Mama Santa's

We are a family of five. From the beginning, we felt the hospitality of the waiter, who gave us enough time to consider our order. I had a headache, and she offered to help me in any way. The mozzarella sticks were fried to perfection, with a beautiful golden color. The sauces were very flavorful, not too salty or too spicy. The pizza was perfect, as was the bread. We are on vacation in Cleveland, and this restaurant has been an excellent welcome. The prices are not at all exaggerated. Best of all, they don't rush you to leave the restaurant. Sorry I don’t have more photos we eat too fast

Visited Little Italy with some friends and decided to eat at Mama Santa's. Was not disappointed at all! Took a long time to choose a meal as all the options sounded amazing. Our server gave me her suggestions and I opted for the homemade fettuccine with meatballs. My friends ordered the stuffed meat ravioli and the manicotti. We all loved our meals and tried each other's. Definitely will visit again!

Found Mama Santa's in Little Italy. Heard the pizza was awesome and it lived up to the hype. Our server Dilan was spectacular. All our dishes were delicious. Would definitely recommend.

We started with Mozzarella sticks and fresh marinara which was so good. I ordered the Veal Parmigiana which was excellent! Highly recommend, great service and atmosphere-very reasonably priced too!

Absolutely loved this place. After waiting in a controlled chaos line. We sat down and ordered beer and wine. We split an order of cavatelli with meatballs, a small pizza, and antipasto. They brought out bread that was softer than I thought it was going to be. I wish it had been warmed but otherwise very tasty. The pizza was very good, but the star was the cavatelli. The meatballs blew expectations away, but that fresh cavatelli was perfectly cooked. I would have liked them lightly tossed in sauce but they provided enough on the plate. Skip maxis and come here.

The food is cooked to perfection, the attention to detail and such authentic Italian food made me miss old friends. The sauce is perfectly blended the flavor and spices are perfectly balanced. The noodles are all made fresh, the meatballs are perfectly made and cooked not to tough not too soft. Flavor of the meatballs balanced so perfectly with the sauce and noodles. The mozzarella sticks are the best I've had especially combined with that sauce. Family owned and operated and the family is wonderful so are the rest of the staff.

5.12.2025 & 450pm - this is a big no. Phone customer service was pleasant when i called to place the order. Upon arrival, in received the same pleasant customer service. Now, this quality pizza??? Definitely quality… bad quality.👎🏽 the boyfriend and i both did not like it. I even added italian seasoning and crushed peppers. It taste like frozen pizza that was cooked, left over took the next day, then re cooked. Almost 19 dollars for two slices. Like honestly. It was ter 👏🏽 ri 👏🏽 ble 👏🏽. I would not recommend. Zero stars. Very ghetto pizza. First time trying it. Last time visiting.

Took a field trip to Mama Santa’s - 30 high school students, Friday at noon. Nancy and the staff treated the entire group like business executives. No on had to leave their seats for anything. The service was outstanding. The pizza is one of my personal favorites. Can’t wait to go back to try more of the menu. Little Italy a gem of Cleveland.

My wife and I eat here almost every time we come up to Cleveland. The lasagna is my favorite dish. We have always had good service. The parking, however, is quite limited. I noticed that several other reviewers wrote that the servers were rude. I didn't perceive them as rude, but rather as I'd expect in an old Italian restaurant started by a native Sicilian. To me, it adds to the restaurant's character.

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?)!

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This place is the most authentic I've been to (next to my nonna). Classic Sicilian cooking with a family feeling. I had the chicken parm with homemade fettuccine and it was excellent. Felt like I stepped into a Sicilian families home. Everyone was very friendly. Will definitely come back.

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?

The service was good. However, the fettuccine alfredo was the worst I've ever had. It was like noodles with cheese whiz.

Overall disappointing experience. This is a well established restaurant in Little Italy with many awards on the walls. We sat in a windowless room with gray paneling on the walls and stained ceilings. Lack of any ambiance or sense of history. Service was great and they were busy. We ordered the garlic toast, salad with cheese, large pizza and cavatelli with meatballs. Garlic toast was thin like toast, seemed stale and over buttered with a sprinkle of garlic. Salad was skimpy on the lettuce with a couple olives and a tomato slice with little cheese. Pizza came out first which they warn you about on the menu. That's fine. It looked good but was overall very bland. The cavatelli was a disappointingly small portion with watery and not well seasoned sauce. Noodles were properly cooked but served cold (which is weird because it came out so long after the pizza-again it said this on the menu but just not sure what was so special about this that it took that long) and the meatballs were more breading than meat. Disappointing experience.

