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    Mama Wale’s Rice & Grill

    4.2 (195 reviews)
    ModerateAfrican
    Closed 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

    Order Mama Wale’s Rice & Grill Takeout or Delivery

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    MAMA WALE’S RICE & GRILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Mama Wale’s Rice & Grill

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    Vegetarian option with Fufu
    Ed K.

    Nigerian restaurant in the Mo Valley Mall food court. Flavorful food. Decent portions. Several meat and vegetarian options. Excellent service.

    Egusi, fufu, Chicken (diced) Jollof Rice Bowl
    Rose G.

    It's in the mall but that doesn't mean much because it was still very nice to eat there & it was so delicious, the egusi was vegetarian and so flavorful. The fufu was soft, was very fresh, & a perfect texture. The rice was flavorful & the chicken so good. The staff was very friendly, and though one of our egusi was a bit colder than we'd like, they were so apologetic and quickly warmed it up for us and it was perfect. The spicy one is so delicious but I couldn't take more than a few bites because i can't handle spice but my boyfriend loved it and he said it wasn't spicy at all; the non spicy one was just as good.

    My first time trying this rice bowl with chicken, VERY GOOD :) :) :)
    Owen K.

    If you've never tried Mama Whales Nigerian Kitchen, stop by at the Moreno Valley mall food court. The service is great and the food is even better. My first time trying this type of cuisine. They will give you a sample, that's all it took for me. I'll definitely be back to try the other dishes.

    Pounded Yam (Fufu) Goat (Egusi) side note the goat is gamey
    Bridgette Q.

    I gave it a low rating due to the fact that it doesn't let you know anywhere or the website is not updated. The building is actually in the mall and it's just a little stand in the food court her options on her online menu are not comparable to what she actually offers. She only offers rice bowls. It's kind of like a panda express style. If we're just sitting there it's over seasoned. I don't know if that's just typical African food definitely not for me. The food food taste like mashed potatoes. It was an experience, but definitely will not go back. For these two items the esgui and goat with the beef fried rice came out to $40.63 I say if you never had try at least but there might be a restaurant that offer fresh food

    dry stew beef
    Alicia K.

    so to start off. looks like they recently moved, they're now located in the mall's food court area. me and my boyfriend spent 10 mins driving around the area trying to find it. we go in, and it doesn't look promising. it seemed like she was getting annoyed that we ordered a lot of food: two egusi plates with fufu and a meat pie. but for close to 60 dollars- it wasn't a lot of food. the beef from my plate was very dry, and why does my boyfriend's plate look like it has more food when they're supposed to be the same?! when we were first given our ordered, she forgot to give us the fufu This was my first time trying nigerian food, did i wanna be in the mall food court eating off my fingers... no not really.

    The best egusi I've tried
    Stephanie N.

    My favorite place to get egusi and fufu. The best I've tried. The egusi is flavorful, and not fishy like most egusi I've tried. You also get an option for spicy or no spice. My son picked up for me so I can't comment on ambiance or service yet. But it was easy to order and food was made fast for pick up. I can't wait to come back and try their other dishes.

    HY W.

    I rarely leave negative reviews but I received very poor customer service and I think the owner should be made aware because the employee I dealt with is going to make the business lose further money. I arrived 3/13 around 5:40 pm hoping to use a $5 off birthday coupon I received via email. I had no idea this restaurant relocated much further from me so my GPS took me all the way to Moreno valley mall which I live an hour from. I showed the older lady who was sitting by the cashier area my email and she kept saying she knew nothing about it, nobody told her and refused to help me. I told her to ask hee manager and she said she is off. I kindly asked can she call her manager because I drove an hour away for my visit. She says she doesn't want to bother her. She also kept saying cashier is not around... Well then how do you sell food? What I extremely disliked about her service was her attitude: she was never eager to help. I noticed the machine to self-order said Toast Tab and had a selection on screen that said redeem rewards so I decided I'll just self-order myself. All this time the older lady said not to mess up the machine... She even scolded me when I tried to scan my rewards barcode from email telling me not to mess anything up. She never once offered to help or check the machine herself. I should've never even spoke to her in the first place because it turns out the self-order Toast Tab kiosk was super simple to use the moment I added my order and scanned my email barcode. I wish I was able to avoid the ordeal with her. She never apologized for how she acted when the transaction went through. The only nice thing she did was offering me samples of both the spicy and non spicy egusi when I wasn't sure which to get. The mounted screens were turned off so it looks like the restaurant was closed. The foot traffic was very low Thursday evening so I really hope the owner has a good conversation with the older lady on how to improve her customer service, otherwise the business is going to be hemorrhaging money from her lack of effort with customers. 1 star review but bumped to 2 stars because the food was good.

    spicy Traditional ( Fufu & Egusi, eba, Amala)
    Shigufa S.

    this was my first time trying fufu and spicy egusi soup and I actually have not stopped thinking about it since! will be stopping by here again soon. quick service and very conveniently located next to the entrance to the mall food court.

