Zoe Ma Ma

Tasty food at a reasonable price in downtown Boulder. The chicken noodle soup is my all-time favorite. I also appreciate the built-in service fee, which removes the pressure of tipping decisions and makes the dining experience smoother and more convenient.

Zoe Ma Ma is a great spot for a flavorful and satisfying meal. We tried the Dan Dan noodles and the pork belly with rice, and both dishes were packed with great flavor. The noodles had just the right amount of spice and richness, while the pork belly was tender and paired perfectly with the rice. Portions were generous, and everything felt fresh and well-prepared. It’s the kind of place that hits the spot when you’re craving something hearty and comforting.

I lived in downtown Boulder when this place opened up and proceeded to eat there at least two times a week. Everything on the menu is absolutely fantastic. The dishes and side dishes are delicious, Ma would always come out and give me a meatball or something to compliment my meal. This place is as legit as it comes…fantastic. Order the zau zing mien or whatever, don’t know how to spell it. The pork dish….So Very Good. For the tourists in Boulder, this is the spot that you NEED to hit up while you’re there;)

I've been addicted to this place for the past 10 years. I'm so glad they've stayed open. The owners are genuinely cool people and deserve every bit of success. The food is always astounding, made with fresh ingredients.

Amazing food. I lived in China for two years and this is the most authentic I've had since leaving. Service was OK, but I'd go back in spite of that for the food.

Saw this on triple D. Ordered the braised beef soup and pork belly bao. The bao bun was a little dry but the pork belly was amazing. The soup had a great depth of flavor in the broth and the noodles were good. Soup comes boiling hot and takes about 15 minutes to be cool enough to eat. Came in at 1:45 p.m. on a Monday and I was the only customer in the seating area. Definitely worth stopping by.

The pot stickers were delicious, and I enjoyed the Lu Ro Fan as well. Portions could be more generous, but it was certainly enough food.

Really great place. Great food and at a decent price. Highly recommended.

Zoe Ma Ma moved to a larger space last summer. I had not realized that I have reviewed in years and not for the new location at all. This space now faces Pearl so it's much easier to see and it has a far larger seating area, both inside and out. It's still simple family food of Taiwan heritage and priced well. We went a couple of times in the early fall and ate on the patio. We had never eaten inside or even browsed the seating area until Lunar New Year last week. They did not have a party as some in bigger cities did elsewhere but there were several tables through the evening alway full with diners like us, just wanting the regular menu. Ma Ma herself has retired from cooking though she often stops by to say hello to the customers, especially those she recognizes as long time regulars. She was in on Lunar New Year! We had eaten our fish by then but was able to say hello. We had her recipe potstickers, some shrimp dumplings, our favorite roast duck bao, a bowl of rice and some sticky rice cakes with Goji berries and raisins. All with some jasmine tea. I had forgotten or perhaps the shrimp dumplings had changed recipe, but I cannot eat so much tubers though I know many can and it's healthy, just not for me. But everything else was as expected. The interior and the service utensils are fairly basic. The house sauces are self serve at the counter. Everything was clean but simple which was just fine. There were several customers in for takeout, leaving their dogs tied out on the patio. We saw many bowls of soups and curries, as well as some noodle dishes too. Next time we will probably try those which I had years ago in her first location around the corner on 10 St. It's a Boulder classic still and well priced still too.

A simple street food joint on the west side of Pearl Street. Food and drinks for two people coming in at around $45 - we left full and satisfied. You know you're in for a tasty meal when photos of Guy Fieri are proudly displayed! Counter service with simple seating - It's always nice having a no-fuss lunch when bopping around on Pearl. I thought my cold sesame noodles were delicious and my partner enjoyed the chicken curry but felt like it was more of a "stew." I hope Zoe Ma Ma does well in this spot as it's had some turnover.

