After parking in back, you walk into the small bar/lounge area. As soon as you open the back door you are immediately engulfed in the wonderful smell of garlic and other Italian herbs being used in the various dishes. Those of us who showed up a little early sat at the small bar and had a glass of wine while we waited for the entire party to show up to be seated. Mama Corolla's does not take reservations, so all tables are first come first served.
Once we sat down, we ordered a variety of appetizers, ranging from a wonderful bruschetta, to fried ravioli, steamed mussels and mushrooms. We also were given Italian bread and dipping oil to start off with. The appetizers were delicious and were devoured rather quickly by the table. The entree options were quite appealing as well, as we got a wide variety amongst our group of nine. We had the special, which was bacon wrapped shrimp on a bed of angel hair pasta (served with Italian weeding soup), shrimp scampi, seafood pasta, pasta with clams, pasta carbonara, chicken parmesan and other pasta-based dishes. There also were veal and steak options, but there were only 9 of us! The entrees were wonderfully tasty and filled us all to the brim, but a few of us had to try some dessert. We had tiramisu and chocolate cheesecake, which, despite our full stomachs, were devoured rapidly.
The only negative we found was the difficulty the waitress had in dividing our bills, but, after some deliberation and family conversation, we solved it.
So if you are in the mood for Italian and in the Broadripple neighborhood, we would recommend Mama Corolla's.
