La Mamma in Christchurch

Not great, especially given the price. The olives from the starter were actually quite nice and the ciabatta bread was okay albeit probably not actually ciabatta For the mains, nothing seemed to be fresh; the carbonara wasn't a carbonara, rather a weird uht cream sauce instead of egg. The parmesan brought to the table wasn't fresh. The pizza dough wasn't terrible but not particularly authentic and the cheese was processed. The desserts were not fresh (store bought?) and were overly sweet (unsurprisingly, my son loved it!). The espresso was okay to be fair. The waitresses did a reasonable job and were pleasant but never asked how our meal was - although perhaps that's intentional. Overall, super disappointed. It did come recommended but I wouldn't return.

Lovely Lunch today and outstanding service. This place is a little gem and home cooked food. 5stars all the way.

Great night had with a large table of adults and children! food was fantastic, service was great! Would highly recommend! and look forward to going back soon.

8 of us went for celebration dinner here but what a disaster. Starters were not as advertised on the menu. We ordered calamari and squid but only got the calamari. Steaks for dinner were a nightmare. All brought out wrong except for one. 3 of us ordered medium to well done but they came out rare. Sent them back and they came back the same. Took 3 attempts to get it right but by then half of us had eaten and the steak was a tough as old boots. Worst Italian food we ever had.

Party of 8 for birthday party main guy that oversees away temporary chef ! steak all blood under cooked service awful sent back came back the same !!given a free beer ended up all eating at different times would only go back for pizza but have put me off !loads of money poor service food awful completely spoiled the occasion xx

An excellent choice for a get together with two friends. Everything was 5 star. We will be going there again........ and again.

Always friendly and the food is lovely. Their Carbonara is one of the best I've tasted

Good food, friendly staff and pleasant atmosphere

Brunch meet up wth friends, staff were great and enthusiastic!! Great selection of food and drinks with discounted dishes for lunch.

A good authentic Italian restaurant.

Always welcoming with lovely staff and great Italian food. Pub

Great Friendly Service. Lovely Food Nice Atmosphere We had a Great Time will Deniftly be back .. Highly Recommended. Also No Service Charge (Tip) added without your Permission .. UPDATE!! 02/02/24 Had a Wonderful Lunch 2day with Great Friendly Customer Service! However They Now add a Service Charge to yr Meal? Which I think is Totally Out of ORDER!! As this is a Tip? & in my Book if I want to give a tip & how much its up to me!! You Can refuse to pay it . But they Rely on you not making a fuss!! So a Star deducted unfortunately!! .

Great food, everything was great.

5th time being at la mama and it’s very consistent. Foods is light but filling. atmosphere very chill and a place you can really bond with people. the person that normally serves us ,her names Jess and I couldn’t be more happy with the service, great recommendation on food to get and she’s really bubbly

Had a great night celebrating my birthday, excellent service by all the staff on duty that night. Great recommendation by Jess the assistant manager for the trifle they were trialling. It was lovely, you definitely need to keep it on the menu, well done Jess👍

Ate here 5 days ago and have visited a few times before. Aperol spritz was refreshing as was hubby’s draft beer….Starters were lovely too but it all went downhill from there. We both ordered the veal and the smell when put in front of us was awful. It was clearly rotten meat so called waitress over and she insisted it was okay to eat….It really wasn’t but from having a lovely greeting on arrival from her to alerting her the the problem she turned rather nasty. No need as we were and are always very polite. We decided to leave and agreed to pay for drinks and starter but no, she wasn’t happy and expected us to pay for rotten food. No offer of a replacement meal in this time but her attitude has made us not wanting to return which is a shame as it’s the only Italian local to us : (

Just been to La Mamma for a meal, haven’t been there for ages , but for personal reasons only, well it never fails , absolutely amazing, Aaron the Manager is amazing, efficient and so friendly, our Pizzas were incredible, and the Zabaglione Dessert is worth a try and worth every penny, such a lovely Ambiance, would definitely recommend to all x

Expected more, pizza below average at best, surely not made fresh, tasted like they buy the bases in, i.e. shop bought. Pasta dish ok. Could have enjoyed better from a supermarket. Service poor, train your staff please, or send them home! Banging bottles and glasses, poor table service! And a wobbly table!

