Mama's Cocina Latina — Restaurant in Atlanta

What’a going on here?!! This used to be one of my favorite spots to eat at! Used to be awesome food and not very expensive, never failed me… this is not the case anymore. I haven’t been in about a year because I know live on the opposite side of town, but yesterday I literally drove 35 min because I wanted Mamas soo bad. I went thru the drive thru, immediately I was taken back by the prices. For Mexican fast food, these were upscale restaurant prices. $16 for a quesadilla?!! But I was like ok, I know the food is good, so I’ll pay the price, but also thinking that this was now going to be a special treat. I ordered a chicken quesadilla, chips and salsa and a margarita. The drink was tiny, like rip-off club size for $11. I believe I used to get a pitcher for not more than $20. $6 for chips and salsa. Salsa here used to be free. I can understand charging but I thought that was a bit high considering the price for the $16 quesadilla. This is what was the saddest part, and I regret not looking at it before I got home because I would have returned my order and took my business elsewhere with this “slap in the face” tragedy of a quesadilla. The best way to describe this would be “kids menu” toddler item, for a picky small child who only wants chicken and cheese, and that’s being nice. I couldn’t believe this. This wasn’t even a half inch think, with very thinly sliced chicken, VERY sparingly spread around with the least amount of cheese possible. I’m still actually offended that I was basically taken for my money. This meal, for one person cost $37, and I wasn’t even worth $7. Mamas, I always recommend your business to anyone I meet staying near that area (I’m a Lyft driver) and friends when they come in town, but I’m done. You’ve lost me as a customer. The price hike is extreme, but then to also skimp out tremendously on the product is just shameful. You won’t last much longer like this and that’s sad because I’ve enjoyed your business for...

The quality of the food is decent. I took a taste of the barbacoa, which was phenomenal, but because it only came on tacos, and I was super hungry, I got the shredded chicken supremo burrito instead. The chicken was moist and flavorful, though the size of the burrito was about half of what you would get at Moe's or Chipotle, for about the same price.

There is a bar that has five different salsas, onion, cilantro, pickled or grilled jalapenos, lime slices, etc. The atmosphere is typical cantina style, tiled floors, and Mexican decor line the walls.

Overall it would be a great place to hit up at 3am when nothing else is open, though I definitely didn't have leftovers to take home and enjoy later. Good quality, not great quantity.

Edit: Stopped in a second time just now. Got the Al pastor and barbacoa tacos. Again, hardly anything on the tacos, and this time the barbacoa smelled as if the meat had turned...we'll see if I get food poisoning after this. Also, the corn tortillas were super cheap and nasty... This super weird yellow colored ones that smell like calcium chloride. Ew. And I'm sure last time they gave me chips, and this time they didn't. Two three-bite tacos and an horchata for ten bucks with no chips... Not my idea of a good value for the meal. I'm lowering my rating from three to one stars. I probably won't be back... There are plenty of other better Mexican restaurants out there, and even more...

On 2/6/25, my fiance and I visited Mama's. I wanted some tacos from somewhere else but settled for Mama's. We ordered 2 beef tacos and 2 steak tacos. Now I digress - let me just say how I said prior to us going that I didn't want Mama's. Despite my prior experience with my 1st visit with the waterbug takeover on the patio, so much so my sister and I went back inside because the water bugs were just too much. So - when my fiance and I ordered we are standing waiting on our tacos because we decided to dine in, and look down and we see a roach, like a house roach crawling on the counter. My fiance just alerted the employee and he came out and killed it. So we get the tacos and sit ANYWAY! We pray over the food and I smell the food and Immediately say I wanna go get me a taco when we leave Mama's...lol. so he eat both of his tacos and I take a couple of bites and pick over the remainder of the taco and then give him my other one. He eats a couple bites and he makes a face. We are done at this point and get up to leave and I see my fiance stumble a bit and I took 2 steps and started feeling really weird. We get the car and he is leaning out the door spitting. I begin to gag but was ok. He drives to the gas station to get me a Ginger Ale and I just open the door and begin to regurgitate the food. Not sure what type of beef it was or what kind of meat it as but it made us ill. I will not be going back to this...