Upgrading to 4 stars for Zhou Mama. They moved to a new location 1 block away with more dinning room right on Pearl st with south facing patio. Beef noodle soup was great egg noodles were definitely house made fresh. Price is not bad at $13.50. Michelin Bib award way to go! ZMM

A quick snacking stop in pearl st mall. Simple menu, decent price and tasty. We had za jiang mian, it's very authentic and flavorful. Potstickers are great too but the pork belly bao is a bit too dry. For desert we had the goji berry and raisins sweet rice, it's awesome too

Good food and reasonably priced. They moved locations and their new spot is more spacious and I liked it a lot. I had the chicken soup. It was good with lots of ginger which was yummy. The chicken was dry though. The service was also super quick. My friends also enjoyed their food. Also a cheap spot to eat on Pearl street.

It's been many years since I've been to this establishment. Maybe over a decade ago when I used to live in the Boulder area. So I went back when I was in the area because I was craving the beef noodle soup that they make. I walked to the old location only to find out it was not in that location anymore, but about a block away. I ordered the beef noodle soup and it came out pretty quickly. It was pretty solid, but I have to say it wasn't as amazing as I remembered it but also this location seemed like it was under a lot of renovation. There was a few more things I wanted to try again, but this was only a lunch type of meal and I wasn't even that hungry. It still did the trick and I'm glad I came.

Their dishes are what I can prepare at home. The cuisine is average. The restaurant is order on the counter and brings to the table. We got the braise beef noodle. This dish is very salty on the soup. The soup base doesn't have enough bone base taste. Obviously is normal soup. The second dish is the pork belly Bao. I think the pork belly Bao makes the average. Not the top notch. Our experience is good. But the food taste definitely need to improved. For serving the city may be good but compare to national, is not enough.

Cute little restaurant in the Boulder. Perfect place to eat on a cold evening. My friend and I randomly found this place and were glad we did. The staff were super inviting and the restaurant gave cozy local vibes. The menu was short which is always a plus in my eyes because that must mean their food is perfected. I would 100% come back and try more items on the menu! Bao: 7/10- duck was tender and flavorful. The bao bun was super soft. What I expected from a duck bao. A great way to start the meal. A little steep on the price but worth a try atleast once. Braised Beef stew: 9/10: the beef was super tender and flavorful. The broth was rich and salty in the best way. Super big bowl almost enough for another meal. Overall a comforting meal.

I visited Zoe Ma Ma on Pearl Street around 2 p.m. on a Wednesday with four other guests and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal! I would gladly revisit Zoe Ma Ma. I ordered a Veggie Noodle entree an Vegan Dumplings (3 count), which was less than $20. The quantity and quality of food was so, so worth the price. I have to imagine this is one of the cheaper restaurants on Pearl Street, but it doesn't provide a cheap experience. The food itself was to die for. The Veggie Noodle was a bit on the spicer side, so just note that if you have a sensitivity to spice. As far as the restaurant's atmosphere, it was so quaint! There were several TVs throughout the restaurant playing cooking videos and there was a cute Mahjong game table in the back. The staff were also very friendly! The only complaint I have is that some of the silverware was dirty. The silverware is available for pickup near the front counter and all of the forks I saw had water marks and one had a piece of food on it.

The CPR is so good. It tastes as good as 10 years ago! The founder Zoe Ma Ma is such a nice and friendly lady! They have specials on weekdays and weekend. Love the beef noodle, which is traditional taiwan style. Now they expended their restaurant. Wish Zoe Ma Ma a big success in business!

We had heard and read many good things about Zoe Ma Ma so we were looking forward to trying it for dinner. As other Yelpers have written, this is average cuisine at best. We ordered pot stickers, braised beef noodle soup, and Za Jiang Mian. The pot stickers were ordinary. The bottoms were not crispy. The filling had good flavor. The braised beef noodle soup was not good. The chunks of beef were primarily fat and quite chewy. I ordered the Za Jiang Mian without scallions and with Szechwan sauce. It came loaded with scallions and without the sauce, which we didn't realize until we arrived at our son's house and sat down to dinner. The noodles were good, but the dish was nothing special. To add insult to injury, the restaurant charges 15% on all orders, even takeout. Raise your prices and pay your staff a living wage.

My first time at Zoe Ma Ma. I went for the superlative accolades. I left disappointed; perhaps, very disappointed. The bao buns were cold, hard, and a little crusty. Literally the opposite of what a bao bun should feel and taste like (a puffy, warm cloud). The duck filing was ok. The pork belly was boring and I can only describe its preparation as lazy and careless (it appeared braised - which is an easy preparation; there was zero creativity or skill). Both bao buns only had 3 cucumbers and hoisin sauce - slapdash. The Za Jian Mian was ok. It's not a hard dish to make, I had a few bites. The overall flavoring was satisfactory, but I was not compelled to take more than a few bites. Dumplings were competent. Overall, the experience - from the service (the "sauce bar" had sauce spilled everywhere, even in the container holding the plastic cups), to the food, to the cleanliness -- was subpar and, as I opened, disappointing.

This small restaurant is hidden off the main strip in Boulder. The bao's are the star of the show!! They were fluffy and savory. They made a house chili sauce that is to die for! I wish I could've bottled that up and took it home. The service was friendly and fast. I recommend you stop by and check them out. You'll be in bao heaven.

The flavor was good and you can't beat it for the price! Good service as well. Nice to sit outside!

The ambiance is a small restaurant, feels like you're in a small street. The service is fast and it's a small place you just grab your order right away from the counter. The flavors are mild and quite authentic taste is resonated by them. The noodles were well cooked and the display of the final dish was perfect, it felt homely.

First time here, and will not be our last! The gentleman at the counter was informative- we did ask a lot of questions and he delivered on all! He suggested the best pork rice bowl I've had in a very long time. Beautiful day to sit on the patio. There are a few booths inside. Clean friendly and delicious- how on earth can you go wrong!

A must have! Try one item or try them all! It's worth it and with the reasonable prices you can do just that... Sauces are exceptional - the sichuan peppercorn oil is TO DIE FOR! I could literally drink it. All the foods are exceptional, traditional and TASTY AF! I have nothing negative to say, it's delicious, quick, affordable, accessible, what more could you ask for!

The only place you will find authentic flavor for spicy beef noodle. They also serve the Hubei dish pearl meatball which I highly recommenWe were lucky enough to say hi to the OG Zoe Mama when we were visiting Boulder and that is a nice treat! As someone who grew up in Taiwan, lived in Bay Area before moving to Colorado, there is not enough good Chinese food in the state so I have to give an extra star just for finding authentic flavor here. We came here mid-afternoon so it was not crowded at all. They have nice street facing people watching seating here which is not available in Denver.

Great Asian Comfort Food. Fast service, great prices and nice ambiance. I been at Zoe Ma Ma multiple times and the quality is always the same. Will keep coming back.

I had a really good lunch here! I went on a Monday around 1:30. This spot is counter service and like other reviews say, seating is limited. So, you may want to consider this if coming during peak hours. We split a pork belly bao and vegan dumplings as an appetizer. The pork belly was very tender and delicious. The vegan dumplings were GF/Vegan, and veggie filled. While they were tasty I thought they could've used a bit more seasoning. For a main we split Za Jiang Mian (pork noodles) and this was the standout! The pork was really well seasoned and I loved the spring onions and cilantro in the dish. I also got iced green tea, with ginger and honey. It was really refreshing and not too sweet! It was a casual dining experience, with really tasty food. They offered a lot of vegetarian/vegan/gluten free options, which I appreciated. This would be a good spot to dine alone or with a small group. Seating is reminiscent of street stalls where there may or may not be a table available when you arrive.

Kind of sad this place has gotten so much press because I wanted it to stay my secret little hole in the wall place in Boulder... but - they deserve all the spotlight. So friggin delicious! I love their ducks soup special on Thursday. I was here last on a Wednesday and the chicken noodle soup, so good. Crave worthy. You have to ask for their special chili sauce now where as a few years ago you could serve yourself. Love coming here. Wish we lived closer so I could frequent more often!

Zoe Ma Ma is a fantastic hole in the wall restaurant. Living in Boulder I deeply enjoy this place and believe everyone needs to give it a go. The bao buns are superb!

Food was good, but I really dislike the greed. They add 15% to every bill as some kind of tip, but the have a sign to explain it... I don't like being forced to opt out of something I never asked for. The worst part there is no table service at all... you are even expected to clean off your own table! 15% for WHAT!??

Bomb Braised Beef soup, especially when infused with their onion sauce and dumplings. Duck bao bun was heavenly.

Some of the best food I've had, period. I could (and sometimes do) eat here 3X a week. I get the potstickers and Za Jiang Mian pretty much every time. It's my favorite Asian noodle dish from any restaurant I've had. The flavors are flavorin, unique for the area but traditional taste. The price is extremely reasonable, ESPECIALLY for over priced Pearl Street. The staff is always super friendly and the owner is an absolute sweetheart, I love Ma Ma I could give her a hug. If you need further convincing watch the Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives episode S28E1.

The dishes are flavorful, pretty much everything tastes great. Their peanut sauce is a favorite of mine. It's a little tight as far as seating goes, but if you get a spot I would absolutely recommend this place. Prices are reasonable too, unlike many other places who have raised prices a lot during Covid and never adjusted back. Service was pretty quick too, this is an 'order at the counter and pick it up' place which I like because you can get out when you're done without having to wait for the check.

This is counter service with small indoor seating (30 ppl max) but there is also outdoor patio seating. The customer service was great and host had 4 of his top recommendations for me & explained each one in detail! That part was excellent because I didn't want a soup; I wanted to focus on the noodles! I ordered Za Jiang Mian and it was great! You do get the option to add 1 additional sauce (ginger onion, pepper and 2 others). I chose the pepper and it wasn't too spicy, thankfully for me ;). The searing is tight, but it is still a quaint lunch spot! The menu wasn't overwhelming & still had variety! I will go back to try more items! Only giving this a 4 for seating options. Cold days would limit space.

I love this place! The food, the vibe and the ambiance! Every time I come here I get great tasting food at a reasonable price! While the space is small that really adds to the charm for me. Today I had the veggie potstickers, the veggie noodles and a roasted duck Bao. I wish I could pinpoint it more but I just really like the way the food tastes here. Super yummy, great vibes, and a light on the stomach meal. This is a great place to go get to go meals and eat it somewhere on Pearl street or in the shade somewhere in the summer. Give them a try. You won't be disappointed!

Amazing food! I lived in Taiwan for a bit and this food is as good or better than anything I had there. Always fresh. Always delicious.

This place does not deserve a Michelin anything. Dumplings were cold in the middle, bajo buns were dry and old tasting, vibe and service were as minimal as possible.

Mediocre noodles, not so authentic. Self service aka NO SERVICE but you pay for service LOL. Old decorations with Chinese newspaper framed as tabletop and as wall decorations everywhere. We ordered the Beef Stew noodles (their special). Decent portion of beef in the noodles but don't think it's the cut used in the normal Chinese beef stew. This one has less fat and thus it was more rough and drier than what we are used to. The soup was a bit too sweet, not enough beefy flavor. The picked vegetable is way too sour and definitely not authentic. Overall a great disappointment. This was a self-service place (you get your own water and utensils and dish your own plates and bowls), it charged 15% tip automatically, like for what? Pay your goddamn staff or actually provide service if you are going to charge tips. It goes for the old, grandma'd-in vibe, and it has slideshows of pictures of the original owner making the food, but the food seems to cater to the American palate. May be authentic once, but not so convincing to us

really great value option on pearl street. We have gotten the dumplings (the pork ones are phenomenal; the vegan ones are very good as well). I have also gotten a side vegetable dish as well as their signature noodle dish. The noodle dish i thought was just OK. I felt like the noodles were a bit overcooked and the flavors weren't as good as the dish looked. However for the price, convenience, this is a hard restaurant to beat.

We came here on a Sunday afternoon after a hike. The restaurant is very small but we were lucky enough to get a table for three of us. We ordered the Roast Duck Bao and Pork Belly Bao, as well as the Dan Dan noodles. The food came out quickly and looked hot and fresh. The Dan Dan was flavorful, although a tad salty for my taste. The Bao, however, were absolutely delicious. The buns were pillowy and soft. The protein in each were cooked to perfection- so juicy and tender. We wish we had ordered more Bao rather than ordering the Dan Dan, but I guess that's an excuse to come back!

This place INCLUDES OTHER FEES and the way they go about it is even more un-cool - draw someone in with one price and then find out how much it really is once you are already in the process... increase is a significant %.. No doubt this is intentional and a choice to continue doing things in this way.

