Mama’s Taste
Located at 10380 Willard Way in Fairfax, VA, Mama’s Taste offers a delightful experience for lovers of authentic Chinese cuisine. The restaurant stands out for its unique blend of handmade dishes, including their standout crispy beef, which has garnered praise for its perfectly crispy texture and delicious sauce. This dish, along with the popular orange chicken, provides a solid introduction to the restaurant's offerings. While some dishes, like the orange chicken, could benefit from a slightly crisper texture, the quality of the food remains consistently high.
The ambiance at Mama’s Taste is quiet, which might not appeal to everyone, but it creates a calm and relaxed dining environment. Despite the more subdued atmosphere, the service is quick and efficient. Guests are welcomed warmly by the friendly staff, and the ordering process is made simple with touchscreen machines, offering a fast and convenient way to place an order.
One of the restaurant's distinguishing features is its handmade noodles, which are a must-try. These noodles are chewy and flavorful, adding a special touch to the menu. Although some might wish for more chili oil to enhance the taste, the noodles remain a favorite among regulars. Another popular dish is the jumbo soup dumplings, which take a little longer to prepare but are worth the wait due to their large size and rich flavor.
For those who appreciate high-quality, authentic Chinese food with handmade touches, Mama’s Taste stands as a standout option in Fairfax. Whether you're craving dumplings, noodles, or other Chinese specialties, the restaurant offers a satisfying meal with excellent value for money.
Mama’s Taste Reviews
The food here is solid. I ordered the pan fried dumplings, crispy beef, and orange chicken. I really liked the taste of the dumplings, but they fall apart a little bit when you try to pick it up with a fork, so it was a little hard to eat. The orange chicken was pretty good as well. But some of the chicken felt a little bit tough, and I wish it was crispier. My favorite was definitely the crispy beef. The sauce was really tasty, and the beef was perfectly crispy. Overall, great Chinese food, and I will be back in the future.
I stumbled upon this place after the Asian Festival on Main in Fairfax. The inside resembles any fast casual strip mall restaurant, although the lady at the counter was quick to welcome us as we walked in. We could either order with her, or with the touchscreen machine. The food came out fairly quickly, although I was warned that the jumbo soup dumplings would take 25 minutes. I loved the handmade noodles, and I recommend anything handmade. I can't attest to the standard Chinese takeout food, such as the orange chicken, general tso, etc. but I love that there's handmade items here, and it's a big differentiating factor between them and other Chinese takeout places. The noodles were very chewy, though they could have used more chili oil, and the dumplings were quite large. I'll have to try the normal dumplings next time
We got biang biang noodles and jumbo soup dumplings. I got my noodles with beef. I think the noodles are described as homemade or something, but it seems like they just mean the dish is freshly made, because the noodles themselves had the texture of boiled dry pasta. Quite soft and not chewy like I want in biang biang noodles, no bite. The beef was just Chinese takeout beef, and the spice wasn't spicy or very flavorful. This didn't scratch my itch for Xi'an Famous Foods. However, the jumbo soup dumplings were good. The wrapper and filling were obviously made in house and tasted delicious. Only the soup was not great and made the dumplings impractical to eat since they're not a normal soup dumpling shape/size. So next time I would just get their normal-sized fried pork dumplings/potstickers.
My wife and I stopped by here to try a couple dishes in early February 2024 before a show at the GMU Center for the Arts. It was crowded on Lunar New Year - a promising sign. The restaurant has a busy takeout service, but the interior is pleasant and has 8 tables. However, expect to wait at least 10 to 15 minutes (at least for dinner). Based on other Yelp reviews, we decided to order the biang bang noodles. After a 10 minute wait and getting water from the DIY dispense (in front of the Pepsi refrigerated cabinet) we quickly inhaled the homemade noodles, bok-choy, and chili oil. I was practically licking my fingers. Needless to say, I cannot wait to order this dish again on a future visit. For the other dishes, we enjoyed a plate of steamed chicken dumplings and a plate of steamed pork & shrimp dumplings. Personally, I enjoyed the chicken a lot. However, I was not a big fan of the combination of shrimp and pork. But to each, their own. I cannot speak about the American-style Chinese dishes - but the specialty items are outstanding! Can't wait to return.
Great food, great tea and great price :) Service was ok and ambience is a little quiet which is not my thing but overall a pleasant experience.