Perfect place for a nice relaxing meal. The staff are all so lovely and helpful no body is stressed and nothing is a problem. Feels like they really know how to treat their staff

AWSOME place Friendly service who will Remember regulars Brilliant food with lots of choice (mostly Italian) Pasta is great Pizza is stringy in a great way And the staff are so friendly it’s AWSOME We booked and got a great table with a fireplace They have chili oil to use And are so great The food is delectable and I LOVED the parfait rolls 5/5 would eat again The best

La Mamma at new year was AMAZING! Really easy to book and a very warm welcome. The decor is cosy and warm, really well thought out areas. Car park super handy. Nice clean loos, fab bar area. Food was absolutely delicious… I had tempura prawns to start, spot on plate size, nice and crispy not greasy. I’m not exaggerating when I say the steak was the best I’ve ever had! Filet Pepe, beautifully med-rare, went for fries and salad. Roulade for dessert - just the right balance of crunch and cream. Huge thumbs up to the food. Great beer & wine choices, Poretti is on draft. Front of house hospitality off the charts. Felt like we were being entertained by a good friend in their home. All staff friendly, helpful and available - all while working at NYE. Loads of thought out into event planning and flow of the evening taking us through to midnight, including quizzes, DJ, confetti cannon, and a glass of fizz. 5* celebration, thank you very much!

I’ve been to La Mama’s many times because it has never disappointed. Their steaks are cooked to perfection, the best around by far. Staff are all friendly and helpful and there is always a good atmosphere. I couldn’t recommend highly enough.

What a lovely Christmas Eve dinner at La Mama in Christchurch. A warm welcome, (as ever!), from Aaron and the excellent team there, totally delicious pastas, fish and pizzas, yummy house wines, buzzy, busy atmosphere, great service throughout, super Christmas decorations, the delightful singer Ann-Marie, and good value too. A faultless dinner and what a perfect start to our Christmas - thanks to you all. Easy, level access, and a tarmac car park, (other parking nearby). It's important to book on potentially busy evenings, as this traditional restaurant is hugely popular with locals.

We had a fabulous family meal for 8 here on Christmas Eve. The atmosphere and food was 10/10. Thank you Aaron and the whole team for making it all so special!

We went as a group of seven, we were welcomed on arrival seated straight away, served drinks promptly, given menus and the specials menu, given time to choose, ordered food which was served quickly all hot and very tasty, as it was lunchtime also gives a special price on the pasta, pizzas and salads.

Amazing food, friendly staff and a lovely atmosphere. Would 100% recommend and will be revisiting very soon!

Amazing service, and great food. Would recommend!

Mediocre . In its previous location was a lovely family restaurant with authentic Italian cuisine. This evening we were served pizzas that were on a par with frozen supermarket ones. The cannelloni was like a reheated pub meal. Gone is the family atmosphere and the good food - we won’t return.

Lovely evening, great atmosphere Very good food. Service was great. Lots of smiles 😃 😊

Went to La Mamma to revisit our past when taking the children there 25 years ago. The new place has kept the spirit of the old one, staff were lovely and the pizza tasted just as good as we remembered! Will try to be back again.

Food is wonderful, large choice, hot, couldn't fault. Service second to none. Toilet facilities 😫😫 were awful.

Went there with my 2 sons.We all thought the food was great along with the service.We were served by Jess who was very friendly and efficient. We would all go back without exception.

Great lunchtime...food and staff. Will definitely return.

We visited this restaurant as a large family group for my Dad’s birthday. Staff are super friendly and efficient. Food was lovely and fresh. A restaurant with a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Definitely worth the visit.

This restaurant is a real find. More than first class service, they provide wonderful food, cooked from scratch in a delightful environment. The menu is very well balanced and the quality of the ingredients extremely good. Wherever this restaurant opened it would be a roaring success. If you are anywhere this area don’t miss a real treat.

It was an absolute pleasure to eat here. The pizzas are really nice and the decor of the place makes it quite a good experience too. The service was great not like most of the places nowadays. Highly recommended!

