Mama J’s Kitchen

Mama J’s kitchen was an outstanding visit Great Space great conversation wonderful service by zelena good atmosphere are recommended highly. I travel a lot but never had such a wonderful experience.

I was drawn to this very casual, very loud hole in the wall from the reviews on Unilocal and Tripadvisor. Visiting from the Northeast and wanted southern cooking. Had the yams (best I’ve ever had by far), greens (delicious), and fried chicken which unfortunately was very dry. Tasty but dry.
Sat at the bar. Service was excellent and fast. This is a Tuesday night and the place is packed with several groups waiting for tables. Clearly a popular place. Definitely worth the visit. Maybe try the catfish instead of chicken.

Amazing food, but the place is too small. They need buy one of the places next to it and knock down the walls to expand. The hostess wasn’t as polite as she could have been to the customers. Worth the 1 hour and 30 minute wait.

The food is good but a 40 mins wait before our order came out. We ordered the catfish and Mac and cheese and candy yams. Not sure why it would take that long.

Another Richmond classic. Another Richmond must-​try. The catfish is incredible, as is the dark meat baked chicken. I haven’t had anything on the menu that wasn’t awesome. Service is hit-​or-​miss sometimes BUT they also are nearly constantly busy which has something to do with that. I know that customers can affect service/​kitchen staff as much as anything else so I’m only dropping it one star. I’ve always had a great time here. Always felt right at home. If you want some good southern food, try this place out. I’m sure you’ll love it.

This was my favorite meal in Richmond. I still salivate at the memory of this establishment. Mmm…*drools* I was recommended Mama J’s as the best restaurant in Richmond, and of the places I have tried, I have to say this was not wrong. I was totally thrilled with my catfish, collard greens, and candied yams. Literally this was the best catfish I ever ate in my life, and I am not even a catfish fan. Simply because this establishment was able to make such an outstanding catfish, I am giving it five stars for that if nothing else!

Food was okay. I like other souls food places in Richmond better than this place. I would give it a four, but they told us that wait was going to be an hour, but the wait became 2 hours. Probably won’t return because of the wait and service.

Went here during a business trip. The space is small, the service was slow, food was under seasoned BUT the customers who were waiting with me for their to go order were really nice.
I had fried catfish and a side that wasn’t very memorable.

Came here solely to try their bread pudding as they were recommended to me by a friend. when I got here I was surprised to see so many ppl, such a diverse group of young and old professionals on a Monday afternoon. I was impressed!
The bread pudding was ordered at the bar to-​go and cost a mere 5 bucks it Came in its own individual pan about the size of a brick with a side of lemon glaze to drizzle on top AND it was WARM! Just how I like it yes! Some establishments actually serve this stuff cold especially if it’s to go but Mama J’s…they have genius qualities. I will be looking forward to my next visit.
Bread pudding score: B+

Wow! I loved this place! It was southern comfort food at its best!
When visiting Virginia for a wedding, we found this place on Unilocal and decided to check it out. I am so glad we did!
We had a pretty long wait for lunch on a Saturday (around 40 minutes), but as soon as the food came out it was clear this place is worth the wait! I was here with my family of seven people and the table ordered a mix of the fried chicken and the catfish, with a variety of the sides. I personally ordered the one piece catfish with sides of mac and cheese and collards. Our server was very nice and friendly and recommended the cabbage as a good side, my mom really liked this one too!
As for the catfish — wow! Pretty sure this was the best catfish I have ever had, and I love catfish! The single piece was very large and more than enough for me! The collards were also flavorful and the mac and cheese was baked the same way we make it at home. The corn muffin that came with the catfish was good but I only ate a couple of bites of this since I preferred the catfish and the sides!
The desserts also looked so delicious! Unfortunately we were very full after lunch but next time I would be sure to leave room for a piece of the coconut cake.
Don’t miss this place if you are around the Richmond area! You will not be sorry!

Amazing food and friendly staff!
A group of us went for lunch from work after a glowing review from a co-​worker. In the heart of downtown, parking was still available on the street at 11:30. And we had our checks and had finished eating in less than 45 minutes, but they didn’t rush us out either.
I had the lunch special, BBQ chicken, side and drink for $ 9. It was more than enough for lunch, and leftovers for tomorrow! I sampled the catfish — I’ll be getting that the next time. Although the BBQ spareribs looked fabulous.
I’ll definitely be back with family. That way I can share the sides and have more of Mama’s cooking. This is a definite must do restaurant. Whether local, or just visiting. The reviews and ratings aren’t exaggerated. It’s just too bad that 5 stars is the highest rating allowed.

