I met acquaintances here for dinner since they recommended it based on it having the best fried chicken in Chapel Hill. That may be the case since this is the only fried chicken I've had in this city and to give this place credit, it is better than fast food chicken. I'm glad I got a half chicken because these pieces were from very small chickens! There was more skin and breading than meat. I was disappointed with the portion size. $18 for the chicken and two sides which were also small. My potato portion was smaller than everyone else's and had a minuscule amount of gravy. The potatoes were better than average, being creamy with a few chunks, but bland, even with the gravy. The macaroni and cheese was flavorful and creamy, but had an ugly greasy film that appeared after sitting in front of me for a few minutes. It was edible, but made it my stomach churn, leaving me to wonder if eating it was a wise choice. The biscuits were great and needed butter because they were dry. The pecan pie was delicious, but it's hard for this girl from the North to know what makes a pecan pie "good". Our server had a fun, enthusiastic attitude which made up for mediocre food. I would not return since I can get better fried chicken back in Charlotte. read more

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Blackberry cobbler was nasty, and they charged me for it even though I left it on the table. Where is the customer service? If you do not listen to your customers, you won't have any. Prices went up recently. Nothing under $20 except spaghetti. I understand why they had less customers the last time I visited. read more

I can't believe this place has a 3. This is exactly what this food is supposed to taste like. I think it's good that they haven't been swayed by establishments like Popeyes and yucky Bojangles. The biscuits were spot on, you could taste the buttermilk. The chicken was perfect, and yes the yams were out of a can but that's the way every mom would have made them. This is what southern food tastes like, it is the food of the working class. You shouldn't change or upgrade it, preserve it. I have recipes in my family that have been made for over 100years, it's like tasting history. Keep doing exactly what you are doing! read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Mac n cheese, fried okra, yams - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Apparently the current Mama Dip staff decided NOT to keep the same recipes. I hadn't been to Mama Dip's in years, but I was actually embarrassed when I took my mom and a friend there yesterday. I ordered the pork chops with yams & macaroni & cheese. My mac was lukewarm and pork chop was bland. My companions ordered the chicken and dressing special. They both said the chicken was really good, but the tiny square of dressing was about 2 inches. They both also had greens, which they said tasted like they came straight out of a can and weren't even hot. My mom had pinto beans which she also said were cold. We also had cornbread and hushpuppies, both had absolutely NO flavor. I really miss the old Mama Dip's, it was amazing, but based on my experience yesterday, I won't be back. read more

Wonderful food. Pleasant outdoor eating. Lovely staff. Wanted to try them before they are gone!

I never thought I would give a southern fried chicken restaurant 1 star. The food is no better than KFC or Popeyes. They charge $17 for 4 small piece of chicken. It is outrageous. It was not even tasty. Very dissapointed. I was recommanded by a friend who thought highly of mama dips. However he is so wrong. Will never come back or recommend anyone. Go to KFC you get a tastier fried chicken. Even popeyes fried chicken has more flavor. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

We visited this restaurant on Father's Day 2023 and I'm sorry to say our experience was very disappointing. In years past this establishment would has been a real treat but not this time. We arrived about 1:30pm and surprisingly there was no wait. The restaurant was not very busy so there was no reason for a 2 star experience. The Food was fair at best. The staff didn't make service a priority and we didn't feel our business was appreciated. We drove 45 mins one way to celebrate Farther's Day, unfortunately we will probably not return. read more

Amazing home cooking with great customer service! 10/10 recommend I have been to this establishment twice within the last month and both times have been above and beyond. read more

Heard about this place quite a bit and it didn't disappoint. Fried chicken was delicious. Wait staff was super polite and gave great recommendations. Soul and comfort food and boy did it hit my soul. I ate so much I'm not feeling too comfortable...STUFFED! I heard that i need to do the chocolate pound cake so i has to even though not big on sweets. A must try! read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Fried chicken, fried okra and mac & cheese - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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It's always a treat! Come occasionally as we don't live in Chapel Hill. Ate there today and it was really good, smothered pork chops are always the best along with veggies and fried chicken. Brunswick stew is a must to try!! Don't skip dessert, they are good, the pecan pie is good. Really good southern food. read more

