I really enjoyed eating at Mama's Oyster House. I would not say it is the most appealing place, but it has a great antiquated charm to the place, as if it were homegrown. It is certainly better than Lasyone's, which may be one of the most famous (but overrated) restaurants in historic Natchitoches. I ended up getting the crab plate which had crab fingers, stuffed crab, crab cakes, and soft shell crab. The crab delicacies were cooked and seasoned very appropriately. I must say that their French fries were extremely interesting. They were wedged shaped, but very thin such that they were more like thick potato chips than fries. I would go again!
(4)
David R.
One of the biggest rip offs I have ever experiences . Totally take advantage of tourist trade. This is the first time I have ever felt the need to post a review and WARN the next poor hungry tourist. First I broke all law of reason and walked in the wrong door. A few customers on this side of building but not crowded AT ALL. Three people standing behind the bar just looked at me and my friend like we had fallen from another plant ( we are very average , blend right in with the general public , perhaps a little better dressed than most). After several minutes I asked " Can we get a table and eat " then suddenly one came out of her trance and explained the host stand was on the other side and showed us where it was . So sorry for making her work. The host was pleasant and seated us quickly . You know if they do not want people walking in that door perhaps it should be locked ! Wait person was pleasant and nice and begin serving us in a nice and timely manner. Over all her service and personality very nice ! We ordered . Food came out timely . Appetizer meat pie , terrible like a pop tart filled with hamburger helper ! I ordered blackened steak forget the cut with sides of mixed steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes . My friend rare tuna and same sides. Steak $22.99 tuna $18.99. Had to ask for silverware , wrapped in a PAPER TOWEL. My fried said tuna was good . My steak a fatty mess , grill must be black giving it it's name. My frozen mixed vegetables best on the plate . The steak would have been over priced at $9.99. I've had better steak at Ryan's steak House which I've eaten at once , long story . Out Back , Long Horn far superior and you get a real napkin. I'm not a total food snob I've mentioned places I've been ,but expect a certain amount of service ,starting with a greeting , and half eatable food. This place horrible . Tourist go some where else ! Truck stop hot dogs maybe . I tipped well and left discussed !
(1)
Susan W.
Great spot for Dinner! It's a bar/restaurant. Fast, friendly service. I ordered the Catfish Plate with Fries and Cole Slaw. YUM! The fish was great and there was PLENTY! I love when I get what I pay for! There was enough to split! The fries were fantastic and the Coleslaw was fresh and good as well. I posted pics of my meal, check them out! I'll be back!
(4)
Christy L.
This place is horrible. Now granted we visited this place on a Saturday afternoon during the Christmas festival so they were very busy. But be prepared to have nothing but incompetent college kids tell you the things they can not do for you. No raw oysters during the festival even tho they are an oyster house, they won't serve food at the bar after 3pm but they hold all of the open tables for parties of 5 or more. We waited over 45 mins for a table for two even tho they sat probably 6 large parties after us. All parties of 4 or less were all waiting because they would not split up tables. They ended up smoothing us into a tiny crammed table in a corner like they didn't want our business.Just like most restaurants in Louisiana, almost all seafood is fried. Nothing special, and would suggest you check out somewhere else unless you're ok with bad service and mediocre food.
(1)
Jon G.
Where to begin? Well, let's start by stating the facts: I am not only vegetarian (well, I do eat fish too), but I am also a pretty picky eater, and I am pretty sensitive to noise and picky when it comes to music. Mama's Oyster bar was probably the only place that I can actually say that I would eat just about everything on the menu, minus the pickles or anything with mayonnaise. There was a live band, but it wasnt too loud, and it was blues! No horrible club music or rap, amazing! My friend and I started off with the blackened alligator, which was so good you didnt need any dipping sauce. My friend got the fried oysters, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and I got the blackened catfish with crawfish etoufee. Absolutely amazing! Mama, I tip my hat to you!
(5)
Jason M.
Great service in a nice area, had the tuna...it was good but very dry, came with a soup that was really good. Buddy had the swamp player (lol) and it was all fried and good. Nice old bar.
(3)
Ashley M.
I really had high hopes for this place. It seemed like a fun atmosphere and our waitress was nice. They have great tea and the Cajun dip appetizer was delicious. My jack and coke was strong which I enjoyed. Things went downhill after that... I ordered the oyster po' boy (it's an oyster house, right?) and my husband ordered the blackened catfish creole. My husband had to go to the bar to order beer once and after that our waitress made sure to keep 'em coming. About 45 minutes after we ordered, my po' boy came out cold and wrong. I thought the nasty taste was because it was cold but the oysters tasted very fishy. I'm not picky at all so if I think something tastes fishy it has to be absolutely horrible. I choked down what I could. The French fries were amazing though! My husband's food came out another 45 minutes later. It was yummy and hot. Mama's gets 1 star for his food and 1 star for the pumpkin White Russian our waitress made. Other than that it was a total bust. Overall the staff was nice... Good place to drink, but not a good place to eat. $80 later and I highly doubt we'll be back.
