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This is one of Baltimore's best lil food joints. The food's pretty good for what it is. Come in and enjoy the atmosphere and the people and down some Natty Boh's and watch the O's, hon!
My girlfriend and I usually come in here on a late afternoon when we're both off. Perfect time, because usually once the sun dips the place gets crowded quickly. Weekends are usually the only time you'll have to wait for a table.
A cozy establishment in the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore, Nacho Mama's serves the popular tex-mex fares with the varietal regional ingredients. The last stop in my intrepid Baltimore UYE, we squeezed into a corner booth under the watchful eyes of no less than 3 velvet Elvis portraits. Our entrees were the quesadilla's with crab and gouda and another with blackened chicken, a large Macho nacho smothered in salsa, sour cream, cheese, beans and meat along with a generous hubcap size margarita drink. I had also ordered an appetizer of U10 scallops. The scallops was seasoned with what looked like a jerk spice but turned out to be too salty and totally overwhelmed the delicate scallops. However, the quesadilla's and nacho's were excellent. All the crunchy, savory goodness were piled high on our plate. Hurray for anti-cholesterol drugs for letting me indulge so.
I would recommend you stick to the staple fares of nacho's, quesadilla's and fajita's.
The food tastes like unwashed feet, service is no friendlier than an irate llama, and everyone in Baltimore smells like eau de toilet. Don't go here unless you enjoy getting tetanus shots.
...........Oh, Yelp, I can't steer you wrong, even if it means longer lines at this wonderland of cheese and tequila. I've been to few food places that were worth waiting more than an hour for, and this was one of them; I had heard magical things about the margaritas and quesadillas, and they were all true.
If you've never been, Nacho Mama's offers its margaritas in an actual (cleaned out, I've been assured) car hubcap. The five of us clustered around our server-created oasis of alcohol like wildebeests at a watering hole and slurped through double-length straws, demolishing it in a matter of minutes. Which was all for the best, because when our mountain of beef nachos and two enormous plates of crab/gouda and blacked chicken quesadillas arrived, we needed all our attention aimed at the food.
Shall I compare the crab/gouda quesadilla to a summer's day? It art far more melty and filled with chunks of luscious seafood. Seriously, this thing was a masterpiece of culinary engineering, and I'm sure Shakespeare would have devoted a slew of sonnets to dissecting its perfect dairy:meat ratio.
Also of note:
- Elvis watches you while you eat.
- They play Journey after 10 pm.
Two hubcaps, two quesadillas and a plate of beef nachos cost us $14 per person. That is an INSANELY affordable price for admission to food paradise.
Chant with me now: UYE, UYE, UYE...
Surprisingly good. Nope, it's not authentic, but I'm not sure that's what they're going for anyway. What they are going for is creativity and thoughtful planning in preparing their menu items. I ordererd the vegetable fajitas and he ordered the jambalaya, both of which were plentiful and super fresh. The prices are moderate - maybe a little high for Mexican, but once you see the portion, you'll see that you're ordering for two. Pictures of Elvis cover every inch of the walls, which I suppose is a little creepy, but maybe not - it's a fun atmosphere with fresh food and friendly service.
Awful food. Bar is OK...
We ordered spinach and mushroom quesadillas on a Saturday afternoon - they were awful, huge clumps of frozen spinach, sour mushrooms, burnt tortillas. Got our 6 year old a chesse quesadilla, and it was totally burnt - waiter seemed offended when we sent it bacl.
I would highly recommend staying away from the food at this place, and just consider this a bar - it has a nice atmosphere for drinking a draft or margarita, but not for a meal....
Best Tex-Mex in Baltimore. The portions are huge! I always want to order the blackened chicken nachos, but if I do I wont have room for the awesome enchiladas. The decor is everything Baltimore. The service has always been excellent. I don't think they take reservations, and you should be prepared to wait for a table on Friday and Saturday nights. But it is well worth the sometimes 45 minutes to an hour wait to get a table. After all there is a reason that on a square with at least 15 bars and restaurants that people are waiting to eat here.
HEY HUN! Nacho's has been a staple in my Baltimore experience forever... I remember the days of hitting modern music and than stopping at Nacho's for a natty boh and some jerk wings... I have been living in philly for the last 4yrs and My last few trips to nacho mamas have been different not necessarily bad different, but different. the food is still top Notch and the service is still excellent. Visually it is turning into a "yuppie" hangout, the bathroom mirrors have been removed and the "flare" which was classic not only Baltimore but, Maryland has been polished up. The food however still warms the cockles of my stomach which are very close to my heart! Go and eat, everything is good just be sure to have a DD if your planning on having a Hubcap margarita.
