Review Mama Loco - Albany

Our waitress was amazing. Very attentive, polite, friendly and fast. Food was great and spicy! Love the cocktails too.

I'm really torn about this restaurant. I've now visited 5 or 6 times and there are some great aspects and some not-so-great. Every staff member I've interacted with has been delightful. They are always enthusiastic and warm. I have absolutely no complaints. My issues are two-fold, the time it takes for the food to be presented and the inconsistencies with the food. Even during the day when there are minimal others (maybe one or two tables) the food takes a long time to come out (as in my incredibly patient stepmother was wondering if they had forgotten us) but on one occasion I ordered 2 tacos at 7pm (when there were plenty of people but hardly overrun) and it took 40 minutes for them to arrive. I appreciate that good things take time, but I've had a lot more complicated food at busier restaurants come out a lot faster. And on the matter of good things, the food can be up and down. To be fair, the food had never been bad, but from one visit to the next it will swing from amazing to average and back again. There are also inconsistencies in presentation so what you order can vary between visits which makes it frustrating. For example, on the chicken tacos one visit they'll pop a sprig of coriander on the top and the next time they'll chop it into tiny pieces and squish it in. Now I know it might seem like a small thing, but I hate coriander and often the people I'm sharing with don't. I can easily remove a sprig but little bits Chopped through is unworkable. I would have amended the order if I had known. Overall, I would recommend Mama Loco if you are with friends and not in a hurry to eat, or you are wanting a leisurely lunch in peace, but I've reached the point where it is no longer my first choice. If I'm in the area, generally I'm trying to get a lot done in a very short window of time and I don't want to sacrifice that much time.

Great experience at Mama Loco. Staci was an awesome waitress, making sure we were well fed and watered. The tacos were delicious, definitely get the lunch special if you can!

New menu, great chef, friendly staff & joy lab points! This is tasty Mexican, in an on-theme restaurant. Definitely will be back for more, though sometimes a staff member is not around when needed on weekends before/after traditional "rush hours".

Had an amazing dinner tonight. We were served by Bridie who was awesome and so was the guy behind the bar. They both had warm and welcoming personalities. We absolutely loved the frozen strawberry margaritas - just the right sweetness with a kick. We ordered the shared platter and everything on it was honestly delicious and so tasty - perfect option if you are not sure on what to get and the size if perfect for 2/3 people. Can’t wait to pop in again soon and try some more of your yummy food :)!

First time trying it, We will definitely come here again - the lunch special was amazing value for the quality of food they serve. Blair made us really good margaritas and was a great host!

We had the loveliest waitress tonight named Isla! She was so cute and bubbly, super friendly and had great service! The food was delicious and the margaritas on point! We will be coming back for sure!

Posting a review on behalf of my kids 9 and 7 who haven’t stopped raving about this place: “Fast service and the waiters are really nice. The old PlayStation is awesome so we had something to do while we were waiting. The inside is very decorative”.

I actually do not like Mexican food, and my partner has forced it on me many times over the years and I always hated it, too hot and spicy for me. That was at all the fast food type Mexican places around Auckland though I suppose. Got dragged here recently! and after getting into the taco's and platter I was a changed man! this is definitely a mean take on Mexican food and I thought it was genuinely authentic? I don't actually know but I am presuming it was. The platter was a HUGE hit I really liked the different things to try, and the tacos were really nice, the best one I had was the pork belly taco, the prawn one was really good too. Definitely stop in it's worth the feed. Thanks heaps and look forward to coming back, although I will have no halapenos! my god those things, take them out of the mix and it's a winner. Cheers. Update - September 2020 - dropped in again, you must try to pork tacos!!! Great visit again! Thank you

The food and atmosphere were amazing. Blair-our waiter took great care of our table! I enjoyed the cocktails and will definitely be coming back for more.

Food was delicious. I have been here 3 times. Everytime the service great and the food was amazing

Loved coming to Mama Loco. Food was fantastic and the waitress Lee brought us a smile, easy humour and a relaxed yet professional style. Give it a go and eat tasty Mexican, drink tasty beer, all with a great soundtrack.

I love mama loco. Not only is just visiting here always a delight but I had my birthday here a few months ago and they went above and beyond!!! The service and the food is always top quality.

Recommended for everyone who likes a variety of drinks and delicious nachos. New experience!

Amazing experience Hollie was the best server I have had ever, the drinks are delicious and food is proper good 🤤

Wow, the decor in mamas in beautiful, great vibe, fun music. I love coming to Mama Loco with my friends and family. Foods always great, staff always smiley and friendly. Highly recommend

Amazing food! We got the half platter and chicken nachos was delish and very affordable.

Came here for some drinks and after dinner snacks<br/>Great cocktail & Sangria, tasty tacos and nachos, nice service<br/>Would recommend :)

Food was way below average. We got the sharing platter and everything was flavourless, squid tasted like old deep fryer oil and chicken was dry. Also got pork tacos which were flavourless. Sangria was average and service was also not the best. Wouldn’t recommend or go back again, not authentic at all.

Great service, friendly staff and an "at home" environment. Kids were well taken care of with activity books and crayons. Food is fantastic! Will come here again and recommend to all friends and family.

Friendly staff and yummy jugs of sangria <br/>Tasting platter was amazing! <br/>Have been for the $6 tacos which are good for the price<br/>A good place to go for Friday night drinks

Had the platter because my friend and I wanted to try everything on the menu. The chicken was really nice as well as the jalapeno poppers, but the steak was GOOD. Took a star off because service was a tad slow and staff members forgot what we ordered.

