Restaurant Mama Leone in Köln

Rarely eaten so badly, a disgrace, only 1 point for the cold drinks

Starter plate for €26 is made from cheap supermarket goods. The garlic bread is a pizza dough without garlic. Doesn't have to be.

We were a group of 5 and all the dishes were fresh and good, specially the dish called tris di pasta (you get to try three different things: tortellini, cannelloni and lasagna). The staff was very friendly all the time. The toilets were clean. We visited it on a Saturday and we didn’t need a reservation.

Food was very tasty, although quite expensive compared to other restaurants. The service was okay, but took a little getting used to.

€17.50 for a frozen pizza! You have to be very hungry to enjoy it. The service was very friendly. However, we won't eat here again.

Highly recommended, the food tasted very fresh and delicious For this quality, the price is absolutely justified 👌👍

Food absolutely top Real recommendation

Unpleasant shop, As we all know, first impressions count. And here I personally was not impressed. A very unmotivated service where you can tell they don't care about people who aren't like-minded. We had a white wine and a banana wheat. The white wine tasted extremely stale and at a price of €8 you can probably expect more. And the banana wheat didn't make it any better. Maybe I'm too biased, but how can you not offer debit card payments?!

Ok, good food, but 1 euro to go to the bathroom as a customer????......

Always my pleasure. I come here regularly and again and again, very tasty food and the portions are completely sufficient. Very nice staff and above all attentive. Clear recommendation with a top location

Nice Italian restaurant with very tasteful spaghetti !

We ate there as a couple on January 1st, 2025. My Pizza Vegetaria was extremely tasty. Service super attentive. Very pleasant stay.

Ordered a takeaway pizza and some pasta. Food was nice and hot. Nothing to write home about, but no complaints. Fast service.

More than pleasant service even if we do not speak the language. Very welcoming. Rarely have I seen so much kindness from the waitress. Thank you 🥰

The pizza base was undercooked, when I asked if it could be put in the oven, the waiter indicated that the edges would then burn. A bit of a strange story and in any case I would rather have a crispy crust than an undercooked base. Pizza almost made you think it came from the freezer. Pasta with gorgonzola just fine, nothing special but great in taste. Other pasta was a bit bland and had corn in it, a bit of a crazy twist for an Italian. Service was fine and food arrived after 35 minutes. Atmosphere is also nice.

Tuvimos una cena muy agradable aquí con porciones muy amplias. El personal de camarero era excelente, atractivo y servicial. Bien vale la pena una visita cuando estás en la zona. Muy recomendable.

Vine aquí para almorzar en un caluroso día de verano. Nos sentamos afuera junto al río, pero nos costó conseguir menús y la atención de los servidores. Eventualmente después de ser ignorados durante 10 minutos nos fuimos!

Delicious pasta, nice and good.

The restaurant is very nice. Looks cozy and inviting. As a paying guest, charging money for the toilet is an absolute no-go!!! The food tasted good, but was hardly or not seasoned at all. Lifeless side salad! Service was friendly but inattentive. Prices too high. Garlic bread is missing garlic!!!

We planned to guest with 6 people (including 2 children) and were seated at a table near the door where it was very cold. When we politely asked for another table (even though there were many seats available), the staff rudely refused. Instead we were told we could pay for the drinks and leave if we didn't like the place. We've never experienced anything like this before. In the end we paid and left. Very disappointing, especially because of the rude nature of the staff. We won't be coming back.

Great food, great service. Would recommend.

Comida salada. Servicio horrible El bistec era salado al igual que el cerdo. El pan de ajo era sabroso. Camarera vista comiendo patatas fritas de los clientes comida en la cocina. El vino era terrible y caro. Evitaría

That Croatian waiter is terribly rude, as soon as he realises we don't speak German he started insulting us. But we understand Croatian and we just left. Avoid this place.

Such worse service, I was there for about 25 minutes! and I waited for the waiter! and he's not there! In the end I went to him! he told me *sorry I didn't see you* like what! I went out, can't be real.

