 5 minutes before closing asking for a sit-down table for 15 people. The manager/cashier was unnecessarily abrupt with us. Be that as it may, I returned for a sit-down dinner with my parents when they came to visit me. Mamma Lucia's is one of downtown silver spring's only offerings to the kind of sit-down family restaurant that I can take my folks too. They're picky eaters, and don't like anything "spicy" or unusual to them (which pretty much rules out anything indian, thai, mexican, greek, or tasty). They also don't want to eat anywhere they could eat "at home" such as a ruby tuesday or red lobster. So, Mamma Lucia's is a safe bet, and I will probably return here with them the next time they visit. I was pretty satisfied with what we ordered, and the service this time was much friendlier. I also liked the quiet, parent-friendly atmosphere. We ordered: spaghetti and meatballs, chicken florentine in a cream sauce, and seafood marinara with linguini. The portions, as others have noted, are plentiful. There's enough pasta on a plate for at least 3 meals. We got take out boxes and I had enough leftover for 3-4 more meals. (Unfortunately my waitress packed the boxes on their sides and a lot of the sauces leaked out). She did include extra garlic bread, though, which was very nice. I would have to say though, that my "seafood marinara" was loaded down with oil. I specifically ordered this dish because I thought it would be a healthier alternative to getting a cream-based pasta, but the amounts of oil ruled that out. I'm not sure why it was necessary to put oil on this dish, but if I ordered it again, I would request no oil. The bites I had of the chicken florentine and the spaghetti and meatballs tasted delicious so I would also try those again. The prices, as others have called attention to, are on the high side, considering the casualness of the restaurant (it's in a strip mall, so they're not kidding anyone). I think the size of the portions could be cut in half and they could decrease the prices to reflect this. read more

Simple menu, good food, and great service, all for a low price. They also serve several flavors of good Gelato.

I just realized how much I dine alone, and that people must think I'm quite strange as I coo over my food and perform a photo shoot before (or sometimes in the middle of) the feast. I must say I have been eating out alone more since I started writing Tasty Bites entries - I used to hate doing that, but now I have a purpose for doing so. It's research, you see. So this one fine afternoon, I stopped in at CVS at Blair Park, and on the way out decided to grab a bite to eat at Mama Lucia's which is next door. For research, of course. I have never been, so I wasn't sure how the place worked. It seemed a little bit disorganized, you walk up to the counter and there are 3 men taking orders/payment. They are all very nice, but they are also loud and want to know what you want to order as soon as you walk in. I looked at the menu and I wanted to try everything as I was quite hungry. I debated between a pizza or a pasta, decided to get a pasta, then had to choose from about 20 different items, gah!! I wanted carbs but also some seafood, so linguine alla mare chiara sounded perfect. I ordered my food and a bottle of water from one man, paid another man, and then yet another man appeared from (I promise this is what happened) under the counter and handed me the water. The man I ordered from told me to sit at any table, so I did, all the while wondering how the food was going to find me, since the dining room was pretty full. Lunch rush, I guess, it was about 1:30pm. About 10 minutes later, a young lady came by with a basket of bread and my pasta. How did she know it was mine? How did she know where I was? It was like magic!! I took a bite of the pasta with one of the clams, and oh! It was exactly what I wanted - yummy pasta with yummy sauce with yummy seafood. As a lady pretending to watch her girlish figure, I didn't touch the bread basket, but the contents seemed pretty old and stale. The pasta was of good texture, not overcooked, the seafood was delish, the shrimp, clams and calamari tasted fresh and didn't have the strange, synthetic texture that frozen seafood sometimes have. The sauce was decent, not magnificent, but it was good enough to hit the spot. It was a pretty hefty portion and I'm a little embarrassed to say that I ate the whole thing. After checking my email and Facebook on my phone, I managed to remove myself from the table and waddle out of the restaurant. If I get a chance to go back, I would really like to try the spaghetti aglio e olio and the penne norcina. They have a couple of specials - Monday nights are pasta nights, where you can get a second pasta dish for $3.99 and Tuesday nights are pizza nights, where you can get a second pizza for $2.99. Oh carbs, you're so delicious. Tasty tasty!! read more

Mamma Lucia of Silver Spring - Italian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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Listen here. Mama Lucia is the lighthouse of carbohydrates at the end of a shitty hot DC day. If other Italian restaurants are stallions prancing around like a sissy nanny, she is the tried and true work horse a field over who keeps plugging away through the toil of your appetite. The BOGO pasta deal has kept me alive and happy more times than I care to admit. I once had a subpar calzone here but I didn't really care because the garlic bread was giving me life. 5 stars because mama Lucia is bae. read more

