La Cucina Di Mamma

I’m sorry to say I didn’t enjoy my dinner at this place. The service was fine & the restaurant is truly charming but the food was just not good.
We ordered a margherita pizza & fried mozzarella to share with the table. The sauce was tasteless (maybe needed more salt) & the crust on the pizza tasted burnt. While the mozzarella was fresh, it was tasteless.
For dinner, my husband ordered a pasta dish with meat. I honestly can’t remember the name but I do remember he had to put so much cheese on it to make it to his liking. I ordered the bolognese & it was fine but I thought the sauce could have used a little more salt & normally I am used to eating with low salt. I will say their portions are of normal size which I appreciate. So many chain restaurants give you too much today. Then you have left overs & it sits in the fridge until you have to throw it out.
Our friends who took us here rave about this place but I was so sad to not have enjoyed it more. Maybe it was an off night. I will say it is quite popular since we had a wait of ½ hour. Originally the hostess told us just 10 mins but she was way off.
I did like their tiramisu. It was a large piece that we all shared.

At night, Bella Napoli becomes La Cucina. The menu is reasonable… $ 12 to $ 20 items… and everything seems to be homemade. There are nightly deals and drink specials. Those are worth checking in to… we had half price wine bottles on out visit.
My dish was a papardelle (wide ribbon) with a short rib beef sauce. It was as good as if I made it from scratch. (and I do, so I would know!) The pasta was perfect and the sauce had an obvious layering of flavors from being properly composed. Good stuff!

This rating is premised solely on service. Waitress: do not be snippy.
My husband and I agreed to meet for lunch at La Cucina di Mamma.
We got there about 12:40 p.m. The place was pretty busy. There were no open tables in the restaurant so we sat at one of the two tables by the deli. Someone said there should be a menu out there. The table we sat at was dirty; not cleared from the prior diners.
A table opened up in the restaurant. We decided to move thinking we weren’t being seen at the table we had chose.
The waitress as we approached the table said, as if she was chiding first graders: What are you doing?
I didn’t see a sign that you should wait to be seated.
My answer: looking for a table.
A roll of the eyes and sighs of disgust on the part of the waitress.
Although all the tables were full, all but one table had food.
The lunch rush is over Ms. Waitress; get your head together and ditch the attitude.
She acted as if she was put out. She also is a noisy little critter-​slamming dishes needlessly.
Based on this experience I would never go back.

A real neighborhood treat! When you are here you know you are at an original. The pasta dishes are wonderful. I can recommend the Pappardele conRagu and any version of their gnoochi. Most meals at dinner time come with a nice little salad with a strong balsamic dressing. Yum!
This place has really grown-​up over the years and I can appreciate that they continue to offer a neighborhood original.

Nice little Italian restaurant. Good food at reasonable prices. Pasta seems freshly made and pizza was great, especially the crust. Bottom line — good food without overly fancy feel.

Cute little Italian-​run restaurant in Brookside.
The gnocchi was easily in the top three I’ve ever had. It was absolutely perfect pillows of potato perfection served in a fresh and homemade tomato sauce. I couldn’t have asked for it to be any better.
The pizza, however, was just meh. Maybe it’s because I lived for two years on Bleecker St in NYC and had Keste across the street from me and Numero 28 two blocks down the street, but this didn’t have the same perfection as what I’m used to from Italian pizza. It was meh, or even blah in comparison. I think it’s the oven and temperature… it lacked that perfect char, crust, and airyness to the layers.
Either way, this is a great little restaurant with quick service and good Italian food. The little grocery store that connects to it has great Italian food (and Italian pizza flour!)

I was surprised while perusing the Brookside restaurants that this lovely little gem had no reviews. LOVE this place! Very reasonably priced, family-​owned little storefront restaurant; casual in nature but the quality is unsurpassed. I’ve now eaten there twice and had a terrific experience both times. The owner is fun, ornery and personable; the rest of the staff works hard and has obviously been well trained. It also has a deli case so that meats, cheeses and Italian delicacies may be purchased and taken home.
Both the pizza, the pasta dish and the antipasto I’ve had there have been fresh, tasty and amazing. The first time I was there with with a group organized by a friend of mine who is a Chef and HE gave it top marks.
Not to be missed!

a true gem. real italian food in a mom and pop restaurant. nothing fancy but just what you’d expect in italy. in fact, our waiter just moved here from Rome recently — giving us the full italian experience! pizzas are always fantastic — $ 5 on Mondays! Tues/​Weds is half price bottles of wine! specials are terrific. pastas, can’t say enough about them. all ingredients are imported from italy. most recently had the buffalo pizza (buffalo mozz, arugala, tomatoes), sauteed spinach and spagetti puttanesca — all to die for. try the tiramisu — amazin!

