Mamma Rosa Italian Restaurant

I grew up coming here and used to come here quite often from 2000 - 2009 when I left California. Mama Rosa's was a go-to for great Italian food. I remember when they were just a small location. I was recently back in El Cajon last year and we went here again and it was just as delicious as I remembered. FOOD: I got the Fettucine Alfredo w/ Chicken and Broccoli, it was amazing and exactly what I remembered. We also had the big family platter and all items were delicious. The prices are VERY reasonable. SERVICE: The service was not what it used to be, that is for sure. Our servers were not bad, but were not good. Back in the day, Carol, was always a great server when they were still smaller. The owners used to always be there and would come say hello to us. I did not see any of them. ATMOSPHERE: The atmosphere was nice. It had a classic Italian winery look. There was lots of tables and booths with plenty of seating. The parking is an issue as the lot fills up quickly. Overall, Mama Rosa's Food is what carries this restaurant. Everything was fantastic and brought back that nostalgia from when I was in high school and we first found this place back in 2000.

Visited restaurant for the first time. Very friendly staff 👍 I could see 👀 that alot of locals frequent this restaurant. I had the fried zucchini as an appetizer and is very good 😋 for my main entree I had the chicken 🐔 piccata however I requested mushrooms 🍄 to be added since this dish only had capers. Please note that there is an additional charge for the mushrooms 🍄 I usually order chicken 🐔 piccata as it is one of my favorite dishes 😋 at Italian restaurants. The dish is served with a side of spaghetti 🍝 and the piccata is pounded very thin so although taste was good, for me the chicken 🐔 was a bit dry and stringy. The sauce was very tasty 😋 The garlic bread was good but a little bit greasy for my taste. I heard that the lasagna is very good but takes 25 minutes to serve since it's made to order. I will definitely give this restaurant another try, as I'm integrated to try the lasagna. On a separate note 📝 the pre-suggested tip on the receipt includes the sales tax which in my opinion should not be considered. The tip should be on the pre-tax amount of the bill. Once again, restaurant staff is very friendly 😇

I just moved to the area and was looking for a good Italian restaurant. I tried 5 different ones before I found Mamma Rosa’s. I feel like Goldilocks one place the sauce was to sweet. One place the cheese on the pizza was chewy. And one the sauce was runny. Then I came to Mamma Rosa’s and everything was just right!!! Their marinara sauce has just the right taste and consistency. And everything else I tried is really good. You need to go and try it.

Over the generic Italian restaurants that serve what I can make at home & wanted to find an authentic place - and I did!! They make their own pasta people! And it's good! I got the fettuccine which has no sauce (so I was a little skeptical), but it was on point & delicious. Which is hard to get at almost any restaurant nowadays. My guy who usually gets two meals to get full, could barely finish his one. So I'd say this place is a definite win and we'll be going back for sure!!!!

Our first time dining here and wondered why it took us so long to try this excellent Italian restaurant. Service was great and friendly. Food was delicious and hot temp wise. We got the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and the Angel hair pasta. Calamari was excellent. Portions are plentiful and prices reasonable.

I think I'd rate them a 3.5 star. The service was good, the food was good but I've been trying a bunch of different Italian spots recently and this one fell a little short for me. I had the ravioli Florentine which was good but I guess I've liked ravioli better at other places. The garlic bread that came with the pasta was tasty though. It's definitely not a bad dinner option in east county.

I cannot but rave about this restaurant that goes above and beyond with not only their food, service and personal touch. A family owned restaurant is definitely an absolute treasure in today's world. Linda and Paul went out of their way to be so accommodating with the catered food. They worked with us as a team. The food quality and quantity was above and beyond. Everyone loved their food at the party. We cannot say thank you enough. God Bless!

Visiting from southern Indiana, This place is delicious and food wa fresh and hot! We got the 38.00 dinner for 2 and it was plenty enough! Linda got our Togo order together and was very sweet! We will he back! Thank you 😋

A few of my husband's coworkers recommended this spot and I'm so glad we listened! Even though it was busy, we were seated in just a couple minutes. I had the fettuccine primavera with chicken (so yummy and packed with veggies) and my husband had the fettuccine alfredo with shrimp, both were delicious. We also tried the lasagna and mozzarella sticks, and everything was full of flavor. A big shoutout to our waitress, Mercedes, she truly made the experience amazing. She was so kind, always smiling, and incredibly attentive the whole night. Service like hers makes all the difference. Highly recommend this place if you're looking for authentic Italian!

