Mama Della’s Ristorante

What more could you ask for? Great food, opera singers serenading table to table taking song requests, and mama herself coming to our table and hugging and talking with us. I ate at Bice the night before and the food at mama della was better. What a great restaurant. From the hostess who found a table for 7 with no reservation for us to the waiter who was top notch. Love this place.

For a resort restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere is warm, inviting and rustic. I loved the three musicians that wandered the restaurant and sang table-​side. We requested some Dean Martin and they delivered flawlessly.
For apps, we tried the antipasto board (delicious, but the cheese was too hard and rubbery), the Bruschetta Caprese con Burrata (my favorite of the appetizers!) and the Mozzarella Caprese. Everything was beautifully presented and delicious.
For entrees, I went with the tried and true Chicken Parm. My Mom got the butternut squash ravioli and my sister ended up getting the filet mignon. We had zero complaints about the food… except we complained we didn’t have more room to eat more of it!
The desserts were equally delicious. We tried the chocolate gelato, the molten lava cake and the cannoli. Again, just really, really well done.
Our server was a doll and he rolled with the punches (read: the jokes made by several in my party) and gave it right back to us.
Would highly recommend if you are staying at one of the Universal Orlando resorts. It’s a short boat ride from the Loew’s Royal Pacific and the Hard Rock… and well worth the visit to Portofino!

Love this place. our third time there. We make it a point to eat here when in Orlando. Who knew a hotel restaurant could be so great. Service, food, wine all wonderful. not too mention table singers VOLARE!!!

Service here was amazing but the food was underwhelming. We first got bread (Rosemary, Garlic and crispy breadsticks) with butter and garlic oil. We ordered bruschetta and calamari, both tasted great. The main entrée however wasn’t good for me. I ordered some seafood pasta ($ 30 I think), it had scallops, clams, shrimp and pan seared sea bass. The fish, clams and shrimp were fine but the scallops were terrible. My first bite was the scallop and it tasted like pure uncooked alcohol, it was bitter and nasty. The farfalle pasta tasted like it was wheat pasta and I just don’t like wheat pasta. That evening we also ordered the filet mignon ($ 35+ I think) and it came with a side of polenta with a fried egg on top and the steak. We asked for medium on the steak and it was definitely at well done. The waiter who was amazing asked how the steak was cooked, we said everything was fine. But he saw the steak and he knew it wasn’t cooked properly and insisted for another steak to be brought out. He wouldn’t take no for an answer and he said he would have the kitchen butterfly the steak to try and get the dish out faster for us since we were a party of 9 and he didn’t want everyone to be waiting on us. The second steak came out and… It was as over cooked as the first one but it did taste a little more moist. The only issue I had with our dinner that evening was just the kitchen not doing their job properly, everything else was spectacular (music and service).

I ordered gnocchi, which was cooked to perfection. I loved every bit of it. What made the experience of dining here even more amazing was the live performance. There was a small musical group that went table to table singing and playing songs on guitars by request. I asked them to perform «Moon River» and «La Vie En Rose», which they performed perfectly. It really brought back that Italian touch.

Fun and great food.

I have been coming to the Portofino for the last 15 years and the MAIN reason I stay at this location is Mama Della’s. The atmosphere, food and of course Mama. The have a shaved parmesan cheese that you have to ask for that melts in your mouth, lasagna just as good as my Nana’s. Risotto specials with huge shrimp. Priced right for what you get. Chef Leo, who is an amazing chef, caters to food allergies (my son has a nut allergy)
Now let me discuss Mama Della. The sweetest, comforting, and most welcoming person you will ever meet. If you are Italian you will know what I am talking about, if you are not, you will wish you were.

Celebrated our 7^th anniversary here. Loved the experience. Parked at city walk and took ferry boat over. If you are a Florida resident parking is free after 6pm. Another option is to park at the hotel and they will validate your parking if you eat here. Service was excellent. Everyone was super friendly and wished us happy anniversary every chance they had. Indoor and outdoor seating available. Also had singers who came around to the tables which were excellent. Food was pretty good: had the antipasti, lasagna, and spaghetti with meatballs. The true highlight was the molten lava cake which was given to us for anniversary. Truly the best part of the meal. A must have. Will definitely return but may split entrée because portion sizes and price a bit large for us. ($ 20 and up for entrees) overall enjoyed the experience

This place is subpar but they want you to think it is some high demand hotspot. We were staying at Hard Rock Hotel and decided to wall to Portofino for a change of scenery. The hotel itself is beautiful. We came across this restaurant. After checking out the enticing menu we went in to see if they had a table. The hostess acted like they were swamped, which they weren’t. She made it perfectly clear that she was squeezing us in and they had many reservations coming in soon. That being said I told how much we appreciated her accommodating us. It quickly became evident that she was lying, as the restaurant became more scarce as our evening continued. Our server was helpful at first and then became nonexistent. Other employees served us our meals, no one checked on us to see if we liked our food and then we had to wait forever to get our bill. This was confusing since our server had very few tables. I had the Seabass which was good except it had an orange on the plate which apparently flavored the fish and it was a wierd flavor combination. I would’ve preferred lemon. My husband had a seafood dish which was tasty but very overcooked shrimp. The kids had decent pizza. The star of our meal was the Bruschetta which was excellent. Unfortunately the rest of the meal was a bust. This restaurant is also quite expensive considering the meals don’t include a salad or any sides. ($ 30 plus per entrée.)
They did have beautiful opera like singers singing to all the tables which was quite nice and authentic. The ambiance and décor was also nice.

