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Mama Bird

4.2 (214 reviews)

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MAMA BIRD ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Trendy
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Mama Bird

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Branzino
Takako S.

We walked in right after they opened and we were quickly seated. Less beer menu, some wines but cocktails were available. Food is great. We ordered half chicken, pork chop, steak and branzino. Service was ok, slow to take orders but meals brought to table in decent amount of timeframe, so just our main server was a problem. All were food were good and pork chop was a winner.

Amanda M.

I've never been to this side of town passed NW 23rd, the area is so gorgeous. Mama Bird does not have any direct onsite parking but there is a good amount of street parking. This is a great spot for brunch and dinner too. I got their eggs Benedict and we also got a quarter bird to share. We actually got four of the quarter bird to share amongst a large group. We learned that they're known for their chicken so we had to try it. They have a brunch menu with a variety of items, the eggs Benedict was yummy. It was served on a piece of toast with some avocado, spinach, bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. You can pick a side salad or a side of potatoes. Everything was seasoned to perfection. The quarter bird was delicious, there were a variety of sauces we tried it with and my favorite was the chimichurri. The chicken itself was super moist, even the chicken breast (not pictured). Overall very fun experience here, great service and good food. Will come back again to try out their dinner menu.

Grilled Potatoes were a solid choice.
Terrance S.

This was my first visit as I had been waiting a minute to visit due to their hours. The staff was warm and inviting, the decor was nice, and it's in a great location. Had a delicious happy hour salad. Then we went with the sweet potatoes, grilled potatoes, and the whole bird. I would give a higher rating but I think they could feature some better sides to go along with the chicken. Maybe some beans, or rice & peas, or possibly another cooked green option like a spinach or something. This is just my observation, but they stay busy and booked, so what do I know. Also, they should feature Kinders BBQ sauce on the menu as that would accentuate the chicken perfectly.

Amelia R.

Mama bird is an upscale dinner spot located in the heart of downtown near the nobhill neighborhood. Mama bird is beautifully styled with a clean modern design. We ordered the steak, half chicken and large side of grilled potatoes. Everything was delicious. The chicken comes with two sauces and I recommend getting the verde sauce! The miso garlic was not my favorite. The chicken was one of the best I've ever had. The service could have definitely been improved on. We waited a long time for both our meal and for our check and had to ask for to go containers. The price was also a little crazy two proteins and a side of potatoes for $100 that's where it lost a point for me. Definitely a special occasion restaurant! I am looking forward to coming back for their happy hour offerings.

Charles C.

Was a bit annoyed to drive all the way from Hillsboro and then wait 30' for chicken! What a bias, great waiting but totally annoying thing after getting seated took forever for the waiter to come, wasn't even busy, no excuse. Order took a long time too, came in waves, peppers, beans, bone marrow and wait wait wait and finally the chicken. Really think they should bring the full meal all together, but hey the chicken was spectacular as were the other dishes. So if ever in the mood for great chicken worth a dine in

Adam Z.

