When you hear the word 'mangia,' what comes to mind? It reminds me of my big Italian family, all piled around a table, sharing good food, good drinks, and telling the same stories we've all heard hundreds of times. Mangia, an Italian word that simply means 'eat,' is one that I love to use. I love food, and love to enjoy it with my loved ones. Mother's Day is around the corner, and Mother's Day brunch is the perfect way to celebrate mom and show how much you care. This year, we celebrated Mother's Day a couple of weeks early by heading to Maggiano's Little Italy and sampling their fabulous brunch menu.

If you've never been to Maggiano's Little Italy, I would highly recommend visiting sometime soon. Maggiano's was 'successful from the very beginning, with eager diners sometimes waiting hours for an opportunity to dine family-style. The portions of Italian–American cuisine were large, reminiscent of a Sunday night visit to their grandmother’s house, or as they say in Italy, nonna’s casa! The recipes were simple, authentic classics, many of them coaxed out of Italian grandmothers, mothers, and aunts whose ideas of a recipe were a pinch of this and a sprinkle of that.' 

Today, Maggiano's Little Italy continues to serve up old world charm, and delicious Italian dishes the whole family will love.

Our local Maggiano's Little Italy, located in Charlotte, NC

We were very excited to visit Maggiano's in Charlotte, and I couldn't wait to try their brunch menu. Not being an early morning breakfast lover, brunch is much more my style. Maggiano's Charlotte is very beautiful. The atmosphere is just wonderful, with a beautiful outdoor patio, and a gorgeous dining room and bar. Upon our arrival, we were promptly greeted by the friendly staff. We had a reservation (I would suggest making a reservation ahead of time, especially if you plan on dining at Maggiano's on Mother's Day), and were seated right away.

 The beautiful entryway at Maggiano's Charlotte leads you to the bar, bar style seating, or to the carryout area.

The Maggiano's dining room is ginormous and offers generous seating upstairs as well as downstairs.

I love the atmosphere at Maggiano's. It's that classic Italian look and feel, and as soon as you sit down, you feel like you're back at your grandmother's table. We were greeted by Maggiano Charlotte's manager, who personally welcomed us, and brought us our cocktails. 

Maggiano's brunch cocktails- the perfect addition to a special brunch.

We don't often indulge in cocktails when we dine out, but since this was a special occasion, we enjoyed mimosas and peach bellinis. The mimosas were fabulous. It's a favorite brunch cocktail of mine, and I was pleased that the champagne to orange juice ratio was just right (more champagne than orange juice). It was a light and refreshing treat! The Peach Bellini was also incredible. My mother-in-law ordered this yummy cocktail, and I was happy to sample it. It was thick and deliciously peachy! Maggiano's also offers Bloody Marys on their brunch cocktail menu.

Mimosas are my idea of the perfect compliment to any brunch!

We enjoyed looking over the full brunch menu. We have only dined at Maggiano's for dinner in the past (which has always been fabulous). As we tried to decide on what to have (everything sounded so delicious!), we decided to order a starter- the Zucchini Fritte, a Maggiano's favorite! 

Maggiano's Zucchini Fritte

The Zucchini Fritte is a popular dish at Maggiano's and is perfect for an appetizer. Maggiano's chef personally came to our table to tell us about the zucchini, how it's prepared and wished us a wonderful meal. The dish consists of six strips of zucchini fried in a gorgeous and delicious tempura batter. It's topped with grated Parmesan Cheese and served with a lemon aioli. My husband and I are zucchini lovers- it's one of our favorite veggies to prepare at home. Nowhere else can you experience a zucchini dish that is so incredibly delicious, perfectly crisp, and leaves you wanting more, more, more. If there's one thing that I wish I could make at home, this would be it! It's absolute perfection!

Delicate little cakes served in place of table bread for brunch at Maggiano's.

We were pleasantly surprised when our very kind server brought us a pretty plate of little cakes while we waited for our brunch dishes to arrive. These sweet cakes were perfectly baked and drizzled with a bit of icing. Everyone at our table loved these cakes, especially Baby S, who devoured one, herself!

The Italian American Breakfast

There were so many wonderful options for brunch, and I had a hard time deciding what I wanted because everything sounded so fantastic. Lucky for me, the others in my party ordered different dishes so we could share! My husband (the meat and potatoes guy) was excited to try the Italian American Breakfast, which included eggs over easy, smoked Italian sausage, smoked bacon and ham, Vesuvio potatoes, flatbread, and a bruleed orange.
This was delicious- a wonderful combination of breakfast favorites with an Italian spin. The smoked Italian sausage was my favorite of the three meats.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

My mother-in-law was dying to try the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. She loves all things lemon, and these were highly recommended to us by the Maggiano's staff. I did have a taste of them, of course. Not only was their presentation beautiful, the pancakes were heavenly. They were like little fluffy pillows of creamy, lemony goodness. The fresh blueberries and fresh whipped cream were just the right compliments to this dish. The pancakes came with maple syrup, but they hardly needed any syrup at all- they were perfect without it. This dish also came with one side, and the smoked crispy bacon was chosen. It just might be the most delicious bacon I have ever tasted.

Kids pancakes.

B, who is six years old, and loves pancakes, ordered the kids pancakes. He received generous pancakes and maple syrup, with fresh orange slices. Paired with a fresh glass of milk, this was a yummy brunch for a very picky eater.

The Vegetable Frittata with Vesuvio Potatoes

I wanted to keep it light for my meal, and opted for the vegetable frittata. The frittata was loaded with delicious veggies like fresh tomatoes, spinach, and shitake mushrooms. It also had a combination of fresh cheeses, which were so creamy! This was a decadent frittata! I could only eat half of it, along with half of the side dish. It was the best frittata I've ever had. I make a lot of omelets and egg dishes for breakfast, and this is something I would happily eat every morning of my life. Now I just need to learn the chef's secrets! The Vesuvio Potatoes were also delicious. Hubby and I both had these with our meals. They were crisp on the outside, and creamy soft on the inside. The potatoes were lightly seasoned and sprinkled with cheese. I took half of my meal home with me, and am pleased to say that it was just as delicious the second time around.

After dining at Maggiano's for brunch, we all had very full tummies and happy hearts.

There were so many delicious sounding brunch dishes to try at Maggiano's! With options like Benedicts, Crab Cakes, and Creme Brulee French Toasts, which we didn't get to try, I know that we'll be back at Maggiano's soon for another go at brunch! Maggiano's made us feel like family, and they'll make you feel that way, too.

We gave our brunch at Maggiano's Little Italy two thumbs up, and we can't wait for our next Maggiano's dining experience!

Maggiano's Italian fare will not disappoint you. Whether you're in the mood for brunch, a family-style lunch or dinner, drinks, apps, or dessert, Maggiano's has a menu that won't be soon forgotten. If you're thinking about treating mom to a special meal for Mother's Day, head to a Maggiano's near you!

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Win a Maggiano's Gift Card!

One lucky MBP reader will win a $25.00 Maggiano's Little Italy Gift Card. This giveaway is open to US residents, 18+. Just use the handy RC entry form below to enter for your chance to win. MBP is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Please see our policies page for details.

Special thanks to Maggiano's Little Italy for hosting us for brunch, and for offering this fabulous giveaway for our readers. Look for Maggiano's Little Italy in our Mother's Day Gift Guide!

Good luck!

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