PoPola Mama

PoPola Mama is a budget Italian "basement hideaway" directly underneath two other Italian restaurants. It's a good place for a quick lunch or dinner. It's not fancy or romantic but the atmosphere is a step up from Saizeriya (located on the 2nd floor of the same building).

Colors and Katakana identifying PoPola Mama

In Japan - there are plenty of good eats down a flight of steps...

Comfortable atmosphere - drink bar lines the opposite wall

PoPola Mama offers a number of set meals that sell for between 790-990 Yen. If the entrees are not big enough you can make it a large for an extra 100 Yen. The drink bar is included in the set meal and offers quite an array of cold and hot drinks.

The franchise makes their own Durum semolina pasta. It's a wheat based pasta which happens to be high in gluten. The wheat is sourced from Canada and the U.S.

PoPola Mama is a chain restaurant with over 100 locations. They first opened in 1995. As far as the name, it's a combination on the word "popular" and the symbol of the home - "Mama."

They serve quite a few more dishes than what I've shown on the lunch menu below. Their website is the best place to see the full menu along with photos.

PoPola Mama is located right across from Baan Chiangmai Thai and underneath Saizeriya, only a few blocks from Womble gate. CYZ Italian Dining also happens to be in the same building, located on the 4th floor. Somehow they all survive on this one corner.