What They're Saying About Mambo Italiano...

The following are comments by customers or reviewers about Mambo Italiano:

:: This is an excerpt from a News & Observer online article in the September 2nd, 2009 Epicurean by Greg Cox, Correspondent:

"In Apex, Mambo Italiano (770 W. Williams St.; 362-9900) is the latest in a seemingly never-ending stream of transplants from New York opening Italian restaurants in the Triangle. But unlike most of the others, as owner Ron Mancuso is quick to point out, "We're not a pizzeria. We're an Italian restaurant like you'd find in Little Italy."

For the uninitiated, that translates into red-checked tablecloths and food served family-style, in portions big enough for two or more to share. "Some people are shocked at first when they see Rigatoni Bolognese for $17," Mancuso says. But he explains that the price is for a family-style portion and includes salad and house-baked bread. Half portions are also available -- a boon for single diners, as well as for those who'd like to sample a variety of dishes. There's quite a variety to choose from, too, including most of the usual chicken, veal, seafood and pasta suspects. Pizza, too, if you insist.

Mancuso proudly notes that virtually everything is made in-house from recipes handed down through generations of his own family or that of his wife, Bella Carmella. That includes everything from the red sauce to Carmella's tiramisu. "We feed you like family," Mancuso says, and that includes the glasses of slightly sweet "homemade-style" house wine that are charmingly served with a slice of peach in the red, apple in the white. Mambo serves dinner nightly. Hours will soon expand to include lunch service."

Read the whole story here!

:: The following is an excerpt from Cary Magazine November/December 2009 issue by David McCreary:

"At long last an authentic, independently owned, family-style Italian restaurant has arrived in the Western Wake vicinity, and it?s the real deal in every sense. Mambo Italiano has only been open a few short months, but patrons have quickly taken to the Apex establishment that stands behind its "We Feed You Like Family" motto.

"Bella (my wife) and I searched for more than a year for the perfect location to open a restaurant, and we fell in love with the Cary/Apex area," co-proprietor Ron Mancuso said. "Our place is reminiscent of what you would find in Little Italy."

That translates into a warm, inviting dining room with red-checked tablecloths, a mixture of two- and four-top tables along with high-backed booths, rust-colored walls and huge-portioned meals large enough to share with two or more people.

"All the recipes are passed down from my wife?s grandmother," revealed Mancuso, a native of Long Island, N.Y. "There?s just no substitute for made-from-scratch home-style food, and that?s what we provide here."

All entrées are served with house salad and fresh-baked bread, so there?s little chance anyone will leave unsatisfied."

Read the whole review here!

:: This is an excerpt from a News & Observer online article on March 5, 2010 by Greg Cox, Correspondent:

"Ooh, they have baked clams! Let's get those." This from my wife as we were perusing the menu the first time we dined at Mambo Italiano. I had seen the baked clams on the menu, too, but I was hoping she wouldn't notice them. In my experience, baked clams in Italian restaurants are invariably overcooked and overbreaded. I had planned to order the fried calamari, which I find to be a more reliable indicator of a kitchen's capabilities. And because Mambo Italiano specializes in family-size portions intended for two or more (though individual entree portions are also available), I figured we'd share.

But the warm, pillowy triangles of house-baked bread the waiter brought to the table had put me in a good mood, which was further mellowed by a glass of the house red: a sweetish "homemade style" Opici Barberone made in California by friends of the owners, garnished with a slice of peach. Not a wine snob's choice, admittedly, but it struck a rustically charming note that hit the spot. Besides, I thought, my wife is always such a good sport about letting me tell her what to order when I'm reviewing a restaurant. What the heck, let's give the clams a try.

Am I ever glad we did. Fat and succulent under a dusting of bread crumbs and chopped parsley, the baked clams were superb. A spoon, thoughtfully provided for getting every last drop of the garlicky elixir of white wine and clam liquor, was icing on the cake.

Read the whole story here!

Voted Best Italian Food & All-Around Restaurant, Apex Herald 2010