Mama Brown

Amazing food. And a busy day being a long weekend but still really great service

I celebrated my family and we all had a great time. The servings were generous and with lots of selections. We went on Wednesday so we had a buy1take1 mains deal. Such a great value for money and kids love it.

So many people recommend this reataurant and the food, while a bit of a more simple menu, doesn't disappoint. The decor was not my cup of tea though.

I went to mama browns for a date with my girlfriend recently. It's been a place that we had both really wanted to try. Unfortunately I was thoroughly disappointed. The location is great, there is lots of seating and I really like the old american ads that they have all over the shop. The waiter I had was also super amazing. However my food experience was not.

I ordered the chicken and waffles which I have been so excited to try. The chicken was dry and bland, pretty much flavourless even though it's meant to have a delicious herb and spice rub coating the chicken. I can never afford meat normally so this was going to be a special treat and I could barely eat any of it, it just tasted so bland and dry.

The waffles did not have the crisp edges with pockets of airy fluffy dough. It was all soggy with none of the texture that you would expect from a good waffle. The "waffles" were drowning in fake maple syrup that tasted purely like liquid sugar and made the dish way too sweet. The waffles and the chicken had nothing to make them work together. Also the chicken is meant to be fried, I really didn't think it met that standard either.

The portion sizes are ginormous which is great value for money but I have to enjoy the food to want to eat that much! Chicken and waffles is something hard to find in New Zealand and I feel like mama browns would make anyone never want to go near it again. There was so much potential to make this incredibly delicious and bring this classic american food to New Zealand an opportunity that they really missed the mark on.

It was also served with coleslaw which again felt like they had just dumped three different things on a plate without trying to put any effort into making those elements work together to create a tasty dish.

My girlfriend ordered the pork ribs which thankfully were much better. However I was very disappointed with our visit and I do not plan to go there again. If you still want to try mama browns I would recommend going on the 2 for 1 mains day. As if you hate the food you are only paying for one meal not both of them.

Also there are pretty much no options for people who have special dietary requirements (Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten free or just food allergies in general). On top of that they have magnets by the counter of their shop making fun of people who do and basically calling them too difficult and "extra". Which is a very good way to eliminate a lot of possible customers and also just horrible.

Great family eating, fair choice of dishes, great portions, recommend the cajun fries. I had the Haloumi salad, top notch! Nice friendly service quirky plane seats are a feature.Nice dish, tastes fabulous, great portions. Will be back.Highly recommended.