Of course, Little Rock has no shortage of fine burger joints. But we still can’t seem to get enough of them. There’s been a lot of excitement surrounding the return of former beloved favorite, Mama B’s. The restaurant was a go-to restaurant for many burger lovers while it was open…its last home being at the corner of Shackleford and Kanis almost four years ago.
But Mama B is serving again, and this time she’s closer to downtown, at the corner of Cross and Daisy Bates. Luckily, I’ve been working in the area all this month, so naturally, a burger from Mama B’s was in order as soon as possible.
The restaurant is essentially take-out only, as advertised on the sign outside. Customers line up in a small, slightly cramped front room, place their orders at a window and are delivered their food when it’s prepared. There are actually four small tables lining one of the walls in this space, so “dining in” is not out of the question…but given the small size of this room, and the already sizable number of people waiting for food around the order window, I imagine most will choose to take their food to-go.
Looking over the menu, one will note that Mama B’s is doing much more than just burgers. One section of the menu is dedicated to a variety of fried shrimp and catfish baskets, another section lists a few hot dogs and polish sausages available. There’s a few options for hot wings, which are cut in-house from fresh chickens and cooked to order. There’s a handful of grilled sandwiches, too: grilled cheese, sliced turkey, roast beef, hot ham and cheese, a BLT, and an 8 oz. fried pork chop sandwich.
I had to start with the burger. No surprise there. Burgers are offered in two sizes, regular and 6 oz. jumbo patties. From there, you can go single, double, or triple, and add a whole host of condiments to suit your needs.
I went all in. Double jumbo burger with bacon and cheese. This came loaded with mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion. It was a darn big burger…much more than I needed (per my cardiologist) but I had not problem putting it down. The double was plenty, and I have no doubt that a triple would have defeated me. It was a very respectable burger, too. Thick, greasy patties of meat, cooked-through but not dry or lacking flavor. Bacon was good and crisp and cheese melted properly. For you dedicated burger brigade members…you’re going to want to add this to your to-do list.
I also got a taste of their enormous “foot long coney dog.” This giant dog comes dressed with meaty chili, cole slaw, shredded cheese, onion, and mustard. They mention that “napkins are required.” That’s entirely true…it’s huge and messy, and almost requires a fork and knife to handle. But the chili’s spicy and made in house…a decent dog, indeed.
If you were a fan of Mama B’s in its former days, I have little doubt you’re going to enjoy this new restaurant reincarnate. The word is already getting out…there was a line to get food when I visited and it’s barely been open a week. Come hungry, because Mama B’s is sure to fill your belly to the brim.
Mama B’s is located at 1200 W. Daisy Gatson Bates Dr.
Hours: Mon – Thurs: 10 am to 8 pm. Fri and Sat: 10 am to 9 pm. Sunday: 11 am to 7 pm.
Phone: 501-777-1126.
