Mamita’s

SUCKS BEYOND…
This place should have been closed years ago.
The owner is losing this business not because of the food carts…
It’s because he hires the rudest staff Like the New York Cuban rudest, long fingernailed-​in-​your-​face …let me not say any bad words here. Went there three times and gave it chances… called the owner by phone to explain to him our bad experience and he tells me his wife has been on him about this Witch he employs…
Hmmm your wife and customers are complaining… you think you should do something.

It wasnt bad. I love the decorations and all the little collected things, makes it a cool atmosphere… The really really loud music kind of makes you crazy after a whil but they have a lot of good beer to calm you down. The chips and salsa was really good, but my fajitas have frozen like vegetables, seemed like they were cooked straight out of the freezer bag, all watery and such. My date’s food was wonderful, dont remember what he had, tostada i think.
Went there a second time and had to basically coach the waitress into telling the cook how to make a taco… wtf? Not sure what the problem was, but they brought a taco of some sort. I would go there again but have not yet. meh.

Wow what an interesting place. We ended up going there one day because we couldn’t find anything else on Fremont street that we wanted to eat. My first impression wasn’t that good. The restrooms are in the back and kind of small, dirty and scary looking. The place itself didn’t look very clean and kind of scary as well but I bit on my lips and refused to leave before I tried their food. And I’m very glad I did. The portions were big and everything was full of flavor. I cannot remember exactly what I had but I know I really liked it!

I was really surprised to find this little gem just a few blocks from the «Fremont Street Experience» — it is actually just across from El Cortez. The Yuca was amazing, as was my Cuban sandwich with huge hunks of meat. Beer was pricey for my taste — $ 5 bottles — especially when you can find $ 1 bottles down at the casinos (but I’m cheap). Love the atmosphere too. Definitely check this place out!

Being in town for punk rock bowling and not having a lot of places to eat due to diet restrictions, I was super excited to find this place. If you are looking for a quiet place to play, this is not for you. The DJ is blasting remixes of 80s song the entire night. The service is absolutely abysmal, but the food is decent. Definitely worth a try if you aren’t in a hurry.

I have walked by this joint a million times, and always wanted to check it out because of its Dia-​de-​los-​Muertos-​on-​steroids décor. I normally go for atmo over food quality anyway, so I wasn’t too concerned with reading any of the other reviews here.
The chief complaints regarding this place seem to concern the cleanliness and the service/attitude.So let me address both.
Apparently, the place was closed down by the health dept. recently for having 52 health code violations (!). I might not have dared to eat here had I known this… but as it was, I have been here twice and had the chicken fajita tacos both times: once Mexican, and once Cuban-​style. Both times they were way above average! The veggies were fresh and ginormous and delicious, the chicken was well spiced and succulent, and the accoutrements (rice, beans, etc) were average.
On both my visits, my friends had the chimichanga. One friend loved it, the other one said Meh.
The chips and salsa were pretty good, but they’re stingy with them and only give you one little basket for free. The guacamole was kinda eh, but with all the other food, I didn’t even notice, And the place LOOKED really clean, so who knows?!
As for the service, on my 1^st visit we were one of only three tables in there at the time, and service was fine. But on my second visit, it was busier, and it took about 45 minutes for them to get our food out. And all that time, they were too cheap-​assed to give us more chips. LAME!
All in all, the servuce sucks, the food is OK, and the atmo is GREAT: crazy décor and amazing retro 80s music videos playing on a big screen TV while you eat.
Other reviews also mention Mamita’s hater-​ish attitude toward food trucks… and I think this is the crux of Mamita’s image problem:
They were on East Fremont Street before Zappos was even a gleam in some Modest Mouse fanboy’s bespectacled, bicycling eye. Mamita’s predates the hipster infestation… they survived YEARS of life on East Fremont before it was cool, so is it ANY FUCKING WONDER they don’t want trendy shitty food trucks rolling in and stealing their bidness?!
Mamita’s is like that grumpy old man in the neighborhood who’s constantly yelling at you kids to get off his goddamn lawn. They don’t have a Twitter feed, they don’t have a thing to «check in,» and they don’t serve Pabst Blue Ribbon or have a bike rack out front.
Mamita’s, if you’re listening, and you want a piece of that sweet, sweet hipster buck… stop complaining and start being more ironic, STAT!

