Mama Lucy's Soulful Comfort Cuisine
1 Gilbert St
(between Brannan St & Bryant St)
San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 861-1842
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
237 reviews
Neighborhood: Jack London Square
"I went here for the first time this afternoon. I've heard about it from different people, so I was excited to judge for myself. I've done…" read more »
17 Reviews for Mama Lucy's Soulful Comfort Cuisine
Authentic Soul, real Southern food from real souls. I spent years in the South, this is the real food they do. Outside the south this food is frequently known as soul food, but most everyone there eats like this a lot. Some will try to tell you this is a black culture thing, one can even find persons refusing to admit that this food is Widely enjoyed by most all in the South. But I can assure you that most all do, even if many, including many in southern black culture, do not choose to admit it.
Mama's food is great to my experienced palate, fried chicken, corn bread, and a big mess of greens is like being back in warm country pulling wires on a line crew again!
Mama is doing good, please keep it up! :-)
Nice place to eat for lunch. We've all been planning on going for a while when we finally had some time to coordinate lunches, it was closed! On top of that, it was a Friday. What food establishment closes for lunch on a Friday??? Anyway, the next time we came, Mama was welcomming. They didn't have a Gumbo, which I've been craving as they only serve that on Fridays. Hmph! Oh well, the "boiled cornbread" was delicious however. I'll be going back there again on a Friday to try my Gumbo!
Okay, I guess I'll be the asshole who is the first to give this place less than 5 stars. Don't get me wrong, the food is good and I dare you to find a soul food restaurant that has swankier digs than Mama Lucy's. In fact, it almost seems out of place to be serving up catfish po' boys in this space with its loungey feel but I guess it beats eating someplace with sticky chairs and gingham tablecloths.
The food is good, not five stars good but pretty good. I would be more surprised about all the five star reviews if it wasn't for the close proximity to the city jail. I suppose if you've been eating your meals sandwiched between someone with tattoos on his neck and a dude named Tiny anything from here is like a hug from yo' mama. The fried chicken is tasty but it's no Popeye's. SNAP! Sorry, but it's true.
The service is sweet (was that Mama herself waiting on us?) and relaxed. A little too relaxed at times. We were practically the only people in the place and our drink order was forgotten and the check took forever to be picked up due to our server watching ESPN on the plasma behind the bar. (See? Swanky.)
Although it was decent I probably won't visit again unless I've just finished a stint in the joint for being a heroin mule. So, that being said, SEE YOU THERE!
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What I just tried/actually did ingest/devour:
3-4 pieces of battered cornmeal catfish, 1 serving of red beans & rice, 1 huge piece of cornbread, 2-4 french fries, 2 glasses of tea, 1 small sample peach cobbler dessert (thanks to the super-sweet woman who works there)
If you are in the area it's worth checking out for the price. I'm from the south but not particularly fond of catfish but this was almost exactly how it tastes down south.
Overall it's a great price for good southern food.
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For starters, the wait to get our food was over 25 minutes, I guess the kitchen was understaffed this day. The servers though were very attentive and apologetic.
The mac and cheese, cornbread, and fries were all pretty dry and lacked flavor. My lemonade/iced tea was also failed to live up to my expectations.
The only bright spots were the two tvs (one with ESPN), cheap prices, and the cheese steak which was delicious (chopped steak and grilled onions) but it was a little small.
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I came here a couple weeks ago with a larger group, and we ordered the gumbo (apparently only available on Friday, even though that's not written on the menu), grilled cheese, potato salad, catfish (battered and fried), collard greens, steak fries, cornbread, mac n cheese, salad, and red beans and rice. The gumbo, catfish, and potato salad were smacked over, the grilled cheese and fries eaten gladly, and the rest were declared okay, except for the greens, which were disdained by all. The waitress was cheerful, accommodating, and the food came out slowly but steadily. (We did have to ask for our salad dressing and condiments--Louisiana hot sauce and tabasco are on the table, but not ketchup, and no tartar sauce was provided for the catfish until we asked.) All in all, a fine visit.
And then we came back. This time, the service was mildly surly (a different waitress). Example: Two plates brought out and slapped on the table, no words spoken, even though we were missing utensils and one person's entree. The bill was also just slapped on the corner as the waitress walked past. The food took about forty-five minutes to arrive, and the potato salad wasn't as good as last time (it was slightly more mustardy and thinner, with less egg--one person who really liked it last time took one bite and then left the rest to spludge *not a real word, I know* across her plate). My grilled cheese was burned, and not just slightly. I like burned food, even, but this was yucky. The fried chicken is served as small pieces--called "wings and legs," but on my friend's plate, only wings.
Sigh. I hate disappointing second visits.
General information: Most of the food ranges from really cheap to pretty cheap. It's located across from the courthouse and near to Cafe Roma, tucked slightly down the street. The seating is a mix (high seating by the window, a few booths, a divey table up front), and the lighting is dark. The kitchen is mostly hidden, and there's a cheap black satin curtain up to hide what peeks out.
Amidst all of the bail bond places and directly across from the hall of justice is this delicious soul food joint. The interior is really tastefully done. I had fried catfish-- dragged through cornmeal and perfectly fried. The staff were really friendly. Apparently thursdays are BBQ days and fridays are seafood days. MUST GO BACK.
