I ordered Mac n cheese and meatloaf. The prices are pretty reasonable. But as for the food, it didn't feel like restaurant quality. I'm picky about meatloaf, but I gave it a try. The meatloaf was a decent portion, but very bland. The ketchup helped it somewhat. The Mac and cheese was bland as well but it was cheesy, so I was ok with that. The texture and everything was fine. I wouldn't go out of my way to have this again, but if I'm in the area and wanted something , maybe. A little seasoning would probably change the experience! read more

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Very disappointing, if we didn't live so far it would be returned. Place order on way home from work.They were limited on what they had due to the fact they were returning from the holiday. This chicken was not freshly cooked. I think they put the leftovers in the freezer doing the holidays and re dropped in the oil when they return. It tasted old and looked old. We have never had a issue before but will not be dealing with Take a Plate anymore. VERY DISAPPOINTING!!!!!!! Wish we could do ZERO points read more

JEM'S "Take A Plate" - Just disgusting and very disappointing. Waste of our money. - Soul Food Near Me - Portsmouth, Virginia

Best Soul Food in town! Often purchase Sunday after church To Go plates for me and my Mom (so she doesn't have to cook). My Mom is a senior and Excellent cook and it's the only To Go restaurant she approves...,Great portion sizes, friendly service, always very tasty....Great value... read more

Liver and Onion with Mashed Potatoes was good but the cabbage was nasty. My coworker had the mac and the cabbage as well. He did enjoy his pork chops. read more

JEM'S "Take A Plate" - Liver and Onions - Soul Food Near Me - Portsmouth, Virginia

There was a small line but they were cranking out orders in a timely fashion. I ordered the 2 pc whiting dinner and a four piece chicken dinner. I chose cabbage and greens mix and Mac and cheese side. The sides were delicious. My whiting was not seasoned or fried crispy. It was definitely my least favorite part of my dinner. My husband said the same. His sides were great but his chicken was under-seasoned and lacked crisp for southern fried chicken. The service was timely and professional. The greens/ cabbage mix is a must have ! All fried foods are cooked to order. I will definitely give them another try but I give them a 4 out of 10 for today. read more

JEM'S "Take A Plate" - Whiting dinner - Soul Food Near Me - Portsmouth, Virginia

good food. like the place. looks like it has room to expand and it is convenient to where i drive for work.

Went to Jem's for the first time today. Damn... 10/10. I got the whiting, mac and collards. The mac was soft and cheesy. Melts in your mouth. The collards were just right. Not spicy. Not salty. I'm not a whiting fan but the pieces were so big they were hanging out of the clamshell. The fried chicken wings were JUMBO, pulled apart easy and seasoned right. The woman working the counter was very nice, friendly and pleasant. She even gave me an extra piece of cornbread which by the way were moist and good size pieces. Shout out to her! Jem's does NOT skimp on portion sizes. They give you a lot of food and are open late on Sundays (6 pm) when all the others are closed already. I showed up around 4ish. The place was busy and I see why. I didn't wait long for my food. About 15-20 mins but it was cooked to order. My bill was $45. No complaint there because the food is on point. If you haven't hit this place yet, do so... read more

JEM'S "Take A Plate" - Soul Food Near Me - Portsmouth, Virginia

Well on a whim I stopped in this place. My boyfriend told me how delicious the chicken salad was. I got the lunch special portion of baked chicken, mac n cheese and corn bread and a small order of chicken salad so i could taste for myself. It did not disappoint. The lady at the counter was super sweet and the food, well man o man! that chicken was tender and juicy and seasoned. That mac n cheese was made with love. Corn bread was moist and scrumptious! Too full to try the chicken salad right now but ill be back to review that. read more

Ordered food using door dash for pickup. Hubby had to come and get my phone to show that the order was paid for. The chicken wings are huge but were not tasty. The yams were okay. Not in a rush to go back at all. read more

