Mama Mia 44SW | Our Story
Three Generations of Italian soul in Hell's Kitchen
In 1971, Anna and Guido Schiattarella crossed the Atlantic on the Raffaello and bought a one-window pizza shop in Hell's Kitchen on nothing more than a handshake. More than 55 years later, Mama Mia 44SW is still here — and still family.
The Beginning, 1971
Anna and Guido arrived in New York with four children and the culinary traditions of Anna's family. A Naples acquaintance offered them a pizza shop in Hell's Kitchen — they shook hands and got to work.
The Grit Of Early Hell's Kitchen
Anna and Guido spent hours prepping before each service — and at dusk, Guido barricaded the entrance while the family scrubbed for the next morning. The neighborhood was rough, but the food was honest, and word got around fast.
A Neighborhood Found Its Table
Up-and-coming actors, artists, and neighbors became regulars, drawn to homemade Southern Italian recipes at prices that felt fair. The one-window pizzeria grew into a full restaurant and bar, rooted in the same family recipes.
Three Generations, One Kitchen
The next generation stepped in, then the one after that — and today Mama Mia 44SW is one of the few remaining family-owned restaurants in Hell's Kitchen, with a Schiattarella present every single day. As Luxury Web Magazine put it, this place has been "a go-to Italian restaurant in Manhattan's theater district for decades."
Your Table Is Waiting
Come in for dinner before a show, pull up a stool at the bar during happy hour, or bring the whole family on a Sunday — the tin ceilings, the warm rooms, and the Schiattarellas will be here.