This is one popular spot, and justifiably so! During what I thought was an «off-​time;» 2pm on a Saturday, we waited an hour for our table. Once seated the intimacy and relaxed pace of the restaurant offered an explanation. Our server was very enthusiastic and friendly, but our food was not quick to the table. Because we were starving at this point, we ordered fried shrimp and chicken wings I liked the house hot sauce that came with the chicken wings so I set it aside for the catfish I’d ordered as an entrée.
The entrees were AMAZING, soul food for days! I ordered the catfish, and it was hands down the best catfish I’ve ever had. It was light, crisp, and flaky and fried to perfection, not even slightly fishy (if you’ve had bad catfish you know what I’m talking about – and it was not that). The candied yams were dessert sweet and the mac-​n-​cheese was savory and delicious, topped with crispy bread crumbs. Others in my party had the ribs and fried chicken with greens, the bites I had of these were super yummy. And I like that you have the choice between light or dark meat with the chicken entrée.
We sat right next to the cake display while we engorged ourselves, so we compromised and took a piece of chocolate to go. The cake was moist and decadent, and had a hint of hot cocoa.
The restaurant itself was very welcoming, reminiscent of being in a family members home. I really enjoyed my meal here.
TL;DR
apps meh, entrees excellent, you must get some cake!, worth the LONG wait

I had been wanting to go here forever because I heard so many good things about this place and I finally went! The food was awesome and our server was extremely friendly and kind. I got the fried chicken (dark meat) and it was literally the best fried chicken I have ever had. I can’t wait to go back! The only thing I regret is not getting a slice of cake before I left.

We had dinner at Mama J’s in Richmond, VA based upon a glowing recommendation from a member of the family.
Mama J’s is located in the heart of Downtown, just off of Broad Street. The restaurant is small but adequate in size. Southern cuisine is the style of choice.
Portions are super sized so expect to take home a box of left overs. We started our meal with a wings appetizer and followed it up with catfish, trout, a burger, Mac/​cheese, collards, candied yams, and sweet potato fries.
The trout and the catfish were seasoned perfectly; both were flavorful and provided a satisfying crunch. Sides were delicious. The collards although tasty, could have been seasoned a bit more.
A member of my party complained to the waitress that the well-​done burger was over-​cooked. Upon hearing this, our waitress resolved the issue by replacing the burger.
We ended our meal with a delicious peach cobbler with two scoops of ice cream. The cobbler was large and was shared by our party of three. Believe it or not, the three of us couldn’t finish it…
We had a great meal at Mama J’s! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone — Enjoy!

Mama J’s! Mama J’s! My family and I were huge fans of this spot during our last family trip to Richmond. After reading about this spot on tumblr, I immediately looked it up on Unilocal,and thanks to the great pictures of yummy looking food I was able to convince my family to give this place a try. They don’t try new things often, but they know that Unilocal has never steered us wrong in the past when I’ve picked places for us to eat.
This restaurant’s theme of «Grandma cooking Sunday dinner for the family» really hits the nail on the head of my experience. When walking inside, the aroma immediately took me back to my childhood. That magnificent smell took me all the way back to when my 5 year old self would cling to my Grandmother’s leg while she was whipping something good up for everyone to eat. The music they played also matched exactly what would be coming from my Grandma’s stereo as well. Roy Ayers, Rick James, Diana Ross, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis just to name a few.
My Dad and I ordered the smothered pork chops and my mom and brother ordered the fried chicken. We all got macaroni and cheese and cabbage with cornbread on the side. I also just had to be extra and grab a big slice of their homemade buttercream cake. Mmmm mmmm good! Those smothered pork chops with the gravy and peppers were perfection; a close second to what my Grandma used to make. The sides were all pretty good for restaurant quality, especially the macaroni and cheese. The cake was also bomb. I was not disappointed with a single thing I ordered. Overall, I am quite smitten Mama J’s for taking me back to my childhood.

