I was looking forward to a good home cooked Italian dinner and was recommended to come here. The waitress was great, but the overall experience was not. The food was very bland tasting. We had the Lasagna Bolognese and Meat Cannelloni and were not impressed. The plates were baked, which is fine, but the cheese and oil were burnt around the edges. The lack of meat in their "meat sauce" was disappointing. The dinner was also fairly expensive for the lack of flavour.
Jessica Vandale
-
July 28, 2023
We are locals, this was not our first visit by a long shot. We sat at 5:45 on a Thursday and were told they had next reso at 7:30. No problem.
As soon as we sat down we got the vibe that, “We’ve got tables to turn so let’s get on with it. Whilst you enjoy your appy, we will put your mains on the table in front of you as well” even tho there was no room for the plates on our tiny table.
We weren’t even done eating dinner (around 6:30) and she came around asking if we needed boxes, meanwhile I would have loved another glass of wine.
We have very few authentic Italian options Downtown Kelowna and the atmosphere and service is a 180 between them. Our other favourite option is a slow placed, served by the Italian owner, comfortable environment with Italian music playing (it was pop tunes at Mama’s) and attention during the service with a “no rush”, order as you go, feeling. I get you need to turn tables to make a profit but we had so much time between seatings it was not just.
Not sure with all the rushing around tonight we will be “rushing” back to Mama Rosa’s. This has been a family favourite for 25+ years.
Kelly Y
-
October 21, 2023
I regret ever coming here. Given the steep prices and mostly high reviews of this place, I expected good Italian food from this restaurant; and I was very disappointed. First of all, don't call me out for the terribly cropped photo I'm posting... We took cute photos of ourselves and the food, and for this review I did not want our faces in here.
The ambiance was pretty cozy and the server was mostly nice. We were recommended the carbonara, so we ordered that. We also ordered this creamy lobster pasta dish.
The carbonara did not taste like carbonara. Let me clarify what carbonara is supposed to be, especially in a restaurant that claims to be authentically Italian: eggs and cheeses and black pepper and pork fat properly mixed together and served as a sauce to pasta, topped with the pan-fried pork. Many details missing, but that's the basic idea. This restaurant didn't have the proper taste of carbonara and didn't even have black pepper in their pasta. I was both confused and frustrated, because I had to pay $27 for something that just tasted like store-bought cream mixed into pasta, topped with bacon. For the creamy lobster pasta dish (I believe it was $32), it was not very good given the fact that the creamy cheese flavour was overwhelming any lobster flavour. We told the server about it and asked, open-endedly, if there was anything we could do about this dish that we weren't satisfied with (we wanted to be given options). We wanted to focus on returning this particular dish because it was quite expensive. Another server returned saying we could order another dish but we'd still have to pay for that other lobster pasta that they left in the kitchen because it was "half eaten." We only had three spoonfuls. What an abomination. After an extremely infuriating discussion with this server, she allowed us a refund on the lobster pasta. Then to try to salvage our dinner, we ordered the anchovy pasta. It was okay. Basic seafood flavour.
Overall, okay ambience, questionable service, not the best food at all. I'd recommend that they review their own food and service. I tried my best to look for the good in this experience, but I unfortunately regret the time and money I spent in this restaurant. I am sure whoever runs this restaurant is a decent person, but I have to say I disliked my experience here so much. I hope my comments are taken into consideration to improve the restaurant.
Shannon Gold
-
September 14, 2023
Went for the first time tonight and was impressed! Was craving real, filling Italian pasta and was not disappointed. All 3 of us were satisfied with our meals and the service was friendly and attentive. Portions are huge. You won’t leave hungry. Provided a birthday dessert for my birthday, and offered a great selection of homemade desserts. Will be going back!
Cameron
-
August 07, 2022
Very positive dining experience. Delicious Italian food in a traditional themed restaurant. The food was delicious and the portions are huge! Location is very busy but worth the wait. On our visit, the servers were a bit overrun. We will definitely come back as the food is excellent.
