ABOUT MAMMA LUCA
Mamma Luca is a pizzeria, bar, and restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire by renowned Chef Mario LaPosta. Named for his wife & mother (“mamma”) and his first-born son (Luca), Mamma Luca weaves together the rich threads of family, passion, tradition, and Italian culture.
Chef Mario’s latest concept specializes in two kinds of pizza: wood-fired Pizza Napoletana and Pizza Taglio, the latter being the square, street style pizza-by-the-slice that is ubiquitous in Rome. Both styles are made with Mario’s proprietary whole wheat flour blend and an 8 year-old lievito madre, or mother dough—yet another mamma in this story.
In addition to these two styles of pizza, Chef Mario’s menu is locally and sustainably sourced and heavily inspired by both his own mamma and by Southern Italy. On this menu you’ll find a variety of insalate, antipasti, hand-made pastas, and piatti—or simple, inspired dishes—ranging from rigatoni amatriciana to grilled ribeye for two. The beverage program features a list of inspired cocktails by da LaPosta’s Dan Calin, with an array of Italian & Californian wines hand-selected by Chef Mario himself.
Of note is the constantly-humming gelato machine, which churns out complimentary olive oil soft serve gelato for guests upon their departure.
ABOUT MARIO
Mario began his career as a dedicated and passionate pizzaiolo at a Connecticut pizzeria at the tender age of 15, and for 20 years has honed his craft at notable pizzerias around the world, including in Rome, New York, and Boston, as well as Campania, Italy—where his family originally hails from—under famed pizzaiolo Francesco San Pietro.
During his time working with Tarry Lodge in New York state and Connecticut, Mario earned several accolades including GQ’s “Best American Pies” and the “Snail of Approval” by Slow Food USA—a designation given to restaurants contributing to the quality, authenticity, and sustainability of local food. During this time, Mario also placed tenth in the World Pizza Championships in Parma, Italy. In 2015, Mario opened Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca in Boston’s Seaport District as the executive chef to much fanfare.
In 2020, he opened da LaPosta in Newtonville, MA to much acclaim, where it continues to be an Italian food stronghold in the greater Boston area.