(2)
Brook S.
Not a great experience at an obviously popular local hangout. We are visiting from out of town. The restaurant was terribly understaffed. We waited over 5 minutes to be greeted as we stood at the door. 20 minutes to be asked out drink orders as we watched the tables around us get their drinks and food. 10 minutes to get half the order. Another 10 minutes for our actual server to come get our entire order appetizer to entree. My husband waited all that time just to be told they didn't have the crawfish he was hoping to have. I received my mixed drink 40 minutes after being seated. Food came out very fast, but we never got the appetizer we ordered despite asking for it twice. The hush puppies were stone cold. The seafood platter was hot and well seasoned. It's a lot of food, all fried. The fried catfish was done well. The crab cakes were warm and tasted okay. Nothing was excellent. Certainly not worth the money or the ridiculous wait. The wait staff did their best to make it as right as they were able. Management never made an appearance at our table, but left their brand new waitress to fend for herself and try to take care of numerous tables alone. Our waitress was evidently taking care of a large party in another room. Also not her fault. Both young ladies were pleasant and doing their best to accommodate everyone.
(2)
Jodi R.
The food was amazing. I am very critical of true Cajun seafood and seasoning, and this is legit!!! The service was great, super friendly and helpful. Everything we ordered was beyond expectations. Full of flavor and perfectly cooked. Cannot wait to go back!!!
(5)
Kit E.
nice break from the highway & well worth the stop!!! such a quaint front street with that new orleans style feel, right on the river. 4 diners & 1 super sweet southern waitress! the fried crab claws appetizer was delicious, not greasy. the gumbo was good. the hush puppies were spicy for some & perfect for others of us. the fried catfish was good. the fried shrimp tasted a little dirty (i don't know if that might be a difference between gulf shrimp & pacific shrimp). the blackened ahi tuna salad with remoulade sauce was delicious! we'll definitely eat there again next time we are in the vicinity.
(4)
Bob L.
I ate there for lunch, so this review doesn't address what Mama's may be like in the evening with a band and busy bar. The restaurant is attached to Papa's and you can easily flow between the two sides. The menu is fairly varied and a good selection of steak; salads; sandwiches; and boiled, fried and grilled seafood. Make sure you look at the back page of the menu which has more light and health selections -- some folks in my party almost missed that section since it is a bit hidden away. The raw oysters we ordered were fresh and tasty and came out very quickly after we placed our order. The rest of our food took a bit longer than it should, but they were slammed with a large 12 person table that was set right before we were. I ordered the grilled tuna steak salad that was served on a bed of fresh spinach with cucumbers, grape tomatoes, a boiled egg, pecans, and grated parmesan cheese. It was nothing special and the tuna was sparse and overcooked. I suspect the tuna continued to cook as the plating in the kitchen was not well timed -- the salad bowl was warm to the touch and the top of the salad of warm as if it had been sitting under heat in the kitchen. It was edible, but not cold and crisp as it should have been. Others in my party ordered a wrap with grilled shrimp which was absolutely loaded with shrimp. Another ordered shrimp and fettuccine served with a cream sauce. I tasted it and it was very good. One piece of advice -- check the chairs before you sit down. This place is more like a bar than a restaurant and not the cleanest. The chairs at our table were dirty -- as if they set the bus pale on the chair to clean the table or wiped the dirty table into the seat of the chairs.
(3)
Cameron K.
Attentive Staff Good Raw and Grilled Oysters. Live Music on weekends. The steak with cream sauce will take 3 months off your life, but it's worth it.
(4)
Tracy Y.
Food was good. I had oyster Poboy and daughter had seafood gumbo. Glad to see oysters in the gumbo!!!
(4)
Anthony D.
The food was eatable but, the restaurant is not setup to accommodate a large group. My group was seated outside on the covered patio in the the middle of winter at night. Will not go back.
(2)
M T.
Despite the size of the place, over the Festival of Lights weekend...it's a pleasant surprise in a college town to get such good service. The beer selection and the Bloody Mary's were very impressive, we only ate the crawfish, food ok (would have made it a 3.5) but not as good as Pioneer.
(4)
Sara W.