We ordered the Half Mama Platter and a Pork Belly Taco. The platter had a good variety of snacks and was perfect for sharing between two people as it had two of each item. The zucchini was definitely the highlight, however a bit disappointing that the taquitos seemed a bit stale and hard to chew.<br/><br/>The tacos were delicious as pork belly is usually my go-to option for anything. The tanginess of the pineapple paired perfectly.<br/><br/>Good service and atmosphere too.

Very average food. Good customer service. Good interior.<br/><br/>We ordered half a platter and beef nachos. I thought the beef felt too fine as if it were blended through a blender. I'm not sure if its meant to b like this, but certainly different to my past experiences at mexican restaurants. Expected guacamole but none.<br/><br/>The platter was very simple. Sort of just a bunch of fried food. Possibly a good snack, but not for dinner.<br/><br/>The food did have a good crunch to it if that's what you like.

Vegan nachos for dinner were super flavourful, red sangria was great value for money and they also have a vegan berry sorbet! Attentive, lovely service as well :)

Super friendly staff and service, good food (chicken nachos are amazing), great drinks (really recommend the margaritas) & really nice atmosphere!

Nothing can beat their Curly fries! So yummy. I totally recommend it. A nice place for chilling out. Their service is very nice and the staff are courteous. We have been here twice, it seems a nice place and we also tried their platter. I am a fan of their falafel it was so delicious and their curly fries are the best.

Great tapas style fresh food! Perfect for after work drinks and nibbles or a quick meal before a movie. Love the Mama’s Platter with its selection including a little bit of everything!

Oh my god amazing, lunch deal with soft tacos was delicious and fresh, churros afterwards were warm with a really smooth cream. Great atmosphere outside on a hot day, will go again!! xx

Amazing food and service! Our waiter was so friendly and kind she made our experience here even more the better. she has Brunette hair. Definitely coming back for the good service and good food. Loved the vibes

This place was really good! The quesadilla had the perfect balance of meat and cheese and I could not stop eating. Their platter was also really good and had a wide variety of things for us the try. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 was because the wait was a bit too long. Other than that, I really recommend it seeing as there's not much to eat in Westfield itself.

Good price good service good food good drinks! wish it wasn't by the mall since I'm not a fan of that vibe but oh well they got specials on different nights so u can check them out as well could get very busy sometimes but also very slow on some nights as well (which I LOVE lol so I could have a quite and peaceful drinking time)

Went to Mama Loco Albany on a Thursday night and thoroughly enjoyed my beef nachos. Excellence service from our waitress Eden, very friendly and attentive!! Would 100% recommend to people wanting a great meal.

The pork belly tacos are so amazing!! A favourite and also has me coming back to the restaurant. The beef nachos are always a classic favourite as well. The service from the waiters is really good and also helpful. The blonde waitress Eden was very good

Dined here with my friend this week and went in for mama $25 movie mean deal for Tuesday. We ordered pork quesadilla, charred chicken tacos, fried polenta and Mexican slaw. Everything was all really good and very filling! Me and my friend enjoyed our meals esp the chicken tacos! and because of the movie tickets too! 😃😃 would definitely come again<br/>

We decided to try this place out while we were shopping in Albany. The place wasn’t busy (it was Monday lunch). Ambiance is great very hip and spacious and the staff are very welcoming and accommodating. They had a special which was $6 tacos (1 taco). We ordered 4 tacos (pork, shrimp, chicken and lamb) plus fried chicken. The tacos were surprisingly big and they were very generous with the filling. Our fav taco would be the pork and lamb and least fav would be the chicken (it was dry). Fried chicken was average and it was more like chicken tenders?. Overall really cool place and decent food so will be back!

We decided to try mama loco out just before our movie screening next door by Albany’s Westfield event cinema and they didn’t disappoint even though they had a function on the second back half of the restaurant . The staff were friendly and nice where we ordered and paid at the bar since we had a deadline. We had the steak skewers , chicken and jalapeño poppers plus margarita on tap and sparkling sangria to wash it down ! It’s a perfect combo and hit the spot within time to head off and catch the movie afterwards . Nice decor all around with funky pictures and also a Nintendo available to play crash bandicot if desired. I saw a cinema meal deal in the male toilets but it wasn’t promoted properly even on the menu selection here on Zomato so perhaps it’s a good avenue to drum up more sales and customers! Overall a great experience and recommended

Great food...try the nachos! Great drinks...beers are always cold! Great service...Sinead you are a rockstar! All round great spot in Albany for a date night :)

Great place to catch up with mates. They’ve got food & drink specials everyday of the week. Food are always good to share with its generous portion. The only downside is there are quite a few annoying flies in the eating area.

Went in on Tuesday night for a catch up with my friend, cocktails came out fast and food was delicious! Our waitress Sinead was so friendly and prompt, great evening.

Amazing!! Food was yummy and came out quickly. Service was great and very accommodating towards my 4 yo son. Definitely recommend the smashed pumpkin tacos! Soo good. Will be dining here again in the near future for sure 😊

The staff were attentive and very friendly. The resturant clean and tidy. Food amazing. Salmon kebabs so tasty, beef kebabs so tender. We went as a family of 4 and we all enjoyed food and experience. Good specials on beer and wine.

