The worst lunch I ever had. First I ordered a vegetarian Panino It was $8.00 for a sandwich only. When it arrived 25 minutes later it was cold in the middle and the cheese wasn't melted. Tasted like soggy vinegar canned vegetables. I returned it and asked for the pepper and egg sandwich (Friday during Lent). Also terrible couldn't finish it, the eggs were overcooked, came right out of a warming bin, they were grainy with no flavor. It's like a really bad school cafeteria lunch only you paid $8.00 and didn't get milk and cookies with it.
Oh yeah the staff, got to mention this. There were about 6 or more people behind the counter. The three girls that work the front wearing sweatpants and Pajama bottoms with dirty UGG boots. This was just gross and unprofessional for a restaurant.
I will tell all my workers in the area and friends never to eat here.
This place is AMAZING. Why amazing you ask? Well I just ordered delivery to cheer me up as I recover from surgery. No big deal right? Right...well unless you live on the 20th floor and you realize your elevators are out when the delivery arrives. ABSOLUTELY crazy. The moment they called to let me know my food was here they told the delivery guy the elevators were out. Once I was done yelling at the people downstairs for not letting me know I was just going to pay them and let them take the food back. I love this place so I felt horrible. All of a sudden the drivers (who I am so sorry I dont remember your name I was so frazzled and mad at my building) wife Andrea comes trekking up 20 flights of stairs to bring me food because I was recovering. Wow this was an amazing experience. The owner who I had called to sort things out said he appreciated my business and they didn't mind. I can't even believe it. I greeted Andrea at the door with some water and a good tip. I honestly didn't know awesome people like this still existed in life. I wish I could do more for her and her husband. They are awesome people and Mangia Fresca is such a caring restaurant. I pick food up here all the time. I will absolutely continue to do so much more frequently! You cannot beat this kind of service and people. I am still stunned this all happened.
Oh and my food is awesome too :) Just like ALWAYS!! You cannot beat the portions, flavors and freshness!! I could eat their breaded steak and caprese salad every day but then I would actually need to start doing the 20 flights of stairs!
Thank you all!!
Mangia has became my new favorite place. I love their food its so fresh, the hamburgers are delicious so juicy, the toasted raviolis are the best I've ever tried and the personal pizzas are not what you would expect, they're so much better. Only down side is parking, its across the street so you have to kind of have to make a mad dash for your life across Archer but it's definitely worth it for the food!!!
Review Source:This is one of my favorite places to eat in Bridgeport... the pick the sauce your the boss is so inexpensive at only $5, and you get a portion big enough for 2-3 people, and theres a great variety of sauces and pasta to pick from.
There is a great selection of soups everyday- I am yet to go there and not have at least 4-5 options presented to me. The breaded steak and breaded chicken sandwiches are the best I have ever had--slightly expensive, Â but well worth it considering the portion you get- and honestly pretty competitive with other spots in the area.
I really enjoy their pizzas too- light and very tasty- you dont feel bloated after eating it because its nice and thin.
Mangia deserves a 6th star because its the best!!!!!!!!
I live in Bridgeport and came here for The Chicken Parmesan and Paninis. The customer representative has the worst attitude (in person and over the phone), her name is HEATHER! It seems that she is not knowledgeable about the items in the menu and answer with an attitude  and becomes upset if you have any questions about the menu. She is even more rude on the phone, if you call at 8:30 (restaurant closes at 9) she will tell you rudely that the restaurant will close soon and if your on your way already. On a different occasion I was there with my boyfriend (called in to pick up order) as we were in line standing in front of the cash register she said the total (incorrect total) then says "not you the person behind you" really! She talking to the customer that was behind us in line. Worst Service! Mangia Fresca is also affiliated with Scoops (ice-cream)
Review Source:Great chicken sammys, good eggplant, good vodka sauce, super yum marinara sauce, really good aruglla salad, OK pizza, but THEeee worst Marsala sauce...super buttery, I think the cooks drink the marsala wine b/c there sure isn't any in my sauce. Â I've ordered it twice too so it wasn't an accident. Â Oh, I forget, very good rice balls and canolli, but please please please either fix the marsala or take it off the menu, it's just not right to keep it on in the state it's in right now.
