I walked in and was greeted so warmly. I spoke to Sandra on the phone before coming by to ask about…read morefried pickles. She said that she didn't have any fried, but had kool-aid pickles. That peaked my curiosity and I came by to eat. I met Sandra & her mom Joyce. We all had good conversation to go with the fantastic food full of savory flavor. I will definitely be back for more the next time I pass through Gladewater!

I feel like I have to give this place 5 stars. The food is 4 to 4.5 (so far) but the fact that it's…read moretiny, local, family run, everything made from scratch just pushes it up that extra notch. Chicken fried chicken was juicy and properly seasoned and the best we'd ever had. Ditto for the green beans and the okra. She wouldn't tell us what she puts in the green beans, but it's some combination of bacon grease and magic, I swear. The okra was fresh cut, fresh battered, fresh fried, unlike every other place I get it where you can tell it's out of a bag. Hot water cornbread was ah-mazing. I only wish I had honey to slather on it along with the butter. White gravy was fantastic, with just a hint of sweetness we couldn't quite put our finger on. Chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes were delicious, but also the only things I can say were on par with some of our other favorites. Prices are extremely reasonable. And the service is as down home and personal as you would expect at a place like Sylvia Mae's. But don't expect quick delivery of your food. Everything is made to order and it takes time, so settle in and be patient. We will definitely return here as often as we can when we are in the area.

Occasionally you stumble upon something truly special. This unassuming small business is exactly…read morewhat you want it to be. It is a meeting place, a comfort zone, a haven of good nature and community. The food is simple and good. The person providing the food is honest and real. This establishment is a lifeline of stability in an otherwise downtrodden neighborhood. THIS is the reason we have yelp...to discover and highlight businesses that actually deserve recognition. Sylvia Mae's is all of these things and more. Go visit...manage expectations and enjoy the moment. There aren't many places like this left.

Absolutely the best soul food southern comfort cuisine in East Texas. The dressing is some of the…read morebest around with their gravy and as for the delicious fried catfish, it's probably the best I have had too. Southern hospitality is found here from the friendly staff and owner and you will definitely leave here full and satisfied. Grab a wonderful dessert too before you head out. The pecan pie is terrific!

OH MY LORD!!! Good Soul Food and the staff is very pleasant. The place is very clean. It's a Hidden…read moreGem in Tyler. Its menu prices are right on point with the portions

My favorite local breakfast spot by far! Staff is always helpful and friendly. Despite its…read moreunassuming exterior, it's very clean!

This place looks almost vintage, especially with those windows and booths! Tyler's hole in the wall…read moreis popular for brunch that has served my love so well that we had to come back together seating was quite fast ordering as well. Their service was quite fast, but nothing to write home about. The omelette with Bernadaise sauce, and the omelette with steak pieces were well enjoyed. Definitely a place where we can have a quick meal in and out. Mama has also all kinds of art display that are for sale.

I went to Skipper's Pier in Gladewater thinking I was just grabbing dinner. Instead, I had one of…read morethose meals that makes you sit quietly for a minute afterward questioning why you ever eat anywhere else. The seafood was ridiculously good. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, the seasoning was on point, and everything came out fresh and hot. I'm convinced somebody in that kitchen has a direct connection to the Gulf because there's no reason seafood in East Texas should taste that good. The place was busy, the staff was hustling, and somehow everything still came out fast. By the end of the meal I was already planning what I was ordering next time before I had even paid the check. If you leave Skipper's hungry, that's honestly a personal decision.