Last night we ordered from momma Rosa's restaurant in El Cajon on West Main. It is close to my house . I ordered with the app chow that was offered on their website. I ordered a full order of spaghetti when I went and picked it up. It didn't seem like a full order. So I asked is this a full order, she said yes. When I got home, there was one meatball and a 8 inch tin that was only half full. The 8 inch aluminum tin was only 1/2 full with one meatball . So I called up and I asked I just ordered a full order and I have one meatball and a half of a 8 in tin . Are you sure that this is a full order. Yes .. she answered OK I ordered a full order. I had one meatball. How many meatballs does a full order have. The answer is one. How many balls does a half order have. She answers one.. I know I'm kind of focusing on the meatballs and the fact that my 8 inch aluminum tin was only half full for six $16-$17 but I felt ripped off. I told her I was not happy. I am not happy. I'm not happy with my order.. and I have to tell you the next day and that night eating the meatball it tasted odd. I asked my husband does that meatball taste weird to you. He said yes, and the next day we both suffered to her stomach it was brief because it was only half the meatball so I just don't recommend that there's other Italian restaurants that I would rather eat at. I wish they would've helped me when I said I did not and I was not satisfied.. But I have to say when I got home I looked up the website, and I looked at their actual picture of their menu instead of the chow website . That they use if you try to order online. I think what happened was on the regular menu. They have only offered a half order of spaghetti for 9+ dollars. I think that is what I got but on the chow Internet menu it was $15 plus tax. Plus, I'm not too thrilled about the way. Their meatballs tasted anyway. A little nasty.

The food here is amazing and family owned. Kelly is the best server ever. The ambience is I think it's about 78° in here but feels cool.

Absolutely the best service and amazing food. Great place, friendly staff and family friendly vibe. Cozy and delicious.

Best Italian food I recommend this place. Service is great family friendly owned ambiance is Italian dining. Pretty good go there for family friendly dinner

The food I received today was horrible. I got a margarita pizza and wanted it well done. It did not come well done the whole bottom was soggy. I got the fettuccine Alfredo with broccoli. When I opened it up, it was cold. The only thing it tasted like was oil. I was just going to toss it out, but I spent $45 on this plus a tip for take out. I called MamaRosas to let them know, especially about the fettuccine Alfredo. So I guess it was a cook or the owner that got on the phone and he explained to me how he makes his fettuccine Alfredo and I explained to him it tasted horrible. He did say when I come in next that he would give me a new one. He hung up the phone. He didn't take my name or phone number waste of money and waste of time. I used to go there all the time, but it's really gone downhill in my opinion.

I am never in the area but was close by and needed some much needed food after a full day of wrestling, and before heading to a dance recital. I placed the order online for pick up. My husband came in too early and was told it wasn't ready yet. So he left to make it in time for the dance recital. We were planning on heading back to pick up the pizza after seeing our favorite little dancer. Well, it had been over an hour since it was ready and (I'm assuming) the owner called to see if we were still coming in. I confirmed and showed up about 20 minutes later. The smell of yummy food greeted me as I walked in the door. When I got there the guy said they kept the pizza warm and apologized if the prosciutto had dried out and gave extra. I was honestly so touched by the gesture. Not only was the pizza absolutely amazing, the thoughtfulness of the staff surpassed any expectations I had. I would definitely order from here again if we're in the area! Our wrestler, a teen, said the pizza was exactly what he needed after 2 days of competing. I highly recommend Mamma Rosa's for their delicious food, warm atmosphere and service.

To end the night, we tried to look for an Italian spot that was in El Cajon and we came across Mamma Rosa's. The outside of the restaurant doesn't do the inside as much justice. The inside of the restaurant in the evening has a special ambiance with the dimmed lights. Among everyone there, we ordered and shared 2 Fettuccine Alfredo's with shrimp and a chicken and broccoli, 2 pizzas, a lentil soup, a minestrone, fried calamari, and a caesar salad. It's convenient that they offered a full and half sized portion for the pastas, because we ate earlier and ya girl was trying not to overdo it and throw up lolz Our waitress, Shelby, was very helpful and funny. She did what she does best and helped my family get well-accommodated especially for us coming in an hour before closing. Our service was very good and the food was just as good as well.