Found this place via Yelp while heading from NO to DFW. Charming little town - we really enjoyed the small detour from 49. The food was amazing! My son had the shrimp alfredo and my friend and I had catfish, oysters, and stuffed crab with hush puppies and fries. Absolutely delicious, and portions were huge. Will definitely return next time we're in the area!
Just the right amount of spice in the gumbo. We should have split the seafood platter. If you don't have a large appetite you should split one! I would eat here again!
(4)
Amber R.
We went on a Monday night at 7:30. We drove down to look at the lights & spent the entire night inside waiting on our food. We were told it would take 30-45 minutes. Our appetizer took an hour to come out. Our food took an hour & a half. When the food came out, the soup, gumbo, and fried fish were cold! We won't be going back!
(1)
Jared M.
Forget meat pies, I'll keep coming to Natchitoches for Mama's Pontchartrain sauce! Incredible! The atmosphere is great! Great service!
(5)
Jeremy H.
Sysco packaging fried and served up. Good considering the area is not renown for great food.
(3)
Ruthie H.
Hubby had red snapper & said it was "very good, very good" - that is high praise. His sides were gator tail ... Excellent; Cajun mashed potatoes... Very good; mixed veggies.... Not so good (frozen). I had whole wheat pasta, chicken, marinara sauce- it was very good as well. Waitress was Lauren - ask for her! She was great! When in this area we will be back for sure. Crab cakes for appetizer - out of this world! Highly recommend. We were here on a busy Friday night.
(4)
Elizabeth W.
Very good seasonal oysters. Perfect time of year. Kids enjoyed them as well, but hey they l o v e seafood.
(3)
Vince L.
During a long trek from Gulf Shores back to Texas we looked on YELP and saw this place and decided to wait another hr to stop and grab a bite. Glad we did. Great grilled oysters and gumbo. Not to mention great location on the river. A little ways off the highway but the next time driving through will take the short drive to this really nice place. Kid friendly at least for ours and the service was super friendly yet kinda slow but it was busy. Worth the drive if you are traveling through.
(4)
S. B.
Husband wanted oysters, grilled or similar & there were only fried, at an oyster house! Waitress said due to busy weekend. no excuse. I chose boiled shrimp, but it is served cold! Yuck. Chose crab cake appetizer. Three generous crab cakes tasted like patties of dressing (not moist) very little crab & no crab flavor. Husband said fried oysters were good. Waitress friendly. Sign on door says deliveries on Wednesdays. Where are the fresh food, good food options in Natchitoches? I got terribly ill from eating fish at Mariners years ago so hesitate to go back.
(2)
Kim H.
I live in south Louisiana and eat seafood on a regular basis. I had the fried shrimp and fried catfish combo and it was delicious. Our server was one of the best waitresses I have had in a long time. I would recommend this place to anyone. They had a band playing last night and we really enjoyed the music too.
(5)
Karen P.
More food than you can possibly eat! Fresh and seasoned perfectly. The wait staff was attentive and made us feel like we were more than welcome. Next time we are in this area we will be eating here again.
(4)
Valerie S.
Miserable.... were told to seat ourselves after waiting and not being greeted.... sat for 10 minutes and decided to go get our own menus from the front desk, waited another 12 to 15 minutes and still no one had asked for our drink orders or anything..... got up and walked out!!!!
(1)
Shanna B.
Good Drinks! Good food, good service. It was really a casual place that you could go and enjoy yourself. Wonderful atmosphere. Papa's is attached and I would rate the same. So did Southern Living.
(4)
Georgia H.
Unfortunately, I can no longer recommend Mama's. It was always a favorite of ours but the last few times we've been there have been disappointing. Tonight my grilled tuna was tough, in spite of asking that it be cooked lightly. There was so much pepper on the veggies that they were not edible. One in our party had to wait 20 minutes for grilled oysters, we had all finished eating by the time they arrived. A skin had formed on my soup cup, meaning it had been sitting out for too long. Overall not happy & probably won't go back unless some changes are made. Too bad b/c Natchitoches does not offer that many dining options.
(2)
Jay J.
Great poboys, seafood. A tad pricey for a lunch joint but great atmosphere, excellent service.
(4)
Turner O.
I'll preface with the fact that I worked as a cook, waiter, and bar tender while in college. Due to my experience I try to tip well and am understanding about the challenges of working restaurants. The service was not acceptable at mama's. I sat at the bar, and I had to track down someone to help me, because the bar tender was ignoring all of her customers. The restaurant wasn't busy (less than 20 customers, ~150 max occupancy), so there was no reason to ignore me. The food was good, not great, but value for money was good. I ordered the etouffee with hush puppies, a side salad, and 1 beer. Everything I ordered should not take long to prepare and serve. It took over 15 minutes from the time I ordered until my salad came out, in a restaurant that was NOT busy. I spoke to another patron, who told me that service is always slow. What finally inspired me to take the time to submit a review was that the waitress, who did a poor job so far, messed up my bill. If you don't mind slow service, the food is good value for money. My dinner was filling and tasty and was less than $20. Restaurant had a nice atmosphere and was clean. This place would get 4 stars with good service, 5 with excellent service.
