Mama Shelter – an East London melting pot of all things foodie and fun

Mama Shelter is a quirky, laid-back hotel in the heart of East London, a 10-minute walk to the famous Columbia Road flower market and a 5-minute drive to Shoreditch High Street. Mama Shelter has 194 rooms, a restaurant and two bars, cosy co-working spaces, a gym including a Peloton, treadmills, and cross trainer, and two karaoke rooms!

Upon entering Mama Shelter, I quickly caught onto the tongue-in-cheek vibe of the hotel. The decor is vibrant and artsy, and the theme throughout the hotel feels playful. The downstairs aesthetic is so memorable; the carpet is black printed with bright red lips all over it and contrasts against the black-and-white striped wallpaper, keeping in line with the fun aspect of their brand. I also loved the bathroom design; the walls were black and white with geometric lines, yellow accents with marble and chrome basins.

Mama’s restaurant has a mismatched collection of comfy sofas and chairs for the tables, making it feel warm and homely. You can dine more formally or whilst you’re snug on a sofa. For our starter, we indulged in three to share: yellowfin tuna, truffle mushroom arancini and crispy calamari; it was hard to choose a favourite, but they were all delicious. For our main course I had the steak and my friend had the chicken; the dishes felt like home cooking, tasty, simple, and they really hit the spot! For dessert, we ended up taking it to our room as we were already so full; we opted for the giant cookie and a cheese board whilst taking advantage of their free movies. There were many great options on the all-day menu, including homemade cottage pie, fish and chips and peri-peri chicken burgers! And if you’re dining on a Sunday, you’ll be able to choose from four different types of roast dinner.

The room reveal is always my favourite part of any stay—if you’ve read my other reviews, you’ll know I get super excited. The first thing I noticed in the room was the blue handwriting written over the full-length mirror, welcoming us and wishing us a great stay; I thought that added an element of fun which Mama does so well. I also noticed two Looney Tunes masks, Tweety Pie and Sylvester, on either side of the bed; I think it’s a brilliant marketing tool because the first thing we did was put them straight on and take photos wearing them! You also get complimentary movies (including XXX), as Mama Shelter are incredibly sex-positive. As well as the X-rated movies, they sell a ‘Sexy Mama package’ that includes two cocktails, a late check-out, breakfast and a sexy mama box.

As mentioned above, there are two karaoke rooms and each fits up to 15 people; you can choose from over 10,000 songs and order drinks and food from the rooms. If you want to personalise your playlist, you can do this beforehand on Luckyvoice. Both rooms have two large TV screens where your song lyrics are displayed; you also get two microphone stands to sing your heart out.

Mama Shelter is also known for putting on events and DJ sets which you can enjoy from Mama’s restaurant. They are hosting New Year’s Eve from 6 pm till 1 am; your £75 ticket will get you a five-course meal with a glass of bubbly, entrance to the party and entertainment!

Tickets are available to purchase here