Customer service was great as soon as we walked in. Came on a Wednesday where they have half off wine bottles. Did not order a bottle but I will next time. The pizza was very good and not expensive. Also, had to go back for seconds for the garlic bread...Yummm!! read more

Mamma Lucia of Silver Spring - Dining area - Italian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I really liked their pizza. It is admittedly very greasy - but I like that. The bread that they bring out (free) while you wait was pretty good (but very buttery - which, again, I like!) I will certainly eat there again and plan on trying the pasta. Although, the prices for the pasta looked pretty high so I don't know if I'll make this a regular dinner spot. read more

Usually LOVE Mamma Lucia but this Silver Spring branch wasn't great in the before COVID times and now it is terrible (food + service, even take-out). Skip it and go to the Bethesda or Rockville one. read more

Mamma Lucia is my favorite pizza restaurant in all of Silver Spring. Why? Here's my odd Star rating: 1 Star: Convenient Location! Mamma Lucia is about 2 blocks from the Silver Spring Metro Station, across the street from NOAA, and 4 to 5 blocks from Downtown Silver Spring and and Discovery Communications. However, parking at the shopping plaza can be chaotic due to the Giant next door. 2 Star: Atmosphere! It's relaxed, even a little upscale. Mamma Lucia is a great spot for family food outings (mind you, this isn't Chuck-E-Cheese), work lunches, and even casual dates. I assume that the restaurant is quite bustling on the weekends. 3 Star: Delicious pizza! I'm addicted to all kinds of pizzas now, but I crave New York style once in a while. They offer pizza by the slice here. The cheese pizza always comes out hot, cheesy, greasy, but oh so good! While Mamma Lucia's prices are much higher than your standard Pizza Hut, they have weekly specials. For example, Monday is Pasta Night (buy one pasta entree, get the 2nd for $3.99) and Tuesday is Pizza night (buy one large pizza, get the 2nd for $2.99). By the way, the owners are from the Bronx if you're wary of their pizza's "authenticity". 4 Star: Large portions (including pizza slices)! Enough said. 5 Star: Employees! I am greeted with smiles every time I walk in. I'm serious. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming here, especially the men at the counter. No one scoffs, sneers or sighs. Everyone has a positive attitude. (I'm a major pessimist, but my mood lifts dramatically when the food is just as good as the service.) I have only ordered carry-out, but even that is a pleasant experience. Gosh, I love these guys. Mamma Lucia is a popular spot among citizens working or living in Silver Spring. For good reason: The food is consistently good, and the employees are most gregarious. I highly recommend this place. read more

Always a quick and easy option for a not just quite New York style pizza. Although the cheesecake is the best by far. I think it's better than the cheese cake factory! read more

Great pizza! Inexpensive! Pretty good wine! The service is great. They always try to make sure you feel warm and welcome. The best nights to go are either tuesday or wednesday. Whenver they have their pizza special where you can get pizza and wine for a good deal. Call to ask about it because I'm not sure of specifics. Close to the metro and stays open pretty late. Definitely one of my favorite places to go to! read more

Gelato! They have gelato! It's tasty and good and refreshing. Easy and free parking lot. Takeout pasta is great - and they will sell you a lunch portion at dinnertime. Same two guys have been at the counter for 10 years! read more

Mamma Lucia's is a local chain. The food is not authentic italian, not in the slightest. Nor is it flavorful. The pizza is the definition of subpar, and the pasta dishes, well, week old leftovers are better than here. Considering the abysmal quality of the food, it is vastly overpriced. As the food is quite deplorable, I can only think of one redeeming quality for Mamma Lucia's - the foppishly dressed proprietor! The gourmand said to his friend, "Depart this place, and return, nevermore" read more

When I was first apartment hunting in the DC area (nearly 4 years ago), my parents and I checked out the Blairs. After going there and having some time before the next appointment, we decided to stop at Mamma Lucia's. Coming from NJ just outside of NYC, we literally went to check out the pizza situation. Pizza's a staple, so if you can't find a good place to grab a quick slice you're screwed. I was more than happy with the quality of their pizza. The sauce has a bit of sweetness that isn't standard for a NY-slice, but I really liked it and have continued to frequent this location. Their pasta dishes are also very tasty. Baked ravioli and gnocci (when it's on the menu) are my absolute favorites. The prices range, but overall I think it's pretty reasonable. I've brought friends from NJ & NYC here and they've all been impressed. Looking forward to getting my next slice! read more