(2)
Jessica R.
Driving home from Shreveport, we decided to make a stop in this quaint little area of Northwestern of Louisiana. We had the alligator appetizer. Yummy. 2 salads which were very good. The soups left a lot to be desired. The gumbo tasted like black pepper in hot water :( I know real gumbo when I taste it. New Orleans girl at heart! I would go back just no soup next time! Very busy on a Sunday afternoon. Service was great.
(3)
Kim B.
I can't believe no one has reviewed Mama's! This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Natchitoches. The view is great (historic Front Street) and the food is GOOD. The atmosphere is fun; you can go for a meal or just for drinks. Of course, as the name implies, they offer oysters as one of their specialties. If you go, order the fried pickles - they are the best I have ever had. They are fried pickle spears with a little bit of spice. Other favorites include the fried catfish, crawfish fettucini, and crawfish po boy. YUM!
(4)
Anthony P.
The best Bloody Mary in the city but service and food are way off. We sat at the bar with about 3 other couples. We got one drink for the entire dinner. They were not busy at all. The oysters were frozen to the shell; therefore not fresh but frozen after opening. The marinated crab claws' meat would not come off the cartilage. Never seen that before!?! I will go get a Bloody Mary TO-GO in the future but won't eat there again.
(1)
Drew H.
Passing through on business trip for lunch and found this cool creole restaurant / bar in downtown. Great soft shell crab that was fried perfectly. Service was excellent! Hope I can get back for another meal
(4)
Amy L.
Food not impressive. Food took forever to come out and I quote, "everything is a 45 minute wait, ma'am," from our waitress. Really? Even for an appetizer? Food seemed to be a bunch of frozen food that was fried. Not authentic. Gumbo was blah, crab cakes were super bready, and the veggies were way over salted and peppered. One good thing about it was the seafood dip appetizer. Lots of seafood meat in it and house made tortilla chips. Ponchetrain sauce was delicious as well. Won't go back though or recommend it to anyone. Not worth the time or price!
(1)
Chris C.
Impressive menu and a nice environment. Being originally from the gulf coast, we were surprised to see this quality of seafood so far inland, in the heart of Natchitoches no less.
(4)
Kelsey R.
I heard rumors this place runs on "Mommas Time" aka really slow service. This was true. When we were here the restaurant was an hour and a half behind on the orders. HOWEVER the food was excellent. A large part of the slow service had to do with one waitress dropping 8 steaks on the ground for a really large party. Our waitress, Catherine, saved our experience at this restaurant. If it weren't for her I'd probably have given Mommas a 3. Very sweet waitress who did great under pressure. I had the bayou fetticune. Excellent.
(4)
Mindi A.
Such a great little find in the cute small town of Natchitoches! It's connected to Papa's bar and grill and has live music occasionally (saw signs posted around the bar for blues musicians). They have a good selection of bottled beers but nothing on tap. They do give you the bottle with a frosted glass. I tried 2 local Louisiana breweries take on strawberry ales. For my meal, I ordered the Cajun seafood dip-- strongly recommend you get this! The dip itself is a cream cheese with louisiana seafood and Cajun spices and is very well rounded dip. Additionally, it is served with fresh made chips-- they were still steamy when they came out! Service was quick and helpful and the food is amazing. Do not miss out on the Louisiana jewel!
(5)
Wendy B.
Two stars for the music and ambiance. Oysters are mostly greasy crust (see photo). Most of the food is highly peppered with coarse black pepper. Mashed potatoes are too much so. Gumbo is really a nice soup with a slightly gravy flavor. Crab cakes are lovely and generous with a complimentary sauce; don't forget about it. Fries are unique and always crunchy but slightly greasy. Hush puppies can stand a substitute, greazzyyyyy! Slaw needs a flavor lift from mustard or herbs or .... This restaurant seems to cater to tourists and lacks the homemade touch a place of this culture courts. Come on, Mama!
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Jack X.