    FIX YOUR HOURS

    Terrible. Change your store times to your actual store hours. I come at 6pm on a Friday and the whole place is closed down but says it's open till 8pm?! I wasted my gas and time because you guys can't seem to adjust times correctly which is a simple step and if you need help ask someone but don't mislead people. I was actually interested but I'll never come here again.

    Pounded Yam (Fufu) Chicken (fried) 3pcs
    Celine T.

    First time trying this dish and it was really good! They served the egusi soup with a generous amount of chicken and the pounded yam was really soft (we asked for med spicy but it wasn't spicy at all) will definitely be back to try other dishes on the menu when we're in the area

    Shrimp egusi Traditional ( Fufu & Egusi, eba, Amala)
    Camie J.

    1st time trying Nigerian food it was delicious can't wait to try more things on the menu. Customer service was good everyone was friendly and helpful.

    All bread beef meat pie. Dry at the beginning of the day.
    Rema A.

    This place moved to the mall food court. I can say this place has gone all downhill. The portion is a fraction of what it once was. The meat pie was dry and hollow. There was barely any meat for as big as the pie was. The egusi was barely anything in the bowl. Not even the fufu filled me up. For $50? That just equals me not ever coming back. Plus the lady is rude. This place will be closed in 6 months. Since I am in Moreno Valley I gotta stop off at Portillo's cause im still hungry. I should have just went there first. You all have been warned!!!!!!!!

    Patiently waiting
    Sarah L.

    I'm so glad I found this GEM MaMa is so kind and welcoming and her food is DELICIOUS if you enjoy good food with a kick of spice, this is worth a try. Nigerian food for the win LOCATED IN THE MORENO VALLEY MALL FOOD COURT

    Traditional ( Fufu & Egusi, eba, Amala)

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    Business owner information

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    Mama Wale D.

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    8 months ago

    My first time having fufu and it was an amazing experience. With Vegetarian opinions made it so delicious and unforgettable.

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    4 months ago

    Soo good flavor is amazing and the staff is soo nice Brianna was super kind patient and help full would recommend everytime!!!

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - Mama Wale’s Rice & Grill

    Is there a larger size I can order for the Egusi soup?

    Yes

    View All 3 Questions

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    I really want to personally like this place but it just wasn't the hype I was expecting it to be…read morebut I will give them a high rating for the care and sharing of their culture through food and understanding the fact that not everyone's taste pallets are the same. With that being said- GS Cafe and Ethiopian food is run by a mother and son duo. They are prompt and efficient but just be aware they are running the entire thing so there can be a wait for food especially when it's busy. There's seating for at least about 30 people here. And the parking lot is shared with many establishments in the same center so there's plenty. Nestled on a quiet main street, you can find authentic Ethiopian food. We ordered the #14 combo plate as it was our first time- shareable up to 2-3 people. It had a mixture of 80 percent of their menu (as the son who was taking our order put it) The amount of injera (somewhat of like a sourdough crepe) they gave us was plentiful. There was even a side basket with atleast 8 more pieces that I forgot to take a picture of. I appreciated this meal and loved the veggies. None stood out to me but I will say all were flavorful, healthy and a delight to eat. The beef and chicken were dry in my opinion but the sauce helped. I'm glad I tried this place and it was an enjoyable enough experience. Don't let my review deter you from trying it yourself as this place was pretty full when we were dining in- so try it for yourself!

