4.1
Good
96 Reviews
111 State Street, Portsmouth
Customers’ favorites
- Beef Carpaccio with Truffle
- Bucatini Amatriciana
- Gelato
“We discovered Mamma Luca while walking around Portsmouth and popped in to check out the menu. It smelled amazing! We kept walking, asked a few locals about the restaurant, and heard nothing but good things. That convinced us to check Resy, where we snagged a last-minute 7:45 reservation on a Saturday night. Using my Amex Platinum’s $100 quarterly Resy credit was a nice bonus. We hadn’t planned on dinner out, so we were in athletic wear and hoodies—more casual than our usual Saturday date-night attire! We sat at a table, and our server was a hoot! I wish I remembered his name because he provided excellent service and really made the night memorable. There’s also a bar area that looked like a nice option for another visit. We skipped alcohol this time and had Diet Cokes, which came in small glass bottles—a nice touch. We shared the house salad, which had delicious chunks of Parmesan. I do wish it came with tomatoes, but we really enjoyed it. We asked for straight balsamic vinegar instead of the dressing, and it was thick, rich, and perfect. The complimentary sourdough focaccia with oil was another highlight—we requested balsamic for that too. Yum! For our mains, we ordered the steak frites and chicken Parmesan. Both were delicious. Just a heads-up: the chicken Parmesan does not come with pasta. The sides were a little more complicated than we personally prefer, but overall, it was an excellent dinner. We were too stuffed to order dessert, although the options looked tempting. They offer an optional complimentary little cup of vanilla bean frozen yogurt with a dollop of olive oil after dinner. It was surprisingly refreshing and just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth. We’ll definitely be back to try the homemade pasta and sourdough wheat pizza. The oven is visible from the front and looks great. Such a good spontaneous find!”
Italian · $$$
