Mama’s Bakery & Deli

I asked if the had a pork Bahn mi sandwich and phở combo for lunch. The guy said yes and then charged me $ 13 for half sandwich and small soup. Ok well we didn’t negotiate a price so I wasn’t bothered yet. The soup came out first, was much more than a small although I wasn’t that hungry but ok. There wasn’t a lot of flavor to it but it would do. The sandwich came out and it was not grilled pork but a pâté strange mystery meat. I asked him what happened because I asked for pork. He told me that was their special meat loaf. I said I didn’t order anything special or in the form of a loaf. He said eat this it’s good we don’t have grilled pork. I ate some of it, because I’m just pig enough and my buddy was in the middle of a bizarre hilarious story that was distracting me enough that I could stomach it. To be honest it was gross, not my thing. Pissed me off that he did the ol switch-​aroo, I would have demanded he get it right but I was entrenched in this story so I guess it’s part my fault. What really isn’t cool is there isn’t a bathroom on that side of the street. I had to walk across the street to another mall to wash my hands. (That bathroom wasn’t even public but the lady was cool.). Food wasn’t good, service no Bueno, one star though for the good story by my friend

Small local mom/​pop shop and that’s what tipped it from a 1.5 star to 2 star. I really want it to succeed.
I think as a deli it’s probably successful — unfortunately what drove me to to try it out is the recent posting on Restaurant Guy’s blog about featuring Vietnamese phở and sandwiches — note they’re careful to not state banh mi.
For a small phở and a half sandwich, it was $ 12.42. The bread either overwhelmed the filling or there simply wasn’t enough meat/​pâté. Perhaps 1 slice of each. I should have taken a photo. The phở wasn’t very remarkable or memorable either. I should try giving this place another chance and will then post photos. Here’s to the next time!

Hidden Banh mi in Santa Barbara?
Sold.
Why don’t people talk about this place?! I grew up in Garden Grove /​Westminister, so I miss Vietnamese sandwiches. I stumbled upon this place today because the Patterson shopping area had no parking in the lot or around the block. There was a cop giving me the death stare and I was too scared to walk across the street to South Coast Deli in fear of him telling me I can’t park there. I’m glad I had a dose of irrational fear and went to this place instead.
I ordered half of the chicken banh mi for a little over 6 dollars. It was a big sandwich and for $ 2 more you can get a whole sandwich. This place is cheaper than Goodland’s Banh mi on Wednesdays and Blue Owl’s banh mi. If you live here, you know how SB food pricing works. $$$$
Their chicken sandwich had all the essential veggies and condiments as well as pâté. The chicken was like roasted chicken, not grilled/bbq’d. I really loved the sandwich and the cheery customer service. Had me some flashbacks…
Bread was good… not as buttery as my favorite place back home but daaang. Good sandwich. Got them feelz. The cilantro. The daikon. The jalapeño. I will be back, Mama.

Don’t know why I thought this was a deli with donuts or something of the sort. Maybe because my boyfriend told me he had a breakfast burrito here once upon a time.
Anyway, surprised to find Vietnamese food here, kinda random. The girl taking my order was wonderful, very nice. The overhead board menu… It takes my eyes wandering too long to find anything that makes sense. Hand written.
Anyway, I ended up ordering a large bowl of beef Phở and Viet coffee… Was gonna try the Vietnamese sandwich but they only had chicken pineapple. Maybe another day when they’ve pork or something else.
The large bowl wasn’t that big, it’s regular size. Basic beef slices and meatballs, bean sprouts and basil with a teensy hoisin and chili sauce side (ask for more if that’s not enough). The broth was pretty good, kinda expensive at around $ 9 for the large. Viet coffee wasn’t really Viet coffee… But I get it, it’s Santa Barbara.
They accept Visa and MasterCard. Two tables indoors and two outside. Small lot to park.

First time here… tried their special of the day Vietnamese Steak Sandwich and I’m glad I did! It’s delicious. Fresh ingredients to taste. They were friendly, quick, great price. I will definitely be coming back.

Excellent homemade pastries, sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and phở. It’s all delicious over at Mama’s. It’s all homemade and fairly priced. An honest, family-​run business. I work across the street and I go there almost everyday for something.

