Mama Sanninos

Tasty comfort food just like Sunday at Nonna’s. The friendliness of the service is as generous as the portions. Also the pistachio spumoni is a-​ma-​zing!

Thank you Mama Sanninos for making my birthday celebration so nice! Everything was so yummy, a good time was had by all. Fried ravioli, Roma rigatoni, veal, chicken, steak… everything was delicious. The limoncello mascarpone cake was to die for! Glad to be back in Denver and discover this neighborhood gem!

Felt like home. Being from Pittsburgh, PA, home to some amazing Italian Food, we have looked far and wide in the Denver Metro for something that brought that feel to us. We decided to try this place for my Daughters birthday dinner (Italian is in her blood, and her favorite food). I was pleasantly surprised to call on a Friday and be able to get a table reserved for 6 right at 6pm the following day. The lady I spoke with was super friendly and accommodating. That just set the stage for the rest of the experience.
Dinner here very much felt like dinner at your favorite Grandmas house. Comfortable, relaxing, and tasty. We spent over two hours on our meal, and never once felt rushed, or hurried. The service was prompt and good. Clearing plates as needed, refilling water and drinks, but never once did I feel like they were in any kind of hurry, something I see a lot of these days.
While the environment and staff were top notch, the food was what really made it worth the drive. We started with the fried Ravioli and as I took in that first bite I think I might have moaned out loud a little. Rich, flaky and creamy. Done just perfectly. One of the bigger challenges of the night was picking one dish from a menu with so many wonderful options. We had six people and each of us found our dishes to be very good. The tomato cream sauce stood out as a nice break from standard red sauce on a Tortellini dish. I had Veal Parm and was blown away at the side of the cutlet. It was all very good, and we all brought home enough for another meal today. And then the deserts — oh wow — a traditional Italian Desert menu that did not disappoint.
I would highly recommend this place based on the great combination of food, service and relaxing atmosphere. Thank you for making a birthday dinner feel like home.

Very quaint little neighborhood restaurant. The indoor décor and music is warm & inviting. We arrived at around 5:30 pm on a Saturday & were seated immediately. We ordered fried raviolis & garlic bread for an appetizer. It was very light, flaky and flavorful. My chicken marsala had a good flavor but the sauce was just a little soupy. My husband had cheese tortellini with tomato cream sauce-​very delectable. My penne had marinara sauce and let me tell you, they have that recipe perfected. I have not found any other Italian restaurant who does it right! Our dinners were complete with soup for him and salad for me. Cannoli and vanilla bean ice cream topped with chocolate liqueur for dessert. So if you are looking for authentic Italian with good sized portions this is your spot. The atmosphere is pretty casual so don’t bring your date here for a very special occasion if you want to dress up. ;)

Mom and Pop shop with cute cozy environment and delicious food! The service is great. And the food is always consistent. Highly recommend!

I like the fried raviolis the eggplant parm was fare the owner is sweet and its better then any italian around here.

Great little mom & pop shop! I absolutely LOVE Denver and I hopped on Unilocal to find a nice little family owned restaurant. Very kind owners and accommodating. Thanks for a great meal and experience!

I’m not a HUGE fan of Italian food, but my girl was craving it, so we went to Mama Sanninos. It is a cozy place, friendly staff and the food was great! I had the chicken parm, Liz had the spaghetti. I really like their bread, good by itself, even better dipping it in the sauce. We both enjoyed our time and our meal here!

Some of the best Italian food I have had in Denver. Really good and will be back. Loved the salad with a slice of pickled beet and the fried ravioli was tasty.

We try and support our local restaurants and gave this place a third chance but unfortunately we came out with the same feeling as the first and second time. The food is very bland and it seems like every dish has ricotta in it.
The garlic bread was good, but the meatballs and sausage not so much.
Our 6 year old didn’t like the spaghetti because the sauce just didn’t taste right
The location is cute and the wait staff is always friendly.

We ate here the day before Thanksgiving. It was our first visit and enjoyed it very much. Sylvia was our lovely, fun waitress. Spaghetti & meatballs are good, as is cheese tortellini. Casual, relaxed.

here we are again. fried peppers and mushrooms to our taste. best service. we will be back.

Wonderful place to eat. They have terrific food, friendly service & good prices. The staff is wonderful, they listen to you & make you feel welcome. We come by 2 or 3 times per month & the sauce is good, macaroni is not mushy like other places. Meatballs are wonderful as is the Minestrone & Pasta Vazool. Jimmy & Karen have a great thing going here… Keep up the great work.

I don’t know what you people idea of Italian food is and this is supposedly authentic talian restaurant but what we had tasted nothing like the sort. I’m Hispanic and I can make better Italian food and better spaghetti than that, that was pretty pathetic. I can’t speak for the other food but the spaghetti was disgusting.

Took a chance on this place for my wife’s birthday dinner last night. We came down from Wellington to do fun stuff. Although the location is very non descript from the outside, there is a lot of deliciousness packed inside. The wife loved her tortellini and the chicken parm did, in fact, taste so good. Delicious fresh white bread a plenty with REAL butter, and the homemade egg noodles for my side pasta were great. For dessert, we split a slice of Limoncello cake that was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal. Friendly staff and great food, what else could you ask for? We will definitely be returning.