I want to like you Mama Dip's, I want to love you. I want to support you. I want you to be THE place I bring out of town guests. I want to enjoy eating at your place on a regular rotation. I want you to regain your former glory and reputation. Once Covid is over, I would like to see you go back to serving a Sunday family style lunch, with 6-7 people to a table, fixed price. Make it a southern experience! I'd like you to serve light, fluffy biscuits, instead of the small hockey pucks that get served now; no one at my table ate them, after taking a bite. I want the pieces of chicken to be meatier--the pieces we had were kind of scrawny. I want your renown pecan pie to be worth the calories. I am not the kind of person who doesn't finish pie, but the pecan pie had a top layer of crushed pecans, maybe, at most, 1/4" deep, sitting on 1/2" of corn starchy/corn syrupy gel, and a dry, flavorless crust. None of us finished our slices of pie. Please do keep your attentive staff, lovely porch seating, and excellent yams, greens and mac n' cheese. read more

I like to believe I'm the connoisseur of fried chicken. Not something I would shout ... "I KNOW FRIED CHICKEN" The reasons are self explanatory...but I must say Mama D's chicken is the TRUTH!!! Fried just right and JUICY!!!! I almost thought my grandma made it. The mashed potatoes & gravy were creamy, fried green tomatoes made my day, and the corn casserole just made me so happy that Mama D's in NC and not in BK. Even the lemonade was just enough tart w/ the sweet. I would literally want to eat there everyday. Only complaint is the service. Service can really make or break a place... yes the food is super YUMMY...but the service is a hotttttt mess! Seriously service shouldn't be the reason why people leave especially when the food would keep people coming back! read more

I have been going to Mama Dip's for years. Always feel like I am family there. I normally tell folks that go out to eat with me: "try this..." off my plate. At Mama Dips - I don't share! The food is too good for me to share! The Brunswick Stew, the fried chicken are amazing. All the sides are great. read more

Mama Dip's food is delicious, which thankfully offsets painfully apathetic service. I went with a group of six. Our numbers allowed us to order and try a number of Mama Dip's delights - the sampler platter, the chopped bbq, and the fried chicken. But our numbers also seemed to bother the staff. Our waitress didn't seem to have the energy to get through the entire table for our orders. When the food came out, we were all very happy. The fried chicken was skillfully breaded and cooked, the bbq was flavorful and the sides were all traditional and delicious. But requests like extra napkins or utensils were heeded only with palpable disdain. I recommend the place as an excellent example of classic North Carolina food, but don't go there expecting a warm welcome. read more

Pretty good grub. Group of 8, we chowed on: Hush puppies - probably the best hush puppies I ever had. Generally, I am not a huge fan of fried dough, but, these weren't too doughy and the crust was well seasoned - very tasty. 5 star Fried green tomatoes - Very tasty batter, not too greasy, the tomato didn't get squishy through the deep-fry process. 5 star Sweet potato fries - the best spf's I ever had. Why?? They were the perfect size, they were cooked perfect, but most of all, these were sprinkled with cinnamon. 5+ stars Chicken and rib dinner - Chicken was tasty, well seasoned. The ribs were probably the worst item, though they were "fall off the bone," it didn't taste smokey at all and the seasoning was fairly weak. 2 stars Others had: Fried Okra. I tasted some though I have always thought okra was like snot. Not these, they were a little crunchy and spicey to boot. I really like this side. 5 stars Chicken and Dumplings - once again, usually not my fav, but, this dish was done quite well 5 stars. Green beans - meh, not impressed. 2 stars Black eyed peas, meh, not impressed 2 stars. Beef stew - though it looked somewhat awful, it was very tasty. All in all, a very good meal. When one can honestly say that the overwhelming majority of dishes consumed fall under the "best ever" category, the restaurant must be doing something right. Ya feel me? read more

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Good soul food. The service is fast, I think they like to turn the tables. We had the gumbo, fried green tomatoes, fried chicken with ribs and fried chicken with chopped pork. As for the sides had to go with the mac n cheese, okra, and green beans and yams. Oh yes we also tried the biscuits and corn bread with whipped butter. Over all the fried chicken was the best of all that we ordered, the chopped pork and ribs were alright. The sides were bland but the corn bread and biscuits with that butter were mighty tasty. read more

Good comfort food but nothing special. Too overpriced for what it is. It's the kind of place you only go once; just to try it. That's it. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Hush Puppies - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Our Fam of five have eaten here several times over the years. Each year, the food gets more ordinary. This time, the Chicken n Dumplins, BBQ sandwich and the BBQ plate were ordinary. The sides and the fried pickles were above average. Our server, Alice, seemed new but was attentive and as always ... everybody is sssooooo nice. My hope is that once the nation rids itself of Covid, Momma Dips can get back to being excellent ! read more

