As a confessed east coast foodie snob whose been spoiled beyond belief with vast varieties of home cooked ethnic grub, adjusting to AZ's significantly less diverse food scene has been rough... even nearly 10 years later. That's why I was happy to find about this up and coming catering/family lunch and dinner spot through a friend of a friend about a month back before they officially launched on Yelp. After my experience, I had to come on to share. Still delivery only vs. brick n mortar, Mama's accepts all forms of payment and does catering specials both large and small (think wedding to family meal for 4-6 people) and will also delivers individual orders thru doordash and her own IG/FB pages, text or phone call to listed number directly with zero to small delivery fee depending on your order size and location. Whether you have or have not had Puerto Rican food before, and no matter how high your standards for food in general, Mama's food is an undeniably delicious experience and great foodie newcomer to the very limited scene here in the east valley. Her pastelillos (empanadas) are divine pockets of meaty cheesy (or request to skip the cheese if you must!) goodness...all of her variations on rice are beyond flavorful with the perfect not-too-soft/not-too firm Goldie locks perfection...and don't get me started on her meats! Via my recent tailgate catering experience, I've tried the beef pastelillos, bistec, pollo and steak guisado, arroz con pollo, and fried chuletas (pork chops) and all are moist and tender with the right crispiness in the right places! I ordered the roasted pernil picnic family meal as extras to feed the fam after the party ended but my family ate it before I could try it! As if that weren't enough, Mama Deanna Navarro's story of moving to the valley from Cleveland, Ohio as a single 30's something mom with 2 daughters and working her way up to management levels at a big local bank before leaving the role 2 relocations later to return to the valley and pursue her passion of bringing her late grandma's recipes to life beyond the corporate potluck is almost as heart warming as her Boricua spin on her chicken tortilla soup (also tried this as an add on extra for family dealAnd it was excellent)! Huge bang for your buck (same prices as Hawaiian bbq Or Chinese and similar set up as entrees accompanied with salads and rice and beans and some delightful fried appetizers and Puerto Rican pu-pu platter type options) and I felt the portions larger and way more tasty overall.I highly recommend. Tip: if you have preferences or sensitivities, let mama know ahead of time as her seasonings are delightfully present. If you like it more bland, less salty for your high blood pressure, or extra spicy to an AS standard, just let her know! Mama prides herself on caring about what you like and catering to your needs so be picky!
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"So trucking good!!! Ha! This food truck caught my eye driving thru the streets Gilbert. So I had to stalk it down to try it! They post their whereabouts across their social media pages. The tacos are delicious, they have a lil twist to them. The tortilla is a little thicker than the usual but makes perfect sense to hold all the goodness together. I got the platter so I could try EVERYTHING. I'm not a fan of mole, yet their mole braised pork tacos were so good! The pork belly taco was also great. It was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside! Shrimp taco, amazing! And had to try their churros, also didn't disappoint. This truck craters private parties or events! Can't wait to book them one day."
"What a great idea to have a Friday meal on the go. You can order for two or four people. You simply drive up and pick up your meal. You can also choose extras such as soup or dessert. The portions are large enough for even a couple more people. Everything was tasty and fresh. The chicken was juicy and tender. This is not always the case with chicken breast. I don't think I could even think of any way to improve on this meal. Now we will see what's in the menu for next week!!"
