Mamá Por Dios - Rancho Cucamonga — Restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga

This review will be base on two recent visits. I did give Mama Por Dios a second chance to redeem themselves as a high end establishment with their high end prices and their nice presentations. Second visit: My other sister in law wanted to go visit this location with her husband so we treated them. We made the reservations and we got there five minutes before our reservation, we learned from our first experience. The hostess said that they only had seating on the outside by the tents which I did not want this time. It was not a holiday event or anything to be heavily busy so I asked why were we not able to sit inside since we made reservations ahead of time. She said that is the only available seating they currently have but that if we wait we can get a seat inside in about 30-45 minutes. We told her we would wait for the inside seating.

Ten minutes later and Marisol or Sol who was very nice came with what seem to be the manager or person in charge to let us know that since they have seats available outside in the tent area that we were not able to wait. The "I'll call her the manager", said that the wait time for the inside is 2 hours lol. Yes she said 2 hours. I told her that why are we not able to sit inside since we made reservations way ahead of time and people that were just checking in were getting the option to sit inside or outside. We decided to sit outside since we could tell that the way the manager looked that she would definitely make us wait the 2 full hours just to get back at us. The manager is a short young lady that you can tell had some work done but for sure not in the U.S. I believe if you did not make reservations you should sit them outside and someone that made reservations to sit them inside since people with reservations even have to put down a deposit per person to even get a reservation I believe is $50 per person to put down. The manager told us that they are not allowed for us to have us wait for the inside table so long since they have outside seating available. Now for our seating experience. The weather was nice but was still disappointed that the second time I come here it was turning into a bad experience. We sat down and were greeted by our server Denise I believe that's how you spell it but she was amazing and very nice. I really liked Denise which made our night much better. I ordered the Ribeye again and my wife ordered the Skirt Steak. My brother in law ordered Filet Mignon and my sister in law ordered the Octopus which was the Pulpo Zarandeado. We all liked our food except my sister in law with the Pulpo Zarandeado. I had a piece and omg it seemed that they put the Pulpo and dipped it completely in mustard, it was horrible. From my two experiences here the service has been horrible the only one that made our day was Denise on our second visit. This place seems way to similar to Barton G. If Barton G is still open I recommend you to go there. Prices are similar, the ambience is way better, the service is amazing, the food is amazing you wont regret it and it's worth the price. The prices are similar to Mama Por Dios but with better service and better food. The presentations are amazing as well and I think even better so if you want to go just for presentation then go to Mama Por Dios, if you want great service, delicious food, amazing presentations and great ambience then...

Beautiful restaurant. Came Sunday around 12:15 during brunch service. There were mostly in unoccupied tables when we were seated but about four tables were seated with multiple guests. A live Mariachi was playing and circulating the room, they were one of the best I’d heard! The bar is absolutely gorgeous. The table was already set with empty water glasses though no one ever offered us water. Generally when water glasses are already set at the table it is customary to fill them once the table is occupied. We found out later they charge for water. We ordered the house mimosa and the House Michelada. Presentation was beautiful and each item served to the table was served in a unique way with special flare. Special touches included a “complimentary” mixed fruit plate and mini pan dulce to every table. Customer service from our server was just ok. She was kind but did the absolute bare minimum. I want to point out that food and drink were only served by food runners not your waiter/waitress, so our interaction with our server is literally just “here’s the QR code for the menu, what can I get for you?, how is everything?” but always while whisking by. We each ordered the birria tacos (3 tacos) with rice and beans. The food was delicious and portions sizes were perfect. For 2 cocktails and two entrees during brunch service cost $130. This is a very fun restaurant to bring someone for their birthday because of its unique table side entertainment however, it’s unique-ness gets lost when you hear it 5 times within the hour you’ve been sat at the table. We were ready for our check but our server stood at the bar waving a flashing light for no less than ten minutes to alert the wait staff to gather for another birthday table. My only suggestion for this would be to perhaps split the birthday singing duties between the mariachi and the wait staff instead of having the weight staff and the mariachi all at one table at a time. At some point there was a DJ, mariachi, and wait staff celebrating one birthday table. If there are that many birthdays being celebrated in one hour and it utilizes almost the entire wait staff to sing and dance it’s ultimately hurting the quality of your customer service. There was also a bathroom attendant. IMO restroom attendants should be utilized on Friday and Saturday during peak hours. All the little extras they offer up for their tips clutters the sink area. It seemed like a completely unnecessary extra touch to the restaurant for that time of day. I completely see the vision the owner has for this establishment and believe it can be a huge success but for the prices we are paying I’d expect complimentary water, and outstanding service from the food servers. I don’t think that the food and drink we were served were equal to the value of $130 but I do think that we the customers are paying extra for things like: the bathroom attendant, fruit and pan dulce, mariachi, DJ, other people’s birthday parades, Mama Por Dios water bottles. All of these extras are things the customers are paying for whether you asked for them or not. It’s the only way to explain why a restaurant would charge such an amount for tacos, rice, and beans. Unfortunately, once was enough and I would absolutely return for all kinds of celebrations if it were...

If your looking for a very expensive club scene restaurant with poor service this may be the place for you. Not me. People watching is good though.

Where to start? We had a reservation for our group of nine at 7:30. We showed up at 7:20 to see a security person outside and loud club music while still in the parking lot. We checked in and they said our table was not ready. We were standing in the waiting area just inside the door then we were asked to wait outside in the sun. At 7:45 we were seated and strangely told once seated you only get the table for two hours.

There is a dress code sign at the entrance. Not your typical dress code sign that says color or long pants, but rather what not to wear. To sum it up, No gang, hoodlum type clothing.

We get to our seats and the show begins. When specialty drinks or foods are delivered, the music changes and the staff sensationalize the delivery with dance and excitement. This is entertaining and definitely encouraging for others to want the same treatment thus getting you to spend your money.

The vibe was towards a Vegas feel with all the lights and very loud music. Very difficult to carry a conversation at the table.

Now let’s talk food service. Our server took drink orders for half the table then left. Brought their drink 10 minutes later then we had to stop her to get the rest of the table. Food ordering was difficult as the server couldn’t hear our orders with the music so loud so we had to repeat often. This menu is crazy with Appetizers starting at $20 and meals as high as $650 for one plate not including sides.

Our order was taken. About 20 minutes later 5 of our 9 people were served. Another 15 minutes later and 3 more were served. After 30 minutes and one person with still no food we had to go get someone to find out where it was. 3 servers later and they reconfirmed the order, left and came back in 5 with the last meal. You just don’t expect this when your paying over $1000 for dinner. You would think they would have comped the meal to make up for the 40 minute wait for taquitos.

All in all there is quite the show here and the staff all seem to enjoy their work. Prices are high but service does not match the price. It is an experience but don’t think we will return. Kind of amazing to me that the area can support the high price stakes at $650 each. Amazed to see 15-20 served while we were there. In fact the couple dinning at the table next to us got the $650 stake, another specialty meal, two special appetizers, 2 rounds of 4 shots, two other special drinks served in a display case with a evening dinner cost for two over $1200. Yikes. Glad they can afford it. The funny part was they mostly just pictured, and videoed everything so they can post on line without talking to each other.

I am not complaining about this place but rather saying it’s not for me and why. It may be for you and you may be willing to drop this kind of money. I just prefer a better environment and service...