Insider Pages Reviews for Mangia Mangia

2 Stars: Mangia Mangia Restaurant, Albany, CA (by Laura L.)

Laura L. — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:35:00 GMT

My husband and I have eaten at good restaurants for many years,we enjoy dinning out at least once a week.Mangia Mangia is one of our favorite restaurants in the bay area, the food is always excellent, fresh ingredients and great quality in every dish. They have a good variety of food to please vegetarians, meat and seafood lovers. They have a great selections of wines, and to finish a great meal, they have great desserts specially their chocolate souffle which is out of this world! The service is always excellent! very friendly. We recommend this restaurant very highly, for a wonderful dinning out experience!

5 Stars: Only Restaurant We Patronize!! (by Victoria O.)

Victoria O. — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:40:00 GMT

My family and I have been eating here since 1996 and have slowly discarded all other restaurants from our list. It is simply because Mangia Mangia's food is always superlative. It is fresh, creatively prepared, beautifully presented. The portions are just right. The service is almost always exactly what it should be: attentive without being hovering; responsive without being impatient; warm without being intrusive. And the atmosphere combines a feeling of family with a kind of European understated elegance that makes every dinner we have had there a special experience. We cannot recommend it too enthusiastically!!

4 Stars: perfect for a special intimate dinner (by Linda R.)

Linda R. — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:51:00 GMT

Warm and friendly, Mangia Mangia serves up great, imaginative Italian food at not-stratospheric prices. I have gone with kids (the spaghetti bolognese will satisfy the pickier among them) and just one adult, and all my experiences have been special. Lots of good menu choices, my favorite was the butternut squash ravioli with burnt butter. Oh yes, and the chocolate souffle, which needs to be ordered at the start of dinner to be ready on time.

5 Stars: Romantic, good chocolate souffle (by sylvaincostes)

sylvaincostes — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 01:00:00 GMT

My wife and I love going there. The waiting is not too long, but I would highly recommend to make reservation. The food is not heavy and portions are small, focusing on quality instead of quantity. It feels pretty authentic and the atmosphere is warm and romantic. Finally, if you like chocolate, try their chocolate souffle, it's pretty good and the price is reasonable.

4 Stars: Marvelous Neighborhood Restaurant (by Revan T.)

Revan T. — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 02:06:00 GMT

There can be very few neighborhood restaurants in the East Bay where the food is as good, or the atmosphere as friendly, as you'll find at Mangia Mangia. In fact I think it's the only Bay Area restaurant where I can honestly say that, ever since it opened, not once have we been disappointed. Indeed on the contrary, on just about every occasion we've been thoroughly delighted.

PROS: The owning family's on-the-spot care and attention shows all the time.
CONS:

5 Stars: Good Food & a nice date place (by iris0726)

iris0726 — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 02:00:00 GMT

I would recommend this restaurant for the food. We liked the augural salad with candy pecan, pear, & goat chesse. Highly Recommend the risotto and the chocolate souffle. My fresh pasta with duck was okay.
Service was OK, but we dont really mind. We actually do not like the waiters always come by and check on us, so this place gives a peaceful & romantic atmosphere for two of us. We got seat right away but it took the waitress almost 10 minutes to come to order our drink & food. We did get bread pretty quick, so we had something to munch on while we looked at the menu. It was a weekday night, so there were only 2 waiters, and I think it is understandable. It was my birthday so the waitress ordered the chocolate souffle for me at the very beginning and it came with a candle. It was nice. Is it true that nowadays no restaurants will give out free dessert to the birthday people anymore? But I will definitely go back for the souffle and try other food on the menu.

5 Stars: A Great Italian Restaurant!!! (by mrtuvok)

mrtuvok — Sun, 12 Jun 2005 02:00:00 GMT

Mangia, Mangia is a great high-end Italian restaurant. If you're looking for cheap eats, theres plenty of other places.

The staff's friendly and knowledgable. Special requests? no problem! The service was fantastic when I went with a group of 12 including two children. Everyone had fun!

I've been a customer 3 years and noticed Mangia,Mangia's loyal customer following. Whenever I visit, The owners know most everyone coming in by name and go out of thier way so they feel appreciated.

