Stopped in while passing through Lake Charles. Great place!!! I had the fried catfish basket with onion rings...delish!!! My husband had the fried chicken dinner with red beans & rice. Delish too!!! Everything tasted fresh & made from scratch. Waitress & hostess were very friendly and Mama Reta came by to make sure everything was okay. The restrooms were very clean. Lots of locals were there. Not too far off of I-10...good travel stop!! read more

We ordered the Sunday lunch--pork steak! Both the cornbread and rice dressing were delicious and on point. Did I mention the price point of $13.95 was on point as well?! The service was OUTSTANDING! All servers and Mama Reta herself made rounds to speak with customers. It was evident that they take pride in personable, and authentic customer service! Thanks to the other Yelp reviews, I'm glad we chose to come have lunch here today! read more

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Delicious! We were from out of town and so glad we decided to eat there instead of somewhere else. Her fried chicken is fantastic!

One of the best places to get home cooking. Plus the owner is super sweet! The daily special on Tuesdays is pork steak and it is delicious...my personal favorite. read more

Small but quaint and everyone was friendly. Hard to find lunch specials that include a drink and dessert but we were pleasantly surprised. Driving through on our way to New Orleans. We werent disappointed. The food was down home southern. read more

As good as advertised. Had the Sunday special baked chicken with cornbread stuffing and a side of Mac & cheese. The chicken was moist & juicy with just the right amount of spice on top. The mac & cheese, while basic, was some of the best I've ever had. The service was quick, attentive and friendly. They definitely went that extra step to make you feel like home. Highly, highly recommend! read more

Mama Reta's is awesome! Stopped in for lunch to have the daily special. On today's menu was baked or fried chicken, red beans, one side, corn bread & piece of cake. The food was amazing! Great home cooked food with flavor!!! The service was awesome!! Will definitely be back! read more

Great place we found on our way through the South. My son wanted to try it because it wasn't a chain. So glad we did. Met Mama, what an awesome lady. Staff was friendly and helpful with recommendations. Food was incredible. Great fried chicken and sides. Can't describe how great the food is. My son exclaimed at the end of our meal, "best soul food I have ever had!!" Thanks Mama we will be back the next time we are down that way. read more

Loved this place! The food was amazing and they really make you feel welcome as soon as you walk in. I cannot wait to go back just to feel the friendliness and love this place gives. Everything I tried was delicious and full of flavor. read more

Amazing food. Very authentic and so fast too. The red velvet cake is a nice touch. The red beans and rice were spot on.

Still by far the best place in Lake Charles. I drove like a bat out of hell from Austin to get here before their lunch service was over. I had the catfish special with some cornbread and mac and cheese and it was just as amazing as I remembered it. And the ladies who work there are just delightful human beings. If I lived in Lake Charles, I'd be here at least once a week. Until next time, Mama Reta's! read more

Delicious soul food! The fried chicken was full of flavor and had the best crispy skin. Definitely get the red beans and rice, probably the best I have ever tasted. The atmosphere is nice and the staff was very friendly. We even got to meet Mama Reta! It was the perfect lunch stop for our family road trip. read more

Easily the best place to eat in Lake Charles. Caught the Sunday special after seeing a recommendation for this place on Yelp, and couldn't have been more satisfiying. My meal consisted of the fried chicken, the rice dressing, a bread roll (they were out of cornbread), the red beans, and my favorite part... the included slice of cake. It was all SO delicious. Not bad at all for my first real soul food experience. Of course, the service complimented the food perfectly. Everyone was so incredibly nice and friendly, and helped us above and beyond our expectations. Mama Reta herself even stopped by our table to check on us I couldn't stop talking about this place to my friends back home. After we complete the move to Lake Charles, we will definitely be back again and again! read more

First time here. It was great. Food was great and servers were beyond nice. We even got to meet Mama Reta! Will be back!!!! Can't beat great food and nice people! read more

So we couldn't figure out where to eat and we wanted breakfast, we passed this place up and saw the menu and saw that they didn't have breakfast but mam we still made the right choice. The waitress and the owner care about there customers and how everything was cooked. Very nice little restaurant and I definitely recommend. Great customer service too! read more

Highly recommend! Excellent southern cooking and a piece of amazing cake for dessert!