The atmosphere was absolutely amazing, is was our first time back to La Mamma's in 7 years to celebrate 10 years of marriage, both the wife I enjoyed every mouthful of food from starter to pudding. The Lemon Roulade stole the show and all of this was made a delight by the staff.

best food ever great service love it

Good atmosphere and decor. Traditional pizzas cooked to order. We were a group of 8, all had different meals. All served hot, but not altogether. Some had to wait so not all eating at the same time. Excellent desserts, very well presented and generous and...

I have absolutely no Idea why this place is busy. Some of the worst food we've had in a long time. The pizza was awful. You can buy a better one from Aldi and heat it in the oven. The spaghetti Bolognese was just atrocious. Absolutely no culinary effort made whatsoever. There were about 8 of us and no one dish was worthy of a single star rating. I don't believe the customers here have ever tasted a half decent pizza otherwise why the heck do they bother. Service and atmosphere was ok.

Jess could not have been more helpful, moving us from a small noisy table in the bar area, to a spacious table in the main restaurant. She was attentive and knowledgeable and went out of her way to be helpful. The food was absolutely delicious, and we can't wait to return.

Great food and atmosphere, one less star for service as we were not informed of certain items not available from menu. Also waitress was slightly slow in taking our orders and got some things wrong. Could have just been this particular girl was having a bad evening as she was very apologetic. Definitely worth a visit and we will certainly return.

Booked a table here to celebrate our anniversary. Really enjoyed our visit all the staff were very welcoming & friendly. Good selection on the menu and good value, the food arrived hot and well presented. We were given complimentary limoncello shots. Thank you for making our evening feel special. 🩷💙

Never been before, but wow what an amazing place, service and hospitality out of this world, food just beautiful, tasty and as it should be. I must mention Francesca our waitress, she was just amazing, had humility, laughter and such a brilliant nature, in fact...

Best meal we have had in ages!!! All of us loved our meals. Service was excellent, staff very friendly. Perfect family Italian!!

Went for anniversary meal just the two of us could not fault the welcome. atmosphere and the staff. If we lived nearby would be there every other day. Wonderful place and people.

Lovely experience, staff and food. Fab atmosphere and guy who runs it was lovely!!!

Table booking website absolute rubbish. Tried numerous times to book for tomorrow, Friday 4th Aug. It just kept reporting an error.

We visited on a very busy Saturday evening, and sat a table by the outside seating area which was lovely. Lots of staff, quite a young team but all very helpful and they worked hard. Food was great, soup, king prawns, pizzas, sea bass, apple pie and delicious cheesecake. Very good specials board. Very relaxed and chilled atmosphere, and the happy birthday song makes for a great evening out.

great food. lovely staff and great manager

What a brilliant restaurant. It was absolutely packed out. We counted 5 groups celebrating birthday meals. The staff were exceptionally nice and I don't know how they managed with all the orders and still had time for a sense of humour. The food was everything you would expect from a decent Italian restaurant. So all in all a superb time was had by our table of six. We will definitely return. Well done La Mamma.

Fitted us in last minute. It was a birthday meal for our daughters 35 th birthday enjoyed by everyone and a nice surprise to see they still celebrate people’s birthdays with playing Happy Birthday. Staff service and food great thank you

First time visiting the new La Mamma since the old place closed down. Wow! Loved the decor, ambience, service, and food! Will definitely be re-visiting more! Great job, La Mamma!

We have moved near the area and was hoping La Mamma could be a new watering hole and monthly treat… I took my son to try it out we had two mains 3 drinks and one pudding .. £56! That included a £5 service charge....

Service brilliant staff really lovely attentive. Wine and beer excellent.. but food OK but wasn’t amazing unfortunately, veal was tough and pizza not Italian standard! So won’t go back there again. Personal opinion.

Did not start well as on line booking did not work ! Mad my way to Christchurch and on to the car park, what seemed to have was close and no sign to make up you aware of where the entrance actually is ! Once...

9 ladies that lunch .we all had a lovely lunch .£9:95 lunch time special pizza🍕 or pasta or salad 🥗 .lovely staff very helpful.

What a fantastic evening we had !! Food outstanding, service excellent and atmosphere welcoming.