Believe the hype, Mama J’s will make you never want to go back home. I’m pleased to say that the positive reviews previously made are very accurate. Coming in I was expected that I would have to wait, luckily I came around 7pm and on a holiday so it took me about 20 mins, only one group ahead of me to wait. The wait was worth it, the service is wonderful and in advance I apologize for my essay review but this place deserves it.
I was greeted promptly, the staff was all in smiles. My waiter Kevin was super attentive and was never hard to reach. I never had someone so quick to refill my drinks, he asked questions and was very kind.
I ordered the beef ends with rice since it’s something I’ve never had and I was happy I didn’t end up regretting it. It was seasoned perfectly with a bit of spice and not too much salt. The beef was so tender and just broke off easily without a knife. Flavor was excellent and the rice, gravy also made perfectly. Mac and cheese was good too but the mashed potatoes really won me over. Great texture and buttery flavor, nothing over done or missing.
The sweet tea is unlike any other, it’s homemade too :) I also took a piece of buttercream cake home, unfortunately mine was a tad dry but still tastes very good. Prices are pretty moderate and this place isn’t big which is reasoning for lines I suppose. It’s super homey here and I felt comfortable and welcomed.
I feel this place is great for anyone, portion sizes are big by the way, I had an entrée, 2 sides and corn muffin I ended up eating half and taking the other half home. So for the price you’re actually really paying for two meals. I will return here again and try a different cake.

This place gets so crowded even for weekday lunch! I’ve only eaten here twice so I haven’t gotten to the whole menu yet but I’m sure I will. I’ve had the catfish and wings– so perfectly cooked. For sides I’ve gotten collards and mac and cheese. I love that the collards aren’t full of pork fat and salt!!! I really can get behind that. I like the Eddie sauce, though my friends got the tartar sauce and reported that it was delicious. We also got the peach cobbler to go and for $ 5 it is a generous hot portion. A little too sweet for me but enjoyed it. Prices are insanely cheap considering how much food you get.
The place doesn’t look too fancy but I love the hexagon tiles and cakes on display. I think if they weren’t so nice I might have taken down a star for the wait time but the staff rock!

Walking in, I really appreciated the simple and quaint atmosphere. It seemed like an intimate place for friends to catch up, as most tables were for two. The special that day was the Seafood Alfredo, which had shrimp and crab meat. I would have appreciated it more if it had been served hot, instead of lukewarm, but flavor was still good. I had a bite of the beef tips, which was also served lukewarm, and the beef was tender and seemed like a great comfort food. Service was average, though very attentive to making sure everything was okay.
Great place for a step above fast food, when you need a quick bite on your lunch break!

I’d been trying to get here for a while after my parents were raving about how good it was and finally on my last visit back home I finally got to give them a try.
Totally worth the wait. You know a place is good when it’s the middle of the day, the lines practically out the door and everyone that’s coming out is smiling.
We waited for about 10 minutes before our table was ready. Our waitress was over quickly and very friendly. She brought out our drinks and then gave us a few more minutes to look at the menu.
Everything here is a-​la carte which is good because it lets you mix and match whatever you want to try. We all got something different (per my request) because everything looked so good I wanted to try it all. We ordered the pork chop (smothered with gravy and onions) fried chicken with white meat and catfish with greens, cabbage, mac and cheese and potatoes and gravy as our sides.
When the food arrived to our table it was hot and fresh. You could tell that all items were made to order. The pork chop was tender, the chicken was crispy and juicy and the fish was seasoned just right. The sides were all good compliments to the meat and they had just the right amount of flavors.
We couldn’t leave without trying the cakes and had a slice of the strawberry and a slice of the white with chocolate icing. Both were absolutely delish.
I’ll make sure to request another stop here on my next visit home!

I finally got to try Mama J’s because I went with my friend visiting from NYC! It was peak dinnertime (7:30PM) on a Friday night, so the wait was about 45 minutes. We also ended up sitting at the bar. The restaurant itself is relatively small, so the wait can be long at times due to its popularity. It’s pleasant but fairly standard décor.
Service was friendly and warm, and prices were reasonable. Entrees only come with a corn muffin or dinner roll, so sides are ordered separately/​à la carte. The menu is not too big, but they have some classic goodies.
My friend and I ended up sharing the fried catfish and pork chops entrees, as well as sides of candied yams, mac & cheese, seafood salad, and collard greens. The catfish was pretty good, but I thought the pork chops were particularly excellent (deep fried with minimal batter, yielding a crispy outer layer with tender juice meat in the middle). I got the pork chops smothered in gravy, which was a great combination; I do love my gravy. The seafood salad was a cold pasta salad, and it along with the three other sides were tasty too.
Nothing fancy here, just some good old-​fashioned comfort food. =)