Mamma Lucia of Silver Spring - Such good pizza! - Italian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I don't eat Italian out very much - but we needed a kid friendly place near the metro and this fit the bill. In the future, I'll be eating elsewhere. EVERYTHING comes with pasta! Okay, fine, ninety five percent of the menu. Even the salmon special that was ordered came with a side of pasta on another plate! I tried to order the mussels in marinara appetizer (and even said the word "appetizer" as I was ordering) to avoid the carb overload and I received the mussels on pasta entree instead. Knowing very well that I'd probably be eating the same exact mussels if I sent it back, I kept it, but I later realized that was silly because it was a $6 price difference. yes, six dollars for noodles. (okay, fine, and maybe four more mussels. still.) There wasn't much (if any) emphasis on the pizza side at this location. Yes, it was on the menu, but I didn't see one person order anything other than pasta the whole time we were there (and that was a while). They also sell gelato (looked good, didn't try). Our server was just fine, my side greek salad was nicely made (though my dressing on the side could have come in something other than a plastic to-go container) and the components tasted as they should, but when the bill came we were oddly surprised at how everything quickly added up, especially since the only reason we were mildly satisfied was because of our stomachs full of pasta, not because it really felt worth it/tasted that great. I think I'd rather go to an OG, and I haven't stepped in one of those in years. read more

The reference point is Olive Garden, as noted by other reviews. ML wins on menu, which is more expansive and interesting, and ambiance, which is less contrived. The price is a bit higher, though, and it's not clear what justifies that premium. I've only had pasta dishes, which were ample and well prepared, but not particularly unique. OG at least has one thing it absolutely nails (breadsticks), and as far as I can tell ML has nothing so memorable. Our service at this location was very good, and it was of course clean and neat. It benefits from not having particularly impressive competition in the area, but if you're in Silver Spring and want Italian, try Sergio's in the Hilton. I can't think of a reason to choose ML given that option. read more

I've been to almost all Mamma Lucia's locations and Silver Spring is as good as it gets. I used to think Mamma Lucia's prices were too high...But I found myself returning over and over again. I realized that this restaurant is WORTH EVERY PENNY YOU SPEND HERE. They provide VALUE in 3 key areas. 1. RESTROOMS - Always clean, no smell, fully stocked. One time I walked into the restroom and there was an employee spraying and scrubbing the counter, towel dispenser and door handles. Big ups to the staff @ Silver Spring for keeping us all safe from contamination. 2. EGGPLANT PARMESAN - I don't eat subpar eggplant, I don't eat average eggplant, heck I don't even eat GOOD eggplant. I EAT THE BEST. THIS IS THE BEST. Thin tender slices, rich egg batter, Jersey style Italian Marinara - you know the garlicky, oily, tangy San Marzano tomato sauce that you can slurp down like soup, al dente spaghetti, dripping with broiled Mozzarella....YOU COULD SERVE YOUR EGGPLANT IN A BACKPACK AND I'D STILL BUY IT! 3. SERVICE - Back when I thought this place was overpriced, I only ordered carryout. After dining here a few times, I realize that the entire staff is focused on hospitality. They really make you feel like you're dining in their house. Mamma Lucia also offers buy one pasta dish get 2nd for $4 bucks, (including eggplant parmesan) on Monday, buy one pizza get 2nd for around $4 or $5 bucks on Tuesday, and half price wine night on Wednesday. They provide value, pass the savings on to their diners, and make the best Eggplant Parmesan in Maryland (except for my mother's.) read more

We have never dined in at the restaurant, but we have taken out from this restaurant many, many times. We've tried multiple pizzas-- they're all delicious-- really great pizza. I've tried the fettucini which was good, but VERY fattening and made me feel a little gross aterwards. The garlic bread is okay and the salads are medicore. The best part might just be the gelato... get the snickers gelato, amazing! read more

I ordered two pizzas for delivery and it cost $45. Don't make my mistake and overpay for 3 star (at best) pizza. Amazing that they're still in business. read more