We were recommend this place for the best soft shell crab tacos in Baltimore. I would have to agree...it was darn good!!!
I was expecting a couple of little tacos but it was one giant taco with beans and rice. The taco was spot on and perfectly cooked....but a little on the greasy side.
The most surprising part is the black beans...I didn't expect it to be that good.
Nacho Mamas is one of the oldest bar/restaurants on Canton Square in east Baltimore. It's a tragedy that the City of Baltimore forced Nacho Mama's to retire Elvis. He no longer stands outside on O'Donnell Street, luring in customers. He's still there in spirit, though, from the cold bottles of National Boh (even available in the popular "40" size!), to the quesadillas sized to feed thick-necked men named Gunther. The regulars at the end of the bar add local color, and the daytime staff is the best on the Square (ask for Sean or Kim). The menu is fairly large, and I have to admit that I've never steered far from the daily specials menu. You can't go wrong with a quesadilla (crab and corn, black and bleu, jerk chicken, cheeseburger) or a taco. The taco is a single-shell serving, but it's HUGE and served with beans and rice. I've never had a bad meal here. If I had to complain about something it'd have to be that the portions are monstrous. If'n you like it spicy, here's an insider tip: ask for some of their homemade habanero salsa, and hold onto your hat. Drinkin'? Stick to the bottled variety of beer. The taps are funky and spew out frothy glasses of foamy head. Great food, cold beer, and good people. Added bonus: the bathroom walls are painted with chalkboard paint and chalk can be found to the left of the sink on the old soap dish. Write something about Scott - I hear he wears a merkin.
Nacho Mamma's has yet to disappoint me in anyway. I love the atmosphere and the randomness thrown all over the walls from vintage Baltimore Oriole and Colt gear to a shrine of Elvis and the "Barbie Cage". Everyone I've taken there has loved the food. If I lived in Canton I would be a regular.
Don't listen to the idiots on here giving one star. My girlfriend and I eat here minimum twice a month and the food is always fantastic. You will not be disappointed by the Chicken Chesapeake, Nawlins Shrimp, Seafood or Fajita smasher, or really anything for that matter.
My only complaint about this place is that there is always a wait and the bar is always full. Anyone who had a bad experience at this place needs to give it another shot, there is no way this place disappoints twice.
Mamas rocks, I've tried nearly everything on the menu and there has never been a miss. Great food, huge portions, what's not to love! My favorites; Mama's meatloaf, 10 leaf salad and their changing selection of soups served in a taco shell bowl. Damn, my mouth is watering just typing this.
Oh my, the food is awful. How one can make a burrito horrible is confounding. Even the rice was inedible. Rice. I went with a big group and started sampling other people's foods. 6 out of 6 was gross.
Our server was friendly and apologetic when she realized that none on us had eaten more than a few bites of our food. However, it was not her fault and we had no desire to make a ruckus considering how busy it was.
If I ever go again, I think I will stick to a liquid dinner of beer or cocktails.
Good margaritas, delicious jambalaya and Jamaican appetizers.
Long waits and high prices may be the downfall of this fun, cozy joint. If you go at the right time, though, you'll be treated to a good meal. Some reviewers and ex-kitchen-staff have criticized Nacho Mama's for its "microwave-only cooking," but if you order correctly you'll avoid any soggy or inconsistent food.
Jamaican jerked apps and entrees are a favorite of this reviewer, and the cross-cut fries are always delicious and fresh. Hubcap margaritas are a fun novelty for tourists, but not worth the price - they're never mixed as well as the regular 'ritas.
Go for the decor, get a few beers or house margaritas, and try a few appetizers. See if you can be there around 10:00 - they always play Journey then.
After arriving in town from a flight that was delayed I was hoping some place would be open for a late dinner.
Although I have been to Nacho Mamas for dinner a while back I dont remember what I got so Ill just speak in the takeout I got last night.
I thought the hotwings were above average and I would order them again, I also opted to go with something I haven't had before and thats Mesa Fries, which come with jalapenos, cajun seasoning and grilled onions. They were good and id recommend trying them if you haven't before.
Is this considered "tex-mex"? Ouch. Maybe I'm tainted from living in Texas, but this was simply "ok". While the decor is cool, and the specials (think there was a pitcher of margarita last visit) is decent, this is a poor attempt at flavor. This is as authentic as Mothers is spacious on a Raven's game day.....
Others have said it and I'll say it again. Hubcap margaritas. Four stars for the concept and atmosphere, just shy of three for the margaritas. Now there are tons to choose from, but the two we had were nothing spectacular. Fun presentation in the hubcap and 10+ straws, not so fun with the strained neck from leaning down to slurp it down.
