These are the words i would use to describe Mama Mia. It was originally just one outlet located besides the Opera House theater, but now it has shifted to a comparatively remote location near French bridge and also has a number of other outlets all across Bombay. It was one of the first pizza places in Bombay and for those of you who have been frequent visitors to this place right from the time it started, you would understand me when i say that it holds a special place in my heart. Describing an extremely good or extremely bad place is simple, but one thats somewhere in between is a bit tricky. But i'll give it my best shot.
Right from the time you enter this place, it'll give you a feeling that it going to be a hit or miss. Theres not much in the way of ambiance. Its just a simple place with no uniqueness to it. When you enter a place which serves one kind of food, it has a sort of character to it which is completely different than a place which would serve some other kind of food. But thats totally absent here. This is a place which might put up a banner that it serves pizzas, but might get away with serving South Indian or even Moghlai food. You're sure to get negative vibes if you're visiting this place for the first time on the recommendation of a friend who told you that you get pizzas here.
Even the service can be a hit or miss. I've been here so many times, that the waiter knows what i'm going to order before i place my order. But thats a big disadvantage. Because according to them, if a customer is loyal to you, then he can wait a while while you serve the people who are visiting your place for the first time. So if you like this place and plan on visiting it again any time soon, wear a disguise. The one good thing about the service is that everybody is very hospitable. They'll greet you with a smile, and they'll bid you farewell with a smile. But this might be because they always make me wait so long. So individual experiences may vary.
Now the food. Well if i had to say one thing about the food in general, i would say that its not great, but it is good. The pizzas are really decent. The subs are quite nice. The chinese is good. The salads are awesome. The burgers are awesome. If i had to suggest some of the stuff you just cant go wrong with, i would say try the pizza dello chef, the partita quattro, the chicken royal burger and the chocolate mousse. All of these are simply awesome and are reasonably priced. Although most of the things you get are pretty decent, there are some dishes you just shouldn't touch. A shining example of this is the garlic bread. Its just bread with cheese and will hardly leave a good impression on your taste buds. Also, the frankies are disappointing. Actually they were good before, but now the quality has dropped somehow. Thankfully thats not true for the other dishes. If you're ordering chinese, go for the American chopsuey which is quite nice. Also if you're having anything in chinese, be sure to order a serving of the shezwan sauce. Its pretty good.
As a whole i wouldn't say the Mama Mia is one of the best places in town. Its not even the best place in the area in which it is located. If you take into account the ambiance and the occasional lapse in service quality, one might even say that its not a place you should visit often. But still i would give it three and a half stars out of five simply because its the one place where i can order anything and not be disappointed with it. Thats because even though theres nothing great about the food at this place, theres nothing bad about it either. They've maintained a level of consistency with the food, which is quite a rarity these days. Add to this the fact that its very reasonably priced and you have a very nice package. Even though they've raised the prices quite a bit compared to what they were before, still they're still probably the cheapest pizza place in town. Even though its overshadowed by places like Pizzeria and Pizza Hut, still Mama Mia is worth at least one meal of your life. Just don't expect something extra ordinary and you'll have a pretty good time there. Cheers!!
-Mambo
Right from the time you enter this place, it'll give you a feeling that it going to be a hit or miss. Theres not much in the way of ambiance. Its just a simple place with no uniqueness to it. When you enter a place which serves one kind of food, it has a sort of character to it which is completely different than a place which would serve some other kind of food. But thats totally absent here. This is a place which might put up a banner that it serves pizzas, but might get away with serving South Indian or even Moghlai food. You're sure to get negative vibes if you're visiting this place for the first time on the recommendation of a friend who told you that you get pizzas here.
Even the service can be a hit or miss. I've been here so many times, that the waiter knows what i'm going to order before i place my order. But thats a big disadvantage. Because according to them, if a customer is loyal to you, then he can wait a while while you serve the people who are visiting your place for the first time. So if you like this place and plan on visiting it again any time soon, wear a disguise. The one good thing about the service is that everybody is very hospitable. They'll greet you with a smile, and they'll bid you farewell with a smile. But this might be because they always make me wait so long. So individual experiences may vary.
Now the food. Well if i had to say one thing about the food in general, i would say that its not great, but it is good. The pizzas are really decent. The subs are quite nice. The chinese is good. The salads are awesome. The burgers are awesome. If i had to suggest some of the stuff you just cant go wrong with, i would say try the pizza dello chef, the partita quattro, the chicken royal burger and the chocolate mousse. All of these are simply awesome and are reasonably priced. Although most of the things you get are pretty decent, there are some dishes you just shouldn't touch. A shining example of this is the garlic bread. Its just bread with cheese and will hardly leave a good impression on your taste buds. Also, the frankies are disappointing. Actually they were good before, but now the quality has dropped somehow. Thankfully thats not true for the other dishes. If you're ordering chinese, go for the American chopsuey which is quite nice. Also if you're having anything in chinese, be sure to order a serving of the shezwan sauce. Its pretty good.
As a whole i wouldn't say the Mama Mia is one of the best places in town. Its not even the best place in the area in which it is located. If you take into account the ambiance and the occasional lapse in service quality, one might even say that its not a place you should visit often. But still i would give it three and a half stars out of five simply because its the one place where i can order anything and not be disappointed with it. Thats because even though theres nothing great about the food at this place, theres nothing bad about it either. They've maintained a level of consistency with the food, which is quite a rarity these days. Add to this the fact that its very reasonably priced and you have a very nice package. Even though they've raised the prices quite a bit compared to what they were before, still they're still probably the cheapest pizza place in town. Even though its overshadowed by places like Pizzeria and Pizza Hut, still Mama Mia is worth at least one meal of your life. Just don't expect something extra ordinary and you'll have a pretty good time there. Cheers!!
-Mambo
Mama Mia (opera house) used to be a hop away from my house... hence, it holds a very special place in my heart... College days, wen we barely had any pocket money, it was the most reasonable place to go to.. in my opinion, the food was and still is quite worth the money... the pizza's and subs are really good... Chinese, however, is just average...
ReplyDeletewell about the ambiance, now that it has shifted to the place at french bridge, it pretty much sucks... its like walking into a udipi restaurant... well, my solution to that problem is simple... ordering in at home! :)
Bandra outlet is the better one now... with AC and a flat screen... Never been to the byculla outlet... Hoping the one at opera house improves in terms of location and ambiance.. fingers crossed! :)