Good old chef Marilyn's. I have not had this place in years! I happen to be in the area today and had to stop by and get a good plate! I ordered a plate of rice with a fried chicken leg and smothered gravy! Let me tell you' omg! So good! The lady behind the counter who helped me was very nice and sweet! Thank you again! I will be back read more

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They've had some unexpected damages to their location, but they are still serving food and striving to survive! So, if you live locally, please go have a meal because it's excellent food, they are amazingly wonderful people and you will be doing a good thing; and the world needs more good deeds right now. read more

Welcome back. I just had the most wonderful experience with all the staff. My food was delicious, I had the neck bones, with rice and butter beans . Also had the candied yams, the special on the bbq was amazing. I will be a regular customer. I'm sharing this with everyone I know. Everyone is very excited. Parking available on the street,and check the hours for your visit and the best part about this place was I had the chance to meet the boss, what an awesome lady. Definitely make this place, your next stop. The place is small , but the food is amazing and plentiful. read more

The food! The food! I had the collard greens, cabbage, rice, oxtails and cornbread. It was seasoned perfectly (not overly seasoned like some places), oxtails were tender and flavorful, cornbread was fluffy. Everything was delicious It has been over 20 years since I had their food and still tastes great! I couldn't take photos because I started eating in the car and very little food made it inside my house. The service was great, smiling faces and very friendly. It's definitely a grab and go spot. But taste wise it is the closest tasting to home that I've had in a long time. Go Chef Marilyn!! ‍ read more

The young lady that looked like she was new was VERY pleasant. The lady with the bun in the back her attitude is shitty. We asked about senior discount and she said we not doing It right now. So we wanted to know what hours and she says (without any eye contact unprofessional) we're not doing It. I usually come for the Ox tails they're so Darn good ( none today ). She could've been nicer but maybe she's having a bad day. She actually went from nice to me. Soooo If I see her in there I'll just come back another time. She not representing what Chef Marilyn is all about and her customer service just got worst and worst. There has to be other places to go.. The whole facial expression at the end was Terrible . The three is for the nice young lady who greeted us very professional. The nice young lady might get us to come back she was an read more

Chef Marilyn's - This Brisket is really dry/somewhat burnt and hard. Red beans and rice Always good! Gravy is good! - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Today's lunch was a pile of greens, some black eyed peas and a pile of sweet potato. I'm so full they're going to have to roll me out of herE!!! read more

Tamea had great customer service. She was the only one serving food and didn't spectacularly. She recognized her Kings and Queens and called everyone as such. Portions were great and service was even better. read more

Delicious soul food, the short ribs were very good. I'm happy I decided to go to this restaurant. Will come back when I'm in the area again to try additional items. read more

Back in the day food was fire, however today I was sadly disappointed. Food seemed a day old. No napkins or utensils available. B letter grade by the Health dept. read more

First time to chef Marilyn's on a Tuesday and it definitely did not disappoint. First thing to note is that it's a take out place and it's priced per item. It's a relatively small spot so it only fits a few people inside, the line will lead to outside. When it came to the food, it was all that we asked for. We saw a lot of people hype up the Mac and cheese and it definitely deserves the hype, cooked perfectly with plenty of cheese. Both chickens and catfish were tender with lots of juice and flavor. Mash potatoes were soft and the gravy paired perfectly. Cornbread was the only that was just okay but still really good. The woman that was serving was by herself and was really helpful and patient with everyone. Definitely created a welcoming service. read more

Chef Marilyn's - Sweet chili Baked Chicken Breast Corn Bread Muffins Macaroni & Cheese Baked Catfish - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Sundays seem to be when I crave Mac & cheese and my dining partner wants the smothered turkey wings. I called mid Sunday afternoon and inquired if these delectable items were still available and alas they were, a friendly voice Ms. Ariel answered the phone and said she would have the food waiting for me upon arrival. As soon as I arrived there was a decent line, I'm guessing the beautiful post Church crowd also wanting their Sunday Soul Food Fix. I walked to the front, and Ms Ariel personally handed me my food items. After paying, and opening the precious cargo in my car I dived into baked salmon & Macaroni & cheese: both were cooked to perfection, in fact I scarfed the Mac & cheese so fast I considered going back in for a second portion.... Lip smacking good. The smothered turkey wing is a large portion and yielded my dining partner several servings. There were several patrons in line who said it was their first time and asked me for recommendations, I rattled off quite a long list of options and they smiled in anticipation. Kudos to this Black woman owned business serving delicious soul food for countless Angelenos. read more

