The place is a cozy, older styled southern restaurant with lots of charm. The waitress we had - I cannot remember her name - was extraordinary and took such good care of my family and I. Three out of four of us had ordered the hamburger steaks and while we waited our waitress checked in on us, refilled drinks multiple times, and kept updating her with the status of our order. We ended up waiting for about 30 minutes when our waitress came back and informed us that the kitchen failed to communicate that they were actually completely out of hamburger steaks. She was super apologetic, asked if there was anything else we wanted, and immediately offered compensation for the issue. We all ordered something else and she got the order in as quickly as possible, came back to check in on us some more, and got her manager to comp one of our meals and some pies for us. The food came out maybe 20 minutes later and everything was hot and fresh. The fried okra was SO GOOD and the chicken was basically falling off the bone. The toast, as seen in the picture, got a little burnt, but my husband had no complaints when he ate it. Overall, our meals were great, the pies were delicious, and the customer service form the waitresses and manager was phenomenal. The being said, this restaurant would 100% be 5 stars for me had the kitchen been communicating with the waitresses. However, they did not and it caused so much unnecessary issues for the waitresses and caused a long wait time for food during my families visit. All in all, this place is worth the try especially for the price point! read more

Mary's Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Outstanding for what it is! Nothing fancy, just good home cooking at a reasonable price. Good size portions, and friendly staff!

Lovely Southern style home cooked meals. My fave grilled catfish with mash potatoes & gravy, green beans small size is perfect for light dinner. Highly recommended! read more

Mary's Kitchen - Pie section - Southern Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Love this place, been here probably 20 times when I lived in the area. You can tell it's local and made on site as the bbq sauce and the other sauces have different flavor and heat depending on who made it and what day. They are famous for their desserts and their bbq is pretty tasty. I recommend anyone looking for good Florida BBQ to stop here. Be careful at your table sometimes as they don't always wipe them down well, which means BBQ sauce will get on your shirt. read more

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This is probably the closest I've been able to get to my grandmas cooking. It's a small mom and pop restaurant but it's mighty. The service is amazing read more

Nope, I'll never come back. I wanted a few bites off my brothers plate and the waitress said, there will be an upcharge to share. I was going to pick the pork chop up and take a bite off of it. I didn't get an extra plate or silverware. The owners GREED at its worse!!! Mary's kitchen is in Florida and it is so dark and gloomy in here. The sun is so bright right now too. The waitress was so sweet. She was so apologetic that her boss is so money hungry. read more

Mary's Kitchen - Pork chop turnips, and butter beans - Southern Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Real food cooked by real people. Truly a throw back to an earlier time. Highly recommended.

We ate here and the server had a bad attitude like we were bothering her. The food is greasy but is fair hence 2 stars. They are very expensive for country cooking, I'd suggest Golden Corral over this place. It's very dark inside you do good to read the menu. They also charge 4% for using charge card and this is not mention when paying and you can't read receipt until you go outside due to darkness. I will not be back. Their buis license is also 3 years past due and county has not closed them down also read about all the health issues they have had. read more

Good country food. A lot of choices on the menu and great daily specials. The desserts are amazing. If you don't think you'll have room for dessert, I would recommend starting with dessert here because you don't want to miss out on their desserts. read more

Don't overlook this place the food and service was wonderful. We had plenty of pork chops. Catfish and a burger. It was fried to perfection my cheese grits was surely cooked right. We would certainly come back read more

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The fried fish was good. Really great cheeseburger and the onion rings and ranch were amazing. Sweet tea was on point! Also enjoyed the blueberry cheesecake. Friendly service! read more

This place is a slice of heaven!! I was in for a quick day trip and happened upon this place and it was exactly what I needed!! DELICIOUS food and the sweetest servers!! Highly recommend!y soul feels good leaving here! read more

Mary's Kitchen - Catfish - Southern Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

We had lunch here after church one morning with the family, and I was skeptical. But to my pleasant surprise, not only were the staff very kind and welcoming, but the food was great too! Nothing crazy, with a very simple menu and a classic selection to choose from, makes it easy to pick what you want. Great prices, family comfortable atmosphere, Mary's is a great place to her lunch or dinner! read more