I consider myself a shrimp poboy snob, so ordering one regardless of the reviews made me skeptical. I have to say it was fantastic! It was not overstuffed, but the shrimp were well seasoned and mama's sauce is really good. Definitely a do-over. read more

I just put the best fried chicken in my mouth I have ever tasted!!!!! But the food is beside this story!! This woman Momma Reta !!! God blessed me today meeting her and her sharing the amazing story of how this restaurant came to be. I'm not sharing it because you absolutely need to go meet her yourself and let her tell it in person. You will not be disappointed in the food or atmosphere of this good ol Soul Food restaurant!!!!! Many blessings to you Momma Reta and you gained a loyal customer today and thank you for sharing and blessings not only my belly but also my soul. read more

The only reason I didn't give five stars was the length of time it took to get our food. So long we had to switch our order to take away just to get the kids home to nap. After trying the food, that wait didn't bother me nearly as much. We had fried chicken, greens, corn bread and cake. You could tell this wasn't Mama Rita's first time cooking anyone of the bunch. All were delicious. Nice to have good comfort food for lunch on Sunday! read more

Best fried chicken chicken I've ever had and the sweet potato cookies are very nice. Great food, great prices and very friendly wait staff...and a table-side greeting from Mama herself. read more

Stopped here based on the Yelp reviews and we were not disappointed! We had the daily specials, fried chicken and the smothered chicken both were wonderful fall off the bone delicious. The fried okra was made fresh, and the lunch specials come with a slice of cake! Miss Reta was there and came by to say hello and make sure we were happy with the food. It was a wonderful find. We will be back the next time we pass through town. read more

Mama Reta's Kitchen - Mr Bill looks over the Thursday Lunch Specials - Soul Food Near Me - Lake Charles, Louisiana

If you are wanting a home-cooked meal this seems to be the place to go. But if you don't like the special of the day, don't order the shrimp poboy. I have eaten a many of them and this was the worst. Not only were they frozen but they were over-cooked and tough to chew. The catfish filet was good that ny husband ordered but you only get one for $8.95. But a piece of cake comes with every order and it was good. read more

I can't say enough good things about Mama Reta's! We used yelp while passing through from our trip from New Orleans back to California and found it. We wanted one more Louisiana meal! This place didn't disappoint! The gumbo was super flavorful and the shrimp po-boy- was N'awlens worthy! The tea cakes were a great surprise and perfect. (Grabbed more for a snack on the road). Peach cobbler was a must have for my husband and that was even though "he was stuffed " not to pass up. Mama Reta was a lovely person inside and out and we got to chat a bit and got some great info for some more of that yummy praline candy. Staff was so courteous and attentive. A great last stop of Louisiana for us. read more

Great soulful food and mama Reta greeted us at the table. This place is a must. Chicken gumbo, red beans and rice, some of the best catfish ever. Simple straight up menu, lemon cake with every meal. Yes. read more

Mama Reta's Kitchen - Soul Food Near Me - Lake Charles, Louisiana

This place was phenomenal! The food was southern home cooking, the inside was immaculate, and the service (from being greeted when we walked in the door, to our waitress, and Mama Reta talking to us at our table) made you feel like you were eating a family dinner. I can see how this place would be a local staple! read more

Mama Reta Kitchen is amazing! Wonderful food and outstanding friendly service. Can't wait to go back! The gumbo is delicious!!!

Excellent, super friendly service and great down home style cooking. 2 thumbs WAY UP!!!

Followed Yelp reviews and SO glad we tried Mama Reta's! Tried the veggie sampler which is basically your choice of 4 sides. We got smothered okra, mac n cheese, green beans and mustard greens with a side of corn bread. Topped it off with sweet potato cookies with a fantastic maple icing! Each side was bursting with flavor and you can tell that they take pride in everything that they serve. Our waitress, Brianna was very nice and the service was outstanding! Highly recommended!! read more

Friendly service, 5 minute turn-around if not less for the food. Unbelievable how good it tasted.

