Mama Mia Has a Family Feel to Foodies

Name: Mama Mia Pizza

Cuisines: Italian, American

Payment: Cash, Credit

Price: $

Location: 7845 Sudley Rd. Manassas, VA 20109

Hours of Operation: Monday-Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m.

Salt Says:

This was my first visit to Mama Mia and it probably won’t be the last. The restaurant reminds me of every generic mall pizza shop, except it has tons of personality and the food is a lot better. From the pictures on the brick walls, to the neon signs in the back—personality galore.

I wasn’t really impressed with anything on the menu, so I ordered fish and chips, a special I saw advertised while making my way in. There was nothing really exceptional about the meal. The fish was pre-packaged, but it tasted pretty good. The fries were typical. The dish also came with coleslaw, which was amazing. It was simple, fresh and full of flavor.

The staff, while not intentionally rude, was incredibly rude. When I walked in, the restaurant was empty, save for a few people hiding at some of the back tables.

After a few minutes of me standing in the middle of the restaurant dazed and confused, someone finally got up from one of the tables, went to the register and with a mouth full of food, asked me what I wanted.

I ordered and the guy, who never took my payment, told me I could sit wherever I wanted.  I was confused. Why didn't he tell me I could seat myself in the first place?  It turns out the restaurant's only waitress was eating at the table behind him; maybe he wanted to let her finish her lunch first.

When she finally decided to wait on me, I found the waitress to be quite friendly, even though she did watched me like a hawk from her nest at the back of the room while I ate.

She came around twice, once to refill my soda and then when I was literally halfway through my meal. That's when she give me me the bill and asked  if I wanted dessert.

All in all, I enjoyed the food and will probably come back. Although next time I will definitely get take out to avoid tipping for no service.

Pepper Says:

Mama Mia Pizza is a small restaurant in Sudley Manor Square Plaza, the same center as , an eatery Salt and I hit up a few weeks back. 

The place is quaintly decorated and has about 11 booths, five or six tables and some additional bar-area seating. The place has a very home-cooked meal feel and the staff is so friendly, they make you feel immediately like a regular.

 I have a tendency to order the same items over and over, which makes me a quasi-expert when it comes to determining the taste and presentation of certain dishes.  This day, however, I decided to leave my comfort bubble and try something different: Baked spaghetti topped with pepperoni.

My dish arrived, following a  wilted and not-so-great house salad with house Italian dressing. I looked down and saw that my baked spaghetti looked like a pizza. But after I took a few bites, I wasn't complaining about the dish's pizza pie-ish appearance. 

The pepperoni combined with the melted cheese made the dish so appealing, you had to immediately jump in.

The cheese oozed with the noodles and the pepperoni added the pizza flavor. Not at all what I had expected, but tasty nonetheless.

The noodles were well cook though they were not the typical bake spaghetti type, but they were delicious, all the same. The sauce was nothing special, but was better than most.

The accompanying garlic bread was exceptional with its crispy toasted edges and soft, fluffy buttery center topped off with a hit of garlic and herbs.

 All in all, the dish wasn't the best I have ever tasted, but it certainly stood out in comparison to some of my other cuisine ventures.

While the salad lacked freshness and the sauce lacked vigor, the creative "combination" of pizza and pasta combined with the garlic bread made the whole experience worthwhile.

If not to taste the food,  I would certainly return to Mama Mia Pizza simply for its warm service.