Shanghai Mamas

Of all the downtown restaurants that are open until 3am, this one is by far the best. Nothing cures my drunk munchies like a bowl of chicken fried rice and an egg roll on the side.
Beware of the spicy mustard they give you though. I think I was briefly able to see through time after inadvertently scooping a larger-​than-​necessary glob of it into my mouth. Far spicier than it looks.

Food OK. I got the shrimp Winton soup. And the shrimp dumplings. The container for my dumpling sauce was filthy and so was the inside of my water glass. Meh. I might come back. We’ll see

This place is a favorite of mine and has been for years. The service is great and the food is excellent. Even after moving to Columbus, Shanghai Mama’s is always on my list of places to visit when I visit Cincinnati.
The spring rolls and pot stickers are great. I always get the cashew chicken rice bowl. The quality is consistently excellent
However, at my last visit my debit card was overcharged by about 30%. I called but no one has followed up with me yet. Fortunately I have photos of my receipts. I would suggest double checking your bank charges after eating here. Or pay with cash.

Simply amazing. Food is constantly on point. Servers are great too. I have been coming here 6 – 7 years and there was a number of years in that time I didn’t so when I returned and got my usual order and it was exactly what I remembered i was very happy!!! Im a fried rice snob so im picky– anyway got it with the general tso chicken and spring roll YUM

Used to be a favorite. I used to drive from up north to get carry out at least 2 – 3 times a week. Looks like new ownership now and lots of changes to the menu. Unfortunately, no longer a favorite of mine. Seems like they are taking serious shortcuts with the ingredients they use.

Very bad. Disgusting! Do not go here. I waited for an hour for only two appetizers. Waitors are not friendly. Very bad restaurant. VERY BAD. Foods are disgusting!

Shanghai Mamas is the ultimate late night dinner. You could not ask for a better option for something to smash on when everything else is close and it’s 2 AM on the weekend.
You get the biggest portion of food for a great price esp for Chinese food at «dinner» time. Most of the time I can’t even finish my food here because I’m so stuffed and have to take it home. I’ve had a handful of different things here but my favorite go to is the Pineapple Sweet And Sour Chicken. The chicken is very flavorful and I love it with the pineapple.
They also have great starters here. I always get the Crab Canolli. Which is their version of Crab Rangoon, but they are wrapped like a spring roll. Just be careful when they bring them out to you. It’s the pizza roll effect if you don’t wait a minute before you shove them in your mouth. If you bite in right when they come out, it will splash out of the wrapper and burn your mouth and lip, and you’ll hate your life for the rest of your life. Haha.
If you have vegetarian friends I suggest this as a place to take them. One of my best friends loves coming here so he can get the Phở Ribs. He is obsessed with them. They also have a lot of other vegetarian options than most places.
Shanghai Mamas also gets a mention for their bottled beer and a full bar selection.
I would check their hours before you head over here. I’ve had a couple people go over here and they weren’t open. I would also suggest going earlier in the night (around 7 – 9) Than later. They later you go the busier they are.
This is a great place for amazing Chinese food, drinks and to get some 1920’s Shanghai vibes.

One of the nicest servers I’ve ever had works at Shanghai Mamas. No idea what his name is though. I got the Happy Buddha soup, which had nice thick noodles and lots of tofu and veggies. It was a cold Monday night and it hit the spot. I also had a Tsingtao which was 4.75. I don’t live in Cincy so I can’t say that I’ll be back, but if you’re in the area, you should go for me :)

Three words: shrimp lo mein.
Unless you’re allergic to shrimp or have gluten intolerance, it’s the way to go.

Love this place!
The first time I went, a friend convinced me to go. I was a little skeptical. I ordered the Mama Tao’s chicken and never looked back.
Now, my sister and I love Shanghai Mama’s as a quick and easy place to get a great meal for a great price. On several occasions we have split the Mama Tao’s chicken and ordered a few spring rolls — it was enough when we weren’t famished. But other times we go in and order separate entrees. If you do this, you probably don’t need an appetizer. The portions are great!
I always order the Mama Tao’s and it’s always hot and fresh — the vegetables are cooked well and are very fresh themselves. The rice is hot and high quality — it’s never dried out or mushy.
My sister did order some Lo Mein noodles the last time we were there and said the dish lacked flavor. She added some hot sauce and got by. I think she was looking for some big punch of garlic and it was missing. TONS of vegetables though. They even added extra for her when she said she didn’t want any chicken.
My friend always orders the shrimp fried rice with extra egg. He tries to order it spicy and usually goes for a 7 out of 10 but next time he said he’s going to ask for ¹⁰⁄₁₀ — ⁷⁄₁₀ wasn’t very spicy this time.
All in all, the service is really great there and the food comes out hot and fresh. I’ll keep going back and keep recommending it to visitors and friends.

Great value and taste! Went for a late night fix on a Friday night and was so happy to finally check it out! Doesn’t get enough credit for how good the food, extensive menu and late night availability it has. Tried the chicken pad thai and was happy with the taste, quality & quantity. They seemed to have a full bar. cool staff.

Such a fun place to eat. Once a month our «Dinner Club» meets on a Friday night to try out places we’ve never been and this Friday it was Shanghi Momma’s. The food is the best I’ve had in a long time. Staff was so friendly. Our original server was a bit overwhelmed and was not familiar with the bar offerings but then this adorable little girl Robin came over to help out and the night was off to an epic event. This little girl Robin knows her stuff. Attentive, well versed in the menu, and so gracious. We will definitely be back and can’t wait to tell all my foodie friends to go enjoy some 5 star food and a memorable experience.

