Mamacita Restaurant & Bar

06/18/2008 Posted by bethgrd

yumm, yumm, and yumm. everything is great. everyone here is nice. you'll love it! try the guacamole and the fish tacos and the mojitos are divine.

Pros: good food!

Cons: loud!

06/14/2008 Posted by BCS1218

I made a reservation I WEEK ahead for a friend and me. We arrived 5 minutes early for our 8pm reservation - we waited 50 minutes for our table! (Meanwhile there was one 2-top and two 4-top tables empty the entire length of our wait). UNACCEPTABLE. The bar was so packed we absolutely had no chance to grab a drink (4-5 people deep) while we waited. …on a positive note, by the time we finally were able sit, our waitress was a wonderful and the food was VERY good. NB: I had walked in a few weeks prior without a reservation and had a shorter wait. Go figure.

Pros: Excellent food!!

Cons: Reservations don't really mean anything - you wait an hour for your table regardless

01/19/2008 Posted by monkies

this isn't your typical burrito joint. this is a new age mexican place, and i think it gets better each time i go. it's a bit pricey for what you get, but the food quality and originality are great. when i go for a restaurant experience, i want something i cant make at home. the ahi tuna tacos are great, as well as the queso. they do twists, with a tapa style, to standard fare and it's a fresh change. atmosphere is fun too, just a casual place.

Pros: original variations of mexican fare. every dish is very good and unique

Cons: prices a bit high, but i'll pay up for quality anytime.

12/26/2007 Posted by ledbeetle

Okay - so this is my first review of a place, and I never go out of my way to say anything about a restaurant unless I have such an unpleasant experience that it ruins my evening. I have been visiting Mamacita's restaurant since it first opened and have always enjoyed the great food and vibrant atmosphere. However, I must agree with several other reviewers that as the restaurant has become more popular, the service, and attention to that "friendly, neighborhood atmosphere" has gone south. With my parents in town for the holidays, I decided to take them there, after convincing them what a great place it was. We were told that the wait would be about 20 minutes, 30 minutes at the most. At about 30 minutes in, I asked the hostess where we stood and she said we were next. At 40 minutes, I politely asked again, highlighting that we were told it would be 30 minutes at the most and seeing about 3 or 4 other parties get seated ahead of us. At that point, the hostess very rudely said it had been only 30 minutes since we were logged in to her seating chart (which is irrelevant since I know we had been there 40 minutes) and basically made it seem as if we were lying about how long we'd been there. I was shocked at the treatment and actually asked for a comment card (which they don't have) so that I point this out. The bottom line is that this place continues to have great food but the service can either be good or terrible. Our server was fantastic, charming and took good care of us, but the hostess experience had already put a taint on the overall dinner experience. I hope that they pay more attention to how the host / hostess treats their patrons as it was very disappointing to have been coming there for years and be treated this way. I can no longer recommend this restaurant as a "go to" place for great Mexican food unless folks also have an appetite for poor service.

11/15/2007 Posted by jjaeger

Yes please I want more and more and more. SO SO SO good and great lively atmosphere. Service was unreal too. Go you will not regret it

09/17/2007 Posted by courage

While visiting San Francisco we decided to try out Mamacitias because we had heard some of the hype about it, and we ended up having the best restaurant experience of our lives! The hostess that we made reservations with was polite, and managed to squeeze in our reservation even though we only called a day ahead. When we arrived early there was already a line out the door, so we waited in the cute bar area. We were very promptly seated by our reservation time by another very gracious hostess. Our waitress suggested the heirloom tomato salad that was in season, and it was the treat of a lifetime! The simple salad was just exploding with sweet tomato goodness that i'm still craving now that I'm home a week later! We also got an order of the guacamole (yum!), chile relleno, beef tacos, and a ceviche. Everything was amazing beyond belief! This was by far the best restaurant we have visited in at least 4 years!

Pros: very cute and trendy, inexpensive, great staff, heirloom tomato salad!

