Mama’s Food Shop

In case you miss one of the reviews below, MAMA’S IS NOW CLOSED.
But to be completely honest, you’re not missing much. I have to write this review because for two years I’ve walked by Mama’s thinking «Wow, I really need to stop in and try the fried chicken.» And two years later, I finally entered and sat down for a meal, finding myself completely disappointed at the end.
Everyone comments on the fried chicken — sure it wasn’t greasy but it was very, very dry. I also got the collard greens and mashed potatoes, and they were fine but nothing special. For $ 14, you could go to KFC and get a bucket of chicken with much more flavor. The mac and cheese was cheesy and good, but all in all, nothing special. A week later the bf forwarded the email saying they were closing and I’m glad I was able to make it before this, but just sad it wasn’t that good.

Despite the painting of the black lady on the outside of the shop and the soul food menu the place is owned by a young white guy named Jeremiah Clancy. You wouldn’t know that tasting the food though. They’ve got some delicious fried chicken. The batter has more seasoning than you’d normally see in fried chicken and is extra crispy without being oily at all. A chicken meal comes with 2 pieces (I got a breast and wing)
I’m astounded that there were no sweet potatoes or carrots offered as a sides so I went with mac and cheese and potatoes. Both were pretty average, nothing to go into any depth about.
How the place is set up is that you go to the counter and order your food and find a seat in their very modestly sized dining room area. When I came the only table that was open was a large 8 person table. A party came in and took up the table and I was told I should find a smaller table (of which there were none available). I was then told I could eat on the park bench outside. Luckily the party of people didn’t mind me crashing their celebration so I could eat my meal like a normal human being.
Back to the food, the menu is as simple as it gets:
Meat and 2 sides: $ 13.50
Meat and 1 side: $ 12.50
No Meat and 3 sides: $ 11.50
Meats: fried chicken, roast chicken, meatloaf, tilapia, pork

*****NOTE! MAMA’S HAS CLOSED THEIR DOORS!
Just was about to head over there and read on the web site that they are no more — closed down due to the high rents of the east village.
It’s a sad day, this was my favorite comfort food place and I was dying and holding out for a big plate of fried chicken tonight.
Best of luck to the employees and manager, it was a great run.

Loved the home feeling time of atmosphere but the food was okay.
Roasted chicken: good but a little salty
Mashed potatoes: best item we ordered. Not usually a fan of mashed potatoes but loved the taste of these, especially the gravy.
Corn: 2^nd best item on the menu. Love corn that is cut off from an actual cob.
Mac and Cheese: pretty bland
Collard greens: bland as well
Friends said the fried chicken wasn’t as salty as the roasted but was a little disappointing compared to Roscoe’s in LA and Gladys Knights in Atlanta. If you are ever there, you need to try it.
LMK your thoughts on Mama’s– might have to give it a second try.

Ate: Fried chicken, collard greens
Drank: Water
Liked: No frills, simple, friendly staff
Disliked: This is a nit, but no ice in the water.
Chicken: Yes. Tried both kinds of chicken and liked them both. The roasted was actually a little better as the breading on the fried was slightly overcooked.
Would mom like it?: I think she might actually like this one. She’ll throw in a disparaging comment or two though just to keep up her reputation.
Would I go back: Sure, except it’s in an area I don’t frequent.
Recommend: Collard greens were cooked perfectly. I’ll be sure to get more sides next time.

I walked in and saw how the food looked and was served.
Walked outside, threw up, and went to Pies n’ Thighs where hipsters are sure not to sweat on your food while serving it to you
AND you can also sit at a table.
Guy Fieri is a retard.
Disgusting. Negative 5 stars.

Their momma stuck her foot in my meal and it was amazing!
Really, great concept restaurant. I loved the different portraits of mothers hanging on the walls. The low lighting and candles on the tables, made me feel like I was in an old school kitchen, waiting to eat some great home cookin’.
I ordered a watermelon, basil, tomato salad with collard greens and talapia. My beverage was a homemade sugar free ginger iced tea. I ripped up my meal. It was seriously like heaven. Completely impressed and happy to have experienced that.
Con/​note: Cash only

