I've been dying to get to this spot after seeing the mouth-watering pics on the FB RVA Dine & Drink group. Finally was close enough to that part of town to justify the detour and it was well worth it. First, the people were super friendly and welcoming. I think it may have been Ms. Girlee herself up front for a minute thanking us for coming in and telling us about some homemade applesauce she had just made. It was a lovely gesture and one that I will remember. We ordered a chicken sandwich, gizzards, greens, and yams to go. All of it was super delicious when we got it home. This place lives up to the hype. I'll be back to try more. read more

so I stumbled across the restaurant as I was on a roadtrip. I must say all the food that we ordered was great. we had no complaints at all the service was the best I've had in a long time too. make sure no matter what you purchase to add the cornbread to your order. the smothered pork chops were to die for and all the plates had a large amount of food, not to mention the great price of the food too. if you have t been there you should go and I'm a fellow chef so I do critique everything I eat from others. I wish I had take pictures because it looked as good as it tasted. read more

I had such high hopes. only until my experience today I had heard great things Ordered smothered porkchop with greens and mashed potatoes for myself and meatloaf with cabbage and mashed potatoes (tbd as the consumer not yet home) Nothing special not as seasoned as I hoped, greens are tough. The cornbread is just ok. Pork chops are dry and stringy. I so wanted her establishment to hit the mark for me, sadly it was missed read more

I always said that if I didn't I have a good review to post that I wouldn't post anything. However, after craving soul food and decided to switch things up I purchased smothered pork chops, meat loaf, collards, mash potatoes and macaroni n cheese. TRASH, trash and TRASH! The macaroni was like soup, the meatloaf was not a loaf at all; soggy as hell and light skinned‍. The greens were mushy. I even tried to put the meats in the oven with salt, pepper but nothing helped. I'm a 42 year old foodie and I will NEVER eat there again in life. I rather do prison time! On a good note, I think their seafood such as shrimp and fish are their specialty. So try that but definitely not the soul food. read more

Heard great things from this place so we had to stop by. Ordered the fried chicken dinner, the seafood combo and banana pudding. Everything was amazing. We could eat the 'that sauce' on everything. Also staff was super friendly. We will def be back!! read more

Just like everyone says, I hate that it's taken so long to go to this amazing place! My partner got the pork chop sandwich and fries and was so happy with how huge the sandwich was! Coincidentally the other three of us got the gov'ment road combo and it was amazing!!! Well portioned and everything was crunchy and fresh (we live about fifteen minutes away). We also added yams, macaroni, and bread pudding. All very well seasoned and worth the extra cost to add a side. We didn't see any desserts other than bread pudding online but we DID see some inside so we are definitely gonna come back for that !! and of course love the online ordering! (as a note, the hot sauce came on top already!) read more

See all

Got the steak and cheese with fries and a side of greens. The food was not hot. The fries are not fresh cut as it says on the menu. The steak and cheese was nothing special, and the greens had no seasoning at all. My husband had a combo with fish, shrimp, and chicken with the same fries. The food is nothing special. You can fix better at home. read more

I ordered Ms. Girlee's recently and it was delicious! I got the smothered pork chops, mac & cheese, yams, mashed potatoes, and cornbread (don't judge me, I'm pregnant!). The smothered pork chops were super savory and tasty and the onion gravy tasted EXACTLY the way smothered onion gravy should taste. The chops weren't "fall off the bone" tender, but they were tender enough. The yams and mac & cheese had a great texture. The cornbread is sweet and tastes like cake --just the way I like my southern cornbread. Nothing was overly sweet or salty - just simple, good soul food. I would definitely order from them again and try other things on the menu and am looking forward to coming back! read more