Cons: none

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

08/19/2007 Posted by jocon

This place ROCKS!!! From the moment you walk in, to the moment you leave, you are transported to the land of Mamacita's margarita's and moles. Dim lighting help the dangling star lights pop. The energy in the room is a literal vibration from great looking people enjoying the buzz of this fun and exciting place. No table, no problem. The hostess told us about 30-45 minutes for a table. Plenty of time to get the margarita's rollin and the conversations started. We were able to grab a seat at the bar, where me and my date got a pitcher of delicious ( and STRONG :) margaritas, and some of the most delicately textured guacamole I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. 25 minutes later, the cute hostess walked up and told us our table was ready. We sat and were directed towards tuna tartar (Amazing!), the heirloom tomato salad, and the chicken enchiladas. Is it cheezy (by the way, yes it is) to say we ate the whole enchilada! Great staff, knowledgable and fun. Great food. Great atmosphere! VIVA MAMACITAS!!!

08/15/2007 Posted by luckyklein

My husband and I called before coming to Mamacita, and we were told by the hostess that they do not take reservations due to the popularity of the place. We were also told when we got there that there is a 20 min wait which was fine with us. We sat at the bar and enjoyed our margaritas and spoke to the kind bartender. It only got worse when we noticed people getting seated before us who happened to know the owner!We confronted the hostess and asked for an explanation and we were told that they place RESERVE seats on tables so people from the bar do not think they are open seating. We then met the "owner" after our kind bartender made him aware that we have been waiting for 1hr. He came up to speak to me, and when I told him about my frustration, he didn't want to hear about it and told us that people make reservations 4 days in advance!! GIVE ME A BREAK!!!! So, instead of apologizing or giving us free drinks after we spent over 60 dollars at his bar, all we get is this statement, "well it's not an exact science on how long you wait" Basically, IF YOU KNOW THE OWNER, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING SEATED. We left after our appetizer at the bar and went to the Grove where I got a nice cup of cappucino,and quesadillas from a lovely group of staff and manager :) I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO A PLACE WHERE CUSTOMERS DO NOT MATTER. IF YOU ARE THE OWNER, YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHO GETS TO SEAT FIRST. Im glad he is not in NY,Baltimore or DC because this won't work back there.I hope that people actually realize that it doesn't matter how good the review is if PEOPLE that own it are RUDE. Thank God for the nice hostess and bartender! If it wasn't for Rachel Ray's review I would have never attempted to go to this SNOBBY PLACE! Next up....Rachel Ray, Oprah and San Francisco Restaurant Review so "tourist" like myself know about arrogant owners like Mamacita exist. You can get better CUSTOMER SERVICE AT THE GROVE AT CHESTER ST. THAN THIS PLACE!

Pros: Nice Hostess and Bartender; IF you know the Owner then you can be seated!

Cons: Arrogant Owner; False Advertising about reservations since we were told over the phone they don't take reservations 8/15/07

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

07/14/2007 Posted by fletch13

I'm married with two kids, I go here for the food. I've been three times, all of which were excellent. I get there right when it opens so theres no waiting. The service at this time is great. You really cant go wrong with the menu. The three items on the kids menu(burrito, quesadilla or flauta) were tastier than most mexican restaurants in the city. I wouldn't recommend small children because it does get very busy and loud.The enchilladas are out of this world and so are the pulled pork tacos.And if you're single, thers a lot more on the menu than food. If you dont mind waiting 30 to 45 mins for a table and you're not driving(parking in the marina just plain stinks) you will not be disapointed.

Pros: Great food Good service

Cons: Loud May have to wait 45to60 mins for a table

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

07/12/2007 Posted by stellat

I just can't get enough of the food at mamacita. The chef often creates new seasonal dishes that are amazing and I am always happy to see my favorites (chicken tacos and chilaquiles) are always on the menu. The margaritas are great and pack enough kick to get your night going in a very fun direction.

Pros: Everything!