Mama Rouge

Sunday night dinner was quite and delicious! however sometimes it feels that restaurants is short of staff and you have to find a waiter. Food is great! I wish they wouldn’t change the dessert list, because i really miss delicious chocolate tart they used to make

I am a fan of Mama Rouge. Especially when they brought their old chef back.
I work across the street so this is an easy lunch of take out dinner when working late at the office.
The customer service is always so incredibly nice. What I’ve liked best is their massaman curry and crispy wings. Yum, Yum.

I was just casually walking past this place to find some place to eat and there was a gentlemen outside who invited me to come in for happy hour. Usually I’m not one to do that but the menu looked awesome!
I went inside (it was slow) it was around 5 pm so that’s understandable. I ordered a glass of wine (which was half price) and an appetizer. I met joe the bartender who was telling me the concept of the place.
I must say even though I only had the calamari and a glass of wine it was really good. They have «homemade Siracha sauce» it was so good I wanted to take it with me.
I will definitely be back when I have more time! Great concept and nice people.

Do not put an egg, shiitake mushrooms, and spinach in a bowl with noodles, and call it Phở.
Do not put pickled cucumbers and cabbage on a soft roll with a side of fries and call it Banh Mi.
I am not saying these items weren’t edible, they’re just not Phở or Banh Mi.

The authentic flavors by Chef Aulie Bunyarataphan are back! Amazing Thai cooking takes an expert palate and skills. Our meal brought back memories of what we loved about Bangkok Joe’s merged with the new décor.
We had tried the new Mama Rouge earlier in the year and something was off. The décor was great, but the food was one note, and the new staff were still working out service hick-​ups.
We decided to give it another chance and had one of the best Thai meals in a long time. We learned that Chef Aulie is back with a stronger presence in the kitchen. What a difference a Chef makes. I had seafood in red curry which was chock full of shrimp, mussels, salmon, and whitefish. The blistered green beans are as good as you’ll find anywhere in the DMV. The hubs LOVED his shrimp fried rice.
The last thing to bring back is the expert service from the Bangkok Joe’s staff. They were so friendly, attentive, and they really wanted you to feel pampered. We think they are off to a great start with new GM Kwon and team member Tuan.
So I have great hope for Mama Rouge now. We’ll be back to try the expanded menu!

Decent Asian/​Thai food place, just at the entrance of the Georgetown waterfront. Drunken noodles are excellent and deliciously spicy! Pad Thai with Shrimp and Chicken was average. Nice tea selection to go with your dinner. Service was attentive and friendly. Outside seating is nice and you get to see everyone who goes in and out of the Waterfront, not that we care … :-)
The inside decors is well done so we will come back in the winter!

No flavor in Thai chicken summer rolls and coconut shrimp is not crispy enough. The worst shrimp and chicken Pad Thai I ever had. My parents my daughter and I have decided to go somewhere else for lunch while we are eating these.

We were looking for somewhere to eat in Georgetown, and decided to try Mama Rouge. It’s Asian Fusion, but the majority of the menu is Thai and Vietnamese. It’s right at the entrance to the harbor, easy to spot but sorry, no water view.
It was Happy Hour, and they had a punch cocktail for only $ 5 that tasted incredibly refreshing for the humid heat. For Happy Hour appetizers, we had pork dumplings and chicken summer rolls. The dumplings were very good. The rolls were good too, but without the sauce, it would’ve been a little dry.
We ordered tofu pad thai and chicken/​shrimp pad thai. I thought mine was okay, but my coworker really enjoyed his.
In conclusion, it was nice to try a place I hadn’t gone to before, and the food wasn’t awful, but not amazing enough that I’d come back for another meal. I’d consider coming back for just the Happy Hour specials, though.

Okay, well i was here in DC looking for a place to eat with the family. Knowing DC has expensive priced food, it was understandable where this was going. Growing up in LA, i am very exposed to asian culture. Asian food in LA is better. Not this may be considered good food in the east coast area or around DC. It has good representation but some of it is incomparable to many other asian home foods. I thought it was good but just not in a good comparison to actual asian mama cooked meals. Especially from LA or NY. Good portions tho!
The thai iced tea wasnt rlly thai iced tea but IT WAS BOMB! It was more like an asian infused chai tea latte!!! Thats my fave part about this restaurant. Order it! I wanna steal the drink recipe and make it everyday!