If you go with the expectation that it will be anything like the old original La Mammas you will be very disappointed! We have been twice now returning hoping that the first time was an off night - no it unfortunately wasn’t! The food is...

Nice pizza took some time to arrive after after ordering but it was worth the wait.

Place was nice and the service was good but the food was pure mediocrity. Prawn and avo cocktail consisted of half a slice of bread 12 prawns and not even half a avo but costs £10. My wife had the soup now we've eaten out alot over the years and this women loves a soup but this is the first time ever it was served with nothing to dip in it no bread. The place was busy and odversly popular so I hope it was a blip and we would like to try again.

Our first visit since the change from the old La Mammas. I was disappointed. I was hopeful it would retain some of the charm of the old restaurant, but alas no such luck. If the management wish to learn more, I'm happy to explain. I...

Very average Italian and expensive for the quality of food served

Everything was perfect the food was great ,great service and the atmosphere was great.But the puddings let the dinner down the ice cream was great but it was the chocolate fudge cake was just a bit bland

Booking was easy, service was efficient, atmosphere pleasant enough. Food average,- better than some, not so good as other Italian eateries in the BCP area. Pasta a little overdone. Carbonara had one searching, almost in vain, for the meat content. Sauce oily rather than creamy. Starters pleasant, not the best in the area but much better than the worst. Beware! They add a Service charge without this being made clear on the bill! Not an acceptable practice!

I just love this place , best pizza 🍕 ever and the best staff , so friendly and helpful. Relaxed atmosphere, always come away feeling happy 😁

We were a little apprehensive approaching our evening out after reading some of the reviews on here. But thankfully I can say we had a lovely evening, service was good and our food and drinks were all served timely and with a smile! The restaurant...

This is an expensive restaurant when compared to similar. The tiramisu, priced at an amazing £8.45, was served in a small trifle dish. My friend said it was the worst they had eaten. Service was nothing to shout about. Two members of our group refused...

This location converted from a Smokehouse/Pub a year or so back. The decor has changed hugely; from a ‘spit and sawdust’ pub into an authentic looking Italian local family run venue. The decor is lovely, I may even excuse the paper table cloths! Service first - top notch. Attentive staff, quick and responsive service and good knowledge of the menu items. Food. We had a party of 4 and it was a mixed response. The food is good quality but very much British Italian, rather than authentic Italian. Fresh pasta is a must in any Italian that isn’t a chain. I personally liked the specials I had and I’m sure they improve. I look forward to returning and seeing how they step-up.

Very expensive meals for small portions. We were surprised that they also added a service charge on top aswell.

Ceseurs salad not good, slices of cardboard they called bacon and a half of a Lettuce, 5 or 6 chunks of chicken, no other salad ingredients, Adele the singer was good but not enough room and we were eating dinner into half of her performance. The staff were working hard and were cheerful but rushed off their feet. I won't be visiting again.

Terrible food, pizzas were not fresh Italian pizzas, but tasted like something you’d heat up from the supermarket. Service was nice but slow - sat for 10mins before anyone came over to order drinks. No kids menu and desserts were extortionate - overall the kids...

The service is the best, and the foods not bad either.

Strange Pizza and quite expensive. Calamar rings were too salted.

Visited Saturday night with friends. Seemed busy but haven’t visited since they moved to what used to be the Starr Inn. Atmosphere seemed nice and there seemed to be a lot of staff. It started off okay but what you notice is that the prices...

Pizzas were very small for a main , more like a kids portion , my penne with salmon & king prawns in a tomato sauce , sparing on the salmon & sauce , Great atmosphere & staff . Very disappointing food wise

Fab attentive service and amazing food, would totally recommend

Amazing food and super friendly service, we loved it

Brilliant staff food and atmosphere

We spent about 30 minutes waiting for drinks annd longer for a jug of water. Food finally arrived, starters were basic, calamari cold and chewy, £10 for 4 prawns with a couple of slices of value sliced bread. Pizzas were child size, extra charges for...

