Mangiamo Italian Restaurant: A Taste of Authentic Italian Cuisine in Dallas, TX

I had a delicious French dip and I can honestly say it's one of the best I've ever had. The bread was fresh and crunchy from being on the stove, the meat didn't have any weird fatty pieces, and the au just had a good, deep flavor. We went in a Saturday for lunch and it was slow, but the service was great and we were in and out fast. Even the fries it came with were well seasoned. Note: for those sensitive to salt it may be a bit much, but I love salt and ate it up.

My friend and I wanted to try a new spot that was halfway between our houses, and we have always loved a good BYOB in the past, so we figured we'd try it out! I've probably driven past this location 200 times but you can't see it from the road, it's tucked away inside the strip mall behind spring creek BBQ. Very friendly service and amazing table bread. No corking fee for the wine. We ordered the bruschetta, Cajun pasta, chicken with lemon butter sauce, and a side Cesar. The bruschetta was very fresh and had a great flavor. We asked for more balsamic reduction on the side. The Cajun pasta is a massive serving and comes with a parmesan crusted chicken bread-can you say YUM?! It wasn't too spicy and had good flavor. The lemon butter chicken was also phenomenal and came with a side of pasta. The side Cesar has great flavor and is a good portion. You can really go all out and not break the bank! It's better than a couple other BYOB places in its area. Only feedback would be to add some more decor.

I'm a fan of this place. For me, it's a go to for the lunch meeting where I really need to talk and listen. The ambiance is quiet and dark. The food is solid Italian cuisine. I've had salads, Italian sandwiches and traditional entrees. My personal favorite is the good ole spaghetti and meatballs. It's a warm Italian hug of deliciousness - the kind of meal, however, that could lead to an afternoon nap. Meals come with an above average salad and delicious warm bread. The weekday lunch crowd here is very light which makes it nice for conversation over a good meal - not noisy and crowded. I hear that evenings get more crowded though I haven't been here for dinner.

If I could give 4.5 stars I would. We dined in once and got to go once. Pizza both times. The good: probably the best crust and sauce I have had on a pizza in Dallas. The not as good: I'm not a fan of clunky toppings. Their ham on the Hawaiian pizza is large cubes. The tomato on the margherita pizza is thick slices. To be clear they aren't bad but it's not my preference. When we dined in, it was not busy and the server was nice but not very attentive and the pizza took a long time. Long enough we almost left. We were happy we stayed.

I visited Mangiamo's with my sister for a late lunch and to carb load for a Spartan race the next day. It's a cute, little establishment. I liked the giant Sofia Loren painting on the wall. My sister got a kick out of the black, red, and white blown glass chandelier/sculpture hanging from the ceiling! We were greeted and seated right away. The waitress was very kind and chatty. She also brought out complimentary garlicky bread rolls. I ordered the lasagna which came with a tomato bisque soup. My sister's chicken salad didn't come with soup but the waitress was kind enough to bring her soup too. The soup smelled of parmesan and basil which I love! I haven't had lasagna in quite a while. It was cheesy, red-meaty, and hit the spot! I was ready for my race. If I'm ever in the area, I would be happy to visit this place again.