Restaurant Review: Mama Mia Italian Deli & Pizzeria

Everyone is fully aware you can get the ‘real deal’ Bajan food in Barbados. However, when it comes to other cuisines many think they are rolling the dice and hoping for the best in Barbados. However, in recent years, due the increasing demand by both locals and travelers of other food types, great opportunities were opened for restaurateurs and entrepreneurs. One was certainly the Italian slice and this is where Mama, or Giuse Ferri, born in Naples, moved to paradise with her husband and opened Mama Mia Italian Deli & Pizzeria. Some of the best Italian food available on the island, Mama Mia Italian Deli & Pizzeria recently introduced a new food dining concept. Mama invites you to her secret dinner of the week where there is no menu! Just as the Italians do it, you come and eat as if you were being served at your mama’s kitchen table; you don’t know what she will be serving but you know it will be good! Intrigued by this concept we were interested to try this secret dinner (a 3 course meal) and anxious to discover what would be placed in front of our eyes and in our tummies.

We settled into the restaurant, which we must mention is purely Italian, decorated with colourful tiles and fresh food displayed for you. It is a casual dining atmosphere within an exceptionally friendly environment, offering you the option to sit in air conditioned comfort or outside on their terrace. Our antipasto dish was a Goat Cheese Calzone, which Mama put her own spin to by using light and flakey puff pastry as opposed to traditional pizza dough. Snuggled inside the buttery pastry was whipped goats cheese with little morsels of Italian ham. The saltiness from the ham paired well with the tart and light goat’s cheese. To top it off, freshly grated Parmesan cheese was sprinkled which added an element of sharpness to the dish. Rustic pieces of basil complimented the overall flavours by incorporating sweet and subtle peppery accents and aromas.  The goat cheese calzone was gone in a moments notice, as it was absolutely scrumptious.

For our main course, we were served penne pasta with pumpkin, pancetta and balsamic vinegar reduction. All these very interesting ingredients (which to many’s surprise we are sure) complimented one another superlatively. The penne pasta, cooked al dente, was served with a cream based sauce. The pumpkin had a good bite to it and the pancetta offered a salty heartiness. There was just enough balsamic reduction to round the dish off and offer a fine balance.  

Lastly, for dessert we had an authentic Italian delicacy called Sfrappole. They are ribbons of dough, which have been deep fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. One of the best parts about this dessert is the fact that we actually saw Mama hand-making these delicious morsels from scratch. A refreshing addition was an orange and rum puree placed along side for dipping these deep fried ribbons of goodness. A simple yet fabulous dessert.

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Mama Mia Italian Deli & Pizzeria and a three course meal for $58.00 BBD  is definitely a no brainer. Go out and enjoy some Italian goodness from Mama Mia Italian Deli & Pizzeria!