Mama Ji's - Reviews

I haven't visited Mama Jis in some time, but it seems the essence of the restaurant has left. My recent experience was far from the good Chinese dishes I remembered. The authenticity of the dishes was lacking, and there appeared to be no quality control in the kitchen. Many dishes were overloaded with bell pepper, onion, and an excessive amount of garlic. Even the simple rice was disappointing, being dry and undercooked. The greens with garlic were almost the highlight, but the lotus root was drowned in a garlic chili sauce that was unbalanced, with the garlic overpowering the chili, creating a hot mess. The cumin lamb had more bell pepper than lamb and tasted very similar to the Wowo Tou, with only a hint of cumin. It's a bummer, especially since there aren't many Chinese restaurants in the Castro. I hope Mama Jis finds its way back.

My experience at the restaurant was not entirely positive. I ordered the cucumbers, green beans, and kung pao shrimp. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy two out of the three dishes. The green beans were the only item I truly liked, and they were prepared in a way that is generally considered good. The cucumbers were too tangy for my preference, lacking sufficient garlic or spice, and I found it unusual that the skin was removed. The kung pao shrimp had a minimal numbing sensation, and overall, I was not a fan of its flavor.

My experience at this restaurant was fantastic! I was so impressed with the food that I forgot to take a picture before eating. It's the ideal hole-in-the-wall Chinese comfort spot. The cucumber salad and Shanghai dumplings were great, but the absolute best items were the Szechuan beef and chicken chow mein. The atmosphere was also a highlight, rated a 5 out of 5, and the service was equally excellent, also rated 5 out of 5, with no wait time. The price per person was reasonable, ranging from $10–20.

This is one of our favorites. It's always a go-to spot in this part of the city. The food is tasty, and the service has always been good for us.

My experience at Mama Ji’s was absolutely amazing! The service, the food, and the local atmosphere were all incredible. We had the pleasure of sitting outside with our dog and enjoyed a truly delicious meal. The noodles, dumplings, rice, and veggie dishes were all cooked to perfection.

My favorite restaurant in SF! I love this freakin' place. I get the chow fun every time. The steamed fish dish was incredible. The triple c tofu is bangin'. Everything has been great, can't go wrong!

I went for a little solo dinner and had an incredibly delightful experience. The dumplings were absolutely incredible, and the fish dish with pickled cabbage and seaweed salad was uniquely delightful. It featured some crackling pepper that made my taste buds go on a wild ride. I'll definitely be back! 😋

My experience at the restaurant was mixed. While everything was a little too greasy and salty, the fried fish was indeed excellent (sadly not pictured).

My experience at Mama Ji's was wonderful! We were greeted with a warm welcome upon entering. The restaurant offers a large vegetarian selection, which was fantastic. We ordered two specials: a braised tofu stir fry with fresh vegetables, which was incredibly delicious. The second dish was Wo Wo Tou, steamed buns filled with a delicious mixture of finely diced tofu and vegetables. The savory flavor was unique and so very delicious! The service was excellent, with staff who were friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. This was by far the most flavorful Chinese food we have ever eaten. Although we don't live in San Francisco, we visit often and will certainly be back. Thank you for a wonderful meal!

Dim sum before 10 am? Sure! Sadly, our visit had to come to an end. The big decision of the day for me was naturally where to eat! A few restaurant names were thrown at us from our local friend. Our only restrictions were that it had to be close to our hotel, and we needed to be finished by 12 noon in order to head to SFO. The name Mama Ji's was mentioned, so I hopped online to check out their pics and menu. I was a little turned off by what I saw, but you know what? I'm glad we tried them. ATMOSPHERE: The simple eatery is in the middle of a residential area in the Castro, with regular table seating and a few outdoor sidewalk seats. It's not a traditional Chinese restaurant by any means. No gaudy chandeliers, no big floor vases, not a big dining room at all. Quaint, simple and clean. Because we came in on a Sunday morning just before 10 am, we were the only ones in there. By the time we left an hour later, the place was jam packed! MENU: Dim sum items though no cart, dumplings, rice rolls, steamed buns, noodles, soups, vegetable dishes, chicken/pork/beef dishes, dessert, teas, wine, beer. A nicely printed order paper inside the menus are used to mark down your items. FOOD: - Pan Fried Pot Sticker: Though they're listed under the deep fried category on the menu, they were actually steamed and pan fried the traditional way. The 3 gyoza were on the larger size, stuffed plump with pork and shrimp, and were nicely finished with crisp bottoms. Went perfect with the bottle of dark vinegar on the table. - Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms: 3 big mushroom caps were stuffed with a heaping shrimp mixture and sat in a pool of a mildly sweet & savory sauce. Nice and light. - Pork Shumai: One of my favorite dim sum items were tasty as expected here. The 4 pieces of pork mixture encased in a won ton shell were nicely steamed and flavorful. - Noodle with Chili Bean Paste: Yowza, this was absolutely orgasmic! The noodles were a thick chow mein style, simply boiled, then topped in a thick, brown chili bean paste gravy that consisted of ground pork, frozen peas and carrots, garlic, and jalapeños. Maximum savoriness and extremely delicious, and not spicy. Highly, highly recommended. - Shanghai Dumplings: These 3 little dumplings sat in mini baking aluminum pans that were steamed with a pork mixture and were very juicy when biting into them. Be mindful of geyser-like squirts lol! - BBQ Pork Rice Roll: Similar to a look fun dish, or what I refer to as Chinese burritos. The big rice rolls were stuffed with char siu and bits of cilantro (yuck for me), steamed, sliced, and covered in a thin, savory brown sauce. Delish! - Steamed Golden Lava Buns: The only disappointment of our meal, IMO anyway. I'm a fan of Chinese custard tarts, but because they weren't available, we thought we'd try this as the menu lists it as "flowy egg custard". I knew they weren't tarts but knew I'd get that custard flavor that I love. What came were 3 white steamed buns with a yellow dot marked on the top. Tore off a piece, and this thick yellow liquid poured out. It would've been good but the liquid custard was super gritty like unbaked custard. Yuck. Pass! SERVICE: The female worker who was possibly the owner was friendly, and food service was quick.