Located in the heart of Toronto's entertainment district, Joe Mamas is the hottest live entertainment venue on the King Street strip, well established for over 10 years. Dedicated to the classic sounds of Motown and rhythm and blues, Joe Mamas cooks Tuesday through Sunday offering a true Southern Style Menu. Our specialties include Steaks, Seafood and Ribs. To get a taste of what we have, come down and check it out for yourself and remember; If it tastes like yo mamas it's Joe Mamas!Live Entertainment Nightly.more...See more text
Love this place! I had been before and had a great time, so i brought friends from out of town for dinner and dancing last Saturday....what a blast! Joe Mama's definitely gained 5 more regular customers that night! Everyone should attempt the meat and seafood platters (HUGE!), and anything off the martini list (love the Aretha). They do in fact have some policies everyone may not agree with, but ive never had any trouble paying for the great service and entertainment!!
I've been to Joe Mama's a few times before and have always had great service and really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Unfortunately, this past Saturday was an exception. About a quarter to 12pm our group (15+)- we were there for a birthday, found an empty table. We were told we could not sit there unless we guaranteed that all of our party would order dinner. The kitchen closed at 12pm, so we said some of us would be ordering but could not guarantee that everyone would, given it was 15 min until close. First off the wait staff was not at all accommodating; thinking the manager would be more reasonable and courteous (given that all of our group would be ordering drinks the rest of the night), he came over to essentially tell us that unless everyone ordered a meal we could not sit at the table. However, a few times in the past, I've attempted to order dinner around this hour and was told that the kitchen would be closing shortly. So it was to my surprise to find out that we would be forced to order something in order to sit down and enjoy the music. What was most shocking and unfortunate was how the manager spoke to our group- with little respect and basically telling us to comply or get out of the establishment. He even accused us of being hostile and yelling at him (while all of us were trying to be heard over the loud music). Overall, this disagreement could have been handled in a much more professional and customer oriented manner, given that Joe Mama's caters to a mature crowd. Unfortunately, the approach taken by management was unprofessional and with a lack of respect for customers. This experience left a sour taste in my mouth and damaged my image of Joe Mama's. Not to mention that it set a damper on the evening for our party; we stayed to wish our friend a happy birthday, which was the point of the evening. Unfortunately, I will think twice before going to Joe Mama's again in the future.
atmosphere: great candlelit, great for dates.
food: excellent. the portion is good and not too pricey.
cons: maybe it's just me but the music at the bar is a bit too loud for the people in the dinning hall...
This place is amazing! The food was great and the staff was very friendly and professional. I don't understand why someone who posted before was so upset about leaving because they were not eating dinner and wanted a table. It is a restaurant, people who sit down are EATING!! and the servers who are serving the tables need to make money too! anyways, if you want to go there for drinks, go to the BAR!! the bar was pretty cool, it gets a little crowded, but thats because this place rocks!!!
Overall, Joe Mama's is a fantastic spot, the food was great, the service was great and the music was fantastic!!!!
We made a reservation for 8 knowing that the King...
We made a reservation for 8 knowing that the King St strip would be busy that night.
Upon arrival, we were told that we would only be seated if we could confirm that EVERYONE in the party was going to be ordering a full meal. I fully intended to order a meal however I couldn't guarantee that the rest of the group would, seeing as two of them hadn't even arrived yet. Odds are that we all would've ordered a meal. But seeing as I couldn't guarantee it, they wouldn't seat us ... so we left. Never to return or recommend Joe Mamas to anyone ... ever.
They may as well just charge a $20 cover charge.
I am a regular customer to Joemamas and beg to differ on the above listings. I have been visiting Joemamas for the last couple of years and do not see where the customes get off bad mouthing this place. I always has a great time and recommend to all my friends.
I found the food to be quite tasty and the portions were more than plenty. Excellent!
The service was great and their suggestions were very helpful and delicious. The band and the atmosphere was amazing! I would definitely recommend this restaurant to someone who is looking for original cuisine and a good time. To top it off...half price martinis! Wonderful!
I found the food and service to be excellent, and...
I found the food and service to be excellent, and the band brought the place to life! I went for dinner with a few of my girlfriends, and we all had a great time!
The food was excellent, the atmosphere was excellent, but the service was horrible. Our group of 4 frequent restaurants on a weekly basis and normally spend in excess of $500. Our server visited the table very rarely, when we ordered the second bottle of wine it took over 1/2 hour to arrive. There was a band and we planned on staying and spending more money. It got to a point were the service was so bad we asked for our cheque and left. The bill came after 10-15 minutes and not even by the server. We reflected the service in our tip. Once the server saw the tip he came to the front and basically started to yell at us and make everyone uncomfortable. When we called the next week to complain to the manager it ended up that the manager was in fact the person who served us. Too bad, the food and the restaurant environment was excellent. Anyways, I will never go back again.
Summerlicious returns to Toronto July 8, running its smorgasbord of food-loving fun until July 24. If there's a restaurant you've had your eye on, this is the opportunity to give it a try. Restaurants tout three-course dinner in various price brackets for the two weeks of the festival. Here are the $38 spots! [Feature image: Stages; courtesy of the City of Toronto]