First off, this place is amazing. Fresh food, great drinks, amazing service staff. Everything at Mama Rouge is amazing. I’m normally here during the weekday or weekend, and I’m very fond of this place.
It has a daily happy hour which is amazing. Draft cocktails, classic cocktails, and housemaid drinks that are always on point. They even have trench wines that are a great delight with the food and Belgium white beers! Go for the Blanch De Bruxxle (pardon my spelling)!
I felt the need to review this place because I noticed a lot of people aren’t having that amazing experience and giving it the credit it deserves.
Goodness gracious (face palm) one of the worst self absorbent reviewers I have come across on this place and the other restaurants she «reviewed». Only one other with the same rating anyways. Reading her review I thought it was funny because she claimed that one of the service staff call her boyfriend «a cheap asshole». if I had known that had happened I wouldn’t mention it at all. Because as I recall, I was outside at my table, unfortunately close by you. Your boyfriend was letting you know that the server was wondering if the tip that was being left was all she was going to get. I never heard him mumble «cheap asshole». Unless you think he’s a cheap ass hole. Cuz it could be you, because you complained about the soda being $ 4. Which is quite normal if you ask me.
I hope whomever reads this please excuse the rant. Just reading that specific review was too ridiculous to not say anything.
Mama Rouge is an astounding place to dine. Great food, drinks, and an amazing experience I promise you all, that you will never forget. Service staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and professional!
You will not regret it! :-D

The food here is just my speed for Asian (American) cuisine — sweet, spicy, and flavorful ! Here I was just thinking Mama Rouge is just another cookie cutter Asian fusion restaurant. Well not quite, the menu has authentic French Cuisine and Asian dishes. Our waiter told us the owner is of Vietnamese and French decent and wanted to do both cuisines, equal justice.
The restaurant is really attractive, came for Happy Hour which is from 5 to 7 on weekdays, selected beer, wine, and cocktails are $ 5. Not sure about the weekend. We had the Framboise Goose cocktail, made with Grey Goose and raspberry liquor, very cool clean and refreshing. The Happy Hour menu extends to an extensive list of mini bah mi’s, spicy wings, calamari and other really tasty small plates. My friend really enjoyed her pork bah mi and wings, so much so that she took a bah mi to go!
I sent my red wine back, we both agreed it had a weird thin flavor (like box wine). The waiter Jessie was very nice and had no problem with swapping my wine for another Framboise. He was able to tell us about the menu, said they have a tasting for their waiters, which I think makes sense. I love a waiter with an opinion that can describe flavors and make accurate comparisons.
I like spicy so I took Jessie’s suggestion — the lemongrass chicken. Delicious… The chicken was tender and juicy loaded with basil, and chili pepper spices. The rice although fried was light and flavorful. They also have phở and dumplings on the menu.
FYI House-​made Sriracha here and it was excellent especially if you like a little more sweet than spicy !!! With a few more visits this may easily become one off my favorite restaurants. I was surprised by some of the low ranking reviews, maybe we got lucky? Next time I think I’ll explore the French side…
Note-​although this is under my metro accessible Happy Hour list its not metro accessible. Good Happy Hour tho’, plus it’s a short cab ride from Farragut West and GWU-​Foggy Bottom metro stops.

This poor place. Drinks are extremely well made and so tasty, but the food is «eh» and it is never busy! Most recently visited on a Friday night after 10pm (late for dinner) and there was only one other party in the restaurant. They had «run out» of pork buns, and our phở and pad thai, while heftily portioned, were somewhat blasé tasting.
I might come back in the future for a drink since I know the bar won’t be busy, but I will choose another restaurant for food.