Very unfriendly staff, normal food. We felt like we were disturbing by asking for cheese and pepper. He clears the empty plates while the other people are still eating. Cigarettes allowed on the terrace 😲😲

In the busy restaurant there was one table left and we were guided to the table by a nice waiter. The drinks we ordered were taken by a stiff woman, which shocked us at first. As the evening progressed, that stiff woman turned into a tough, stiff woman, she was actually quite friendly and could also laugh. The atmosphere in the restaurant was cozy and the food was delicious!! Just a pity that you had to pay for the toilet visit.

We ate citizens with fries and sirloin steak! Unfortunately the herb butter was missing from the sirloin steak, otherwise it was good 👍 It was almost as cold in the restaurant as it was outside The music was way too loud inside.

One of the worst Italians I know. Service was unfriendly, lasagne was frozen and not even served warm. Was cold. This restaurant is not recommended!

The restaurant has already had this review deleted once via Google and since I had no video evidence, Google had no other choice, so unfortunately you can't count on the stars on Google, because unpleasant reviews can simply be deleted without proof. Here is my original review: It was the only place down here on the Rhine where almost all the tables were free. The other locations only had a few places available and many of them were reserved. So we sat down at a table to have a drink. First of all, we simply had the cards slapped on the table and no friendly “hello” or “good evening” was heard. At that moment we thought okay, that wasn't very nice. We then looked for our drinks from the menu. After more than 12 minutes the waiter came to the table again. (I remember: it was the location with by far the fewest guests) When we ordered the drinks we were asked if we would also like to eat something and we didn't answer at the moment. The cards were then torn out of our hands and we were thrown out with the subtle hint that you only get drinks here if you also eat something. Very unfriendly and unnecessary, I didn't remember it again, it was dead pants in contrast to the other locations. Now we just sit one further away and we are warmly welcomed and very well looked after. Since we said we didn't want to eat anything at the moment, we're here and just eat some more. Conceited and extremely unfriendly. Not recommended!!!

We reserved 1 table for 4 people in September and 2 weeks before our weekend, we received a cancellation email! We then rang to find out the reason and were simply told that a table of 40 people was coming that day! We find ourselves without a restaurant for the weekend! Restaurant not recommended (even if we did not eat there) unacceptable!!!!

The food was super tasty, would happily come again. The service was also excellent. The atmosphere was cozy and pleasant.

EXTREMELY unfriendly waiter. I've really never experienced anything like this before. When asked about the ingredients (due to allergies) the answer was simply "I have no idea". Even when I asked further questions, there was no helpful information, no questions were asked in the kitchen or with colleagues, no friendly laughter, nothing. Simply an ice-cold look and no interest or even the slightest willingness to care or inform. That really left me speechless and I didn't even know what to say. We then left in disbelief without ordering anything. Someone like that should better look for another job, we felt so insulted, as if WE had done something wrong.

The restaurant is really nice, the waiters are extremely friendly and helpful. I think if they paid a little more attention to the aroma of the dishes. The food could taste better.😊👍

Very unfriendly waiter. Wouldn‘t recommend

Unfortunately, one of those shops that lives more from its location than from reasonable service. In terms of price, you pay for the location, which would have been ok. After we waited 45 minutes for our food order (pizza) and all the guests coming after us were already eating, we asked. Apparently the food was forgotten to be packed. I would have expected that the order would then be prioritized, which would certainly be possible with pizza. Unfortunately it wasn't like that. The drinks that were requested at the same time didn't come either. After almost 30 more minutes we decided to pay.

Nice designed restaurant. Has an indoor and outdoor section. The outdoor section looks nice and faces the river, but unfortunately there is was at least one smoker polluting the air. I sat inside to avoid it but it did occasionally drift inside. It was nice being in the old world building and getting some rest (everyone else was outside). The staff was friendly and did not forget about me even though I was the only person indoors and hiding at the back. I had the vegetarian pizza. Good variety and quantity of toppings. Base was fine but a bit burnt in places. Staff did guilt trip me into a tip at the end…I didn’t think tipping culture was a thing here but they were attentive enough so I gave one.

