Mamma Ventura

A giant shrug. Husband and I ended up here for dinner when our first choice had an hour plus wait, and maybe we should have just waited. What restaurant in the 21^st century doesn’t offer unlimited free soda refills? This one! Because clearly an extra Coke is going to break them… When they presented a specials menu, I requested bruschetta as an appetizer, without the olives noted. The waitress said that was only for the special, she’d bring me «regular» bruschetta and disappeared into the kitchen. Great, except then a peek at the regular menu showed that that bruschetta also includes olives. I was resigned to picking off the olives until she returned with a plate of bruschetta that involved tomatoes and olives chopped so finely there was no way to pick them off short of an electron microscope. Husband’s manicotti was slathered in a sauce that tasted like straight tomato paste, very acidic and sharp. A side of pasta actually cost extra, so he had to content himself with the salad. I guess spaghetti is as expensive as Coke! My chicken and asparagus risotto was rich and cheesy, but too filling to allow for dessert. The service was inattentive considering how empty the restaurant was — we never got offered more bread (maybe it cost extra?), had to specifically request more water, and basically spent a lot of time waiting when as far as I could tell we were the only occupied table in her section. We definitely won’t be back.

Loved this restaurant! Visiting the sights in Gettysburg, we were pleasantly surprised to stumble on this great restaurant. Food was very good, fairly priced, and professional, friendly, fast service with a quaint atmosphere. Wished we lived closer.

While looking for an ice cream cone tonight without any luck I walked into this Italian restaurant to ask for spumoni. The waitress advised me what desserts they did have. I chose the pineapple sponge cake and coffee, both were delicious! If this wasn’t my last night in Gettysburg I would definitely try it for dinner. Staff was friendly and the place very clean.

Was not overly impressed with our visit here, though the server was very nice and knew her job, the food was bland and pricy for the portions. I ordered pasta in clam sauce that tasted a little less than fresh. If I had to guess it was reheated from a large batch made too far ahead of time. The atmosphere was pleasant but more than likely if we were to return it would be for just appetizers and drinks.

My husband, son and I went late on Friday night. Most places were closed but they were opened until 11. Our waitress was wonderful and didn’t rush us. We ordered the antipasto freddo which was plenty for two. My son ordered the fettuccine Alfredo and my husband and I got a small pizza. The pizza was delicious. It was very hot with melting cheese. The small is a 12 inch pizza so it was enough for two or three. The Alfredo was a large portion. My son loved it. Our waitress, Kim. Was great. Would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Good marinara! Generous pasta serving. Salad from a bag w/​sliced onions and topped w/​one cherry tomato. Bread was cold and day old… TOUGH. Parmesean cheese was not fresh grated but the kind you have at home from Kraft. Too many corners cut to make this an excellent dining experience.

My fiancé and I ate here for dinner this past weekend.
I ordered a small cheese pizza and he had a large calzone. My pizza was very warm and tasty. My fiancé also very much enjoyed his meal.
A few things did eat away at the review’s overall score.
1. When the hostess sat us, she asked is if we would be partaking in wine. I asked if they served beer instead. She said that she would send someone over to tell me the choices. A person did provide me with the options. However, this person did not introduce themselves as our waitress for the night or provide us with her name. Therefore, it was a little confusing when we first started our dinning experience.
2. After I ordered a beer (my fiancé opted just for water), both of us had to provide our ID’s to the server. Luckily, my fiancé had his ID on him. While it wasn’t an inconvenience to us, it could prove to be a nuisance to other couples.
3. The wait. Although the restaurant was pretty empty when we first entered, we spent a good amount of time waiting for our food. Two tables, both of which arrived after we were seated and had a different waitress, were out the door before my fiancé and I could even ask for our check.
All in all, it was pretty good. The high prices and eh service however probably won’t produce a repeat visit.

