Mama Lu's - A Modern Day Taco Shop — Restaurant in Traverse City

This place is not kid friendly. We looked at the menu, before going to Mama Lu’s. Didn’t see anything on the menu that our 6 year old would like, so we got her some chicken tenders at McDonald’s. Went to the restaurant and ordered chips and salsa and some tacos. Chips were ok, but the salsa was really good. My daughter took her tenders out and put it on a plate supplied by the restaurant. The waiter was very nice and pleasant. Some older lady came up to my daughter, and said with a loud voice and horrified look on her face that we had outside food. I told her that there was nothing on the menu that my daughter liked so we brought food for my daughter. We do this all the time at other restaurants. She proceeded to publicly shame my daughter and our family, like we had just stolen from the restaurant. We immediately got the waiter and told him that we would pay for the chips and salsa, and we did not want to eat there anymore since this older woman was extremely rude and a hateful person. Anybody that would do that to a child is obviously devoid of any moral conscience. I couldn't’ find a more thoughtless, callous, cynical, belligerent and domineering woman, than her. I could see if I had brought in food for myself, or the same food that they sell, but this was to feed my little girl, that didn’t prefer anything on their menu. The woman lacked any class and obviously only cares about herself. There are many ways that she could of handled it better, like for instance whispering in my ear, and not confronting my daughter. My daughter felt really bad and felt like she was a bad person, because of this despicable woman. I am sure the food would of been great, but this woman ruined the whole experience, so we had to leave, because I would never let anyone treat my family like that. So keep in mind this simpleton, before you choose...

Our first experience was negative, the restaurant was open and empty... we decided to stop in and give them a try. This was early on, and they insisted we leave our (expensive & small) stroller outside unattended. They weren’t flexible on us folding it up and placing near our table. We left. Not worth having our stroller stolen. We did decide to give them another go a different time when we noticed they had a locking system in place for strollers (thanks!). We liked our food. We were definitely open to trying them out again. When we tried to do so last night, we called ahead and were told to use their “NoWait” app to get wait times and “get in line,” there was no human to talk to. We “got in line” and showed up a few minutes early. According to the app, there were two parties ahead of us. The people standing in front of us had no reservation and were seated immediately-in a table that could have accommodated our family. We were then told that we would have at least a 30 minute wait on top of what “Nowait” had told us. Seriously inconvenient and inconsiderate to a family walking in on a cold night. Don’t use a system that doesn’t work and inconvenience your local customers - or use it correctly and consult that system before seating true walk-ins. We were really disappointed, as were our kids. I’m not sure if we will be back. If you’re a seating of 1-2 walking in, it’s probably going to work... otherwise, try a different restaurant. We went two doors down and were seated immediately at Pangeas, loved the food...

I tried the beef, shrimp, and vegetal tacos along with the guacamole and a coconut margarita. The guacamole was very fresh and minimal. The avocado was the shining star, unlike some places that mix in a lot of ingredients. It went perfectly with the margarita. I liked my choice of coconut flavor, it was not overly sweet, nor was it artificial tasting like some coconut drinks. I loved the smoked jalapeno crema on the steak taco. The meat itself was a little salty for my preference, and the chip on top was strange. Overall, a good taco for steak lovers. The Vegetal was a unique flavor combo, and worth a taste if you like to try something "different". I liked the savory/sweet combo. I liked the little spiciness in it. The shrimp taco was my favorite. Any seafood lovers out there won't be disappointed.

Someone at our table ordered the chips and salsa and chicken tacos, so I also had a sample of that. I really enjoyed both salsas, and would order sides to take home next time I visit. The chicken taco was well-seasoned. It was probably the most tame of the menu items we tried, but still yummy.

We do regret they were out of elote when we ordered, and that we were too full to try the churros, but that is a great reason to return.

Tipping the kitchen staff is a fun experience. Be sure to shell out the $10. You...