I loved all of the Baltimore memorabilia - really reminds you of what put the Charm in Charm City. Seemed like a really popular spot in Canton. Even at midnight the place was packed.
Huge menu, too much to look through and we didn't go to eat. My brother said I simply must try the crab nachos. I'm not one to shy away from either crab or nachos, so it was a no-brainer. Super super super satisfying. Went great with the hubcap o'tequila sitting in front of us. Creamy crab dip-ish stuffed between the chip crevasses, topped with melted (and slightly over-baked) cheese and sour cream - so good.
Concluding my evening in Baltimore, Nacho Mama's definitely tipped the calorie scales. Guess it's an extra 30 mins at the gym for a while.
Huge portion sizes and reasonable prices.
We had the veggie nachos and a mushroom and spinach quesadilla. The nachos were big and good. I liked having broccoli and zuchini under the cheese. The quesadilla was good.
My biggest complaint was the tortilla chips. The chips were straight from a bag, a little too salty, and not very authentic.
I've heard of this place and have seen people eat their food when they order takeout. The portions are HUGE and the prices are pretty fair. I ordered Mama's Meatloaf and it was a big hit at the table. The meatloaf was perfectly cooked and the sauce was so delicious - definitely different from any other meatloaf I've ever tried. The green beans that came with it were a tad salty and the smashed potatoes were decent but definitely not something I'd miss if someone sneezed on it.
The service was delightful though and our glasses were never empty or low for too long. Plus, our server was just sweet and pleasant, and we didn't feel rushed even though they were pretty busy during lunchtime on a Friday afternoon.
If you are interested in getting physically assaulted and then thrown out of a restaurant, Nacho Mama's is the place to go. Sound interesting? Let me treat you to a flashback of last weekend:
My girlfriends brother was in town for his birthday and we decided to go out for some dinner. He had a friend with him and they were interested in getting some Tex-Mex. I suggested that we try Nacho Mama's as I heard some decent things about it from friends. The meal started out alright, nothing you can't find at Qdoba or any other Mexican restaurant, but it wasn't bad food. While eating, the friend that came down with my girlfriend's brother went to use the restroom. Apparently when he came out of the restroom the door almost hit a girl that was walking past. The girl then goes and gets her boyfriend, who i would estimate is about 300 lbs of steroid pumping muscle, and tells him the situation. The angry boyfriend proceeds to push the poor guy to the ground, which wasn't that far of a distance, being that he is about 5'6 and 140 lbs, and drag him outside by his shirt.
** Keep in mind at this point that we are at a restaurant eating dinner. Not drinking, not there to start fights, eating dinner.**
Outside the juicy SOB apparently comes to his senses and decides not to kill the guy half his size that he just dragged out of the bar. Maybe it was divine intervention, maybe it was luck, maybe it was fear of jail time. I'm just glad nothing happened because it would have been a massacre. I guess i can't really blame the bar for this though right? Just a crazy patron, going into a roid-rage and dragging another dinner customer out into the street. Oh wait...it gets better.
So everything calms back down a little, and we attempt to go back into the restaurant to finish dinner. Except we can't. Apparently we've been thrown out of Nacho Mama's. For eating dinner. And being dragged outside by a small elephant. Whats worse, is they let said small elephant back in to finish his dinner. Or maybe to drag other customers out of the restaurant, who knows.
The poor guy who almost just lost his life is being extremely calm about the entire thing. He just wants to leave and avoid the whole thing. So we start to walk away when the bouncer tells us that we have to come back and pay the bill. The bill for the dinner that is still sitting inside because we were kicked out, after one of our dining party was dragged out of the restaurant. Now this is where it gets really classy.
The guy who was dragged out of the restaurant goes to tell the bouncer that there is no way he's going back into the restaurant to pay the bill if the psycho that just dragged him outside is still in there eating dinner. As soon as he finished the sentence, the bouncer punched the guy in the face. Yes, apparently the idea of having a conversation was too much for the bouncer to comprehend, so he decided assault was a better option.
So there ends our story. Begins with going out for dinner. Proceeds on to getting dragged out of the restaurant. Ends with getting cold-cocked by the bouncer.
Moral of the story: If you are interested in getting physically assaulted, or have a craving for mediocre Mexican food, go to Nacho Mama's.
We came here in a group of 4 on a Friday night, around 5:30PM and were seated immediately. Waitress was attentive, not overly friendly.
