Everyone raves about Mamma Zu. I admit the food is good, but is it really worth the wait? To me, no it is not. The owners obviously have played the shabby decor, aging building and rude staff cards to their advantage. People seem to enjoy waiting and enduring the noise and abuse just to say,""I waited two hours for a table at Mamma Zu...the host was rude to us...the service was awful...the food was wonderful!"" Honestly, who would be fool enough to admit they endured wait and abuse only hate the meal? The entrees are overpriced and overly simple. An arugula salad will set you back $9 and what you get is arugula, cheese and some poor quality olive oil and vinegar for a dressing. Not impressive at all. The pastas are cooked well, but the sauces are very over-seasoned. Lots of salt. I missed the appearance of a single fresh herb. The dishes are again, overly simple. And you get pasta, and sauce....nothing else. We wanted meat lasagne (at 6pm on a Saturday), but were told it would not be ready and we had to choose something else. What? Why is it on the menu? I guess it was more complicated to prepare than the other dishes on the menu. Anyway, people seem to keep coming back. Why? To be seen. To say you ate there. To say you had horrible service. It is edgy. And the owners know that and play it to their advantage. Reminds me of the soup vendor episode on Seinfeld. Except in this case, it is not the best Italian food you have ever had. It is okay, and just that...okay. If you want an experience, go there. If you want real Italian food...keep looking.
Pros: Cannoli is good
Cons: Food is just okay
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