This place is great. I ordered the fried chicken tenders. The chicken was so tasty. It came with Mac and cheese and bake beans. Both sides were great. The service was great. I loved the coziness of the atmosphere. read more

Mary's Kitchen - Fried chicken tenders - Southern Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Food was good Southern Homestyle. We had Beef tips over rice, hamburger steak, pulled pork, and chicken tender salad. Everyone was pleased with their food. Sides were solid comfort food, okra, corn, and beans. We had the key lime and pecan pie. Both were good. Service was very good. Atmosphere is country diner at its finest. Great jewel amongst all the seafood in FWB. read more

I forgot to get pictures but the food here was pretty good... I got the beef tips w/rice.. Mac and cheese and mashed potatoes... The gravy was so good and the Mac and cheese was baked perfectly the meat was a very good textured.. I was worried I get some chewy fat pieces but they were all meaty... however it wasn't seasoned well.. the mashed potatoes weren't seasoned either. My partner got pork chops and green beans.. the pork chops were fried really good but again the green beans were generic and lacking seasoning. We both got cornbread and it was ok.. I'd eat here again but probably bring my own seasoning lol side note.. I hate the long table cloth. read more

Mary whoever she is ought to be proud! Have not eaten here in 5 years. Still great meat and 3 place. Good selection, great food and awesome service. If you are in the area go check it out read more

Amazing southern comfort food here! We had the catfish, chicken tenders and porktato. Everything was excellent. The catfish was fired perfectly. The tartar sauce was good. And the hush puppies were amazing! The fries were good too. Ranch is made in house. (Anyone who reads my reviews knows this is important to me.) The chicken tenders were chunks of real breast meat, fried to perfection. The porktato (pulled pork on a potato) was good too. The pulled pork could have had a little more smoke flavor and bark. If you go, you have to get a slice of their pie. I had the key lime. It was the best key lime I had all week in the Destin/Fort Walton area. It actually had some zing to it. Seems like a lot of restaurants are making a weak key lime to cater to tourists. I like it zesty! read more

Mary's Kitchen - Catfish dinner. - Southern Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

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Always top notch! This restaurant has a classic diner feel and everything is always spot on! read more

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Good old home cooking. Consistently taste great! Service is still sweet personable waitresses. Pam especially!! Not much on ambiance, but the food and service is so good, you can overlook that :) Husband gets catfish regularly, and I love the fried chicken tenders. Be sure to ask for the Ranch dip. That's homemade, too. read more

This place is SOOO good. We came in on a busy Monday lunch (full House) and we were sat immediately! We ordered the chicken fried steak and WOW it was so good. Our server was very sweet and speedy our food was our 5 min after we sat down. We will be coming back for sure! Sweet tea was great too! read more

the best chik and dumplings weve had since my mom passedhighly for those who love southern cooking

A local secret. Mary's has good old home cooking at great prices. I have tried many of the daily specials including the BBQ, chops, chicken, but the catfish is awesome. I was not much of a catfish eater but I dream of May's catfish. The deserts are always a treat to take home as the meals are always fulfilling. read more

Really don't understand how this place has 4 stars the food literally doesn't taste like anything at all they didn't season not one fucking thing I should of knew it was trash when I came in and it was full of all old people literally everything was bland read more

Mary's Kitchen - Baked chicken fried green tomatoes turnip greens mashed potatoes grilled chicken sandwich & French fries - Southern Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

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Miss Angela is the sweetest and the best server we have had anywhere period. We love coming in to Marys. I love the grilled shrimp, green beans, and cheese grits. Try all the sides you can. Always a pleasurable experience and the food is always hot and yummy. read more

Mary's Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

THE.FRIED.PORK.CHOPS. Have them and have them as soon as possible. Something that tasty is bound to be taken off the menu. So I am from out of state and and was in town for work. I first tried Mary's Kitchen in August of 2020 towards the end of my assignment. Had I known what a taste delight awaited with those those pork chops. I should be punished for waiting so long to visit. Now that I have returned for some additional work, I'm not passing up the opportunity to miss out on those fried pork chops. I actually stopped for lunch on my way into town on Day 1! The exterior of these pork chops It have a perfect crunch to the breading and the FLAVOR! OMG, the flavor is just mouth watering good. A slightly briny taste that enhances the flavor of the two pork chops. That's right...two pork chops! There is the single pork chop option, but really, after having two pork chops, you would just tear up at the thought of a single pork chop. Then the sides. All were very good. I had some good crunchy fried okra, well seasoned green beans, and mashed potatoes with brown gravy. A big glass of sweet iced tea and I was in Nirvana! And all this for $12.20. Great value for a most excellent lunch. I find it a necessity to go beyond in my recommendation of Mary's Kitchen in Fort Walton Beach. read more