The calamari and Mach Nacho appetizers were average - not bad, not great. The chicken in the Macho Nacho was dry and tasted like leftover chicken that's been in the fridge for a few days (I know EXACTLY what that tastes like from experience). We ordered the soft shell crab taco, burrito, and enchilada for the main courses. Again, not bad, but not great. The soft shell crab was was a plain salt flavor.
We definitely had better margaritas though.
The appetizers were HUGE...keep this mind if you're going there after work and you're ordering appetizers...especially the Macho Nacho, as the name implies.
Interesting-looking place...not terribly expensive, very lively...overall, and enjoyable experience and wouldn't mind going back again.
It is a pretty small restaurant but it seems to a be a popular place. They serve nachos on hubcaps and there's alot of Elvis pictures all around the restuarant. The salsa and chips that came out were ok and the guacamole was so so. I would highly recommend the crab dip as an appetizer. The quesedillas are huge and most people in my group didn't finish it and I thought it was pretty good. I got the meatloaf and it was a litle too soft but the sauce on top was really good. I'd say it is pretty good place to hang out but it can get busy and they don't take reservations so I wouldn't come and wait to eat here.
Food is good, service is poor, atmosphere is top notch. Nothing is more Baltimore to me than drinking Natty-bo at Nacho Mama's while waiting for a table. Always a wait and slow service but a great place to down a few before a night out in Canton.
Crab ball appetizer's would be the can't miss item.
Creative list of quesadillas, waffle fry option as a side, a separate daily specials menu that should always be looked at.
How dare you, Nacho Mama's. HOW DARE YOU. I heard about your hubcap margaritas and waited for YEARS for the perfect chance to get on down to Canton and check you out. When the day finally arrived, I was so excited. You really pumped me up! What an excellent concept. Too bad your food sucked and made me feel sick and gross, and was way overpriced to boot. Fucking underwhelming. Your margs weren't even anything to write home about.
You're dead to me.
A long, long, LONG time ago, I used to design menus for Nacho Mama's for the agency I worked for. They paid me in food. At first, I didn't know if this would really work out, but it ended up being awesome.
I have no plans on ever being vegetarian, but if I did, I'm positive that their portabella quesadilla would get me through life.
I've still never had any potatoes that stack up to their smashies, and the Santa Fe Chicken is always changing, and always awesome.
There also should be some law in the books that every place in Baltimore that serves anything resembling bar food needs to serve Boh battered items on their menu.
Sure it gets crowded, because the secret is no longer a secret, but don't mind the haters. Nacho's is deliciousness all the way through.
One of the things I miss most about Baltimore is Nacho Mamas. I do go back from time to time though to enjoy a huge quesadilla and a margarita. I have always enjoyed the quesadillas here and I swear they are like a foot in diameter. I've never had any complaints about the service here. Besides where else can you go outside of Graceland to enjoy a margarita and see so much Elvis paraphernalia?
I really wish I could give this place no stars. For the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would eat here. The food is greasy and poorly prepared, the margaritas are terrible and the service is surly.
After hearing people rave about this restaurant I was at least expecting edible food and a well made margarita. The fact that this sorry excuse for a restaurant is still open makes me seriously question the taste and judgment of its patrons.
Nachoooooooooooooooo!!
This is a great late night place to head to if you're in the Canton area and in the mood for some margueritas with friends. They're (in)famous for their hub cap margueritas. The food is pretty standard, not fabulous, and on Thursdays and weekend nights it can get pretty crowded, so be prepared to wait for a table. If I remember correctly, Thursday night is also Journey night, so they play Journey all night starting around 8pm....which is cool if that's your thing. The place has character, it's decorated wall to wall in Natty Boh memorabilia. It's a good time, especially if you've already got a few beers under your belt.
1. This is not Mexican - when I first moved to Baltimore from Texas and was missing Mexican, people would drag me here. Ugh - this is not even Tex-Mex - it is pub fare with slight Tex-Mex influences. That said, the wings are OK, and the burgers are edible. But NOT Mexican in any way, shape, or form!
2. It is crowded and the wait is long - despite being marginal fare, for some reason Cantonites love this place. Plan to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait....
3. The service sucks - we once went here after work, and one of our colleagues who was tied up with a patient decided not to join us. He then got free and came in about 20 minutes after we were FINALLY seated and the freakin' waitress refused to allow him to order food! We had just gotten ours seconds before, so it isn't as if we were all done and he would hold up the table. We were completely shocked! She said the policy was that the entire party must be present to be seated and latecomers would not be served. She absolutely refused to let him order ANYTHING including a drink. We all shared our food and drinks with him of course, but WTF!!!
I have never been treated so badly at a restaurant before. That was my last visit to the place and I will never go back. It is one of the very rare places that if friends suggest it, I put my foot down and refuse on principal.
