By Warner Cabaniss

If someone were to tell me that a dimly lit Italian restaurant on the corner of South Pine and Spring Street in Oregon Hill served some of the best food in Richmond, I would have trouble believing them, but that is undoubtedly true. 

Mamma Zu, which opened in 1994, has been the go-to restaurant for my family any time we’re in need of a great meal, with laughs and fond memories accompanying that. Any family or friends that have come from out of town know that Mamma Zu is always the first dinner; it’s somewhat of a tradition. Their family-style service, where the table shares and passes dishes, makes it very convenient for larger parties, as almost everyone leaves full, and no food is left uneaten. 

Street view of Mamma Zu. Photo credit: Rob Cabaniss

Mamma Zu does not only host great food, but it has also created fond and lasting memories for me and my family. Owner Ed Vasaio has allowed families like mine to have a legendary local restaurant in our own backyard. My mom Katherine Cabaniss, who lived in New York City before moving to Richmond, came here for the first time since her childhood while she and my father Rob were dating, and Mamma Zu was their first date together.

My mom can recall,“I first noticed the unorthodox location of it, but Rob assured me that this could be one of the best meals I’ve ever had, and remember, I had been living in New York up until I married your father. So we got in there and got a table, but even in my late twenties I could hardly see the menu because of the lighting. And here’s the funny thing; the chalkboard menu that they have up today was the same as it was the first time we went there.”

My father remembers going there with his friends after they returned to Richmond after college. He said, “It was about getting that reservation, and we ate everything put on the table. We always had a great time.” When asked what she got their first time there, my mom remembered, “having the orecchiette for the first time, the same dish I still get today.”

Mamma Zu’s signature eight-foot chalkboard menu, found overseeing the bar, offers an array of options for dinner, usually including many northern Italian cuisine staples. Some of the most popular pasta dishes include orecchiette, meat lasagna, penne gorgonzola, and strozzapreti with lamb meatballs. Mamma Zu has earned its esteemed reputation with its specialty dishes. Many of the specialty dishes change as the seasons change, but their rockfish, osso buco, branzino, shad roe, and soft shell crabs are premiere amongst the rest of Richmond’s seafood offerings. My personal favorite is the rockfish and pasta dish. Freshly caught rockfish from the Chesapeake Bay, served with long pasta noodles covered in garlic, oil, and vinegar, has been a staple meal for me, often as a celebratory dinner or the night before an important game.

Chalkboard menu above the bar. Photo credit: Yelp user Sara M.

Joe, a Cabaniss family friend and fellow Mamma Zu enthusiast who is also a friend of Vasaio’s, says he has been going to Mamma Zu nearly as long as it has been open, 26 years. When asked what Mamma Zu has meant to him and what memories he’s experienced there, he replied, “There were a lot of memories there that people will never have in any other restaurant in Richmond. We’ve celebrated birthdays, engagement parties, baby showers. If something meant a lot to someone, we celebrated it there.”

Like many other people, Joe’s favorite dishes are seasonal. “I would say my favorite seasonal dish is the lamb shank… But the tuna steaks and white pizzas are really good too, but I’m not sure which one of those is seasonal, or if it’s there all year around. But the lamb shank can’t be topped, in my opinion.”

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, Mamma Zu has been closed for the past few months, and likely will not open back up until late May, or possibly into late July. When that day does come around, I know that I and many others will be relieved more than anything to be able to enjoy our favorite restaurant.