Mad Momos Beer Deck and Restaurant

Wow. My favorite restaurant in Columbia Heights. I’m shocked it closed. Please bring it back. Tasty, cheap food and great deck and front patio.

I’m a fan of this place! But it didn’t wow me. We got the vegan mo mos, sesame chicken flat noodles, and the pulled pork naan-​mi.
The mo mos were just vegetable dumplings — decent but nothing special. I would try the «classic» Himalayan ones instead next time. The sesame chicken noodles were like drunken noodles with a sweeter taste.
The pulled pork naan-​mi was my favorite dish. It was lacking the banh mi taste that I was hoping for, but it was still filled with good flavors. I also enjoyed the naan part of the sandwich and the tater tots that came with it. So if you’re planning a visit, definitely come on Tuesdays for their $ 6 naan-​mi special!

Initially, I have to admit, I was slightly skeptical about trying this sort of Asian fusion food, but I am definitely glad I did! The momos and momo chips were phenomenal as well as the beef brisket and sweet and sour tilapia! The best thing was the dessert, a banana bread pudding a la mode. That was one of the greatest desserts I have ever had in my life!

I love brunch, like really, really love brunch. I consider it a competitive sport and am always eager to find that restaurant where I can kick back and enjoy a yummy meal with my funnest friends.
First off, I scoured the Internets for what their recommendations on the best brunches in DC. Mad Momos came strongly recommended.
My saga started after I identified a short list of restaurants, and Mad Momos was on that list. $ 15 bottomless mimosas, good location, patio? Yup, all sounded good to me. I checked the website to make sure that I would find something veggie friendly to eat on the menu and that the bottomless mimosas were still on special. Seemingly, they were according to Mad Momos website.
I called to make a reservation for Sunday brunch with my sister and boyfriend, and surprisingly they had a lot of availability, just two days in advance.
We arrived, and the place was totes deserted. The host promptly sat us at one of their nicest tables on the patio, and when we later decided to move inside because it was too hot, they happily accommodated us.
Problems arose when the server came to take our drink orders. We all went to order the advertised $ 15 bottomless drink special until the server informed us that they had stopped offering that drink special more than 6 months ago. Ummm, what? How did that happen considering I just checked the menu on my Mac earlier that morning. Since I worked in the restaurant industry for more than 2 years, I didn’t think anything of politely asking them to honor the advertised drink special. That’s what a respectable restaurant would do in any case.
The manager came over to chat after I made my request and curtly informed me that I didn’t see the drink special on their website because it was no longer advertised, and I must have seen it elsewhere. I politely insisted otherwise and offered to pull up the menu on my phone. I honestly didn’t expect him to take me up on my offer, but he did and then proceeded to insist that although their website for smart phones was out of date, their main site was not. He said that he would get his MacBook to show me as much.
Mr. rude manger never came back because I was clearly right.
We ended up staying and ordered our overpriced and watered down mimosas. Food came out in a timely manner, but it was like amateur hour. I could’ve made a better omelette at home in 5 minutes.
My recommend is to try other restaurants in the area with better food, cheaper mimosas, and more courteous staff – Maple, Wonderland, Redrocks, and the Pinch come to mind. Happy brunching!

First visit to Momos: hot Sunday afternoon on the beer deck. Draft IPA and the wings. The beer: Smuttynose, solid, nothing new. The wings: amazing! I won’t do the injustice of attempting to parse the complexity of the flavor profile.
I’ll be back.

Really great place. The owners are super nice and they and their staff make sure that you are well taken care of whether you’re there for just a drink or a meal.
I usually come for dinner. I highly recommend the noodle bowls and the naan mi sandwiches. I think the momos are fine. I typically don’t order dumplings from restaurants because they’re so cheap at the Asian supermarkets. Regardless, they are good. I haven’t been for brunch mainly because they don’t serve many of the dinner items at brunch.
I don’t make reservations because there isn’t that much of a wait which is refreshing in a place like D.C. I’ve been mostly on weeknights though.
They also have fire shows on Sundays which was really cool.
Anyways, love the place and hope more people get a chance to try it.

