4.5 stars. Finally got to dine in. Let’s get to it. Like the decor and plaza area. We had meatball spaghetti. Tasty meatball seasoned well and large portion. The kids had gnoche? Our finicky teen liked it. Chicken Alfredo was tasty according to the other teen. Margarita pizza was a nice fill in. If you have an appetite this is a place to dine in.

My mom and I are on vacation from OR and found this adorable spot. The food (garlic knots, 3 meatballs w/marinara sauce on gluten free pasta, and minestrone) was absolutely delicious! We also had outstanding service from a woman named Violet! Thanks for making our experience so enjoyable.

FOOD: delicious variety of pastas, pizzas, soups and salads. The spaghetti carbonara and risotto seemed to be respecting the real Italian cuccina. Their version of Mac and cheese was phenomenal: extra cheese flavor by adding gorgonzola!SERVICE: very attentive and nice, giving us time to make up our mind and decide what to eat.PLACE: Amazing decoration and located in a vila with other great restaurants

Good food spices are good a little hard to fine just remember it’s in a cove with other restaurants

We had the most wonderful family get together here last night. The seating, the music, the food were all amazing. A special kudos to our lovely server who made the experience truly enjoyable. Excellent wine, appetizers, entrees, and dessert. Thank you all so much for a great night!!

Food was great. Calamari was ok. We had 2 servers one was exceptional but we couldve done without the other one he wasnt that friendly. Live music was great had an artist by the name of Deborah perform she has a beautiful voice. I will return.

We LOVE Mamas Meatball!! It was where we had our very first date in 2009 and we have been coming back ever since.Its fine cuisine and you can be fancy or SLO style. We havent had a dish we didnt like, repeat favorites are the lasagna, spaghetti, and any of their pesto dishes. Tried a gnocchi that was served in a bowel of pizza crust, delicious!!!Their desserts are very Italian and so worth saving room for!The crew is great and the atmosphere is relaxed and enjoyable.

I love Mamas Meatball. Great food. Great red sauce. So many options.

Not a fan. Had high expectations but was disappointed. We had reservations for a large party and were the first ones seated upon opening. Yet as the restaurant filled, we were the last to get our food. Complimentary garlic bread balls were very salty. Butternut squash ravioli was good, but no better than any other typical Italian restaurant, and there were no side dishes. We were told we could get separate checks at the beginning, but at the end of the meal they claimed they were an expensive restaurant and dont do that. Really?? A quality restaurant should always cater to their customers no matter how expensive they are. And we had a hard time figuring out how much each persons bill was because the prices on the hard copy menu didnt reflect the higher prices on their QR code menu. I left there feeling deceived.

Disappointed by last nights dinner. We went craving Caesar salad and carbonara, but left grateful we didnt both order the same thing. The Caesar salad we had ordered before was bright with lemon, olive oil, and sardine. Last nights lacked dressing. We did like the crutons with chili powder, reminiscent of hot fries. The carbonara was soupy - instead of noodles coated with unctuous egg yolk, sprinkled with cheese, we got spaghetti Alfredo. The server confirmed the sauce does have Alfredo in it (see photo).The server was gracious and did discount the carbonara. I dont know if they cant have bussers because of covid, but we didnt get bread until late, and when we did some of the garlic knots were burnt. They were out of water glasses and substituted small champagne flutes, which were difficult to keep filled.Thankfully we also ordered meatballs in Bolognese and the salmon penne, which were both very good.

We made TOGO but decided to eat in the patio outside because the courtyard was shaded . The plastic forks provided were so light weighted and easily bent that we were not able to eat the hot pasta. Asked for stainless forks to borrow and the server refused to provide saying try to use 2 forks at the same time to pick up pasta 😑. We ended up eating the red sauce pasta with two spoons and almost with fingers. Very considerate for customers!Chef. Nichola- please try to eat your seafood linguini with the white plastic fork yourself and dont be cheap on utensils for Togo orders.I.understand we decided to sit down with Togo orders because the courtyard ( that is shared with other restaurants and shops there ) was shaded and cute and we were going to leave tips....All we asked was 2 forks !!!!!!!!The restaurant may think the Togo customers dont deserve service and careVery disappointed in this time like Covid 19.You should appreciate the business for each occasion no.matter if its in dining or Togo orders

Amazing service, amazing food! Must try if you are in town.

I wasnt actually a fan of the Mac and Cheese. And I didnt have an appetite to try the Calzone after the Mac and Cheese.

First you here. Had lunch there with family. Was ok.