Don't know how this place has been open for so long. Seems like the people in little Italy Cleveland don't know that pasta isn't supposed to be dry and flavorless. Homemade they call it. If what they meant by homemade is made at a home with no quality ingredients than yes it is homemade Would avoid this place if possible. Pizza is decent but would probably be better ordering from dominoes or any other fast food pizza chain.

My first visit here. Fabulous!! The service could not be better. My server was a young man (I'm old so anyone is young to me) tall thin guy. He was so nice and did such a good job. I had fettuccine Alfredo with mushrooms. It was so yummy and large portion size! The bread came first and it was baked fresh and I could have eaten the whole thing for my meal! Then I ordered a side of meatballs and sauce. Yum!!

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!

Homestyle Italian dishes served how your grandmother used to make them. Good sized portions at great prices in the heart of little Italy in Cleveland. Solid choice for family outings.

I have eaten out all over the US and Europe. This was definitely my worst experience ever with Italian food. All I can say is, how can a restaurant as old as this have such horrible pasta and Alfredo sauce? I have never had pasta with the texture and odd sizes. It was definitely a dry manufactured pasta and not fresh. The menu posted one price and the price charged was higher at $23.95. Also, the chicken was called a cutlet. It was no more than 1/4 of a chicken breast pounded down to approximately 1/4 inch and then breaded. It was so over fried it was like a piece of flavorless cardboard. No flavor in either of its main components. It is a shame because I was looking forward to a meal in Little Italy. We also ordered garlic bread that came out with burnt edges and was very hard. It to was cut very thin. They didn't even bother to bring us the bread that was to come with our meal. I would not recommend wasting your money at this disappointing restaurant. I know we will not return. As for atmosphere, could use an upgrade on the decor.

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.

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!

The pizza is probably their best item tasty sauce and crust. My homemade pasta wasn't drained enough so there was too much water on the plate, the sauce was bland and meatballs were decent. The Alfredo had no flavor it tasted like just cream. Antipasto salad the dressing had too much red wine that was overpowering. The bathroom was so clean it was impressive. Overall hit it up for pizza but their entrees lack flavor so I'd skip them.

Not impressed with this Italian restaurant at all. Nothing exceptional or wonderful here. The pizza was subpar the salad was subpar. I won't be going back.

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 !!!

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!

Great food and good service! I love their pizza so much that it is preventing me from trying other things. Their salad is very fresh and tasty too.

Great, authentic , homemade Italian food. Pasta made on premises. Meatballs, tasty and light but hearty. The bread!!!!! Crusty outside fresh inside. Smack in the midst of the restaurant scene on the hill. This is a can't miss. Best pizza in town. Service is neighborhood friendly. Casual kitchen atmosphere. Pick your noodle and add some meatballs my friend. It doesn't get better than this.

Our server, Nancy, was friendly and very helpful. I can't say enough about their gluten-free pizza -one of the best crust that I've had. I will go back for other gluten-free options that they have as I do have celiac disease. My only comment to the restaurant is maybe add a few more pizza toppings? I'll still come back though.

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

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.

Our favorite restaurant in Little Italy! I feel like family when I am there. We love the pizzas and cavatelli with meatballs. We could eat the cavatelli every week.

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).

This is a charming old style Italian restaurant without many frills. The decor is very basic but the menu covers a lot of territory. The menu includes soups,salads,pasta, sandwiches, pizza, and desserts. The service is good and the food better. Chicken cacciatore is old style half a chicken, vegetables, and pasta. It was a big , tasty meal. The wine selection is pretty basic,but the pours are generous and it is what you'd get eating with the family. My companions enjoyed their meatballs and pasta. None of us had room for dessert, nor room for some of the famous pizza. The prices were very reasonable and will make another visit possible.

So, for a Little Italy restaurant Mama Santa's is NOT what I would imagine. The place was pretty busy with lots of families and so we figured that this must be a hidden gem. We were led to a room that had no windows, no ambiance - just a bunch of tables with checkered tablecloths in a dark paneled room. The menu was pretty plain and the food was even plainer! We ordered an antipasto salad to split and the chicken piazzioli and the cavatelli and meatballs which the waitress said is their most popular menu item. All the dishes were super small and salty. We should have gone with a pizza but I noticed many saying the pizza was just mediocre so I thought we should try something else! I think pizza would've been the safest choice. Although the food and ambiance were sub par the wait staff was friendly and accommodating. But just not a place I'd try again!

