Mama Tanino's

Darlene Rhodes

Probably the best restaurant in the area - we love Mamma T’s for many reasons - the owners, the coziness, the owners (lol), the convenience, the consistency - but mostly because the food is so darn good that I am regularly dreaming about it. Specifically, the eggplant Parmesan ... and the pan-fried mozzarella ... and the burrata... omg and the cannoli is to die for. The Italian montepulciano is delicious and the coffee is even great. If I could eat here three times a week and not gain weight, I would do it in a heartbeat. Yum. Divine. Gaetano you are a master Italian chef! You and Kim make us smile for days every time we come in.

summer bernard

This restaurant was a recommendation from a local that worked at a winery we went to. If you are in Sonoma do yourself a favor and check this place out. Hands down the best authentic Italian food we have had. Everything was fresh and homemade. The owner is also the chef. The menu is small but everything we had was superb. It was like we were sitting in a little restaurant in Italy.

B-A-R NONE

Excellent food, excellent people. Best pork chop I have ever had

This was the first time I had eaten at mamma taninos. We arrived there on Sunday night at about 7 p.m. Upon entering we were greeted with hospitality. We were happy that we were able to dine there without a reservation. There was only two of us, I would suggest to get reservations. A place was full of happy people talking and eating. The servings are very generous and the prices are reasonable. My companion got a pasta with shrimp which was fantastic. I ordered the veal in a mushroom cream sauce with fresh steamed vegetables on the side.. We were given our drinks and a small loaf of bread with some garlic olive oil. When our food arrived we were awe-stricken at the large servings and the fresh smell of pasta! The food was fantastic. I will be sharing with my friends about this fantastic find. I will be going back for dinner this week.

Wonderful restaurant. Great atmosphere with incredible tasting fresh food that makes you feel like your dining in Italy. The staff makes you feel warm and welcome. Could not recommend it enough and I will be back there soon and often.

Mamma Tanino's was an absolute delight. Kim and Gaetano treated us so well. The food was spectacular, but the customer service was better than great. Kim was a gem, welcoming us and treating us like family. Gaetano (her hubband, owner and chef also came by to greet us and tell us about his family and background). All in all look forward to visiting them every time we're in Sonoma.

The best place ever!! Cook to order and it's just like you're walking into your Italian mum's place. Kimmy and her husband and staff make you feel at home. Food is amazing it's worth it. My boss Sandra Leland 89 years old has been coming here since this place has been opened so it says alot. And I've experienced it and it's pretty amazing basically extraordinary food and just wonderful people.

This is a homey, cozy, simple place for a casual dining. There were three of us and we one of our choices was awesome- the meat was so soft and tender that it was just melting in the mouth. Clam linguine and bolognese pastas were pretty good as well. The restaurant is very popular among locals and certainly worth checking it out.

This restaurant is our second home. The ambiance is pure Italian delight. The food is OUTSTANDING! The brilliant chef prepares each meal with so much care and love! The best Italian food outside of Italy! (Maybe within the country also!)

This is a tiny restaurant hidden in the corner of a stripmall. But, it will transport you to Europe with the fantastic, fresh food and family style hospitality. Loe, love, love. I can't wait to go back! I can't seem to get the photos of the amazing food attached... keep getting an error msg

Why haven't I eaten here sooner? The location may be a little deceiving, located in a corner of the shopping strip, but once you get inside, you will feel warm and cozy. The owners are incredibly welcoming, treating you like family and the food is wonderful. Some of the best we tasted in Sonoma, by far!

Julie Cavallero

Why haven't I eaten here sooner? The location may be a little deceiving, located in a corner of the shopping strip, but once you get inside, you will feel warm and cozy. The owners are incredibly welcoming, treating you like family and the food is wonderful. Some of the best we tasted in Sonoma, by far!

Marcos Pérez-Ogilvie

Mamma Tanino's was an absolute delight. Kim and Gaetano treated us so well. The food was spectacular, but the customer service was better than great. Kim was a gem, welcoming us and treating us like family. Gaetano (her hubband, owner and chef also came by to greet us and tell us about his family and background). All in all look forward to visiting them every time we're in Sonoma.