Chef Marilyn's - Turkey Wings & Macaroni & Cheese - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Learned about Chef Marilyn on the show "Worth It" Season 3, Episode 1 Mac N Cheese...I just had to try this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2COl0ui4Sc This is old school Soul Food that has been around for 30 years...its traditional, delicious, and made with love. $5 Mac N Cheese...definitely soul food style, a little pricy for what it is. $5 Collard Greens...traditional and tasty, again a bit pricy $.69 Cornbread...yes please! $6.50 Smothered Pork Chop...a nice meaty pork chop in a light gravy. $2.25 Fried Chicken Thigh and $2.85 Chicken Wing...this was the BEST part of my meal. The batter is thick and crispy, with juicy tender meat inside. I've eaten A LOT of fried chicken in my time, and Chef Marilyn's is amongst the best, and its CHEAP! Before you Yuppies, Elitists and Trust Funds Kids come visit, keep in mind this is on Crenshaw, its Cafeteria style, no alcohol, and Take Out only without anywhere nearby in walking distance to sit at. I wouldn't call it the Ghetto, but its definitely not West Hollywood or Beverly Hills. read more

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lol they were open on Christmas. It was horrible. $20 per plate but oxtails were still $15 & I got 4-5 very small & overcooked ones & gross. They had NO dishwasher & asked the patrons if they wanted to help (for pay of course) but I said,ONLY IN the HOOD! read more

I went to this establishment to get some soul food. It was horrible from the short ribs to the greens to the macaroni and cheese. They need to be put out of business. Please do not go to this establishment. I didn't even ask for my money back. I felt like maybe they needed it but they need to be put out of business read more

Cher Marilyn's is a great place to go for soul food. I order the beef short ribs with macaroni and cheese and collard greens. The beef ribs were delicious and very tender. Macaroni and cheese is probably one of the best that I have tasted. The greens were magnificent and very flavorful. Customer service was great and the ambiance is great. read more

Chef Marilyn's - Beef ribs, macaroni and cheese and collard greens - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Chef Marilyn's food is treat for mu taste buds. She cooked some baked chicken, collard greens, macaroni and cheese and yams that I swear was from heaven. I almost asked her to marry me. Lmao read more

Today I went there for samon the good size I usually get was not there disappointed that small size was the same price I payed..this had me go to the market and bake my own read more

Let me start by saying that the only reason that I even went here is because my mother in law loves the dressing and I wanted her to have what she wanted. I ordered online via Menufy as it is listed as their "preferred way" for online ordering and ordering via Doordash was not available. I placed the order and went to pick it up but was told that they had no idea what Menufy is. Thankfully I had email confirmation. The order was not ready and not only that, they were out of some of the items that we ordered. The service was not got and the food is mediocre. I'm convinced that people go here out of desperation because there are limited soul food options in Los Angeles. Go elsewhere if you can. I hate to negatively review a black owned business but I am only being honest. Hopefully they improve in the future but I won't know if they do because I won't be back unfortunately. read more

The look of the place is unclean and the flavors are subpar. Back in the day the food seemed far more flavorful.

I went there recently and was dismayed to see all sides and meat had a separate price. There was no option to get a plate of food (2 sides and a meat). This is not why I gave it one star. The reason for the low rating was the spicy, sweet chicken breast that i purchased for $5.00. It was terrible. The little bit of sauce on the chicken was ok, but salty, and the chicken was just horrible it was dry, hard and tasteless (maybe old) chicken. Not edible. I used to love their food but I don't know what happened, needless to say I I will not waste my money here again. read more

The customer service needs some immediate attention. The young lady that took the payment for the food was very professional. The boy preparing the food for the order was extremely unprofessional. I'm guessing because it was the end of the shift and he was tired. Even with that understating ...if I am a paying customer the very least I expect is professionalism. I would advise the Management team to look into who they choose to be customer facing. Not a good business. read more

This place should shut down!! I went there yesterday for lunch before 1230. I think they open at 11? Food was old all dug out the middle probably because around the edges looked days old and dry. The rice was actually grey looking. The only thing that looked edible was a tray of fresh fried chicken that she was just sitting out with cornbread. SMH. I support Black Business but expect quality. This was disgusting and unacceptable!' And completely disrespectful to your customers. If you got a late start just open late. Don't sell old disgusting food an hour after you open read more

Chef Marilyn's has been a staple in LA for many years at this location and the other location across from McDonald's near 43rd. Lines are always long as it's a takeout location but the food is always good. I get her prices went up but what hasn't these days. Inflation is real for food, groceries and gotta keep staff at competitive wages. The food is so bomb nothing is never nasty chicken meatloaf spaghetti yams greens cornbread smothered chicken and her gumbo is everything. We love it here and will keep visiting. Her ambiance is a to go so it's busy and staff can be a bit slower but they are friendly. Some of the best soul food on the west coast. read more

