La Cocina de Mama

Located at 1002 Gardner Hill Drive in Jamestown, La Cocina de Mama serves Dominican cuisine. It is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 8 to 8 on Sunday.

 

I was thrilled to see La Cocina de Mama open up right near my work. Having tried them for both lunch and breakfast, I can easily see myself becoming a regular here. Like any brand new restaurant, they are still ironing a few things out, but on food alone, they are off to a very strong start.

 La Cocina de Mama’s offerings run the gamut from breakfasts (egg/fried cheese/salami paired with different sides) to sandwiches, empanadas, and mofongos (fried and mashed plantains) to beef/chicken/fish entrees and more. They offer several juices and coffees as well.

 

So far, the food has been very good. I stopped by for lunch to go on my first visit and had a Cuban sandwich and a morir sonando (orange juice, milk, and ice). The Cuban was not the traditional Cubano, and if you come looking for pickles and mustard in a sandwich pressed on a plancha, you may be disappointed. Taken on its own terms, however, the sandwich was still quite tasty. The pork was tender, and the thicker bread held everything in nicely. It came with a side of thin, well-salted fries that were miles ahead of a frozen offering. The morrir sonando was creamy and refreshing. 

For my second visit, I dined in for breakfast and went with a mangu (the aforementioned breakfast ingredients with mashed plantains and pickled onions) and a passionfruit juice. Though I might request eggs scrambled rather than fried in the future, everything on that plate was delicious. The plantains were hearty without feeling heavy. The Dominican salami reminded me of Taylor ham, only better (sorry, fellow New Jersians). Juices seem to be a house specialty here as the passionfruit did not disappoint.

 

The folks who run this place are friendly, and the pricing is quite reasonable given the quality and quantity of the food. That said, “good food takes time” definitely applies here, so you may be in for a bit of a wait. If dining in, you can at least take in some of the ambiance (interesting wall art and a pool table in a corner) while you do.

 

All told, La Cocina de Mama is a welcome change of pace for not only the cuisine that it offers but also the care with which it is made.