Our Family’s Italian Restaurant Story
from Sicily to New Bedford
Ma Raffa’s began with a love for family and food that spans generations. In the early 20th century, Nunzio and Nunziatta Raffa emigrated from Messina, Sicily, to New Bedford, MA, bringing with them the treasured recipes of their homeland. By the early 1950s, word had begun to spread about Ma's cooking. Nunziatta, the original "Ma Raffa", found herself preparing her signature spaghetti & meatballs for her daughters' friends on break from work at the local New Bedford mills. The daily lunch line at the Raffa house soon got so long that Ma began charging 25 cents a meal. When she eventually gave up the daily ritual, her enterprising son and son-in-law, Attilio and Armand, saw an opportunity. They decided to take Nunziatta’s beloved recipe and open an Italian restaurant dedicated to serving simple, delicious food.
Attilio 'Tillo' Raffa and Armand 'Ric' Riccardi partnered up in 1956 to open the doors to Ma Raffa’s Italian Restaurant. Initially, the menu featured only two dishes: spaghetti & meatballs, and meatball sandwiches. However, the restaurant quickly became a local favorite, especially for late-night bites, and it wasn’t long before pizza was added to the menu. The thin-crust pizza style, for which Ma Raffa’s is now famous, was born out of necessity. With orders piling up, the dough had to be rolled thinner to cook faster and meet demand, creating the crisp and flavorful pies that customers love today.
Throughout the decades, Ma Raffa’s has been a part of the community’s fabric, with several locations opening across the South Coast. The most iconic and long-standing location remains today at 85 Rockdale Avenue in New Bedford. Ma Raffa’s has become more than just a restaurant; it’s a place where families gather, friendships grow, and memories are made. Long-time customers, dedicated employees, and even marriages between cooks & waitresses are all part of the story that makes Ma Raffa’s special.
Still owned and operated by the Raffa family, we proudly serve the same recipes that Nunzio and Nunziatta brought over from Sicily, including our signature red sauce that hasn't changed since those first bowls of spaghetti in Ma's home kitchen. For decades, we’ve been honored to bring our traditional Italian comfort food to the South Coast community, and we look forward to many more years of sharing meals and memories with you.
Ma Raffa's is waiting on you!
Remembering Our Beloved Founders
Attilio 'Tillo' Raffa
"If all else fails, just keep smiling" -Attilio
Attilio Raffa's enduring memory is the heart and soul behind everything we do at Ma Raffa's. An adventurous and hard-working entrepreneur, Attilio built this restaurant alongside his wife, Lucille, with whom he shared over 60 years of love and partnership. Together, they turned their passion into a welcoming space for friends, family, and the community.
Known for his infectious smile and cheerful whistling, Attilio had an extraordinary gift for connecting with people. He was a consummate family man who believed in building strong communities, and those who met him were drawn to his warm, friendly nature. He loved people, and people loved him right back. His legacy of joy, dedication, and hospitality lives on in every dish we serve and every smile we share.
Attilio's warmth, generosity, and love of people live on in the welcoming spirit that continues to make our restaurant a place where everyone feels at home.
Armand 'Ric' Riccardi
A smiling picture of Armand working to renovate the old home on 85 Rockdale Avenue in New Bedford into the classic Italian restaurant we know and love today.
Armand 'Ric' Riccardi’s legacy is woven into the very foundation of Ma Raffa’s. Married to Attilio’s sister, Giovanna, Ric became one of Attilio’s closest friends and most trusted partners. The two shared an entrepreneurial streak and an instinct for opportunity, tackling one venture after another together. The two were always building, working, and dreaming side by side.
Ric was a man of intensity and conviction who worked hard, played hard, and loved hard. Whatever he believed in, he gave himself to fully. He loved his family and friends deeply, enjoyed being surrounded by people, and brought the same passion he had for business to the relationships that mattered most to him.
Ric’s mark on Ma Raffa’s is indelible. His vision and dedication shaped the restaurant from its earliest days, and his memory lives on in the traditions, relationships, and sense of family that continue to define Ma Raffa’s today.
A New Bedford Tradition Throughout the Years
Since 1956, Ma Raffa’s has been part of everyday life in New Bedford and across the South Coast. Customers have gathered here for family dinners, first dates, birthdays, team celebrations, work lunches, takeout nights, and meals shared with visiting relatives.
Many guests who first came to Ma Raffa’s with their parents or grandparents now return with families of their own. Those lasting connections have made the restaurant more than a place to eat. They have made it part of the memories, routines, and traditions of the community.
Although New Bedford and the restaurant have changed over the decades, Ma Raffa’s continues to offer the familiar Italian food, thin-crust pizza, value, and welcoming experience that generations of local customers have come to expect.
Four Generations of Family Ownership
Since opening in 1956, Ma Raffa’s has remained owned and operated by the Raffa family across four generations. Each generation has worked to preserve the recipes, hospitality, value, and community relationships that established the restaurant while continuing to adapt for new generations of customers.
Family ownership means the people guiding Ma Raffa’s today are continuing a legacy rather than recreating one. Decisions are shaped by long-term relationships with employees, customers, and the New Bedford community, including families who first visited with parents or grandparents and now return with children of their own.
That continuity has helped Ma Raffa’s remain true to its identity while evolving with the times. The restaurant still reflects the same core values that guided the family from the beginning: quality food, honest value, welcoming service, and treating customers like family.
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