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    The best Ethiopian and Eritrean food I have had in a long time. Dare I say, ever! I have eaten at…read morenumerous Ethiopian restaurants in Los Angeles (some gems known only within the local Ethiopian community), as well as multiple venues in the San Francisco Bay area. This restaurant surpasses them all. We came to celebrate my friend's birthday (she eats here all the time, has lived in Africa for years, and knows the owner and his family) and ordered the vegetarian combo, okra, Awaze Tibs (beef), hot bubbling Tegabino shiro, and a fried sambusa (lentil filling) appetizer to share. The flavors and seasonings used in the veggie dishes and beef had a nice balance and went exceptionally well together. The injera bread was fluffy and had a good mouthfeel, with enough bounce and texture to pick up and hold the delicious food and sauces together into the perfect bite-sized morsels. Injera bread was so good that I would eat this plain. As a sourdough flatbread, their injera was not overly sour nor dry. We also finished 2 bottles of Ethiopian honey wine, which was less sweet than I expected and closer in profile to a light Chardonnay, than a sweet wine. Wine was a perfect pairing for the food. As far as beverages go, they have a small selection of beer and wine in the menu, along with Ethiopian coffee/tea which is freshly brewed to order. They also have a nice traditional coffee/tea setting in one corner of the restaurant and I was told they provide a special freshly brewed coffee service on weekends. Definitely a top recommendation from me, for authentic Ethiopian and Eritrean food. My friend informed me that this restaurant is a labor of love/care from the owner, who had a very successful engineering career before he opened this restaurant, which was a dream of his to share the foods he grew up with to the local Ethiopian and Eritrean community. Even more reason to love and support this restaurant! We went on a weeknight for early dinner and it wasn't crowded. Plenty of parking as they're located in a small shopping plaza.

    Absolutely loved this place! Ethiopian food is quite the dining experience, as well as a GREAT…read moreoption for date night! So in short, if you never had Ethiopian food and need a spot for date night, come here... hungry! Oh.... And you'll be eating/enjoying this meal with your hands which would be the traditional way to eat an Ethiopian meal, but of course, you can always ask for utensils! We ordered the Traditional Combo and you're given this huge platter of Injera (think of a spongy crepe like sourdough tasting bread!) topped with different kinds of Ethiopian Dishes. I used my hand as a reference to show you how big this platter really is! The flavor profiles that I believe would best describe the food would be bold, earthy, tangy with a bit of sourness, spicy, zesty, and VERY aromatic, so if this up your alley, this is a sign to go!

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    WOW! I have wanted to try this restaurant for a while now and it was worth the wait. Valet parking…read moreat a reasonable rate. The building has three different sections with different names, themed for what one is looking for... for example... the live music area is called... Ivan'z House Live Music Club. There's a rooftop area that is also a different name, all are part of Mozambique. We went on a Friday and it was packed. We were sat in one of their private rooms that overlook the downstairs main area. The room was intimate and much quieter than the main dining room. The whole place has a great vibe to it. Walking in, you are greeted with a huge bird cage with exotic birds. The decor is really cool and the smells of the food make one instantly hungry to try everything. The service was prompt and the staff was very kind. Now... the food. Absolutely delicious. The menu has a variety of tempting items on it, however, I wanted to try the South African food and it did not disappoint. We had somosas as an appetizer and I had the South African pie. My husband had the steak and lobster. Everything tasted amazing. We ended with a delectable dessert and a cappuccino. Afterward, we went to the bar and saw the live band setting up. Also, a cool place with a nice stage. We will definitely be back and bring the family. Thank you Mozambique for a great night.

    My husband and I came here on Mother's Day weekend and spent over $300 (for context). Where do I…read morestart... unfortunately, this place was a huge disappointment for us. This restaurant has been bookmarked for me for years, and after seeing all the good reviews I had a certain level of expectation. We had a very different experience it seems, so not sure if we just went on a bad night or if we should try brunch instead of dinner, but I'm not inclined to give this place another try. I will try to keep to the top lines: 1) we were seated at 7 and didn't receive our food until 8:30. During this hour and a half, we were checked on by our server once for drinks, and once to place the order. Other than that, we were never spoken to or provided with updates on our food. We are generally pretty gracious and understanding if a restaurant is understaffed or experiencing delays for whatever reason, but no one let us know what was happening. For the price of the food, I would expect better hospitality - typically, restaurants of this caliber would explain the wait ahead of time or in the moment, and even provide free bread or something. Updates at the very least would have been appreciated. 2) while we waited 1.5 hours, staff came by at least three times asking if a dish was ours, then proceeding to ask multiple other tables the same question. It seems that the staff was all over the place. When we finally got our food, the server did not know who to give the food to, and kept trying to hand us the wrong dishes. This can be forgiven, but just added to the pattern of service being sloppy (for lack of a better term). To add to this, the host stand was also quite confused when we checked in and we witnessed a staff member tell their co host that they "should not be doing this job anymore" ..... 3) the food was okay, quite underwhelming. The biggest downfall was the steamed veggies that came with 2 of the 4 dishes. They were unseasoned veggies, the kind that come with hospital food or cheap hotel meals. Just plain steamed veggies. 1 star for the prawns and Chilean sea bass (the fish itself), 1 star for them trying

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    Ivan'z house live music club at Mozambique, live music venue

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    Halal peri-peri chicken pops, halal menu available

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    Mama Wale’s Rice & Grill - african - Updated May 2026

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