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Larry White has struck it big!
This comfort food joint is relaxed and clean and the staff is great. We had the best fried catfish and fried chicken.
You gotta try it if you are in SOMA or looking for a good soul food restaurant.
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My boyfriend and I were walking by and saw the menu. I was getting my truck's window fixed ( I live in the outer mission and it was busted out the night before. Are you shocked?) and we needed some comfort food. One of the staff saw us and said "get on in there and get some soul food!" We shrugged and went in. This is by far the swankest soul food joint ever. Nice bar, nice layout. The food is scrumptious and we loved that it's semi hidden. The staff is uber friendly and very attentive. We loved this place.
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Went last night. Closed with no notice of when restaurant would reopen. Called the phone number listed. Disconnected. Another one bites the dust.
This place is keeping it real for the Southern Soul Food. The venue was warm and cozy with its ambient lights, rich interior color, and booth style seating areas. The menu is simple but very delicious and of typical soul food cuisines.
I went with a group of ppl and we pretty much oder everything on the menu. The greens, catfish, bbq rib, and cheese steak is a must to try! Served up quick, hot, and savory.
I probably shouldn't eat here, but I did it once and I have no regrets. I got fried chicken, collards with ham hocks and a big thing of candied sweet potatoes. Pretty good, especially with a liberal dousing of hot sauce. There was no iced tea on hand, and they were genuinely sorry about it, but come on, soul food with no tea?!?? I'm sure they'll right that situation.
The ladies running the place are awfully sweet but I can't imagine going there if you're in any sort of hurry. There was one cook making one dish at a time, so my buddy got his burger and then 15 minutes later I got my chicken. With that setup they appear ill equipped to serve a whole table's worth of food at once.
Like New Crockery Cafe, they've got the super-thin cheapo napkins that don't really work with this kind of food. Every bite is sticky and greasy, and if you're using your hands you end up with little bits of napkin all over your fingers. May I recommend putting a roll of paper towels at each table? That would definitely do the trick.
At the end of the meal, they brought us some sample-size cups of banana pudding or something. Righteous.
I want to go back here, because I think once they get the hang of things it's going to be awesome! Maybe I will wait a little bit.
This place has solid Southern style food (I should know, I'm from Alabama). It is the best soul food I've found in San Francisco so far. Much more flavorful than Powell's. No uppity attitude like Farmer Brown's. Service is friendly, but quite leisurely, so definitely don't go if you are in a hurry or with a big group. Shame that it isn't open on weekends, as it is really too long of a trip to make on weekdays for lunch from the Financial District.
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hrm.
the waitress was nice, but they didn't have half of the tasty-sounding things that are on the already limited menu. we ended up ordering the baked chicken special which came with smothered [in butter] potatoes and black eyed peas, with an extra side of collard greens. while it was all fairly tasty, nothing really wowed me.
don't go out of your way, as they probably won't have what you want to order.
I went to Mama Lucy's for a private party and it was great fun. I didn't have a chance to try the whole menu, but the catfish was good. Can't say much about the drinks as it was an open bar. But Larry has got a nice little place that, besides being a little out of the way, is pretty nice and fun. Good atmosphere, will definitely go back to check it out on a normal night... just hope that it won't be because of its proximity to all those bail bondsman.
why isn't this place crowded? i'm doing a long jury duty stint. yesterday was a particularly disturbing day, and i wanted some comfort food. mama lucy's hit the spot. i had catfish and collard greens. did i mention that i'm from louisiana? let me just say that i'm kind of a snob when it comes to southern food. outside of the south, it just never lives up to my expectations. well ... the catfish was perfect. for a few bites, i closed my eyes, and pretended that i was back home. it was that good. and the collard greens were just like my grandma used to make. i loved EVERY bite. EVERY bite.
lucy was my server, and i HAD to ask her where she was from. i was very surprised to hear that she grew up in san francisco. she told me that her family was all from the south. they taught her well.
i can't wait to go back and try the red beans and rice next week. and the gumbo. and the cornbread. and, oh, everything.
so, why am i giving mama lucy's only 4 stars? well the special of the day was jambalaya ... served OVER rice. sorry, but that's just NOT done. everyone knows that rice is cooked INTO the jambalaya. when she told me about that special, i almost left the building -- but she was so nice that i decided to give it a go. i'm glad i did.
i will definitely be back soon. i will bring friends. but i will never ever order so called "jambalaya" served OVER rice.
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Fried catfish in a cornmeal crust, collard greens and macaroni and cheese. Washed down with (unsweetened) tea that was kept replenished by a friendly waitress - heaven.
I'm not normally a catfish eater, but the waitress insisted it was delicious and one of their best items. I was not disappointed - it was very hot and crispy and not the slightest bit greasy. The greens and mac-n-cheese were just like my ol' granny used to make. Southern food at its best, with friendly and attentive service.
My dining partner tried the stuffed pepper daily special, and it was very good too.
This place is Mama Lucy's retirement plan, and is only open for lunches Mon-Fri. The personable and sweet Mama Lucy herself came to our table to say hello and even chided the man at the next table for not eating all of his cornbread :)
Missing was some good soulful music to go along with the good comfort food. They were also out of fried chicken on the day we went.
I'll be going back for sure.
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