I usually don't do updates of my reviews, but special circumstances definitely call for exceptions. Not long after posting my original review of this establishment, I was contacted by Helen (the owner) who deeply apologized for the mishap with my delivery order. She also invited me to come check out their Sunday brunch (on the house) to make up for it. I decided to take Helen up on her offer and ventured into downtown Richmond one Sunday afternoon. Afterwards, I was very happy that I did and decided to do an updated review. For starters this place was not very easy to find at first and I drove past it a few times before finding it. But for the uninitiated, it is located on 5th Street between Grace and Franklin Streets (right across from the John Marshall Hotel). I should also add that 5th Street is a one-way street going southward and I had to circle around a few times before finding a place to park on the street. Also, the restaurant doesn't look like much from the outside with the tinted windows and a small sign reading "Ms. Girlie's". Once I walked in, the place looked like an old nightclub and nothing I would expect from a restaurant. But all those concerns quickly vanished when I was greeted by Helen who offered me a table and something to drink. Then I helped myself to the buffet where the good times began. The buffet was set up in the back and there was a lot to choose from. There was a gentleman cooking omelets and offered me one. I opted for a veggie omelet, which he cooked and brought to my table a few minutes later. The omelet was somewhat small, but that was a good thing since there were so many other great options to choose from on the buffet. I sampled the collard greens, sweet potatoes, green beans, spare ribs, crab cakes, mac & cheese, pot roast and a few other items. I have to say that all of the food was absolutely terrific and definitely had that home-cooked taste. The collard greens didn't seem as salty this time as they had been on my delivery order and I could enjoy them more (even without the vinegar). The mac&cheese was made with penne pasta (something new to me), but it was still very cheesy and so delicious. The ribs were very tasty and tender with the meat falling off of the bone. But my favorite item on the brunch were the crab cakes. These things were sooo delicious and bursting with flavor that I would have eaten them all day long if I could. Really, they were THAT good (Helen later told me that the crab cakes were one of their popular items and I couldn't disagree with that). There was also a gentleman walking around with some fried whiting fillets who came to my table and offered me one. I accepted and found the fish to be as delicious as the other items on the buffet. After getting my fill from the buffet, I got some bread pudding from the dessert table which was very good as well. In addition to the great food, I was also treated to some live entertainment. During my meal, a gentleman with a guitar got up on a small side stage and treated the diners to some music. He mainly did some acoustic covers of old Motown songs as well as great rendition of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" (which I thought was superb). I should also add that all of the people working here were very friendly and it definitely created a warm atmosphere. That's not something you see a lot of in restaurants these days. But Ms Girlie's is simply great, friendly folks serving up some wonderful Southern cooking. I left there from my meal very full and happy again that I took Helen up on her invitation and I would definitely encourage everyone to check them out. The fact that the owner read and responded to my original review really shows how much she cares about making her customers feel good (which is really important in today's competitive restaurant industry). Their restaurant hours are pretty limited though. Aside from the Sunday brunch, they are only open during lunch hours on Thursday and Friday. But that is because they also have a side catering business which takes up the rest of their time. Still, if you can manage to catch a meal here when they are open I'd highly recommend it. I'm definitely bumping up my rating to five stars after this awesome experience. read more

See all

Went here for Sun brunch and without knowing end up at a poetic brunch special with a DJ thsat played hip hop from the early 2000 late 1990s and a artist that was just painting. It was a awesome experience and the food was DELICIOUS everything on that brunch buffet was sooo worth the money and it even included the drinks and the coffee was even good. I will definitely be coming back and I recommend anyone who is in the area to come in for the food and environment . I do advise to call because they are currently at a temporary location then the regular address but the temporary venue is huge . This is one of my new favorite sun brunch spots and would highly recommend it. read more

We ate a sampling of their menu during a catering tasting. All items were wonderful but the crabcakes and baked chicken stood out as great. We also just think it's great that this restaurant gives back to the community through meal donation. It has definitely been added to our list of "stop throughs" while driving on I-95 :) read more

Ms Girlee's is worth the drive from anywhere in Richmond and the surrounding areas. The fried chicken was seasoned perfectly, all the way to the bone. The ribs fell off the bone before you could even pick them up, so juicy and tender. The mashed potatoes were almost as good as my own and the Mac and cheese was a smash hit. The staff are inviting. We can't wait to go back and try more. read more

The green beans are literally from a can. The Mac and cheese tasted like fake cheese sauce. They don't use real cheese or if they do, it definitely doesn't taste like it. The special sauce is pretty tasty. I should have listened to the other bad reviews before wasting my money. read more

Was recommend to try this place from a co-worker for a holiday work function. Food was okay but I did not expect to have penne noodles served to us for the mac n cheese, which was disappointing. There were some other minor issues, overall the food was okay but will not be reordering again. read more

Ms. Girlee is just great and her food is even better. I had the fish sandwich for lunch and it was a generous portion.