I was looking at «nearby» activity in Santa Barbara, and I saw this Viet bakery that serves banh mi. I also found out they make their own bread, and serve burritos & phô. Mama’s is on Hollister across from Goleta Valley Hospital.
I bought 3 small banh mi w/​ham, meatloaf, & cotto ($ 6.25), and a cà phê sa đá (no pic). While I was waiting, I was admiring the racks of freshly baked bread, and goodies in the case.
The banh mi were OK. There was a fair amount of meat, but the bread was not was not as good as Westminster or GG. In addition, the price was high: 3 Stars. However, the cà phê sa đá was really good, and comparable to Westminster or Garden Grove. It was strong, and sweet the way a good iced coffee should be: 4 Stars.
Regarding the ambiance, it is a hole-​in-​the-​wall, but that adds to the charm. I saw people running in, and grabbing something to eat on the fly: 4 Stars. Likewise, the Viet family that owns this place are supah nice. Their daughter works here too, and she obviously takes after her parents: 4 Stars.
I would return to try the phô, some baked goods, and grab another banh mi (despite the price). The service is friendly, the cà phê sa đá is good, and its nice to patronize a good Azn biz in a non-​Azn enclave.

Chicken Vietnamese special is my favorite. Wish it was a daily special but happy I can at least have it once a week :)

I like this place! Since discovering it a few days ago thanks to a coworker, I’ve tried the chili and their Vietnamese chicken sandwich. It doesn’t look like much on the outside, or on the inside, but they have really decent takeaway food. I’m looking to coming back to try their chicken phở when the weather cools down a bit.
The only thing that keeps this place from being a 5 is that there is no where to sit, and it feels very dingy inside. I’ve also never paid over $ 6 for a Vietnamese sandwich before, but it is a pretty hefty sandwich!

Their Vietnamese sandwiches always had me going back. Even got my coworkers hooked on them. Only reason I stopped going was because I’m no longer in Santa Barbara. Customer service is very good, the woman came to trust me and the one time I didn’t have cash she let me take the pastry and pay her later! I love it here.

What a surprise! I expected a place to get bread and cookies (and it is that); I found a really fine Vietnamese lunch place, right across the street from the Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital. Their phở and banh mi are authentic and excellent, generously served and reasonably priced. So happy to find a lunch place in that rather desolate stretch of Hollister Avenue heading to Goleta. Service was friendly and prompt; and you can grab some of their excellent coconut macaroons for dessert on the way out!

I got a sandwich here. Bread is baked fresh but portions are pretty small compared to south coast deli. Their menu is also a little confusing for first time visits.

Mmm… I always get the chicken salad sandwich, pretty good, can’t go wrong.
They also have pretty good breakfast burritos. All of them are pretty yummy. They now have a Wednesday Phở special, I’ll be back!

I buy the bread here all the time to make Tri-​Tip sandwiches, simply the best.
Emmet

I Have came into this bakery several times now and it is great every time. The ladies are always very nice and happy to help their customers. I enjoy their breakfast burritos and sandwhiches they are very filling. I also enjoyed their cookies. Great little place and recommended to all.

Good cookies

I eat here nearly every day. Their fresh baked bread is really awesome. They know their customers and remember your preferences. It’s a nice little Deli
Best Egg Salad every Friday — they make it just like your grandmother used to!

This review is about their Beef Phở.
I was really hoping to find a diamond in the rough here as far as Phở goes in SB. I called earlier in the week to inquire about their Phở and I was curious to see what was the real stat on this place was like… So…fast forward to a cold, almost rainy day and I thought, «Phở sounds perfect!»
Upon arrival, the menu read all the right fixings that came along with Phở: Slices of beef, meat balls, noodles, basil, jalapenos, (Thai Pepper would have been preferred) bean spouts, and limes. In addition, there was the 32 oz for $ 7.95; alot of food? Don’t know but I’ll soon find out…
5 minutes later, the Phở came out and I was immediately shocked on the lack of bean spouts – 6 pieces – for reals! There was No sriracha, a few slices of jalapenos, 4 basil leaves and a half lemon. To top if off, the «big 32oz» I was thinking about, seem more like a 18oz of bland broth and half a fist full of noodles.
The whole experience felt like I got ripped off and I left there freaking hungry! I can’t remember any time where I left a Phở joint hungry for more food. I should have known better than to think that a bakery could have produced decent Phở. Lesson learned and won’t be coming back. Sorry Mama’s, if you guys want to make a dent in the Phở crave – make a better effort!
On a side note, I am from South East Asia, so I know what I’m talking about when it comes to this type of food.

Not only do they now serve Chicken Phö daily but they have seriously stepped up their game. Mama now tops the Phö with quail eggs and fried onion. She also has done something to the broth that has really pushed it over the top. If you enjoy Phö then you simply have to give it a shot.
Also worth checking out are the Vietnamese sandwiches (Bánh mì) and if you need Bolillo rolls (hmmm, tri-​tip sandwich) then you will be hard pressed to find a better place.

Our shop found Mama’s about a year ago, and we’ve all been ordering breakfast burritos like crazy ever since! Great value — best combo is ordering a veggie breakfast and adding bacon! Comes out to about $ 6.75ish — and it’s always packed! Definitely one of the top BB’s in town!