This was our first real taste of Southern food in North Carolina, and we were not disappointed! Some friends brought us here, and were really glad that Mama Dip's was open on a Monday (unlike several other restaurants they wanted to take us to). For an appetizer, we got a sampler platter - lots of things deep fried (hushpuppies, fried green tomatoes, fried zucchini and fried broccoli and cheese), and bread and butter pickles. the deep fried broccoli and cheese was a surprise treat here. I got the fried chicken and gravy, with corn pudding and fried zucchini on the side. the chicken and gravy was good. not sure i'm a fan of corn pudding, but since it was the special of the day, i figured it was worth a shot. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/M5y0wDvHNMeG856Aw2uhAg?userid=uK8w_LkfsNXKlBC1a_uhQA my wife got the fried chicken with corn and mac and cheese (which is listed on the vegetable list, heh) and was happy with the chicken, but felt the corn a bit lacking. our friends got fried catfish and chicken fried steak. some fried okra on the side was shared and was good. how many times have i said fried so far? http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/M5y0wDvHNMeG856Aw2uhAg?select=RZIibcZzC7Alhzv93jsf_Q biscuits were ok, but not superb. comfortable and clean dining area, decent parking. friendly and helpful service - they kept my free refill drink topped off well! according to my friends, the sunday brunch is well worth it. Note: they accept MC, Visa, and Discover. no Amex. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Fried Chicken and Gravy, Corn Pudding, Fried Zucchini - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Ordered the Catfish filets with yams and greens. I am a southern girl born and raised and I'm just not pleased. For the price that I paid the quality of the food was not worth it. The fish wasn't crispy like I had imagined. It was quite soft and had very bland flavor, greens were ok but they honestly looked like they could have been from a can, and the yams were just mushy and the flavor was off. I also got apple cobbler for dessert, it was much better than the food, it made up for flavor. Actually maybe a little to much! A little heavy on the nutmeg/apple pie spice but still pretty good. All in all I don't know that I will order again or not. read more

So I went here because my best friend raved about this place. Let's just say I'm less than overjoyed with this place. I don't know if dinning in makes a difference but for a little over $17 ( i did order a drink too) I expected a lot more food. I ordered take out and wasn't happy about the price but I decided to go with it because I just had a long drive, it was getting late,I was with my 1 year old and we were both hungry and grumpy. Before I could get to the car I knew something was amiss when the plate of food I was caring felt like air. I get home and I'm disappointed because its so little food. I ordered baked chicken breast with rice and mushroom sauce with fried okra and green beans. I get wild rice with a mushroom sauce with chicken breast TENDERS mixed in. The green beans were straight from a can. The rolls that came with were bland. Let's just say I don't see myself coming here again. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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So I was super hungry when I came and I left unfulfilled. While the staff is friendly they are SLOW! I was with a party of 8 and 6 of 8 folks were disappointed with their meals. I ordered the salmon cake grilled (average taste) with green beans (awful) and okra/tomatoes (disappointment). Waitress forgot my salad and also messed up another member of the groups order. My grandmother was from Charleston, SC and I def was expecting something remotely close to her cooking but this place was a huge let down. read more

The server was awesome and friendly, but the food lacked seasoning. I ordered the fried chicken with black eye peas and greens. Unfortunately, the food tasted bland and I had to add salt to the black eye peas and greens. I'm not sure if they brine the chicken or not, but it was also bland. Overall, the food was decent and I left not feeling satisfied. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Fabulous Southern food. We so enjoyed sitting on the front porch. The fried chicken was probably some of the best we have ever had. Excellent service as well. Outstanding Covid protocol being followed. Cannot wait to return. read more

We were visiting our granddaughters ( with daughter and husband) in Chapel Hill when my wife said there is a Mama Dip restaurant in town and that we had to check it out. I had not heard of this restaurant but my wife had the cookbook and swore that it was her go to cookbook for country soul food. The restaurant did not disappoint! We had chicken fried steak, chittering, fried chicken, chicken pot pie and chicken & dumplings. Everyone said the food was good to excellent. I had the chocolate pound cake for dessert and it was a ten! The measure of a restaurant is would you go back and the answer is YES. read more