Delicious. Fantastic. This was my first time coming to mamas meatballs. The service was great, the place is beautiful. Every bite of every dish had such a unique and powerful flavor. The best Arnold palmer ive ever had. I will say we had to wait a long time for our food so if thats going to bother you just pick a less busy time. A reservation would probably be a good choice too. I only had a party of two and they were able to seat us immediately even though we didnt have a reservation but i will get a reservation in the future if im going to have 2 or more guests with me.Thank you Mamas Meatballs for providing delicious food and kind service on such a lovely evening.

Great option for hearty Italian dinner. Several menu options from pizza to chicken breast. The location is right in downtown.

Not a child friendly place of you want to sit on the patio. We waited for a patio seat, checked in with my 6 year old. After the table was ready we were informed by the manager that children aren’t welcome on the patio. So, we went elsewhere. Stopped by the ice cream place after a little downtown shopping and they had seated a family with a younger child at the same patio table. So many other choices in SLO. We’re local, we will never return. The manager was exceptionally rude when I pointed to the hypocrisy.

Loved the food and the atmosphere. Had a real authentic feel to it. Prices werent bad either. Although I admit I DIDNT try the MEATBALLS! Haha. Maybe next time. The spaghetti carbonara was pretty good.

Ive enjoyed food from Mamas meatball catering in the past, but I recently dined at their restaurant for the first time at the Flavors of the Creamery event, which was a sort of open house for the newly remodeled open air shopping center (they turned the former parking lot into a central courtyard). We partook of the special two course tasting menu created for the event. In addition to that we ordered Caesar salad, and the calamari appetizer. Everything tasted delicious and the outdoor dining ambiance was superb. The wine pairings that came with our special menu items were well chosen and enjoyed. If I could change one thing it would be that are short rib had more meat and less fat. All in all we were very happy with our meal and we would definitely dine here again.

Amazingly flavorful, every dish delicious.Provide more olive oil for caprese salad.Good service. Wonderful outdoor space

Very good and Professional food compilations.Very tasty and fun in a nice area in a nice area I recommend

I loved the design of the restaurant made us feel like we were on a date in another country. We enjoyed the food very much. I ordered chicken parmesan, my husband ordered orecchiette e Braciole the sauce was delicious! Had a little spice to it and the meat was tender and packed with flavor. We did tell them it was our anniversary but they didnt do anything special not that they needed to but just want people to expect that. Overall we had a wonderful dinner and servers were very attentive.

Came here for a birthday dinner. Everything was great, service, food, atmosphere. Would definitely recommend and come here again.

The food was exceptionally well prepared and delicious. The establishment has the feel of an authentic Italian restaurant with a menu to match. The staff was A-1! They were courteous, attentive, but not overbearing. It was an overall enjoyable experience. I would recommend this place to others. Reservations are recommended.

My favorite restaurant for the last 7 years now, never disappoint me. Love the food and the service. Best Italian food in Central Coast!!

Amazing food and friendly staff. 6 meal deals with appetizer, main course, and dessert for $20. #5 was amazing.

Had the minestrone soup and the spaghetti carbonara. Taste and portions were very good. They brought out the soup at the same time as the dinner so the dinner was cold by the time I finished it. Other than the service, it was great.

Delicious meatballs and spaghetti. My wife had her favorite birthday dinner and loved it. Great service from the waitress from Long Beach and I would definitely visit again. 👍to the chef.

Lovely establishment, great staff&delicious food 😘👌🏿

What a cute restaurant! The food was inexpensive for the portions and the quality! The food is good! I was expecting a kitschy little place, but it feels almost high end, but very affordable. Everything we ate was delicious! Super cute setup! Katie was our server and she was phenomenal. She had multiple tables at once and paid attention to all of us. She made great suggestions and the process was very speedy. Will definitely come back when Im in town again!

We all LOVED our food and experience. A must try.

Everything was delicious, place is cozy, nice stuff. We are definitely would get back.

Fun take on Italian classics. Not necessarily authentic, but delicious

What a wonderful little Italian place with great friendly service. The Ravioli di Zucca was excellent! I am sure we will be back!

We come here every time we are in town. Great experience every time.

One of my favorite restaurants. Food is made from scratch daily.

If you want real Italian food, this is the place to go! So delicious would definitely come back !

Small Mom and Pop restaurant, limited seating, doesnt take long to be served and when you do... you will be pleasantly surprise, great flavors on their food and very courteous service. Definitely going back.

Great food and good portions

Audrey was a fabulous server. One of the best iv ever come across and I was in the industry for a while. The food on the other hand has really gone down hill. We ordered the lasagna and the sauce was over cooked and soupy. Way to much for the small amount of lasagna. And I ordered the chicken Alfredo. Wasnt to bad. Underseasoned on the chicken very dry. But we still ate it. Didnt walk out hungry. But definitely need to step up their game

Yummy food,nice patio seating, we love Mama!

