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Mama’s Pizzeria on the Main Line will close its doors this week

The last day will be Nov. 29 at the latest.

Paul Castellucci Sr. makes cheesesteaks for pickup orders at his restaurant, Mama’s Pizzeria, in March.
Paul Castellucci Sr. makes cheesesteaks for pickup orders at his restaurant, Mama’s Pizzeria, in March.Read moreTyger Williams / Staff Photographer

Mama’s Pizzeria, which has served its signature cheesesteak with a three-cheese blend twisted throughout finely chopped sirloin on the Main Line since 1960, is closing its doors next week.

Second-generation owner Paul Castellucci Sr. said the last day will be either Nov. 28 or Nov. 29, depending on how much meat and bread remain.

Castellucci had planned to close up the Bala Cynwyd shop after his son, Paul Jr., earned his accountant’s license. He is slated to graduate from St. Joseph’s University in 2026.

But the timeline was moved up with the elder Castellucci’s recent health issues. The 65-year-old grill man is set to have triple bypass surgery in January, but will start preoperative assessments the first week of December.

» READ MORE: A Main Line cheesesteak shop’s nearly 70-year-old tradition will soon be history

Paul Castellucci Sr., who has two stents from previous heart issues, was complaining to his cardiologist about shortness of breath. The doctor asked if he had any shoulder pain.

“Do you know what? I do,” he responded. “I’ve had shoulder pain for 40 years.”

Over the years, the entire Castellucci family was put to work at Mama’s: kids, grandkids, spouses, cousins.

Paul Castellucci Sr. started working the grill in 1974 at age 14. Fast-forward to 2025, and “I’m the only one who stayed,” he said in March.

Since word of the closing began to spread on social media, business has picked up.

Store hours are traditionally 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. But on Saturday morning, orders started rolling in around 10:30 a.m. By 12:30 p.m., the phone was ringing incessantly, orders were piling up, and there was an hour wait for walk-ins.

The restaurant was even concerned about running out of rolls.

“I’m feeling it,” Castellucci said.

Customers who ordered by phone or in person on Saturday took turns wishing him good luck with his surgery and good health in the new year.

That all has to make me him feel good, right?

He thought for a second.

“It really does,” he said.