The fried green tomatoes are out of this world, the pecan pie is worth the sugar spike, the fried chicken could be more consistent but when they're on, it's world-class, and the greens are a must-order. Mama Dips rules, and those who disagree can go eat at some garbage indie hipster bbq joint. read more

So I came with my friends here in hopes of getting my Southern food fix in North Carolina! Decor: so cozy!! BUT I didn't really like the fact that the floor was sticky i.e. my flip flops made ripping noises as I lifted them up. ew. Service: Very quick and efficient and got all of our orders right and on the table quickly! Food: - Sweet Potato BiscuitS: mmMMM, these are pretty good, better than regular biscuits, if I may say! - sweet potato fries: nothing special, sweeter than I expected though. - zucchini fries: meh, nothing special again. decent. - Chopped BBQ Pork: It looks really dry and boring, but the BBQ juice is really hidden and you can only eat it and say "MMm!" - Yams: YUM YUM YUM. My mom can make deliciousss yams and I was SO GLAD to find Mama Dip's made em like I like em!! - Mac&Cheese: disappointing, to say the least :( - Baked Apples: Good, but not enough for me to gobble it all up. - Biscuits/yeast rolls/cornbread: all were a bit dry. I wish they were all a bit more moist or a bit more 'special'/unique. Bottom line: It was good, but it wasn't the best. The portions just didn't hold true to the 'Southern' idea I always had and it didn't fill that southern hype I wanted. And the floor got to me- a lot. read more

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It's probably due to my mostly Northeastern upbringing, and therefore lack of any reasonable comparison to any Southern food other than Cracker Barrel, but Mama Dip's is AWESOME. Maybe it's because I starved myself in anticipation of all things fried, greasy, and delicious on the drive down I-85, but I have never been disappointed any of the four times I have eaten here. From the sweet tea to the biscuits, cornbread, pickles, fried okra, fried chicken, and pecan pie, everything is delectable. A pit stop at Mama Dip's is the only consolation I have when my destination takes me down I-85 to Charlotte, Spartanburg, or Atlanta. I would definitely recommend making it a must to anyone stopping in the Chapel Hill area. read more

I'm from Jersey, guess we want our food fast. Took 45 minutes and then it came out warm. I left hungry, so I ate the tremendous tasting biscuits left from dinner. Service was the worst, waitress must understand her own hand writing cause I asked for a Ice Tea and got water but in her defense, I did get the ice tea as we were leaving. Food was good, but plan on staying awhile. read more

If you love soul food / country cooking, then you've got to eat here. We loved the fried chicken and pork chops, the greens and Mac and cheese, and the pecan and sweet potato pies. The service was friendly but not necessarily the fastest, even with a sparse crowd. But we would definitely recommend this place if you want a good meal. A plus: Mama Dip's has its own parking, so you don't have to worry about meters! read more

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My wife and went here recently. I had been once before years ago when I was living in Chapel Hill. I don't recall it being too memorable, but, after living in NYC for several years and trying some of the "soul" southern food up there, I thought I definitely needed to give this place another shot. Overall, I would say it was good and just okay. The fried green tomatoes appetizer were really good we thought. It was probably some of the better fried green tomatoes we've had although not the best. The fried batter had a distinct flavorful taste. For the main course, I had the fried chicken and ribs combo with mac n cheese and greens (turnips). I really liked the friend chicken. It had just the right amount of crispiness. The ribs were good, but nothing I couldn't live without. The mac n cheese was just not good. It really tasted mushy and bland. I would not get this again for sure. The greens were really good though. My wife got the chicken tenders with mac n cheese and fried okra. The fried okra was really good. She had the same opinion about the mac n cheese. Her chicken tenders were also not very good. The fried batter had little to no flavor. It was not crispy in the least bit. Overall, the place and environment is really cool. The service was really friendly and attentive. I would probably go back again sometime. There are a lot of options on the menu with different things to try. read more

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TLDR: this place is not bad if you wanna have brunch on a Saturday morning, however the service is not great and the food is mediocre at best. I probably won't come back here again. Things I liked: - Man that bacon was good. So crispy and yummy - the ambiance is really nice. Parking is not so bad either Things I didn't like: - Service. Service was painfully slow. It really was a mood killer cause we waited and waited and then waited some more before the food came - I got the french toast, and it wasn't that great. I mean, it's not bad but not great - the bathrooms were awful - the men's bathrooms anyways. Please clean them and get a new lock on the stall read more

First time I was here, my wife and I thought it was crazy good. This time it was just very good. Still, a memorable place, and worth going to if you like good old fashioned comfort food, or restaurants that are nostalgic. Had the chicken fried steak, and my wife had the smothered chicken. Both recommended. Friendly and hard working staff, too. My guess is there are better restaurants for similar food these days, but there's something about Mama Dip's I really like. read more

I was disappointed given all that i had heard. Veggies tasted canned. Dinner was ehh.

