Mother Wolf is another entry into what’s quickly becoming Miami’s most bloated dining genre: the imported famous Italian restaurant whose arrival receives the sort of headlines the Beatles got on their way to America.
But at least the point of this LA restaurant is as much about the food as the hype swirling around it. And that’s enough to bump Mother Wolf above the low bar of its ever-growing competition.
If you’ve already experienced Carbone and the various Diet Carbones of South Florida, you can probably close your eyes and see Mother Wolf—the plush booths the color of an awards show red carpet and chandeliers tuned to a wrinkle-eliminating dimness. But what does feel unique here is the menu of Roman dishes that are never perfect, but often very good.
We also appreciate how the food doesn’t bend over to accommodate a crowd with unforgiving pants. A meal at Mother Wolf is heavy. If you’re doing it right, at least 75% of the things you eat here will involve dough. The best parts of the menu are the pizza and pasta, which they roll out by hand inside a windowed room so you can watch them like fish in an aquarium. So far we’ve only encountered one dish—the chilled octopus salad—we could reasonably call “light.”
photo credit: Jakob Layman
According to our friends in LA, when the original Mother Wolf is at its best, it is a party. We can’t quite say the same about the Miami one. It does sound like a party inside. But the room is too spread out to feel a sceney kinship with your neighbors. And there is a general corporate stiffness that tends to permeate a restaurant with heaps of investors and another location in Las Vegas. Service is enthusiastic and friendly—but a bit forced. Every employee with a pulse will lob a “Buona sera” your way.
Still, it’s nice to see this kind of restaurant try too hard versus not at all. And if you book a table at Mother Wolf, at least you know you’re in for a restaurant, not just a reputation.
How to get into Mother Wolf Miami
The big reason Mother Wolf reservations are tricky is because they only accept reservations seven days in advance. So the short window of tables fills up quickly. Check availability daily (and early in the morning). If you can’t find a table, there’s a pretty big bar area that’s open to walk-ins. Go a little earlier and you should be fine.
Food RundownInsalata Di Polipo
Start here. The chilled octopus salad comes with a variety of crunchy vegetables lightly dressed in lemon and oil. It’s good, refreshing, and necessary given how much of the menu involves dough, cheese, and fried things.
video credit: Ryan Pfeffer
La Mortazza
Get this Mother Wolf classic if you’re passionate about mortadella. It’s a soft pizza dough smeared with ricotta, stuffed with silky mortadella, and folded in half like a taco. It’s gorgeous, but a massive pain to saw into fourths and split with the table. A long pair of golden scissors would be helpful.
video credit: Ryan Pfeffer
Diavola
The rest of Mother Wolf’s pizzas look something more like this. The thin pies are soft towards the middle, but have a crisp crust. We like the diavola, which only has a very mild heat from the spicy salame.
video credit: Ryan Pfeffer
Mezzi Rigatoni Alla Carbonara
Two things can make this carbonara better. The first you can control—give the bowl a good mix and reincorporate the puddle of yolk and pecorino romano that’s sunk to the bottom. But they also need to cut their guanciale into thicker chunks. This is unfortunately out of your hands (and also true about the amatriciana).
video credit: Ryan Pfeffer
Tonnarelli Cacio E Pepe
The fresh hand-rolled noodles are the best part of every pasta dish here, and that includes this reliably good cacio e pepe. The tonnarelli has more surface area to get coated in peppery cheese.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Spaghettini Al Ricci Di Mare
If you can tolerate a $58 pasta, get this. It’s topped with a slab of uni (hence the $58). Mix it all up with the spaghettini while it’s warm, so it turns into a briny sauce.
video credit: Ryan Pfeffer
Costoletta Fritta
If, after all those carbs, you crave a fried slab of meat, go for it. This thick veal is golden and crunchy, yet still impressively tender inside. It makes for a delicious few final bites before you sneakily unbutton your pants.
video credit: Ryan Pfeffer
Gelato
We have not loved most of the desserts we’ve had here—except for the gelato. It’s creamy and has sharp flavors that deliver on the advertised ingredients.
video credit: Ryan Pfeffer