You better come hungry because the portions are huge! I ordered vegetable lasagna and fettuccine Primavera along with the little white pizza as an appetizer and fried zucchini. When I picked up my order, the Customer Service was great! There's nothing little about the little white pizza and the portion sizes were huge! Everything was delicious! It had a delicious real Italian flavor fresh ingredients. Everything was cooked to perfection!

We ordered the small white pizza and the full order of lasagna The young lady who took my phone order "Gigi" was very warm and friendly GRADE A+ The small white pizza was tasty as well as the lasagna GRADE A- The portion of the lasagna was small and gave us a small piece of bread with our meal Not impressed with the portions Overall Experience GRADE B+ because of the small portions We recommend this place and will dine there again Great job "Gigi"

For such a small place they've done a really nice job of mixing a homey feel with a modern touch. Family owned it was wonderful to hear this has been passed down through the generations. Prices are very reasonable and staff is friendly. Food is made to order so expect to spend some nice time with your company catching up. We really enjoyed Helen whose enthusiasm for the restaurant is infectious. Ok, the food! Mom loves testing new restaurants by their spaghetti. She liked the sauce and I concur. It wasn't a fatty sauce, it was well balanced, not greasy. Noodles were perfectly al dente, not too soft, not too hard. (lol momma bear). Dad thought his pastrami sandwich was Ok which is actually high praise from him. I enjoyed my 1/2 portion lasagna as it was just the right size. Bread was fresh and soft with just the right amount of toast. Aside from the noise (wish there was something to absorb more of the sound), it was a nice evening out. We are enjoying exploring local El Cajon gems like these.

Service is nice. Energy is good to be in a mom & pop place where the people seem to enjoy working & being there. food is good too. its nice. reliable.

We had an unexpected and wonderful (first time) dining experience at Mamma Rosa's that started off with our sweet, friendly server, Jessica. She was genuinely attentive, cheerful, and patient. I always try the eggplant parmigiana as my entrée test of their Italian dishes. Mamma Rosa's version did not disappoint!! First of all, our meals came out hot "right out of the oven" where you can appreciate the first bite of the airy, lightly buttery toasted garlic bread and the deliciously prepared fried eggplant rounds, WOW!!! All of the ingredients tasted very fresh. Enjoyed every bite and slurp (came with a side of pasta) My friend had the toasted ham & cheese sandwich (delicious roll) which she too, thoroughly enjoyed. Portions are generous and leftovers are even better! We definitely recommend Mamma Rosa's for an excellent dining experience. Looking forward to returning and trying one of their many other "comforting" dishes ie, chicken piccata, pizza... For a great home cooked Italian meal, you can't go wrong with Mamma Rosa's. We're convinced and returning!

They we professional and very friendly. Great customer service and great food. They were behind on my order but apologized and that showed me they had great customer service.

I got a cheese pizza for the office and it was good. Might be the best in East County. Top notch ingredients.

Mamma Rosa was recommended to me. I'm disappointed in the service. I was given a time period when I ordered through this app, but it was pushed back without notification after I called and was told it was Ready. The quality of the antipasto lacked meats and was like the garden salad from a bag. Pizza lacked the cheese compared to other pizzerias. I experienced this area but I will not be returning.

my wife and I visited Mama Rosas for lunch today. Wonderfully pleased with the results as it's our first visit. Greeted upon entry and Mercedes our server was incredibly attentive and helpful while keeping us well informed on the menu. While restaurant was very well lite and pleasant atmosphere. Mercedes our server recommended many items on the menu my wife had the Fettuccine Alfredo shrimp amazingly delicious plated dish. I had the manicotti one of my favorites it was delivered and we loved our lunch experience. We recommend this establishment to all Ask for Mercedes as she will keep a close and professional service with a smile. Thank you to all the staff

Overpriced! Horrible Caesar salad, just lettuce with some grated parm and rock hard croutons. Small quantities of food! Awful service even when ordering online! No wonder it's in a strip mall!

Everything on the menu is fabulous. When you dine in the service is great! I wish they were open seven days a week

We eat here weekly. Italian raised, traditional Italian food it's hard to find and I'm pretty picky pretty. Mama Rose is authentic right out of northern Italy. Great food, great service and great prices

First time dining at MR, will never go back! Entered the restaurant at 3:30 in the afternoon. Only 7 tables filled including ours. Not busy at all and had two waitresses working. Waitress forgot to add our appetizer into kitchen. We ordered two entrees. One Lasagna, one Linguine with white clam sauce. Lasagna was dry, but ok. Not sure what we were served with the clams sauce. Artificial claims?? brown in color and very rubbery, zero flavor. DISGUSTING!!! Couldn't eat it. Waitress told us chef said "they got new clams in and it was for sure a white sauce!" Should have refused it right away. Think twice before eating here. Five minutes away in either direction from MR is Pernicano's or Marechario's. Far better Italian restaurants.

