Mama Louisa's Italian Restaurant

Great food and service, but it doesn't have much of a romantic ambiance because the lights are too bright.

This was our first time going to Mama Louisa’s. We have been missing out for sure. The food was delicious. We will be going back for sure

Our first time here from out of town. Nice restaurant and the food was excellent. The breadsticks were phenomenal, fresh out of the oven. Not served with marinara but the sauce would have taken away from the breadsticks!! My wife had the lasagna and I the sampler with 3 meat ravioli and pasta with a meatball, also had a side of Italian sausage. All was authentic and delicious.

It was just okay. I had the Joe’s special which was supposed to be their specialty. I should have ordered something else. I might return if I’m in the area.

For being in Tucson Arizona, this Italian restaurant is a little gem in the middle of nowhere. Absolutely had the taste of authentic Italian cuisine. My wife is gluten-free, and she had the bread and the gluten-free pasta and it was the most amazing she has had since she became gluten-free.

Best lasagna I have found in Tucson. Order it joe's way.

Service was fantastic. Portions were big for the salad and pasta.

The food and service was very memorable for my wife’s and my one year. Highly recommend

Our first dinner out in Tucson. Our server was exceptional. The room would be nicer with a refresh, like cover the cement brick walls with wood, etc., which would make the space warmer. Our meal was disappointing. The red sauce and meatballs were amazing. The shrimp scampi suffered from a heavy hand in seasoning. The Caesar salad was just the opposite, not properly seasoned. We really like this type of small independent Italian spot and will definitely give it another try.

Called ahead of scheduled time for OpenTable reservation, and was told they didn't have our reservation listed. Regardless, they had plenty of availability for the Thursday night and were able to accommodate us at our convenience.

Seating was comfortably spaced for COVID regulations - well-enough apart from neighboring tables without feeling like we were on our own island. Only negative was seeing the former bar section stuffed full of the tables/chair they used to have throughout the rest of the restaurant - not the greatest ambiance, but also not their fault. Storing excess materials during COVID is a challenge for all businesses! Staff visibly cleaned tables between seating additional patrons.

Prompt and friendly service - I regrettably forget her name. House chianti a nice choice, complimentary breadsticks fresh but look akin to what you'd expect at Olive Garden, side salad VERY generous portions, pasta and marinara sauce warm and perfect textures. Portions large enough that we both had leftovers to take home.

Staff would sometimes gather at the host stand for side conversation, but nothing distracting or unprofessional. Took in additional patrons even when the restaurant was scheduled to be closing. Again - friendly, kind service.

Fantastic, family-style food!

The meal was excellent, the portion were the right size. We really enjoyed the salad and soaps they were wonderful too. Made our 40th wedding anniversary dinner memorable. We need to come back more often.

We have loved Joe special for over 20 years and it’s still delicious!!! We love that it’s an old family restaurant. The service is always very good and friendly

I do miss the salad bar and thanks to COVID-19 we will probably never see it again. The dinner salad with my meal though was quite large.

Great, always great! We very much enjoy this restaurant and are very happy it is not too far away.

Very tasty. If you have grease/oil stomach issues,...2 day recovery. Still worth it.

This is an excellent alternative to the pricier italian places in town. It’s not too innovative, but it’s good italian. I’d particularly recommend the seafood stew. Fabulous!

Good authentic Italian food, great ambience, excellent service. Always happy to dine here.

Good food, good service and a good value. They were very busy. The chef was serving food and drinks.

Waitress was a little slow, food was great, garlic bread was good the 1st time, fair the second
It was Valentine's day, so very busy & a lot of people

Great food and the service was excellent!!! Head Chef and his staff are very good!!!

Ask for al dente pasta, or it's overcooked. Make sure your doggie box is first fitted with plastic or foil. Ours wasn't and my broth from linguini and clams was soaked into the cardboard. Our server couldn't have been more helpful and we enjoyed our evening.

The pasta was good but the chicken Parmesan was tough

We went at 3:30 PM because we wanted a nice quiet experience. The restaurant wasn't busy and the service was excellent. The food was very tasty and the portions were large. The salad bar was large and the food was fresh.

This is one of our favorite Italian restaurants! The homemade pasta is amazing. The sauces are lovely. The drinks are well-made. The service is quick and friendly. The salad and soup bar is fresh and tasty. The only thing on this trip is that the spumoni wasn't up to par -- it was mostly chocolate and had only one or two rum raising -- hope that is remedied!

We love the joes special. The open table app secured a table for our party. No waiting.

It was my birthday. It is the best Italian food in Tucson. Thanks for the complimentary birthday cheesecake.

I made reservations a week in advance. We arrived exactly on time, but the hostess had trouble finding the reservation. She said, "Let me see if I can find a table in the back". She seated us at a table next to a large group of loud women. Next to them was another long table of mostly women, who were also very loud. We were unable to hear each other speak, although the four of us we were sitting at a small table. My wife's lasagna was seved after our dinners, and burned on the bottom. My wife refuses to ever return, which is unfortunate, since the reason we choose to celabrate her and my daughter's birthday there, was, it was very good, the last time we were there.

The food was to die for, everything we ordered was really tasty!

The waitstaff agreed that the lasagna is terrible. I don’t know why it was ranked 3 in Tucson best. Go somewhere else

The dish I wanted to order was not available but they had not taken it off the menu yet. Waitress did not know that until she tried to put our order in. The dish I did get was ok, pretty much the same as what I could make at home.

The food is excellent. Great taste , real Italian feeling .Many choises on the menu . Very friendly waitress .

We had an enjoyable dining experience at Mama Louisa's over University of A'rizona's Family Weekend. We made a reservation that afternoon and took our daughter and her roommate out to dinner. We were immediately greeted in a friendly manner and shown to our table. The atmosphere was colorful and pleasant. The ambiance is more casual and bright which made us feel relaxed and in the mood for fun. The service was prompt and accommodating. All our questions were answered and any adjustments to our food were readily welcomed and accommodated. The service made the night the success it was! The appetizers (Salads and Bread, including the one we ordered that was a loaf with olive oil for dipping) were all delicious, but us left us little room for the generous main course portions. The pasta dishes are on the heavier side, but yummy, so we got boxes to bring the rest home. That made out college students very happy!!! We will definitely be returning. I recommend this place for more of a family or large group outing than for a romantic night out.

Good food. Restaurant smelled old and musty upon entering.

Mama Louisa's is a quality locally owned restaurant that makes you feel like family and serves very good food and has decent prices and specials.

Husband birthday

We love this place! Great food, great service!! We do birthday's and other celebrations here. We are never disappointed!

As always the food and service was great. They serve Flying Leap wine a local winery

Someone recommended this restaurant to me. I'm not sure why except he said it was a mom and pops. My initial impression was this restaurant was a dive. It turned out I was right. It was cave like and questionably clean. The flatware was dirty. The pasta sauce was tasty but the pasta was overly cooked. Any good Italian would know that pasta should be el dente not mushy. Overall this visit was a disappointment.

Salad bar greens were very fresh, and additions to the greens included many choices. Would like the salad dressings to be labeled.

I love Joe's Special accompanied by the 2-meatball side. So that's what I ordered. The helpings are very large. There was enough for me to have the leftovers at home the following evening. My dining partners seemed to equally like their dinners.

Server was superb!