Mary's Kitchen - Oh those fried well seasoned Pork chops at Mary's Kitchen This was on my second visit after my original review. - Southern Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but oh my goodness, the food is amazing! Hubby was hungry for some catfish, and I wanted almost anything else.... Mary's kitchen has a little bit for everyone! I had the country fried steak, and it was super yummy, the Mac and cheese is made from scratch!! He obviously had the catfish, which he loved. Sooooo much food that we sadly didn't have any room for any of their amazing pies This is our new favorite hole in the wall restaurant!!! read more

My hope is we caught this restaurant on a really ad, bad day. Nothing was a winner for us read more

Mary's Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Pandemic review: Visiting from California, first time visiting this establishment. and the staff here are very nice. And the place is clean and setup for social distancing. We purchased take out, I ordered the hamburger steak, and my wife ordered the fried pickles (not pictured). The food here was delicious. Next time we visit Ft. Walton, I definitely will stop by again and will try the catfish. read more

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When I think of southern hospitality, I think of Mary's Kitchen. The service and the people here treat you like family, and are always happy to see you. I see a lot of regulars here, as they're always hugging and recognizing the servers! The food here is decent, but very filling and gives you the sense of being at home--comfort food. I always love coming in Mondays to grab the country friend steak, one of their best dishes. It's always a good experience to be here, and the people make it better. read more

Oh my gosh! HOMECOOKED food, big portions but be sure to leave room for the best fresh made pies ever! Affordable prices and the waitress was the best!!! Highly recommend stopping in! read more

My second time eating here and it did not disappoint. The baked chicken was tender and juicy, best I can remember eating. The Mac and cheese as well as the fried okra was excellent. My wife also enjoyed the baked chicken and the mash potatoes and gravy were excellent! She also had collard greens and I took her word for it that they were also very good. We finished with key lime pie and it was very good, could use a bit more tang, but I like mine with a kick! Some places fail in the sweet tea department but there's was great! Can't go wrong here for meat and three! Also from my previous visit the country fried steak is also excellent! Enjoy! read more

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Absolutely wonderful...I love ribs and I never tasted good smoked ribs before, until now. Best service and friendly environment.

They are soo kind but the food just wasn't good to me. I didn't like anything. Corn bread had no flavor, the mac n cheese looked and tasted weird. read more

Whenever I'm looking for a home cooked meal that I know will hit the spot I go to Mary's kitchen

Waited forever for them to replenish food. Mediocre food Service ok Went for fried chicken... not good quality. read more

Had the combo plate with chicken and pulled pork it was awesome. Everyone's food was amazing. Great customer service and our server was so sweet. Definitely recommend read more

Tasty food and family friendly. The blueberry cheesecake pie is the best I've had. For dinner I had the beef tip with mash potatoes. Delicious! read more

We flew into Destin for vacation and hit this spot twice. It was the perfect beginning to our trip as well as the perfect ending. The food is made to absolute perfection. I'm not a big catfish eater but the fried catfish at this location hits every southern food spot. Every single thing we ate tasted so good, the portion sizes were huge for the price. I wasn't able to finish my meals both times I went. The pork chops were fried to perfection and the Mac and cheese was so creamy and good. I'm not a fan of okra but the fried okra was so good, I ordered it twice!! We ordered the ribs, fried pork chops, fried catfish, burger, and pulled pork. The ribs and pulled pork were so sweet and tasty and melted in our mouth. Also the service here is immaculate. We had Miss Rose and Miss Pam helping us out the two times we were there and they were so extremely sweet and helped us out a bunch!! If I could fly out to Destin just to eat at this place again then I would!! I will most definitely be craving their food!! read more

Mary's Kitchen - Fried regular catfish (boneless), Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, hushpuppies - Southern Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

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Absolutely delicious Good old homestyle country Cookin delicious meals great prices prices are fabulous