I've eaten at JEM's several times. I love the Cabbage and Macaroni and Cheese these items are the BEST. Pros: Cooked to order and Large portions of food Cons: They don't always pick the phone for the calling orders. The long wait sometimes The customer-facing staff is slow sometimes putting the orders in the bags. The Food: Fried Chicken: Overall good (a couple of times a little burnt) Turkey Wings: Pretty good, a large portion Whiting Fish: Just okay - Would not order again Chicken and Dumplings: Extremely salty - Would not order again Cabbage and Collards: I order this all the time, very good especially the cabbage. Yams: It is good if you like very sweet yams. Macaroni and Cheese: A must-buy so delicious! Potato Salad: This is truly a hit or miss for me. Sometimes it has a hint of vinegar and that makes the potato salad taste sour. read more

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I have been to this place several times it is very small but Dino let the fool you. I have enjoyed the yams, cabbage and collard greens things my wife can't cook. But the most important thing about this place is the people are always very friendly. read more

The food is so good! The food is very flavorful. If you want soul food this is your place.

I ordered there for the first time several Sundays ago. The server was absolutely fantastic, and he food was excellent.. Jeff Mitchell read more

This is a hole in a wall for sure. I work around the area, but was never able to try; worth the wait this whole time. The girl at the counter recommended a few things, but was able to try on one main item as my appetite was not like when I was a teenager. Tried the turkey wings, cabbage, and yam, and corn bread. Let me get the negative out of the way first, cornbread was ok (I'm from the south so this should not be a surprise). I wish the yam was in whole pieces, but they mashed; not my style, but taste amazing. Now the turkey wings were amazing and tender; they covered it with gravy witch was an excellent combination. The cabbage were well cook and tasty as well. Definitely coming back to try more. This would be a 4 stars in Texas, but here in Virginia I have to push it up to a 4.5-5 stars for the food alone. read more

So why a 3? I will say, in my quest to find BOMB soul food, This place was good- but not BOMB! I order fried wings Mac and green beans - wife order turkey Wings and rice with greens! They have a lot of different items to choose from - the chicken wasn't as season as I would like it didn't even taste like they brined chicken at all but it was good if that makes sense- the green beans and greens are seasoned with vinegar. Now, my greens I can dig that! Green beans tho? I'm not a fan with vinegar seasoned green beans, I am a seasoned meat type of guy- The turkey wings were great! season well and the rice was cooked perfectly I also order the apple cobbler now that was BOMB The roll gross don't get- get the cornbread instead!! So why didn't I score them higher? Because it wasn't BOMB It was good clean and as good as after 2nd service in church- but it wasn't thanksgiving good like wait all year good- like drive from Norfolk to portsmouth and pay the toll good! If I am in portsmouth I would go again read more

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I like supporting small biz, ESPECIALLY with businesses closing due to COVID-19, so let me make that clear. However, this experience was a hot SOCIAL DISTANCING mess, especially with the virus still posing a health risk. Listen....Virginia is STILL under restrictions until June. Please, put together a better front-of-house system that promotes quick hand-offs of food, efficient order-taking, and SOCIAL DISTANCING. I am so turned off that I won't be back, even after the restrictions are lifted. I was so frustrated and angry when I left. It is a VERY SMALL takeout spot. (There's BARELY enough space for 2-4 people to be six feet apart.) Nobody was adhering to this! NO ONE. None of the staff said a word. There were no CLEAR indication of markers on the floor, NOTHING. Also, your phone lines were super busy (I called multiple times and even waited to call back) so it wasn't even a real option to order from the safety and comfort of home/car and have LESS EXPOSURE that way. I felt super-uncomfortable. The first time I walked in and tried to order, I walked out because I saw it getting crowded and NOBODY SAID A THING. I tried calling from my car, and I FINALLY got through to order. I waited until I saw less people, and then went back in to get my food. Yet again, NO ONE FROM YOUR STAFF WAS MANDATING SOCIAL DISTANCING. NO ONE. I had to refuse to step forward until another customer got done ordering. Someone behind the counter finally spoke up and asked the other customer to step to the side so I could complete my payment and leave with my food. COVID-19 is REAL. Mask or no mask. Sanitation or none. Social distancing is a MUST. Make your customers feel comfortable by adhering to the state's guidelines about social distancing. Put CLEAR markers on the floor. Advise customers to wait outside or give people numbers and tell them they must wait outdoors or in their car until they are called. BE DELIBERATE. Put a system in place to also keep your customers safe. Don't leave it to customers to do this. You're asking for conflict and drama that is avoidable. There's a notice on the door about the other "safety precautions" you supposedly took, but the social distancing was missed there. read more