The service was friendly and efficient, but the food was pretty mediocre for the price

Great homemade pasta and sauce! Highly recommend! Had dinner with kids and they loved it

After a long cold winter’s day exploring historic Gettysburg with my husband, we settled on this quaint and charming little Italian place — so here’s my review.
Arrived 6ish on a Saturday in January — very far from the tourist season but a business trip had us in the area, so yeah… there you go. Anyway, due to my husbands inordinate love of Italian food and our joint love of non-​chain home grown restaurants we settled in hoping for a delightful dinner. What we got was ok but not exactly delightful.
I really must start by chiding myself. Perhaps my experience is atypical but I’ve found that at Italian places, the one dish that is ALWAYS good is the pasta. Seafood, veal, etc can be of inconsistent quality. I did not follow this advice that night — so NOTE TO SELF.
ATMOSPHERE: Very, very quaint, clean, Italian bistro ambiance — no complaints.
SERVICE: Average. Waitress was nice but our water glasses were never filled, our wine went empty for some time before an offer of a refill.
FOOD: I ordered the crab stuffed flounder. Now what’s NOT to love about crab stuffed flounder? Well, mine was so overly covered with lemon that it overpowered the entire dish. The fish was somewhat over done and the tastes were just all off. Typically the crab stuffing compliments an otherwise very mild fish but with the lemon apocalypse going on I couldn’t deal with the rest. My side of linguine with marinara should have been my entire meal. LESSON LEARNED. My husband had the spaghetti with meatballs and really loved it, ate every bite. He enjoyed his meal so much I didn’t even tell him how awful mine was. Salad was Ok, bread OK too. House red was a chianti which tasted like cooking wine, don’t recommend it. Usually Italian house wines are a good bet but not this time.
Giving this place 3 stars because my husband loves his meal and everything but my food was great. Overall would go back but can only recommend the pasta at this point.

The balsamic on the salad is delicious, I could just drink it. It is house made., the ravioli was recommended by the staff and was delicious. Pasta made in house, and perfectly done. Warm rolls, excellent service. I can see that my waistline will suffer having this restaurant so close to my home!

Their ad claims they are the only authentic Italian restaurant in town. The recent reviewers had given them 4 stars, this was enough for me to give them a shot. Waitress took our order but she forgot to bring our appetizer. As long as it is not on the bill I will not have a problem. I ordered Veal Parmigiana and the wife ordered Fettuccine Alfredo.
The veal was so tough and the marinara sauce was not good, it was so bland. The wife’s Alfredo sauce was so watery, and had little onions in it. She never had onions in her Alfredo and wasn’t really happy about it. When we asked the waitress if there were onions in the dish she said «no hunny, never!» I tried one and it was definitely an onion. She came racing back and said she was sorry and that the cooks had prepared the meal with onions. My wife’s face became one of disgust. The waitress saw it and offered her another entrée. She went with regular pasta with Marinara. My wife then asked me how my pasta was and I answered her when the waitress had left that it was terrible. My wife wanted nothing now and the meal was over. I went back in the kitchen to stop the waitress from putting in the order because in our minds we were both done.
She brought us the bill and can at least say that we were only charged for our 2 drinks and my veal. I am pretty sure if she didnt forget our appetizer at least my wife would not have gone hungry. We would have went somewhere else for a quick bite but we had reservations for a ghost tour in 15 minutes. The waitress was very accommodating and really it was the only thing I have nice to say about this place. If you want Italian I guess you need to go out of the city of Gettysburg.

Had dinner here with good service. A party of four with different meals and all was great. Inside atmosphere was special with a look of the era. A little skimpy and pricey on house wines. Street parking is metered ($ 0.25 for 15 minutes) until 8 PM.

Went twice in my 3 day stay in Gettysburg. Both times were good experiences. Food was nicely done and service was good but slower as the night progressed. I recommend their Sicilian pizza. My friend got spaghetti with their homemade sausage and meatballs — excellent.

The meatball sub was pretty terrible salty bun and somewhat cold meatballs. Ambiance and staff are nice

Should have known when we were the ONLY people on the restaurant. We only got dessert, which was overpriced and just ok. Glad we did not eat dinner, it was really overpriced for what you get.

