Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (insuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.)

Mama’s Eatery is definitely a change of pace for this area of Chinatown. Located across from Columbus park on Mulberry street, Mama Eatery (not sure if they go with Mama as written on the menu or Mama’s as the manager said it) serves up great sandwiches at good prices. The menu features an eclectic range of food, from Pistachio Toast with maple syrup for breakfast, to Pumpkin Soup. I haven’t sampled either though… I go for the sandwiches.   

The Crispy Chicken Sandwich comes with roasted peppers and chipotle mayo. I’m really digging the grinder rolls they use. A heavy textured whole wheat bread, it’s chewy, dense, and quite tasty. For $7 the Chicken Melt Hero comes with a good balance of mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. All sandwiches/wraps/paninis come with crispy, thin McDonaldsesque french fries (I don’t care if the rest of McDonald’s food is crap in the literal or figurative sense, they’ve always made damn good french fries). You can also swap the fries out for onion rings, or their creamy-sweet coleslaw.

The decor there is your typical confused Chinatown interior. A blend of interesting artwork with an inspirational poster thrown in with whatever else Target had in their framed art collection that day, when the owners of Mama’s came to clean them out.  Favorite menu misspelling you ask? It had to be on the Smoked Salmon Focaccia, which comes dressed in “mustard drill sauce.”

The menu is pretty impressive even after the sandwiches. There are several different burgers, pizzas, pastas, and salad options. Overall Mama’s Eatery has been a welcome addition to the area and provides a sit down sandwich shop where you’ll find a diverse menu and group of patrons from locals, court officers, finacial people, and sometimes me, chowing down on a good sandwich with those fries.

Mama’s Eatery, 46 Mulberry Street (near Bayard), 212-608-7440