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Mama Ru's Kitchen

4.5 (2 reviews)
Closed 1:00 pm - 9:00 PM

Mama Ru's Kitchen Photos

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2 years ago

Ambience is delightful and peaceful! Very enjoyable service and food was fresh. I will come back again

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3 years ago

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Best Soul Food In Town

Best Soul Food In Town

3.5
(114 reviews)
21.9 mi
$

The first time we ate from this location the food was super salty. This time the salt level was…read morebetter. It still was borderline of being too much salt in the oxtail dish but it was tolerable. I ordered the chicken and waffles dish. It came with eggs (I added cheese) and grits. The chicken was seasoned and cooked well. I liked the flavor of the wings but was unhappy about having hairs to still pluck out of the wings. The waffle was an average waffle. The heat being trapped inside the to-go container made the powdered sugar turn into hard crystals. I wish they would have put the sugar in the side. Not too bad for a late night food craving.

My buddy and I are staying at Hilton University of Houston Hotel on the campus of U of H, today we…read moreUber eats and order the house special which was the oxtail, the 2nd order was the Smother Pork-chop. Both orders have included 3 sides dish's too a lot of FOOD. We also order the peach cobbler....Okey here's our rating 1. Low to 10 high 1. The Oxtails great taste score 8.75 2. Smother Pork-chop. score 8 3. Mashed potato. score 4 4. Mac & cheese. score 5.75 5. Steam cabbage. score 6 6. Rice and gravy. score 6 7. Sweet potatoes. score 7 8. Peach cobbler score neg -10 (They forgot our peach cobbler. What a bummer) Total cost of this meal was $62.99 Bottom line, you have to make the decision to go or not. the next time we are in Houston- go to the restaurants d don't order the meal with Uber eats.

Photos
Menu
Menu
Chicken wings - still have hair on skin.
Chicken wings - still have hair on skin.
Oxtails Dinner

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Oxtails Dinner
Esther's Cajun Café & Soul Food

Esther's Cajun Café & Soul Food

3.6
(663 reviews)
15.4 mi
$$

compliments to the chef aren't enough i need to french kiss them…read more Whatever you order here, you will not regret it. I think both of us touched heaven eating our meals-- and there was enough for leftovers

The food at Esther's was absolutely delicious! I honestly didn't realize how huge the portions were…read more-- you can literally share a meal. The restaurant itself was also very clean and well kept. However, the staff could definitely improve on friendliness. There was no welcome, no smiles, and the cashier looked upset the entire time. At one point an employee came up to her and they were both snapping at each other, which is not the best first impression for new customers. You guys are first point of contact when we come in, please improve this. Also... the tea?! Guys, this was some of the BEST tea ever! So how do you run out of tea?! I do want to give special recognition to the bus lady. She was extremely attentive, constantly on her feet making sure everyone was taken care of. She kept our waters filled, checked on us often, and overall gave amazing customer service. Even when she had to tell us there was no more tea, she was still so kind and helpful. Honestly, she's the reason we would come back. The front line staff... not so much. 3 stars for the server, line cashier but 5 stars go to Ms Lupe!

Photos
Bar
Bar
Mac and Cheese
Mac and Cheese
Veggie Combo: Mac N Cheese, Red Beans, fried Okra, and cornbread with Peach Cobbler

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Veggie Combo: Mac N Cheese, Red Beans, fried Okra, and cornbread with Peach Cobbler
Lucille's

Lucille's

3.9
(2.1k reviews)
19.1 mi
$$

When I walked in, I loved the atmosphere and the way they kept the old look of building giving it a…read moremodern twist. It made me feel like I took a trip back in time where community was strong, food was made with love and the table was where everyone caught up on life. There is a full bar and is a steady but not overwhelming crowd for Friday brunch. It was our first time and went to celebrate my mom's birthday. Mimi was our server and she was AMAZING. Because there are no pictures on the menu, she gave very detailed visual descriptions of the meals we were interested in. She did not steer us wrong. We ordered the kids burger, catfish and grits with shredded oxtail and chicken and waffles. All exceeded the expectation and left us with full bellies. The portions are larger than normal but not too much where there is waste or leftovers (at least for us). The waffles are sweet potato and they were very tasty. I'm not a fan of sweet potato waffles because many times they are grainy-like and the texture isn't pleasing. However, these waffles were light and perfectly cooked. It came with bourbon maple pecan syrup that complimented the flavor of the waffle. The chicken and catfish were fried to perfection and the oxtail was tender. It's a pricier place for brunch. We didn't mind because we were celebrating mom's birthday. I will definitely return for a trip to the bar and for the food for special occasions. Overall, 10 out of 10.

Honestly wasn't very impressed. I think it had a lot to do with the experience. Don't eat at the…read morebar. Get a table if you're going to eat here. Apparently this place prefers you make reservations. Food was good but lacking for the price point we paid. I get it, there's costs associated with running a restaurant. But it was lackluster. Croissant French toast tasted like pan toasted croissant with a dust of powdered sugar. Oxtail omelette needed more cheese and more than 3 strands of pickled onion to give it balance and dimension. People come to restaurants to have a good experience but it was just strange vibes tbh with the staff complaining and venting to each other. Don't do it in front of the customers.... It's not a good look. Also not cool how the server/bartender preselected for us what percentage for us to tip on the tablet. Anchoring like that's not going to make us want to give you any bigger of a tip. Just feels like they see you as a walking moneybag. I feel conflicted writing this because I know we're all human just doing our jobs and getting through the day, but this was my experience.

Photos
Brunch time
Brunch time
Braised Oxtails over Mashed Potatoes
Braised Oxtails over Mashed Potatoes
French kiss + Hold 'em

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French kiss + Hold 'em
Viola & Agnes' Neo Soul Cafe

Viola & Agnes' Neo Soul Cafe

4.3
(1.1k reviews)
42.3 mi
$$

I came on a Sunday and had a really nice experience. We started with the pretzel and crab rangoon…read moredip and it was perfect! A large, soft, salty pretzel and creamy, decadent dip made this app a 10/10. Then we tried a couple of cups of gumbo which had the best roux I have ever tasted... Another 10!!! I could just order a pretzel and a bowl of gumbo and be completely satisfied with my meal here. For our mains we got the sticky chicken and fried catfish. Sticky chicken was a little sweet for my taste 7/10 and the catfish was perfect, another 10/10. The sides were good but the jalapeno blueberry coleslaw stole the show. If you're ever in the area this restaurant is a must try! They'll be moving to a new location soon and I hope it has the same cozy feel as this original location.

This was my third visit and my last. The wait today wasn't more than 45 minutes. I do recall the…read moregnats previously but it seems to be a out of control issue, even ROACHES. A small one crawling on the wall near our table and someone from my party saw a larger one crawling near the kitchen. And boy was it stuffy in there. I asked our waitress if she could move a floor fan near for some relief and to detour the gnats, she said she go ask but she never came back and when she did she completely forgot my request. We weren't seated in the greater eating area where it was cooler and maybe where the gnats were less of a bother. The food was delicious and homemade, you can tell it was made with high quality ingredients and that Southern skill that you can only get from helping Grandma in the kitchen. BUT the roaches made us lose our appetite. Such a shame. It seemed like the building went down. They don't seem to put as much effort into the condition of that place as they do the food. Dusty ceiling fans and crummy floors. I appreciate the homey vibe but it looked really junky, more stuff piled in unoccupied corners as before. I gave a lot of things the side eye, I mean it there has to be maintained asthetic. They charged an 18% gratuity on my tab for a party of 8 but I arrived with 4 people, the other 4 had already been there, paid and was almost done with their meal. Then of course the cashier/waitress still mentioned an additional, optional tip. I didn't think that was fair. At the end of it all she wasn't the best waitress.

Photos
The bar area
The bar area
Viola & Agnes' Neo Soul Cafe
Pork grinds

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Pork grinds

Mama Ru's Kitchen - soulfood - Updated July 2026

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