Stopped by Zoe Ma Ma on a Sunday afternoon and I honestly wished we stopped by somewhere else. The braised pork belly over rice and dan dan mian were ok. However, I wish they paid a little more attention to their bao. It looked great when it came out, but that was about it. The bao itself was slightly stale, def not soft or pillowy. The roasted duck inside was very chewy and hard, and they loaded up with sliced green onion. The ratio for onion to duck was close to 3-1. What made it worse was the fact that the green onions were very watery, which made the bao stale and soggy at the same time. Very disappointing since my gf got the roasted duck bao a few months back from this place when they had a stall during dragon boat and loved it then.

We like the food but the place is grimy and filthy. The restaurant needs a deep cleaning.

A nice stop... great staff, all the food was generally really good... the family enjoyed everything esp. the curry peanut chicken salad... I thought the Dan Dan was a bit over salty... overall 5 stars...

Amazing! I loved this place. Old fashioned vibes with fresh scratched made food. My only regret was not getting to meet Ma herself.

The people were nice but I wasn't at all impressed with my food. It was very cramped inside so I'd recommend take out rather than dining in. FYI, It's counter service and you clear your own table. My guests and I ordered 3 meals and threw away 95%. We got 2 Za Jiang Mians, 1 Lu Ro Fan, the pearl meatballs, and a Roast Duck Bao. It's a small place so they saw that we weren't enjoying our food. I guess customer satisfaction isn't that important to them. I personally would have commented if I saw someone throwing away that much food but that's me. (An employee was next to me as I was clearing my table into the bins). The food quality was good but if you don't like the flavor of 5 spice, this won't be your cup of tea. The only thing that I did actually enjoy was the Roast Duck Bao. I wanted to try the other one but they were out of them. I really wanted to like this place but oh well, $72 lesson learned.

I am soooo sad they changed the cool noodle recipe ! Please bring back the original sauce. Bring back the original bao too. Very disappointed.

Great place, amazing vibe, and delicious food!! Definitely a fair price when it comes to Boulder. I got the szechuan beef soup and am in LOVE. We will be coming back!

On a cold evening visiting Boulder, my partner and I wanted some comfort food, and Zoe Ma Ma hit the spot! We got the Dan Dan Mian, Ma Ma's Potstickers, and Duck Wonton Soup. Everything was delicious. The noodles in Dan Dan and soup tasted like they were made from scratch. The hole-in-the-wall restaurant had awards and recognition on the walls including 2023 Michelin. If you like a cozy, unassuming restaurant with good food, this place is for you. So glad we decided to give it a try!

Food was amazing and very reasonable! It was also very crowded, but in a good way. Lots of younger people like ourselves.

Zoe surreptitiously hides a 15% gratuity in small print at the bottom of the menu which you're forced to OPT OUT OF if you don't want the fee to appear. This is for counter service, a counter where signage requests that you bus your own table!!! Food is very avg to boot!!

First of all the service is absolutely outstanding. The owner is an older gentleman with a very kind heart. You can really tell that he cares about his guests. Now the food was absolutely amazing! The Taiwan Black Pepper Bing was the best thing we ate and he immediately recommended it for us to try. They have all the utensils out for everybody to grab what they need, including water with cups. If you are on Pearl Street you definitely need to stop by here to grab a good bite.

Best soup in Boulder! We love the braised beef noodle soup and chicken broth. The service is super friendly and they have a great patio to sit outside.

As a Taiwanese person who grew up eating these foods, this place is pretty good, especially for what you can find in Denver. No, they don't serve orange chicken or any other americanized Chinese food, steer clear if that's what you are looking for. Zha Jiang mien and their pork belly bao were both fantastic. And the price in today's economy is pretty hard to beat.

Subpar cuts of beef and mostly fat in the braised beef noodle soup. Flavor was okay and on the salty side. Would not recommend.

Tucked right by the train station, this place is a really great option if you're looking for something simple, affordable, yet super yummy (just as advertised on their signboard). It does not have the fanfare of its surrounding fancy restaurants and serves a relatively short menu, but you will not be disappointed by the food. Strongly recommend the Za Jiang Mian!