Grand Ave. Thai Cuisine Oakland

This Italian restaurant offers upscale dining at a reasonable price, though the menu options are somewhat limited. The wait staff are outstanding, providing friendly and attentive service. It is a wonderful choice for a date night.

Really great! a wonderful experience and great food without a mind blowing price.

Mama Oakland is a modern, welcoming nook serving seasonally minded, three-course Italian dinners a wide range of thoughtful wines. I would ideally give this restaurant a 4.5 out of 5 because of one thing (read review below), but that's not possible here, so I'm rounding it up to 5.The service at this restaurant was top-notch. You are basically getting a Michelin star restaurant experience for a very reasonable price. From getting seated to taking our order to cleaning our table and replacing the utensils before bringing out the new dish, their service was phenomena from the beginning till the end. Our server was very attentive and polite and friendly. The restaurant has indoor, outdoor, and bar seating areas. We were seated inside. The ambiance is pretty relaxed. Since the indoor space is not that big, the place felt very packed, especially with all the foot traffic.Mama Oakland offers a prix-fixe menu, which includes a starter (soup/salad), an entree, and a dessert. You also have the option for some add ons like bread, shrimp, or steak.Our prix fixe menu was $39/person. My girlfriend and I picked the same items for our appetizer and entree but different items for dessert.Our prix fixe menu includedSTARTER-1. Sweet Corn Soup2. Early Girl Tomato Caesar SaladADD ON ::House-Baked Herbed FocacciaPASTA-1. Parmesan Polenta Mama's Sugo2. Fetuccinie con Crema al PecorinoADD ON ::MAMA's Famous Pan-Fried Beef Pork Meatballs +10Optional Entrée for the Table (serves 2+)1. Roasted Head On Prawns2. Pan Seared New York SteakDESSERT-1. Meyer lemon Sponge Cake2. TiramisuFrom the starter menu, we picked the sweet corn soup. From pasta, we picked the parmesan polenta, and we tried both desserts. The corn soup was very creamy and delicious. There was a small portion of veggies and meat in there, which was a great touch and a good contrast to the smooth texture of the soup. The polenta was really good as well. It had a smooth texture with slight graininess. It was very rich and creamy in flavor. The braised beef was cooked well and was juicy.Desserts is where I have some critique. The tiramisu that we ordered was not a traditional tiramius, and that's okay. It was still delicious as a whole, but the mascarpone cream was very dense and not smooth. Lemon sponge cake was soft, light, and amazing. The cake had just the right balance of sweetness and citrusy taste. The compote, on the other hand, was tart. Those 2 flavors combined were a hit and miss for me.Overall, it's a great restaurant with amazing food, service, and experience. It's definitely worth a visit.

Beautiful interior, friendly staff, and amazing food. MAMA has it all. For such a relatively casual dining experience, MAMA has the feel of a professionally run, fine-dining experience. But you feel like the name says, right at home with your Italian mama who’s making seasonal dishes just for you.

Can't wait to go back. Everything was incredible. I'm 68 and have eaten all over the world and MAMA Oakland is right at the top of my best ever list. Portions are perfect, not too small and very well balanced. Flavors are out of this world. The add ons are a plus and very nice to share.Don't hesitate, make a reservation so you're not disappointed because a table isn't available.Thanks MAMA Oakland!