Was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food here... prawn tacos were awsome... infact we took friends there before a night out the next week. Great friendly waitress that had great knowledge of menu, Kayla we will be back and will definitely recommend to friends 👍🏻

Great place to chill after a hot days work, <br/>Great staff delicious food and a very sweet & cheerful waitress we had, thanks Kayla for outstanding service.

A place with good vibes, drinks and delicious food on the menu. The staff there are very friendly making it easy to go back again for more. Especially when Kayla's working, she can mix a drink with a smile.

The local, Rhianah is amazing she holds it down, always friendly and accomodating no matter what my painful requests are. The new manager Clint is also really cool

Really lovely place to sit and spend time with friends and family. Never been dissapointed with the food/drinks and service has always been great. I love the relaxed atmosphere.

Amazing venue and atmosphere! The staff are so friendly and accommodating. Wonderful place to come for a drink after a hard day at work. I love Mamas!

AHHHHMAZING. Staff were lovely, food was great as usual. Lovely new layout with lots more tables outside just in time for summer! Would definitely recommend!

They have the best fish tacos I have ever had staff are friendly and it is always clean and tidy and also have and amazing selection of drinks and it just has a nice vibe to it go there often because of how good it is.

First time to Mama Loco for lunch. The food was delicious. Having not had much Mexican food it was tee best I've had. Staff were friendly and knew the menu well.

We ordered chicken nachoes and some beef tacos and tequila chicken . <br/><br/>Staff: super friendly <br/><br/>Service: we were the only customers there ordering food on a Wednesday afternoon and it took ages. <br/><br/>The nachoes: very delicious, but nachoes without guacamole or salsa is just unMexican. <br/><br/>Tequila chicken: very bland , should come with salsa or something on the side. Too dry just chicken topped on rice. <br/><br/>Tacoes: good tasting. <br/><br/><br/>

I definitely recommend this place for functions and events. Their function manager is one of the most professional managers I've dealt with, explaining things concisely and straight to the point. Overall service was 10/10, and they really made my sisters 10th birthday party function the best it could have been. <br/><br/>The foods i recommend are mamas fried chicken and their nacho platter! Everything else is also exceptional. <br/><br/>If you want top notch hospitality service, amazing cocktail style foods and a great function venue, Mama Loco is the place.

Had been here on Sunday. Had the best drunken chicken nachos with jalapenos. Would recommend everyone to try it out. It was great, very tasty and well presented. Will definitely come back for the same. 🤗🤗

Had been here on Friday tried the Drunken chicken nachos .. I can bet that this was one the best nachos I had after a long time .. I really loved d nachos and would recommend it to try that for sure

Had the drunken chicken nachos, below average meal, was expecting chicken pieces and beans as stated on the menu and came out as a mash of the two with a huge blob of sour cream, absolutely zero toppings ie , spring onion, sliced tomorrow , jalapeño, coriander, instead I had to pay an extra $5 for salsa which was basically half a tomato diced, please put some love into your food, this is very disappointing.

Nice quick and reasonably inexpensive Mexican at Albany on out of mall. Great for a casual lunch or dinner and a few drinks.<br/><br/>Recommend the sangria jugs! Service is quick and friendly and if you have kids they have a corner with video games to keep them entertained!

The food only arrived an hour after we placed the order. We had to ask for the food twice before any of it did start arriving. Even for a cheese cake it took an hour. We came here with 9 people and everyone was starving by the time they got our food. The food was very average not in line with the wait times. Seriously reconsider your decision to visit this one. <br/><br/>Coming back to add this, the food portions are tiny. The fried chicken is only going be 4 tiny pieces with no flavour. The vanilla cheesecake was spicy.. I have never been more motivated to write a review that too while I'm still in the restaurant.

I had the drunken chicken nachos which were really yum! There wasn't an unsatisfied face around the table. This place is great for large groups. The nachos were $10 for Sundays with other fantastic deals for different days of the week.

Funky little venue. Tasty food and delicious cocktails. Pretty sweet daily specials too. One of the best venues in Auckland for afternoon drinks in the sun. Love it!

Not sure if the owners have changed but food quality has dropped. We shared the pork quesadilla, fried chicken and zucchini chips, everything was just a bit dry.<br/><br/>The location is good and great for a catch up drink with mates on a sunny day.<br/><br/>

Checked out this place for a light afternoon snack. The waitress was super nice and attentive, giving us suggestions on what was good on the menu. We tried the zucchini fries and the chicken tacos, both were delicious. Loved the food and service my only complaint is that it's a bit overpriced for the small portion. However the food is definitely good.

Mama Loco is one of the yummiest coolest little Mexican places I have been too, it wasn't just the food that was really good but also the staff at just the atmosphere it's self, I love the colours in the place the furniture and it even has a play station one which add a cool vibe to it, the fruit cocktails and chicken tacos are always my go to especially for a easy and quick bite 😍

When I used to work at Albany mall, this was my go to place to eat for work drinks, birthdays or catch up with friends. I really like it here. The décor is amazing, love the paintings and the skulls around the bar. Food is okay, cocktails are great. I always go for a watermelon fizzer or the white wine sangria. If I'm ordering food I always get the corn chips & guacamole and the fried chicken. Taco's and quesadilla's are all good to. But I mainly just like to go for the atmosphere, they play really good music too!

Bright, lively and vibrant! Fun atmosphere at this place, a nice spot to catch up over drinks with friends. The food is decent and features most of your mexican regulars - my faves are the fried chicken and zucchini chips. Service is pretty friendly and the wait times aren't too bad. Good location if your watching a movie afterwards.