We got the dinner for two with tiramisu and cannoli's. Everything was perfect! This is my favorite Italian place.

This is my GO To for Italian food and for a relaxing, sit down and unwind Ambiance. My Wife and I Love all the girls, the food is amazing and we recommend it to all!

We arrived at 8pm for dinner. Five couples were still dinning. One young lady said she didn't think we could eat. I said the sign says you close at nine. Another lady said it was fine. We were served our pizza in a to go box. Perhaps owners ship should do a better job managing. and even consider changing business hours instead of offending people. The pizza was really good just felt bad and rushed.

First time here; wow. Blown away. Total awesome mom and pop vibe, delicious food. The servers really take the time to get to know you, and listen to you when you order. This will be a new go-to.

Fantastic little restaurant and the employees are the best!!!! Try everything it's all good yummy yummy yummy !!!

I love this restaurant. I've not had a bad meal yet. I took my son and daughter here. Any talk of Italian this is our go to place. My favorite is the lasagne. We get the family meal which includes pizza, ravioli or spaghetti and the lasagne. My grown kids love all of it and if there are left overs we fight for it. Also recommend the antipasta salad and the French bread. Now I'm hungry

So I tried full sausage with peppers sandwich at lunch added lentil soup which was fantastic and deep flavors. Sausage is house made. Flat pieces on two buns. A few bell peppers. Not what I was anticipating like east coast but really good. Macaroni salad was great. Not sweet mayo kind. Added lentil soup which was deep in flavor. Much more than my moms or others I've had. I'd go for take home next time to savor saving other half of sandwich for tomorrow. Soooo good. Service was slammed as they were short a person. But our person did her best on a rainy day where everyone wanted to be there. Next table said they are regulars and it was super crowded with people waiting for tables. And take out orders waiting. Ambiance was noisy because of crowd but died down by 1 when most patrons gone. I wear hearing aides but was able to followmy tables conversations even during slam. So, again, food delicious. Service good despite loss of a server, and server putting up with all our add/ deletes on menu items. This was my 3/4 time here. Will go again when near El Cajon.

Better than Marechiaro's (Old Highway 80). Good but not great. To be fair, Marechiaro's is not as good now as even two years ago. Now on to Mamma's. I ordered the large Mamma Rosa Special (no olives), thin crust, via Toast. The ordering was straight forward and I received confirmations but I never got a notice that my pizza was ready. Luckily it was ready when I arrived at the restaurant. Toppings generous without being overloaded, sauce not too sweet. I think the crust was well baked but the flavor was meh. The crust was the biggest disappointment. Someday I'll find a great pizza out here in East County... or maybe I won't. Guaranteed I won't find it in Chula Vista when my house is finished. Oh yeah, it's also expensive at $30 with tax for the large pizza. Three meals for me but other shops are at $22 to $26.

What can I say that's most of us lucky Mama Rosa customers don't already know. . . how delicious all of their menu items are; how CONSISTENT each dish is, not like some places where one day it good but the next not so good. My hubby LOVES their lasagna, our grandchildren love their pizza and I find the chicken piccata is hard to pass up!! We also enjoy their wine selections. We have been frequent dinners for years and look forward to every meal!! We mostly eat in the restaurant, but also enjoy taking home trays of lasagna! Oh and they have a lunch menu that is awesome!!

Great food. Pizza was really really good. Chicken piccata was perfectly prepared and chicken parmigiana was yummy too - and a big serving. Overall, the food was delish, service was friendly and the ambiance cozy. Looking forward to going back.

Super affordable and great food! My husband LOVES their meatball sandwich. Service is friendly. It isn't fancy, just a little family restaurant in a strip mall, but that makes the ambiance cozy/homey. Will definitely be back!

Worst paasta and pizza I have ever had. Ordered 2 pizzas and 2 pastas. Pasta was way too salty and noodles over cooked. Pizza had minimal toppings, some slices had a single pepperoni. One pizza and one pasta were incorrect. DoorDash only refunded fraction of what was paid. HORRIBLE.

