Mama Kitchen is a Kosher meat restaurant, located in New York. Although there is another Mama Kitchen in Crown Heights, this review is about the new Queens location, which opened in 2022.
- Where is Mama Kitchen located?
- What is the vibe at Mama Kitchen ?
- Menu at Mama Kitchen
- What is the service like?
- Is Mama Kitchen kid-friendly?
- Are they wheelchair accessible?
- Final Thoughts
Where is Mama Kitchen located?
Mama Kitchen is located at 67-25 Main Street, in Queens. It sits between 68th and Melbourne Av.
Sadly, the restaurant sits in a subway-barren area, so the closest subway station is in Kew Garden Hills, about a 15 minute drive from the restaurant. Other public transportation options are the bus, or a taxi.
The Q20A, Q20B, and Q44 bus lines all have stops at Main and Melbourne Ave. If you choose to drive, there’s usually great parking options on the side streets around the restaurant.
What time is Mama Kitchen open?
Mama Kitchen is open from 4PM- 10PM, Sunday through Thursday. They are closed on Saturday, and have takeout food available on Fridays, from 10AM until 2PM.
Do I need to make a reservation?
Although you might get lucky with a table, I’d recommend making a reservation. You can call the restaurant directly from about 3PM, or you can make a reservation online.
Mama Kitchen seems to be more of a late-night spot; when we left at 10, all the tables were full.
Do they deliver?
Mama Kitchen does not have in-house delivery, but you can use a third-party app to order food.
What is the vibe at Mama Kitchen?
The best thing about the aesthetic at Mama Kitchen is the smell. As soon as you walk in, you are hit with an incredible aroma- spices, herbs and more spices. It’s like the shuk in Jerusalem, but even more intense.
The actual restaurant feels like a very modern Middle Eastern dining room. There’s traditional blue-tiled walls, wooden tables and woven drop lights. Along the entire restaurant is a display counter, protected by glass, with dozens of Moroccan tagine clay pots.
One wall has a full length bench seat, and there are a few random little loveseat seating options as well. Small spots of greenery (pot plants and draped vibes) complete this little, quaint space.
What kind of food do they serve at Mama Kitchen?
Mama Kitchen serves traditional Middle Eastern food. There are dishes from Morocco, Tunisia, Israel, Iraq and Turkey, just to name a few. Every dish is created with the utmost care, and infused with authentic flavors and spices. All of the food we ordered was beautifully presented, and tasted off-the-charts amazing.
What is on the menu?
I’d like to preface this by saying: thank you, Mama Kitchen, for making a menu that is one page! Yes, the options are (somewhat) limited, but every single dish has been absolutely perfected beyond measure.
Here are the things we tried:
Eggplant Carpaccio
The eggplant carpaccio is served with a fresh bread, which is perfect for scraping up the elegant, elevated dip. The base is made of roasted eggplants, and has a slightly sweet undertone. There are radish shavings, and small slivers of jalapeno and chili pepper on top, which add a little heat. EVOO, pomegranate seeds, spices and microgreens round out this spectacular starter.
Burikas
The burikas were gorgeously plated. They are 2 huge poufs of filo-pastry, deep fried, each about the size of my fist. Inside was creamy potatoes, with a generous helping of herbs and flavor, and- the pièce de résistance- an egg yolk. The burikas sat on a little puddle of freshly made techina, which tasted of lemon, spices and parsley. When we cracked open the burikas, the egg yolk popped and made a gorgeous, mouth-watering mess.
Pulled beef
Have you ever tasted injera, an Ethiopian flatbread? No? Yeah, me neither- until last night. Firstly, the pulled beef was amazing. Classic, with a familiar sweet/sour sauce. Soft and succulent, and not too dry. The meat was wrapped in injera, which is somewhere between a very thin pancake and a fat crepe. Underneath was a drizzle of tahini, and a fresh tomato cube salad. Injera is savory, and absorbs the flavor of whatever it is wrapped in. Combined with the meat, and topped with tiny micro greens, it was an incredible dish.
Lamb
Although the official option was a lamb shoulder, we got a lamb shank, because that was what they had available when we visited. This was one of the mains, and it was very generously sized. The meat is served alongside fluffy white couscous and caramelized white cabbage. I have never, in my life, had such soft lamb. You could cut it with a plastic spoon. It literally just melted apart. The meat is slow cooked for 6 hours every day before the restaurant opens, and it makes all the difference. This dish was heavenly, and we polished off the entire thing.
What else is on the menu?
- Appetizers
- Mains
- Drinks
- Dessert
That’s it! Honestly, best menu ever.
How do I go off-menu at Mama Kitchen?
The menu at Mama Kitchen changes every so often, so ask your waiter what new options they recommend. They might tell you about an ingredient switch in a dish, or a totally different menu item that you have not tasted before. One thing I can say for certain is that the staff really knew what they were talking about: everything they suggested, we adored.
What is the service like?
When we arrived, only half the tables were full. Although the place filled up while we ate, the service was great the entire time. We ordered immediately, and the food all came very quickly- I don’t think we waited even 10 minutes. The waiters were knowledgeable about the menu options, helping us choose and being incredibly patient the entire time.
We did have to flag down a waiter for the bill, but at that point the place was really bustling, and they brought it over right away.
What Hashgacha are they under?
Mama Kitchen is under the Kosher supervision of CHK and Vaad HaRabbonim of Queens. All breads are Pas Yisroel.
Does Mama Kitchen serve drinks?
The restaurant has all the standard sodas, seltzers, and teas, as well as hot mint tea. There was also a bubbly apple cider, which we ordered and very much enjoyed.
Mama Kitchen does not serve alcoholic beverages.
Are there vegan/ vegetarian options on the menu?
Mama Kitchen is a meat restaurant, so moost of the options contain some form of meat or poultry. That being said, there are a few vegan starter options, like the eggplant carpaccio, which I can tell you was amazing.
Is Mama Kitchen kid-friendly?
We brought along our sleeping baby, who thankfully slept through the whole supper. Although you could bring along a child, the menu is not very child friendly. Actually, for the average American-diet-eating person, the menu is an adventure of new flavors. So if your child loves new things…
Mama Kitchen does have high chairs for toddlers.
Is the restaurant wheelchair accessible?
Yes, Mama Kitchen is 100 percent wheelchair accessible. There is also an accessible restroom in the back of the restaurant.
Does Mama Kitchen serve desserts?
Mama Kitchen has one dessert option: Sfinge. These Moroccan doughnuts are fried and seasoned with raw sugar, and served steaming hot. They were exquisite. The actual doughnut is not too sweet, so the sugar on top is a perfect combination. Just absolutely *chef kiss.
Final Thoughts
When I think of Israeli food, I usually imagine schnitzel and falafel. And although it can be delicious, that’s not really my idea of fine dining. I went into Mama Kitchen somewhat tentatively, not really knowing what to expect. I was blown away. The food was divine. Truly. The service was great, and the price was extremely affordable for what we ordered.
For 3 apps, 2 mains, 2 sodas, dessert and tea, we paid just $166.
Yes, it was worth the visit. And yes, I want to go back.