I want to start off by saying that the FOH staff are amazing and were so friendly, helpful and attentive, and there’s a good atmosphere in there! That being said, I felt like the food was very overpriced for what it was-maybe we picked the wrong dishes but they were just pretty standard and the pizza was especially disappointing. Nothing like the kind of authentic Italian pizza you’d expect for the price, and to be honest just looked like a frozen supermarket one. The pasta was nice enough but again, very expensive for quite a basic dish which didn’t necessarily have any kind of special kick or rich flavour to it. It is perhaps just that the restaurant is more catered to meat and seafood dishes as they did look more impressive but for a pizza/pasta place I hate to say it but I was underwhelmed. Again, want to reiterate that you’d probably have a great family meal here. In terms of food, however, though it’s nice enough it could be a lot better. Could do with some vegan options too-literally one pasta with plain tomato sauce and potentially a salad was all that was available.

Lunch with 2 young grandchildren, all made very welcome. Lovely pizza with plenty of topping.

Oh what a superb dinner at the recently-relocated La Mama in Christchurch. We'd booked, (essential), for 18.45, and enjoyed a leisurely, unhurried meal in this delightful "new" restaurant. Service was spot-on for us; a friendly welcome, advice on the menu and specials, efficient with a...

After many years of going to the old la mummas we was very excited and kids free date night we booked a table. The place looks nice and the gentleman at the front desk was awesome. Disappointed I had to ask for our drinks that was sat on the bar when our starters arrived. We had 4 different servers and seems to of lost the personal touch . Prices have gone up and food portions have gone down . The bruschetta was small but very tasty. The pizza was soggy in the middle. And then the bill come and without anyone telling me they added 10% service charge to the bill 🙄 I was going to leave some cash but this put me off . Overall OK but not what it used to be. The toffee and honeycomb cheese cake was amazing that was the best part. 👌

La Mamma it is not...... Beware of the unadvertised 10% service charge! I know prices have gone up and that we had booked for a Saturday night, in particular the Saturday night closest to Valentine's day so some may say I'm being overly critical however this is not the La Mamma's experience we have known from before. Our party of 7 arrived, having booked the table over a month ago, to be shown to a booth table that would normally seat 4 with an extra chair plonk on the end directly in walk way. The other tables identical to this in the same section only had 4 people on each of them. We squeezed in with me taking the spare chair and we just about fit - I'm guessing they had over booked and as we were the last booking of the night, we were just dumped in the corner. We considered talking to the manager but as it was full, there wouldn't be anything to gain so just made the best of the situation - I mean, what else could you do at 2030 on a Saturday night? We ordered and food came fairly quickly despite being busy. Sadly two of the starter had to be returned as they were cold and when we reached the main course, one persons meal was completely missed. When the missing meal arrived, it really wasn't worth the wait as it looked like he had only been given half a butterflied chicken breast. Deserts were ok but there was a distinct lack of honeycomb on/in the honeycomb cheesecake. To be fair to the lady serving us, she could see we weren't impressed and offered us free glasses of wine which a couple of people accepted. The biggest shock was the 10% service charge added to the bill which was not on any signs around the restaurant or on the menu. I don't have an issue with a mandatory charge but you should be told it will be automatically added to your bill at some point before you order. The bill at the end didn't reflect the quality or quantity of the meal we had tonight. All in all, I left unsatisfied and with back ache (I spent the meal bent over to reach the table as the lack of leg room prevented me for pulling myself up to the table). I think it's fair to say noone in our party will be in a rush to go back anytime soon.

Absolutely awful spaghetti inedible replacement meal never arrived would never go back

Absolutely wonderful meal from the cosy setting to the delicious food. The staff were polite, helpful and friendly. The best meal out we've had in a long time. We'll be back really soon!

Amazing service and Excellent food! A slight issue when ordering was swiftly and efficiently solved with very friendly staff who were more then happy to help. Could not recommend more!

All in all a lovely place 😊 Would definitely go back !! Food great , atmosphere very much alive 👌 Well done la mammas

Went for lunch, absolutely lovely food. Staff were friendly and informative. Great experience 👍

Excellent meal very good portions. Made Grandson 14th birthday night special

We went to see what it’s like after reopening a few metres away from where it used to be. My wife had a nice portion of lasagne and I had a very good gluten free pizza. A few decent glasses of Argentinian Malbec. A good...