Jeremiah Bornstein

Wonderful restaurant. Great atmosphere with incredible tasting fresh food that makes you feel like your dining in Italy. The staff makes you feel warm and welcome. Could not recommend it enough and I will be back there soon and often.

stephanie trotter zacharia

This is a tiny restaurant hidden in the corner of a stripmall. But, it will transport you to Europe with the fantastic, fresh food and family style hospitality. Loe, love, love. I can't wait to go back! I can't seem to get the photos of the amazing food attached... keep getting an error msg

Anna Pickering

The best place ever!! Cook to order and it's just like you're walking into your Italian mum's place. Kimmy and her husband and staff make you feel at home. Food is amazing it's worth it. My boss Sandra Leland 89 years old has been coming here since this place has been opened so it says alot. And I've experienced it and it's pretty amazing basically extraordinary food and just wonderful people.

vikka maax

This is a homey, cozy, simple place for a casual dining. There were three of us and we one of our choices was awesome- the meat was so soft and tender that it was just melting in the mouth. Clam linguine and bolognese pastas were pretty good as well. The restaurant is very popular among locals and certainly worth checking it out.

Dani Morrill

This restaurant is our second home. The ambiance is pure Italian delight. The food is OUTSTANDING! The brilliant chef prepares each meal with so much care and love! The best Italian food outside of Italy! (Maybe within the country also!)

Gisele Aguirre

This was the first time I had eaten at mamma taninos. We arrived there on Sunday night at about 7 p.m. Upon entering we were greeted with hospitality. We were happy that we were able to dine there without a reservation. There was only two of us, I would suggest to get reservations. A place was full of happy people talking and eating. The servings are very generous and the prices are reasonable. My companion got a pasta with shrimp which was fantastic. I ordered the veal in a mushroom cream sauce with fresh steamed vegetables on the side.. We were given our drinks and a small loaf of bread with some garlic olive oil. When our food arrived we were awe-stricken at the large servings and the fresh smell of pasta! The food was fantastic. I will be sharing with my friends about this fantastic find. I will be going back for dinner this week.

Have been to Mama's a few times and in the past the service was a bit slow. This most recent visit - our server was attentive and bustling. Myself and my dinning companion ordered the VERY well dressed Pear Salad and shared it. She dined on the Pappardelle Bolongnese Ragu which had a nice bit is sweetness to the meat sauce. We also shared the Pasta Carbonara - yes simply prepared (pancetta, garlic, eggs, salt, pepper, and some parsley) and it was lovely and perfectdly cooked al dente. I enjoyed one of their specialities; their Veal Scallopini in a creamed mushroom sauce. Super Tasty and the potatoes and vegetables which accmpanied it were steamed wonderfully. Decor is simple but accomodating. In the spring summer months there have outside dinning as well. The experienced Chef has cooking chops and it shows in their food, its flavor profiles and taste. Nice quaint place OFF the Sonoma Plaza (which is more $$ and touristry) Mangia con Gusto! (eat up and enjoy)

Mamma makes pasta with love. Came in for some pasta carb loading before the big race. Also enjoyed a little personal celebration. Had the Pappardelle Bolognese which is my standby for carbing. It was not bad. Sauce a bit meh but it did the trick. We also got a special of the day - a mushroom pasta which we thought was vegetarian but just a bit of miscommunication. No big deal it was quite good. We got a chocolate soufflé for desert which was their treat. A little something for our celebration. Much appreciated and a nice combo with vanilla ice cream. Super friendly folks here and gracious hosts. The food did the trick - filled our bellies and had a great time.