I have to say for a theme park hotel this place was great. Very warm and welcoming. We were deciding between here and Bice, and decided after a long day at the park a more casual atmosphere was necessary.
The bread is really good… not Carrabbas good but good if that makes sense :)
We had the bruschetta to start with… soft grilled bread with burrata mozzarella and tomato with an arugula salad. I had hoped for more mozzarella and the balsamic reduction was a tad bit sweet but overall good.
We had the spaghetti and frutti di mare. Here’s where things are lacking… The spaghetti was great but my frutti di mare had 2 shrimp, 2 scallops, and 2 CLAMS. TWO! And the price was $ 35ish. This is where the theme price scandal sets in… but the truth is the flavor rocked.
So all in all… we enjoyed it.

This review is a bit overdue, as my wife and I were here back in late June. Naturally, this place deserves some recollection.
We were skeptical at first. You know, hotel food. But after our stay we learned that this wasn’t just any hotel, and as such «Mama’s» wasn’t just any Italian restaurant.
The prices seemed a bit high at first (22 $ for meatless Fettuccine Alfredo?), then again it’s resort fare in Orlando (so we thought), BUT after being blown away by the food we concluded that it was worth every brown cent.
We had a super great server. Real nice guy. Very cheery and helpful. Then there were some wandering minstrels. That gave the experience the wow factor. The décor felt real homey too. Mission accomplished Portofino.
We pigged out here. We were starving after checking in. I was craving good old Fettuccine Alfredo, and the wife got the mushroom raviolis. Both were great dishes, but my hat goes off to the raviolis. I asked our server and they are indeed made fresh daily. I’ve eaten a butt load of pasta in my day (I even make my own), but this place may be my new standard now when it comes to a good Fettuccine Alfredo. The raviolis were PERFECT.
Btw, the roasted garlic with the bread is brilliant. Way to take it to that next level.
We can’t wait to come back.

Mixed messages. We checked on Open Table and there were openings at 9, 9:15, etc. We walked down from our room and were somewhat «greeted» by a lanky blonde who discouraged us strongly, even tho we could see plenty of open seats. Trying to AVOID any interaction with her, we finally managed to talk with a sweet little co-​receptionist, who genuinely tried to show real care for us. We were soon seated in a quiet back room (the restaurant is much bigger than it looks from the outside), and helped by Erik, who took amazing care of us. After a sour beginning, we were finally treated to the true meaning of La Dolce Vita.
Capese salad was delicious, sided with outstanding breadbasket accompanied by imported butter and crazy-​good roasted garlic cloves swimming in Olive oil. House specialty lasagna: huge portion and filling. Wild mushroom ravioli with garlic cream sauce that was accented with a light touch of pesto. Truly delicious.
The charming Erik swore that he will remember us… we will remember the whole experience at Mama Dellas! (Avoid the tall blonde receptionist!)

So this review is late. My fiancé and I wanted to make reservations here on Valentine’s Day, but didn’t do it early enough so we ended up coming here the day after. It was quiet on a Sunday night, but that could have been because (a) not a lot of people knew about this place besides the ones staying at the resort and/​or (b) we were there early.
Anyway, from what I remember the food was good.
What really got to me was how caring the waitstaff and (I believe) the owners were. The night I went, there was live band where they came around to each table and ask if they would like for them to sing to you. The owner/​manager also makes sure that you are having a good meal.
The only reason I took a star off was because of the price. It is so expensive…

Every restaurant has pros and cons. Once in a while you find an unexpected gem. First, I have three negative comments which, to me, are fairly trivial. When I saw the prices I thought, «this better be really good.» Prices are so subjective, depending on where you live — LA or Cincinnati. I live in Tampa, FL and I consider the prices a bit high. The tenor wandering the restaurant had a powerful voice. But in an intimate restaurant where people are trying to hold a conversation — he sang unnecessarily loud. And last, who picked the dresses for the hostesses? Maybe going for traditional, but missed that target and hit ugly bullseye.
Would ANY of that stop me from going back? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
PROS: Our waiter was patient, friendly and attentive. My husband and I ordered two entrees to share because we couldn’t decide. Without being asked, waiter brought two clean plates and serving tongs so we could easily share. One of the entrees was gnocchi in a braised beef ragu. Foodgasm! If I were on death row — this would be my last meal. Instead of potato, this gnocchi is made with ricotta cheese. Sounds heavy, right? But it was so light, it just melts in your mouth. And the ragu. Incredible. The genius responsible for the dish is Chef Leonardo Velez. He came out to greet us and when we were done gushing about how awesome it was, he gave us his card and said to let him know when we plan to come back. The menu changes periodically, but he will make sure he has it for us. Now how many chefs will do that?