Compared to the price, this place is great.
Having said this, the quality by itself, does not stand out! However, if you want good fried chicken and waffles (with southern sides), this place is it.
1. Fried Chicken and waffles: you get a good amount of food. a few pieces of waffle and a couple pieces of chicken. The cayenne pepper syrup is pretty hot. When we walked into the place, the customers told us to get the syrup on the side. Two of us (5) got this dish and they both liked it. i tried it and my bite was pretty amazing. $ 12 ish?
2. Egg biscuit. nothing to write home about… dry biscuit… scrambled eggs… eh. $ 6
3. Meatloaf sandwich. Don’t get it!
4. Ginger iced tea — i would not pay 2.5 for it… just get water. or bring your own adult beverage.
5. sides: mac and cheese is pretty good, mint/​tomato salad — refreshing. id get that again.
We went on a sunday afternoon for lunch after church and the wait was about 20 minutes for five people. There is a great pretzel place around the corner — they make their pretzels there… very good. it was a good carb-​y appetizer for this carb-​ful meal.
cash only.

CHICKEN.
Thank you for listening.

My three friends and I showed up around 8pm on a Friday for dinner at Mama’s. Like almost everyone else, we’d seen the place on Diners, Drive-​Ins, and Dives. Since we all happen to love a good fried chicken meal we were pumped to try this place.
The seating situation is pretty stressful. That is one reason I took away a star. There is no hostess and about 7 tables. It’s a semi-​organized chaos type situation. You show up and hawk-​eye a table until someone gets up — I find this way too intense for a weekend dinner but this is New York I suppose.
Once we procured our table we realized that this place was BYOB — always a plus. So being the classy ladies we are we ran and got Sam Adams and a couple 40s.
There are no waitresses. You go up to the counter cafeteria style to order. I had the fried chicken and mash potatoes and cornbread. The fried chicken and mashed potatoes were excellent. Very flavorful. The cornbread was good not great. It definitely should have been warmer. That was the case with all the sides I sampled. They just weren’t hot enough.
The broccoli and macaroni and cheese were both very good — just a little too rich for me.
Overall I really liked the food. I’d go back but only at a time when it wasn’t busy.

Very good fried chicken, but not great… better than average. I would say the same thing about the Mac n Cheese. Overall, the food was good, but nothing too special. Health Dept. Grade of B as of 3÷11÷12.

My friends saw this on Guy Fieri’s Diners Drive-​ins and Dives and decided that they were all craving fried chicken and waffles. So we made the trip over and I guess everyone else saw that episode on Food Network. We had quite a wait since we were a party of six and there’s only one table big enough to seat us.
We all ordered the fried chicken and waffles. Luckily, I shared with the bf since the portions were too big for me. We were fortunate for the three pieces of dark meat since our friends claimed the white meat was dry.
I wasn’t a fan of the honey glaze; it was too sweet. The waffle was doused in sauce that had a spicy kick. It was not the best fried chicken and waffles that I’ve ever had.
The mac and cheese was sub par as well and the potato salad was not memorable.
The place is really small and gives off a very dive-​y feeling.
2.5 stars, I don’t think I’d come back any time soon.

This place has some really good comfort food. For all the culinary experts this is not the Four Seasons. Simple basic food served up at the counter. So get in line and speak up.
I had the
Fried Chicken… damn really good
Mashed Potatoes… fresh and good
Beets…vv good
Brussell Sprouts… vv good
Black Bean’s excellente
Well i had no room for the Banana Pudding… maybe next time. I really enjoyed it so much. It reminded me of my land lady’s fried chicken from South Carolina who could really burn.
Its really i nice little gem of a spot and i would return for some more of this food that makes everything so comforting. You could knock me over with a feather after a meal like this.

5 stars? Not enough. This place deserves all the stars in the night sky!
I’m going to make this review as short and sweet as possible, because I could gush over Mama’s for hours on end.
Last night I went here for take out. My fiancée and I ordered 4 chicken thighs, a large container of mac & cheese, and a large container of mashed potatoes & gravy.
It ended up costing $ 15 per person — super reasonable, and I would’ve gladly paid twice as much for the taste, quality, and experience.
My mind was blown. Hell, my mind is STILL blown. I cannot get over the amazingness of our meal. It smelled so heavenly that I started eating it in the car on the drive home.
I’ve eaten fried chicken from everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE! Mama’s fried chicken thighs are, hands down, the absolute best I’ve EVER had. Juicy, succulent, with the perfect breading. Man, I’m drooling just thinking about it. There is not a single thing you could possibly do to that fried chicken to make it taste better.
The mashed potatoes were delightful. I don’t know what they put in the gravy, but I’m pretty sure it’s magical. I was, quite shamelessly, licking the bottom of the bowl.
The mac and cheese was creamy, and thick. Just how I like it. Soul food at it’s most nurturing. Didn’t need anything. Again, perfection!
This meal was truly life-​altering. It spoke to my soul.
If anyone reading can recommend better fried chicken and/​or mashed potatoes & gravy, anywhere in NYC, I’ll absolutely alter this review. But quite frankly, I can’t imagine food tasting better than this.
If you haven’t eaten here, do yourself a favor and visit. Whether you eat-​in or take-​out you *will not* be disappointed. I promise you.