Went there on Sunday night. I didn't try the food, but only ordered a glass of wine. Friendly service that makes me come again someday. Nice place.

I had the sangria jar is good enough for 2 people. The variety of tacos is good, my favourite one was the pulled pork taco. I don't know if it just was in my case but the tortillas where quite cold and soggy. I had some churros, I definitely loved them.

Had the date night deal which included a taco of your choice + quesadilla + churros <br/>Portions were reasonable and price was good but food was average<br/>Churros were very bland and dough mixture was quite plain and below average. I usually love churros but I was disappointed.<br/>Lady brought the churros in the middle of our meal when she said she would bring them out when we ask so...so she has to bring them back and by the time they were cold. <br/>I think there are better Mexican places out there. Maybe their platters and sangria are better<br/>

Made us wait for an hour without warning. <br/>Screwed up the orders.<br/>The service was pretty shit when dealing with our concerns about the orders.

Went for lunch here with my partner today and it was really good! It was a super quite day which was good for us because it meant not a lot of noise. The atmosphere is really cool, the restaurant has a lot of fun quirky things in it. I ordered the lamb tacos and my partner ordered the beef tacos with some chicken sliders to share. The tacos are AMAZING!! Highly recommend them to anyone! The sliders however are really average and I wouldn't order them again. The service is friendly and good which is nice though if it was busy I don't see how one person could look after all those tables. I will definitely be back and bring friends too!

The food is quite bland, nothing special. The crumbed zucchini chips were super soggy inside, I couldn't eat them. The chipotle mayo tasted like plain mayo. The jalapeños stuffed with cheese were quite nice but again nothing special as it's just peppers and cheese. The pulled pork quesadilla was quite tasty aside from the fact that the avocado was quite brown, I had to scrape it off.. the best thing here is probably the nachoes! It's a great atmosphere for drinks and the staff are awesome but I would probably stick to coming here for drinks only.

Yum yum yum!! I have been here 2x with co workers and enjoyed it! The zucchini chips are delicious and you can't beat the churros! The service is good especially seen as we were a large group. Will go again to try more of the menu!

Zucchini chips are always a good time, especially when it's at Mama Locos. Their zucchini chips are out of this world. I've always tried their nachos and quesadilla's. The food here is very filling. Mama Loco also has a very funky Mexican theme going on!<br/><br/>Mama Loco is perfect for getting together with a bunch of friends, ordering jugs of sangria and getting your groove on. They have nice, young and friendly staff setting the funky vibe of what is "Mama Loco"

A beautiful place to hang out on a bright sunny day! $10 Taco deals, woohooo! Seriously yummy food! Juicy Taco's and Quesadillas are a must try!

On our trips to upnorth we always stop by this place for lunch. <br/>Go to faves are Chili crumbed zucchini chips, tacos and  MFC chicken<br/><br/>Finish it off with churros with spiced choc yummyy...

Decided to have an impromptu lunch with the other half whilst shopping at the Albany Mall. Thought we'd do the food court but it being 12 noon on a Saturday, the food court was teeming with people and noisy kids - (we have kids of our own who can get noisy themselves - so the rare moments where we find ourselves killers is cherished.) we weren't going to dine amidst the chaos of the food court.<br/><br/>We thought to check out Mama Loco and get some tacos.<br/><br/>We were immediately sat at a nice and comfy table. Our waitress gave us the low down on the special of the day - some fish taco with Japanese sauces - we weren't feeling exactly adventurous for a Japanese taco. Maybe some other time.<br/><br/>We ordered the Ancho Pulled Pork and the Marinated Beef Skirt Tacos. Each order/ plate is served with 2 tacos. <br/><br/>The beef tacos were very tasty and would order them again! <br/><br/>The Ancho pulled pork wasn't as tasty as the beef taco- so may look at trying the Chicken or Lamb option next time.<br/><br/>The surprise was the Street Corn Cob! We loved it!!! The sauce was yummmmmmy! Although at $8.50 a plate, it's quite pricey. <br/><br/>

Yum went here on a Tuesday and the special was taco Tuesday 😂. I ordered pork tacos on soft shell and they were packed full sooo tasty with all the condiments. Black beans, fresh lettuce and salsa some nice mild chilli sauce for me and sour cream. Heaven.

In LOVE with the interior decor, fabulous and friendly service :)Except the food took really long to come and the staff forgot to servehalf of the food we ordered because he didn't write them down.

Had a very bad night here recently. The front of house took 10 minutes to acknowledge that our table was ready for drinks after some serious waving and their manners were non-existent. We waited for 30 minutes for our food which was reasonable for a table of 8, but after waiting near on 45 minutes for two tacos when everyone else had finished their main was ridiculous. When it finally came, it was on a wheat taco, not corn like I'd asked (I'm Coeliac). When I told the waitress this, she swore, walked off and came back a few minutes later with what looked like the same, cold tacos. This was among many other poor customer service issues of the night. Will definitely not be returning which is a shame because the decor inside is amazing! If only it could be like that for the food and service.

