Flagstaff's Mama Burger: Old fashioned burgers on the cheap (plus check out their menu)

Mama Burger is as simple as it looks from the outside

 Mama Burger, Flagstaff, AZ

• 112 E. Route 66 (in a small shopping area, next to AZ Music Pro)
• no website, but you can find their full menu at the bottom of this review!

If you're visiting Flagstaff and looking for a good burger at a decent price and not some chain mass produced something or other, then you're going to want to try the new Mama Burger downtown Flagstaff. In the few weeks Mama Burger has been opened they've already needed to expand. They started with only a few stools at a bar shoved up against a little window and now have an additional seating space with lots of tables.

Mama's has a basic menu: burgers and fries (plus soft serve ice cream and shakes). If this isn't what you're looking for, then at least you don't need to ponder whether or not to go. If you *are* in the burger mood, it's perfect and probably the best priced local combo you're going to find in downtown Flagstaff. You can get a double cheeseburger with all the fixings, fries and a fountain drink soda (with free refills) for just $7.95. That beats Beaver Street Brewery's $10+ burgers with fries but no soda, but then there's really no service or atmosphere so to speak at Mama Burger. And if you're just looking for a burger, you can get the Mama Burger (with no cheese) for just $3. That's a bargain (and probably as close to In-N-Out Burger as you're going to find in town).

Mama's burgers are simple but quite tasty. They kind of have an old fashioned flare. The toppings aren't deluxe by any means (they use plain old iceberg lettuce, for example) but they get the job done. We really enjoyed our meal and left feeling satisfied.

The fries are hand cut and thin and quite good as well. Again, nothing fancy but quality. You can jazz them up by ordering cajun-style (at no extra cost). But I liked the plain ones more, quite frankly. I wouldn't order a side of fries by themselves though, as they're quite pricey for the little bag you get at $3. (I think french fry prices in Flagstaff need a reality check for sure. And not just at Mama Burger.)

The shakes are good though priced on the high side at $3.75. I ordered their strawberry. It's made with soft-serve ice cream and fresh strawberries and topped with whip cream. But I would skip their plain soft serve ice cream cone at a ridiculous $3.

The folks work hard and fast and are friendly at Mama's- but do check your order. My burger came without onions, though I ordered it "mama's way" with all the fixings they have, and we were missing one of our fries, which they quickly corrected, of course, but still. I like to trust that I'm getting what I ordered without having to check. They're super packed every time we go and we've only had that issue once so I'm going to cut them a little slack on that.

All in all, Mama Burger is a contender for best burger in Flagstaff. It wins the prize on burger value for sure.

Mama Burger's Menu (prices subject to change but this is what the menu was when I first went)

MamaBurger $3.00
with cheese $3.30
DoubleMama $4.00
with cheese $4.60
Mama’s way: lettuce, tomato, onion, sauce, mustard
Or the highway: choose from any of the above

Hand cut Fries: we cook em’ in pure peanut oil $3.00
Cajun or Regular
 

Shakes $3.75
Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry
add Oreos for 50 cents
Cones $3.00
Chocolate, Vanilla, Twist
Dipped in Chocolate $3.50
Sundaes $4.25
Hot fudge or Strawberry
with or without peanuts

Sodas $1.81

Mama’s shoe throwin’ Combos
number 1: MamaBurger, Fries, and a soda $6.95
number 2: DoubleMama, Fries, and a soda $7.95
Free cheese on Combos. Sub a shake for $1.75