Tiger Mama
Korean restaurant · Eugene ·
Fried chicken, bibimbap, ramen, Korean pancakes, cocktails
Fried chicken, bibimbap, ramen, Korean pancakes, cocktails
"Maybe it’s all that attention from Crying at H Mart but it feels like Eugene is in the midst of a mini Korean restaurant boom. Among the standouts is Tiger Mama, a welcome addition to the Whiteaker neighborhood. The decor is a celebration of Korean culture with a wall filled with small-scale versions of traditional hanboks. Diners can look out for a range of comfort foods like bibimbap served in a hot stone bowl, veggie-stuffed kimbop (similar to a sushi roll), and Korean fried chicken wings. There’s also a selection of cocktails, beer, wine, sake, and soju to toast the meal." - Brenna Houck
"I regret not visiting more before it closed; I stopped by Tiger Mama on a whim for what may have been its last night of service." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal
"A beloved Fenway restaurant that closed after a six-year run, it inspired emotional tributes and completely booked final service weeks; its iconic disco elephant statue from the host stand became a fan favorite and will remain with the owner. The menu featured standout items like the Le Tigre fried rice with a "sneaky chile mayo," and the closure was presented as a deliberate turning of the page rather than the result of a single cause, with hints that elements of the concept may reappear in the space's next incarnation." - Nathan Tavares
"Chef Tiffani Faison brings the heat with her mala mushrooms at Tiger Mama, where she’s crafted creative Southeast Asian-inspired dishes in Fenway since 2015. The mushroom dish features king oyster, shiitake, and cremini mushrooms — along with other seasonal mushrooms — mixed with a classic Chinese mala spice, which is both numbing and hot. “The mala mushrooms are a meaty, umami-laden alternative to a wok-fired meat dish,” says Faison, also the owner of nearby restaurants Fool’s Errand, Orfano, and Sweet Cheeks. “We make a chile oil in-house with a ton of spices, chiles, garlic, and Sichuan peppercorn. We use it in the dish while we’re hard-roasting the mushrooms in the wok and finish with vinegar.” Find it on the dinner menu or at brunch, where it’s served with a fried duck egg and white rice to soak up the heat of the sauce." - Nathan Tavares
"While the food menu at Tiger Mama looks toward Southeast Asia, the cocktail menu goes tiki, and there are a few large-format options at a range of prices and sizes. For example, there’s the “Sanka, ya dead?” — it serves four or five people ($60) and includes rums, hibiscus cordial, cinnamon, allspice, pineapple, and lime, but there’s also the galleon for $120, containing rum, passionfruit, guava, amontillado, chartreuse, and cava, serving six." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal