Ciao Mambo

This place is amazing! I am Italian, my Grandma was 4’10″ and always in the kitchen whipping up her «gravies» and fish dinners, trading out lawn mowing service for her meatballs around the neighborhood! This is some of the best Italian food that I have ever eaten. The garlic is in every bite, packed with flavor and fresh ingredients. I am a vegetarian and so are my two children (sorry, Grandma!) and there are so many choices for any age group, from 2 to Grandpa! Thanks, Ciao Mambo! Any chance we get, we are there and savoring every bite!

I had dinner here recently with my son. We arrived a little past 5 on a Saturday night. We were promptly seated and our waitress was very friendly and frequently checked on us throughout the meal. I ordered Linguini Alle Vongole in red sauce what was chock full of clams and was absolutely delicious. My son ordered pasta in vodka sauce with sausage and he equally enjoyed his meal. Our dishes came out promptly and were served piping hot. I have nothing negative to say! Everything about our experience here was perfect!

I really, really wanted to like this restaurant. I chose it specifically for my birthday dinner.
First, the good: the décor is pleasant. Unfortunately, it went south quickly from there. We arrived around 6:00 on a Saturday night. The greeter seemed put out when we preferred to sit at a table in the dining room rather than at the pizza bar. After a ten minute wait, we were led to a tiny two-​top in literally the farthest, darkest corner of the restaurant, even though there were at least three larger tables empty in the room — one of which never had anyone at it during our entire meal. The waitress quickly lost interest in us when we did not order drinks or appetizers, choosing instead to fawn over the next table. I ordered the Pasta Bolognese — which is billed as «baked in our pizza oven». What arrived in a regular bowl was a soggy mess of pasta sitting in about a quarter inch of water covered with a bland sauce with cheese melted on top. My dinner mate ordered the Carbonara, which, while flavorful, arrived at the table luke warm at best. Twice, our waitress asked how the meal was. Each time, we responded with «it’s OK» — to which she twice made no further comment, just turned around and walked away. If I wanted mediocre food and inattentive service, I would have just gone to Olive Garden and paid half the price.
I’m hoping that, based on most of the other reviews on Unilocal,that we just had a bad day. However, I do know that I would not return to this restaurant again.

Stopped over in Billings on cross country trip. It was the wife’s birthday and she was looking for nice Italian dinner. Looking at reviews it appeared that food got high ratings but a few people were upset with noise and service. All I can say is food was fantastic and staff was excellent. I think some people should stay home and live there negative lives. From now on we will focus on positive reviews and ignore the negative people comments in Unilocal

Amazaballs! Some of the best Italian I’ve ever had! Had the manicotti and it was awesome! They also customized a special dish for a person at my table! Something that isn’t seen at most restaurants! Best service we’ve had in billings

I have been here several times now and have never received good service, the wait staff is always snobby. Our food was cold and the hospitality poor. I will not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

I was planning a date and wanted to try something new in Billings. Italian is always great so that narrowed the options. I read mixed reviews and decided I’d plunge in. I was not disappointed! The waitress was very friendly, the kitchen is next to a bar so you can see cleanliness and the process of your order, I thoroughly enjoyed Sinatra playing as well as a mix of other music, plus the price was reasonable. I ordered the manicotti and my boyfriend ordered the spaghetti. I expected a longer wait based on reviews but was impressed to have my meal within 20 minutes. The marinara was unbelievable! Neither of us could finish our plates especially with the fresh bread. I definitely will return, this time I must try dessert.

Having recently moved here from Phoenix I’ve been trying to replicate the food I left behind. After weeks of trying with limited success I happened upon Ciao Mambo. I was so surprised to find this adorable gem! Good wine list, fresh ingredients and great sauce. I had penne ala vodka YUM! I was stuffed to the gills and will definitely be back!

I have been here several times. This place serves my favorite dish Pasta Revenna. Love it so much. So as for the food, I would give it a 5.
Last night we went for my birthday. We walk in, my husband and I with a sleeping baby in a carseat. The lady says Oh! We will put you in a secluded quiet spot! Then another lady comes up. They are whispering, the other lady sits us. Right smack in the middle of the loudest part of the whole stupid restaurant! I kid you not, I have been in bars and crazy parties quieter than that!!! The table behind us has 6 of the loudest people I have ever heard in my whole life. Now I am not angry with the crazy loud people ALL around us. They were having a good time. But what possessed that server lady to put us there instead of a quiet spot? Well probably my SLEEPING baby! This just makes me angry. He miraculously slept the whole time. But so much for a romantic birthday dinner with my husband. We couldn’t even talk we had to yell to hear each other. I am so mad that I am not sure I will go back…

Best Italian restaurant the food melts in your mouth. The service is excellent and the setting is romantic. They have the best raspberry cheese cake. Me and my husband have been here twice one of my favorite spots.

Great food. Very noisy, if I eat here again I would ask to sit in the back of the restaurant. I felt like I was yelling when having a conversation with other members of our party. Service could have been better. We had to keep flagging the waitress down for drink refills and she failed to check on us.