I really enjoyed eating at Mama's Oyster House. I would not say it is the most appealing place, but it has a great antiquated charm to the place, as if it were homegrown. It is certainly better than Lasyone's, which may be one of the most famous (but overrated) restaurants in historic Natchitoches. I ended up getting the crab plate which had crab fingers, stuffed crab, crab cakes, and soft shell crab. The crab delicacies were cooked and seasoned very appropriately. I must say that their French fries were extremely interesting. They were wedged shaped, but very thin such that they were more like thick potato chips than fries. I would go again!
(4)David R.
One of the biggest rip offs I have ever experiences . Totally take advantage of tourist trade. This is the first time I have ever felt the need to post a review and WARN the next poor hungry tourist. First I broke all law of reason and walked in the wrong door. A few customers on this side of building but not crowded AT ALL. Three people standing behind the bar just looked at me and my friend like we had fallen from another plant ( we are very average , blend right in with the general public , perhaps a little better dressed than most). After several minutes I asked " Can we get a table and eat " then suddenly one came out of her trance and explained the host stand was on the other side and showed us where it was . So sorry for making her work. The host was pleasant and seated us quickly . You know if they do not want people walking in that door perhaps it should be locked ! Wait person was pleasant and nice and begin serving us in a nice and timely manner. Over all her service and personality very nice ! We ordered . Food came out timely . Appetizer meat pie , terrible like a pop tart filled with hamburger helper ! I ordered blackened steak forget the cut with sides of mixed steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes . My friend rare tuna and same sides. Steak $22.99 tuna $18.99. Had to ask for silverware , wrapped in a PAPER TOWEL. My fried said tuna was good . My steak a fatty mess , grill must be black giving it it's name. My frozen mixed vegetables best on the plate . The steak would have been over priced at $9.99. I've had better steak at Ryan's steak House which I've eaten at once , long story . Out Back , Long Horn far superior and you get a real napkin. I'm not a total food snob I've mentioned places I've been ,but expect a certain amount of service ,starting with a greeting , and half eatable food. This place horrible . Tourist go some where else ! Truck stop hot dogs maybe . I tipped well and left discussed !
(1)Susan W.
Great spot for Dinner! It's a bar/restaurant. Fast, friendly service. I ordered the Catfish Plate with Fries and Cole Slaw. YUM! The fish was great and there was PLENTY! I love when I get what I pay for! There was enough to split! The fries were fantastic and the Coleslaw was fresh and good as well. I posted pics of my meal, check them out! I'll be back!
(4)Christy L.
This place is horrible. Now granted we visited this place on a Saturday afternoon during the Christmas festival so they were very busy. But be prepared to have nothing but incompetent college kids tell you the things they can not do for you. No raw oysters during the festival even tho they are an oyster house, they won't serve food at the bar after 3pm but they hold all of the open tables for parties of 5 or more. We waited over 45 mins for a table for two even tho they sat probably 6 large parties after us. All parties of 4 or less were all waiting because they would not split up tables. They ended up smoothing us into a tiny crammed table in a corner like they didn't want our business.Just like most restaurants in Louisiana, almost all seafood is fried. Nothing special, and would suggest you check out somewhere else unless you're ok with bad service and mediocre food.
(1)Jon G.
Where to begin? Well, let's start by stating the facts: I am not only vegetarian (well, I do eat fish too), but I am also a pretty picky eater, and I am pretty sensitive to noise and picky when it comes to music. Mama's Oyster bar was probably the only place that I can actually say that I would eat just about everything on the menu, minus the pickles or anything with mayonnaise. There was a live band, but it wasnt too loud, and it was blues! No horrible club music or rap, amazing! My friend and I started off with the blackened alligator, which was so good you didnt need any dipping sauce. My friend got the fried oysters, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and I got the blackened catfish with crawfish etoufee. Absolutely amazing! Mama, I tip my hat to you!
(5)Jason M.
Great service in a nice area, had the tuna...it was good but very dry, came with a soup that was really good. Buddy had the swamp player (lol) and it was all fried and good. Nice old bar.
(3)Ashley M.
I really had high hopes for this place. It seemed like a fun atmosphere and our waitress was nice. They have great tea and the Cajun dip appetizer was delicious. My jack and coke was strong which I enjoyed. Things went downhill after that... I ordered the oyster po' boy (it's an oyster house, right?) and my husband ordered the blackened catfish creole. My husband had to go to the bar to order beer once and after that our waitress made sure to keep 'em coming. About 45 minutes after we ordered, my po' boy came out cold and wrong. I thought the nasty taste was because it was cold but the oysters tasted very fishy. I'm not picky at all so if I think something tastes fishy it has to be absolutely horrible. I choked down what I could. The French fries were amazing though! My husband's food came out another 45 minutes later. It was yummy and hot. Mama's gets 1 star for his food and 1 star for the pumpkin White Russian our waitress made. Other than that it was a total bust. Overall the staff was nice... Good place to drink, but not a good place to eat. $80 later and I highly doubt we'll be back.