Smuggler's Run pub. Could get better when the young staff gain more experience. Loud unpleasant music stop this being a cozy pub. I just wanted to leave to get away from the noise. UPDATE. Management obviously decided this pub was a dead duck and it has been converted to La Mamma restaurant with the staff of the much loved, but now defunct, restaurant of the same name in Christchurch. Brilliant move. La Mamma is now a great Italian restaurant which I can wholeheartedly recommend.

We booked for a birthday lunch, great service & lovely food, excellent value at £8.95 for any pizza/pasta main course. Would definitely recommend

Absolutely brilliant night for a surprise 50th birthday! The staff at La mamma's were so lovely and accommodating with such a large group of us. Highly recommended. Thank you for such a great night!

I was sad when OG La Mamma closed down. Now there is this New La Mamma and I got to say the new venue looks fresh. I went with a friend and it was lovely to see that there is a car park too. We was served by Jess. Top professional customer service from her. The food was very good. For starter I had the Calamari, and it was very tasty. I went for a Carbonara as a main and I make a very good Carbonara if I do say so myself, but the one in La Mamma is just on a different class. I didn't have dessert because I was full. Overall, I am very happy that La Mamma has been re-opened. It was a staple in Christchurch and it's community.

If you thought this place was mediocre before then you've got to try it again! Mouth watering food, great atmosphere and very polite efficient staff.

A pre Christmas dinner with son, daughter in law and his son, my wife and myself at the new La Mamas now in the old Smugglers run pub in Christchurch. It was excellent! The food was really good, Grandson Harrison and I had really tender fillet steaks. The others had various other well prepared and delicious dishes. The service was very good, quick and attentive. It was a very pleasant evening. We used to go to the old La Mama’s in the house up the road and that was good, I this replacement will live up to expectations.

As a long standing customer of La Mamma, Christchurch, I must say that the new business has unfortunately run the reputable “La Mumma’s” into the ground. The customer service was DIRE. The gentleman at the front of house is wonderful, charming and polite. Unfortunately, the supposed “manager” Bridie has absolutely zero customer service skills. She made an assumption at one of our guests meals and stated she was “trying to save him money”, when in fact, this was not requested by ourselves. Bridie made the assumption that our guest would like ANCHOVIES in his calzone. He was none the wiser when this arrived (due to the nature of a calzone). When he had taken a bite, a strong fish taste overtook his mouth. We immediately called for Bridie, who then told our guest “you didn’t say you didn’t want them [anchovies]”. When ordering, our guest had very clearly stated what he wanted inside his calzone- NOT listing anchovies. Bridie then went on to say “You can just pick them out” and walked away. Again, we stated our guest was not happy, to then be told by the WONDERFUL Bridie that “It’s not the end of the world”. Our guest left over half of the meal, as had tried to pick out the fish, as directed by the so called manager, but couldn’t bear the overpowering taste. We were told there was a long wait if he wanted something else, so he ended up having to share meals with the rest of our party. Absolutely disgusting customer service from Bridie. The others were wonderful and the food, very nice. When the bill arrived, the calzone was still on there, at full price, with the unbelievable addition of almost £20 service charge… This was questioned and Bridie said “I am not taking the meal off”, proceeding to say she was “joking” about picking the anchovies out. I told her that she had been extremely rude and that whilst she wasn’t happy to remove the meal, she was more than happy to add service charge to the bill- which we actually paid! Bridie then begun to make accusations that our party had been swearing- at no point was this raised to myself or my party. If this was the case, and issue, surely this would have been challenged. We left cash on the table, to be told by Bridie to bring the money to her, at the front of the restaurant. She was told that she could retrieve this herself and her own comment of “it’s not the end of the world” was returned to her, which of course, she found very polite! We left at this point, as Bridie’s rudeness continued. To say that our group left disappointed would be an understatement. I can only feel deep sadness for the future of the business, I will not be returning. Although, Bridie has stated our party would not be welcome back. It’s a shame, as we have been La Mamma customers for years. John (previous owner) and family were always delightful and their restaurant a pleasure to visit.

Quite possibly the best steak I have eaten in this country. Amazing food and attentive staff. Nice family atmosphere.