OP_080819

28 | August 8, 2019 | the orland Park Prairie dining out
OPPrairie.com
The Dish
Mamma Onesta’s serves traditional Italian
Alex Ivanisevic
Contributing Editor
Mamma Onesta’s Italian
Restaurant, on the
corner of State and 11th
streets in downtown
Lockport, has been serving
the community for almost
12 years.
Frank and Mary De-
Grassi own the restaurant
and have found that it fits
right into Lockport — a
town rich with Italian
heritage that calls Asiago,
Italy, its sister city.
Stepping into the cozy
restaurant, customers
would swear they have
left the streets of suburban
Chicago far behind and
have taken a trip to Tuscany,
with one wall covered
in a mural resembling the
Italian countryside and
classic white tablecloths
set for date nights or family-style
dinners.
Manager Laura Serksnas
said, “It is a very cozy
and friendly place to eat,
where we are not rushing
and want people to have a
nice experience here.”
The restaurant is staffed
by roughly 30 employees,
and although it is mainly
open during dinner hours,
it is available to book for
showers and other gatherings
before restaurant
hours begin on Saturdays
and Sundays. Mamma
Onesta’s also caters to
off-site parties.
“It’s going to taste the
same and be the exact
same, whether it is catered
to you or buffet-style
“Of course I am going to say this, but this place is
really the best, the best food. It is great to come
and be with friends and family.”
Erminia DeGrassi — the ‘Mamma’ of Mamma Onesta’s fame
here,” head chef Kyle Turucz
said. “It makes no difference.”
Turucz said there are a
few items customers order
from the menu that seem
to stand out such as the
chicken Francese ($18),
which happens to be one
of the owner’s favorites.
Personally, he recommends
the veal dishes on
the menu.
“I think it’s very rare,
especially around here,
that you are going to
find veal on a restaurant
menu,” Turucz said, adding
that even before he
worked at the restaurant
those were some of his favorites
as a customer.
Serksnas recommends
the chicken Pompeii
($18).
If customers are not in
the mood for a chicken or
veal dish, there are dozens
of options on Mama Onesta’s
menu, including pasta
galore. Dishes generally
range from $12-$24.
Turucz and Serksnas
agreed that coming to
work in the atmosphere
the restaurant provides
makes it feel a little less
like work. Both enjoy seeing
the restaurant busy.
“When I come to work,
my best friends are in that
kitchen with me,” Turucz
said.
And DeGrassi’s mother,
Erminia, is, in a way, a
legend at Mamma Onesta’s
in that she is Mamma
Mamma Onesta’s
Italian Restaurant
1100 S. State St. in
Lockport
Hours
• 4-9 p.m. Monday-
Thursday
• 4-10 p.m. Friday
• 3-10 p.m. Saturday
• 3-8 p.m. Sunday
For more information ...
Phone: (815) 588-
0900
Web: mammaonesta.
com
Onesta, or the “honest
mother.”
“Of course I am going
to say this, but this place
is really the best, the best
food,” Erminia said. “It is
great to come and be with
friends and family.”
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One of the house specialties as Mamma Onesta’s Italian Restaurant in Lockport is
the eggplant Parmigiana ($16). Alex Ivanisevic/22nd Century Media