Great quality sounds food. I wish they had snack options. the food really taste like there's someone's grandma in the back cooking it each and every time. read more

JEM'S "Take A Plate" - Apple cobbler - Soul Food Near Me - Portsmouth, Virginia

A "that hit the spot kinda place". While making a stop by Ptown or should you be a resident, it's best you drop in for a plate. What can I say, the turkey wings were so moist and tender with just the right touch of seasoning to it. Yams and cornbread with well seasoned green beans topped off the meal. Sooo good!! Personable host. Quick service. Check out the place. read more

It was good and fresh grease smelt a little burnt tho the service was good we were waiting for a few minutes but that's all read more

JEM'S "Take A Plate" - 2 Piece Chicken with Macaroni and Cheese and String Beans - Soul Food Near Me - Portsmouth, Virginia

Great food family atmosphere friendly workers great customer service. Thank you read more

Nice family business and friendly people serving you good portions and tasty SOUL food! Definitely a Portsmouth staple. And the prices are decent. I will be going back for sure read more

JEM'S "Take A Plate" - Four piece fried wing dinner with Mac and cheese and Yams - Soul Food Near Me - Portsmouth, Virginia

For a soul food restaurant I was highly disappointed!! I ordered fried chicken and it tasted bland, I had to add salt and pepper to my chicken for enjoyment. I also ordered banana pudding and it was soupy, the bananas were all brown, almost black. I couldn't even bring myself to eat it. It had no texture to it! I literally turned it on its side and everything moved like water. I ended up throwing away more than half of my meal. The only thing I enjoyed was the green beans. read more

If you're looking for a home cooked meal but don't want to dirty up your kitchen, this is the place to eat!! Literally haven't had a bad item on the menu and honestly I would say I'm rather picky. read more

I LOVE their food... some of the best soul food I've ever had. I've tried the whiting, collard greens, yams, cabbage, and mac and cheese. All 5 stars. The staff are great too. It's always busy (speaks for itself) so you should definitely call ahead to order. read more

JEM'S "Take A Plate" - Fried Whiting Dinner with Collard Greens and Yams - Soul Food Near Me - Portsmouth, Virginia

If you're looking for a soul food place this is it... even though this is not a buffet style restaurant.. it is a place your order and wait 10 minutes .the food is still hot and fresh to order ...."my pet peeve anyway "I recommend this place. read more

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Big on smiles and greetings when you serving me food. I walked in, the person did not greet me even as I stood there patiently waiting for her to take my order. This was my first time going in the restaurant, I did not get the impression of good customer service at all. I left, went to DISTRICT located in the Old Town Portsmouth area. Gave me exactly what I ordered from take a plate with a smile. They didn't hesitate to take my order nor were they rude. That was what I anticipated going into TAKE A PLATE. Ill never ever go there AGAIN. THEY WERE NOT EVEN WORTH A STAR!!!! I dont care how good your food is...you can never be rude serving anyone food... read more

This has got to be one of the best soul food places I've gone to in a long time. My food was flavorful and definitely had more than enough. The service was prompt and the cashiers were friendly. If you are looking for some good, well seasoned, well portioned soul food, this is the place to get it. The next time I'm in town I'll be sure to visit again! read more

Good food! Everything is at least decent. Nothing was nasty. It's what you would come to expect when you see big momma with the "macaroni elbows". The only reason this place isn't 5 stars is they run out of stuff in the middle of the day. You should not run out of chicken in the middle of a normal day. I understand a special event. If you can find what you want then you're about to have the meal you were searching for. read more

I love that this spot stays open until 7 pm on a Sunday! I wanted home-cooked food but didn't feel like cooking lol. I ordered a fried flounder dinner for take out. (This is NOT an eat-in spot). Huge pieces of fish that were well-flavored and had a flakey crunch to the batter. The yams were sweet and sticky (like I like them) however, I got more of the thick sauce than actual pieces of yams. Their collard greens were good--not too watery, not too salty. Real collard greens (not turnip or kale like some other spots). Portions were great and matched the price. (I think I paid $12-$13 for the dinner and an extra side). Potato salad was typical southern style (sweet, with pickles; potatoes cubed, not too mashed but not too hard either). The spot is small, and it's easy to miss-- (It's across the street from a convenience store, and looks like a house from the outside)--but the food was worth the annoyance of passing the place two times. (Just look for the convenience store.) I had more food leftover for lunch the next day, and YES I reheated the rest of the fish and ate it! Those pieces were HUGE. I would definitely order takeout from them again. read more