A terrible experience recently, we went in to see if they had a table and with 3 people standing around it took them 5 or so minutes to even speak to us, then we were seated while the waiter made jokes and chatted with his friends, he then disappeared for a bit came back and took our drink orders and then we waited for 20 minutes as we watched 4 staff stand and joke at the bar but never bring us our drinks which were a wine and a beer. In the end we left, it appeared as if most of the staff were drunk? No photos as we never had the chance to order any food :/

Been here 2 or 3 times now but this was the first for a proper meal! We tried the chicken, zucchini fries and prawn taco and chicken taco! (Sorry for the bad quality pic was so dark in there) the food was delicious! The chicken nibbles may have been slightly dry or maybe I'm being fussy? But the atmosphere is also good nice upbeat place with friendly staff and a really well decorated and designed location!

We changed our regular Friday catch up from Bolero to Mama Loco and were quite glad we did. The food was absolutely perfecto amundo! <br/><br/>We ordered 2 different types of wraps and they were pretty good value at around $11 each. I ordered Sol beer and my better half ordered the house Pinot Gris. (we had more than one - shhhssh it was a Friday)<br/><br/>Mama Loco shares the kitchen with The Merchant next door and they come from the same stable as The Elephant Wrestler and The Postmans Leg. The service was very good and improved even further when I name dropped Zomato 5 minutes into our arrival. <br/><br/>Will definitely be coming back. Not the cheapest but I don't mind paying for good quality food and friendly service.

Chipped mugs with lipstick in them, dirty plates and funny tasting brown chicken... Lettuce leaves looked like they were days old and as did the rest of my food. I love Mexican food but unfortunately everything I ordered tasted old and reheated... Nothing was fresh. Plus the restaurant decor is whilst funky, quite dirty and old... Needs some freshening up! Staff are cool though.

Great place for evening drinks with friends. The Nachos & quesadillas are amazing. The Bartenders some times are quite slow with delivering orders.

Great vibes! This place just makes me so happy the presentation and the vibes are definitely a wow factor!! Highly recommend the CHICKEN drunken nachos! !! YUM. Ate the whole bowl to myself. I ordered a jug of white wine sangria yummy! Love this place will be back soon!

Have been going to mama loco quite alot over the last month I always enjoy a game on the old ps1 with a few drinks, the new manger seem to have things under control since last time i was in last year some time, i love the door man he always welcomes us in with a smile and is always helping the staff with tables if they are busy.

Went there with a big group, on a busy weekend night, the place was packed and yet we still were looked after like we were the only ones there. Great atmosphere, great fun friendly staff.. Highly recommend Mama Locos to anyone and everyone.. Def see me there again soon!! HOLA!!

Mumma Locos is a hip funky bar that serves up great tacos, fried chicken and corn on the cob. The jugs of sangria are yummy, but sadly the cocktails are not that great. Could do better I think.

Went here for lunch on Tuesday so it was super quiet. There was only one waitress on duty but the service was great and the food was super fast at coming out (thank god - I was starving). I had the pulled pork corn tacos and holy moly they were so good I'd have to reserve them a place in the top 5 meals I've ever eaten in my life. Sucks so much that I don't live in Albany because I would eat those tacos every day if I could. So. Good.

Always love the chill atmosphere and amazing cocktails here. Haven't tried the food yet but heard it was amazing. Had a mocktail which was amazing with fresh passionfruit puree in it. Will be back again soon!

Love the sangria! Best flavour and value, and the quesadillas are amazing! The fried chicken was really tasty and served with a great sauce but over cooked so some pieces were a bit dry, that doesn't stop me from going back though!

Almost as good as mexico but its cheaper and has bigger portions. The problem is the quality can get a little inconsistent when the place gets too busy, which happens on Friday and Saturday nights. Still worth the visit though

Nearly all the food we ordered came out burnt!! Zucchini chips were practically black and I saw other peoples churros that were black!! The tostaditas were so hard to bite into, but at least the pulled pork on top was nice. Will never go there again. The Mamas at silviapark is amazing. Maybe you should think about changing your oil.

NEVER again!!!...Thought I was at some cheap kids theme park, the meal was pathetic. Was there even a chef in the kitchen? Is there a kitchen? This was not a meal prepared by someone who could possibly be proud of what they served up.<br/>Ive had better meals (and a whole lot cheaper) in school tuck shops, or even public hospitals..airports..corner takeaways...so, so disappointed!<br/>Glue 1 - lots of empty seats. We walked through the full food court inside Westfield, pass 2 busy outdoor restaurants and thought...empty seats, must be because its the furtherest restaurant and a walk away...NOT!<br/>Glue 2 - salt & pepper shakes came out on a Dirty! Dusty! plastic table mule, the shakers too were dirty. lets go I said but the 6 yr old was hungry.<br/>Glue 3 - 6yr old ordered ice cream & caramel sauce - she got 2 scoops of ice cream in a bowl with a dumping of sauce. The sauce was Not warm it was dumped on the ice cream & looked like a turd!!! we couldn't even spread it with the spoon.<br/>Glue 4 - 21 yr old son ordered Pork Belly Taco - he got,  dried bits of pork belly, fennel slaw & chutney on 2 cold tortilla's ( so small he ate both in 4 bites)<br/>Glue 5 - I ordered the coconut chicken - what I got was chicken bits coated in coconut overcooked, dry & tasteless, even the mango salsa & shredded iceberg couldn't disguise the measly meal. <br/>Glue 6 - both the taco orders were served on plastic dirty baskets - the kind you get at 'Lollipops Playland' (kids indoor playground)<br/>Glue 7 - Ordered the churros - they came hot but the salted caramel dipping sauce, was cold & hard, could hardly dip the the churros!! and again the sauce looked like a turd - a minute or two in the microwave would have made a huge difference<br/>Overall experience...waiter was friendly, music was great...Food is DISGUSTING!! waste of money, will never return or recommend. Had to go home and make toast.