This was a shot in the dark eating at this restaurant and I do not regret it at all! Within walking distance from Universal Studios and the food was absolutely incredible.
I would definitely say that anyone going to this restaurant should try the meyer lemon risotto. Probably one of the best things I have ever eaten. So delicious.
The wait staff was also really great and attended to all our needs and in addition to all of this, there was a singer and a guy playing an accordion walking around singing songs and asking people for requests.
Overall the food was incredible, atmosphere was great and someplace that I would definitely recommend if you are looking somewhere a little nicer to eat in the Orlando area.

This restaurant was a lot of fun! The atmosphere was great and the food was very good. We were promptly seated at our reservation time. And I highly recommend making a reservation as the wait time when we arrived was about 30 minutes.
Our party was made up of my wife and I along with our two children (10 and 7). The atmosphere of the restaurant was electric and vibrant. Their was a small group of people playing instruments and singing Italian songs traveling around keeping us all entertained.
Our waiter suggested a white wine for my wife and a red for me. Both great suggestions! The food was great and the service was quick but there was no pressure to turn the table.
The only thing that we found where they could improve was their tiramisu. It was not very good. So pick a different dessert as the rest are quite tasty.

Coming from NYC, I feel like I have a decent palate for Italian food. This place has a fairly narrow menu but what they had was pretty darn good. The caesar salad was good and the sun dried tomatoes were a nice touch.
The chicken carbonara was good and the seafood special of sea bass and shrimp was well done. Service was excellent. Definitely worth a try if you’re too lazy to leave the hotel grounds.

I’m always a bit skeptical of hotel restaurants. Often the food will be average and overpriced, or the food will be great but service will be beyond slow. Our experience at Mama Della’s was outstanding. The wine list is good, with many great options at an affordable price. My husband had a martini which he said was very well mixed. Next up, delicious Rosemary bread with roasted garlic and olive oil dipping sauce and a freshly made tasting Caesar salad. Lastly, I had the fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp. It was perfect. Al dente noodles and the sauce was light creamy and clung to the pasta. My husband had the chicken Parmesan and raved about. The service was attentive without being overbearing. And we loved the homey and intimate ambiance. We will definitely return on our next visit to Orlando.

I was a little unsure of this place to start, but it grew on me as the meal went on.
The food is surprisingly good. The lasagna was huge and a had a nice rich texture to it – full of flavor. The gnocchi too was really big and had big chunks of meat in it as well. No skimping on the portions here.
We also enjoyed the apps of risotto (a really well done risotto full of creamy richness) and calamari (even my son who never had it before, loved it).
The service was a little too quick and brought out our main course before we were done with the appetizer. Hate when that happens. But the rest of service was good and I loved the singers who serenaded our table. Beautiful voices and a very nice touch.
Overall, while staying at this hotel, it was a good choice.

I’m rounding up from a 3.5… :) this place was very quaint… and just like walking into someone’s Italian house. The hostesses, servers and other staff were all very friendly, happy and helpful. It was nice that we were asked twice if we needed to have our parking validated.
An accordion player and singer round the restaurant offering tunes. We declined, but still enjoyed hearing the music at other tables. What really impressed me was that the waiter offered to write down the recipe to make my Campari spritz, since they didn’t have Aperol and he’d never heard of a spritz. I’ve never had a waiter offer to do that… and I really appreciated that.
The garlic bread here is literally that: freshly baked bread, still hot, with roasted garlic cloves baked into it! And in case that wasn’t enough garlic, the olive oil for dipping also had roasted garlic cloves in it. So delicious! (For those of you who don’t know, roasting garlic diffuses it’s flavor so it’s basically edible and less of a power seasoner.
I ordered the spaghetti and my boyfriend had the lasagna. Kinda boring, I know… but sometimes you have to judge a place by how well they do the basics, right? :)
My spaghetti was certainly al dente… and somehow one of my 3 massive meatballs was a different kind of meat. I wasn’t sure if that was on purpose or not… but appreciated it. My boyfriend’s lasagna was REALLY good… and much more flavorful than my dish. His even had Italian sausage it seemed.
For dessert we shared the Dulce di Leche «gelato»…which was nice ice cream. ;) the caramel did give it a nice gooey consistency similar to gelato… but it melted very quickly.
Overall, we had a great experience here… though there isn’t anything to make me want to come back. I would go again if invited to go with friends. Check it out!