Trattoria Donna Maria

I had to really think hard before I rated this place and, finally decided that, 2 stars overall is the best I could give this place.
Food — 2 stars
Service — 3 stars
Value for money — 1 star
Ambience — 4 star
Wine prices — 1 star
I heard great things about this place from a friend and, the two people we went to dinner with, had also heard good things about it. So four of decided to meet here for dinner and try it out.
The whole concept of this place is about going to mamas house for dinner. It’s small and seats very few people and, Maria cooks in her kitchen whatever happens to be the menu of the day and, serves it to you. They have a daily black board with a handful of dishes and, a very small selection of wines (two red and two whites or so) to choose from (no wine menu).
I was expecting great food but, was truly disappointed. The starter was scallops with tomatoes in a caper sauce and, it was bland. The scallops were also overcooked. The main dish I chose was pasta with spinach and ham, which was supposed to be mildly spicy (I asked for it extra spicy) and when it arrived it was not spicy and, I ended up adding Chilli to it (their chilli paste was the highlight of the night :-)). For dessert we shared the only thing they had, chocolate cake and it was ordinary.
We ordered the primitivo wine that the lady recommended and, whilst it was a nice wine, she did not tell us it was € 42 a bottle. It was certainly not worth that for a 2012 italian wine and, that was really disappointing.
The service was slow and it took us well over an hour to get our main course of four pasta dishes. I mean cmon an hour for a plate of pasta ?
Highly overrated and overpriced «italian home cooking» experience. I would never go back here again, considering the abundant choice for amazing italian in Schwabing at a reasonable prices. This place is a standout, for all the wrong reasons. All four of us stepped out and said «we would not go back here again».
It’s a shame as the ambience here is lovely and the concept is very appealing. However, if I can cook better than mama can then, its a disappointment in my opinion ;-))
An expensive night that was not worth the anticipation or the expectation.
Achtung: this place is cash only :-) bring lots of it ;-))

Wow! This has to be the closest I have ever come at a restaurant to feeling like I was in someone’s home (without the uncomfortable akwardness that comes with actually being in someone’s home). Absolutely incredible food!
Yes it takes a considerable amount of time until you receive your food but good things take time! The wait is well worth the investment, and a great reminder that good conversation should be a part of any nice dinner.
Prices are high. There’s no other way to say it. The food is great, don’t get me wrong, but is it worth the money? YES but the bill at the end was still a bummer.
Definately worth the experience, but too expensive for me to enjoy on a regular basis.