We have been to Mama Loco on a number of occasions and last night, being Boxing Day and a lovely fine evening, we decided to walk down and have dinner there. We had a jug of Sangria (red of course, although they do serve a white wine based version) which provided six large refreshing glasses ($22). As a starter we ordered the Pork Belly Tacos ($11.50) which were eagerly consumed as they were full of crispy succulent pork, pineapple salsa, cinnamon and fresh coriander, and so full of flavour. For the main we shared the Mama Platter ($44.50) which was a large basket of selections from the Bites to Share menu - Mama Chicken, Pulled Beef, Fish in a spicy herb batter, Pork Ribs, Crumbed Zucchini Strips with a mango salsa, Chorizo and Corn stew, and corn chips with guacamole, pickled cabbage, and pico de gallo. The food was superb with many complementing and contrasting textures and flavours. The staff were relaxed and friendly. It is very pleasant to be able to sit outside overlooking Albany Lakes and entertained by the vibrant Latin music.  Although we had planned to finish with churros, we were so FULL that there was no room for dessert.  A very satisfying evening and good value!

One of my favourite Mexican places! Great atmosphere with delicious food and yummy cocktails definitely a great place to start a big night out

Reading some of the other reviews of Mama Loco you gotta wonder sometimes how genuine some people are on this site. Ive eaten here many times and love the place. Ive never had an experience that even comes remotely close to being bad like some of the others here. The staff have always been friendly and the only time the service can be a "little" slow(er) is when the bar next door is packed, because of the shared kitchen, but its still never a big deal.<br/>The food always really good and the prices, especially for the Mexican staples like Tacos are excellent value. They regularly update their menu and listen to feedback. <br/>My only suggestions would be a specials board and to maybe be a bit more careful with the music volume and content, especially during the day. Otherwise dont be put off by the septic venom in other reviews. Mama Loco is awesome.

Absolutely terrible experience at Mama Loco's Albany. Sent an email regarding this horrible experience and still haven't received a reply....<br/>Overpriced food (we were served fish and prawn tacos that were exactly the same and missing components).<br/>Terrible service (waited 40 mins for heated corn chips and the tacos with not a second glance from the waiter).<br/>Very bland food.<br/>Wasn't offered a drink. <br/>Just all round rubbish. Don't bother with Mama Loco's Albany.

I have been to Mama Loco about 5 times and I have to say I LOVE it. The food is amazing and really reasonably priced. the prawn tacos are divine and I have never had anything there that I haven't enjoyed. The staff have always been helpful and the surroundings are gorgeous. Can't wait for my next visit!

Love the food at Mama Locos. There is a good selection of main size meals as well as more tapas sharing plates. If you are into hot sauce they have awesome selection of the Blair's range.<br/><br/>They always have funky tunes playing and the staff are really friendly. <br/><br/>Awesome place for a feed or just a drink or two.

Terrible. Absolutely terrible. I mean, there were positive things about the place, but the overwhelmingly awful food we were served made the positives disappear very quickly. My partner and I both had the braised chipotle beef burritos, and I can honestly say they were the worst thing I have ever been served in a restaurant, and that includes fast food. Any remnants of sauce that had once existed in the burrito had long dried up, which made me immediately wonder how long they had been sitting there for, there was no flavour, at all. It was the most bland tasteless thing I have ever eaten, and neither my partner or I got beyond halfway of eating it, and we are not fussy eaters for the most part. I informed the waitress of the situation, and she also said she had tried them earlier and thought they were tasteless, so why they were served to us I'll never understand. Her solution to the problem was to offer us some free churros, which was nice enough I guess, but ultimately felt like being offered a 50c cone at McDonald's after finding a caterpillar in your burger. She also told us that it was a shame we had come in that week, as a week later they were getting in a new chef from Mexico and the whole menu was going to be so much better, yet I see a reply from Mama Loco on this review page saying that the same thing was happening 2 months ago, so I take that reassurance with a grain of salt. Although it had its positives here and there, they were far outweighed by the quality of food served, and my advice would be to avoid this place like the plague.

We've been to Mama Loco twice now on a Sunday afternoon for a late lunch and a few drinks and been thoroughly impressed both times. The staff are warm, cool and helpful and the atmosphere is chilled and funky compared to the other bars along the strip at Albany mall. The food may not be entirely "authentic Mexican" but it is so bloody tasty that this bothers me not.<br/><br/>Great people, great place, great food - pretty sure that says it all.<br/><br/>We will continue coming to Mama Loco until this changes.

I visited Mama Loco some time ago and have been meaning to put my review up. Worst customer service ever, I actually got told as a customer that I was wrong, which should never happen! Our group went in for drinks and dinner one evening and I ordered what I thought would be a tasty margarita. Not only was it tiny, but it was undrinkable it tasted so bad. Everyone at the table agreed. I alerted out waiter and asked to please just switch it to something else as it was horrible. He looked and me and said " no I won't be able to do that" and actually walked away. Confused by what had just happened I had the manager come over to resolve the situation. She then rudely tells me after I tell her how bad the drink is "yeah maybe you shouldn't have ordered that then if you didn't like the flavours" and also "yeah alot of people who order it don't like it but the owner likes it so we have to keep it on the menu" I’m not lying these are literally the words she said to me (looks like someone already pointed out her bad ppl skills in a review below). The whole situation made me uncomfortable and ready to leave as soon as possible, pretty sure that’s the opposite of what you want in a restaurant. It would have been much easier for everyone if they just would have replaced my teeny tiny drink. Never going back…Gareth I hope you’ve since hired a new manageress.