I went here with my dad who was born and raised in the area. He explained that we should go early…read morebecause they can get really busy, really quickly. So we went at around 4:45 in the afternoon on a Friday. There was already a 20-30 minute wait for a table inside, but instant seating on the patio, which we took. I'm breaking this into two scores--the food which is the most important, and the service (not just waitress, but overall). Food 4.5 stars--not perfect, but very good. Service 3.0 After getting seated on the patio we were told the server would be out shortly. After about 15 minutes I went back in to ask for menus--coincidently the person that seated us was telling the server that they had people at our table, so I turned around and went back out. Shortly thereafter we were given menus and we ordered drinks. Dad got 50/50 tea and I got water and a whisky rocks which confused the waitress. "So like, with Coke?" No, ma'am, just the whiskey poured over rocks, whatever your house whiskey is, I'm not that picky. We already knew what we wanted and ordered the catfish filets with fries, and fried okra. The food came quickly, but still no drinks. Eventually those came out. My whiskey was in a larger glass, not a whole lot but enough not to complain. The waitress then asked if I wanted a straw for it because she wasn't sure. She might have been new to service, so I'm not upset, I was more amused. She is working at a bar/restaurant but perhaps the servers are kept seperate and she's not used to running for the bar. The food was excellent. The catfish was freshly fried, the outside a good crunchy crust and the inside darn near dissolved it was so tender and moist, not even a hint of being over or under done. Excellent flavor, it didn't need the house made dips (a tartar and a cocktail sauce, both great), but they complimented it. Tartar was heavy on mayo flavor than traditional tartar, but you could still tell what it was. Cocktail sauce seemed fairly standard, I guess I can't promise that one was house made. Two jalapeno hush puppies came with it. They were standard fair, a little bit of spice, enough to enjoy while letting non-spicy people still tolerate it. Crunch went deep, the center was cooked but a lot less of the ratio than the crunch outside. Fries were also standard, but fried well, good crunch and fluffy inside. Fish was the absolute star, it was "close your eyes and enjoy" good. Fried okra was bland. It was crunch on the outside, soft but not gooey on the inside so they treated it well to reduce the slime, but it didn't stand out from any other fried okra I've had. Wouldn't get it again, but it was cheap. Didn't get checked on very often, I think we were offered drink refills when we asked for the check. Got the bill. Fish plates, $16. Okra side: 3.50. My one ounce of whiskey, TWELVE DOLLARS. I don't know if she rang it in wrong, or if their prices are just ridiculous for that stuff. Lesson learned, don't order alcohol here. But most certainly order the fish. Service lacking, perhaps still learning, fish was absolutely wonderful.

We live in East Texas, where there are plenty of restaurants to choose from, and we've eaten at…read moremost of the local spots and many in the surrounding towns. My husband challenged me to find somewhere new, and Yelp led us to Fat Boyzzz in Longview, TX. I'll be honest--I'm not usually a soul food fan, so I wasn't especially excited about trying it. But my husband had been craving some good soul food for a while, so we decided to give it a shot. The restaurant had excellent ratings and reviews, but I was still a little skeptical. When we arrived, the place was packed, which is usually a good sign. Thankfully, we were seated right away. Our waitress let us know upfront that there would be about a 30-minute wait for the food. Our first interaction with her was a little rough--she seemed stressed and was somewhat abrupt while taking our order. My husband was initially put off, but he was determined to get his soul food fix. Now, whenever I see grilled liver and onions with brown gravy on a menu, that's what I'm ordering. I'm a Luby's girl through and through, and until today, I would've said nobody does liver and onions better than Luby's. Fat Boyzzz changed my mind. The liver was sliced a little thinner and wasn't quite as tender, but the flavor more than made up for it. Every bite was absolutely delicious. And that's not even the best part. The mashed potatoes and brown gravy were phenomenal--rich, flavorful, and pure comfort food. My husband ordered the fried pork chops with mashed potatoes and cream gravy. The entire meal, all he could talk about was those mashed potatoes. Between bites, he'd keep saying, "These mashed potatoes are AWESOME! This gravy tastes just like my Naw-Naw's gravy!" My husband is a big, burly guy with a deep voice, and hearing him repeatedly praise the food while happily devouring his plate was entertaining all by itself. This was truly food for the soul. We left full, happy, and completely comforted by a fantastic meal. Fat Boyzzz has definitely earned repeat customers in us, and we'll absolutely be back. Highly recommended!