Three stars, I think…
If you asked me as I ate the first half of my pork noodle soup, I’d say two stars, but it seemed to get better and better. By the end, I was actually enjoying it. Nice heat factor, and an interesting flavor combination I haven’t really experienced before. It was pretty good.
Had the spicy momos, and they were very tasty. Could have used a bit more filling, but the flavor was pretty satisfying, and the wrapper was not too doughy, but with a nice bite.
It’s not the best soup or dumpling I’ve ever had, but it was a satisfying meal.

I took my girlfriend to Mad Momos for a nice low-​key dinner date, and we were fortunate to have beautiful weather. The draw of the space is definitely the big porch and deck (sadly the upstairs deck wasn’t available for us, but we enjoyed our meal on the porch all the same).
I couldn’t quite figure out a cohesive theme to the food, as it seemed to bounce around all sorts of cultures. We order two flat-​noodle dishes: ginger beef and sesame chicken. Both of us were happy with our food, though she was perturbed to find a small bone in one of her chicken pieces.
The beer menu is varied and not extravagantly priced, and she said the coffee was good. The service was very fast and even though our server seemed a little awkward, he was trying to be friendly. We’re planning on giving Momos another try in the future, maybe for brunch.

I had brunch here for the first time and the food was delicious.
I ordered the French toast with Nutella and a side of cheese grits. My other girl friend ordered the Champion which included an omelet– yogurt– granola and toast.
My other girl friend ordered the cheese grits and shrimp. Everyone enjoyed their meal.
The wait staff was attentive and accommodated to all our needs.
This place is known for its Mimosas– it was chilled and it hit they hit the spot.
This place is great for large crowds — birthdays– happy hour.
I’m happy to say — I will be back there again.

Beer Deck is a fitting description for this place: they have eight taps that included Ommegang Rare Vos, Allagash Black, and Yuengling Summer Wheat (plus another dozen in bottle and can form) and there is ample outdoor seating both out front, and on the deck upstairs.
Mad Momos has been open for over a year now and despite initially poor reviews, they must be doing something right because it was hopping when I stopped by on a recent Thursday night. There’s a rustic wooden bar downstairs with about a dozen seats, and a smaller one upstairs, both serving the same draft beers. As for the momos part of the name, I had the Demazong classic Himalayan momos with ground beef and sweet onions. These are very similar to Chinese potstickers, Japanese gyoyza, and Korean mandu and come with a mild chili dipping sauce. Unlike my experiences with Szechuan Express’ pot stickers, the wrappers here weren’t too thick and had a proportionate amount of filling. When asked, the owner told me these were essentially the Nepalese version vice the version you would find in Tibet.
If doughy little delights are not your thing, they also have rice noodle dishes as well as tacos. Kale seems to be big here too. I don’t think it’s indigenous to the Himalayas, so maybe it’s just a sop the to the Stateside trend, but they put it in their soup bowls, have a side salad of kale, in addition to offering it sautéed. I had the sautéed version as a side and it was quite tasty.
A great, quirky little addition to Colombia Height’s and DC’s dining and drinking scene.

Overall impression after a meal here: Mehhhhh. I likely won’t be back.
Pros:
— Lovely eccelctic atmosphere and patio area — seriously kitschy with schoolroom chairs and decorations from around the world, and a huge deck out back.
— Seemingly good HH specials
— Good service and friendly hostess
Cons:
— Overpriced food that was just ok — it was like $ 16 for a few dumplings and some salad, nothing special or even that good. I felt ripped off.
— Veg options exist but seem monotonous.
— Overpriced drinks