Pretty setting and amazing food. Service was great and our server Kaitlyn was great. Wish I could go back every night!

The fresh herbs in the food give way to delicious flavors, food made from the heart and soul of people who love to cook.

The food was not what I was hoping for. I did have the spaghetti and meatballs. The cesar salad was great. But most of all the flourless chocolate cake was the best cake Ive ever ate. My grandmother was Italian and very authentic, I might be partial on the food but honestly theirs was not good at all. If I could make a suggestion, pan fry your meatballs before putting in sauce. It was the weirdest sauce it just wasnt good. But like I said the cake was so good I want to buy a whole one. It wasnt worth the 45.00. I hope that next time I order something worth it. I feel bad but its honestly not worth it.

I hate writing reviews, but the food here is so good, Ill give the exception. Visited here during Xmas, and tried the packaged menu meals. It was simply the best italian food that Ive ever tasted. Look no further, mama is the place.

The food was delicious. The bruschetta was to die for and my calzone was amazing. Service was outside due to covid and the service was extremely slow. It was cold but there were heaters.

Great restaurant need to work on the help

Always delicious food here. Go treat yourself and/or your significant other to something nice. Donaughts are free and crazy delicious too!

As always, food and service excellent,(take out). I was craving their pasta fagioli soup so got 2 orders. This soup is killer. Highly recommend.

Our favorite spaghetti hangout.

Their breadknots are To. Die. For. I would go back just for those little nuggets of goodness even if the food sucked. Thankfully, the food is equally amazing. The Fettuccine Tre P is perfection. Great server and beautiful decor that seems like youre eating at a little outdoor cafe in Italy round it all out.

We were in SLO and happened to find this great spot! Ambiance actually felt similar to being in Italy with mama handcrafting perfect little gnocchis inside the restaurant (we sat outside)! The seabass picante was delicious.. no pictures of it.. hubby and I devoured it! The burrata bruschetta was a perfect appetizer! We had a few other things but those were the standouts. Parking is a challenge but so worth it! Juan Carlos was our server and he did an excellent job making sure we had a 5 star experience! Thank you! We even ordered Mac n cheese with short ribs to go and even reheated it was so tasty!!

Can we add 30 stars?? Seriously the best Italian food we have had! We will always come to eat here when we visit SLO!!Husband got the rigitoni with meatballs.I got the gnocchi pasta with a bread crust

We randomly passed by, and stopped in for a salad, a pizza, and a bow of pasta.The food was fine, yet forgettable, and the whole offering is a bit overpriced.

Service was solid and they even hooked it up with an off menu item I used to get when I lived in SLO 5 years ago. Ive been coming here ymfor years and theyve never let me down, great casual date spot.

Try the short ribs, you wont regret it!

Great food, good eats, soothing and hip atmosphere.

We’re today with the kids.My wife and myself ordered catch of the day.We didn’t even touch the fish, as it was so awful, smelled bad and I got food poison from the single bite of it.The waiter didn’t even ask why we didn’t touch our fish ...stay away!

Such a fun restaurant without all the pressure to look nice while eating Italian. Their meal deals are the best too. Such a unique and fun option

Such an amazing experience and our host as well as our waitress were very kind and hilarious!!! I also enjoyed the food! I ordered the pesto pollo lasagna and it was aMAAAZING!!!! Also the little bread garlic mini knots were incredible. Will definitely come back again and I hope she is my waitress once again!

Very friendly staff, great meat balls. I had ordered enough meatball subs for me and my coworkers from Mamas meatball, and everyone loved them. They set me up with all the ingredients in separate foil containers and helped me carry them to my truck.

I have to say the name at first is funny, but the food is no joke. It was seriously an awesome meal. I got the lamb shank and my fiance got gnocchi with added sausage. We came home both craving it again. I think we also shared a meatball to start as well as garlic knots. Absolutely delicious. We left extremely satisfied!!

This is your quinticential italian comfort food. Great setup for both dine-in and take-out.

They are too cheap for the quality and quantity that they provide! Its an amazing place to dine and their service is exceptional.

Just fine food with not a lot of frills. The ingredients are ok but the assembly is a bit over done.

Food is awesome, especially the meatballs and tiny bread.

Very nice risotto and my wife loves the butternut squash gnochi. Service was prompt and very friendly!!

Quaint decor made inside an old bank and decent food and wine. Next time I pass by, well go there again.