I ordered the fried chicken, Mac and cheese, cabbage, and yams. The best part of the meal was the chicken and corn bread. I understand everybody can't make mac and cheese but it wasn't close to being good. They should consider removing it. The cabbage had a weird taste like it was heated up in a Styrofoam. The yams were watery and a little hard read more

MS Girlees new location is awesome! I had the crab cake sandwhich, my husband had the fish sandwich and my sister had the shrimp PO boy. All were very good! Each sandwich is a generous portion along with fries. The crab cake was full of crab and no fillers. My husband said the fish sandwich was the best he ever had! Definately check out MS Girlees!! read more

This was an awful experience! We arrived and were seated at a dirty table. The food was not prepared and had to wait for an extended amount of time. When it was time to pay the server took our checks back to add gratuity since the previous patron didn't add a tip. I will not be returning . read more

This female boss who answer the phone today is rude ! I made a call asking question about the restaurant information , she hung up on me ! Because she didn't feel like answering question ! read more

We visited Ms Girlees for the first time today and could not have been happier. As soon as we walked in we were greeting by several people and felt so welcome. We ordered the steak and cheese, shrimp po-boy, shush-puppies, macaroni and cheese, and greens. Everything was incredible!!! A family was sitting next to us that had driven 82 miles for their first visit for the mother's birthday. The owner played a birthday song and personally brought out homemade banana pudding for the table, that looked incredible. I will recommend this place to anyone and can't wait to go back. I'll be dreaming about the greens for months to come!!! read more

A month ago a few of my co-workers heard about a new black-owned restaurant and wanted to venture try it out in February. Upon entry, we were greeted by the owner, Helen. She seated us and we proceeded to review the menu and order our meals. When our meals came they were cold however we did not complain. Fast forward to TODAY, 3/10/17. Someone else in the group who was not able to attend the first gathering heard about this establishment, Ms. Girlee's. The previous birthday girl was so in love with pork chops (even though they were cold she said they were great) that she convinced our other friend that we should visit again. We called ahead and asked for a reservation for 7 people. When we arrived (on-time) our table was arranged and 'reserved' cards were placed to hold our seats. The server came over gave us two of their menus (for a table of 7 people). She then proceeded to leave for minutes at a time and then returned to take our drink order. The drinks came fairly quickly and after another 6-8 minutes she returned to take our food order. The only option on the menu was a $15 three course meal (dessert as the third course). When I asked about the dessert, the waitress responded by saying "she just put the dessert in the oven right as we walked in and she didn't know if it would be ready in time." My thoughts and comments to my neighboring co-worker were "so we are going to pay $15 for three courses but only get two courses? HMMMM." We continued to chat and wait but the waiting continued without our first course (soups and salads). We sat for one hour without any food. After an hour, the two new people who were excited to try this establishment needed to get back to work. We are only allotted one hour for lunch. They approached the server to ask how much longer the food would take and she responded in a very rude tone that she 'did not know.' They paid for their drinks and decided to leave to head back to work. Five of us remained and proceeded to wait 15 additional minutes at which point 3 of us decided to leave. Two decided to stay and wait a little longer as they both wanted the pork chops again. As three of us walked out the owner Helen followed us in a very strange but defensive manner. We engaged with her, explaining that our experience was unacceptable. She proceeded to explain that it was 'Black Restaurant Week' and they are expecting 10,000 people. I responded to her advising that we came out to support black business. I told her that she should have planned according. Everything my colleagues and I said was matched with an excuse from losing 10 servers a month to they are overwhelmed to she quit her job to open up this business. With each excuse my respect and interest level dropped to the point where she ended the conversation with "all I can say is I apologize." There wasn't an attempt correct this situation, offer us a free meal or how she planned to do better. We later learned that after speaking with us outside the owner did not go back to table (where the last two members of our group were still sitting) and attempt to rectify the situation with an apology, an attempt to look into what was going on with their order, nothing. They later told us that the server returned and told them that she would personally go back to the kitchen and make their salads but she never returned; forcing them to get up and leave the establishment. I am BEYOND DISAPPOINTED. Second time WAS NOT a charm, the disappointment continued on the second visit and in fact it topped by initial bad experience. Supporting black businesses is important but please get a plan to help yourself. Make the extra effort to do your research, train your staff and be consistent. Make a believer out of people who doubt you. One person in our group who was persuaded to go there for her birthday lunch gathering and she didn't even have the opportunity to taste her food. DO NOT GO THERE UNLESS you have time on your hands and don't care about wasting your time with people who aren't fully committed to the business where they work. Black restaurant week isn't the time or the place to flub. People of all races are venturing out to promote small business and then waste their money at places like this. Totally disappointing!!! My suggestion to the owner: · shut down your restaurant for intense housekeeping training or · hire additional staff to help you run your business, · Revisit your business plan · Remember your core values and mission you are seeking to · Listen to you customer complaints do not make excuses · Invest in a business model and business advisor, one who can direct you and your staff on organizational development · Plan, plan, and plan some more. Remember the 6Ps of life (prior planning prevents piss poor performance) read more