The prices are a little higher than elsewhere, but that's because of the location, which is great 👍 The pizza had really good toppings, a thin base and was absolutely delicious. It's been a long time since I've had such a well-filled and delicious pizza. Service is friendly. Only recommended

You have to pay to go to the toilet while you consume drinks and meals. Amazing …

Waiter is very unfriendly to the guests

Ordered a vegetarian pizza and it was delicious and crispy. Price-performance was also ok for the location.

We had dinner here one night as a party of three. The place was empty and we soon found out why. The service was just ok but the food was very bland. We were halfway through our meals when one of our party spotted mice scurrying around inside the restaurant. Suddenly I didn't feel so hungry, another diner pointed out the mice to the waiter. He said he knew but didn't seem bothered at all. We decided to pay and leave, the waiter actually asked for a tip at the point of paying. I'd suggest dining elsewhere when you are in Cologne.

Food 0 out of 5 stars. Zero taste, tough and carelessly prepared. We had chicken breast fillet and rump steak... Disastrous, I have never eaten such bad meat, the chicken was like rubber and both dishes had absolutely no taste.

Wir waren auf einem Kurztrip in Köln und sind, nach einen Bootstour ins Mama Leone gegangen (Außenbereich). Der Kellner war sehr freundlich und zuvorkommend. Das Essen (Penne al Curry, Pizza Diavolo) kam zeitnah und war wirklich sehr lecker. Die Pizza schön kross und die Pasta genau al dente. Dazu gab es gratis Pizzabrot und zwei extra Soßen. Die Preisgestaltung ist durchaus als etwas gehoben zu betrachten, das wird jedoch durch die tolle Lage und das leckere Essen relativiert. Wir waren sehr zufrieden und können die schlechten Bewertungen absolut nicht nachvollziehen.

Went for food and met unexpected friends. Swiss people on the table by me announced to the staff you have a rat. No that’s a mouse. It was actually a family of hungry mice scuttling under thr inside tables, chairs and radiators. Unfortunately I was near to the end of my meal or I too would have done the same as them and left. Adding insult to injury the waiter asked if I wanted to tip. I did, in the hope they get a cat. They maybe mice and they may have an infestation mice like places which aren’t clean and food is left out. So while Jerry was harmless running around my feet it doesn’t give much hope of the hygiene of the establishment. Waiters were very chilled about it which wasn’t reassuring as I tucked into my dinner.

A great place to be by the river. Great food and beers.

The food was ok, waiters are unprofessional, ask how I pay while eating and had to make it clear that it was annoying and that we wanted to order more. After we had spent €250 and later remembered to order 2 schapps, a totally bad-tempered and untrained waiter came to us who showed no respect for the customers. Since I couldn't accept it, I told him to put drinks up your ass and it almost came to a fight. We will never visit this store again, not recommended

It was delicious, but only until I found the hair. and I really hope that this hair fell from the head and not from another part of the body. 😞😞😞

Correct but nothing more. The value for money is not there at all.

This is how our table is served!! A great café with a beautiful view of the Rhine actually needs nice employees who smile and are friendly with the guests, but unfortunately that wasn't the case with us.

Very very unfriendly waiter!!!!!

So I went there to eat, it wasn't as good as I first thought. Citizens shouldn't order it, it wasn't tasty, but the birch was quite okay

Totally overpriced and doesn't taste good at all!!! Stay away.

€15 for 2 regular beers.. AVOID THIS PLACE

15 euros for 2 regular beers and all you can do is pay in cash unless you spend over 20 euros, very unfriendly staff. AVOID THIS PLACE!!!!!