The ambiance of this place was more of a hit for me than the food but since I enjoyed the look and feel so much I still have to give it a huge thumbs up. The back rooftop is definitely the place to be especially on a nice afternoon turning into night. The rooftop is a decent size with several tables to kick back and relax, definitely a cool place to chill out and enjoy the nice weather.
Food was decent but didn’t blow me away. The tater tots I had were the highlight of my meal, nice golden brown tots cooked to perfection. I had the braised beef brisket rice platter. Rice well cooked well and had good consistency, the brisket wasn’t that great, I didn’t get any overwhelming flavor from the beef and it was a tad fatty, overall I enjoyed enough to be satisfied but I wish it was a bit tastier.
Service was good as well, staff was friendly and helpful. While I didn’t have an issue with the staff I wish they had a more extensive specialty cocktail list, they only have 4 special cocktails all made with sparking wine and some other things. While they do have a full bar I would like if they had a few more in-​house specialty drinks.
All in all, I am a fan of Mad Momos, their ambiance is fantastic and their food and drinks while not as impressive, still adds to a good time.

I’ve been here a couple times for brunch. The first time I found the food to be just all right. The 2^nd time I had the shrimp and grits. They were great, highly recommend them. My friend’s fish tacos were also gigantic, and she was quite content with them.
Brunch is a pretty good value overall. $ 15 for bottomless mimosas and/​or bloody marys. The entrees are all under $ 13 and big portions. Also lots of outdoor seating, and I have never seen this place packed. I definitely recommend it if you’re wanting brunch outside at the last minute. Odds are you won’t have any problem getting a table (assuming there are 4 or less of you), and the food is pretty good.

I passed by this place too many times to count and never went in. Sunny Sunday came around and I decided brunch was in order. Unfortunately, all the residents of the surrounding areas were having the exact same thought. Thankfully, momos had no wait and an interesting menu (not to mention bottomless brunch drinks:)).
I was pleasantly surprised by the inside of this place when I walked in. It was much bigger than I had realized, had great outdoor spaces, exposed brick, dark wood ceilings, and whimsical furniture.
Cut to the chase: Food was delightful. I had the nutella french toast and the amazingly spiced bottomless bloody marys. I wasn’t a fan of the potatoes but I’m a harsh hash brown critic. My date (s) had the Champion (fully loaded breakfast plate) and a Salmon and egg concoction with much too much green roughage on top plus the bottomless mimosas. Happy campers, no real complaints. Service was awesome.
I don’t live in the city but would consider this one of the better places for brunch in columbia heights/​petworth area.

I’ve been here a few times. I want to like it. I do. I’ve dined in and taken to go. Both times, I ended up flatlined.
I’ve had the atom bomb and demazong momos. Both had so much potential but fell flat each time. The wrappers were too thick and oily, the insides overcooked and dried.
I also tried a beef brisket naan-​mi. It was ok.
Perhaps the most annoying element is the service – the folks are so nice but absent and don’t appear to move with purpose. In our dining in experience, we had to ask for everything from flat ware to water refills (we also ordered wine), it wasn’t super crowded, either. When I went for pick-​up, I made eye contact and greeted an employee then stood at the counter for over 5 minutes (I had been on the phone before I walked in) before the two employees behind the counter turned around to take my money and give me my order.
I love dumplings/​momos. In the future tho, I’ll just order from Adams or elsewhere…

