THE BASICS:

WHAT: A new Hollywood Hotel with a fun restaurant, bar and rooftop — and an awkward way of claiming to be your Mama — we give you Mama Shelter.

WHERE:  Hollywood – on the corner of Selma and Wilcox

WHEN:  Take it from us (not the falsely informed website with all the wrong times) – Bfast, Lunch and Dinner daily. Rooftop opens @ 5PM and serves a separate foodie menu worth checking out.

 

THE DISH:

WHAT TO KNOW: Mama Shelter is a modern boutique hotel with European roots that just touched down in Angeleno soil.

WHAT TO ORDER (BRUNCH): It’s important to note that there is a whooooole waffle menu so while I’m not one to usually order waffles for breakfast, how do you not go there when there’s an entire menu dedicated to that specialty item? The answer: you go there and “order for the table” when you really each want your own but you’d rather share so you can also order something else. If you’re claiming to have never done this, then you lying. More to the point, we opted for the Chicken and Waffles ($14) and were not disappointed

WHAT TO SKIP (BRUNCH): Honestly (and I don’t know why I say this since the whole blog is a forum for honesty), unless you’re staying at the hotel, I would avoid making a trip to the restaurant until 5PM when the rooptop opens (hopefully earlier in the Summer). While the food is fine, even good, it’s basic and paired with a mediocre daytime ambiance, nothing worth making it’s own trip for.

WHAT TO ORDER (DINNER): The Kale Salad ($14) with avocado, pepitas, dates, cilantro and apples is the perfect light start to the meal (or a perfect meal in itself if you’re, you know, into salads and being healthy). The fried chicken ($18) with little gem, radish, cucumber and buttermilk dressing – while it’s not my most favooooorite fried chicken ever, is definitely something I’ll be ordering again. And weirdly, the side salad that comes with it is deeeee-lish. Lastly and most importantly (being a fry gal and all), the Mama’s Fancy Cottage Fries ($7) with truffle oil, parmesan and parsley — well let’s just say if it was up to me, each person at the table should get their own order. These little circular crisps of heaven are a fancy and welcome take on the good ol’ fry.

WHAT TO SKIP (DINNER):  The grilled steak ($25) with chimichurri and garlic fell short. While we can appreciate it came pre-cut (anything that involves less work is fine by us), it was chewy and bland. Pass.

THAT VIBE THOUGH:  For dinner/drinks, this place is what’s up with a beautiful and trendy AF crowd…you know except the tourists staying at the hotel.  Would PASS on brunch/breakfast. With such a dark vibe in the restaurant, it’s definitely more suited for nigh-time activities and just leaves you feeling gloomy and lonely during the day. Now if they start serving bottomless anything, give us a call Mama.

THE ROOFTOP: Despite the host telling us they’re at capacity and getting escorted up by the hot chef only to realize there were only 15 people up there, the reasonably priced cocktails (sign us up for a $9 glass of perfectly crisp French rose), funky decor, and 360 views of this City of Angels makes it a rooftop for the books for sure. And if you make a rez for dinner up there, let us know how it is!

GOOD FOR: Would definitely encourage a work drinks or bumble drinks — they have board games in the bar section that can alleviate any awkward encounter or if all goes well you can take it to the rooftop for some daybed action. GNO works too. And most importantly, the restaurant and rooftop are optimal for group dinner situations. They even boast a “group dinner” menu on their website … although considering all the other mistakes on that site, probably worth calling before booking!

WHO YOU’LL SEE: Beautiful aspiring actors, tourists, and fun people just trying to have a good time. With so many foreigners around, safe to bring that friend who speaks multiple languages to catch people talking about you when they least expect it — sorry wannabe French hipster but if you don’t have anything nice to say, make sure people don’t speak your language.

WHAT TO WEAR:  Dress to impress. And we don’t mean your slutty outfits. We mean the perfectly put together “oh i just threw this on and happen to look like Gigi Hadid” look.

WHERE TO PARK:  Valet for a hefty $12 or probably the smarter choice: Uber/Lyft/phone a friend to drop you off — and hey, if things are going reaaaaaaaaal well, you can always get a hotel room for the night (still cheaper than a DUI).

HEY MAMA: Your hotline bling needs some serious work – no one wants to feel like they’re calling the hooker hotline when they just want to cancel a rezzie. If you don’t believe us, see for yourself.

EDDR LIFE LESSON: Drinking with a view wins every time. There’s a reason we live in this city where it’s Summer year round.

A² FINAL THOUGHT:  While we won’t be rushing back for brunch any time soon, you will definitely find us ignoring the rude staff and sipping rose on that rooftop.

Not sure Mama would approve of all the drinking and bad decisions going down in this shelter,

A²

 

Mama Shelter ↔ 6500 Selma Ave, LA, CA 90028 ↔ 323-785-6666