No no no no no. Horrible horrible food. The shrimp dumplings were very very good for an appetizer. I ordered the Skate the were out of it. The other option was salmon. According to my perception it was broiled then some type of BBQ glaze was slapped over it tasteless it came with rice which was crunchy dry slighlty burnt as though it was from the bottom of the pot the spinach was good. My compadre has the grilled pork not enough meat chewy not tasty at all. Our bartender Nicole was nice. Food was very disappointing

My friend & I decided to soak up some sun in Georgetown this past weekend and just happened to come across this place. Our server, Michelle (I believe that was her name) was super friendly & nice. She never rushed us or anything as we were looking over the menu on what to get. We got the Thai summer rolls, which were delicious! But I don’t know if it was worth the $ 6 we paid for, but good nonetheless. I got the spicy beef with fat noodles and my friend got the lemongrass pork vermicelli bowl. It may have been because we were STARVING but both were pretty good. The spicy beef has a little bit of a kick to it if anyone is craving something spicy. The lemongrass pork vermicelli bowl was fresh and fragrant.
There was nothing to blew me out of the water with this restaurant though. The décor inside was beautiful though. Would I go out of my way to come all the way to DC for this place? No. Would I come here again if I was in DC anyways, sure why not?

(3.5 stars)
Mama Rouge is a new Vietnamese and South East Asian restaurant near the water front in Geogetown. If you don’t have a reservation at Farmers Fishers Bakers, Mama Rouge is a great choice for a bite to eat.
Pros
— Outdoor seating, which is a must if you’re at the Georgetown waterfront.
— A good variety of options, easy to please most guests. That being said, the menu plays it safe. Nothing pops out at me as cool, interesting, or unique.
— The prices are decent and similar to Farmers Fishers Bakers, which is just a few steps away.
— Not too crowded; we got an outdoor table in 2 minutes. I actually stopped at Farmers Fishers Bakers first, but they had a 2 HOUR wait for an outdoor table.
Cons
— Although there is outdoor seating, you don’t have a view of the water… which is most likely why you came to eat in the area.
What I got
Ginger scallion noodles with picked vegetables $ 12
My friend got the Honey barbeque chicken banh mi with french fries $ 9
What I thought
First, I think that it’s really important for restaurants to have clearly labeled menus for vegetarian and vegan diners, especially modern Asian restaurants, since they might use fish sauce or fish broth. I had to ask my server about multiple dishes to make sure of the ingredients. Also, there are tons of vegetarians and vegan Georgetowners who’d appreciate it.
That being said, I enjoyed my ginger scallion noodles. They come in a small portion, but it was perfect for me. I could see a more hungry person feeling unsatisfied after eating this. The mushrooms were richly marinated and bursting with flavor. The good variety Asian vegetables made this dish stand out. It was far from oily and had a good noodle to vegetable ratio.
It was my friend’s first time eating banh mi, and he liked it. He also liked the Asian vegetables packed between the baguette slices. However, the french fries were soggy and bland.

I had some friends in from out of the area and suggested we try Mama Rouge for brunch. When we first walked into Mama Rouge, I wasn’t sure how our meal was going to go… we were the first ones in the restaurant, never a good sign. When one of my guests asked for orange juice, they were out – How could you be out of orange juice when we are the first table at brunch!!!
My whole impression of the meal was about to shift. We pressed on and ordered different drinks: the iced thai tea and the toasted coconut milk. WOW, they were so good.
Then the appetizers, we ordered both the pork and shrimp dumplings. Order the pork when you go, I believe these were the best ones. The sauce they make is incredible, and you’ll probably want to order more.
I had read about the Banh Mi at Mama Rouge prior to going, which is what enticed me to suggest it for brunch in the first place, but I ended up ordering the scallion and crab pancakes instead. In the end I ended up trading half of my dish with a friend who ordered the ham and cheese banh mi, with one of my guests. They were both incredible.
Rocky at first, but I’ll be back to Mama Rouge again. Great food, the décor is SO elegant, This place is a winner!