Great little Italian with great, friendly service. We had an antipasta, spaghetti marinara and chicken Parmesan. Marinara had a nice flavor - well prepared. Pasta was al-dente. Chicken had great flavor - I think it should be possible to maintain crispiness of chicken. When I am in town I would go back. Enjoyed it very much.

Excellent pasta, superior sauce and quick service. A really enjoyable lunch for under 15.00 tip included. Will be back to try other dishes.

Got a simple pepperoni pizza and mozzarella sticks. Pizza sauce was lacking flavor. Cheese was mid, didn't stretch apart as you pulled out a slice. Could use more pepperonis. Mozzarella sticks are definitely frozen not handmade in any way

Been patronizing this place the past ten years or so with the Mrs. We usually dine in and we've never experienced bad service. We usually come here for the pizza - we enjoy their Hawaiian ham style with extra crust and cheese; very few places make it better. The small dining hall is a bit loud when full but it is tolerable. The beer selection is minimal but varied. Parking is readily available.

Tried this Italian place and was surprised how good the food was. Their specials are great and allows you to try a couple items.

It's very reasonable Very small b y o b food Trust the chef and the specials. Beautiful pasta's Veal and seafood.

Was very disappointed in the minestrone soup. My husband couldn't eat it. I feel like maybe adding potatoes or pasta to the soup would help. Extremely loud too. When sitting next to a large group you can't hear yourself speak.

The food was outstanding , fast and price was great . The problem. , the waitress was the worst waitress I've ever encountered in my 64 years of life. . She was talking constant her friends , we asked for service she approached with an attitude . My girlfriend told the bar manager how bad she was and this waitress came and cleared my table as I was eating my dinner . I'm so sorry she ruined a fantastic Italian dinner . She needs to be fired

The food is delicious and you should 100% try this place! The only issue I have is the host, when I asked her if I could sit with my partner she was giving attitude and was being passive aggressive. I could understand if it was busy but the times I've went, it wasn't busy at all. I understand she's only doing her job but when I see how she interacts with other customers compared to us, it feels unfair. Other than that I have no complaints! Every server we've had was super polite!

Great little restaurant with a beautifully remodeled interior. Great spot for a nice dinner that's very fairly priced for the amazing quality food they have to offer. The staff is amazing and always are making sure all your needs are met. Overall a great place to visit and enjoy.

Whoa. We found this neighborhood gem while waiting for our daughter, who was at a middle school dance. Thank goodness the other two places we were looking at were not open for dining, because Mamma Rosa serves up Italian comfort food with a whole lotta love. I ordered the cheese tortellini with pink sauce and OMG-I-will-crave-this-for-the-rest-of-my-life. It was tender, cheesy and the sauce was just ... yum. My husband had the linguini with red clam sauce. He said it was very good and could only say, "Mine!" when gesturing to the sauce. Our 6-year-old had a "mini" cheese pizza, which easily serves two little kids. When we took the leftovers into the car, he said, "Smell that! It is delicious!" Finally, we ordered lasagna to go for our middle schooler, because we knew she wouldn't actually eat at the event. She was so happy. The cheesy goodness was appreciated by our starving adolescent. (Shout out to Serena, who worked with the kitchen staff to ensure the lasagna was fresh out of the oven for our kiddo. It certainly wasn't sitting around and getting cold!) Mamma Rosa's is going to be added to our rotation. It's solid pizza and pasta with good family vibes all around.

This quaint little place was a enjoyable for myself and kids! They each ordered a personal size pizza and loved it!! It is one of our favorite things to eat so we love finding new places to us that make Bomb pizza!!! The restaurant itself wasn't too busy (which we liked) and parking wasn't a problem.

I order the gnocchi. It was very overpriced and for NO good reason. The people were nice. Thats about the best comment I can give. I had alot of leftovers. I payed so much almost 30$ but I convinced myself I was full. And have yet to finish it up. I feel like a sore looser since I payed alot with no desire to eat it.

The food is delicious here! I ordered a large amount for takeout for a work event. The service was outstanding, Paul was very helpful in varying the food to my car and had a kind and professional demeanor. While I didn't dine in, the restaurant has a very cute ambiance and there were plenty of happy patrons there.

Excellent food and service. It wasn't very loud so it made for any enjoyable meal. Good portions - the lasagna was the best. Would definitely recommend if you're looking to support small businesses with good food and service.

Everything was great! Our server was awesome, patient and kind . Food Delicious at fair prices . Definitely will be Back