So I come here from time to time, but this time while on my lunch break, I ordered a Bacon Chicken…read moreRanch baked potato. So NO RANCH, NO FORK. I'M SOOOOOOO UPSET. IT WILL BE A WHILE

Went with a large family gathering, so I'm going to have to just stick with what I ordered since I…read moredidn't pay attention to everyone's meal. I believe there was 12 of us. They accommodated us quickly got us our drinks, and took our order in a speedy manor. It took a bit for the food to come out, but they were making 12 orders to come out at roughly the same time, so no worries there. Chicken fried steak, eggs over medium, grits (asked for cheese on top), biscuit (no gravy). The food came out and it was a nice plate. The steak wasn't the largest I've seen by any means (they often take up the whole plate but this one was about 1/3-1/2). Eggs were well cooked--over medium being still runny yolk, but the whites are solid w/no slime to them. They nailed those eggs. The steak was good, the breading was wonderful--large flakey batter, fried perfectly, decent flavor, though it certainly was meant to need that gravy. Gravy was great, not sweet at all (yeah, I've had sweet sausage gravy before, ick) and seasoned well. I just had to add pepper for my own tastes, but no salt of anything else. Even though my initial impression was that it was slightly small, it was delicious and honestly, perfectly filling--I'm trying to lose weight and eat smaller portions (down 22lbs, yay) so maybe they were secretly helping me. The grits were great, however I didn't get my cheese. They were cooked well, not mushy or slimy, not "gritty" from undercook. Good stuff. As for the missing cheese, that's OK, I mixed in some of the leftover gravy from the steak (there was plenty) and that made them absolutely delicious. The biscuit was large and clearly homemade. Great thin crust and very fluffy on the inside. Enough butter flavor built in they were very easily eaten by themselves or with any condiment you could want. Very good biscuits! The ladies were good about keeping up with us and our refills and were fun and flirty the whole time, making us feel like regulars (well, some of us were regulars, so I just rode their coattails for the attention). The parking lot is a minefield, but if you find the space to wedge a car, you've found a parking spot. Would absolutely go back.

Food was cold. Waitress was nice but overworked. Grilled biscuits were good, but gravy was cold.read more

5 Stars because of 5 things: 1.) The staff are amazing…read more2.) The cover charge is $5, no matter the day with free Wi-Fi 3.) The pool tables (2), the food (Apps AND Entrees), and the dancers are all Grade A for price 4.) BYOB 5.) The location is stereotypical hole-in-the-wall, so mostly locals to compliment an already-friendly crowd New to Texas, let alone east Texas region. I've traveled to Longview, Marshall, Shreveport, and Dallas for nightlife entertainment and The Rendevous in Jefferson, TX stands as my top favorite "titty-bar". Stop for a few to admire the women, shoot some $1 games of pool including tournament brackets, or just meet the southern vibe and culture for a great night. Support small business, ya fool! Come early because parking and pool tables go fast (given there's just the two tables).

Had to check it out! It was yummy! My husband & I both had chicken fried steak and he had coconut…read morecream pie & I had lemon! It was really good ~ we will be back! Our waitress was super friendly and the cook even came out to welcome us and check on us!

Good grief this place has run downhill faster than a mudslide. Met a friend there for lunch and I'm…read moreglad I also decided to get a small salad because I couldn't eat the other food. The fried fish was thin, over cooked and hard. I mean I was pulling it trying to get a bite! I couldn't even eat the stuff, and wasn't even attempting to try a desert in fear of what that would be like. Run down on the inside but the service was okay. They really need to remodel, get a better menu and a new cook. Pic is what I got and didn't eat. I should have given my money back to my friend

Food is exceptional!!! Service is exceptional!!! I live in…read moreKilgore so this place is a real gem!