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Mama’s Will Return, But She Won’t Be the Same

The fried chicken returns.
The fried chicken returns. Photo: Shanna Ravindra

When Mama’s Food Shop closed in July, owner Jeremiah Clancy cited getting jacked by his landlord and told the Local East Village the end of his fifteen-year-old restaurant was emblematic of the neighborhood’s changing demographics. (Steely Dan and New York Magazine were also blamed.) Now the building’s landlord, Richard Freedman, who also owns the previously unaffiliated Mama’s Bar next door, is renovating the space and tells the Local he will reopen with a similar menu of fried chicken and meatloaf. “Smashmouth” items, which Freedman describes as “high carb, low chew factor” gut-bomb-sounding things like fried cheese balls and mashed potatoes will also be served and presumably won’t be accompanied by a list of hey, now, you’re an all-star sides. The new Mama’s may be called Mama’s Eats; Freedman says he’s currently working with “Mama’s something or other.” [Local EV/NYT, Earlier]

Mama’s Will Return, But She Won’t Be the Same