Big portions of delicious food, friendly counterperson, casual atmosphere, lots of Mama’s decorating the walls.
Broke gluten-​free diet to try this place since it was so raved about:
_​Fried Chicken $ 12.50
_​Beet Salad (1 side included with Fried Chicken)
_​Mac & Cheese (another side for a $ 1 with Fried Chicken)
_​Ginger Mint Iced Tea $ 2.50
Highly recommended. Would return if willing to break the gf diet again.

Erm. I did not like the fried chicken. If I’m going out to eat fried chicken, it better be a helluva lot better than what I can make at home. This was not the case here.
However, I did like the variety of fresh sides, the eclectic décor and the nice people working behind and in front of the counter.
Not sure I’ll come back for the chicken, though. The hunt continues.

YUM! I came here for brunch with one of my friends. We were here before they even opened, but patiently waited outside. I ordered the fried chicken and waffles — so good! The chicken had a wonderful crispy skin while the meat was juicy and tender. The waffles were a bit cold, though. My favorite part of this meal was the spicy honey sauce for the waffles (a must try!).
–L.

My review will strictly be on what I ordered:
During my visit for a month about 8 years ago, I’d say I went to this place at least 8 times (my cousin literally lived on ave b bw 3^rd & 4^th and you can see her balcony from the restaurant). I obviously haven’t been to this place since, being that I live in Southern California. The crazy thing is that this is the only food placeI cared to go back to this past visit.
Mama’s Fried Chicken: Oh lord!!! I love me some fried chicken, and this place definitely saturates that craving. I’m not one to compare this fried chicken to that fried chicken & so fourth. For what THIS chicken is, it’s delicious. Simply seasoned & fried to juicy & crispy skin goodness. (Damn I want some right now talking about it) I’m guessing they always give you random pieces of chicken because one of the orders had 3 thighs & a wing then the second order had 1 breast, 1 thigh, & a wing. BOMBSKEEZ!!!
Mac & Cheese: This isn’t your oooey, gooey mac, but more of your thick & starchy kind. but the kind I personally LOVE with this kind of comfort food. This side dish hits home. What’s funny is… I always remembered what the mac & cheese tasted like the first time I had it. and well, after 8 years of tasting it again, it’s EXACTLY as I remember… SUPER PROPS!
Mashed Potatoes: bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb! This side dish also hits home. It’s like the perfect consistency to compliment the fried chicken. even by itself.
OVERALL: I was back in NY visiting for a week and what’s funny is of all the food places I ate at, THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE I OVERATE haha! That means the food was too good to put down =P Comfort food at it’s best… this food makes me feel like I’m home.
Like I always say «YOU WON’T KNOW UNLESS YOU TRY IT YOURSELF» =]

oh mamas we meet again…
a bunch of us were getting drinks across the street at No Malice Palace. We headed straight to the bar from work so we were starving. Mama’s to the rescue! (Yes, No Malice Palace let us bring food in)
Besides the fried chicken, I only had one request. mac n cheese!
When my girls came through the door with the chicken and the mac n cheese, we stopped drinking and focused on the food. I love their mac n cheese, i was going around the bar feeding everyone a forkful. Ha.
It was as good as I remembered and I had to share.
So yes, I’m still a fan even if I still haven’t tried the mashed potatoes.

Mama’s is comfort food at its best.
I always come here for the mac and cheese and fried chicken. My friends have also tried nearly everything on the menu and are always satisfied. The restaurant is buffet style, where you pick the sides you want. You go up to the counter, they spoon everything on your plate, then you grab a seat and chow down. When you’re done (if you’re polite), you clean off your plate in the garbage and put the dishes in the sink.
I would give this place 5 stars, but I had to knock one off for price. This is new york and there are cheaper options. That said, I would still pay the money for this quality.