Amazing meal!!! The atmosphere is awesome and has an authentic feel. You place the order at the front and you’re given an order number. You can sit wherever you’d like and a server brings out your order when it is ready.
We came during lunch hour and it was packed. It’s pretty obvious that this is a popular spot. The cashier warned us that they’re busy and it is taking longer than usual. However, our order was ready in 10 minutes. We order the chicken dumpling appetizer and it was very good. I ordered the mama’s wok crispy chicken on rice. It had great spices that combined to a taste that hits the spot! My boyfriend got the sweet and sour chicken on rice and he loved it as well.
The serving is very generous and we finished off our plates. We left with our bellies full and happy!

Nothing special anymore…
I was very disappointed when I went here recently. I used to come often when I first moved to Cincinnati. They had high quality dishes, good service and some nice sake. I didn’t try the sake when I went most recently but the rest was completely the opposite.
I came with three people. I arrived early. The waitress wanted to get my drink order as soon as I walked in. I asked for some time to look at the menu. After about 5 minutes and me trying to get her attention away from talking with the other workers, I was able to order.
When my friends arrived, we ordered food. I got the Malaysian curry chicken. There was really nothing good about this dish. Lots of tough chicken with some veggies on top of nearly 2 cups of rice which was soaked through with a brown sauce. I didn’t even eat half. It tasted like something out of a microwave bowl. Someone with me got a corn soup that looked like this Maggi powdered instant corn soup I buy from Indian grocery stores. Everything just seemed unappetizing. The only good thing was that the wine pour was worth the ~$ 7 for the glass.

I had never been here before, but my hubby suggested it before a Reds game. Growing up in the Bay Area, a good bowl of noodles is pretty hard to come by in Cincinnati. But I think we’ve found our noodle shop! We both ordered the Hong Kong Style Wonton for about $ 8 — shrimp and pork wontons, thin egg noodles, and bok choy in a just right chicken broth. The shrimp in the wontons make them just like home, and the thinner egg noodles have a wonderful flavor. You just have to try them. They taste much better than the wheat noodles. Okay, this is making me hungry. I might have to head there this weekend!

Underwhelmed. That about sums up the food. Décor is awesome, staff is great, but I usually eat places for the food. Because I really like food. You can’t eat killer décor or friendly staff (well technically you could, but I think they would frown upon cannibalism).
My husband and I met up here for lunch; I got the Shanghai Chicken Noodles, and my husband got the Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken. We also split the sesame drumettes. We tried each other’s food and we had the same assessments — both dishes could use the option of heat, and it could use more flavor in general — it was kind of bland. The chicken in the sweet and sour was nice and crispy though. And they DO give huge portions for the price — but the hugeness is all in rice and noodles. The drumettes were nice and crispy, but DROWNING in sauce. The sauce was also super sweet and we both got tired of it real quick.
In sum, there are way better lunch places downtown unless you absolutely need to have Chinese. But even then, I may just be worth it to wait until you can get your favorite carryout.

Great choice for late night; not so great for a culinary adventure.
Shanghai Mamas has a couple of things that has kept it alive for many years: kitsch and late hours. I have always loved the décor: those tables and chairs remind me of ones I have seen in old Chinese movies as well as the ones I used at grandma’s house. All of the décor seem correct for the time period. Some of them even wobble like they are old furniture!
But the food really is not that great. There, I finally said it. As much as I want to love Shanghai Mamas for more than its décor… I cannot. We recently returned for a late night meal after a long long hiatus. I got a bowl of HK Style Wonton Noodle Soup. Lackluster and fusion are the kindest words I have for Mama. The wontons were filled with what tasted like re-​hydrated shrimp. Their skins are soggy; the noodles are also soggy like they have been precooked. The Mongolian Steak Wrap is mostly onions and heavy brown sauce. The best part of our meal is actually the potstickers (2). Although the potstickers themselves were broken, but that meat sauce was killer! I found myself wanting a spoon to clean that plate.
So if it is late night, and you found yourself unwilling to deal with the constant crowd on The Banks, Shanghai Mama’s is still a viable option to fill the need.

I’ve been going to Shanghai Mama’s for years. Their menu hasn’t changed much over the years, and the interior looks pretty much the same as it did ten years ago — which is just fine by me because it’s always been awesome!
I like to bounce around and try different things on the menu; I’ve never had something that was disappointing, and there’s always more in a portion than I can eat in one sitting. My mom gets the chicken teriyaki 90% of the time, and has never been disappointed in it.
The prices are reasonable, considering its location downtown near the theatres and Fountain Square. If you go there for lunch on a weekday, expect to have to wait a bit to be seated. They don’t necessarily rush you to finish while you’re dining, but the dining room is small and they do need to turn those tables over. If you do have to wait, stuck it out! Your food will be served very quickly once you’ve ordered, and it will be well worth the wait.
The most recent time I went to Mama’s, I was waiting at the bar for my mom to get there, and ordered a glass of wine. He only had half a glass left in the bottle, and didn’t have any more bottles of the same wine, so guess who got a free half-​glass of wine? This lady!

Contrary to the somewhat middling reviews this place seems to get from the locals, I actually really liked this place. A huge range of Chinese options, all of which were uniformly authentic and invariably delicious. Really reasonable prices (though I may be biased by the comparative priciness of the East Coast). A rather dark atmosphere, but more upscale than your run of the mill Asian joint.
A wide range of beverages too, all at similarly fair prices.

I’m a fan. I’ve eaten here twice during lunch and it was 50% filled with customers.
They have an interesting menu that has a lot of options.
The service exceeds expectations because workers offer to refill your drinks, even though there really isn’t table service.
The food meets expectations.