Best italian food period; especially their sauce and specialty soups. Everything is home made. The zucchini special is awesome. Been to a lot of Italian restaurants and nothing compares to this little place.

They were ok. The ambiance was weird. Driving up the building looks bad then the inside is packed with pictures and is just to much. Good was alright. We had chicken Parmesan Alfredo and tortellini. It was all kind of bland and not mind blowing or anything. It wasn’t bad but I have certainly had better. I’d come back if I had to but not if I have a choice.

Home made. Always has been and still is a Denver tredition. It’s has been a while but stopped in to see Jimmy and it was still the best

Locally owned yummy Italian food! Parking available and great service. Also, veggie options

My family has been visiting this place for about five years and we love it. The food is delicious and very affordable. My favorites on the menu are the spaghetti and meatballs and their chicken parm. Absolutely delicious. I actually ended up having my rehearsal dinner here and everything went perfectly. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The only reason that I did not give then five stars is because they unfortunately do not have a gluten free menu yet and no tiramisu which is my absolute favorite desert. :(I highly recommend them to anyone that is craving Italian food and is not wanting to spend an arm and a leg to get it.

UDATE!
After months of take out and dining in, almost weekly, I can say that of all the old classic Italian restaurants in Denver.-and there are some Excellent ones!- that I never tire of this carefully crafted cuisine. Not one bad experience… Always pleasing service… great lunch specials. You won’t regret trying this 38^th Ave. Mom & Pop classic!
One take out and two dine-​in experiences have been consistent… this is some of the best, freshest Italian food you will find in Denver. The sauce is absolutely the smoothest, most deeply flavorful I recall ever eating… and I spent a decade in New Orleans. The meatballs were perfect… no other word for it. Service was excellent and I can see us returning again and again.
I almost didn’t try after reading the review about troubled service the first week but clearly all issues are worked out and no one will disappointed if they try this wonderful family restaurant!

Love this awesome mom and pop restaurant. Service is great. Food is delicious, my personal fav is calli’s torts. The atmosphere is very warm and comfortable. I’d recommend for a night out or a family dinner. Delicious and very satisfactory.

Wow! Very yummy! Huge portions I have enough left over for two more meals. My picky kid even cleaned her plate! The sauce is very good!

In an era of trendy eateries, and we have our share in the Highlands/​Berkeley/​Sunnyside neighborhoods, it’s almost rare to find a really good, traditional-​style southern Italian restaurant. Walking in to Mama Sanninos is a bit like walking in to a time warp but in a good (and updated) way. From the outside, you are likely to drive right by without noticing Mama Sanninos as it is part of a somewhat dreary strip mall on 38^th (in Wheat Ridge). But when you go inside, you see a bright and cheery interior with multi-​color walls and lots of hand painted murals. Made up of a bar in the entry and multiple other dining room areas, this place is probably larger than it looks. We were happy to be seated in the front room next to lots of windows letting in late afternoon sunshine.
The service is speedy — almost too speedy. If I would ding them at all it’s because your food arrives almost too quickly. We’d barely unfolded our napkins before our pre-​made dinner salad arrived. I like to let my pre-​course sit for a minute or two before the main arrives but my pasta came so quickly, the server had not even had time to clear the table first. This resulted in an awkward «clear and place» act which resulted in a bit of confusion. This is just a nit because the server was so friendly and eager to please, that we just didn’t mind. They do however need to better pace the service so that you have longer to enjoy your meal.
The food was exactly what we were expecting — homemade southern Italian with a rich, slightly sweet (but not too sweet) red sauce and killer meatballs. At the suggestion of our server I opted for the homemade pasta and it was very good. If you prefer your pasta on the lighter side, go for one of the other options. The sausage and ravioli was good but not great — next time I’ll stick with only meatballs. My hubby half roasted chicken was cooked perfectly, moist and tender and was served in it own juices. Simple and delicious — and a huge meal for only $ 13.50
Also, the atmosphere at Mama Sanninos, even when it’s crowded, allows you to have a conversation with the people at your table without having to compete with all the background noise associated with other, more trendy restaurants. It was nice to just sit and enjoy a nicely prepared meal in a pleasant, atmosphere. Oh, and listening to Wayne Newton and Dean Martin croon in the background was a definite plus.

Yes, I am a fan.
Don’t let the awful street appearance dissuade you. The interior is warm and comforting.
We had a romantic dinner.
30OCT2015
A wonderful romantic evening. Excellent service. Huge, tasty portions. I loved my Eggplant Parmagiano. The $ 5 garlic bread side was 10 large pieces of bread.
03SEP2014
Pluses
«Bulk Italian» at its finest.
The red sauce is to my taste with lots of sugar and a good vinegar punch.
The ½-​chicken is an excellent deal and delicious. Yes, it comes with a side of pasta and the red sauce.
Service was prompt, attentive and friendly.
Homemade pasta was perfect.
Tablecloths.
Cloth napkins.
The wine prices are very reasonable. $ 20-​$ 25
While the salads are clearly pre-​made, they were OK and I ordered mine with oil and vinegar and I got a dispenser for both so I could construct a dressing to my taste. Excellent idea.
Minuses
No Wi-​Fi.
Really cheap flatware.
The «sangria» is somewhat tasteless.
They have tendency to rush you through the service. Just say no.