This place is great! I have only been a couple times but I will definitely be going back. Their pizza is my favorite and I can’t seem to try anything else but I know it is all delicious. Nice atmosphere and very friendly staff.

such a hidden treasure.
great pizza. GREAT crustini. (i think they call it crustino). get the one with melted mozz and anchovies. pay more to add caramelized onions. then add an extra so you get an even 4 pieces. ($ 2.50 charge). thank me later.
split the arugula salad with figs and goat cheese.
get whatever the special is.
then sit back, and enjoy the family-​run atmosphere. eaves drop on your neighbor. learn a thing or two. and realize you are eating WELL.

I love this place! Just went to dinner last night — fabulous! Best meal I’ve had in a long time. Got the Margherita pizza (which is what I always crave from there) and it was great. My mom and sister got the fried eggplant/​ricotta/​tomato and seafood risotto — both were amazing. Dessert — I am obsessed now with their vanilla gelato and coffee dessert!!! Perfect atmosphere for a casual dinner and the owner (I assume) is incredibly friendly. I can’t wait to go back!

I’ve only been here for lunch, but I like it a lot. It’s a part of Bella Napoli, a WONDERFUL Italian deli, and the food is great.
At the lunch rush there can be a wait for tables – dangerous because I can’t resist doing some shopping while I wait – but the staff is attentive and very nice.
The soup is made by the owner, Jake, and it’s fantastic! I also am a big fan of the Aranciata salad, the Capriccosa pizza and the ravioli. Mmmm! Heck, I think I’m gonna ask my husband if we might head over there for dinner this evening!

Monday nights are a steal here: $ 5 for any pizza (normally $ 9 – 11) when you dine in. 13 to choose from.
Quality toppings. Not the most flavorful, just simple using quality ingredients. Crust is thin-​ish italian style.
Service is friendly & laid back. You can shop for italian food items while you wait for your meal. This place & the food is no-​fuss. Take note, they close early: 8pm M-​Th, 9pm Fri/​Sat

Great lunch spot. I’ve had lunch here twice and have decided I love it. I would describe the food as humble authentic Italian. You’re not going to be blown away with new flavor, but instead surprised by great product and traditional Italian home cooking. They serve basic apps, a few salads, several different pizzas, and about 6 – 8 choices of pasta and sauce with your choice of either a meatball or sausage. I have tried both bolognese with meatball and the sausage panini, delicious. I tried their soup de jour which was a mushroom and Parmesan tortellini, simple and savory.

La Cucina di Mamma is a hidden treasure in Brookside, next to The Roasterie coffee shop. This Italian eatery and grocer is as delicious as it is authentic. I get a very hometown Italian feel every time I set foot inside. The Grocer side has all kinds of pastas and authentic Italian groceries, as well as coffee. The eatery side of the business is small, with a counter to order at and about five tables to sit at. There are also a handful of tables on the sidewalk, when the weather permits. There is a daily lunch special that is always changing, but always a sure thing– no matter what is written on the daily special board, I usually order it. My recommendation comes from the appetizer menu, if you go you MUST try the Crostino. Thank me later.

This is a great find in quaint Brookside. It’s right next to Bella Napoli — actually part of it I think. But it’s a little Italian eatery/​deli that’s delightful. I recently went there with a friend and we had an excellent experience.
She had lasagne, I had eggplant parmesana. Needless to say, we both cleaned our plates and washed everything down with a bottle of inexpensive Italian wine — about $ 16 for the bottle.
So not pricey, enjoyable atmosphere, delicious food and good Italian wine. The space is small and it’s nothing fancy, but it’s worth it. The service was a little lacking. Our server seemed to be extremely rushed, and well, she made us feel a little anxious, but after a few glasses of wine, all was good.