Food is very average and expensive for what you get. The chicken breast was very dry on the inside and surrounded by a river of fat. The waitress was probably having a bad day or she should change jobs with how grumpy she was at our table. Advice: don't take pizza, looked like frozen pizzas with no crust, super thin and limp. Plus point: you sit next to the line.

We had dinner there with three friends in the evening. We had a Hugo and two Lillet as an aperitif. Were served in a whiskey glass...that's debatable. Lillet, on the other hand, wasn't there. The waiter was very unfriendly from the start... cutlery etc. slammed on the table or my sunglasses, accepted the order rather reluctantly etc. When the friend ordered the pasta (originally with tortellini)... she preferred penne or another tube noodle... she would first be reprimanded as to whether he should fill it... Well, long story... this warmth ran through. I had a burger (18€), the fries cost another 6€. The girlfriend had a salad with chicken breast (also 18€). The finale came when the friend with the pasta had a shard at least the size of a thumbnail in her food. Suddenly the waiter was very friendly. There was no charge for the meal, he apologized several times and all three received limoncello on the house. Still sad that it takes such an incident to be friendly. The taste of the food was okay, but the price wasn't right. The trip to the toilet and the smell are responsible for the poor rating for the ambience. Several tiles broke away...not entirely safe. We're definitely not coming back. I really forgot the photos because of the sequence of events...

Buena ubicación y la comida está bien. 4- pizza de queso era bueno! Lamentablemente hay un camarero allí (gafas en el extremo de la nariz) que es extremadamente grosero. Debido a su comportamiento, no volvería. Supongo que es el mismo individuo destacado en otras críticas negativas.

Had pasta in a vodka cream sauce and salmon, it just didn't taste like anything, the bruschetta wasn't exactly the best and relatively tasteless, but then with two drinks it cost almost €43. Well, it wasn't bad, just not good either and definitely not worth €43 for me...

Nice location, food is fine and atmosphere good. Prices a bit high. Service OK and friendly with the exception of one waiter who was just plain rude, As a result, would not return.

Cozy, clean, friendly restaurant with a view of the Rhine! Prices have increased accordingly.

Unfortunately, I can't understand some of the good reviews. We were there yesterday and our pizza was very thin and hardly any toppings. When I wanted to make an extra request, the waiter quickly dismissed it and never came back. We had to run after them only to receive a rude answer that extra requests cost more. Which is okay, but how can you just leave... Then suddenly the bill just came with the note at 7 p.m. that the waiter wanted to get off work and we suddenly had to pay instead of another waiter just carrying on?!? When I asked about dessert, I was quickly told that there was no more ice cream at the moment. Suddenly 2 more drinks were charged on the bill, and after a short discussion we luckily got the money back. All in all a tourist trap with paid use of the toilet despite being a guest…

We wanted to have a drink in the evening. We ordered a round and the waitress didn't give us any change. She said she didn't have any change for change now. In addition, the waitress was very unfriendly!

I have to wait a long time for the food, otherwise there are a lot of people

To sum it all up, the waiters looked extremely listless, which was then proven in the service, which is a shame in the catering industry.. The food also didn't taste as described on the menu, the pizza dough wasn't cooked through and the pasta that was labeled "4 cheese" was just in a cream sauce. So it's not recommended because a frozen pizza is more appealing in terms of both appearance and taste .And finally, don't forget that the toilet is also chargeable and the waiters deliberately ignore the customers. So unfortunately it's anything but customer-oriented.

Portion Fritten 6 €. . !!! Cheeseburger war von der Stange, Burger Buns aus der Metro und ebenfalls 08/15.., Dazu bestach der Service durch seine extreme Unfreundlichkeit. Im Gastraum herrschte eine Atmosphäre wie in einem schmuddeligen Restaurant in der Bronx der 70er. . Ferner ist es nur auf dem Papier ein italienisches Restaurant. Wohlfühlfaktor gleich null,null. . Kölsch hingegen war ganz gut.