You want Margarita's, Fried Mexican food and of course the Baltimore Canton vibe then you have to make a stop at Nacho Mama's. I went here last night and it was a first for me, the Margarita was strong, tangy and did the job of making me feel giddy and of course "buzzed". Was it the best, you ask? Nope, but for 8.50 it was descent. I am a fan of freshly made drinks, but of course most bars love the mixers.
I did not get to try the food, but people looked satisfied. Who doesn't love deep fried wings, quesidillas and of course nachos. It was fun, the people were friendly and it is opened late.
When in Canton and by the square, you have to make this a stop for the night.
If you can get over the long wait during peak times (the joint is small) and the sheer unsanitary grossness of slurping a hubcap margarita through a straw along with four or five other people (can you say, "backwash"?), then I'd say Nacho Mama's is a great place to get a drink and some food.
I also enjoy the quesadillas there, and the medicine cabinet at each table with hot sauce is a cute little touch. Yes, if you want to see tons of Baltimore memorabilia, and feel like you've "experienced Canton," then go for it.
I'd put Nacho Mama's on my top 10 reasons why I'd move back to Baltimore. I lived in the neighborhood right after college and found myself there at least once per week. It was always so busy, so I found it helpful to go for an early dinner. The prices are great, food is outstanding, portions large, and the atmosphere so much fun.
Oh Nacho Mama's, how I miss you and your hubcaps of Margarita.
A quintessential Baltimore bar/restaurant. Not quite authentic Tex-mex but it doesn't matter when you can get Natty Boh in a can, margs served in hubcaps, and one of several dozen tequila's they have on deck. Great atmosphere - a must do if you're in east Baltimore.
HUBCAP!!!! SEAFOOD QUESADILLA AND A NATTY BOH PLEASE!
I spent hours looking at all the cool memorabilia on display. The decor is quirky and so are the patrons. The wings are delcious. I can't go to Canton without stopping here for something.
Really really really really good food!!! The Crab & corn Quesadilla was awesome! Because it's small the place is always packed, we had a 30 minute wait for our table on a Sunday night but the wait for the table was actually longer than the time to prepare our food!
I would avoid this place on a Friday or Saturday night, the "party crowd" in Canton can be a little tough to deal with but otherwise - top noch!!
This guy walks into the room carrying this big chunk of cheese. His roommate marvels at the sight and asks him, "What kind of cheese is that?"
The guys replies, "It's nacho cheese."
His roommate asks, "How do you know that?"
The guy answers, "Because when I was walking and saw this cheese, I picked it up and walked away. Then I heard this guy yelling at me, 'Hey, that's nacho cheese...that's nacho cheese.'"
Seems like everyone loves this place but I didn't. The atmosphere is fine but our waiter was absent-minded (forgot drinks, etc). Of the 4 of us, only one liked the meal enough to want to come back. I got the chili and it was basically big honking chunks of stringy beef in tomato sauce and chili powder. A friend of mine got a crab quesadilla and it was like a glop of crab dip sandwiched between two tortillas.
Maybe the mistakes we made were in what we ordered. Whateva, I two star you.
I went into this place after hunting for parking for 15 minutes and found people with straws in a hubcap... I gave a blank stare, then saw it as a menu item. HUBCAP MARGARITAS?? Crab Dip Nachos!!!! My interest was piqued. I had that, some crab dip nachos. and oogled at the Old School Baltimore memorabilia including the Elvis collection. This place gets the nod for cool props, decor and atmosphere. The staff is quick, and riendly, and the other mexican foods here are good enuff for a person from L.A. to enjoy and not be too critical. Oh and you'll have leftovers from the portion sizes: they're quite hefty.
This place is really cool. If you order the nachos, you will need a doggy bag. If your order fajitas, you will need a doggy bag. In fact, if you order nachos with the intention that they will only be an appetizer, you're screwed -- haha. They give you more bang for your buck. It's not a wide-open place, but they make up for it in grub and booze. If you're new to Baltimore you MUST at least try this place. If you like Mexican food you will not be disappointed.
One word: Hubcap. In this cozy space overflowing with Natty Boh's memorabilia, you can find the absolute best maragaritas in Baltimore which are consumed with as many straws as you can handle in a silver bowl called a hubcap. When I first moved to Bmore, it was an instant favorite among my circle of med student friends. If you can survive the wait to get in if you arrive late at night, it's definitely worth it. The food isn't bad either with really tasty salads and quesadillas. It's only fall back is that it's hard to get seated with a large group of people and they don't like you to order if you arrive late. After a hubcap or two (it's always 2 or more more) you can head out to the other bars around Canton square.
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