I Gave it a shot. Still hungover from a culinary your of #Sicily, I was desperate to find a comparable #Sicilian meal in the #USA. I was promptly seated on a 1 topper next to the greeter’s station one Sat nite in #Billings #MT. The staff was friendly, even Amanda. The table wobbled but after
2 glasses of white (IT/​Tuscan), it didn’t matter. The 2^nd glass was nicer & chilled — no idea why. I ordered the calamari — it was over breaded & soaked in grease. I had to ask for lemon which came quick. The marinara sauce was weak; it was heavy in tomato sauce but weak in paste to hold it together. Flavorless. I ordered the Gambieri fra diavola over linguini for the main course. It was nicely spicy w 6 frozen shrimp. Once again, weak watery marinara. The place was extremely NOISY!!! As in #ChuckeeCheeseNoisy. In the end, I spotted #cannoli on the dessert menu & I went for it. What? No coffee? Only served drip coffee. Weak! But what kinda #Italian ristorante doesn’t have Cappuccino or espresso? Overall, the menu was respectable. Good selection of IT/​US wines — none from Sicily though; a lot came from Tuscany. About the
2 cannolis: they were presented nicely. The shells were rather thick and ricotta only at the ends. Overall, Ciao Mambo gets a pass. See for yourself.
#TTOT #TTOR #Foodie #FoodNation #FineWines

I absolutely love this place! Our server was amazing. I had my bridal dinner here and it was the best time! Great food and good prices for the amount you get :)

The food isn’t bad here but the place is always excessively noisy even when there aren’t that many people there. Make a reservation for a large group and you’ll find that they don’t have a room for you … you’ll be out there with the mob and the noise will REALLY be bad.

The service was sorely lacking & we were seated next to the wait station, forcing us to endure the entire wait staff talking about their tables, other servers, etc. The music was so loud everyone in the restaurant had to practically shout to be heard.
For starters, we ordered the calamari as an appetizer, disgusting. It was tough, rubbery, and lacking in flavor. When our entrees finally arrived, they too were less than palatable. The lasagna was burned and the pesto was almost as flavorless as the calamari.
We were very disappointed. If you like bland, over-​Americanized, «Italian» food, then you might enjoy this place. Otherwise, avoid it.

Charming yet upscale, Ciao Bella, gave us fabulous service and tasty food. Crusty bread was great accompaniment to our pasta choices. The menu is a la carte. The pasta Lubella had a rich cream sauce that was not as bland as other eateries so I was pleased. Prosciutto and vegetables were tiny, but flavorful. Our waitress was helpful and playful without being intrusive. Nice variety of wines plus a variety of local beers. Next time I will try the dessert I saw others order-​some type of sweet bread pieces served in a cone with skewers and chocolate dipping sauces.

I was in last night with my family to enjoy a night out and we had a good time. We come in every so often and I always enjoy the atmosphere and the food is always good but that is not why I am giving you 5 stars.
Every time I am in there, you have an employee who clearly loves her job, she is always smiling and engaging in conversation with your guests and makes sure they are well taken care of. I pay a lot of attention to restaurants and their staff and this employee, Brianna, always is working hard, harder than most I’ve seen in any restaurant I’ve been to or worked in. If she is not a manager I do think y’all should look into making her one! She appears to have the drive to be one and any business would be lucky to have an employee like her.
Her spirit and love for her job and making sure everybody is having a good time every time I am in there is the reason I am giving you a 5 star rating. I hope you share this with her and recognize the great employee you have!

This place is ridiculous. How do you offer a gift certificate through
and not honor it because you didn’t provide a printed version. Nowhere in the terms and conditions does it say you need a printed version, the mobile version should be just fine! I went there only because I had this certificate and they couldn’t help us and TURNED US AWAY! I called
because that’s ridiculous and they agreed that restaurants are not allowed to turn customers away for having the online certificate. Complete waste of my time!

Pretty great Italian food. The bread is amazing, some of the best I’ve had. Crunchy crust with big chunks of garlic on top, along with Parmesan cheese.
I tried the Tootsie Roll appetizer. I was eating alone, and they very kindly add me a half portion. It was pretty good, though I was expecting more pesto. Also I’d recommend getting the marinara on the side because they set it on top and it gets a bit soggy.
House salad was decent, spring mix lettuce. Had huge mushrooms, olives, and cucumbers in it, but they were also all large enough to pick out of you didn’t like any of them.
I also had the pasta Ravenna (bow tie pasta with chicken, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes). The sauce was «garlic cream sauce», but it was part cream sauce and part red sauce, which I wouldn’t have gotten from the description. It was delicious. Also a large portion, I couldn’t finish it all.
Wine list was fairly extensive, with several items by the glass.
Too full to try dessert.
I’d definitely eat here again and recommend to a friend.

So, this place is fairly good. I think I’d like it better had I ordered something different. A bonus? They give you crayons to draw on the table covers. LOL. Don’t let that fool you though — the inside is very upscale and has a lot of ambiance. It is NOT a kid friendly establishment, meaning its not a cafeteria type place — despite the paper table covers and crayons (which was quite fun, btw).
My date ordered lasagna, which is made to order. The waitress warned us that it would take longer for this reason. I don’t think it took too long, and it was delicious when he got it, I ordered ravioli, which I believe were NOT homemade and lacked a lot of flavor. The sauce was pretty good. I probably wouldn’t get the ravioli again, but we will definitely visit here again.