Let's jump into it and start this off by discussing the chicken. My girlfriend and I ordered the half bird. I'm a little picky about fat and connective tissue so I just stuck to the chicken breast and left the other pieces to her. So, here's the thing. It was good. It was perfect. But IMHO, it was still lacking in a significant way. I guess the way I'm thinking about it is that you can group chicken (or I guess meat in general) into two parts: the interior and the exterior. The interior was absolutely perfect, and it's worth a trip just to experience what that's like. According to the menu, it's brined in pineapple juice, which I've heard (https://www.chefsresource.com/does-pineapple-juice-tenderize-meat/) can be a great way to tenderize meat. According to the server, it's cooked sous vide to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. I was a little surprised to hear that it's cooked all the way to 165. According to this Serious Eats article (https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast) and various other sources I've encountered in the past, 165 yields chicken that is too dry and stringy and something like 150 is preferred. Maybe they actually cook it to a lower temperature but don't want to admit that to customers? Maybe the brine and other magic makes it still come out good at 165? I dunno. But regardless, the interior of the chicken is perfect and worth trying. My gripe is with the exterior. There just wasn't much going on there. And the exterior is where all the flavor is. Well, I guess not "all the flavor", but all of a certain type of flavor. The browned bits, the flavor from the marinade, the texture, that sort of stuff. Personally that's my favorite part, so all-in-all I'd say the chicken was "good" but not "exceptional". The exterior was very thin. I guess the idea maybe is that you get the flavor from the sauces. Which has some truth to it. The aji verde sauce was pretty good. The yogurt curry was just ok. But at least for me, I still need that exterior. This is a good segue into the potatoes. The same points apply, pretty much. The interior is good, but the exterior is very thin, and not at all crispy. We also got arancini, burata and cucumber, and a ceasar salad. They were all good but not great. They were also very small and not really worth the price of ~$15 IMO. For a drink I got a non-alcoholic boujee shirley (temple). I didn't love it. Way too sweet. At $9, I would definitely elect to pass. Overall, we'll probably be back. It's a solid option for dinner. I think we'll ditch all the appetizers and drinks and focus on the chicken and potatoes, aiming to keep the bill around $50 for two instead of $100+.

Andrew P.

The brunch was an absolute mess other than the service which is impeccable- why have mama bird in your title if you run out of chicken !! The order took a really long time and i would avoid the chorizo chicken But the bloody mary was spot in

Lan roc pork steak
Shanna C.

So glad I got to try mama bird out! Came here as a group of 4 so we could try a variety of dishes, and it felt like the perfect amount of people to share everything with! I like that the interior is the perfect vibe for a lot of different occasions. It's a little fancier than a casual eatery, but not so fancy you would feel uncomfortable walking in with jeans and maybe some nice athleisure. We made reservations and were seated promptly. The service here is top notch, and everyone we encountered was incredibly kind and attentive. Here is what we order between 4 people. We were all quite hungry, so adjust portions accordingly! - cornbread - grilled prawns - pork steak - wagyu steak - whole bird w 3 sauces - grilled potatoes (large size) - mushrooms The cornbread was interesting. It was more crumbly than your usual cornbread. I really liked the butter that came with it. I don't think this is a must get, but worth trying if you want a carb and aren't sure what to get. The grilled prawns were fantastic. They were perfectly grilled with the perfect amount of char. The pepper emulsion was unique and the fried leeks added a nice crispy texture on top. Next was the wagyu steak which was cooked perfectly at medium rare. The steak was flavorful and tender. I was pleasantly surprised given this place is known for their chicken. We also got the lan roc pork steak which was SO tender and flavorful with the chickpeas. I would highly recommend getting this if you see it on the menu! The chicken here really is very good. I'm impressed that white meat could be made so juicy and flavorful. The whole bird comes with 3 sauces. We opted for the aji verde, chimmichurri, and the garlic miso. I'm a sucker for chimmichurri so I thought it was great. But to be honest, I felt the aji verde sauce was perfection. The garlic miso is also quite tasty. I highly recommend trying different sauces with white and dark meat because I think the flavors are slightly different. The roasted potatoes I felt were very well seasoned, and I would definitely get these again. The mushrooms were good, but I really enjoy mushrooms. Overall this was a great meal, and I am glad I got to try a number of menu items with our group. Next time I would love to try the salmon, burger, and polenta!

Half Bird
Kara R.

We finally decided to try this place after seeing a post about how they were recently broken into and needed some support- and I am so glad we did! The chicken was incredible- moist, tender, and cooked to perfection. It paired perfectly with the sauces- we got the Aji Verde and smoked garlic miso which were both delicious but we are also looking forward to trying more sauces since they all sounded good! The summer squash and polenta were also highlights for us. The milk buns were good but probably not worth the price point and getting full off of. The cocktails were also delicious and unique. I also really enjoyed their patio and it was on a main street but felt quiet and secluded. Can't wait to go back!