Michael Morrongiello

Have been to Mama's a few times and in the past the service was a bit slow. This most recent visit - our server was attentive and bustling. Myself and my dinning companion ordered the VERY well dressed Pear Salad and shared it. She dined on the Pappardelle Bolongnese Ragu which had a nice bit is sweetness to the meat sauce. We also shared the Pasta Carbonara - yes simply prepared (pancetta, garlic, eggs, salt, pepper, and some parsley) and it was lovely and perfectdly cooked al dente. I enjoyed one of their specialities; their Veal Scallopini in a creamed mushroom sauce. Super Tasty and the potatoes and vegetables which accmpanied it were steamed wonderfully. Decor is simple but accomodating. In the spring summer months there have outside dinning as well. The experienced Chef has cooking chops and it shows in their food, its flavor profiles and taste. Nice quaint place OFF the Sonoma Plaza (which is more $$ and touristry) Mangia con Gusto! (eat up and enjoy)

Marcus K.

Mamma makes pasta with love. Came in for some pasta carb loading before the big race. Also enjoyed a little personal celebration. Had the Pappardelle Bolognese which is my standby for carbing. It was not bad. Sauce a bit meh but it did the trick. We also got a special of the day - a mushroom pasta which we thought was vegetarian but just a bit of miscommunication. No big deal it was quite good. We got a chocolate soufflé for desert which was their treat. A little something for our celebration. Much appreciated and a nice combo with vanilla ice cream. Super friendly folks here and gracious hosts. The food did the trick - filled our bellies and had a great time.

Pauline

Great food...chairs not comfortable but do offer cushions. Atmosphere cozy. Owners very attentive and pleasant.

tldr; Overall a bit of a bummer. Ask to sit in the back or the kitchen/dishes will invade your dinner. ~$70 per person with modest wine and appetizers. We made reservations in advance, and were sat at the table 2nd closest to the door. This alone was not an issue, however the comings and goings of other patrons were not ideal. I have 2 main things that were irksome, and I would really caution potential diners against. First - I had a *direct* line of sight to the kitchen. Often, this can actually be quite nice, but not this time. I was startled 2-3 times over the course of our dinner by the chef dropping his pans onto the baking sheet that was set on the floor under his workstation. In theory the pans were ready to be washed, so the cleanliness is not my main concern (maybe still not ideal), but the noise was incredibly shocking. Second - about midway through our meal, the dishwashing station was fired up. The only thing separating our table from the dishwasher was ~8ft of distance and a hanging sheet. The noise wasn't ideal, but ultimately excusable (we're in a restaurant after all) but the SMELL was unbelievable. Sulfurous and pervasive, it was enough to put me on the precipice of walking out. Genuinely, it was terrible. Portions were generous, and our waiter was fine, but the atmosphere will likely mean I do not come back. If the owner manages to see this - adding a door (not just a sheet) between the dishwashing station and the dining room, as well as next to the serving station, would do wonders for your environment.

We came in hoping the reviews would hold some truth. Don’t be mislead. The fried mozzarella was amazing. Our main dishes - osobucco & 1 pasta were overly salted , we had 2 other pastas that were plain but at least not too salty to eat. We had to wait 1 hour for these dishes to come out even though there were 3 tables before us who were already seated and eating. 4 other tables came in after us and they were served before we were. They did give us a desert to “make up” for the salt pasta. Overall : Won’t return, not worth it- waited over an hour for our food, overly salty and then hit with a big bill for a horrible experience.

Andy Fuesler

tldr; Overall a bit of a bummer. Ask to sit in the back or the kitchen/dishes will invade your dinner. ~$70 per person with modest wine and appetizers. We made reservations in advance, and were sat at the table 2nd closest to the door. This alone was not an issue, however the comings and goings of other patrons were not ideal. I have 2 main things that were irksome, and I would really caution potential diners against. First - I had a *direct* line of sight to the kitchen. Often, this can actually be quite nice, but not this time. I was startled 2-3 times over the course of our dinner by the chef dropping his pans onto the baking sheet that was set on the floor under his workstation. In theory the pans were ready to be washed, so the cleanliness is not my main concern (maybe still not ideal), but the noise was incredibly shocking. Second - about midway through our meal, the dishwashing station was fired up. The only thing separating our table from the dishwasher was ~8ft of distance and a hanging sheet. The noise wasn't ideal, but ultimately excusable (we're in a restaurant after all) but the SMELL was unbelievable. Sulfurous and pervasive, it was enough to put me on the precipice of walking out. Genuinely, it was terrible. Portions were generous, and our waiter was fine, but the atmosphere will likely mean I do not come back. If the owner manages to see this - adding a door (not just a sheet) between the dishwashing station and the dining room, as well as next to the serving station, would do wonders for your environment.

