Located in North Beach, the city’s Little Italy, Mama’s San Francisco is a popular brunch spot – particularly for tourists. Almost every day a substantial queue of guests line up waiting for the chance to be served what has repeatedly been crowned as San Francisco’s best brunch.
Not wanting to miss out, myself and Jack joined the crowds and on our last morning in San Francisco, made for Washington Square with brunch on our minds.
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On arrival we were semi-surprised to discover an already-long queue. We knew it was going to be popular but it was only 9am and we had expected the majority of tourists to still be tucked up in bed. Nevertheless we joined the end of the line wondering whether or not we had a long wait ahead of us. Time passed and eventually an hour later we crossed the threshold and entered inside.
We were still a long way off our food however as we were now in a queue to place our order. At the very least we could see the busy chefs preparing all sorts of delicious things and had plenty of time to decide what we going to order.
One hour and 20 minutes since we began queuing we made to the counter and put in our order – the French toast sampler for me and the eggs Norwegian benedict for Jack. Whilst our order was being taken the phone rang and much to my surprise the restaurant’s manager insisted that I answer the phone and speak to the potential customer – a funny experience for both myself and the person on the other end of the phone, I’m sure! A friendly waitress then showed us to our table at the far end of the restaurant and we settled down waiting eagerly for our food to arrive.
Whilst we were waiting we had the chance to take in our surroundings. The cosy restaurant is not at all big with approximately 15 tables to seat its clientele. The decor is somewhat old-fashioned but fills the restaurant with character and charm.
About 20 minutes after sitting down our food arrived and oh my did it look good.
My French toast sampler was definitely a good choice and my plate was filled with three different breads – cranberry and orange walnut loaf, banana bread and classic brioche toast – all topped with fresh seasonal fruit, served with a generous portion of maple syrup and dusted with icing sugar. It took a lot of determination to not dig in straight away!
Even though I was super happy with my French toast decision, Jack’s Eggs Benedict also looked pretty scrumptious. The two poached eggs were served along with Norwegian smoked salmon, atop a toasted English muffin with hollandaise sauce and a portion of grilled potatoes.
To go with our food we also ordered freshly squeezed Californian orange juice and of course a cup of tea for me – it wouldn’t be breakfast without a trusty brew! After the obligatory photos it was time to tuck in and after all the wait in line we had done, we were hoping the food would make it worth our while. And it did!
I can honestly say that it was one of the most delicious brunches I have ever eaten. The French toast sampler was exquisite and it made such a nice change to have a variety of differently flavoured breads. The variety of flavours and textures meant that the dish was not too rich, something that I often find with French toast and I managed to finish my food in record time.
What made the brunch even better was the reasonable price. I don’t know whether I am just used to paying ridiculously inflated prices for everything in the south of England, but usually a meal like this would come in at around £40. You can imagine what a nice surprise it was when our bill arrived and everything, including service came to $32! An absolute steal and somewhere I would definitely brunch at again.. I just wish San Francisco was just that bit closer to home!
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Are you a brunch fan like me or are you not too fussed? Perhaps you’ve visited Mama’s before or had another great brunch in San Francisco? Do let me know in the comments below! Love V x
