MJ
Mama Ji's
Authentic Chinese comfort food in the heart of the Castro.
4.4(5 reviews)
chinese
$$
Authentic Chinese comfort food in the heart of the Castro.
Mama Ji's is a beloved neighborhood Chinese restaurant in San Francisco's Castro district, offering a cozy, no-frills atmosphere with a focus on traditional and modern Chinese dishes. Known for its dim sum, dumplings, and flavorful noodle dishes, we serve both meat and vegetarian options with friendly, attentive service. Whether you're craving classic pot stickers, spicy Szechuan beef, or unique specialties like Wo Wo Tou, we provide a warm dining experience that keeps locals and visitors coming back.
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Steamed and pan-fried options like pork shumai, Shanghai dumplings, and pot stickers, available daily.
Hearty noodle meals including chow mein with chili bean paste and other savory sauces.
Dishes like braised tofu stir-fry and Wo Wo Tou with tofu, catering to plant-based diets.
Classic Chinese favorites such as cumin lamb, Szechuan beef, and garlic spareribs.
Items like BBQ pork rice rolls and steamed buns, perfect for a light meal or snack.
I haven't visited Mama Jis in some time but gee Mama Jis you must have left the building . What happened? This place used to serve up tons of good Chinese dishes but my experience was everything but. The authenticity of the dishes wasn't there and I don't think that anybody was doing quality control in the kitchen. Every dish show cased lots of bell pepper, onion and too much garlic. Even the simple stuff, aka the rice was off. It was dry and under cooked. The greens with garlic was almost the highlight. Whereas the lotus root was drowned in a garlic chilli sauce, not a bad idea but the garlic overpowered the chili and it kinda resemble a hot mess. The cumin lamb featured more bell pepper than lamb and tasted almost the same as the Wowo Tou besides the hint of cumin. Bummer as there aren't tons of Chinese restaurants in the Castro to start with. Oh well let's just hope that Mama Jis finds her way back from her stroll.
Food so good I forgot to take the picture before eating! When I tell you this is the ideal hole in the wall Chinese comfort spot!!! From the cucumber salad to the Shanghai dumpling, best things for sure was the szechuan beef & chicken chow mein
We received a warm welcome upon entering Mama Ji's. There were many vegan and vegetarian options to choose from. We ordered two of the specials for that night. The first, a braised tofu stir fry with garlic shoots, wood mushrooms, green onion, red peppers, and garlic. It was fresh and delicious. The next dish was Wo Wo Tou, which we ordered with tofu. The cornbread steamed buns were delicious and filled with a delicious mixture of finely diced tofu and vegetables. The savory flavor was like nothing I've ever tasted before and so very delicious! The service was excellent, friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. This was by far the most flavorful Chinese food we ever eaten. We don't live in San Francisco, but visit often. We will certainly be back. Thank you for a wonderful meal!
Dim sum before 10am? 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 10am, 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 we 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 mushrooms 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 tun 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 funn 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. OVERALL: Nice menu, tasty food, good prices.
Recommended by locals, Mama Ji's is a great choice for casual chinese delicious food. We had the garlic spareribs and the wowotou (steamed corn buns with pork and veggies) very tasty! Friendly, good energy service that will make you go back!
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