Review Source:For some reason, I've never tried this place despite living in the neighborhood. Â Perhaps, it just looked too much like a grab-and-go joint, but I'm glad I finally did yesterday! Â I love brick oven fired pizza, but most places are up north. Â I tried Mangia's Scilician version which had delicious sausage, roasted red peppers and mushrooms. Â Good flavor and quality crush, but a little soggy in the mid-section. Â It's about a 10" personal size portion if you're hungry or can be shared between 2 if you're looking for something light to nibble on. Â It was only $10, but for the portion, it's on par with other places so I wouldn't consider it cheap, but definitely affordable. Â Look forward to trying the pasta and sandwiches next.
Review Source:went here with a friend who was born and raised in Bridgeport and is very fussy and selective about where to eat.  Ran into about 5 people he knew--The food here is excellent (the best eggplant parm ever) very clean and well prepared.  The place is  a paper plate joint (which is fine) and the pizza is excellent from a wood fired oven from Italy that is about 1/2 the price of northside pizza parlors.  Great hand cut fries. VERY VERY GOOD
Review Source:This review is only about the food received via delivery.
The food arrived cold; the cheese was rubbery; the sauce was non-existent. Â Though, the crust was of good quality.
The food was inedible.
Maybe this place is better as a sit-down joint because what we received via delivery sucked -- though, let's make this clear, the delivery driver was really nice.
I went here to try their $5 pasta. I got the mostaccioli with marinara sauce. It was good they give you a lot to eat for a good price. Others with me got the angel hair pasta with vodka sauce it was also good added some chicken for an extra price. Another got the baked mostaccioli dinner the cheese was chewy on the top but other than that it was good. Right by the orange line and has a parking lot. Next time im going to try the pizza!
Review Source:Save the 1hr+ delivery time...this spot was a win for delivery on a cold, busy night.
They quoted me 45 minutes, which was cutting it close to get the team fed and on their way to pulling off a fabulous event. Needed about 10 pizzas, some sandwiches, some salads and a turkey burger for good measure. After about an hour, I called...sort of worried. We were going to starve, people would faint. Where is our food!? Assured it was on its way, and it was...arriving 15 minutes later.
So except for that wee misstep, my experience with Mangia Fresca was actually quite fantastic as far as delivery orders go.
1. Call the number, answered by a lovely gal who took my order. No miscommunications, took my credit card over the phone, delivery address, all the particulars. VERY pleasant. Great customer service! Not always the case with delivery.
2. Wait an hour.
3. Food arrives! Rejoice! Delivery guy is also super friendly. I sign the credit receipt, add a tip and we are on our way. Except the party is starting NOW.
4. We all inhale as much of the tasty, hot pizza as we can (ordered many varieties, they come in sort of a personal size, so know that going in...they are each about $6-8). My turkey burger was fantastic, and luckily easily portable so I could finish while doing a few extra things in the back. Pizza is thin/crispy, not overly greasy.
All in all, a great spot for some basic fare. Sandwiches, salads, pizzas (I think their speciality!), pastas, etc. I'm sure they'd do a mean catering job too if you had a larger group over...just give some extra wiggle room in the itinerary.
Mangia!
This place is a life saver!!! Â We have stopped here on many occasions when we were too busy running around with the kids and their activities to make dinner. Â No junk food for us. Â The kids love the pastas with the marinara and vodka sauces and meatballs. Â I always get the caprese panini and salads. Â Very reasonably priced too.
Review Source:So I was in Bridgeport and was dying to try something new. Â I called one of my 11th Ward friends - he suggested the breaded steak....
Well, the breaded steak was delicious. Â Don't bother to order fries because you won't have any room for it. Â
It's right next to the Orange Line on Archer. Â You can park behind the place by 55 too.
