Place is somewhat dusty. The entire family stares at you while you eat too. Very uncomfortable restaurant. The soda fountain is oddly location around the corner right next to the restroom. The cooking staff is visible however they look nasty. The tables are dirty as well, and the family environment seems unsanitary. Is it a restaurant, or somebodies house?
Review Source:GREAT MOM AND POP eatery. Â I've been going here for years. Before it was just ice cream, now it's burgers, hot dogs, an pizza. Â I recently ordered a cheeseburger and fries and it was really good. Â Fries can usually make or break a place but there fries taste fresh and great. Â Good job to Mama Ks I will defiantly be returning.
Review Source:Excellent food and pizza. Â The service is top notch and fast. Â Recently when the wife and I were there the place was swamped. Â People still got there food fast and the owner, who by the way was the person taking orders, still found time to ask the customers how the food was and if they were doing ok. If you are there for pizza by the slice you might consider their personal pizza. Â The 2 topping thin crust is just $6.99. Â It is made HOTTT, fresh, with a crispy crust and is very tasty.
Review Source:The owners (Mother and son) are so friendly and outgoing....this place really is a Gurnee "home town diner"....with lots of locals coming in and out. Â I've been coming to Mama Ks for 13 years plus---most of that time when they were just TCBY. Â The pizza is good---not quite as good as Kaisers but a good alternative especially with their home made Italian sausage. Â I like their gyros and the chili is very good as well. Â Top it off with some frozen yogurt for desert and you have a good meal for a very reasonable price. Â I bet with more time under their belt, Mama K's will get even better and better.
Review Source:We had amazing thin crust pizza after a long day at Great America with 3 kids. I was ready for some real food before the drive home and found Mama K's on Yelp. We arrived 3 minutes before closing time and were told very nicely that we could get a "made to order" pizza "to go" and that we were welcome to eat outside on their table and chairs. The kids were allowed to refill drinks as needed and the adults enjoyed nice cold beer as we waited. The hot pizza was ready in 15 minutes and we devoured it. Highly recommend this place for the excellent service and pizza.
Review Source:Always interested in quality gyro and beef places, I visited this one with a friend who knows his Greek food; he had said the owners were Greeks and excellent cooks (they also own highly rated Captain Porky's in Wadsworth). I tried the Souvlaki with pita instead of a gyro and was delighted. The chunks of pork were savory, the vegetables were fresh, and the portion size was large. The frozen yogurt was rich, you must try it if you visit.
Mama K's is my Go-To place for gyros and greek now.
The suburban cesspool known as Gurnee doesn't exactly inspire thoughts of pizza greatness, especially near ground zero of cultural/culinary bankruptcy - dead smack between Great America and Gurnee Mills. But in actuality there is a surprising glut of more-than-legit Chicago pizza chains within just a few mile radius: Jimano's and Rosati's pace the far-north suburb vanguard, with Giordano's serving adequately in a pinch (or, more than that for the misguided Ditka-loving sect who think Chicago-style pie should be served in quiche form). Â Amid such heavy hitters, an independent doe-tosser, with it's roots in Ames, Iowa no less, in a former frozen yogurt spot in a strip mall on Grand Ave would seem to be up against it... After all, this is still the land where Chili's passes for high-dining. Just how much top notch 'za is really being consumed?...
Nothing from this preamble matters. Mama K stands on her own two feet, and would regardless of town or city. I'm not the kind of yelper to tout his pizza pedigree, nor will I lambast anyone else's personal favorites, but I have been around, tried some legendary pies, and yes, ok, I'll scoff at the Papa John's guy pulling up to your door. Most importantly though, I feel it deeply: Chicago thin crust is the best America has to offer. And this little outpost is proof that the Windy City paradigm bleeds and flows out into the nether regions of metropolitan land... The thin crust, perfect in it's ability to hold everything up but not too much to infiltrate taste zones with any excess doughiness, is prototypical of Chicago's so-called bar style, and hits the sweet spot of the sag/crisp compendium; the sauce is spiced, tangy and consistent; and with the just-starting-to-burn cheese lovingly bedding whichever your choice of topping (go pepperoni!) the overall construction is near-perfect. Â
Then, of course, there's the Italian Beef - that indelible Chicago institution that might require a review of it's own.... Suffice it to say, Mama K's take would hold it's own against any of the dime-a-dozen corner hot dog joints that populate Chi's urban areas and serve the best... Â
Overall: Mama K's is an inspired little outpost, battling both the big boys and the nadir of fine taste. This is far more than a pleasant, soulful, affordable pizza sanctuary after a day of food courts or 'Giant Drops', it's well worth a trip up (or down) I-94...
