Mama's On Washington Square

This spot gets pretty busy, but the wait wasn't too long--about 15 to 20 minutes. Very efficient-You order inside, where you can see the chefs preparing food and shelves of fresh pastries on display. Once you order, you get a number and can grab an open table. I tried the Florentine scramble and fresh-squeezed lemonade--both were fantastic! I sat outside with my dog, and while my table was a bit wobbly, the beautiful weather made up for it. Overall, I highly recommend this place. Now I truly understand the hype!

This place has been on my bucket list of a while, I wasn't quite sure what the buzz was all about. I kept hearing about this awesome breakfast place in North Beach. We waiting about 15 min outside and then 15 minutes inside to get to the register to order, after placing the order the food was delivered in like 10 mins. We ordered:Mama Cristo (3 Stars) It was ok nothing special, the American cheese they called cheddar was not for me. If I go again, I'll try the traditional Monte Crisco with the gruyere and no pear. The Jam, ham and the way it was fried, was all good.Carrot Cake (3 Stars) I've had better, it was dry and the flavor was not that bold, like cinnamon. The cream cheese frosted was good.Swedish cinnamon French toast (3 Stars) it was ok nothing special. Side of breakfast sausage (3.5 Stars) Good stuff, good quality sausage. They cooked it right, the casing was crispy and the pork was juicy. Good solid flavor!Mimosa (3 Stars) They were out of red grapefruit so we had to go with orange juice. When it came out, it was all champagne, with a touch of orange juice. If you order Mimosa your expecting some juice, not a splash. Usually the champagne is mediocre so you need orange juice to balance it out. Mama's smoothie (3 Stars) It was ok nothing specialMaybe one more time..

We came with big hopes since a close friend recommended this place highly ... As high as the expectation the low of the disappointment We ordered two of their specials and an avocado toast The specials were ok but the avocado toast was a very bad description of an avocado anything ... I would think that paying 17$ for an avocado toast would actually get you some avocado ... We asked if we can get some additional avocado to make it into an avocado toast but the answer was sure for additional 3.5$ ... Unacceptable ....

I came here for brunch with my fiancé a couple weeks ago and I must say it was a little underwhelming. My fiancé was super excited to come and try this spot because he'd heard so much about it and how there's always a long line. We came on a Friday and luckily it wasn't super busy. We ordered the classic Benedict and the Washington square omelet. I really really wanted to order some pastries as well, however saw some fruit flies on some of the pastries so decided against it. The food was okay, I didn't feel like it was something to write home about. However I did really enjoy their homemade jam. I almost wish they would sell them by the jar because I'd definitely come here just to pick up a few jars of that jam! Not sure if it was just me or just that particular day but it just didn't get the job done for me.

To those of you that have heard of the Ozzy Osbourne song, "Mama I'm Coming Home", it paints a clear picture on this place for numerous reasons. One reason is that I was born and raised in San Francisco and another reason is that my mom is a native San Franciscan. Which takes me to arguably one of the most popular and well-known mom-and-pop breakfast joints in the city. This is none other than "Mama's on Washington Square". This place goes back... way back in time to the early-1950's when they opened their doors. Located in the heart of North Beach and just a block away from St. Peter & Paul Church, this place is situated directly on the corner of Stockton and Filbert St's. Parking can be extremely challenging due to the abundance of restaurants and businesses. My advice is to use rideshare, Muni, walk, or bike. However, my lady and I found parking only a block away. Reason being is that we came here the day after Thanksgiving (on Friday 11/29/2024) at 9:30am when the streets of San Francisco were empty. It felt eerily similar to the pandemic (from early-2020 to early-2022).I will say that the interior of this place is tiny (which on any other morning can lead to long wait times). Based on the size of this place, I am thinking Mama's can only fit about 30 guests at any given time. There was a nice enclosed outdoor area as well as a separate table/chair/umbrella; but with the chilly morning, we wanted to dine inside. Upon entry, we literally walked right up and placed our orders. I can imagine this place can get quite chaotic but our experience was very smooth. Much of the decor has a very quaint old-school feel to it as if you're in a no-frills diner from the 1950's/60's.I ended up going simple by ordering two eggs (over easy), Italian sausage link, sourdough toast, and home-fried potatoes. My lady went with the exact same thing but with bacon as her side. Both of our meals came with a side of their homemade raspberry jam. We both opted for fresh squeezed orange juice. Total time after we ordered to when our food arrived was roughly 10 minutes; not bad at all considering it had gotten much busier after we arrived. The young man who brought out our OJ's and meals was very accommodating. Even one of the ladies (who I believe was a manager) asked to make sure everything tasted to perfection.As far as the food, this place was solid. Definitely a 4.5 out of 5. Prices are higher than most breakfast spots but that's to be expected in a heavily visited area like this. The sourdough toast had that San Francisco flavor while the homemade jam was to die for. I tried some of her bacon and it was a bit too cooked and crispy for me. However, the sausage was perfect. All in all, "Mama's on Washington Square" is a San Francisco staple that I highly recommend. Portions are huge, service is above average, and the food will fill you up. My rating, 4 stars.

