Cheese rained down as fresh pies were prepped in the newly expanded space at Mama’s Too, located at 2750 Broadway near West 106th Street. ILTUWS met with Frank Tuttolomondo at his original location last week to check out the expansion to the adjacent storefront, talk shop, and sample some of the acclaimed fare now on the menu full-time.
Advertisement
“I invested in 18 bar stools,” said the owner, who has been serving food on the Upper West Side for 21 years, dating back to his time at his parents’ place, Mama’s Pizza—one avenue over, where he still has a stake. Ultimately, Frank felt the stools would “take away from the space and flow” and decided not to use them.
Frank giving us the lay of the land
The room is now lined with counter space along the north wall and near the prep area, allowing customers to eat inside again—a shift from the pandemic-era setup.
During our visit, a woman in a wheelchair approached Frank to thank him for not having sit-down tables (as he previously planned), saying the space felt warm and welcoming to her. Frank glowed as he heard the feedback and mentioned she’s a longtime customer. “Seating would be chaotic. Order, hang back, enjoy the music; we’ve done away with the clutter,” he said.
Advertisement
Congestion was a key factor in Frank’s approach to designing the new Mama’s Too layout. “You can have all the orders in the world, but without space for staff, it’s not worth anything,” he said in all seriousness. The new room has a true position-by-position setup, allowing for smooth operations: a designated area for the cashier, a row for handling orders going into the oven, a reheat section for customers ordering slices, and a separate spot for hanging out and expediting orders at the end.
“When it’s all said and done, Mama’s Upper West Side and Mama’s West Village will be the fastest pizzerias around.” The latter location opened in March 2024, marking its one-year anniversary this month.
More change is coming, too. Frank gestured toward the street, noting a large cutout in the sidewalk. Soon, Con Edison will be coming in to upgrade Mama’s power capabilities as they transition from gas to electric ovens. Once that work is complete, they’ll be adding two more ovens, bringing the total to four.
Frank explained that electric ovens take up less space, and their West Village location opened with electric after a 2024 city restriction on new gas lines if they weren’t already in place. “It made our pizza better,” he said, highlighting the “advection heat” from the electric ovens—a process that transfers heat through the movement of air or water. All these changes will cut down delivery and pickup times by 75%, he noted.
Advertisement
With his towering height and build of a boxer, Frank is a giant in presence, and his persona in developing the Mama’s Too brand has made it an attraction for people near and far. But he’s not afraid to tinker and try new things. When the pandemic hit, Tuttolomondo began creating limited-edition sandwiches, originally a Wednesday-only treat that later expanded to Saturdays. With the new space, sandwiches are now available full time. He expressed repeated gratitude for his staff, some of whom have been with him since the original location opened.
“It engaged our regulars,” said Frank, who added that the pandemic changed the game for clientele as people weren’t traveling like they used to. “It gave people something to look forward to,” he said, noting the anticipation for what the sandwich of the week would be. He made every piece of bread while operating at a loss, but he felt good about the experiment as it was a way to flex Mama’s muscles and show people something new.
I got to try the cheesesteak, and it was better than we could have imagined, especially with experience in the Philly cheesesteak scene. With the steak towering above their homemade semolina bread, the Cooper Sharp cheese holds it together like a champ; it’s not messy—just hearty and delicious. The finger scoops of the few fallen pieces are a welcoming delight. Paired with their imported Mexican Coca-Cola in a glass bottle, this version uses real cane sugar and doesn’t stain the flavor. It’s this small attention to detail that makes Mama’s great.
This journey dates back to Tuttolomondo’s childhood. Growing up in an Italian-American household, his father was from Agrigento, Sicily, and they made regular visits there. Frank told me about the days of his youth when he’d visit the local gelateria. “It’s always been in the back of my mind,” he commented. When he approached his hero from Agrigento to train him in the art of gelato making, he was always declined. “But over the last few years, his son followed me on Instagram.” The son ended up showing his gelato master craftsman father, which Frank said “opened things up and broke the ice.” He went back for a scoop, and the father recognized him. That was the beginning of a labor-intensive tutelage. Now, Tuttolomondo has a deep bench of flavors he plans to work with, including their flagship pistachio and other Italian classics like fragola (strawberry) and limone (lemon). They’ll also feature new varieties that Frank crafted himself, incorporating swirls and textures popular in American ice creams, like his Ferrero Rocher gelato with Nutella-covered Rice Krispies. There’s also a Kinder Bueno swirl and the big man can now make sorbet, which will be available. Tuttolomondo said he noticed nobody has really planted a ‘gelato flag’ anywhere in the culinary landscape in these parts and he sees an opportunity. “It’s a delicate thing.”
Advertisement
Frank also gave a shout-out to the Instagram and social media community, acknowledging how it’s helped spread the word about Mama’s Too. More importantly, he said it allowed people to learn the best times to visit and highlighted new items to try, as they’ve been working on plenty of new offerings. He also thanked Upper West Siders, Columbia students, and younger clientele who have embraced Mama’s as a hangout.
Before leaving, I asked Frank about the names Mama’s Too and Mama’s Pizza—obviously similar but different. Looking for an origin story, Tuttolomondo delivered. “Originally, we wanted to renovate Mama’s Pizza,” he said, but the building manager wouldn’t allow it. So, he decided to open a separate place but still wanted to stay in the neighborhood and maintain some familiarity. In the early days of Mama’s Too, they had a bigger menu. He wanted to offer items similar to his parents’ place, but with a twist. They had chicken parm; he had chicken cacciatore. They had pepperoni; he had the Angry Nonna, which features hot soppressata, aged mozzarella, Calabrian chili oil, and hot honey. Over time, things evolved—Frank no longer offers cheese or pepper shakers, hot honey, or basil-infused garlic oil on the table. It’s clear that he takes pride in making sure the product is perfect, the way they prepare it. He chuckled, saying he thinks that building manager probably regrets not letting them renovate Mama’s Pizza.
“The thing is,” he said, “we opened here in early 2018—7 years ago. So much has changed: our business, how we serve. We’re lucky to see that growth. It’s a testament to our work ethic. Best food, best service, and people who travel and locals who come through regularly. It checks all the boxes.”
Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
Damn, no place to sit down, soo one ets standing up?? Not even stools along the wall? I guess a place not for seniors… or those who have things like spinal stenosis…too bad.
Was thinking the same thing. Apparently one woman in a wheelchair gets to dictate no seating for the rest of us. I wonder if she even said “thank you”.