NEVER AGAIN!!
i should've known when i google-mapped this place that it was way too close to chinatown to promise good italian food... this place is like the pizza place that got ousted to the outskirts of bridgeport because the italians were ashamed.
after a long winded day at work and receiving great great news, while i was too tired to go out, to dirty from work to be deemed appropriate for even being seen in public, my beau and i decided the best way to celebrate was to order a pizza and watch half a season of "the shield".
we ordered two 10" pizzas: the sicilian (sausage, mushroom, roasted pepper, with red chili pepper), and the chicken (um well chicken, white sauce, roasted pepper and pesto drizzle)... sound delicious right? well spoiler alert: HORRIBLY WRONG.
not only was it cold by the time they got it here.... about a good 45 mins later than the 45 they told us it would take... everything was just so wrong it's not worth wasting the wind about it.... just don't do it..... not only was it HORRIBLE, it was a $30 LOSS....i hate feeling like a loser after i eat....i stared at the leftovers for 3 days wondering if it was really that bad... and after heating one slice up i remembered how bad it was and couldn't finish the remaining slices.... the $5 pizza you can get from little caesars looks like a chicago classic next to this place...
Mangia Fresca is crazy as hell.
Crazy coz if you order a pasta, it comes in a massive pan, could feed about 4 people (or maybe 2 Mid-Westerners) and only costs $5. Â They're also out of their mind because they make a delicious turkey burger for $5 but it comes with no fuckin fries! Are you CRAZY? Will have to order the handcut fries next time.
I live close, have been here a few times. Somehow I always have the same checkout girl and she is very inattentive. The rest of the staff seems to be ok - except when the owner shows up in his giant SUV and parks in the "no parking" lane out front then starts yelling at his employees in front of the patrons. Awk-ward.
The menu board is out of date and has several grammatical mistakes. Or should I say "mistake's". Seems like something that could be easily fixed with a high school diploma and a magic marker. I already fixed the "special's" marker board sign.
I have had the pasta a few times. It was a huge portion - but then again it is not home made and boxed pasta is pretty cheap. The sauces (marinara and pesto are the ones I have tried) are a little bland. Also, any add ons - chicken, meatballs, etc are small portions, especially compared to the almost 1 pound of pasta you get with your dinner. I was not impressed with the garlic bread, it almost seems like an afterthought and has always been served cold and mostly garlic-less.
The sandwiches are pretty decent. Breaded steak was a very solid 4 star, and the prosciutto was a 3.5. But almost $10 for a steak sandwich with no sides or drink? $7 for a wimpy sandwich (which the prosciutto was) with nothing else? Fries for $2.50 and a drink for another $1.50 - go somewhere else.
The blueberry salad is a solid 5 star. It is very very good. Again, not really worth the price. If you want to add a protein, it's an extra $3.50 on top of the $8 salad. The rude counter lady always forgets to ring me up for the extra chicken, so the salad comes out without it. I always go back to say they forgot it, she checks the receipt and sees she forgot it, and then I have to pay the $3.50 plus tax to get it. It's such a hassle and it's happened four times now.
The pizza seems to be the winner in terms of taste/price/freshness. It's always made when you order it, the price point is more reasonable - you can split the pizza - and all the ones we have had are very good tasting.
Bottom line - expensive food of which only about half is any goo, with rude, inattentive employees, dirty bathrooms, super loud TVs (this is not a sports bar and they server no alcohol so I'm not even sure why they have them) and a decent pizza.
We decided to check this place out after seeing it on "Chicago's Best". I also sampled some of their pasta at the "Toast of the South Loop", so figured it was time to pay them a visit.
It looks like a typical fast food establishment, and you order at the counter and food is delivered to your table. BF ordered spaghetti and meat sauce with garlic bread, and I ordered the brick oven pizza with prosciutto and arugula. We split a salad.
The food came out VERY quickly, and BF's pasta serving was HUGE. I was thinking the pasta would probably be mushy since it must've been partially cooked, then heated up to be done so quickly, but it really was perfectly cooked. My pizza was excellent...perfect crust and fresh ingredients. The quality of this pizza rivals any "fancier" pizza joints. The spinach salad was very fresh, and included some very nice roasted red peppers...very good with the balsamic vinaigrette.
The girl who took our order was very nice and helpful. I was looking for pizza on the menu board and she pointed out that there are lots of items listed on the paper menu that are not on the board, including all the pizzas.
Check this place out, it's excellent!
If you are looking for GOOD Italian Fast Food, this is the place to go. Â This is a hidden gem, and I am afraid that very soon, we will not be able to get a table any more. Â With the exception of the personal sized pizza (which is the perfect size for one person), the portions are GINORMOUS and I swear I can eat for 3 days on one of their normal orders of pasta - and have done so (with the exception of maybe the ravioli). Â
Let's be clear - before people show up expecting cloth napkin, with waiters doting on you, etc - this is a walk-up and order type place, you place your order, pay and they bring it to your table - you get your own drinks. Â It is in no way shape or form a gourmet five-star restaurant, but who wants (or frankly can afford) that everyday? Â This place is staffed with some really friendly people who serve up delicious food at reasonable prices. Â This is what I like!