Our Address
561 Lawrence Ave, Kelowna, BC V1Y 6L8, Canada
Claim Listing: Mamma Rosa Restaurant
Please Login or Register an Account to Claim Listing
I was looking forward to a good home cooked Italian dinner and was recommended to come here. The waitress was great, but the overall experience was not. The food was very bland tasting. We had the Lasagna Bolognese and Meat Cannelloni and were not impressed. The plates were baked, which is fine, but the cheese and oil were burnt around the edges. The lack of meat in their "meat sauce" was disappointing. The dinner was also fairly expensive for the lack of flavour.
We are locals, this was not our first visit by a long shot. We sat at 5:45 on a Thursday and were told they had next reso at 7:30. No problem. As soon as we sat down we got the vibe that, “We’ve got tables to turn so let’s get on with it. Whilst you enjoy your appy, we will put your mains on the table in front of you as well” even tho there was no room for the plates on our tiny table. We weren’t even done eating dinner (around 6:30) and she came around asking if we needed boxes, meanwhile I would have loved another glass of wine. We have very few authentic Italian options Downtown Kelowna and the atmosphere and service is a 180 between them. Our other favourite option is a slow placed, served by the Italian owner, comfortable environment with Italian music playing (it was pop tunes at Mama’s) and attention during the service with a “no rush”, order as you go, feeling. I get you need to turn tables to make a profit but we had so much time between seatings it was not just. Not sure with all the rushing around tonight we will be “rushing” back to Mama Rosa’s. This has been a family favourite for 25+ years.
I regret ever coming here. Given the steep prices and mostly high reviews of this place, I expected good Italian food from this restaurant; and I was very disappointed. First of all, don't call me out for the terribly cropped photo I'm posting... We took cute photos of ourselves and the food, and for this review I did not want our faces in here. The ambiance was pretty cozy and the server was mostly nice. We were recommended the carbonara, so we ordered that. We also ordered this creamy lobster pasta dish. The carbonara did not taste like carbonara. Let me clarify what carbonara is supposed to be, especially in a restaurant that claims to be authentically Italian: eggs and cheeses and black pepper and pork fat properly mixed together and served as a sauce to pasta, topped with the pan-fried pork. Many details missing, but that's the basic idea. This restaurant didn't have the proper taste of carbonara and didn't even have black pepper in their pasta. I was both confused and frustrated, because I had to pay $27 for something that just tasted like store-bought cream mixed into pasta, topped with bacon. For the creamy lobster pasta dish (I believe it was $32), it was not very good given the fact that the creamy cheese flavour was overwhelming any lobster flavour. We told the server about it and asked, open-endedly, if there was anything we could do about this dish that we weren't satisfied with (we wanted to be given options). We wanted to focus on returning this particular dish because it was quite expensive. Another server returned saying we could order another dish but we'd still have to pay for that other lobster pasta that they left in the kitchen because it was "half eaten." We only had three spoonfuls. What an abomination. After an extremely infuriating discussion with this server, she allowed us a refund on the lobster pasta. Then to try to salvage our dinner, we ordered the anchovy pasta. It was okay. Basic seafood flavour. Overall, okay ambience, questionable service, not the best food at all. I'd recommend that they review their own food and service. I tried my best to look for the good in this experience, but I unfortunately regret the time and money I spent in this restaurant. I am sure whoever runs this restaurant is a decent person, but I have to say I disliked my experience here so much. I hope my comments are taken into consideration to improve the restaurant.
Went for the first time tonight and was impressed! Was craving real, filling Italian pasta and was not disappointed. All 3 of us were satisfied with our meals and the service was friendly and attentive. Portions are huge. You won’t leave hungry. Provided a birthday dessert for my birthday, and offered a great selection of homemade desserts. Will be going back!
Very positive dining experience. Delicious Italian food in a traditional themed restaurant. The food was delicious and the portions are huge! Location is very busy but worth the wait. On our visit, the servers were a bit overrun. We will definitely come back as the food is excellent.