Mama Rosa's opening in Huntington

HUNTINGTON -- A pizzeria with about 15 years of history in downtown Charleston, Mama Rosa's Pizzeria has come to Huntington.

Taking root across the street from Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards Stadium, the new restaurant had its soft opening July 23. An official grand opening is planned for Monday, Aug. 20.

"We saw an opportunity here in Huntington," said Paul Qualls, general manager. "What we have going in Charleston is something that people really enjoyed. So we wanted to give people a taste of that . When this location became available we felt this gave us the opportunity to cater to everyone, not just the kids on campus. This restaurant has an opportunity to do something really, really great for this town. The buffet has a great selection for this town at a great value."

Mama Rosa's offers a lunch buffet from Monday through Friday. The buffet features samples of the restaurant's many specialty pizzas, a salad bar, desserts and a host of international dishes such as barbecued meatballs and lasagna. Adult admission to the buffet is $7.50. For children it is $5.99.

Pizzas start at $7.99 for a 10-inch small cheese to $18.99 for a 20-inch extra large. Specialty pies start at $10.99 for a small and extend to $28.99 for an extra large. Specialty pies include BBQ Chicken, Mama's Meatball Pizza and the Lamb Grecian Delight.

The menu also features a host of salads, sandwiches and Mediterranean dishes. Among the Mediterranean delights are falafel ($5.25-$9.95), hummus dip ($5.25 small, $9.95 for a large), baba ganoush ($5.25 small, $9.95 large) and gyro ($5.50).

"We've had a lot of positive feedback so far," Qualls said. "Usually when somebody comes here they come looking for something they can't get anywhere else like the baba ganoush (roasted eggplant) or the fattoush salad. I had a group of people come in and order the falafel the other day because they had never tried it before and absolutely loved it."

Mama Rosa's Pizzeria is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sunday hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Lunch buffet is from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Starting Aug. 19, the restaurant will start offering a lunch buffet from noon to 3:30 p.m. Sundays.

Mama Rosa's Pizzeria is located at 2010 3rd Ave, Huntington. Cash and all major credit cards are accepted. For carry-out orders or more information, call 304-623-4273.