I have tried several types of pasta, garlic bread, pizza, SUPERDELICIOUS french fries, and have yet to be disappointed. Â Every time I go in there I look at other people's plates making notes of what I will be ordering next. Â The menu can be a little overwhelming as they have so many options - especially when it comes to pasta. Â But I hope to conquer that challenge!
They also have breakfast items - which I have yet to try - but hope to very soon!
Best pizza in the southside and especially Bridgeport. After 10 years of searching *** this is how it's done people! Affordable deliciousness.
Once I found these guys, we ordered twice in the same week. Both those deliveries took over an hour and 15 minutes, but after I stuffed a pizza in me I was fine.
Closest you'll get to wood-fired pizza anywhere around here. I would rank this a close third in my all-time favorite pizza in Chicago. For the value, it's #1.
Meh...it was okay. I had the chicken parmesan, and my boyfriend ordered the spinach-filled gnocchi. He got a plate of sauce with about 12 small pieces of gnocchi. It was like $9 for 6 bites of food and a piece of bread. Not worth it. Also...he didn't get spinach in his gnocchi...it was just cheese. Bummer.
My chicken parm was okay. The chicken was so thin that it was mostly just breading, but it came with TONS of mostaccoli that I was able to share with my boyfriend. We both left completely stuffed.
The quality of the food was good, and because of a lack of Italian food in Bridgeport, I'll probably be back since I feel about the same level of "Meh" for the new Calabruzzi's Cafe further south on Halsted. I'm just gonna have to take it up to Little Italy for good Italian.
Ordered the linguine with meat sauce + meatballs as well as the Grilled salmon sandwich.
pasta with meat sauce was good, Â I liked how it had a little spice to it. meatballs were good to although I am a bigger fan of the crumbly meatball that has a little more texture to it. Â this was just processed meat that was compacted and had no texture to it. Â
Grilled salmon sandwich sounds delicious right? well when I had it, it wasn't. Â I was super disappointed when I bit into it and having it tasting like the fish was cooked in the microwave... Â if you want salmon, you are better off buying it yourself and pan-frying it at your house. Â really disappointed at the salmon.
I'd go back and try something else. Couldn't eat the whole menu in just one sitting.
So i live a 5 min drive (10 at most) away from Mangia Fresca. I ask if they deliver because you don't always want to have to leave the house, right?
They tell me, yeah, but it's zone 2. $6 delivery charge.
Um...no thank you, I'll take the bus there and back for cheaper.
So the food. HUGE portions (and I am serious, three people could split that $4.99 pasta). Great Italian sausage...but the pasta? Awful. The marinara sauce tasted like straight-up tomato paste, and the noodles were WAY overcooked. Garlic bread was mediocre at best.
If you are ravenous and wanna eat cheap, check it out. Otherwise, hit up another Italian place in the area.
If you are looking for an eggplant Parmesan to feed two people, stop in at Mangia Fresca. Â Their serving sizes are huge! Â Not to mention, the sandwich is very tasty. Â
They have a plethora of your mainstream Italian "fast food" entrees and sandwiches. Â They do make their own pasta (the ravioli is delish)! Â I can never get enough of their cheese fries.
Parking is a little tight but cars come in and out of their tiny lot very quickly.
Mangia Fresca is serving some serious stuff!
Atmosphere: From the outside, it doesn't look like much. Small little store front outside the Orange line on a relatively busy street. Good thing they have parking! The interior is almost a typical fast food Italian joint.
Service: The staff here are very friendly! I've been here 4 days in a row, all at different times, and every time the people there are eager to help me if I have questions. A sign of a good place, I say!
Food: The food here is very good for how much you pay! The portions are also HUGE! I love food and every time I get food from Mangia, I end up with a lot of left overs. Their Eggplant parm is awesome!!! The vodka sauce they use on the pasta is also delicious! The only thing that was a little disappointing was the pesto sauce. I was hoping there would be a little more taste to it. :-/ oh well...can't win them all I guess
Price & Portion: As stated earlier - LARGE PORTIONS for what you are paying. This only applies to their lunch/dinner menu. I haven't ordered any thing really from their breakfast menu yet.