I stumbled upon mama k's restaurant as an alternative to the chains in Gurnee. Â I was impressed with he friendliness of staff and the really good homemade soup. Â Order their Sicilian pizza and a large should feed at least 4 adults. Â It's a great place for the kids and a nice addition to the Gurnee community.
Review Source:Had lunch here with my brother today, and it was great! I took the advice of other reviews and had the Mediterranean sandwich which was excellent! It came with fries which were also very good. My brother had the chicken Parmesan sandwich with soup, both looked and smelled awesome. We both loved the food! Mama K was very nice and was running the front by herself, which she did perfectly even as busy as it was.
Great good, service, nice little dining area. Â Overall a nice locally owned business that I will be coming back to frequently!
INTRODUCTION
Back in early 2009 or so, I was visiting TCBY Yogurt on my lunch break from work. Â This was a common stop, since the yogurt was incredibly delicious and healthy, and Renee (Mama K) was such a wonderful person talk to. Â I was fortunate to be one of the few to know about plans to create Mama K's, which was originally thought of as a panini and sandwich shop. Â I suggested to Renee that they should have pizza by the slice, since that was something that was absent in the Gurnee area. Â She mentioned they had a great homemade pizza recipe, and that it was a good idea. Â This mention also created a plethora of ideas and plans, which Mama K would tell me about every time I would visit. Â Calzones, burgers, wraps, and sandwiches were all being considered as well, with the decision to keep the delicious yogurt Gurnee has been enjoying for over 20 years (using Mama K's even tastier recipes). Â It took over a year to open, but finally in the Summer of 2010, Mama K's opened for business.
FIRST EXPERIENCE (Pizza) Â
The restaurant has been totally renovated since TCBY. Â The porcelain tile is beautiful, the walls are a very soothing color, and the atmosphere is cozy. Â Not to mention, Renee, James, and George always make you feel at home! I consider myself a pizza addict. Â It is very rare that I find a pizza that hits my taste-buds in a life-changing way. Â I was skeptical, especially at the mention of a homemade recipe that was considered "unique". Â I entered Mama K's, and Renee ordered up a sausage pizza. Â The pizza came to my table, and I was very impressed visually. Â Now, the big moment, the taste! As Renee sat, waiting for my initial reaction, I took a gigantic bite of the corner pizza. The crust was a perfect consistency...not too crispy, not too soft, PERFECT. Â There was just the right amount of cheese. Â The tomato sauce was slightly sweet, which enhanced the taste of the whole pizza. Finally, the sausage was TO DIE FOR! This is, by far, some of the best sausage I have ever tasted!!! After bringing in others to test the pizza, I have not had one friend leave without thinking this was one of the most unique and wonderfully flavored pizzas they have ever tasted! Two people I brought in even thought that it rivaled one of the best chain pizzas in town, and even one of the finest local establishments in town (I won't say who these are, because I still love their pizzas too...but I choose Mama K's for the price and quality of ingredients!!!)! Pizza by the slice with a drink runs less than $4.00, and the most expensive large specialty pizza (there are several!!!) is $20.50. Â A large, one topping pizza is only $15.00!
THE REST OF THE FOOD AND EXPERIENCE
I have tried so many things on the menu. Â Everything I have tried has been of A+ quality! Everything that is ordered is made from scratch, and the quality of the food certainly shows!!! So far I have tried the beer nuggets, pizza sausage bomber, chicken parmesan sandwich, gyro meat, cheeseburger, and the blackened chicken wrap. There is not one thing that I have been displeased with, and everything has been of superior quality and taste! Â However, NOTHING BEATS THE CALZONES AND MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN SANDWICH! Â The Mediterranean is, by a LONGSHOT, the BEST SANDWICH I have ever had! Â The yogurt Renee makes can be mistaken for ice cream, and is so much healthier!
FINAL THOUGHT
There are few restaurants that I rave about. Â I will visit some every few weeks because they are good, but there are few that make me want to visit several times a week. Â The cafe atmosphere, personable owners and staff, incredibly unique quality of the food that makes taste-buds dance, the healthy delicious desert, and VERY REASONABLE PRICES, makes this a place I visit at least three times a week. Â I cannot give a higher recommendation for a lunch or dinner stop than Mama K's. As Mama K would say about anything on the menu, and I think she is being rather humble, "Oh ya! It's very good!!!"
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,607 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,970 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,306 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,904 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,983 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