Waffle and quarter bird. It's grilled not fried.
Patty W.

We were out and about early, and we were the first customers in. I think the wildfire was still heating up, as it took awhile before our food arrived. Since we weren't in a hurry, no harm, no foul. It gave us a chance to look around at the space, which was bright and nicely decorated. While waiting, I sipped away at a really lovely spiced plum mimosa. That mimosa was complex and lovely, and it kind of ruined me for regular OJ mimosas. The breakfast, once it arrived, was worth the wait. My Benedict was perfect (I love an oozy yolk, but the white has to be fully set or it just too closely resembles snot) and served with spec and avocado. It was on top of a very good bread, not an English muffin. I loved it. I took a bite of the chicken and waffle and highly recommend that as welll. It's not a fried chicken as most chicken and waffles seem to be; instead it's a nicely grilled (in the wood fire perhaps) quarter of a small chicken. We will be back happily. 4.5 stars

Farmer's Salad
Melia F.

Mama Bird was a fabulous stop for dinner! The chicken is juicy, the skin is crispy flavorful, and the sauce is tasty (we tried the miso and chimichurri). The greens salad was fresh, could maybe use a touch of salt or squeeze of lemon. We were happy to find out they have an all day happy hour menu on Mondays, keep in mind 2 drink purchases are required to order off that menu, but nonalcoholic drinks count! Service was kind and quick, and they were quick to offer a wedge for our wobbly table outside. Overall all nice bang for your buck, and the building is clean and well decorated!

Sweet potato side
Todd H.

I saw that it had a low 4s rating so I was a bit worried. It did not disappoint. The food was interesting and shockingly tasty for a chicken place. Let me explain, my wife only eats vegetables and chicken so I do not eat chicken outside our home. It's the ultimate boring food to me. Mama Birds was anything boring. We had the arancini balls which were amazing, the burrata salad (which I have thought about so many times since eating it), Caesar salad, whole chicken with the most crazy amazing smoked miso sauce and the Branzino (whole fish) . I would order everything again but the fish. It was not bad but everything else was awesome!! I want to eat that smoked miso sauce on everything. Note- the server tired to warn us that the Fish was good but am we should have listened and gotten the steak.

Superb GF cornbread
Jon O.

I've been to Mama Bird sporadically since they opened, and yet they've always left me thinking 'why don't I come here more often?' Seriously one of my favorite spots in town now; always approachable, enjoyable, and tasty. The chicken is the main focus here, which unfortunately means I've never bothered to try the other proteins, though they always look and sound awesome. The chicken is always grilled so well, and stays so juicy. The appetizers and salads are often creative and well-executed. The tomato, melon and stonefruit one on my most recent visit was so so good. Also a big shoutout for doing a GF cornbread, even better than a glutenous version. The only letdown recently was the grilled peppers, not because of the quality, but we felt the portion size was awful tiny and not worth the cost. Otherwise I feel like most of the prices here are pretty fair, given the quality of ingredients, preparation, and location. It's not cheap, but it also not so spendy that you don't mind visiting on a week night. I do kind of miss the order at the counter set up. The full service my most recent visit was friendly, but a little slow for a weeknight with an auto-gratuity. I do wish they'd offer a mashed potato or mashed sweet tater side dish, rather than trying to grill everything. It would go perfect with their proteins in the fall and winter. Great beer list with reasonable prices in it as well. Going to add to my regular rotation and come back more than once a year. Wish they'd open another location or two on the East/Northside.

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Gabriel P.

Love it Jon! Thank you!

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Hi Jessica, thank you so much for the lovely words :)

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3 years ago

A perfect chicken. We always get more than we need so we have ample leftovers. Also love the mushroom side and the salads. This is a staple.

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Ask the Community - Mama Bird

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