Transplanted southerns who love to eat good cooking but cannot cook will know they're in heaven when dining here. Even 'Yankees' who think they can cook but love to eat will find dining gems all over this menu. More importantly picky eaters, who seek the most for their money should run not walk to here. It's just that good. And iykyk! read more

We live just a few blocks away from the Candied Yam, and it's our favorite place to get soul food in Grand Rapids! The staff are always very welcoming and friendly, and the interior feels warm and inviting. We highly recommend the meatloaf and getting some cranberry sauce to put on your cornbread and anything else you want on your plate! read more

Made an early Sunday afternoon stop for food at Candied Yam. I ordered takeout--the Two Meat, Two Sides meal--choosing a piece of fried chicken and catfish, accompanied by candied yams and dressing. The yams are incredibly addictive; they remind me of a healthier version of cotton candy. While the chicken leg didn't have much meat, the fried catfish was adequate and tasty. The dressing was a bit bland, and I found it challenging to locate the small piece of broken cornbread. The restaurant is bright and inviting, with some seating available. However, the service was slow and not particularly friendly. Despite this, I will always be drawn to stopping by occasionally to enjoy a meal. read more

The Candied Yam - Colorful menu - Southern Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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This review is for the restaurant at the 44th Street location (there is another restaurant on Division). I ordered catfish, a pork chop, greens, mac and cheese, and dressing. My mom had the same meats, but her sides were greens, yams and black eyed peas. My dad had baked chicken and a pork chop with greens, dressing and black eyed peas. Our meals came with cornbread. My parents liked the cornbread but it was just barely edible for me. I didn't realize it was a yam cornbread and I don't like yams. We all had the sweet tea for our drinks. I didn't take pictures, but the food and drinks (except for the catfish) were absolutely delicious. The portions were huge and very reasonably priced. We dined in and the food came in "to-go" containers. It worked out because we all had food to take home, but just a heads up to help temper expectations for others. The service we received from the young lady who assisted us was great as well. I asked her if she was the owner (she wasn't) because I was so impressed with how she handled everything. There was a small dining area with multiple televisions but none of them were tuned to any channel. There was also a small stage area roped off so I'm assuming they have live music from time to time. I bought peach cobbler to take home and I really liked it. My mom bought a pound cake for home so I don't know if she liked it or not. My dad loved all of his food. I'm not sure what happened with the catfish, but my mom and I agreed that it did not taste good at all so I'm glad we loved everything else. The other thing I forgot to mention is that I was given 2 catfish nuggets and she received 2 large catfish fillets. I highly recommend this restaurant, except for the catfish. We'll probably try the Division location the next time we come. Edited to add: After looking at pictures on social media, I now believe I was given perch instead of the catfish I had ordered. read more

Juicy chicken, moist cornbread, fall off the bone ribs, cheesy mac and cheese, the Candied Yam is one of the best places to go to for some serious southern cooking! They catered an event at work and were so generous with their portions! Everyone was so loving and kind; I can see why this business thrives. Home cooking and familial hospitality - can't beat that! read more

I waited far too long for my order, only to be told after all that time that the one thing I actually came for -- the peach cobbler -- was forgotten. The candied yams weren't worth the wait, and to make matters worse, the staff showed no effort to make things right. I understand mistakes happen, but poor service and lack of accountability leave a bad taste no dessert can fix. read more

Great southern style food. Only been here once but we will be back. Very quick because you order at the counter and seat yourself. read more

We had them cater my son's wedding. The food was amazing. Hot and fresh! The service was amazing. It did not take long for set up and our guests and staff at wildwood were all amazed by the food and service. Would highly recommend to anyone whether it be a simple lunch/ dinner or an event you need to feed lots of people. read more

I will never go back Matter of fact, I will never be going back.I seek the dressing.It looks nasty very nasty That's all I got restaurant.Was clean nice tables.Service was nice, but the food.The catfish that they say is catfish.It's not catfish it's that swai read more

The staff are amazing and the restaurant itself is nice. This is the second time I've had their food (the last time was like 2020) and I think it's too salty, especially the dressing. It has been 4+ years and today reminded me why I don't order their food. The food IS good but sometimes it can be over seasoned, or should I say it's way too much sodium. I literally took 4 bites of my dressing and couldn't eat anymore. The Mac & Cheese and perch was good. read more

Absolutely delish! We split the 2 meat and 2 sides entree for $13.99. I got meatloaf and mac & cheese and my hubs got the smothered pork chop with cabbage. The Mac&Cheese was so good! The pork chop was a bit grissly/fatty, but it has amazing flavor from the light breading and gravy. The meatloaf was very good as well. I'm not a fan of cornbread that's sweet -but no biggie, I ate it as dessert! I can't wait to return and try more items! read more

Ive been purchasing food at this location since they 1st opened. I decided to stop by and buy a few side orders. Im not sure what changed but the food wasn't as good as usual. the mac n cheese was soggy and blend. The collard green didn't taste good This time. Something change in the way it was made. I was disappointed. I was looking forward to eating at this place on my day off. Hopefully this helps to whoever is cooking at this restaurant and can make some changes But all in all this place is a great place to stop by and eat. the staff is super nice and welcoming. read more

The food is so good!!! The place is clean and the prices are good! The staff is very friendly and professional. They are very helpful too.

