New Italian restaurant serves up classic flavors on Seacoast
New Hampshire Chronicle | Jan. 29, 2026
NOW HE’S BRINGING HIS RECIPES TO THE SEACOAST. SHE DELISSIO THAT MEANS DELICIOUS FOOD IN ITALIAN. CHEF MARIO LA POSTA KNOWS ALL ABOUT GOOD ITALIAN EATS. MY DAD WAS BORN IN ITALY, AND, YOU KNOW, MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD COME VISIT US. WE’D GO OVER THERE ALL THE TIME, LITERALLY WHEN I WAS LIKE FIVE. I REMEMBER JUST LOVING FOOD AND ALWAYS, LIKE, HELPING MY MOM IN THE KITCHEN. OR IF WE WERE GOING TO ITALY, I WOULD JUST STAND AT THE COUNTER AND WATCH THE PIZZA MAKERS AND THE OPEN KITCHENS MAKING PIZZA. SO MY, MY NICKNAME WAS MARIO MOZZARELLA AND MARIO MEATBALL, PARTLY BECAUSE I WAS CHUBBY, BUT BECAUSE I LOVE FOOD AS WELL. CHEF MARIO OWNS A PIZZERIA IN NEWTON, MASS. CALLED LA POSTA PIZZERIA. WHEN HE AND HIS FAMILY MOVED TO NEW HAMPSHIRE, HE FOUND THIS AVAILABLE SPACE ON STATE STREET IN DOWNTOWN PORTSMOUTH. CHEF MARIO WAS BORN AND RAISED IN CONNECTICUT AS AN ASPIRING CHEF, HE MOVED TO ITALY, LIVED WITH RELATIVES WHILE HE STUDIED THE ART OF PIZZA BAKING. I WOULD CALL UP PIZZERIAS AND BE LIKE, OH, I CAME OVER FROM AMERICA. I JUST WANT TO LEARN. I WORK FOR FREE. WHEN CHEF MARIO DESIGNED THE NEW SPACE, HE MADE SURE TO ADD A PIZZA BAR. HERE, DINERS CAN WATCH THE CHEFS MAKE EACH PIE BY HAND. IT ALL BEGINS WITH THEIR WOOD FIRED OVEN, WHICH IS HEATED TO NEARLY 1000 DEGREES. WE HAVE THESE WOODEN DOUGH TRAYS. ALL OF OUR DOUGH RISES ON THE WOODEN DOUGH WOODEN DOUGH TRAY, SO YOU GET A LITTLE BIT OF A DRIER. DOUGH GETS CRISPIER IN THE OVEN WITH BASIL. FREAK I LOVE BASIL, SO WE HAVE A LOT OF GOOD BASIL. AND THEN WE DO A LITTLE BIT OF OUR PECORINO AND PARMESAN BLEND. AND THE FINAL STEP BEFORE THE PIZZA IS OVEN READY, A DRIZZLE OF OLIVE OIL. IT’S GOING TO BE ONE GOOD PIZZA. OH YEAH. IT’S GONNA BE GREAT. I LOVE THE ARTISTRY THAT COMES THROUGH WITH THE WOOD FIRED OVENS. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT’S NUMBER ONE. AND THEN I LOVE THE BALANCE OF THE CHAR. AND THEN YOU HAVE THE CRISP PIZZA, BUT ALSO A SOFT DOUGH AS WELL. EVERY TIME MARIO COOKS, HE HONORS HIS MOTHER, WHO ALWAYS MADE EVERYTHING JUST RIGHT. MY MOM JUST COOKED EVERY DAY. YEAH, TYPICALLY ALL DAY. AND ON. ON THE WEEKENDS. IT WAS ALWAYS WHETHER IT WAS HOMEMADE PIZZA OR YOU WAKE UP AT 8 A.M. ON A SUNDAY AND THE