Had an enjoyable dinner at Mad Momos last night with three friends. Let’s get to it!
THE FOOD? DELISH.
We started out by splitting an order of the ATOM BOMB MOMOS which I was mightily satisfied with. The Thai spices provide a unique flavor, and you can tell the pork is high quality. I think the wrappers might be house made, as they’re a little thicker than I’m used to seeing. The dipping sauce was epic too! Spicy but sweetened by these lovely chunks of ginger. We seriously considered ordering a second plate. I also asked that the dumplings be steamed only, not seared, so know that those who avoid oily food will be accommodated.
For my main, I got the VEGAN CONGEE, which was tasty and filling. The pureed carrots in the pudding added a nice touch and the gingery greens provided great flavor. I had some of my friend’s THAI-​SPICED PORK NOODLES and let me tell you, that broth was ridiculously amazing. Momos really has a knack for unleashing those lemongrass, basil, and ginger flavors.
I’m excited to return and try some other things on the menu. Every dish was so cleanly prepared. It was like eating from the kitchen of a friend with badass culinary skills. Nothing was greasy, there were no weird sauces or unfamiliar ingredients, and the portion was perfect. The prices were also reasonable! Entrees are from $ 10 – 13.
Just a tip: our server told me they don’t have specials on the weekend. If you’re looking for something super fresh and «off the blackboard,» you’ll have to go during the week.
THE ATMOSPHERE = HELLA GREAT.
Upscale for Petworth, just homy, clean, well-​done and unpretentious. Wooded booths and a beautiful window-​front lounging area on the first floor, with a beer deck, bar, and additional windowfront seating on the second floor. Lots of endearing touches, like local art, a uniquely embroidered couch, and string lights.
THE SERVICE WASN’T THAT GREAT, TO BE HONEST
There were two guys with braided ponytails working our table. They basically rushed us through our meal, didn’t bring the right cutlery, and generally made us feel kind of weird about a laid back dinner on a relatively uncrowded night. I considered downgrading to three stars just based on the awkwardness of the service. We definitely would have ordered more drinks and even dessert if they hadn’t railroaded us with the checks immediately after eating; plus it was pretty clear we were chatting and having a good time, not in a rush to leave. ANOTHER TIP: explain how you’d like your bills divided. They put a clearly shared dish on the check of one person without explaining. I wouldn’t come here for a special occasion.
TL;DR: The food is fantastic, wholesome, unique, totally worth it. The atmosphere is cozy, delightful. The service could use work, but don’t let that stop you!

Really enjoyed the experience. Wonderful service. The vegan selection was ok and the options we tried were pretty good. The vegan congee was great. The compassionate dumplings were good though not quite what I am used to for nepalese dumplings. The naan-​mi was fun but lacked a bit of that vietnamese banh mi flavor. The hot apple cider was amazing.

First off, this is a community friendly business. The couple times I’ve been here, Mad Momos is always sponsoring some kind of event. I love it when businesses give back. The waitstaff and management are all very friendly and the manager greets every table himself.
It’s called Mad Momos so you should probably try the dumplings; definitely get them pan-​fried. My favorite are the «fruit of the sea» dumplings, which are seafood. You can get them as appetizers or as a meal with a salad and sweet potato fries.
Aside from dumplings, their specials menu is really interesting. I had their ginger beef congee last night and it was really good. Perfect for a chilly evening. I also tried their chocolate chunk cookies; slightly crisp on the outside, moist, warm, and full of gooey chocolate in the middle. I know it’s just a cookie, but it was amazing.
On Thursdays, they have karaōke, and a few songs in, everyone in the restaurant had a smile on their faces and were clapping, tapping their feet, or even going up to sing themselves.
Overall, I had fun at Mad Momos and I love that the restaurant management worked to create such a «Cheers-​like» environment, you know, «where everybody knows your name… and they’re always glad you came…»

As far as beer gardens go, Mad Momos is a great addition to the neighborhood. Great staff and great ambience with an incredibly comfy interior with games, fun chairs, sky lights, and gorgeous patio. And it’s unique: built in a former funeral home.
Went there for brunch, and the only issue is that the food is good, but the flavors fail to capture Himalayan cuisine. I love momos, but these were basically Western-​fusion style dumplings. But the guava bottomless mimosas were tasty! I’ll have to try again for dinner.