Dip's has been an institution in Chapel Hill for decades, since the time when Mama Dip herself presided in the kitchen, feeding hungry undergraduates. The family and long serving staff carry on her tradition, dishing out southern comfort foods daily that reminds the eater of food like Grandma used to make. Beef stew, chicken and dumplings, fried chicken, chitlins-- you'll find all the usual suspects, along with spaghetti, gravy covered pork chops, oysters, and more. Warm cornbread, yeast rolls, and bottomless servings of iced tea and lemonade fill out the meals, which usually come with two vegetable sides. You'll have to pace yourself or you won't have room for dessert--the list is typically a dozen southern classics plus daily specials. Bread pudding, banana pudding, chocolate pecan pie or regular pecan pie, apple cobbler, coconut cream...you'll be spoilt for choice. Sometimes an "institution" lives on with only its reputation to carry it, but Dip's continues to put out quality meals with excellent service all the time. Visit and you can learn why the faithful return. read more

An institution in Chapel Hill, my mom and I stopped here on a Sunday after a night in Durham, on our way back to the Triad. No frills, but with all the comforts of home, we really loved Mama Dip's and I feel sad that it took me so long to visit. Asked if we wanted breakfast or lunch, we both said breakfast, but I snuck a lunch menu, just to see what was being offered. My mom ordered the fried catfish and I got the smothered chicken. When I tell you that his was some of the best chicken I've ever had, I'm not lying. It's all about the gravy, baby. I should have asked for a cup of it to dip my biscuit and cornbread in, because it was that good. We also got coconut custard pie and it was pretty solid. I know for a fact that anointed hands were laid upon that pie as it was being prepared. I can't wait to go back for more. read more

I don't think most people want to give this place a bad review but it is now clearly not all that it maybe once was. While they may have pioneered making down home Southern Cooking and Soul Food destination dining, the rise of farm to table seems to have left them in the dust. There are other local places doing this much better for cheaper, namely Brigs and True Flavors. While nothing was terrible, everything was kind of meh for a place that was so heavily branded, yet they still have rather small portions and premium pricing. The menu is also rather tiny, about a quarter as much of what Cracker Barrel offers, and honestly does not taste much better. I wish I had gone way back when I first heard about it maybe 10-15 years ago, but then I wonder if visiting it again today would have just made me sad or nostalgic. The only thing I found outstanding and unique was the sweet potato pancakes, lots of cinnamon and unexpectedly flavorful and delicious. read more

Kind of expensive and kind of greasy. This is one of the iconic places to eat in Chapel Hill. I used to go here every Sunday after church with my family. Its a nice place but I wouldn't go out of my way for this food since I've developed several adult allergies (nuts, dairy, avocado) and now my options are limited to water. read more

Mama Dip's Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

I'm giving 2 stars because our waiter, Johnny, was phenomenal. This place really only deserves 1. The food is not! My fried green tomatoes were basically tomatoes fried in cornmeal. No flavors/seasonings. My catfish was bland and dry. No amount of hot sauce could save it. The vegetables weren't great, either! I know this is an institution in Chapel Hill, but for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Maybe before it was sold (?) it was a decent place. But I grew up in NC, and this didn't taste anything close to genuine soul/southern food. read more

Ok, I really hate to give terrible reviews, but I just could not find a single thing to be happy with here. To start, we were a larger group (10), so they assigned 5 of us to one waitress and 5 to another. #1 waitress seemed to be doing things well enough, but #2 had no idea what she was doing. As a result, half the table received their food and then waited 20+ minutes for the other side to be served. The food looked terrible, as you can see in my photos. It tasted absolutely horrible. Half the table slid their plates away in disgust. Oddly, no one said anything. We were all trying to be polite and not offend the person who selected the place. The ride back was an impassioned conversation about the horrid food, preparation, etc... if I could give a zero I would. This place should not be in business. Close the doors and let the legacy live, rather than killing it. read more

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