Angie Vazquez

We came in hoping the reviews would hold some truth. Don’t be mislead. The fried mozzarella was amazing. Our main dishes - osobucco & 1 pasta were overly salted , we had 2 other pastas that were plain but at least not too salty to eat. We had to wait 1 hour for these dishes to come out even though there were 3 tables before us who were already seated and eating. 4 other tables came in after us and they were served before we were. They did give us a desert to “make up” for the salt pasta. Overall : Won’t return, not worth it- waited over an hour for our food, overly salty and then hit with a big bill for a horrible experience.

It's been a while since I've come from a restaurant with such a bad experience I've talked about it for days after. TLDR if you like eating salt with a side of pasta and you like being nickel-and-dimed for everything you may like this place. My wife and I were visiting Sonoma, and we decided to get Mamma's for our Friday night dinner. The restaurant's interior looks like it hasn't been change since the 60s. We were seated with a reservation with only one other party in the restaurant. Our server was pleasant for this kind of restaurant, the reason why the service gets 2 stars. My wife and I both ordered the carbonara. Bread and olive oil was served to us (later found out it was an extra $2 for this), and the bread was alright. It was warm and soft on the inside but too crunchy on the outside, as if it was reheated quickly and was slightly rebaked. The carbonara was served, and we were asked if we wanted pepper. They had a small bowl of pre-grated parmesan style cheese, which I sprinkled on my pasta. The sauce looked thick at first, but ended up being fairly runny. The flavor was that of just eating salt and some very al-dente pasta. There was not much flavor other than that. My wife and I took a few bites but couldn't eat any more. The served came to ask how things were, and both my wife and I said the pasta was far too salty (we rarely send things back at restaurants). The server however just took one of our pastas to be remade. There was some loud complaining in the kitchen by the chef, but 5 minutes later a new carbona came out - to just me. There was a noticeable less amount of the sauce on it, and the server told me not to put cheese or pepper on it until I tried it first (I can only assume to not waste a sprinkling of pepper or cheese). The pasta was still too salty but I chose not to complain, and both my wife and I left hungry. Perhaps it was a bad one-off experience, and I don't typically rate restaurants until I've been there a few times, but we won't be back.

Nolan Blew

It's been a while since I've come from a restaurant with such a bad experience I've talked about it for days after. TLDR if you like eating salt with a side of pasta and you like being nickel-and-dimed for everything you may like this place. My wife and I were visiting Sonoma, and we decided to get Mamma's for our Friday night dinner. The restaurant's interior looks like it hasn't been change since the 60s. We were seated with a reservation with only one other party in the restaurant. Our server was pleasant for this kind of restaurant, the reason why the service gets 2 stars. My wife and I both ordered the carbonara. Bread and olive oil was served to us (later found out it was an extra $2 for this), and the bread was alright. It was warm and soft on the inside but too crunchy on the outside, as if it was reheated quickly and was slightly rebaked. The carbonara was served, and we were asked if we wanted pepper. They had a small bowl of pre-grated parmesan style cheese, which I sprinkled on my pasta. The sauce looked thick at first, but ended up being fairly runny. The flavor was that of just eating salt and some very al-dente pasta. There was not much flavor other than that. My wife and I took a few bites but couldn't eat any more. The served came to ask how things were, and both my wife and I said the pasta was far too salty (we rarely send things back at restaurants). The server however just took one of our pastas to be remade. There was some loud complaining in the kitchen by the chef, but 5 minutes later a new carbona came out - to just me. There was a noticeable less amount of the sauce on it, and the server told me not to put cheese or pepper on it until I tried it first (I can only assume to not waste a sprinkling of pepper or cheese). The pasta was still too salty but I chose not to complain, and both my wife and I left hungry. Perhaps it was a bad one-off experience, and I don't typically rate restaurants until I've been there a few times, but we won't be back.