Overall: Very satisfied with this place! I will hopefully get a chance to try the entire menu before the year is out! 4 stars. semi-boom!
WARNING: IF THERE IS A WARRANT OUT FOR YOUR ARREST DO NOT EAT HERE! Â THIS PLACE CRAWLS WITH COPS....and that is a sure sign of great food at great prices! Â
On our way back from picking up our car after it was towed for illegal parking (tsk tsk Lynn) we stopped by Mangia Fresca for a quick dinner. Â I wanted to try alot, so we ordered breaded steak sandwich, fries, pizza margherita, and penne pasta in red sauce.
Killer breaded steak sandwich (with sweet peppers). Â F*&king huge. Flavorful and the meat was tender, not tough.
Pizza was terrific! Â Cooked in their bright wood oven, Â crust was crispy and chewy, sauce had the perfect tang to it and just a smattering of fresh mozz and basil... Â
Fries were very good...crispy and seasoned. Â Season was too much for me but perfect for the Mrs.
Pasta was ok...good for a finicky kid but not for someone with a taste for things beyond bland.
I will be back for sure...and as for my opening salvo...I've changed my mind: Â Even if you are an FBI poster child, it's worth the risk of getting caught to eat here!
Visited twice so far and both for panini's. First time there was a small hair in the panini-I can forgive that, I know that s**t happens, but the second visit I ordered a different panini, I even told the cashier about the first visit-no hair, but the meat tasted and smelled really weird so i just took the meat out and ate the mozzarella and tomato. Â
Will prob be back to try the pizza though...the reviews look good.
Ever wonder why so many cops end up with more than just a little extra to love? Â It's because they know how to eat, dammit. Â They really, really do. Â Seriously, cop joints are the best. Â One of my dad's best qualities is that he'll never run out of places to recommend or take me to, if he's feeling generous. Â
During a recent bout of unemployment I got a call from my dad; he was driving back south after some job and wanted to know if I was up for lunch. Â Eying the slightly moldy bread in my fridge I happily accepted. Â We went to Mangia Fresca, an old favorite from his patrolman days in a new location. Â Naturally the owner still recognized his face right away; she chatted with us for a pleasant couple of minutes until our food arrived. Â She knew the priority and seemed genuinely happy to catch up and wished me good luck on the job hunt.
I'm still amazed that I finished the breaded steak sandwich in just one sitting. Â Granted it took twenty minutes and a liberal handful of napkins, but I took that sucker down. Â I'm still kind of in disbelief. Â I'm usually an extremely cheap bastard but the size of that thing easily justifies the $9 asking price and I plan on coming back to pay for it myself one day. Â Neither one of us even touched the side order of fries we got to split, which worked out for me because they were mine to take back and delay a grocery store trip at least one more day.
As we ate maybe 10-12 people filtered through either the dining area or take out. Â 85% cops. Â See what I mean?
This is my follow up review now that Mangia Fresca has introduced a brick oven for hand made pizza. Very impressive set up and you can actually get your personal pizza in 3 minutes. Very convenient for those 30 minute lunch breaks. I fell in love with the Sicillian Pizza covered in red sauce, romano, mozzarella, sausage, mushroom, roasted peppers and red chili flakes. Cool flat screen TVs in the dinning rooms is a nice plus too!
Review Source:Alright, So things have improved with time! Aaron S. and I found ourselves back in here on Friday, and the food was so much better than that first visit.
This time the fresh cut fries were dammed near cooked perfectly, they also increased the portion size which is awesome. The chicken tenders were super tasty and they gave us a side of ranch with it this time. This time I ordered a breaded steak, and I asked for hot peppers on it. It tasted fantastic, perfect amount of red sauce and a big heap of peppers. I think the gardinara mix they used was homemade because I have never had hot peppers that tasty!
So you've earned your fifth star Mangia Fresca, just keep up the good work!
I wouldn't say 5 stars cuz it didn't make me say Woohoo!, but I had a great first experience here. I picked up the menu while getting some ice cream at Scoops on 31st the other day and decided to get delivery tonight. The girl on the phone wasn't yelling or moving furiously through the phone call like a lot of other delivery joints so that was a plus right away.