Because my husband loved his experience SIX YEARS AGO we waited on a wait list for an hour to dine inside. No problem, it was my mine & my daughters first time. The lady who waited on our table was nice enough but forgot one of our appetizers & we never did get it. My husbands pesto lasagna (Idk the actual menu name) looked like soup. There was too much sauce & about a palm size amount of meat or whatever. He did not enjoy it. My pasta was good but nothing special. My faughter got a cheese pizza. OMG. I have never seen SO MUCH THICK cheese. The pizza bread was thin & no joke my daughter gagged & nearly choked about 3x attempting to eat it. We gave up. Never again. We went elsewhere.

Decent food. A nice place for Italian fare.

I get to eat here a lot since I work in the area. I love how their customer service is always awesome and they keep the spot neat all the time. Pricing is convenient and they serve big portions.

Decent food. Came out lukewarm and the meat was full of fat but the experience and cost are ok.

Great service, awesome food! Make sure you make a reservation, outside seating with heaters!!!

The food is delicious, completely unexpected quality. Nice ambiance, friendly staff, very comfortable. Enjoyed very much.

Great food, good service. Dining al fresco in a charming location.

On our way from Oakland to the Coachella Valley, my wife and I decided to stop and have dinner in San Luis Obispo. In short, Mamas meatball exceeded our expectation in terms of the setting, the food, and Audrey.We frequently drive to northern California but we are for sure going to make frequent stops there. This is a must visit.

Excellent italian food. Takes a little while to get your food.

Stopped in for lunch. Food was incredible, fresh and tasty. Service was excellent and I had to get some fresh cookies for the road!

Great food and service, definitely a local favorite

Mamas Meatball is an Italian restaurant with a nice atmosphere and decent food. I went with a group of friends and we shared their garlic knots, which were good, and I got spaghetti and meatballs, which were alright... There was only one meatball and, honestly, I was not a very big fan of the seasonings. Still food wasnt bad, prices were fine, and the service was good.

Mamas Meatball is a delicious restaurant. For lunch, their sandwiches are hard to pass up. I usually get their Meatball sandwich, and it is delicious. And this is coming from a guy who doesnt usually like meatballs. The dinner service is just as good, if not better- but it does get pretty expensive. Overall, if youre looking for a quick and delicious lunch, you wont find a better place in SLO. For dinner, however, they have quite the fight on their hands, but they will never be closer to your last choice!

Excellent food and service. Each time we eat here we are serviced by each person. Its as if intentional.

Amazing food. Great attention to detail and everything we ordered was just right. Highly recommend Mamas Meatball!!!

A step back in time. Theres a flavor of what a person would remember from long ago. The recipes are tried and true, the wait staff is excellent and fun!

Good food, creme brulee was not impressive, ambiance was good...

FOOD is excellentWAIT STAFF greatATMOSPHERE great (originally put by bathroom door and door needs to be fixed... kept shutting and making a loud bang.) otherwise after we were moved place is wonderful

Great food! Fresh ingredients, good service, good options on the go and great happy hour. Amazing ambiance!! Loved it!!!

I always come by grabbing some food in this place. I like the rapid customer service and well cooked food. I recommend this place.

Just fantastic. Nice area. Went at an off time and had great service. Both our pasta dishes were so good we were tempted to have them again the next day. Garlic knots with the meal were icing on the cake.

Had a great meal. All four of us enjoyed everything. Reservation is recommended as it is fills up fast.

Below average food at above average price. Go to Olive Garden...at least you wont get ripper off in the process. Ive had better Italian at the frozen food section.

Food was excellent and our server was super friendly and extremely attentive

Used to way better than it is these days. I could have gotten the same meal from the frozen section at the grocery store and paid 3x less. Service was decent though.

The food was VERY good! There was no salad or bread. You get a good portion of your entree but thats it. Dessert was yummy :-)

Wow, I just had dinner here recently and was so impressed. The server was very nice and informative. My date and I both ordered dishes that we loved. There was so much flavor. Absolutely dead on perfect meal. And the prices were pretty reasonable. I will be back.

We have eaten here multiple times, this was the first time doing carry out. Food just as good as I remembered when we were last here before daughter graduated from Cal Poly, 1.5 years ago. We would eat here twice a month if we lived local.

Wonderful venue with great food and comfortable, friendly atmosphere. A great place for traditional Italian and I found them very amenable to special requests. So glad to have this go to spot in SLO for date nights with my hubby.

Great food, service was good, and prices are very reasonable

We were staying for the holiday weekend and were craving Italian food. We found this restaurant through Yelp and were s bit disappointed. The garlic knots were dry and the spaghetti sauce to acidic. The linguine with shrimp and pesto was too salty. What I do recommend is the beet salad and chicken lasagna with pesto beschamel sauce. Both dishes were hands down delicious!! Service was wonderful too!!

Delicious!