Da Papa Mario's 爸爸马里奥
No.1, 370 Dagu Lu,
Jing An
near Chengdu Lu
大沽路370弄1号
近成都路
6340-1386
6340-1615 (fax)
Open 10am-11pm
Price Y100-Y199 per couple
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- City Weekend says
A no-frills pizzeria run by a little Italian man who knows that the pride is in the quality of the pizza, not the decor. This venue offers a reasonably priced selection of pizzas, salads, pastas and desserts. Choose from thin crust or deep dish varieties and an array of toppings, then munch on some bread smothered in delicious garlic butter while you wait for your 12" masterpiece.
- Contributor Description
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cityweekend
Most Recent Reviews
This place has really gone downhill. Extra sausage was unnoticable. Apple pie was just awful.
The best thing about this place is the owner (Mario?). Very neighborly, he serves a shot of homemade Limoncello to every diner at the end of the meal, and this personal touch seems to surprisingly rub off on most of his other staff as well. The complimentary bread and garlic butter is also dangerously appetizing - beware.
Though my wife and I are frequent repeat customers, I personally find the pizza hit-and-miss. There was a phase when the meat wasn't stellar-fresh and all toppings slid off too easily. Other times, it's excellent.
This may not be the best Italian restaurant in Shanghai, but the friendly service, the great tasting pasta, salad and pizza will surely make one of the finest.
I've been here plenty of times, the food is really quite nice and it's always nice to see the friendly owner come out and speaking with his clients.
A great place for a nice weekend brunch/lunch.
Ma it's incredible.
I live in Shanghai and i tasted many pizza from the horrible expensive pizza from PAPA John's to the chinese napolitan Saiyezeria. And i have been to DA MARCO to taste their well known pizza. But the CALZONE from this Mario ( by the way so nice) are the best i have tasted in SHanghai.
Go there, take a calzone and Buon Appetito
Ciao.
The French Critic
Went over the weekend and we ordered 3 pizzas for 6 persons. I must say the thin-crust pizzas were super yummy,generous on the toppings and you cant get enough of it. The pasta and salad were expected, nothing fancy. A must-try is the pizza with nutella sauce for deserts, very nice end to the pizza meal. The owner was very friendly and even ended out free shots of lemoncello to diners.
We were wandering along a lovely, quiet street in Jingan when we spied a brightly-lit Italian restaurant, decorated very obviously in red/green/white. Made my stomach do a lurch (in a good way!) because been totally Asian-food'ed out as of late. YES I know Western food is way way way pricier than Asian food here in Shanghai... but sometimes the urge just strikes and you've got no choice but to sucumb! We held high hopes for Da Papa Mario, as so far we haven't really found a great pizza in Shanghai. Promisingly, pizza seems to be the main feature on the menu here, with your choice of either on the Regular crust or American style crust. What's the difference? We didn't quite know either! I figured the American style one would be thicker and the Regular one would be like an Italian thin-crust.
Because I am a greedy guts, I insisted we get the thicker American style pizza, which came with a slew of meat toppings. The crust was actually really thin, so I presume it refers to the crust edge, which was about 1 inch? I actually prefer my ingredients to go right to the very edge (ie. maximum food, haha), so will go for the Regular crust next time. The pizza was FANTASTIC. Lovely crust, and a very generous serve of toppings. Not too doughy, not too cheesy. Also a nice size for 1 person (albeit one with a healthy appetite).
We also got the tomato cream pasta. That wasn't the name on the menu, but I've forgotten it. It was their speciality dish and I can see why. It's similar to ravioli, except bigger and filled with ham and other ingredients that I'd forgotten. Slathered in a rich creamy tomato sauce, it was decadent and oh so good!!! Delicious comfort food and so tasty. The pasta could have been a little more el dente, but it was still a brilliant meal, especially with a generous sprinkle (okay, handful) of Parmesan on top.
The service was top-notch. Extremely attentive and so friendly to boot. Turns out the waiter lived in the area we were keen on, so we had a good chat about prices, etc. They were cheerful, friendly and very willing to please. We were also pleasantly surprised when we were each given a shot of their home made Limoncello. A great way to end a meal, and a pleasurable one at that. Will most definitely be returning!