A small southern spot. Decor was more of a diner feel. The Sunday buffet was ok. The waitress didn't even know how much the price was when we asked her. There was a live musician this particular Sunday. Decent entertainment while enjoying dinner. While eating felt like I was at a church reception. As I checked in on yelp it gave me a 15% discount option, when showed to the waiter, they did not acknowledge as they said it was old. Although the food was good, not sure if I would visit again. read more

Bottom line: I enjoyed the food. If that was all that really mattered than there would not be much to review. The location is good as I don't mind having to walk a couple blocks from the public parking area. Staff was helpful and kept our drinks full and tables clear to make room for more. The team seemed to be organized enough to handle the Mother's Day Brunch crowd. Upon entry, it's so very dim and the atmosphere is more cafeteria style. I believe it was a set menu for the brunch buffet and I liked the selection, they had items that appealed to my picky 8 yr old and that's not easy to do. I would have liked to see more of a selection for dessert as there were only 2 or 3 different mystery cakes already sliced sitting in the side corner available for anyone pick at. I am looking forward to giving this place another try for the all you can eat seafood special. read more

We ordered take-out for lunch for our department. To say this place was delicious is an understatement! Our department as a whole raved about the super tasty, flavorful dish. You cannot go wrong with anything you pick at Ms Girlee's!!! They know how to cook amazing food! Do yourself a favor and go here to eat. P.S. I would bathe in the mac and cheese!! read more

I was expecting a restaurant atmosphere, but it is located in an old dark night club. I'm not sure that the burners under the chafing dishes were ignited, because the food was not hot. The chicken and fish was tasteless as it was not well seasoned. I must say the crab cakes were tasty, but they were more like crab bites. They split them up into pieces. The wait staff was not trained properly. The waitress was forgetful, and she never refilled our drinks. I'm guessing they hired family members. If our waitress was working for tips she would be broke. I will not be going to Ms. Girlies again. read more

If you like down home, soulful cooking, plenty of bold flavor, and service with a smile.... You will love all of what Ms Girlee's will provide! Nothing cheap about the buffet style setting...The care and quality that goes into the dishes are top notch! If you like seafood you're in luck as its by far their specialty. The crab cakes are fresh and made to order, just as the omelettes and waffles. Serous-Serious flavors people! And don't forget to try the best salmon you will ever have! Another great highlight were the shrimp and grits, in addition to the deep sultry taste of the collard greens! Both made these city-folk embrace and appreciate the warmth of southern hospitality. If we could nit pick, we'd like to see just a bit more flavor with the fried chicken. With that said, it was crispy on the outside and juicy on inside... That's how your fried chicken should be!! In addition, it would have been great to have a lil more balance such as some fresh fruit, salads, etc to lighten your plate some... But Ms Girlee's kitchen is well worth the break in your diet!! The one and only true damper we had was the dark and cold feel of the rented night club location. Once this place takes off (and it will!!!), a place that equals the home feel of the food will make this establishment into a soul food staple in Richmond cuisine! In conclusion, if you miss sunday dinners with your family, hugs from your grandma after you've cleaned your plate, and just great wholesome food.... Ms Girlee is the absolute place for you to try! Bring your appetite and your family because the food is plentyful, rich, and what its meant to be... Down home! read more

The best time I have had in a long time. Great Food. Great Service. Great Music. Definately worth the money. I will be back.

Do yourself a favor and eat here! You won't be sorry. The food is amazingly great! It is true southern cuisine prepared to perfection. The staff is super friendly and it's like going to your grandma house for a feel good meal. EVERYTHING is good here. There is no bad dish. That is hard to do. My family and I had the brunch buffet and everything on the buffet was good. That's unheard of. Usually there are a few good dishes and the rest is filler. This buffet doesn't believe in that philosophy. EVERYTHING was amazing! read more

Food was very good for shrimp buffet service louse you had to go get a waitress for beverages and silverware only saw her ONCE refills of waterdid it myself had to hunt a waitress down to pay check horrible horrible service read more

Great service great food not really kid friendly that's why I gave 4 stars. It's the old paradise lounge. So plenty of space and the servers all had great attitudes. Hope you can enjoy as I have. Keep up the good work. read more

