Paris restaurant tip: Pink Mamma
There are thousands of restaurants in Paris, so choosing where to eat can be quite a challenge. Since I have spend a lot of time in Paris, I have visited quite some restaurants in the city and I want to share some of my favorites with you. One restaurant that had been on my wish list for a long time is Pink Mamma. But I have visited two of the locations and I can’t wait to go back again.
Officially, one of the locations of the Big Mama Group is called Pink Mamma. But since it is the most famous, many people use this name to refer to the chain. All of the locations do have their own name though, but they have the exact same menu. I have eaten (so far) at Big Mamma in the 9th arrondisement and at Pizza Popolare in the 2nd arrondisement.
Pizza Popolare Paris
On a summer evening in June, I visited a location of the Big Mama Group for the first time. I’ve been following the chain on Instagram for some time and really wanted to eat there. Since it is quite difficult to reserve a table at the most famous restaurant, Pink Mamma, I chose one of the other locations. (You can also stand in line for a table, but I didn’t feel like it). I reserved a table through the restaurant’s website and got in line a few minutes before opening time. At first I thought I would have to wait a long time, but fortunately everything went smoothly.
Interior Pizza Popolare Paris
All Big Mamma establishments have striking interiors. Pizza Popolare consists of two floors. The first floor and the basement. The restaurant is large and quite dark. Along all the walls are tall, long cabinets filled with hundreds of colored liquor bottles. Because the colored bottles are also in front of the windows, it gives a colorful effect with the daylight from outside. I thought it looked quite nice.
Eating at Pizza Popolare Paris
Surely the main reason I wanted to go to Big Mama Group’s restaurants is because the food looks delicious. I have been following them on Instagram for a while and every time I thought yummy, I want to eat this too! At Pizza Popolare I chose arancini as an appetizer. This is an Italian dish best described as risotto croquettes. It was my first time eating these, but they tasted delicious. For the main course, I shared two pizzas with my tablemate. One pizza with arugula pesto, which unfortunately was a bit disappointing. The pizza crust was delicious, but the flavor of arugula pesto very overpowering and bitter. Whereas I normally love both arugula and pesto. In contrast, I really liked the truffle pizza. A good base and a full flavor. Of course, you have to love truffle if you order this pizza.
Pink Mamma Paris
After my visit to Pizza Popolare, I was very excited and wanted to visit Pink Mamma again. This is the most famous establishment of the Big Mamma group and you can find this restaurant in the 9th arrondisement. Surely the most popular photo of the restaurant is the one of the stairwell with a large window surrounded by paintings. A photogenic place, it’s best to be there in daylight. The first time I ate here it was already dark, but the second time it was still light outside. So that was perfect for taking photos on the top floor. As with Pizza Popolare, both times I had reservations in advance. The first time (November 2023) I had to wait in line for a while, the second time (April 2025) I was able to walk right through with my reservation.
Interior Pink Mamma Paris
Pink Mamma is a spacious restaurant which consists of several floors. We ate on the third floor. Each floor has its own bar and its own team of waiters, so it actually feels like several small restaurants. Each floor is decorated slightly differently. In the room where I sat, the bar was the eye catcher. Above the bar were dozens of glass jars with all kinds of vegetables in them, such as grilled peppers. One floor down, the theme is actually green, with lots of plants. The stairwell is full of paintings and at the very top is a large window overlooking the Parisian rooftops.
Eating at Pink Mamma in Paris
The first time I chose a buratta as an appetizer. Again, a dish I had never eaten before and am excited about. As a main course, I again shared two pizzas (I usually do that when I’m eating pizza with someone else, because I often can’t choose). After the delicious truffle pizza last time, I ordered this one again. For the second pizza, we went for a pizza with ham and olives. Unfortunately, this time the bottom was cooked a little too long. And when the waiter came to ask if everything was to my liking, I said so honestly. This was well responded to and we got a new pizza. (At first we declined the offer, but when the waiter said it was really no problem we opted for a new truffle pizza. Two new pizzas was quite enthusiastic though). As an apology for the dark bottom, we also got tiramisu. And that was really very tasty.
The second time in again chose the truffle pizza. The friend I was with went for the truffle pasta. I got to taste a bite and really liked the pasta. But honestly, I prefer the pizza. That one is just super delicious and I am sure I will book a table at one of the Big Mamma restaurants again during my next visit to Paris.
Pink Mamma Paris experience
After three dinners at Pink Mamma in Paris, I am still very excited. Especially the truffle pizza is highly recommended as far as I am concerned. The restaurants are all nicely decorated, the staff is nice and the food tastes really good. Reason enough to come back here during my next visit to Paris!
Have you ever been to a restaurant of the Big Mamma group?
