Mama's on Washington Square
San Francisco, CA 94133-2914
Phone: (415) 362-6421
- Price:
- $
- Cross Street:
- Filbert Street
- Best of Citysearch:
- Breakfast 2007, Breakfast 2004
- Hours:
- Tue-Sun 8am-3pm
Editorial Review for Mama's on Washington Square – by Marin Preske
The Scene
The loyal regulars of this brunch mecca know that the often-long waits are worth it. While hungry couples and eager families order at the counter prior to being seated, and the outdoor bathroom can seem daunting, the ever-smiling service will brighten any mood--even before morning coffee.
The Food
The sparse country-style decor belies the gourmet goods--this place caters to the breakfast epicure with a big appetite. Fluffy "m'omelettes" are perfectly cooked without a speck of brown, bulging with fillers like pancetta and garlicky cheese. Made with freshly baked breads, the many French toast offerings--Kugelpuph, with cinnamon-swirled brioche, or Apple Pan Dore, crispy baguette slices and warm apples in a light butter-lemon sauce, are equally tempting. A daily changing specials board features items like crab Benedict with spinach. Lunch offerings are also substantial, with enormous burgers and turkey clubs.
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Insider Tips
The ExtrasTasting the house-made jam is a must.
Save TimeThe weekends are packed. Fortunately, the breakfast menu is served all day during the week, too.
User Reviews for Mama's on Washington Square
12/24/2008 Posted by 36DSoWhat
I completely agree with NBAYCRITIQUE, this place isn't crowded because it's the best, it's because it's too small to seat more than 30 people at a time. See that cute little picture next to the restaurant's name? Well THAT long narrow walkway is where you get to wait for 20 minutes AFTER you've waited for an hour OUTSIDE. And guess what else? You're in line to place your order and then PAY for your meal - in CASH, mind you - BEFORE you get your table, or your very basic meal. A party of five, which was in line WAY ahead of us, was still waiting to be seated 20 MINUTES AFTER they had placed their order at the INSIDE line. The staff seemed surprised there was a group of 5 that whole time, and then didn't know where to put them after they had ordered and paid for their meal. Where did they wait, you wonder? in this same narrow little passage with all the people in line on one side of them, and diners sitting on the other side of them, and staff barking at them any time they needed to come through. The staff seemed unapologetic for this inconvenience. This is no way to run a business. Take people's money and then have them wait LONGER? Had I understood this was how they operated, we would not have waited around the hour outside. There are equally fine restaurants in the same neighborhood with better prices. And at those OTHER restaurants, they have this really ingenious way of treating guests. You see, they INVITE you in and allow you to SIT DOWN, peruse a menu, whilst lingering over a cup of coffee, order WHEN YOU'RE READY, bring your food to you, THEN ask you to pay WHEN YOU'VE FINISHED eating! Novel, I know, but perhaps this crazy way of running a restaurant will catch on.
10/10/2008 Posted by pbakshi
I thought this place was great! I am taking one star off for the really long wait (about 1 1/2 hr for line, ordering, and waiting for food), but otherwise it was well worth the line. I am usually very health food conscious, but I splurged this time on the French Toast with fruit and my husband had the Veggie Omelet and potatoes. Both portion sizes were perfect, I thought the Mimosas were a little pricey for this type of joint at $7.50, but otherwise, well worth it! The beautiful day helped also!
Pros: Great food, good portion size, nice location
Cons: loooooong line
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