If you visit and have a suggestion, fill out the comment card. The owners read and take them to heart. I suggested the restaurant open on Sunday nights again. Within two weeks, the restaurant was open Sundays!

If I had a bad experience I would talk to the owner instead of just posting to a web page. It's unfair and doesn't give them a chance to correct perceived problems.

5 Stars: Wonderful, just wonderful! (by jimmiejane)

jimmiejane — Sat, 28 May 2005 02:00:00 GMT

Mangia Mangia is one of my two favorite small, unpretentious Italian Restaurants in the bay area (the other being Ernesto's in the City.) We eat here on an average of two or three times a month and have never failed to find the hospitality, food or service to be anything short of excellent. The list of special's and the regular menu are blessed with dishes both creative and perfectly prepared. The wait staff is attentive and very knowledgable, particularly about the small but excellent selection of reasonably priced Italian table wines on the list. You will hear people rave about the chocolate souffle but, read my lips, go for the sabayone. Made fresh for each order it is so light and delicate as to defy adequate description.

5 Stars: A Gem in Albany (by elizabeth_k)

elizabeth_k — Mon, 09 May 2005 02:00:00 GMT

Mangia Mangia is a warm, family-run, Italian oasis on San Pablo Avenue in Albany. We have been going there for years and have always been delighted by the warm service, delicious food and inviting atmosphere. The chocolate souffle alone is worth a trip. As a vegetarian, I have always found great options and the soups are especially good. I highly recommend Mangia Mangia, especially for a romatic dinner with your sweetie!

5 Stars: Love Mangia Mangia! (by navc25)

navc25 — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 02:00:00 GMT

We are always happy with the excellent food and service at this restaurant and it keeps us coming back!

1 Stars: Why spend your hard-earned money here? (by dclay)

dclay — Sun, 03 Apr 2005 01:00:00 GMT

We were ignored by the maitre d' when we entered. We weren't even acknowledged. I smelled trouble. Got seated after 5 minutes 'cuz we had a reservation. Waiters passed by many times, still no service. 10 minutes later, a sympathetic looking waiter came and we got to order. 1 hour later, all other tables were already working on their desert menu. We still had no food, no one was refilling our empty waters. Our "nice" waiter kept avoiding our stares. Still NO FOOD. Called him over, he said our dishes take longer. Went to check with the chef who cooks in open view. Chef's reaction was to give US a dirty look! We left. No chef or waiter had a smile at anytime. If they don't enjoy what they do, they should get out of the "service" business. Save your money. Take it to people who enjoy what they do.

5 Stars: We had a great anniversary dinner (by krisams)

krisams — Fri, 10 Sep 2004 02:00:00 GMT

Mangia has a warm, inviting atmosphere. It's small, but cozy. We arrived early, so seating was not a problem. Good food, good company, good atmosphere. Mangia is a gem, located near other family-run businesses. I can't wait to go back.

3 Stars: Just OK (by jgieseke)

jgieseke — Sun, 13 Jun 2004 02:00:00 GMT

The hostess was completely rude when bypassed us, with no acknowledgement, to greet the people who had arrived behind us whom she knew. Continuing to ignore us, she seated the people behind us even though their entire party had not yet arrived. Once we were seated, the evening improved. The service staff was good. Food was good but not great and alot more expensive than I had expected. Most entrees are over $17, salads and appetizers are near $10. Nicely decorated but wouldn't call it romantic - too noisy. No kids menu but will prepare a small bowl of pasta for them. However, the tube pasta that my daughter had was pretty bad (tasted old) and the cream sauce comparable to package mixes I make at home. Osso Bucco just ok and mussels very good. Overall an ok restaurant but not on my list of revisits.

5 Stars: Intimate and Romantic! What a value! (by modgrrrl)

modgrrrl — Sat, 04 Jan 2003 01:00:00 GMT

Intimate and inviting, Mangia Mangia (Eat! Eat! in Italian) is simply wonderful. The food is spectacularly good, the service is wonderful, the atmosphere is romantic and cosy. The value for the food is phenomenal. Everything on the menu is exquisite. When you place your dinner order, ask for the Chocolate Souffle for dessert! It takes amost 30 minutes but it is well worth it! If you let the waitstaff know when you order dinner, it will be ready when your meal is completed and it's divine!