3.5 stars
The good:
–Shrimp and grits (this one was excellent actually)
–Open faced smoked salmon sandwich
–Bottomless mimosas
–Friendly staff
The okay:
–Momos (we got the beef one)
The not so good:
–Mushy sweet potato fries
–Wings (rather bland)
–Slow service

Thanks to a Capital Deal, I took the plunge to try the recently opened Mad Momos for brunch. My deal came with one breakfast entrée and unlimited mimosas.
Its located on 14^th street in Columbia Heights but its away from most of the congestion that the shopping center brings. Apparently, the building used to be a funeral home, which makes it creepy and interesting at all the same time.
Overall, the brunch food was tasty. Sunday brunch is served all day until 10 pm. I had the Open Face Smoked Salmon Sandwich and a order of grits. The grits were absolutely amazing. Other folks in my party got the Shrimp & Grits. Everyone enjoyed their meals. The Mad Mimosas are made with guava-​orange juice. They are TO DIE FOR. I will definitely be returning to this place just for the Mad Mimosas. Its didnt hurt that the servers and hosts were very accommodating as well.
*Great place for vegans and vegetarians btw.

3.5 stars
My friend and I got a capitol deal for $ 15 that included unlimited mimosas and/​or bloody mary’s with one brunch entrée. It was a pretty great deal, but this place is not too accessible by public transportation so we spent a bit on taxis to and back.
I opted for the salmon wrap based off the recommendations of other Unilocalers. It was delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed the sides of sweet potato fries and yogurt with granola. The meal felt healthy yet very satisfying. My friend got the shrimp and grits, which she enjoyed.
We both liked the mimosas, which indeed had guava juice mixed in. Our waiter was great about refilling our drinks. The host who greeted us was also extremely friendly and made us feel very welcome. We also enjoyed the ambiance with its ample outdoor seating, natural lighting and laid back feel.
The only downsides are that it did take a while for our food to come and the place is so difficult to get to. I wouldn’t call this a destination place, but if you’re in the neighborhood, definitely stop by!

Yum Yum Yum!
I am SO glad I decided to come here with some girlfriends recently for brunch (served until 10pm on Sundays, by the way!). While a bit off the path of my normal stomping grounds, it was definitely worth the bus ride up north of Columbia Heights.
The four of us were sat very quickly, but it did take a little while for our server to come over and greet us to take our order. We took advantage of the Capitol Deal brunch special, and enjoyed an entrée with bottomless brunch drinks for $ 15 (a steal!). I’ve been to other brunch places in DC that serve up horrible greasy crap for brunch, but Mad Momos served anything-​but. It was all fresh, delicious, appealing, and looked/​smelled amazing.
I ordered a smoked salmon wrap (that came with yogurt/​granola and sweet potato french fries). I have absolutely nothing bad to say about it! The wrap was fresh, hot, and the eggs inside didn’t have any of that watery after-​thought that usually leaks out and makes the wrap disintegrate. Funny fact: the sweet potato fries, when dipped in the sweet cinnamon-​sugar-​butter dip that came on my plate, tasted exactly like french toast! My other girlfriends ordered the french toast with nutella, another wrap, and the breakfast ground. I tasted a bit of everything and no complaints at all!
Moving onto the drinks: mad-​mosas and mad-​marys! I started out with a mad-​mary first and then had to quickly switch back to the mad-​mosas. It’s probably because the drink was FAR too spicy for my meek taste-​buds, but it could also be the fact that it tasted like an entire head of garlic was smashed up into my glass. I’m sure many people will like them, but it wasn’t for me. The mad-​mosas, on the other hand, were fabulous! Made with the secret ingredient (which our server told us was guava), they had a slight pinkish hue and were so super tasty!
The atmosphere was so inviting too. From the deck on the 2^nd floor of the front to the huge beer garden outside in the back (unfortunately too cold for us to try yet), I loved it. They had various seating options and lots of natural light from both sides of the building. It was clean, the staff was friendly, and the food to-​die-​for. I’m so happy I came and will definitely be back!