Very cozy Italian restaurant cranking out awesome simple Italian food. Service is always so nice, all the food is super hot so you know it is freshly made. Love the interior, it's so cozy and comfortable and has great vibes. The spaghetti and meatballs are so good, the homemade spaghetti was cooked perfectly al dente and picked up the sauce very well. The meatballs were well seasoned, well cooked and went great with the pasta and sauce. Also, their prices are really cheap for how much food they give you and how good it is.

Ok this is some of the best Italian food I've ever had. Friendly staff , very nice interior classy let's say. I could taste the cheese and the noodles and the sauce great even flavors.

The pizza, service and the hospitality was really, really top notch here! From the owner and the other staff, we truly felt the welcoming family vibe here as soon as you stepped into the door to the time you left. In business over 60+ years says a lot. We enjoyed the fried zucchini, pizzas and the homemade pasta we took home to go. Everything was served fresh and hot. The sauce on the pizzas was perfect. Parking is available in the rear of this restaurant but we got here early enough and got a spot on the street. Highly recommended.

I can't believe the positive reviews of this place. As if the bad service wasn't bad enough they double downed on the bad food. I was so excited to try this place coming from out of town. A couple friends recommended it for their pizza and "home made" pasta dishes. I couldn't have been more disappointed. Waited 35 mins with three hungry and bored kids for a sub par pizza. No apology from the horrible waitress and she was rude as soon as we were seated. Try another place for Italian food

I'm not sure what Clevelanders expect price-wise. To me, this place was bargain basement cheap (in terms of price). But a little above average in terms of quality and service. The dinning room had nice, Italian flare. And the servers were all responsive and helpful. The pizza was fantastic! Nice, NYC-style crust cooked to perfection. I really couldn't have asked for more out of a quick pizza stop.

Old school Italian at old school prices. If you go in knowing what to expect, Mama Santa's is a gem. Lasagna and garlic toast are a fav!

The pizza is so so good. It's like the cheesy, oily goodness, almost like the pizza you ate when you were a little kid? Very nostalgic. The lasagna was a bit too meaty for my taste, not enough pasta. But still decent. The staff is SUPER friendly though. Very quick service. We came for an early dinner ~5:15PMand we were seated immediately. We left by 6:15 PM and there was a line out the door!!! So definitely be prepared for that because people obviously love the place. I'd definitely come back for the pizza.

Authentic, family owned and simple menu. Not pictured were the mozz sticks and a lettuce salad. One regret, not getting the cheese on the salad! We heard good things about the pizza so got one with plans on taking it home. Would order again. Next was the ravioli and the waitress recommended we do 1/2 cheese 1/2 meat which was perfect. My husband got the casa di spaghetti and we enjoyed the thicker noodle. Last, my mom got the "signature dish" of the cavatelli and that may have been been winner. Make sure to order under the handmade noodle section!

Reasonably priced food but very average. When we left at 9 on a Saturday night they were cleaning up and the place was empty. Given bread plates but had to ask for bread after food was served. Veal was VERY thin without much taste. Waited until check was offered before I could ask for another beer. Food was ok but not special...Just OK

I wrote the first review for this place, and in it I mentioned that I am often sitting in California. thinking about Mama Santas. Well, here I am again. I know that grandma makes the pasta, and I am here to beg everybody in the family to get her secrets. We need this exact same pasta de casa for the rest of time. Whatever magic she is putting in there, get the secrets, pass them down. I wish I was her granddaughter! Stay old school! Don't change! (Well, a window in the main dining room could be nice.)

Very good food! Service was fine We all had a Parmesan dish and a salad. My chicken Parmesan was very good and a generous portion. I thought it was a great value as well. I had two large pieces of chicken and a side of penne. I liked the red sauce, which had an authentic tomato flavor. We started with some basic mozzarella sticks and each got a salad. The small antipasto was not impressive, though. I much prefer these nostalgic, old world Italian ristorantes to the trendy new places. It had real charm and character. Would definitely come back and try more. I was impressed with the menu

The mozzarella sticks were good but the sauce was so oily it wouldn't stick to the stick. Got the veal parmesan and the veal was good but again the sauce was very lacking. Date got the Alfredo and it smelled like a deviled egg. The house chianti was a 10 dollar Walmart wine. The meatballs had no texture. Over processed and probably frozen. But the seasoning of the meat was good. The service sucked. Some old Nona grunted at us and was very slow even though the place was practically empty. Every time I said "Thank you" she replied "Yeah" or "Ok." I won't be coming back

The best manicotti I've ever had in my life. I'm Italian and know true home made Italian. I've been coming here for years!! This is a true family owned restaurant. Service is exceptional, the Chianti is like velvet, the meatballs literally melt in your mouth, and you can't go wrong with anything you order here, especially the manicotti and pizza!