PHOTOS HERE: http://beverly.livejournal.com/690173.html
Near my workplace so I have gotten to visit Mario's often. The food is hit and miss - the pizzas are decent (and ready in 10 minutes or less) while the pastas that I had were less so (penne & gnocchi). However the prices are reasonable and the staff is friendly. Mario is the rare restauranteur in China that appears to speak neither Chinese nor English - but a very cordial fellow.
Some really good pizza. Italian thing crust, not American thick and the pasta was cooked just right; al dente Free bread with the garlic spread is tasty. Wine list is perfect for pizza, nothing too expensive. Simple good acid Italian wines. They even have Lambrusco; a delightful sparkling Red wine. The owner is very nice and attentive, and gave us some free lemonchello after dinner.
I'll be back to this place.
The tomato base on Da Papa's pizza has to be one of the best in the city. Starters seemed to be an afterthought. Good wine prices. Atmosphere is a bit tacky, but Mario is good people - helpful, friendly, unpretentious. Perfect for sitting back over a pizza and bottle of wine.
Of all the pizzas that i have tasted in Shanghai, this is the best so far. The rosette de la mama was also excellent. Papa Mario provided an attentive and personal service. We will surely return soon.
-New Eat-
That's Amore
Although the stark white walls and Super Mario-esque classic red, white and green tablecloths are a bit cliché, this no-frills venue's core value quickly became apparent once inside--its food. With a range of reasonably priced options from light starters and salads to pizzas (of the thin and deep-dish varieties), pastas and calzones to choose from, we mulled over our choices while munching on a bottomless basket of toast with creamy garlic butter. To start we decided on a Mozarella alla Caprese (YY50), a plain but satisfying quartet of firm mozzarella balls atop tomato slices plated with a small salad. For a main we ordered pizza No. 34 (YY70), a standard 12" thin-crust pizza topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, ham, mushroom, artichoke, fresh sausage and oregano, and the Tortellini di Ricotta e Spinach al Pomodoro (YY60). The nine large handmade tortellini pieces were stuffed with a thick, savory spinach paste that perfectly complemented the creamy tomato sauce that generously topped the dish. The highlight of the meal though was the No. 34, a pie that any New York pizzeria would be proud of. The liberally-portioned toppings on this freshly-made pizza and perfectly crispy crust let us overlook the slightly less crispy pizza center. We intended only to finish the meal with a velvety cappuccino (YY25) but shots of Limoncello hand-delivered by Papa Mario, the Italian-speaking chef and owner, proved to be the perfect way to finish to a delicious meal.
■ Jessica Beaton
-Second Bite-
Papa Mario, where did you go?
This pizzeria and longtime favorite of City Weekend’s online community is known for two things–freshly-made pizza and its gregarious Italian chef and owner, Papa Mario. Too bad the restaurant is now having a tough time living up to its owner’s name.
The restaurant still has the same bright lights and overly fussy interior of gold-colored walls and passé oil paintings, and though the menu boasts an extensive selection of pizzas, they’ve also got a variety of starters and pastas to choose from. But in true pizzeria spirit, we started with their prosciutto e funghi pizza (¥70) and a calzone con carne (¥70). We were served a bread basket while waiting, but unfortunately, the bread was toasted to within an inch of its life. It’s really only edible thanks to its creamy garlic butter accompaniment.
Our 12” thin-crust pizza arrived soon after. At first glance, all looked good, with a handsome arrangement of sliced mushrooms and ham peeking out from under melted mozzarella and framed by a slightly browned crust. However, everything (literally) falls apart once you dig in. The toppings slide right off the soggy, undercooked pie base before you can even take a bite, and while the toppings are decent, we could barely taste any tomato sauce or oregano.
Fortunately, their calzone is better. The hearty meat and onion filling is plain but satisfactory, and the spaghetti carbonara (¥48) pleasantly surprises–the authentic Italian dish is cooked al dente and speckled with black pepper and a light sauce of egg yolk, parmesan cheese, bacon bits and a touch of cream.
Overall, though, we were disappointed–with better pizza options like La Strada around, we won’t be back anytime soon.
■ Jalean Wong