Hot Belly Mama’s
To enjoy Hot Belly’s southern charm, you only need to walk through the front door.
Upon entering the restaurant you are greeted with the heady aromas of country soul food based on Spanish, French and African cultures. The menu boasts a lot of southern tradition with items such as po’ boys, red beans ’n rice, macque choux and blackened catfish. Appetizers such as the Bayou boil, hush puppies and corn chowder can be enjoyed before a main course of Kansas City BBQ ribs or Shrimp Carnival.
Don’t let our name fool you. Yes, there are many choices on our menu to heat up your palate, but we also offer items that are savoury instead of spicy. The Tailgate pizza, Texas Steak on a Bun and Pulled Pork Sandwich are some of the selections available to those who want to avoid the heat. Our specials change daily for lunch and dinner and all menu items are reasonably priced. We hope to see you soon!
Hot Belly Mama’s. is committed to excellence in serving all customers including people with disabilities. Learn more about our Accessible Customer Service Plan.
The Food
» Blackening
Blackening is a technique that sears Cajun spices on to the meat using the dry heat of a cast iron pan. Chef Paul Prudhomme was somewhat of a rebel when he first began blackening foods in a fine dining establishment of the French Quarter. We use our own spice blend to blacken chicken and catfish without the use of butter or oil.
» Macquechoux
Macquechoux can be thought of as a sweet and spicy sautéed version of creamed corn. Our macquechoux is made with onions, garlic, bell peppers, butter and cayenne pepper sauce and is served with our fried chicken.
» Po’Boy
The origin of the po’boy sandwich in New Orleans is difficult to pinpoint. Some say that the roast beef sandwiches sold to striking street-car workers in the 1920s and 30s were the first po’boys. Others believe that the fried oyster sandwiches cooked up for sailors and dockhands were the original. Both theories give credit to the term "poor boy sandwich." A final group claims that the sandwich was actually a pour boire or peace offering that men would bring home to their wives after a night at the bar.
At Hot Belly Mamas, we stick with the dock hand theory and serve up a daily Dockhand Lunch special; a cheap yet filling sandwich served with your choice of soup or salad for just $8.99.
» Red beans ’n rice
Our red beans and rice is made the traditional way with smoked ham, chicken stock and the trinity of bell peppers, celery and onion. Southern folklore states that red beans and rice were made on Mondays, using Sunday dinner’s ham bone. The beans would slowly cook allowing for the Monday washing to get done.
» Trinity
In Cajun and Creole recipes, trinity refers to the three essential aromatic vegetables, green bell peppers, celery and onion, often used as a flavour base. Cajun recipes typically follow with a brown stock, like our Gumbo soup, while Creole recipes tend to use tomatoes, such as our Red Beans ’n Rice.