The water was good. Not much else. Unimpressed. Fatty meat on my Italian Club. It was more of a Vegetable Club. My husband and I both ordered margaritas (regular & strawberry). When served, I had double the left-​over in a tin and he had about 2 tablespoons. Server said «you just never know how they’re going to come out». Really? Awful. Avoid.

Very good portions. Wasn’t a lot of conversation everyone was enjoying their meal.

Mamma Ventura’s is one of those places where I’m willing to give a pass for having pictures of the food on the menu. Given that they’re located in the epicenter of a tourist mecca, this isn’t a sign of a low caliber establishment — it’s a savvy business move to enhance efficiency and cater to a more diverse demographic. In the end, this isn’t going to be the best Italian fare to grace your esophagus, but there’s a reason this place has been in business for 30 years — it’s a surefire bet for a reasonable quality casual meal and overall acceptable dining experience.
Food: The menu at Mamma Ventura’s is comprised of casual Italian fare, some of which has been Americanized to cater to the masses. Available offerings include everything from chicken cacciatore and zuppa di pesce to pizza and mozzarella sticks. During my recent visit, I only opted for dessert — however, if the main entrees were as good as the desserts, then I’d be hard pressed not to return. The desserts are all made in-​house and the available options are diverse, well-​prepared, and artfully presented. I opted for a cannolo and a scoop of hazelnut gelato, both of which were excellent. The gelato was absolutely bursting with flavor and the portion was generous for the price.
Service: The staff here were genuinely nice people and it’s readily apparent that this is a family run establishment will both loyal employees and clientele. Our party of six was promptly greeted at the door and seated immediately — we subsequently received friendly and quick service throughout the meal, including a visit to the table by the pastry chef.
Atmosphere: Somewhat cramped, but clean and generally welcoming. Dress is casual and the clientele is a mix of locals and tourists. The restaurant consists of a small front dining room, as well as a narrow back hallway with tables. We sat in the narrow hallway across from the kitchen, which wasn’t ideal — fortunately, there wasn’t too much foot traffic. In addition to the restaurant, there’s also a lounge area in the basement, which I heard is typically ripe with ample people watching opportunities. My only complaint related to the bathrooms, which were small and borderline filthy — I understand the place is likely run over with tourists on a daily basis, but that’s no excuse for the carnage that I witnessed within those four walls.
Cost: Affordably priced. Appetizers are $ 7-​$ 14, salads are $ 7-​$ 13, pastas are $ 10-​$ 15, entrees are $ 15-​$ 21, pizzas (small, medium, and large) are generally $ 8-​$ 15, and desserts are $ 4-​$ 7.
Other: Mamma Ventura’s is located just of the central square in downtown Gettysburg. Only street parking is available — meters are $ 1 per hour. Alcohol is served and banquet facilities are also available that can accommodate up to 70 people. Reservations are accepted.

Just arriving in Gettysburg my hungry party of 5 wandered in looking for a good Italian meal. The smell of good things overwhelmed us at the door and I am sorry to report, that’s where it ended.
We were seated promptly and each ordered a variety of dishes. Each one of us was disappointed at the mediocrity of the food. The lasagna with meat sauce and the spaghetti with meat sauce were remarkably dry. Like it had been overcooked and there wasn’t any moisture left. The pasta primavera which looked delicious was almost like they warmed some cream and poured it over cooked noodles (with a few veggies). Tasteless — some garlic and parmesean could have saved that dish. Two of us got the special that night, a ravioli with bacon and cheese in a tomato cream sauce — both were left barely touched. Odd after taste.
The meals came with salads and they were adequate, the balsamic dressing pretty good — the bread was decent too.
Then we ordered dessert. like we didn’t learn this experience was circling the drain already — a limoncello cake and tiramisu — the limoncello cake through covered in creamy rich topping tasted dry and stale under the topping — extremely light lemon flavor and the tiramisu was just ok. I had better at the B&B I stayed at the night before in Cashtown, PA.
This location is so convenient to our hotel, it’s a shame it turned out to taste like another crappy insignificant tourist trap. It could have so much potential. Find another place for dinner.