Really great place! We stopped in for a break on our road trip to new orleans and this place was perfectly at the halfway point. Friendly staff and Mama Reta herself came by the table to see how we were doing. The po boys were delicious (both shrimp and catfish) as well as the gumbo. We would come back! read more

This is my all time favorite restaurant in Lake Charles. i love the family friendly atmosphere. I swear you can actually taste love in this womans food. She came out once and explained how she just loves feeding people and it shows i her food. I have NEVER had a bad experience here and i go often. Sunday is the best day to go and her fried chicken in my opinion is the best i have ever had in my life. read more

Mama Reta's food is almost as wonderful as she is. We ate there two days in a row. Highly recommend you try it. You won't be disappointed.

On our way back to Texas and stopped by this place. So glad we did! I got the veggie plate (cause I couldn't pick just one). Cabbage and mustard greens with homemade cornbread. What more could you ask for?? Well how about homemade Mac and cheese and black eyed peas!!!!?? Plus I got a "cup" (small bowl) of gumbo. Delish! Hubby got fried chicken and loved it. Only thing I didn't care for was the cornbread dressing. It wasn't your typical dressing. But hubby really liked it. We bought a homemade sweet potato pie to take home. Can't wait to try it! read more

Food was to die for and the service top notch! Fried chicken the best I've had. Ribs fell off the bone. Included red velvet cake for dessert. Wear your fat pants! Must try. read more

We found this place on Yelp. We showed up around noon on Sunday. Despite the short wait, we were greeted warmly by Mama Reta herself. Nice location, neat vibe. Once seated, our waitress recommended a meal. Hubby ordered bowl of gumbo, mom and I both ordered bbq hamsteak lunch special. Here's what I can say: service is spot on, great! But the food and drink wasnt quite right for everyone in our party. The sweet tea was excessively sweet, especially the peach tea. It was like drinking straight simple syrup. The gumbo was very tasty...no complaints. The cornbread was a bit dry. While the hamsteak, Mac and cheese, and ricedressing were all yummy, I would advise that if you have a sensitive stomach or ulcer this is not the place for you. It was all spicey. My mom has an ulcer and she got sick afterwards. They do not warn about spice or offer spice levels.. Mac and cheese and bbq sauce or hamsteak are not traditionally spicy so we were surprised when those items were spicey. I guess the spice is to be expected in Louisiana though. It was just a bit much. read more

Mama Reta's Kitchen - Lunch special on Sunday...hamsteak. bowl of gumbo in the background. - Soul Food Near Me - Lake Charles, Louisiana

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By far the best soul food! Loved the great food and service. We are on our way back home to Houston but first stopped by this gem. We ordered different items in the menu and shared them. Everything was sooooooo good! read more

Amazing food and the staff is extremely friendly. Mama Reta visits with you and treats you like an old friend. Definitely coming back.

This is legit Southern Louisiana food. Everything is amazing from the peach tea, okra and the fried chicken is a must! Mama Reta has a sweet Southern soul and she comes by every table to make sure everyone is happy. You can't find a place like this in a big city. read more

This is a jewel. Stopped in on our way back to TX and I can tell you it is a 5* place. Super busy on a Sunday. We ate in and the donning room tables are spaced so perfectly that you didn't feel crowded. Was greeted by friendly staff who was very attentive and efficient. What can I say about the food. I had the baked chicken with cornbread dressing, mustard greens and roll. OMG!! Chicken was juicy, the cornbread dressing was out of this world! Mustard greens had a delicious smoky taste and the roll was fresh and a little sweet. Overall, they have gained a new customer, we will definitely stop by EVERY time we travel past it. read more

I stopped in for lunch and was not disappointed. Homestyle food from friendly people. I had their Thursday lunch special. Smothered chicken and rice with wonderful gravy, and a cabbage side dish plus a roll and a little cake (they're known for their cake) and it was just perfect. It's worth it to go find it in the old part of Lake Charles. read more