"PORTSMOUTH'S BEST KEPT SOUL FOOL SECRET!! I went in I was welcome to a very clean outside and inside environment. I was welcomed by Candice, and Layla..who help me to select some options that were popular with the community and also popular at there at TAKE A PLATE . I like how the present it to you so you can see it first to make sure it's ok..unlike some places that just bag it for you and go..so if there were an error it can be fixed right then I had the ribs with macaroni and cheese and a great mixture of collard greens and cabbage , meatloaf with yams and homemade potato salad and the other meal that we had was turkey wings !!my goodness one of the best AND MANY things that they have. They have great prices and more than enough food. Enough that you could actually eat on it twice. Save some for lunch save some for dinner IT IS "PORTSMOUTH'S BEST KEPT SOULFOOD SECRET". Come support this establishmebt. "JEM's has been in the community as a restaurant for 35 years..TAKE A PLATE , is new to me.. oh yeah. ...corn bread is delicious ..the owner's son Everet, was so kind and he cooks on Sunday , so. I'm back today for his ribs and those liver and onions so tender and yummy.. This is a great place so y'all come on now and and #TAKE A PLATE read more

I'd have given Jems Take a Plate 5 stars because they're an exceptional place to eat BUT I had the worse food Sunday with hard rice, pork chops fried too hard w/super salty gravy! I'll have to taste my food in the car since they're closed Monday and Tuesday & I didn't save this food until today...save your food if you want a refund! This cost me $12.86 & ended up in the trash. I will return though because the food is incredible. My thoughts are that the restaurant had many orders past 6:30...and I didn't even leave until past 7:00 read more

I found this place through google and it was pretty good. I had the fried chicken, Mac & cheese and potato salad. The facilities was clean and the customer service was good. I didn't give it a 5 star because they forgot to put my corn bread with my meal. I would recommend and I will revisit. read more

I would've rated this particular place a 5, but the cashier was scratching his head, and he handled my food right after. The potato salad was also runny like mashed potatoes, and it didn't have any flavor. The fried chicken, turkey & gravy, Mac and cheese, yams and green beans were awesome read more

The food is really good. The location is not the best but the inside is clean and the people are nice. The portions are plentiful.

Paid and waited 45 mins for my food for them to have some bullshit excuse as to why my food wasn't made. Very unprofessional and didn't even apologize for wasting my time. Place is small and cluttered, would never recommend this business read more

Jem's at one time was one of our family's go to places since it's not far from our home. The major peeve I have is the customer service. Depending on who's working the front area you're lucky to get anyone on the phone. You literally have to call several times to get someone to answer! There's a guy that answers, again if he answers, that acts as if he can't hear or understand you. Then it's an older woman that answers ,that is completely unprofessional, she will cut you off and then ask a question and cut you off again. Sadly, we don't go as nearly as much as we once did because of this. I would think they would answer the phones in an attempt to reduce crowded order lines (very small tight space inside). Great Food but HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!! read more

I had gone there a few times because there food was good but the last 2 times the food tasted spoiled. The person that worked there told me that the sweet potato pie was falling apart because it was so buttery. NOPE! It was absolutely spoiled. I had purchased 3 slices with no other food because on the previous visit the meatloaf was spoiled and very sour but I wanted to give them another chance and support this black owned business. They should be ashamed of themselves by selling food to people that they know has sat for days! We can taste that its no longer good! read more

This place is good and fast! Love it. They are my go to for soul food! I wish they were open everyday.

I had the Turkey wings portions which was only two pieces plus mashed potatoes and gravy with yams. The food was average but not worth $11.25. I WOULDNT go there again. Just my opinion read more

Food is amazing. Great place to go when you want home cooking but don't feel like cooking yourself.