Very unfriendly service, rip off and food doesn't taste good either

Tourist Trap! Unfriendly, overpriced, but nice view of the Rhine Everything is designed for walk-in customers without customer loyalty.

The service was so bad and the worker took double the money

Just came in for a drink during a downpour. The terrace was quite empty, so the servers gathered at one table to talk and smoke. It was hard to get their attention. Drinks were fine, but rather expensive. Payment less than twenty euro could not be done with card. Even when we didn’t tip ourselves, the server just withheld some of the change. We didn’t feel like arguing, but found it very rude. Also, you need to pay fifty cents to go to the toilet. I’ve never seen anything like this at other restaurants. Very bad customer service.

Very good food and service he was very funny i recommend.🥳

Boring, simple food. Fries partly raw. Extremely expensive especially for that. Nice to sit on

This restaurant is on a great spot, right next to the river. Very good ambiance. That's were the dream ends though. Waiters were not friendly at all, prices were extremely high. After a drink we decided not to eat there. Also just way too many wasps.

Nice food on the Rhine. The prices are okay, the service outside was friendly, when it came to paying it got strange. EC card payment only indoors. There you could see how people were working in the kitchen, which I personally didn't find very hygienic, but I can't judge it. The tip was accepted without saying thank you. The chairs outside are on thrown gravel to stay stable, a bit strange in some places but ok. The food is generally really tasty and the view of the Rhine is beautiful You should avoid the toilets. A rude cleaner stood there and wanted money, which I refused as a guest of the restaurant - sorry. She also acted strangely at my 12-year-old son, who had already been talked to stupidly by an older gentleman who was initially talking to the cleaner and then wanted to go to the toilet before him. He was then told to go with the ladies, a no-go for my son. Well, whether we would go there again despite the good food---- probably not

Good service and really good food

We chose this place for the positioning by the Rhein and reasonable (tourist) prices. The food was quite good (Italian sausage and calamari) but what we hadn’t noticed was the board that said in German only (come on, this is a main tourist area) that they couldn’t accept credit cards. Strange, as the one down the road we’d eaten at earlier had, as well as the cathedral toilet (0.5€). So the waiter’s explanation that it was due to the Microsoft ‘Codeless’ security update earlier in the week didn’t really cut it with me. With insufficient cash, he was struggling to suggest how to pay. ATM, he said? I replied that they weren’t working due to the computer outrage! He obviously hadn’t thought of that. It’s clearly an excuse they jump on to avoid card charges. Eventually he asked if we had PayPal. Fortunately yes, and the confirmation that the inability to pay by card was dubious came when he insisted I pay Muhammed Gündogdu as a ‘friend’ and not ‘Goods & Services’. Shame we couldn’t leave a tip though!

The price-performance ratio is bad. The toilet costs money even for guests and you can't pay by card - which we were only told when paying.

Food was ok , very expensive. Wasn’t happy with the service so I naturally didn’t leave a tip. The waiter was confrontational and demanded a tip. Tried to explain that tipping is normal , I’ve been around Germany and it’s not expected. Then decided to demand to know where I was from to judge me based on my country. Would avoid if possible

Unfortunately, we would like to say that we were very disappointed on our first visit there. We were there for the final of the European Championships at around 9:30 p.m. The mood was accordingly but there was no rush. So the service was very quick and we got the food quickly. But you can't call that service. The waiter was impatient with our order and we felt like we were being dismissed. When the waiter came to take our order we were still unsure but wanted to order. He then just went to another table and sat there. He just didn't feel like waiting and ran away annoyed. The bill came without asking and was simply placed on the table. Even our tip - which wasn't deserved - was accepted but nothing without a thank you. No good evening, nothing. Dessert was no longer possible and neither was coffee because the machine was already off. So we were “looked out”. Conclusion: no thanks

The blonde male waiter was very rude. We waited for our order to be taken for 10 minutes and he did not come. We gave our order to the female waiter. The food is absolutely ordinary, I don't think I'll come back again.

