Authentic and Delectable - Mamma Mia's opens in Pacific Beach!
Beach&Bay Press / July 2007
Next time you crave Italian food, come check out Mamma Mia. Opened for a couple of months now, this Italian restaurant already has a loyal following. Some of its costumers have followed the owners, Francesco and Cinzia Mezzetti, from their previous restaurant in La Mesa [Ciao Bella] where they served a similar style of home cooking. Other patrons have discovered this dining jewel by word-of-mouth from excited new guests. Located at the Balboa/Grand split in a small orange house that dates back to the 1920s, Mamma Mia treats all of his costumers like family. The greeting you get from Francesco will make yor experience a very pleasant and enjoyable one. His serving of gnocchi, panzerotti and piadina will instantly put you at home. If you haven't dined at Mamma Mia yet, come on down. Francesco is looking forward to serve you. Once here, you will certainly come back. Mamma Mia is opened Tuesday thru Sunday from 11am to 10pm. The restaurant is closed on Monday.
Mamma mia offers authentic Italian cuisine and intimate atmosphere
by Natalie Zanzucchi
Vista / May 2007
In an assuming converted beach house next to the 7-Eleven on Balboa and Lamont, Francesco and Cinzia Mezzetti serve the best Italian food this side of the Atlantic. They own Mamma Mia, a small, authentic and brand-new Italian restaurant in Pacific Beach. Francesco, a raspy-voiced, energetic Roman greets every person to walk through the door. "Ciao, bella," he says, pulling you in with the charisma of an Italian. Francesco and his wife Cinzia own Mamma Mia and Cinzia, a Northern Italian, is the chef. She has a flair for all things delicious and there is no bad choice on her menu. From the antipasti (try the panzerotti!) to homemade pasta, the food is nothing short of incredible.
Read more: http://www.sandiego.edu/vista/article.php?article_id=2007051058
Crazy for this Italian
Mamma Mia is a welcome find for pasta lovers
by Candice Woo
CityBeat / May 2007
I didn't think I'd fall so hard and so easily, but after only two meals, I'm in love with Mamma Mia. I think my quick surrender is due to the fact that I'd basically given up hope of finding an Italian restaurant in this town that I could devote myself to. I am crazy for Italian food, but I want something beyond the same four heavily red-sauced pasta standards and red-checkered tablecloth decor found at affordable but boringly basic places. Most restaurants with more creative options aren't budget-friendly enough to be a weekly stop. Although I have yet to eat my way through Mamma Mia's entire menu, the sizeable dent I've made has so far been proof positive that this kind of honest, delicious food does exist.
Read the article at http://www.sdcitybeat.com/article.php?id=5791&atype=
Best Host
Your Magazine/ October 2005
I loved this restaurant and I loved the husband owner, Franceso Mezzetti, who is as Italian as they get: sincere, happy, friendly and LOUD. He welcomed everyone LOUDLY into his restaurant while I was interviewing him. Do not expect a beautiful restaurant here, it is not. It is casual to the point of turning around and enjoying everyone else in the restaurant particularly Francesco.
Cozy Italian eatery in the dry land
By Sarah Wilkins
The Daily Aztec - Tempo/ September 2005
Despite the broad, mouth watering menu, the real star of Ciao Bella is the service. The staff is consistently friendly, and theatmosphere is always relaxed and outgoing. It is a truly family ownedbusiness—the Mezzetti's family photos (particularly those of Cinzia and Francesco's infant daughter) adorn the restaurant. Read more at the reviewer website
Ciao Bella
By David Nelson
On The Go/ June 2004
Ciao Bella offers authentic flavors and is a good choice when you're in the mood for something out of the ordinary. Very "come as you are" in its attitude, the restaurant also is easy on the wallet, and the menu provides a quick education in Italian theatrical characters and place names.
Ciao Bella Ristorante Italiano & Pizzeria. Wildly Italian!
By Karen Scanlon