I have no problem with the food. It is pretty good. I had a short rib, mac cheese, and a turkey neck. The sauce is good and flavorful. People are nice. The problem is the price. Everything is a la carte. $15 for one short rib? $5 for each side? Last time I came here, I don't remember it being this expensive. When this restaurant started out, it sold good soul food as cheap as it gets, and lines were long. There was no line this time, and I found out why. I paid $25 for the above. I get three times as much from Dulan's or any other soul food place. And, they taste as good. I was hungry and ate it all before I thought about taking a picture, but it was skimpy. Soul food supposed to fill you up and stick to your ribs without breaking the bank. Well, this not it. I don't think Im coming back anytime soon anymore. read more

I drove across town to get their sweet potatoes, greens and black eyed peas. It had been five years! They were all truly delicious! The spicy tender savory greens, the candied fudgy yams and the deeply flavorful peas with black eyes... I am proud to have Chef Marilyn's venerated boutique hot-serve in my corner of the world. Hopefully they'll join my vegan theme park food options once extant.... If only they had vegan mac & cheeze, cornbread, and links et al. read more

Honestly unbeatable for the price! I love chef Marilyn's! I love how friendly everyone is too! All that said this is my first encounter with soul food so I'm not too experienced but I still think it's worth coming to try especially since she's a small business ! read more

This is a solid no-frills soul food place. I had it for the first time in over 5 years and it's still good! The only reason I didn't give them 5 stars is because I wish they kept the food hot. Even though they have food warmers, the food isn't hot. Also, the cornbread was dry and hard. Other than that, everything was good and the ladies helping me provided great customer service. The price point is also very fair in my opinion. I will return. read more

I recently tried some soul food from Chef Marilyn's catering service and it was delicious. Chef Marilyn's has been serving delicious soul food for 30 plus years and is known as the Queen of Down Home Southern goodies. Chef Marilyn's has a generous soul and heart too as part of her mission is to help those less fortunate--by feeding the homeless and seniors in the community. Not only that, Chef Marilyn's has also served some famous celebrities and clients such as Steve Wonder, Steve Harvey and Magic Johnson, to name a few. I have to admit I felt like a celebrity eating her soul food while at a recent community swearing-in ceremony at the California Science Center. I was fortunate enough to try her famous Mac-Cheese dish along with Smothered Chicken, Candied Yams, Collard Greens, and Sweet Potato Pie. The day of the swearing-in ceremony was cold, so her warmth, smile and great cooking skills were very satisfying and it was special treat to meet her. Along with being a great chef, she is a hands-on owner and a positive force in her community. Chef Marilyn's has an extensive catering and take-out menu of Southern, Cajun/Creole, and Soul Food selections. read more

Chef Marilyn's - Smothered Chicken Wing/Leg/Thigh, Macaroni & Cheese, Candied Yams, Collard Greens, and Sweet Potato Pie. - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Very disappointed. Made it to chef Marilyn's before it close. I called ahead of time l. The customer before me would not stop talking and he said they were closed even though I was waiting at the door. They have lost my business. read more

I love Chef Marilyn's restaurant on Crenshaw. They don't put soooo much salt in the food that you wake up with high blood pressure, but the food still tastes fantastic. They have a woman who works on Friday and Sunday who has EXCELLENT customer service and makes you feel at home like the old school soul food restaurants. The food prices are reasonable, and the quality of food is excellent!!! read more

Chef Marilyn's was actually my first experience with soul food and wow, I did not know how spoiled I was. I first tried it about five years ago because I was going through a rough time and spent six months living near Crenshaw and Adams. I mean, one can only eat Burger King so many times right? I was a little intimidated the first time I went. I had walked by many times and always saw the line and felt very much like a fish out of water. A tourist in my own back yard. I also didn't have a lot of money and food was my main expense at the time. Fortunately my housing was covered for three months while I got my head and priorities in order. My first time in I had no idea what to expect but I just went with it. I ordered Mac and cheese, rice with gravy (I chose the smothered chicken gravy), and got a large smothered chicken breast. I think the total came out to around $7 or something. Considering what I had been ingesting mainly to have fall off the bone tender chicken breast with that perfect gravy... I mean it was something special. So special that I'm still writing about it five years later. I don't need to say how good the mad and cheese was because most already. I ate there the next few days because it was so good and reasonably priced. Every time I went in I was treated with kindness and respect. You never know what someone is going through in life and the employee's kindness went a long way with me. I'm a white guy and honestly I'm the only white person I ever saw there but they still made me feel like I belonged in the community I was apart of. Like I belonged. I think that's really cool and that experience influences me to this day. I'm not a block away from Crenshaw anymore but when I am craving some truly amazing comfort food I make the trip. It's also encouraged me to explore other types of southern cooking as well. That time in my life was extremely painful and difficult but my experience at this little hole in the wall-- amazing cafeteria style food joint was always nice. It's a positive memory which I can't put a price on. Thanks to everyone who contributed. read more