SAUCE WAS ALREADY GOING AND THE MEATBALLS WERE GETTING COOKED. I JUST WANTED TO BE A GREAT COOK, LEARN TO COOK LIKE HER, LEARN TO MAKE PIZZA LIKE HER. SO YEAH, IT WAS JUST REALLY THE CORE OF EVERYTHING THAT WE DID. BOBBY AMOSKEAG SERVES AS EXECUTIVE CHEF. PASTA IS MADE IN-HOUSE EVERY DAY. AMONG THE MOST POPULAR DISHES ON THE MENU, PASTA BOLOGNESE AND THE OXTAIL CAPUCILLI A VERY, VERY SPECIAL. A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT AND ENERGY THAT GOES INTO MAKING THE PASTA ITSELF, MAKING THE BRAISE, MAKING THE SAUCE NICE AND CREAMY, GREAT MOUTHFEEL, SOMETHING REALLY NICE AND WARMING FOR THE WINTER TIME. IN ADDITION TO PIZZA AND PASTA, MAMA LUCA’S GOAL IS TO OFFER A MENU OPEN TO ALL TASTES WITH SALADS AND A VARIETY OF APPETIZERS. THE DRINK LIST READS LIKE A TOUR THROUGH ITALY, WITH STOPS IN THE CLASSICS, THE CONTEMPORARY AND THE CREATIVE. AMONG THE FAVORITES. THE ITALIAN CLASSIC NEGRONI CRAFTED SEVERAL WAYS. WE HAVE TAKEN A COUPLE OF CLASSIC COCKTAILS AND NEGRONI FIED THEM, SO THIS IS A TAKE ON AN AVIATION, WHICH IS GIN VIOLETTE, LITTLE LEMON, A LITTLE MARASCHINO LIQUEUR. AND THEN THIS IS A PLAY ON A LAST WORD MADE WITH MEZCAL. CAN’T DECIDE? TRY THE NEGRONI FLIGHT OR ONE OF THE MANY SPECIALTY DRINKS. HOUSEMADE SOURCES, INCLUDING THE POPULAR BOLOGNESE, ARE FAN FAVES. THERE ARE 12 VARIETIES OF SPECIALTY PIZZAS, INCLUDING THE CASA MONO. CHEF MARIO CALLS IT THE BREAKFAST PIZZA. HAS CURED PORK JOWL THINLY SLICED WITH SOME FRESH MOZZARELLA, AN EGG COOKED RIGHT ON TOP OF THE PIZZA, AND THEN FRESH BLACK TRUFFLES. SO IT’S LIKE JUST A TON OF FLAVOR. IT’S INCREDIBLE. EVERY MEAL ENDS WITH A SWEET, COMPLIMENTARY SOFT SERVE GELATO DRIZZLED WITH SICILIAN OLIVE OIL. MARIO IS SO PROUD OF HIS MARINARA SAUCE THAT HE WANTS TO MARKET AND SELL IT, AND HE’S CHOSEN HIS FAVORITE COOK, HIS MOTHER, TO BE THE FACE OF THE BRAND. SO WE’RE ANTICIPATING IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS BEING ABLE TO SELL THAT IN THE RESTAURANT. AND IT WILL BE CALLED MAMA SUNDAY SAUCE. I OFTEN ASK A QUESTION LIKE, WHAT WOULD HAVE KNOWN TO DO? WHAT WOULD MY MOM DO? LIKE WITH THE FOOD ON THE PLATE? OR HOW SHE TREATS INGREDIENTS? I ALWAYS TELL MY COOKS, THEY LAUGH AT ME, COOK WITH PASSION, COOK WITH LOVE. IF YOU DON’T FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT FOOD, THEN YOU’RE IN THE WRONG PLACE.