Well I heard good things. And the Banh Mi was listed on best sandwiches on Thrillist for DC for 2014. But it’s just ok. I got the beef brisket Banh Mi on a baguette. Get ready… I’m a stickler about certain things (cocktails, brisket, and banh mi, the latter two I’ll elaborate on). First the bread… too hard, too heavy. Banh mi should be somewhat crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Look up my pending review on Huong Lan in San Jose. NoVa does it ok, but definitely better than this place. Next, brisket… nobody in DC does brisket well… at least not BBQ. Hill Country is decent. This brisket was on the dry, tough side. Third, there’s too much fusion sauces going on. There was some mayo action going with soy sauce. The balance was off and the overall taste was a fishy salty creamy taste. It ended up being a heavy, unbalanced, hard sandwich that losts its identity, and shouldn’t be called a banh mi. One to two stars.
That being said, the hospitality was good, and my server new the menu very well. Plus half a star.
Now to bring things back to three stars and to possibly bring me back for other menu items, the scotch egg was great. Scotch eggs are typical in Irish /​British pubs, basically hard boiled eggs baked in breading. It’s like toast and egg in one. I always asked myself why couldn’t they make this a soft boiled egg, since I love runny yolk. Well they do a soft boild scotch egg here and it’s great. Look at the pic.
Bottom line, the banh mi isn’t worth it. The scotch egg is. I may come back to try more.

I like the red décor, it sets a tone of story and chararacter. Once seated at some of the plentiful booth seats (make sure you get one) it’s about 15 minutes from order till you get your drink and 30 minutes to get your food. I time these things. Well at 12:45 p.m. lunch time that is simply not fast enough for me.
The crispy chicken I ordered was not crispy. It was also served at room temperature on a cold bed of rice with vinegar cucumber. I felt that an average Peruvian rotisserie could get the serving temperature more right than this place. Additionally the chicken was smothered in sauces that seemed to me less Asian inspired fusion than straight up whipped mayo. I was really hoping for lighter, more delicate sauces and glazes. My friend’s Bahn Mi seemed to please him well. The side dish of Chinese broccoli was soggy and also surprisingly cold. Was not expecting that.
For charging the prices of a sophisticated restaurant and then serving not-​very-​complex-​flavored basic poultry with a notable lack of finesse, I have to ding this place.
The customer service was alright. My waiter described my rice as vegetable fried rice when it came our as plain vinegar rice. I don’t trust waiters who talk a good talk without a solid grasp of their menu. I think I’ll jump out of my seat in joy if I ever perceive a waiter in DC who has actually been through real hospitality training, but this restaurant does not have them. They at least have a smile though which is pleasant.
Overall I was expecting more finesse from the kitchen. And better plating.

We decided to try Mama Rouge on a whim while in the area and were pleasantly surprised. We did not have a reservation, but were able to dine in without a wait. Our server was helpful in giving us some recommendations and we enjoyed our dishes. The menu is a little sparse on the details of each item, so although we enjoyed our meal, things weren’t quite what we expected – perhaps the element of Asian Fusion. We enjoyed the scallion and crab pancakes especially. We ordered a side of pickled vegetables that seemed a bit heavy on the vinegar but otherwise our entrees of Crab Francoise and BBQ orange chicken were good. Overall, we enjoyed the experience. The service was good, although we were confused with another table once or twice by a server. Overall, we had a positive experience and I’d be open to dining here again.

10.18.14
Gorgeous restaurant on the waterfront. Very lively atmosphere, nice cocktail menu, and a long, comprehensive menu.
I started with the sriracha bloody mary. I tried it, you can feel free to skip it.
We ordered appetizers galore: thai chicken summer rolls, crispy pork spring rolls, myanmar pork dumplings, and scallion and crab pancakes. I was impressed with the quality of the hors d’oeuvres. With one caveat. Spring rolls are not fried. Fried spring rolls are called imperial rolls. Kthxbye.
At the suggestion of our waitress, I had the roasted brisket phở. I tried it, you can feel free to skip it. I added a scotch egg. It was… interesting, as it sat on top of a plate of jasmine rice. But I digress.
There is just a tad too many cultural mixes for my taste. Thai. Myanmar. Chinese. Vietnamese. French. I was a bit overwhelmed with the choices. But, given that the restaurant only opened a few weeks ago, I’m sure they’re still working out some kinks. I do hope to visit again when I return to DC!
Total damage for four: $ 178