Waited 15 minutes for 2 Kölsch. When I asked, which was met with a “sorry,” the waiter said he had to call me impatient because he was still pocketing the money and asked if I was stressed. Meanwhile, the neighboring table where he collected had waited 15 minutes for the bill. Ridiculous

Very rude and no respect for the customers. Nobody speaks German. I don't recommend anyone there and we were told you can only order something to drink with your food even though the other tables only had something to drink. Your neighbors (Löwenbräu Köln) are much nicer than you.

The service was perfect. So attentive!!!!

We had dinner here on the last day of our stay in Cologne and were very disappointed. The food (tortellini, penne and salad) came very quickly but was nothing special. The taste was rather bland and the tortellini in a large amount of cream sauce, the penne with mushy vegetables. We expected something better for the high price. The bratwurst at the Chocolate Museum is a highlight.

Disappointed that the waiter was unhappy with my 10% tip and he told me so. The food was okay we view was why we chose it right on the Rhine

Nice location. Our friendly server was great, didn’t catch his name. Food was great we had pizza, pasta, fries and drinks.

Bad atmosphere, unfriendly service, doesn't speak German, can't recommend

Just beware because they wont tell you when you order! They will not allow yo to split the bill between people in a group when you want to pay by card, and the minimum order is 20 Euro on a card.

Everything was to our satisfaction.

Beautiful view of the Rhine. Currywurst children's portion in Michelin price range

Overpriced. The ambience is nice but the prices are ridiculous in comparison!

The dishes were good, no complaints there. Great atmosphere and place. The place and setting are perfect. Regarding the service, a little extra smile doesn't hurt 😊 but we knew how to order in English. Big downside: we wanted to have a dessert but, after placing an order, the waiter came back and told us that there were no more desserts (there were only 5 on the menu), so we were take it further!

Disgusting service head waiter incredibly rude to customers

I recently ate at this restaurant and was very disappointed. The service was extremely unfriendly which made the entire stay unpleasant. The cutlery and glasses were dirty, which is absolutely unacceptable. To make matters worse, the fruit in my first cocktail was moldy. Overall, it was an extremely unpleasant experience and I definitely cannot recommend this place.

Unfortunately it wasn't even possible to eat here. All tables were full except one. It was completely covered like all the others, except that there was a cleaning bucket on top. Our thought: it was simply forgotten. We put it away and sat at the table and waited for the service. She also came and put the bucket on the map in front of us. He just said: the table is not for sitting. No hello and no friendly request to sit at another table. We got up and left. We don't understand how to waste such a well-placed table and are of the opinion that anyone who treats customers in this way has no place in service. We went to Löwenbräu Köln, which is right next door, and were super happy with everything. Service and food was top. But we couldn't even rate the food at Mama Leon... preferably 0 stars...

I came without expectations and was still disappointed.. edge waiter, and the regular beer

Wrong pizza brought to the table and outrageously expensive. Not recommendable. Very unfriendly service.

Essen leider nicht gut. Preis/Leistung passt nicht. Getränke erst vergessen, dann das Falsche gebracht. Das einzig Nette ist die Lage.

Having to pay for toilets if you are a costumer is absurd

The “dough cake” served cannot be called pizza. Almost raw, tasteless, crustless, underbaked dough with a few “side dishes”. Why do so many leftover dough go back? Hardly a plate without it. “Pizzaioli” has no professional pride. Mama Leone is a classic “tourist trap”. They only come once anyway.

The worst experience in Köln! We ordered hamburger, pasta , beef steak and pizza. The pasta was so so, the steak was tasteless and had to crew it like it was the sole of my boots, the hamburger was worse than in McDonald's, the maionese for the french fries was in small packages not even super market quality and I had better pizza from domino's or even frozen pizza from lidl. The waiter was rude and did not bring what we ordered and after all of this, he asked for tips.... DO NOT GO HERE!