Mama-K’s Soup & Salad

Just moved to the area and am lucky enough to be within walking distance. I’ve had the vegan peanut soup (sounds weird, tastes amazing) and a salad… The price was unbeatable and the the portions were very generous. Also, the owner (Mama K?!) is lovely. I will definitely be back!

Im so glad, my boyfriend found Mama K.
My boyfriend got me soup & vegan cookies. It was delicious and healthy!
すごく美味しかったです!

Honestly, I am still debating on how many stars to give this place. I have passed it easily a thousand plus times and have never been in any rush to step inside.
Walking in, the little hole in the wall smelled good. Freshly, baked cookies good. It made my memory flash back to the first time I walked in to St Nick’s Pub for live music (this alone earned it three stars). We ordered from the Specials menu with only 4 options of soup listed. I got the New England Clam Chowder, while my company got the Chicken Noodle soup.
A decent amount of vegetables, even if mostly mushy potatoes for me and peas for my company, were to be found in both soups. There was only one piece of chicken and lots of spaghetti-​like noodles in the chicken noodle soup. My chowder was more like broth soup than a chowder – but was not listed as dairy-​free. There were about 4 clams in the soup. But how do you truly mess up a soup? Serve it warm rather than scalding hot and omit any seasoning aka flavor. Disappointing.
I used the, rather dry, side bread to soak in the soup and eat as a sort of dumpling. My company didn’t care to finish the soup. I did have one of the butterscotch cookies and it seemed tasty. Perhaps they should focus on the bakery aspect more?
Service was questionable and the place was empty, save for us, our entire time spent there. No bathroom, and there were clothes for sale in the right side of the tiny seating area. Utensils and napkins were out in the open on a random shelf. Not in any rush to go back to try anything else.

Very nice staff. Service is great and so is the atmosphere. Good spices and great dumplings and lomain.

Love, love, love their vegan pumpkin soup

Delicious, healthy soup that is super comforting on a windy day! I had a vegan corn chowder that was magical. And muffins are included with soup orders! The owner is very nice as well. Can’t wait to come back. Cash only, btw!

Delicious lunch spot! I had the gumbo and it was both tasty and affordable. So happy to find this place

This place is sooo good. The cook is very friendly and the food is great. Definitely go.

Such good, flavorful food.

The owner (?) was so so so sweet! She offered all the soups up for taste. I ordered a pumpkin coconut soup — it was a little too sweet for me, but tasty. I had it in two sittings (weird, I know lol). The little sponge bread that comes with it is kind of rubbery and weird. I’m not really a fan. My friend’s turkey chili was ok… kind of bland, though. Both soups seemed really low in fat, though… so maybe that was the point? Shrug. Anyhow, I’ll be back to try something else. So few spots to grab fresh soup in the hood.

After taste testing the soup, we brought home one of each. The salad was great and fresh!

A small home cooked/​baked restaurant owned by The warmest woman that ever lived. The cookies are amazing and vegan. I can’t help but buy a couple most days. sushi was good too, yet to try her famous vegan doup. Love that this restaurant is just by where I live. It’s truly a gem in the neighborhood and that is mostly due to the warm open and honest reception you get the second you step in.

This place is really nice for healthy to-​go wraps, salads and soups! And the lady who makes the food is a sweetheart! Give it a try :)

Finally popped in to give them a try… so glad that I did! Had a fresh, delicious spinach salad with 6 ingredients for $ 8! Awesome! And the lady working at the time was super nice!!!

Mama K’s is a small soup and salad bistro in gentrified West Harlem. I came here with a friend and fellow vegan from the neighborhood who recommended this place thoroughly — for which I am thankful.
There are a few small tables here, so best to have a backup plan to eating within; there is a park down the street if it’s nice out!
Mama K always has at least one vegan soup option, several vegan cookies and of course things available for the omni’s out there. What Mama K really excels in is customer service. She greeted us like family, and when it slowed down she even came out to sit with us and chat with her customers, sharing her life story with us, how long she’s been in Harlem and reminding us that Harlem is a place of brotherly /​sisterly love and community. Truly a peaceful and loving woman!
Anyway, getting down to the chow — the soups are always on point, delicious and fresh, as is the salad bar. The flavors change daily, and you can taste the love and effort put into each dish. I have yet to try the baked goods but if made by Mama K’s hands, I am sure they will be amazing.

Unfortunately I don’t have a lot to base this restaurant review on. We had stopped in to get some soup to go and take home for dinner that night. We decided on the butternut squash soup which sounded delicious but once we got home and tried it, it had so much sugar in it that it was not even edible. I know some recipes for butternut squash soup do have you add maple syrup sugar or something sweet, but this was major over kill. Took one bite, had one other person try it and neither one of us could eat it because it was so sweet.
It looks like they had enough people going in and out of the restaurant so maybe some of the other items are good but based on this one experience unfortunately we wouldn’t go back.

I live a few blocks away and always pass by this little place. One day I decided to check it out since «soup» (especially home made”) is indeed a big word in this neighborhood. Whatever I tasted was always delcious. Today she baked vegan cookies with lemon zest and oh my! Besides the fact they were still warm it tastes really good. Mama K is doing a great job!

Hearty, flavorful soups in a small little basement-​level shop tucked near the northern entrance of the 145^th stop in Harlem. A bit on the pricey side ($ 6 for a small), but good in that pinch when you need a mother’s love through the form of good ol’ chicken soup.

Yesterday I went here and ordered a small black bean soup *$ 5.99* and a container of coconut cake *$ 2.50*. May I say the service was superb as was the food! No complaints from this place.
If your thinking about sitting down at this place, think again because the seating area isn’t the best place for more than groups of two.
This Resteraunt is also very clean.

This is a welcome addition (as of August last year) to a neighborhood of fish & chips, hot wings, Checkers, stewed meats, and greasy Chinese takeout.
However it is nowhere near 4.5 ~ 5 stars.
Chef/​owner Keiko (a.k.a. Mama-​K) makes the little space quaint and warm. She is cheery and welcoming, and very thoughtful with the details (for example saran wrapping a takeout paper cup of soup before putting the paper lid on, to prevent spills) and good with names. But it’s not exactly a sit-​down place so basking in her chipperness is short-​lived.
While it is fun to try her ever-​rotating list of soup offerings, none of them have particularly stood out in taste. The muffin-​top shaped bread that comes with the soup is cute to behold but pretty gagworthy – doughy, underbaked, sweet-​ish not savory. I tried shrimp chowder and thai green noodle soup. At $ 5/​cup and $ 8/​bowl I’d rather get Whole Foods’ soups from the hot buffet.
Worse is the sushi, which was exciting at first in a neighborhood otherwise devoid of even cheap deli sushi. The rolls are refrigerated; the rice is hard and the vinegar imbalanced. The salmon sushi contained a tiny rectangular prism of smoked salmon in a big roll of rice wrapped in soggy nori.
Really wanted to love this place.