Chama Mama — Restaurant in New York

TLDR- if you have allergies AVOID THIS PLACE My friends and I came in to visit yesterday for dinner to eat family style. One of my friends is allergic to pomegranate - if she has it she can get all puffy and her throat closes up. Because of this, when we were deciding what to eat we avoided all menu items with pomegranate listed as an ingredient.

Our first dish, one of the salads, came out and there was pomegranate on it. Not ideal- but we took this as a sign that we should tell our waitress since she didn't ask if anyone had any allergies that our friend has a pomegranate allergy so nothing else should come out with pomegranate on it. So we called her over and told her this- the rest of us would eat the salad that was out and she would eat the other dishes. Another salad came out without pomegranate on it, and I thought that was a nice gesture.

When our meat dishes came out, it was almost comical - every single one of them had pomegranate on top! We told another one of the staff that our friend was allergic to pomegranate and they took one of the dishes back and said they would bring one without pomegranate- and just like the salad, we would eat the other dishes that came with the pomegranate on them and she would just sit these out. But we asked for another meat platter so that she could eat something in our meal. They came back with a meat platter that obviously was the same one, just with the pomegranate seeds picked off by hand. There were still pomegranate seeds on the plate underneath some of the items. We asked them to make a new one, and they came out with a fresh one sans pomegranate.

When the check came, we were charged for two salads- even though the second one we did not ask for. My friend with the allergy went and talked to the manager and they brought out a free dessert which was nice (I was joking that they were going to bring out pomegranate ice cream for her)

I couldn't believe the lack of seriousness about her allergy. Yes, it's not a common allergy and she isn't going to instantly drop dead from eating pomegranate- but that's no excuse. If you're a restaurant, you have to take allergies seriously and this place clearly does not. It makes me think what else they might be doing to take shortcuts. Picking the pomegranate out of the meat platter after we said we asked for no pomegranate because of an -ALLERGY- was crazy.

God forbid her allergy was more serious and less obviously visible than pomegranate and something bad would have happened.

Other than that, the food was alright - the chicken was tasty. The night we were there it was so hot out and we were seated outside and I was melting because the corner we were in didn't have a fan near us. I got bitten up by mosquitoes out there. The flowers were...

I was meeting up with a friend for a Saturday brunch. Since I'm still not comfortable doing any indoor dining, I searched specifically for restaurants that had outdoor dining spaces, and Chama Mama popped up. Neither one of us have had a whole lot of experience with Georgian food, so we decided to check it out. Plus I had another friend who had been raving out about this place, so I was excited to try it. I made ressos via Yelp (SUPER easy!) for 12:30 in the afternoon.

First, they take your temperature, and then you are led to a back patio. But not before you're treated to the smell of freshly baked bread in the back - which by the way is surrounded by glass windows, so you can see them in action. The indoor space is quite large and looks pretty cozy too but like I said, I will save that for non-Covid times - if we ever get there again. The backyard was very pretty - decorated with lights, vines, and pumpkins for the season. However, not all of the tables were exactly 6 feet a part, so I was a bit paranoid there.

Since there were a few things my friend and I wanted to try, we decided to just split everything. We started with the Kashi soup (beef tripe and shank broth and enriched with the garlic and milk). Our waiter was really nice and knew we were sharing, so he offered to put the soup in separate bowls for us. I'm really glad we split this because it's a very rich soup. I don't know if I could have had an entire bowl to myself, especially if I wanted to try some of the other food. I didn't love the soup (probably because of all the richness of the cartilage) but it was very comforting on a chilly day. I also liked that they give you extra milk and fresh garlic on the side, so you can adjust to your taste buds accordingly, which I did.

Next up was the Adjaruli Khachapuri (traditional open-faced khachapuri with our blended cheese, topped with an egg). I've had this once before at another Georgian spot a while back but this one was definitely better. The bread was crusty but soft (if that makes sense). It is pretty heavy since it's basically just a bunch of butter and cheese. I was only able to eat maybe a quarter of it. This would probably be best shared amongst four people, especially if you plan on eating other things.

Finally, we shared the Kabab Beef and Pork (House blend of beef and pork wrapped in Lavash (flat bread) and served with Chama Mama Mint). This was AMAZING! The meat was very tender and flavorful, and I didn't even know I like lavash bread! Especially with the kabab. It was like a neat, compact little sandwich.

Overall, it was a great experience. I can't wait to come back and try some of their other...

Chama mama is a great addition to this part of town. Ambience is surprisingly good - dark candle lit perfect for a date or a gathering with friends. Ask to sit in the back if you want less noise. Servers are friendly in.. a Georgian way?

I went twice in a month so it is definitely worth going. I give it 4 instead of 5 because while every dish is interesting (so very much so!!!), my reaction was very split between OMG this is SO good I’m going to make it at home vs eh I’d be fine never eating it again. It is probably because I am a noob when it comes to Georgian cuisine but I am assuming most people who come here this would be the first few times being introduced to Georgian food. I will say that I have been to Oda House in the east Village where I enjoyed some signature Georgian dishes (the cheese boat bread, dumplings, various salads, lamb stew and orange wine). So I was trying to try new things at Chama mama but I CANNOT not order the cheese boat bread so that happened both times. This is where I apologize for those unfortunate who cannot eat dairy and gluten. My sincere apologies. You are missing out. Their breads are also excellent if I might add /rub it in. I think they bake their own breads in house - their open kitchen shows a pretty large bread operation.

Before I go more into food, I must say Georgian wine is pretty good! The server will push you towards ordering a more expensive bottle ($32 vs $48) and I would not know if that’s justified, but $48 is still a bargain compared to some French and Italian restaurants where bottles start at $59.

Both the pork and beef dishes were great, but they are more like tapas than a real plate so it makes sense that they are meant to be shared. The walnut sauce in the beef dish is really creamy and amazing without having dairy - omg I immediately googled and bought all the ingredients to make it at home.

The veggie dishes are refreshing and enjoyable; I recommend ordering to eat some veggies but none stood out as omg this is soooo good.

I don’t think Georgian cuisine is know for sweets - but again why not try it’s new! So we ordered PELAMUSHI which is a grape pudding or something of that nature. But then again I am perfectly happy not having it...