The young Spanish lady that helped me had a VERY bad attitude. She wasn't smiling. She actually looked like she hated it there. The food was pricey but it was piping hot, seasoned well, and tasted good. I would have bought more but I can support a place where they don't treat you right. Everything seems to be Al la carte. I won't be back, but I wanted to try it out. read more

The BEST soul food restaurant in the city of Los Angeles- without question!!!!!!! There is not one item on the menu that isn't packed with loads of flavor!!!!! Now, they may not always have what's on the menu, but when they do- you have hit the jackpot!!!!!! I've had the fried chicken, Short Rib of beef, Oxtails, Mac & cheese, greens, candied yams, fried fish, baked fish, cornbread, cabbage, beans, white rice w/gravy, and Tuna Casserole- ALL EXTREEEEEEEEEMELY DELICIOUS!!!! This is a very small establishment meant for take-out only. The line tends to get very long, so be patient while you're standing in the beaming sun (it's so small, that not everyone is able to stand inside of the restaurant, so the line goes out the door). But don't worry, the the long line and beaming sun are worth your wait!!!! Once u go to Marilyn's- you will question if even your Grandmother's cooking can come close! read more

Chef Marilyn's - Just a little bit of Oxtails, Short Rib of Beef, Cabbage, White Rice w/gravy, Mac & Cheese, and Candied Yams. OMG!!! - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I like how the main entree changes daily, but you gotta be early! For me, its the meatloaf or salmon and a fried chicken breast! Sides, Rice, greens, corn/okra, yams! A lot of good food, at a reasonable price! read more

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Can you say #SoulFood ?!?! You cannot ignore these people's hard work in this place. The food tasted great, and seemed as though they were actually cooking food while I was ordering. They have OPTIONS from Lima beans, corn, collard greens, spinach, red beans, Mac & Cheese, to chicken, turkey, dressing, salmon, tuna etc etc! It's a little compact inside, but I have a feeling they will be expanding sometime soon. Ps: yes, they accept debit/credit cards read more

Chef Marilyn's - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Too hot to hot to be waiting outside in the sun. The food was tasty, but I gotta score low b cuz of the wait. Shoot, pug a tent out or some mist sprayers. Marylyn is too cheap. She gotta make things comfortable for the people that support her & have been 4 all these years. Heck, if she was in a nicer area, I bet she would have mist sprayers outside while I wait. It was 95 over there today & I waited over 30 min. I had on sandals & my feet tanned. Anyway, They allow three people in at a time with one person trying to manipulate the food line and the cash register. They are constantly switching back and forth and the food is not as fresh as it used to be. I was To, the chef was in the back today, Sunday, August 16, 2020, she needed to come out and tell them to stop talking so much and get that line moving. I'm surprise people weren't passing out, outside. Went again 2 day, Sat., 8/29/20. I was the second person in line. The young lady working there today, she is not the one who usually works on Sunday and she was very skimpy with the food. As my receipt show yams mac & cheese an ox tails 2923 with tax and her spoonfuls of the Mac n chz, yams were very, very small. I don't know where they found those baby ox tails from, but Chef Marilyn's needs 2 b present & let them know, you're charging $3.89 for a side, give that amounts worth. Stop stretching shit! The service and the portion size is much better on Sunday. read more

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We love Chef Marilyn's Big portions of great food The meatloaf is very good Cant beat it! read more

Delicious food! We ordered mac n cheese, collard greens, chicken, the yams, and short ribs.

Mobile order cancelled because they didn't have anything in my order, it was 9 different items. I find it hard to believe they didn't have ANY items if so that's pretty concerning. read more

The food is delicious, but the wait is always too long. Since there is a regular crowd when it opens, they should have at least 2-3 people ready to serve. If you need to hire, advertise for help. There's 1 person today Friday. That's ridiculous. We support Chef Marilyn's because it's delicious. Increase the prices if needed, but this is not acceptable read more

Chef Marilyn's - Fried Catfish Strip, yams and Mac and Cheese - Southern Near Me - Los Angeles, California