Hey Miss Girlee this is Cindy Killen. We are coming up on Brent and Meghan's first anniversary and thinking back on what a beautiful day it was. Thank you so much for everything you did to make that day enjoyable. The food was awesome just like we expected it to be and we ate a lot of leftovers after the wedding in the hotel room. Thank you thank you thank you I'm sure you'll go on to cater many more weddings and make them perfect also. read more

I visited this Resturant on Mother's Day. It was a sad end to an otherwise great day with family. The buffet provided limited variety and was dismantled while we attempted to plate our meals. The plates were wet some still had food on them. There were several parties in the restaurant who received platters of food (family style)carry out boxes and what appeared to be very special service ; however my party did not receive the accommodations. In fact we were given a plate of crab legs which were cold, unseasoned and possibly under-cooked. I'm uncertain what was going on because the cook appeared exhausted as he sat in the dinning area enjoying a cold beer. Food was subpar & the decor was vintage yard sale. Save yourself some trouble & go elsewhere! read more

I've ordered lunch to-go from Ms. Girlee's several times before I went for a dine-in experience. Long story short, my first experience wasn't so great. However, after speaking with the owner, who was very gracious and apologetic, invited my party to come back for a re-try. This time, the food was a lot better however, I've come to the conclusion that the dine-in experience here just isn't the most enjoyable one. The atmosphere isn't so welcoming and it seems like there is always either a mechanical issue or the buffet items aren't replenished at a reasonable pace. The food is great and I'll continue to order lunches to-go in the future, but I'm not sure if I'll be back for another dine-in meal. read more

so, I usually do not write reviews but I often read them to get feedback on other diner reviews. So me and a few of my friends decided to try the Sunday brunch after reading the mixed reviews and looking at the delicious pictures on the restaurant's social media page. The brunch buffet is $20 per person which isn't bad for brunch. When we arrived, we walked in a dark, cold, poor lit space.I don't believe this is a fully functioning restaurant, as others have said in the review, its more of a church reception hall space that has a lack luster bar that had 4 bottles of alcohol. It wasn't that cold out but was very cold in the restaurant to the point that our jackets had to be put back on. So we are seated, for one, my chair was wobbly and seemed as if I was going to fall any minute. There was no drink menu, just a few drink options that the waitress told us was available but had to go and confirm prices and what was in the drinks, there was no mimosa included with the buffet or any other drink option included. So, lets get to the food, the breakfast selection was lacking, the breakfast food was cold or either room temp or extremely hot depending on what you picked up, it was a toss up. I think its due to the fact that party burners are used to keep the food warm which works well for a party at home but not a full fledge restaurant serving a breakfast buffet, the burners kept going out which would explain the differing temp of the food. The crab cakes were very salty and very fishy tasting. The grits was a good consistency but had a strange pungent taste to them that I couldn't figure out what was in it to make it taste that way. The waffles was bland and cold, the bacon and sausage and the breakfast potatoes was decent. The made to order omelets were bland and lacking any kind of flavor. I must say, the one piece of cornbread that you get was amazing! it was thick, soft and sweet. However, the cornbread is not on the buffet but brought to the table, one per person.The lunch items was a let down, the greens was not cut properly, very big pieces and was bitter tasting. the cabbage was bland and tasted like water, the fried chicken had big pieces of feathers sticking out the chicken so it never made it to my plate. The pot roast did not have gravy but was sitting in juice, the carrots that was in the pot roast were either too mushy or too crunchy depending on what piece you picked up. The pot roast had no flavor at all. All in all, I was very disappointed that I spent $20 for the quality of food that I had, the service was also bad, our plates wasn't consistently cleared nor did we see much of our waitress except when it was time to pay. I would not return to this restaurant at all, I would have been better off going elsewhere paying a little extra money for better service, quality and selection of food or staying home and cooking myself, sorry, but as much as I wanted this place to be better, it wasn't! read more

i was not happy at all we got there and the guy at register pointed us to a table across the room and told us to go set there and we sat there for 20 mins and then i decided to get up and start serving my self and i came back to the table with my food and there where still no waiter so i got back up and ask ms.girlee where could i get a fork and napkin and a glass of water she said she was going to get me a waiter and i went back sat down another 20 mins and no waiter so i got back up went to the counter and ask the lady behind the counter can i get a napkin and fork and glass of water she said where your table at so i pointed her to my table it took her another 10 mins to bring me my fork and napkin and water and me and my husband food was very cold by now i was just disgusted with my sunday bunch waiters needs to be trained more they needs to put there cell phone down and remember they are working its was not a good sunday brunch at all sorry was hoping for more . read more