Mama Roomba

Delicious! I came on a recommendation of a friend and am so glad I did. I should have ordered the extra bread so that I could get every bit of juice from the grilled sea bass. I also got the cassava fries. Amazing!! To top it off friendly, prompt service. Not to be missed!!

I popped into this place three years ago when I first moved to Bakersfield. It seems that the restaurant may have changed hands since then, and unfortunately, the food was not as good as I remember.The restaurant is small and decorated with Latin and Caribbean flair. The staff seemed friendly, but at the same time not... Almost like they expected you to know how they work so I felt a little bit uncomfortable as if I was bothering them. When I walked in, no one really greeted me, but someone saw me from the kitchen area and pointed at the tables gesturing that I could sit wherever I wanted, but it wasn't friendly. I cautiously entered the restaurant and thought well I'm here so let me try it.The first thing I noticed is they changed their menu and definitely raised their prices. The menu is now a lot smaller and before I ordered, I compared it to prior reviews on Yelp to see what the food looked like however, I could not find a lot of the dishes on the menu. I asked my server if the menu was changed, and she confirmed that it did. I could hear the people talking in the back with each other, at times it sounded like Spanish and at other times it sounded like some Asian language and I figured it was Tagalog or something like that. It was as though I could understand every other word. I'm fluent in Spanish.I ordered the beef empanadas. When they came out, they looked a little well done, and they definitely were not fresh. They were also made with corn masa. I did not care for these, and only took a couple of bites. The meat did not smell fresh on the inside of the empanada, and I was slightly disgusted by that.I ordered the ropa vieja plate... which is a Cuban dish with tomato, garlic, red or green peppers, and other spices. I was surprised when the server told me that everything is sold a la carte, and the dish did not come with the side of rice, black beans, and maduros, which are sweet plantains. I ordered a side of black beans, and rice in the same bowl and lucky for me because they serve maduros during lunchtime, they were able to fry some up for dinner, so that was nice of them.Similarly to my first experience at the restaurant, the food failed to meet my expectations. The empanadas were very bland and did not seem fresh, and while the rope vieja was tasty, it lacked that Cuban sazón! The beans and rice were very plain and did not have much seasoning. The restaurant serves bread and butter when you order. The bread was nothing special, it was very generic and probably bought at the local grocery stores. If you want extra bread and butter, they charge $3.50.Overall, I don't think I will be going back to this restaurant, as much as I want to like it. I don't know why I was thinking that it would be different than the last experience... But now I know for sure!Other people seem to like it, so I hope your experience is enjoyable!

Have heard good things about this place so decided to go for something new for the palate. We have been eating quite a lot of Chinese, Indian, and Mexican food lately but not quite a lot of places with Carribean food in town. First of all, ambiance - I love it. I love the small, homey, intimate feel. The server we had was sweet and very helpful. The food, I could have be a bit biased because I was not feeling too well at that time but I found the beef empanadas a bit dry. The cassava fries were okay, though nothing really extraordinary or unforgettable. I probably need to go back, and hopefully, I would be feeling better, so I can get to try other dishes that they offer here at one of Bakersfield's classic establishments.

Okay, okay! 10 years after my original visits to Mama Roomba, I had the *privilege* of revisiting.So, this time I walked in on a Tuesday evening. It was practically empty.The waitress recommended the Tuesday special of Lamb Pops and a Peruvian beer.Daaaaaamn! ... The food lived up to recollection of 10 years past! Lamb was tender and flavorful and on top a bed of delicious salad. The bread served ahead was, somehow, amazing ! Especially in soaking up all the flavors of my main.The tunes in the background were the perfect vibe.Come eat here or be square.

Food was good are first time there. The service was amazing. Ambiance was lay back and friendly will be back

It's been a while since I've been here, but I enjoyed their empanadas! They had cheese and corn in them, and they were brilliant!

Quite possibly the best fried chicken I've ever had! Had my first experience at Mama Roomba recently for our annual team lunch together. Started out with some bread which was delicious and the house made house sauce is so so good and really goes well with the bread. The fried chicken was fresh, juicy and just packed with flavor. Just the right amount of heat and perfectly crispy. I ate every bite and even though I was full I was wishing for more. I'll definitely be a repeat customer here and can't recommend the chicken enough.

Mama Roomba is a cute little restaurant nestled into a corner building downtown. There's a tiny bar, and festive, colorful decor in the small dining room. We've tried several dishes here over the years, and most were really good. We recently chose the Peruvian style Ceviche, which was so-so. It needed a touch of spice, and more seafood to avocado ratio, but it was refreshing. I was surprised it wasn't served with chips or anything to scoop it with. Next up was the Skillet Shrimp 'Soul Style' in Spicy Cream Sauce. This dish was very tasty, but not spicy. I would definitely recommend getting a side of rice for this one.The highlight of the lunch was Mama's Latin Fried Chicken with Mango Chile sauce. YUM! The boneless chicken breast was crispy and juicy, and that sauce was so good I would buy it bottled.There are several other items I'll go back again to try. (The flat iron pork salad looks promising, and the empanadas are always a draw.)

The bartender was very out going and nice. The food was amazing and unique. Really cool vibe in the place. Definitely will be back!

Fabulous Latin Caribbean cuisine from savory shareable tasty skillets like the shrimp in a creamy sauce, to their steak chimichurri. House made spicy sauce to add extra flavor to any meal and soft bread before your meal is a treat. Salads are out of this world with flavor like my favorite pork salad to the warm spinach salmon salad. A must drink is their house made Mojitos!!