New Italian restaurant serves up classic flavors on Seacoast
New Hampshire Chronicle | Jan. 29, 2026
Updated: 3:38 PM EST Jan 30, 2026
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There’s a new Italian restaurant in downtown Portsmouth, but the chef-owner, Mario LaPosta, is no stranger to Italian cooking. LaPosta opened Mamma Luca on State Street in 2025 in the space formerly occupied by the restaurant Sol. He owns a pizzeria in Newton, Massachusetts, but after he and his family moved to New Hampshire, he realized he wanted to open a restaurant on the Seacoast. LaPosta has an Italian background; his father was born in Italy, and he has relatives there. When it came time for him to study cooking, he moved to Italy to learn the best way to make pizza. “I lived with my grandmother, and I would call up pizzerias and tell them, ‘I came over from America. I just want to learn. I will work for free,” LaPosta said.At Mamma Luca, LaPosta created a pizza bar, where customers can sit and watch the chefs create their pie before placing it in a wood-fired oven. The oven is heated to 900 to 1,000 degrees, and pizzas can cook in less than 2 minutes.”I love the artistry that comes through with the wood-fired ovens,” LaPosta said. “I love the balance. You have a crisp pizza but also a soft dough, so I just love the balance of the crispness and softness of the dough.” Mamma Luca’s pasta chefs make fresh pasta daily, including gluten-free pasta. They also offer several salads and complimentary gelato drizzled with olive oil, a big hit with customers. LaPosta said he grew up in a house where pizza, pasta and sauce were made regularly.”My mom cooked every day, all day, on the weekends, whether it was homemade pizza or you would wake up at 8 a.m. and the sauce was already going and the meatballs were cooking,” he said. The cocktail menu also has an Italian flair, featuring a Negroni flight. There is also a list of mocktails and other nonalcoholic beverages. Mamma Luca offers takeout with a separate entrance for folks bringing food home. It also holds an Italian Happy Hour from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday offering small plates in the bar area. LaPosta said the menu offers meals for all tastes, and he is excited to open a restaurant in downtown Portsmouth.”All my staff are local. They are the heart and soul of Mamma Luca’s restaurant,” he said.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. —
There’s a new Italian restaurant in downtown Portsmouth, but the chef-owner, Mario LaPosta, is no stranger to Italian cooking.
LaPosta opened Mamma Luca on State Street in 2025 in the space formerly occupied by the restaurant Sol. He owns a pizzeria in Newton, Massachusetts, but after he and his family moved to New Hampshire, he realized he wanted to open a restaurant on the Seacoast.
LaPosta has an Italian background; his father was born in Italy, and he has relatives there. When it came time for him to study cooking, he moved to Italy to learn the best way to make pizza.
“I lived with my grandmother, and I would call up pizzerias and tell them, ‘I came over from America. I just want to learn. I will work for free,” LaPosta said.
At Mamma Luca, LaPosta created a pizza bar, where customers can sit and watch the chefs create their pie before placing it in a wood-fired oven. The oven is heated to 900 to 1,000 degrees, and pizzas can cook in less than 2 minutes.
“I love the artistry that comes through with the wood-fired ovens,” LaPosta said. “I love the balance. You have a crisp pizza but also a soft dough, so I just love the balance of the crispness and softness of the dough.”
Mamma Luca’s pasta chefs make fresh pasta daily, including gluten-free pasta. They also offer several salads and complimentary gelato drizzled with olive oil, a big hit with customers.
LaPosta said he grew up in a house where pizza, pasta and sauce were made regularly.
“My mom cooked every day, all day, on the weekends, whether it was homemade pizza or you would wake up at 8 a.m. and the sauce was already going and the meatballs were cooking,” he said.
The cocktail menu also has an Italian flair, featuring a Negroni flight. There is also a list of mocktails and other nonalcoholic beverages.
Mamma Luca offers takeout with a separate entrance for folks bringing food home. It also holds an Italian Happy Hour from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday offering small plates in the bar area.
LaPosta said the menu offers meals for all tastes, and he is excited to open a restaurant in downtown Portsmouth.
“All my staff are local. They are the heart and soul of Mamma Luca’s restaurant,” he said.
Dining and Cooking