Good news is the staff are great, super friendly and helpful. The restaurant itself and decor are pretty cool, and its located well for an afternoon beer. Bad news is that ain't Mexican food. My wife and I love Mexican food, even been to Mexico just to eat! We had the nachos and beef quesadillas. I swear the overwhelming taste in the quesadilla was watties chilli beans, the pesto (?) on top also tasted out of a jar. The nacho chips were blatantly out of a packet and again with the beans from a tin. Mexican food is about fresh, cheap and cheerful. At $16 for the quesadilla that kinda just ain't worth it sorry. Not trying to be nasty here but I honestly make better Mexican at home. It's a shame because Mama Loco has the potential to be the whole package. Someone just needs a kick up the bum and put some more effort into prepping fresh ingredients.

We had a great afternoon experience at Mama Loco. <br/><br/>The staff were very helpful and friendly, and were accommodating enough to create a vegetarian burrito for me (although it wasn't on the menu). Very tasty, and so were my husband's Quesadilla's.<br/><br/>We sat on the deck, enjoying the sun, and were well fed and entertained (still can't believe that waitress' balancing act on her stiletto shoes - unbelievable).<br/><br/>You can see photos and read more about our visit at http://celestereviews.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/crazy-mother/

Don't understand all of the bad reviews about the food, I love it! (and this is coming from someone who doesn't usually go for Mexican food). The chicken tacos were amazing, have to come back and try a burrito, one taste of my partners one was not enough. Id also happily just have a bowl of the nachos and cheese sauce, amazing! Lots of different options for drinks, heaps that I haven't tried before, but that just gives me a reason to come back and try them:)

We love this place! The staff, music, food &amp; drinks are awesome! We always go for the sangria in the jug (we choose to get a jug or two each so that the food tastes even better when we order it) My partner &amp; I love Mexican and after a poor experience at restaurant next door we started to come to Mama Loco frequently, what a good idea that was! I'm sure Mama Loco and The Merchant are owned by the same people but the atmosphere at Mama Loco is much better! Worth a try if you like drinking &amp; like Mexican food! My recommendation is to sit outside as you get the beautiful view of the lakes!

Visited once before, and loved the sangria and service. So decided to re-visit this restaurant. Sadly, the sangria was awful this time round-and the food was average . Staff were also not as friendly as last time, and really seemed disinterested in us - even though we were the only ones there! Disappointing as loved my first visit.

The staff and atmosphere were great, but the food not so much. I had to send my taco's back, the soft shells must have been sitting in the kitchen a very long time since the tacos had become one with the sauce by the time it reached the table. The second round of the tacos was much better, but still lacking in any flavour resembling Mexican food.

Sadly we were very disappointed with the meals here. The staff were lovely, the decor and atmosphere fine, though the music a little loud for 6pm dining and the stools a little precarious! The food was less than average. If you like iceberg lettuce - then you are in for a treat - it is used in great quantities. The chicken burrito sadly lacked chicken. The dishes as a whole seemed very bland, the salsa's especially lacked flavour. If you are looking for an authentic mexican flavour (even with a twist) we recommend dining somewhere else.

Absolutely brilliant. The staff were great, the surroundings awesome and the food really good. Would definitely go again, well worth it. Also really good if you sit outside for dinner, the sunset would be great on a clear day.

I have just had an awesome time at Mama Locos! The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful - when I commented that I had enjoyed a particular salsa the last time I was there, the waitress bought out some different ones for me to try. The food was delicious - and I love Mexican food and have tried it in many places. The jugs of sangria are a hoot with long straws so you don't have to keep asking for refills! I will make this one of my favourite places to sit and squander a few hours with friends, it's so nice to be served with a smile! highly recommended for a fun time!

Well I am still sitting here at Mama Loco and although the decor is colourful, the music is funky, the service is just OK and the meal is absolutely under average.<br/><br/>Mexican?! You're kidding me. We came here specifically for a Mexican meal because we LOVE it and Menu Mania boasted that Mama Loco had food like non other.<br/><br/>Honestly, not worth the trip! I chose the vege taco with extra hot and medium spice, received fried Aubergine as the vege choice (seriously?!) and only the MILD sauce! Expected MUCH MORE! <br/><br/>My partner who can EAT struggles thru his burrito and left half on the plate it was so poor quality!<br/><br/>I don't know what sort of patronage you have but it certainly is of the lower level who don't care about food quality.

Hello everyone. I went to Mama's last night for dinner and I'm afraid to say that I was highly dissapointed. I'm Mexican myself and even when I was recommended by a friend to try the place, I couldn't find anything Mexican in the restaurant besides the description "Mexican food". The atmosphere is nice (although, I was sitting inside and the music was too loud, I couldn't hear the person talking in front of me) and the waiters/resses are really nice too, they have a very positive attitude and great service.<br/>I know is hard to get real Mexican ingredients in NZ but I've seen other places do it better. Don't take me wrong, the food is tasty and I'm sure you'd enjoy. But if you're looking for a real Mexican experience, you are in the wrong place. The corn chips (what we call totopos) are weird tasting "doritos" and my fajitas weren't even fajitas... just a piece of steak (I know the menu mentions "steak" but it also mentions "fajitas", so it was just confusing and dissapointing).<br/>Prices aren't worth for what you get. Too expensive for my taste. Sorry!<br/><br/>So in conclusion: nice place with nice vibe and staff, too noisy to talk, quite expensive and is NOT MEXICAN. But if you're looking for a more "european/kiwi" style of food with heaps of "salsa" and avocado all over. Enjoy! this is your place.

