Mommy Pai’s opened August 8 on Mott Street as a chicken-finger-focused takeout from Ann Redding and Matt Danzer, owners with ties to Thai Diner and the now-closed Uncle Boons. The storefront features kitschy wood-and-glass-brick design by May Redding and a small covered streetery. Chicken fingers are offered grilled or fried in four preparations with eight sauces; the chicken is advertised as organic and presented as thigh meat. Social media reports long queues, with annoyance often beginning around 45 minutes; practical patience favors waits of about 20–25 minutes for a worthwhile meal.
Indeed, since Mommy Pai's opened on August 8, social media has redounded with news of lengthy waits; the threshold before annoyance sets in seems to be about 45 minutes, though various Yelpers and reviewers have reported times that stretch far longer. Two hours is a long wait for a chicken finger, especially when that wait is conducted on a trafficky bit of Mott Street in the full sun of August. Is it worth it?
Though it's usually my colleague Tammie Teclemariam who reports from the queue outside the restaurants du jour, I wait on my share of lines - anyone who wants to try the latest places often has to. In our pop-up, limited-time, no-table ecosystem, waiting to order at some point is basically a given, and in the case of Mommy Pai's, the new chicken-finger-centric takeout shop from Ann Redding and Matt Danzer of nearby Thai Diner and the now-shuttered Uncle Boons, it was all but guaranteed.
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