This is a place where, depending on how you like your sauce, you’ll either love or be disappointed. I was in the disappointment group even though I had such high hopes. The sauce is really acidic and sweet which reminds me of the canned sauce they served in the Navy. If you don’t like the sweeter acidic tomato sauces then you probably should look elsewhere. Also, the pasta isn’t made in house (with one exception). With the prices being what they are you’d expect house made pasta.
I can say the the service and atmosphere are excellent and the restaurant has a very welcoming and homey feel.

The hubs has a co worker who raved about this place so we found ourselves here on a Friday night. Hands down some of the friendliest service we’ve had in a while. Our server was really friendly and attentive without being too much. He was the best part of the meal.
I ordered the gnocchi and started with the Italian wedding soup. The soup was good but rather salty. My gnocchi was denser than I prefer and the tomato sauce? It was really heavy and I hate to say this but it tasted like it came from a jar.
The hubs ordered the stuffed shells with meatballs. The meatballs (he got mine too) were quite good. He got the same tomato sauce that I did. We both ordered wine and I took a trip down memory lane with Lambrusco. I loved that they had it on the menu as it’s a pretty low quality wine. But tasty with fond memories.
The meal came in at about $ 40 which we thought was pricey for what we were served.

As usual, another fantastic dinner at Jimmy’s!!! Can’t beat the baked rigatoni and meatballs… Amazing!!! Also love the new place, murals, staff, etc… atmosphere is great.

It started off a little rough. We were trying to order take-​out, but apparently their online menu doesn’t quite jibe with the actual menu, so, we had a few questions. The person on the phone was pretty brusque and and at one point just handed us off to someone else with a «I can’t deal with you right now”-esqe huff. Not a huge deal, but a little off-​putting.
The real issue came when my husband went to pick up the food. The hostess told him to go wait at the bar, where he was flat-​out ignored with by the bartender for 15 solid minutes. That’s right– ignored. Two small kids in tow, obviously not just standing there for his health, and he didn’t get so much as a «be with you in a minute,» or a «can I get you anything while you wait?» or a «your order will be right up,» or even so much as a simple hello! Nothing. Nada. Zip. Even if you’re busy (the place was hopping, but not packed or anything), it’s common courtesy to acknowledge the people at your bar. To put it mildly, he was pissed (and he’s a pretty mellow guy). So, yeah, our experience with Mama Sanninos started off quite rough indeed.
Lucky for them, their food saved them a horrible review.
Yes, it’s THAT good.
I had the Spaghetti Aglio E Olio– order it with the homemade noodles and you will not be disappointed. The difference between fresh, housemade pasta and the boxed stuff is like night and day. Their housemade noodles are every bit as good as Patsy’s Inn’s. Seriously, get them. Get them now.
Their meatballs are also fantastic. My picky six-​year-​old couldn’t stop raving about them, which sucks for me because MY homemade ones are nowhere near that delicious. Then again, I’m nowhere near Italian. I’ll keep trying, though.
I got the Soup of the Day as well, which was Potato Spinach. Fresh, homemade, and delicious. Very peppery. I love a good hit of pepper in my soups.
We all shared the crispy ravioli appetizer, which was tasty but is probably better eaten at the restaurant than as a to-​go order. The styrofoam kind of steamed them on the short drive home, so they weren’t quite crispy by the time we tore into them. The flavor was good though, and we’ll definitely give them another go.
The prices seem a little high for a basic pasta meal (averaging around $ 12 – 13 for pasta– boxed or homemade– and you’d better go for the homemade, plus red sauce, your choice of meatball or sausage and soup or salad), but you get enough food for at least two or three meals in that. So, it all works out. One sad thing to note: they don’t offer pesto. Please, please offer pesto. Pesto makes the world go ’round.
In short, five stars for the food, two stars for the service. I’ll bump ‘em up to four stars overall if they get Pesto on the menu! They may be working out some quirks with their people, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt as far as service goes, for now. A welcome addition to the 38^th Ave upgrade!

I love carbs — I love them too much!
When you’re in the mood for old school Italian, Mama Sanninos is definitely a spot to consider. They have just moved to a new location which is located in a small strip mall. The interior is broken into small little rooms with mismatched banquet chairs and what I would call cheap Walmart décor. I wasn’t there for the décor but it would certainly entice me to return more often if it was spiffed up a bit.
I went for the carbs, and then for more carbs. An order of home made fried ravioli’s followed by an order of the classic chicken parmesan. The fried ravioli are craveable, crunchy outside with a hot cheesy inside and dipped into a flavorful marinara. The chicken parmesan is exactly what you’d expect, a big pile of pasta topped with a breaded chicken breast. Pasta warms my heart and my body, it’s like a taste of home on a plate and Mama Sanninos offers me that.
It’s a bit of a distance for me to trek for a meal but when I’m in the mood for some good Italian it fits the bill just fine.