The food arrived quickly, barely any wait for the delivery which I really appreciated since we just got home from work.
We decided on the lasagna and the spinach stuffed gnocchi with alfredo sauce. Both were hits.
The lasagna could feed a family of 4 and it was really good.
The gnocchi was amazing with the alfredo sauce and 2 people could split it - tons of sauce, great for dipping bread.
They don't skimp on the garlic bread which is awesome because I'm a huge fan of dipping my bread in the sauces.
In all, I'd get some more Mangia's in the future for sure.
It's hard to write a review when you're catching the staff on the second day of the restaurant's existence. Â The cashier was learning all the buttons on the register. Â The cooking line was stumbling over themselves and trying to find their rhythm. Â The wait was longer than expected for those reasons. Â And then they gave us the wrong food.
Me: "Hi, we were in about 15 minutes ago and we just got home and found that we have the wrong order."
Lady I recognize as the cashier: "Oh, okay - hold on."
Guy I recognize as the boss-type we met: "Hello?"
Me: "Hi, I was just saying that we were in about 15 minutes ago and"
Guy: "Wrong order?"
Me: "Yup."
Guy: "Yea, we just had someone call a minute ago saying the same thing. Â What did you have?"
Me: "We had the bowtie with alfredo and shrimp, a cheeseburger with everything and grilled onions, an order of cheese fries and an order of the chicken tenders."
Guy: "Okay, you guys want me to throw in anything else for you?"
Me: "No, that's alright."
Guy: "Okay, it'll be about 10 minutes - and you can keep that other stuff you got sent home with - it's tasty stuff, don't want it to go to waste."
Me: "Thanks a bunch!"
So in addition to the bounty we actually ordered, we also got to keep the "Original Breaded Steak" sammich, the "Nonni Meatballs" meatball sub, the Italian sub and also the Italian Sausage sandwich.
So you'd normally think that a long wait time and messed-up order would lead to a bad review, but all of the other factors made up for it. Â The place itself was quite clean (though "unused" would be the better term), there's a GIANT flatscreen TV that they had tuned to the Food Network, and it's right next to the Halsted Orange Line station so I can pick up food before I transfer to my good ol' dilapidated #44 bus to take me home. Â The screw-up was a kink in the works, but for the guy to let us keep the mistaken food, cook up a fresh batch of everything we ordered AND offer a blank-check of food item(s) as extra compensation?
These seem like good people, and good people tend to run a good restaurant.
As for the food, they kept the place from that 5th star in my book.
The $4.99 to get my pasta with some rather-tasty alfredo was a decent deal, but my risky move of paying $3.25 extra to add shrimp was not worth the 10 tiny shrimp added to the bowl. Â The "cheese fries" consisted of some underdone fries unmistakably fried in peanut oil (which can taste great if done right) and a VERY small container of cheese not worth the $0.75 upgrade from plain ol' fries. Â The chicken tenders were small, but good. Â It's debatable if the $4.99 was worth the 5 or 6 small morsels, but you cannot deny that they are indeed "Homemade Chicken Strips". Â The breading was fresh, the chicken was not processed, and it tasted quite splendid. Â Not at all what I'm used to, but I can't deny that other end of the spectrum can be just as tasty as my favorite style of tenders.
As for the cheeseburger? Â You'd have to ask my girl, Char O., and I have a feeling she'll be posting a review soon. Â We're a Yelping tag-team couple. Â (How did I review the fries? Â I snuck some off her plate when she wasn't looking.)
We split the breaded steak sandwich, and I thought it was rather good - but I haven't had many of them to compare. Â They don't skimp on the shredded mozzarella when they make a hot sandwich, either. Â We haven't touched the other sandwiches - we'll each be having one for lunch tomorrow, I'm sure. Â If anything's extremely noteworthy, you'll see an update.
All in all, this place needs a little bit of time to learn the register buttons, get their ducks in a row behind the counter, hire a delivery driver (they expect to have one in about a week) and maybe update their new website to something other than "COMING SOON".
But if you're one of the many many people who pass through the Halsted Orange Line station, I suggest walking the 50 paces and trying this place out.