My «Pretend Boyfriend» (real person, long story) took me down to Fremont Street on a «Pretend Date-​Night» and asked me if I like Mexican food, as soon as I said yes we headed straight for Mamita’s.
When I walked in I was hit in the face with over the top Mexican décor and a video dj mixing music videos from the 70s and 80s with each other and I was slightly surprised it would start off so cool.
Won’t lie, the service could be better but the Mexican/​Cuban menu items help keep you wondering what yummy nibble you want to try. I picked what the waitress said was a «sample» plate of Cuban food and I was so happy I ordered it! Chips and or salsa come free to get your mouth watering.
Think outside your comfort zone and try this little hidden jem!

YIKES!!! I had no idea that they were in the middle of a political fight with food carts AND that they were closed down not too long ago by the health department.
This was one of those –let’s be spontaneous moments. Just makes me realize that I need to stay on top of my restaurant research and not just take a chance!
Anyway I had their shrimp dish with garlic. She brings me pollo. I have her take it back and she brings me the shrimp dish. The shrimp must have been in the sauce for 10 minutes — totally overcooked. Yikes I say again!
We had stepped out from the Unilocal event to have a looksee in the funky neighborhood and the Mamitas/​CUBAN neon sign drug me right over there. When we got inside it reminded me of some of the mexican restaurant dives in Portland and that’s a good thing. I should have realized that there were mostly only white faces eating their food and stepped back out though.

Eeek — I didn’t know that Mamita’s/Mamacita’s was closed by the health department recently or I might not have eaten there! They must have cleaned up their act because they were open for business and about half full on May 12^th.
Nobody seems to know exactly what the name is, including the restaurant itself, so I will post this review under Mamita’s, which is what the sign says outside.
Overall, the food is decent and very well-​priced. Chips and salsa are really important to me at a family-​style Mexican joint like this, and Mamita’s c&s were really good. They have both Mexican & Cuban food, but my party of 4 stuck to the Mexican side, so I can’t comment on the Cuban. Taquitos, ‘mexican-​style’ tacos (that means onions, cilantro, meat on soft tortillas vs ‘american-​style’ which have cheese, lettuce, and meat in a deep-​fried tortilla), and quesadillas were all good.
Bonus for the random Mexican music videos they have playing on a large TV.

This is a great MEX/​Cuban restaurant just a few feet East of The Fremont Street Experience. Food was excellent and served in a cozy little spot. Visited for a late lunch and will be going back for more soon.

First time at Mamita’s today — even though we’ve walked by it a million times. Yeah — they were recently shut down for Health Department violations, but seriously is there any better time to eat at place than right after getting their license reinstated? At least you know it’s now up to snuff! Besides, we’re pretty fearless eaters… so onward!
The menu was surprisingly HUGE! Cuban and Mexican and American dishes — oh my! After looking it over for a few minutes, I initially felt that the prices were a little high. It was the first hot day of the year at lunchtime and I wasn’t in the mood for completely stuffing myself silly, so I ordered the Tostada with Camarones a la carte. When it arrived, it was a nicely prepared fresh tostada consisting of a crispy corn tortilla topped with a MOUND of good sized shrimp with chopped onions and cilantro. It was served with a slice of lemon, but I think I would have preferred lime. The waitress offered a bottle of Tapatio which spiced it up nicely.
My husband companion got the chicken fajita tacos with rice and beans. Definitely NOT what you’re thinking. The «tacos» were really 10″ flour tortillas stuffed with a mixture of primarily spiced chicken with some onions and bell peppers tossed in. The ratio of chicken to veggies was great, not mostly veggies like some local restaurants. Chicken seemed of good quality as well.
Service was a little, um, «relaxed», but so were we so we didn’t find it annoying. We chatted with the waitress (whom I assume is either one of the owners or someone who has worked there a long time) and she said they’ve been there for 14 years. I definitely give them props for sticking it out on East Fremont through some down-​trodden years. I really hope they stick around to reap the benefits of being at the center of the new hipster haven the FEED has become.

Shut down by the Health department on April 5^th because of 52 demerits.
«Inspectors found spoiled and contaminated food, food that wasn’t properly cooled, food stored at improper temperatures and so much more. Even the thermometers weren’t working properly and the restaurant’s previous grade cards weren’t visible.»
This would make me very worried about any future visits while downtown and very glad that my few previous visits didn’t end badly.