(2)Brook S.
Not a great experience at an obviously popular local hangout. We are visiting from out of town. The restaurant was terribly understaffed. We waited over 5 minutes to be greeted as we stood at the door. 20 minutes to be asked out drink orders as we watched the tables around us get their drinks and food. 10 minutes to get half the order. Another 10 minutes for our actual server to come get our entire order appetizer to entree. My husband waited all that time just to be told they didn't have the crawfish he was hoping to have. I received my mixed drink 40 minutes after being seated. Food came out very fast, but we never got the appetizer we ordered despite asking for it twice. The hush puppies were stone cold. The seafood platter was hot and well seasoned. It's a lot of food, all fried. The fried catfish was done well. The crab cakes were warm and tasted okay. Nothing was excellent. Certainly not worth the money or the ridiculous wait. The wait staff did their best to make it as right as they were able. Management never made an appearance at our table, but left their brand new waitress to fend for herself and try to take care of numerous tables alone. Our waitress was evidently taking care of a large party in another room. Also not her fault. Both young ladies were pleasant and doing their best to accommodate everyone.
(2)Jodi R.
The food was amazing. I am very critical of true Cajun seafood and seasoning, and this is legit!!! The service was great, super friendly and helpful. Everything we ordered was beyond expectations. Full of flavor and perfectly cooked. Cannot wait to go back!!!
(5)Kit E.
nice break from the highway & well worth the stop!!! such a quaint front street with that new orleans style feel, right on the river. 4 diners & 1 super sweet southern waitress! the fried crab claws appetizer was delicious, not greasy. the gumbo was good. the hush puppies were spicy for some & perfect for others of us. the fried catfish was good. the fried shrimp tasted a little dirty (i don't know if that might be a difference between gulf shrimp & pacific shrimp). the blackened ahi tuna salad with remoulade sauce was delicious! we'll definitely eat there again next time we are in the vicinity.
(4)Bob L.
I ate there for lunch, so this review doesn't address what Mama's may be like in the evening with a band and busy bar. The restaurant is attached to Papa's and you can easily flow between the two sides. The menu is fairly varied and a good selection of steak; salads; sandwiches; and boiled, fried and grilled seafood. Make sure you look at the back page of the menu which has more light and health selections -- some folks in my party almost missed that section since it is a bit hidden away. The raw oysters we ordered were fresh and tasty and came out very quickly after we placed our order. The rest of our food took a bit longer than it should, but they were slammed with a large 12 person table that was set right before we were. I ordered the grilled tuna steak salad that was served on a bed of fresh spinach with cucumbers, grape tomatoes, a boiled egg, pecans, and grated parmesan cheese. It was nothing special and the tuna was sparse and overcooked. I suspect the tuna continued to cook as the plating in the kitchen was not well timed -- the salad bowl was warm to the touch and the top of the salad of warm as if it had been sitting under heat in the kitchen. It was edible, but not cold and crisp as it should have been. Others in my party ordered a wrap with grilled shrimp which was absolutely loaded with shrimp. Another ordered shrimp and fettuccine served with a cream sauce. I tasted it and it was very good. One piece of advice -- check the chairs before you sit down. This place is more like a bar than a restaurant and not the cleanest. The chairs at our table were dirty -- as if they set the bus pale on the chair to clean the table or wiped the dirty table into the seat of the chairs.
(3)Cameron K.
Attentive Staff Good Raw and Grilled Oysters. Live Music on weekends. The steak with cream sauce will take 3 months off your life, but it's worth it.
(4)Tracy Y.
Food was good. I had oyster Poboy and daughter had seafood gumbo. Glad to see oysters in the gumbo!!!
(4)Anthony D.
The food was eatable but, the restaurant is not setup to accommodate a large group. My group was seated outside on the covered patio in the the middle of winter at night. Will not go back.
(2)M T.
Despite the size of the place, over the Festival of Lights weekend...it's a pleasant surprise in a college town to get such good service. The beer selection and the Bloody Mary's were very impressive, we only ate the crawfish, food ok (would have made it a 3.5) but not as good as Pioneer.
(4)Sara W.
Found this place via Yelp while heading from NO to DFW. Charming little town - we really enjoyed the small detour from 49. The food was amazing! My son had the shrimp alfredo and my friend and I had catfish, oysters, and stuffed crab with hush puppies and fries. Absolutely delicious, and portions were huge. Will definitely return next time we're in the area!
(5)Foodlover B.