My husband's comment to you yelpers is "don't pay full price!" Come on a night when there is a special and your perception of how good the food is will be much, much higher. On a Wed night, when the wines are half priced, we ventured from the Blair apartments to try some pasta. I ordered the salmon special, which was a full fillet of salmon on a bed of spinach with shrimps and a side of penne pasta. This dish had way too much marinara sauce and it desperately needed more flavor. My hubbie ordered a seafood special with fettuccini Alfredo. The dish had a generous amount of shrimp, crab, and scallops. But again, the food was missing the pizzaz we were hoping for. Tons of food that lacks in flavor but the specials make up for it. Especially the Monday one for a second dish at $3.99 and the Wed one for half priced wines. But if you want EXCELLENT Italian, go to Olazzo. The prices are not that much different. read more

This place is really close to my boyfriends apartment and is easy to walk to. The food has a lot of fat in it, but of course that makes it taste good. Their pizza is suprisingly really good.....its kind of more of a thinner crust. I think the bread with the cheesy oil is actually good here...but again, terrible for you. My boyfriend ordered a pasta called ravioli romana, which is cheese ravioli in a cream sauce....wow, this dish was amazing. They also have wine/beer, which kind of surprised me, since the place almost looks like a better version of cici's. Every time I go the waitress is helpful in making suggestions for which wine i might like and both times has been nice in letting me get my pizza with two completely different halves (sauce included!). They let you try the wines before you order some, which is a plus since you can almost get a free glass before you even buy one if you try a couple. Lastly, this place has gelatto....supposedly the only location which does. I tried oreos and cream when I was there and was underwhelmed, but will go back to make sure it wasn't a fluke since i've heard good things from everyone else. This place is zagat rated too and on mondays, you can get your second pasta dish for $3.99. read more

Mamma Lucia's is overpriced and I can definitely make better lasagna myself (and I'm not even Italian). That said, I hate Mondays. By 5 p.m. every Monday, I rue living in workaholic America. I just want to pick up dinner on the way to the metro so I can stuff my face without having to cook. So when I discovered that ML has a buy one pasta and get the second for $4 deal on Monday, suddenly it didn't seem so bad. Certainly it was more wallet friendly. Truthfully, I like the lasagna. It's cheesy, made with beef, and beats Stouffer's. The portion is huge and I can save half for lunch the next day. Plus the pastas come with a side salad and garlic bread. Actually, I really like their bread since it's doused with oil and red pepper flakes. I can't speak for any other pasta dishes myself but my dad really likes the spaghetti and meatballs. Of course, he also refuses to eat anywhere where a Hanes white tee is outside of the dress code, so accept that endorsement at your own risk. read more

Not exactly crazy good Italian! I have had better! In saying this it was not horrible either. Their pasta is cooked al dente the way I like it! I cannot stand mushy pasta! Also their white/alfredo sauce was rather tasty. I did not care for the chicken with my pasta. It tasted kind of on the rubbery side, like over cooked. Would I go back? Probably not for the lunch or dinner, but maybe for dessert. The service was however excellent and the people are all very kind! It is a little pricey for lunch. I spent $11.25 for my meal which included bread and just fountain water. read more

Mamma Lucia of Silver Spring - Chicken Pasta wit spinach and mozzarella! - Italian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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It's not the best Italian. But the portions are generous, and the service is prompt. I've ever only had the pasta dishes, and I've never been displeased. The gelato is GREAT! Good luck finding a parking space in the vast lot that also serves as parking spaces for a Giant, other restaurants and an apartment complex. Mama Lucia is plentiful, good, hearty Italian food that is reasonably priced. read more

I have finally found the closest thing to a real NY slice. And the gelato? Fuggedddabbbouutit. Best pizza in the DC area hands down. Staff is courteous and offer military discount. We crave this place now. read more

Mamma Lucia of Silver Spring - Italian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I live less than a block away and am convinced the only reason this place is ever busy is because of the location. Between the metro and Giant they have a steady stream of customers for food that is often average and unmemorable at best. We've tried almost everything but their pizza and not one thing has been worth returning for. It's decent enough if you're exhausted and in a hurry but otherwise there are much better Italian places within 5 minutes. read more

This place is "lunch friendly." What I mean by that, is your expectations aren't super high for lunch food. You know, it's your office cafeteria or Chipotle or someplace like this. Under that criteria it fits the bill. I always get pizza with a side Greek salad. Is it the best pizza in town? Definitely not. But there are huge slices, the salad's average but good, and there's free garlic bread on the side. You can get stuffed on $7 or so which rocks. Service is friendly and super quick and there's a big seating area. If you're one of those people who eats gelato in the middle of the workday, there's a huge gelato bar. Some wine selection, but nothing special. Overall, a good lunch choice for when your expectations aren't too high. read more