My partner and myself came to have dinner at Mama Loco last night with his 13 year old daughter and her friend only to be turned down. We were informed that Mama Loco could not serve FOOD to minors. We arrived at 6:30pm (a reasonable hour) and were told that Mama Loco was a club not a restaurant and minors were not even allowed to eat here. This seems ridiculous as we have dined there before with our family, once being on a busy Saturday night with my partners 10 year old son. You advertise on your website as a restaurant and I even see above people comment on the meals their children have had. Even if Mama Loco was a "bar/club" it was a Tuesday night at 6:30 and you were basically empty with only one other table being filled. Not exactly "club mode". Being attached to the mall should make you family friendly. To make things worse, the last time we ate there the food was below average with soggy, half empty tacos but we thought we would give you another try. Way to blow your second chance! We will no longer be bringing our 25 staff to Mama Loco for our Christmas drinks!

WOW!! First time going to Mama Loco's last night and it was awesome. We had a table of 14 people who all ordered different things. The waitress was fantastic and explained anything that we wanted to understand and checked with the chef regarding a couple of allergies that some had. The food was healthy and tasty and the jugs of sangria rocked! Not really sure what the apple juice jug was but it was really good also. We are already making plans to come back as a group and I know I am looking forward to it getting warmer and spending an afternoon lazing back in the big deck chairs in the sun with a jug and a really big straw.

My Girlfriend and I just had lunch there today and it was fantastic. The waitress that was serving us was genuinely friendly and very onto it. The atmosphere of the place as a whole has a very friendly welcoming vibe to it and the food wow. Probably one of the best Burritos I've ever had and my girlfriends Steak Fajitas where cooked to perfection and arrived on a sizzling hot plate, another thing was there wasn't any part of the dish that was bland, from the rice to the tortillas everything was packed with flavour. All in all I'd recommend Mama Loco to anyone looking for excellent Mexican for either Lunch or Dinner.

I LOVE the service here, always so friendly, fun and unobtrusive, even when I've dined whilst a big party has also been dining.<br/><br/>I am obsessed with the jalapeño poppers, so delicious.<br/><br/>Really good food, but I could handle slightly more exciting/traditional/spicy fillings for the tortillas, burritos and tacos. They are good, don't get me wrong, but the entrées and main meals seem to outshine the burritos, etc.<br/><br/>I've been three times in the last six weeks and will definitely be back to work my way through the entire menu!

Was a Thursday night I found the decor really great love the colors and the outdoor seating &amp; Mexican paper flowers very cool and the service was also very good. If only you put as much energy in to your food!! ;0(. I have lived in LA many years and have had lots of Mexican. The burrito was more like a wrap with a few small strips of chicken not much flavor I could not find the beans? for $20 I would of expected a nice big tasteful burrito with a side of beans and salsa i was still hungry. The Taco bowl was not fresh must be boxed brought? it was tasteless and hard and was full of shredded lettuce no flavor and a few strips of tasteless chicken on the top and could still not find the beans?. You should make your bowls and chips fresh. The salsa was more like a relish much to sweet. How do you get Mexican wrong? Sorry guys I would have loved to of come back as there is no good Mexican restaurant on the North Shore......

Cool new bar/rest close to my home. The prawn popcorn was yummy however found food portions quite small,didn't like the 'build your own' tortillas found them abit tasteless. Loved the decor of the place!!

Fun, reasonably priced, great food. We happened to be there on a Wednesday and delighted to be offered free desserts with each main. Delicious, lightest-ever churros and also an amazing chocolate bombe with a lil bit of chilli. Mains were generous and on the healthy side (no piles of cheese and sour cream on top) - Yum! We will be back and my city-side friends are suitably jealous it's on the shore. And one of my friends enjoyed an awesome margarhita on the rocks.

Really loved this place. It looks very cool and stylish and the staff are super nice and helpful. The food is good and the most authentic Ive tried in NZ. Really, Really enjoyed and will be going back

Went to Mama Loco this evening after the movies for a Margharita. What a disappointment. Besides the fact that we paid an arm and a leg for a third of a Martini glass of sickly sweet syryp, it was clear that the staff working there had no idea of how to make a Margharita. Ice is an integral ingredient of a Margharita. Pity there was no ice in ours. A big letdown. You'll never see us again guys!

Had a brilliant time here, the staff know about the wines and recommended a great Pinot Gris and helped with the food selection. Chris our server was brilliant and knew when to come and assist and when to leave us alone. So all up a great experience- the food was impressive and a great experience. Just a shame we live so far from here or it would be our local for sure.

Pretty much one of the best bars on the shore! Great looking venue with so much to take in when you look around the bar. Their décor has actually won them a few awards for innovation and design. You can see why when you're standing at the bar. The staff are something else, super friendly and informative. They always bring the drinks directly to your table which is cool. This place is a total sun trap! So take some sunscreen if you're going to be there for an hour. Beer prices are a bit on the ridiculous side, but otherwise their cocktails and drink specials are pretty good. Worth a visit!