We came here because the Pub didn't serve bread pudding and that's all we wanted for dessert. Not much opened on a Monday night so we came just for dessert The bread pudding is more like a super dense flan or something. It's a different method (for me) of preparing bread pudding. It's a flat smooth formed square. With a nice rum sauce on top. Overall it tasted fine. Doesn't bread pudding have chunks of bread? Not something pressed down to a heavy denseness? I was trying to imagine how they made it? Do they purée the bread and other ingredients in a blender? I'm just curious. We liked it
(4)Leslie N.
Just the right amount of spice in the gumbo. We should have split the seafood platter. If you don't have a large appetite you should split one! I would eat here again!
(4)Amber R.
We went on a Monday night at 7:30. We drove down to look at the lights & spent the entire night inside waiting on our food. We were told it would take 30-45 minutes. Our appetizer took an hour to come out. Our food took an hour & a half. When the food came out, the soup, gumbo, and fried fish were cold! We won't be going back!
(1)Jared M.
Forget meat pies, I'll keep coming to Natchitoches for Mama's Pontchartrain sauce! Incredible! The atmosphere is great! Great service!
(5)Jeremy H.
Sysco packaging fried and served up. Good considering the area is not renown for great food.
(3)Ruthie H.
Hubby had red snapper & said it was "very good, very good" - that is high praise. His sides were gator tail ... Excellent; Cajun mashed potatoes... Very good; mixed veggies.... Not so good (frozen). I had whole wheat pasta, chicken, marinara sauce- it was very good as well. Waitress was Lauren - ask for her! She was great! When in this area we will be back for sure. Crab cakes for appetizer - out of this world! Highly recommend. We were here on a busy Friday night.
(4)Elizabeth W.
Very good seasonal oysters. Perfect time of year. Kids enjoyed them as well, but hey they l o v e seafood.
(3)Vince L.
During a long trek from Gulf Shores back to Texas we looked on YELP and saw this place and decided to wait another hr to stop and grab a bite. Glad we did. Great grilled oysters and gumbo. Not to mention great location on the river. A little ways off the highway but the next time driving through will take the short drive to this really nice place. Kid friendly at least for ours and the service was super friendly yet kinda slow but it was busy. Worth the drive if you are traveling through.
(4)S. B.
Husband wanted oysters, grilled or similar & there were only fried, at an oyster house! Waitress said due to busy weekend. no excuse. I chose boiled shrimp, but it is served cold! Yuck. Chose crab cake appetizer. Three generous crab cakes tasted like patties of dressing (not moist) very little crab & no crab flavor. Husband said fried oysters were good. Waitress friendly. Sign on door says deliveries on Wednesdays. Where are the fresh food, good food options in Natchitoches? I got terribly ill from eating fish at Mariners years ago so hesitate to go back.
(2)Kim H.
I live in south Louisiana and eat seafood on a regular basis. I had the fried shrimp and fried catfish combo and it was delicious. Our server was one of the best waitresses I have had in a long time. I would recommend this place to anyone. They had a band playing last night and we really enjoyed the music too.
(5)Karen P.
More food than you can possibly eat! Fresh and seasoned perfectly. The wait staff was attentive and made us feel like we were more than welcome. Next time we are in this area we will be eating here again.
(4)Valerie S.
Miserable.... were told to seat ourselves after waiting and not being greeted.... sat for 10 minutes and decided to go get our own menus from the front desk, waited another 12 to 15 minutes and still no one had asked for our drink orders or anything..... got up and walked out!!!!
(1)Shanna B.
Good Drinks! Good food, good service. It was really a casual place that you could go and enjoy yourself. Wonderful atmosphere. Papa's is attached and I would rate the same. So did Southern Living.
(4)Georgia H.
Unfortunately, I can no longer recommend Mama's. It was always a favorite of ours but the last few times we've been there have been disappointing. Tonight my grilled tuna was tough, in spite of asking that it be cooked lightly. There was so much pepper on the veggies that they were not edible. One in our party had to wait 20 minutes for grilled oysters, we had all finished eating by the time they arrived. A skin had formed on my soup cup, meaning it had been sitting out for too long. Overall not happy & probably won't go back unless some changes are made. Too bad b/c Natchitoches does not offer that many dining options.
(2)Jay J.
Great poboys, seafood. A tad pricey for a lunch joint but great atmosphere, excellent service.
(4)Turner O.
