Mandola's Italian Kitchen

"Mandola’s in The Triangle feels a little bit like a movie set for a film about a casual Italian restaurant in a big city somewhere, complete with a little marketplace selling imported olive oils and dried pastas right next to kitschy posters and tall stacks of wine bottles. Stop in during the day for a lunch-only personal pizza or half panini, or show up for dinner and choose from a greatest hits list of Italian-American classics like fettuccine alfredo, eggplant parm, and spaghetti bolognese. None of it will blow your mind, but you’ll leave satisfied and with a small box of leftovers. You can also get gelato. " - nicolai mccrary, raphael brion

"It might feel more like you’re dining on a movie set about an Italian-American family than in the dining room of one of Austin’s many Mandola locations, but that doesn’t stop the food here from being consistent and affordable. This is the type of place that feels like a “no-frills” Italian restaurant you’d find in the suburbs—complete with daily specials, pizzas, paninis, and large portions of pasta. Count on leftovers. It’s also a bit of a one-stop-shop for all things Italian, complete with a bar selling wines by the glass or bottle, a gelateria, a bakery, and a small marketplace in another corner where you can pick up some olive oil and dried pasta. " - nicolai mccrary

"Visiting Mandola’s in The Triangle feels a little bit like walking into a movie studio for a film about an Italian restaurant in a big city somewhere. In one corner, there’s a little marketplace selling imported olive oils and dried pastas, in another, there’s a long bar stocked with Italian wines next to a sign that reads “A day without wine is a day without sunshine” with a caricature of an old Italian chef with a pinched fingers gesture. If you were to ask an AI generator to spit out an image of a classic Italian-American restaurant, it would probably show you Mandola’s. photo credit: Holly Dirks photo credit: Holly Dirks photo credit: Holly Dirks There are close to a dozen Mandola’s locations across Texas and Florida, and from our experience, they’re all very similar. And we consider that a plus, considering the large menu of dependable and affordable dishes. Stop in during the day for a lunch-only personal pizza or half panini, or show up for dinner and choose from a greatest hits list of Italian-American classics including fettuccine alfredo, eggplant parm, spaghetti bolognese, and full-sized pizzas. None of it will blow your mind, but you’ll leave satisfied and with a small box of leftovers. photo credit: Holly Dirks photo credit: Holly Dirks photo credit: Holly Dirks photo credit: Holly Dirks Mandola’s has nailed the paint-by-numbers game of Italian-American dining, and they’ve copy-pasted that formula across the country enough times to prove it. Because while there are times you want to feel like you’re dining in a small, secret kitchen in an Italian villa, there are other times when you just want a giant plate of cheese ravioli and a scoop of gelato for less than $20." - Nicolai McCrary