Mamita’s is a place that offers pleasant neglect. Our waitress was obviously new and that played a part in our spotty service. When she had time she refilled our chips frequently. No drinks were refilled throughout our dinner and the table was only set after we got our food.
The food is ok. Nothing spectacular. The combos are cheap at under $ 10 a plate and the food is plentiful. Most of the Cuban plates came with rice, black beans, and plantains. The rice was under cooked and not fluffy. The beans were good. The copious amount of plantains were a godsend. I was not super hungry so I just shared a bit of my friends’ plates and an order of the Yucca Con Mojo. I was probably the happiest with the side items.
The best part about Mamita’s is their video dj. They play a mix of 80’s-90’s music and it is stuff you have not heard in ages. The atmosphere is a mixture of club and restaurant. People will get up in the middle of the meal and start dancing. There is no hate, because when your jam comes on, it is hard to contain it.

Enjoyable place to eat mexican/​cuban food in downtown. Good food, good ambiance and cheap prices.

Both my husband and I really enjoyed our meals at this kitschy Mexican eatery. It was more authentic than most of our Mexican food options in New England

If I could regurgitate that meal I would! I have passed by this place a million times and thought, ‘oh this looks appetizing’. Not only was it not appetizing, but it was the most flavorless food I have tasted since English Pub fare! Mamita’s touts itself as authentic Mexican and Cuban Cuisine but it’s swill. I chose the Masa de Puerco Fritas and the meat was nothing but fat chunks. There was hardly any meat on my plate and the meat that was there was super dry. The onions were over cooked and they even had the nerve to placed wilted lettuce on my plate. They forgot my black beans and when the waitress finally brought them, I took one bite and spit them out. They had so much cumin in them it was inedible. The waitresses seemed uninterested in doing a good job and it pained my party and I to even leave any kind of tip. After much discussion, we left less than 10% of our bill for every time we had to ask for the same thing over and over, every time we had to spit something inedible back on our plate, and the general disgusting atmosphere of the entire establishment. I decided the only reason this place ever received any good reviews is because the person or persons were intoxicated and didn’t know any better. But I was completely sober and as God as my witness, I will not patronize that place again even if I am drunk and that is the last place open!

We travel all over the country, love to try new places, as much for the ambiance (almost) as for the food.
Love Mamita’s — you never know who you may run into. Locals, tourists, Buffalo Soldiers.
Big screen TV playing Michael Jackson videos or a Carlos Santana video. Decorated with Cuban and Mexican chatchkes.
The food is great. My husband loves the chiles rellenos, I go for the burritos. We bring everyone there when they come to visit.
It’s an adventure every time, and an inexpensive one at that. Go!

I came to this restaurant hoping that their Mexican food was better than their Cuban food, because they’re not good at cooking it. The papa rellena was salty, the ground beef used for the filling was really greasy. Their black beans were flavorless, the platano frito was unevenly cooked, and the bread on the Cuban sandwich was burnt. It seems like they half-​assed everything.
Nevertheless, I never found out if they could make good Mexican food, because the two empty headed waitresses that work on a Saturday night seemed oblivious to the fact that I was still waiting for my order to be taken. I was in plain view (menu on the table) and one walked by me. After feeling that my time had been wasted enough, I left.
I am only giving them two stars because I liked their salsa and chips, and the vibrant décor of the restaurant. I dislike posting negative reviews, but this place upsetted me.

«Tortilla with cheese, meat, or vegetables» — Jim Gaffigan
If you are looking for a great mexican joint, nothing upscale, just good tasting traditional mexican restuarant food this is your place.

This food snob (moi) came back for more…
Mamita’s is more like a food truck parked in some parking lot — it must be a sister truck to Mamacita’s at 611 Fremont… but i have no experience there…
My friend Julie — who is a devoted fan of the Taco Zone truck in L.A. made a beeline for this truck when we walked out of the Griffin.
Me?
eat from a food truck?
let me see the «salsa» station…
Plentiful & fresh
let me see your plate…
looks good.
Prices?
Cheap!
Taco Asada $ 2.00
Burritos $ 5.00
un taco asada, por favor!
got my taco with extra cilantro and no onion — and it was perfect!
either that or i was drunk.
but it was the best little meal i could have wanted at that moment.
«Julie, want to go for another taco?»
she bee-​lined it back to the truck — apparently she didn’t need convincing…
mmmm asada…