Even though it happened over a decade ago, I still remember the first time I tried (and failed) to come to Mama's all too well. My friend suggested grabbing breakfast here, but warned that if we weren't in line by 8am at the latest, "we're screwed". Now, I have to say - besides thinking that sounded super pessimistic, I had a hard time believing that could be true. Sure, that's not very early for a lot of folks, but it's not peak brunch hours either. Sadly, as we pulled up right at 8:30, I saw the unfortunate news - she was right. So, when we happened to pass by on a rainy morning and saw just a handful of folks in line at 9:30, it felt like a sign we just had to come here, weather be damned!Actually seeing this place in person, it's easy to see why there's always a line outside - this place is so small! What's more, from the looks of the crowds passing through the door, Mama's draws locals and even international tourists alike. Given the volume of people that pass through their doors, though, it's no surprise that this place has everything down to a rather efficient science. After waiting outside, you head inside to stand in shorter line where you can get another look at the menu (and the food as they're cooking). While they do have a handful of lunch-type offerings (salads, burgers, and sandwiches), most of the menu is made up of breakfast dishes - benedicts, scrambles, omelets, French toast, pancakes, and more - in both classic and somewhat unique preparations.-- MAMA'S FAMOUS MONTE CRISTO - Roasted Turkey Breast, Honey-Baked Ham, Sharp Cheddar, and Gruyere Cheese Served with Mama's Homemade Jam...$19.50Of course we had to try Mama's signature dish! Admittedly, the portion didn't look all that hefty, but it's surprisingly filling. The bread was soft, the turkey and ham added a slight saltiness to offset the jam, and the cheese was oh so gooey. Yum!-- STAFF's FAVORITE OMELET SPECIAL - Dijon Chicken Sausage Omelet with White Onion & Garlic Jack Cheese...$20.50I'd be hard pressed to say that this was particularly unique, whether it be the components or how it tasted, but this was pretty solid. The omelet was packed on the inside and the egg itself was fluffy and not all that "wet", but my favorite part was the garlic jack cheese - so good!-- MAMA's FRENCH TOAST SAMPLER - Cranberry Orange, Banana Walnut, and Cinnamon Brioche Bread Topped with Berries and Banana...$18.50Collectively, these were great, but, sadly, the Banana Walnut one was just okay (good banana flavor, but too heavy on the walnuts). As for the other two, both were awesome - the Cranberry Orange was moist and just slightly fruity while the Cinnamon Brioche was equally soft and delicious.While it's great how everything moves like a well oiled machine, the experience can feel a little too much like a production line when things get busy. Don't get me wrong - it's much appreciated that it doesn't take long for your drinks/food to come after you're seated and the staff is friendly and never rush customers to clear out. It's just that if you're looking for a spot to have a drawn out meal and long, extended conversations, Mama's isn't the place for that, unless you want to be inconsiderate of your fellow diners and the staff (you can always head to Washington Square park across the street).Considering how I actually made it here again in the time since and had even less of a wait (albeit on a random weekday morning), I wonder if the lines aren't as bad as they used to be or if it just depends on that particular day. Either way, from what I could tell, it's clear Mama's still attracts all sorts of visitors - locals, tourists, and even international folks. Not hard to see why, given what we had and their reputation. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to come back to try more of the menu or get their Monte Cristo again even if there is a wait, though perhaps not if the wait times hit two hours or more like how it used to (to be fair, not many places are!).

I like to review mostly everything on yelp after reading the good reviews I came here before church , it was decent I was hoping for better it was obviously super crowded in a small space , the Asian waitress took my chair I was sitting on , the French toast was ok overall decent experience

Momma's for breakfast any day and especially on your birthday. The staff got the whole place singing. Eggs Benedict was some of the best. Excellent fluffy pancakes. Make sure to ask for the homemade jelly. Great black coffee and some of the best coffee cake you will ever have.

Met friends for breakfast early on a weekday and it was surprisingly not busy. The food was good and quick to come out. Cute little place. Got the eggs Benedict with "crispy" bacon -- it was delicious, though I was a bit disappointed that the bacon wasn't very crispy. The banana pancakes were moderately fluffy with chunks of banana. Overall a bit pricey but decent.

I love coming here. Was visiting with a friend and I told them I have only ever eaten breakfast here. I remember the food always being good and they make their own jam! I got the Mama's Breakfast sandwich and a slice of carrot cake. I was able to get in line outside and made out way to the line to order. Once you order you get a number. Was able to get a table inside. They also have seating outside. The people are kind and we got our food quickly. Would definitely recommend this place. I always love coming back here. It is worth the wait. There is a charge when using a card when paying.