I'll preface with the fact that I worked as a cook, waiter, and bar tender while in college. Due to my experience I try to tip well and am understanding about the challenges of working restaurants. The service was not acceptable at mama's. I sat at the bar, and I had to track down someone to help me, because the bar tender was ignoring all of her customers. The restaurant wasn't busy (less than 20 customers, ~150 max occupancy), so there was no reason to ignore me. The food was good, not great, but value for money was good. I ordered the etouffee with hush puppies, a side salad, and 1 beer. Everything I ordered should not take long to prepare and serve. It took over 15 minutes from the time I ordered until my salad came out, in a restaurant that was NOT busy. I spoke to another patron, who told me that service is always slow. What finally inspired me to take the time to submit a review was that the waitress, who did a poor job so far, messed up my bill. If you don't mind slow service, the food is good value for money. My dinner was filling and tasty and was less than $20. Restaurant had a nice atmosphere and was clean. This place would get 4 stars with good service, 5 with excellent service.
(2)Jessica R.
Driving home from Shreveport, we decided to make a stop in this quaint little area of Northwestern of Louisiana. We had the alligator appetizer. Yummy. 2 salads which were very good. The soups left a lot to be desired. The gumbo tasted like black pepper in hot water :( I know real gumbo when I taste it. New Orleans girl at heart! I would go back just no soup next time! Very busy on a Sunday afternoon. Service was great.
(3)Kim B.
I can't believe no one has reviewed Mama's! This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Natchitoches. The view is great (historic Front Street) and the food is GOOD. The atmosphere is fun; you can go for a meal or just for drinks. Of course, as the name implies, they offer oysters as one of their specialties. If you go, order the fried pickles - they are the best I have ever had. They are fried pickle spears with a little bit of spice. Other favorites include the fried catfish, crawfish fettucini, and crawfish po boy. YUM!
(4)Anthony P.
The best Bloody Mary in the city but service and food are way off. We sat at the bar with about 3 other couples. We got one drink for the entire dinner. They were not busy at all. The oysters were frozen to the shell; therefore not fresh but frozen after opening. The marinated crab claws' meat would not come off the cartilage. Never seen that before!?! I will go get a Bloody Mary TO-GO in the future but won't eat there again.
(1)Drew H.
Passing through on business trip for lunch and found this cool creole restaurant / bar in downtown. Great soft shell crab that was fried perfectly. Service was excellent! Hope I can get back for another meal
(4)Amy L.
Food not impressive. Food took forever to come out and I quote, "everything is a 45 minute wait, ma'am," from our waitress. Really? Even for an appetizer? Food seemed to be a bunch of frozen food that was fried. Not authentic. Gumbo was blah, crab cakes were super bready, and the veggies were way over salted and peppered. One good thing about it was the seafood dip appetizer. Lots of seafood meat in it and house made tortilla chips. Ponchetrain sauce was delicious as well. Won't go back though or recommend it to anyone. Not worth the time or price!
(1)Chris C.
Impressive menu and a nice environment. Being originally from the gulf coast, we were surprised to see this quality of seafood so far inland, in the heart of Natchitoches no less.
(4)Kelsey R.
I heard rumors this place runs on "Mommas Time" aka really slow service. This was true. When we were here the restaurant was an hour and a half behind on the orders. HOWEVER the food was excellent. A large part of the slow service had to do with one waitress dropping 8 steaks on the ground for a really large party. Our waitress, Catherine, saved our experience at this restaurant. If it weren't for her I'd probably have given Mommas a 3. Very sweet waitress who did great under pressure. I had the bayou fetticune. Excellent.
(4)Mindi A.
Such a great little find in the cute small town of Natchitoches! It's connected to Papa's bar and grill and has live music occasionally (saw signs posted around the bar for blues musicians). They have a good selection of bottled beers but nothing on tap. They do give you the bottle with a frosted glass. I tried 2 local Louisiana breweries take on strawberry ales. For my meal, I ordered the Cajun seafood dip-- strongly recommend you get this! The dip itself is a cream cheese with louisiana seafood and Cajun spices and is very well rounded dip. Additionally, it is served with fresh made chips-- they were still steamy when they came out! Service was quick and helpful and the food is amazing. Do not miss out on the Louisiana jewel!
(5)Wendy B.
Two stars for the music and ambiance. Oysters are mostly greasy crust (see photo). Most of the food is highly peppered with coarse black pepper. Mashed potatoes are too much so. Gumbo is really a nice soup with a slightly gravy flavor. Crab cakes are lovely and generous with a complimentary sauce; don't forget about it. Fries are unique and always crunchy but slightly greasy. Hush puppies can stand a substitute, greazzyyyyy! Slaw needs a flavor lift from mustard or herbs or .... This restaurant seems to cater to tourists and lacks the homemade touch a place of this culture courts. Come on, Mama!
(3)