Food is always great. Service is normally great but tonight it was not. I ordered two two meat two sides meal for pick up and the lady at the front was so bold to ask for a tip and I gave it to her over the phone because why not. But then when i got there and got my food, I asked for containers for hot sauce which I was going to do because i saw that she was busy. She didn't seem like she wanted to do it ans when she did, she barely filled it up so i asked for another and instead of saying the first one is free, anything after that is an upcharge. Which would have been fine with me, she went ahead with an attitude saying that she normally charges after the first one and put it in a smaller container. If she is so ready to ask for a tip for pick up order, she shouldn't have a problem simply pouring some hot sauce. Which she never even asked if i wanted any sauce since the free one is free. And if i order two food, it should be "two free" hot sauce containers. read more

MLK DAY: Free meal to celebrate Dr. King's birthday! Chicken wings, bbq beans, corn and cornbread. Chicken wings, slaw and sweet potato tots. Food was good. Loved the sweet potatoes tots! I'm coming back for the chicken pot pie another day. Generous portions (I only plated what I was eating in the photo). Staff was so friendly! The cooks did a FB video and they greeted us when we came in with their big beautiful smile. You gotta love them for giving back to their community during a pandemic and harsh political climate. Building community as MLK preached. They are the embodiment of good business and wonderful people. God Bless! read more

The Candied Yam - Chicken wings, bbq beans, corn and cornbread. Chicken wings, slaw and sweet potato tots. - Southern Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

My husband loved his fried catfish sandwich and fried pickles! I appreciated that they poked holes in the fried pickles box so they wouldn't get soggy - they were still crispy and crunchy when we got home. My son loved the macaroni and cheese and cornbread muffin. I got the Veggie Plate option and a side of green beans - more food than I needed to be honest but I wanted to try everything! My husband kept stealing the green beans because they were so good and he even ate the candied yams even though he usually doesn't like them. read more

The Candied Yam - Candied yams, black eyed peas and collard greens - after I have eaten like half of everything! Portions are huge! - Southern Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

The food was beautifully presented and prepared with amazing flavor! Jessica Ann and her dinner games were so fun! Love, The Most Handsome Couple read more

Definitely a great find, I heard a stranger in public rave about the chicken and candied yams, so I had to see what's the fuss was about l. This place went above and beyond in serving delicious home cooking. It's hard to bring soul into cooking but this place went over the top. You can scavenge all over downtown for fine dinning, but this place gives you all of the love and passion that lots of restaurant lack. The food is simplistic but sophisticated. The chicken was delicious and tender, also the sweet potato were phenomenal. I will be coming back here again! read more

The Candied Yam has delicious fried chicken - I really want to be able to give 5 stars but the sides are just not consistently good. Last night we really liked the chicken but then the green beans tasted kind of weird, the greens (while I thought the flavor was fine) - my husband said they were under cooked. I just wish you could order a big ol bucket of chicken without the sides - it's about $30 for 8 pieces of chicken and 3 large sides. I'd love to ditch the sides and get a solid 12-15 pieces. Maybe an option for the future. Location is easy to get to and when Jessica Ann is working there's a lot of positive energy. I'd imagine if they stayed open later they'd have even more business- especially for those that don't get out before 7pm or people that have a drive to get there. Lucky for us - we aren't too far! read more

Good food, great service, we liked it a lot and we're be back to try something else on the menu

So. Yum. Finally made it in and I'm so glad I did. Comfort food like you crave. The place was super clean and service was great. I got the meatloaf and greens. My hubby got fried chicken, Mac and cheese and green beans. It was all amazing. Portions were very large, I couldn't even finish. The cornbread was super yummy. Do yourself a favor and stop in or call in for takeout. You won't be sorry. read more

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This is serious food for the soul! The Candied Yam and their soul food is a really special find in Grand Rapids. The restaurant is adorable and deceptively large. It feels very fresh and modern, but warm and welcoming. I really wanted everything on the menu! The young woman who took our order was so charming. Her aunt is the cook - she told us proudly. And when she said, "Best you've ever had, baby", you knew she was telling the truth! It was difficult to pare down what to order. We ended up with the catfish and the pork chops. The fish was lightly dusted and fried to perfection. It wasn't tough or over battered, and you could still taste the fish! The chops were cut thin, but were tender, juicy and full of flavor. Some of the best we've ever had! Both were cooked perfectly! Between the two of us we had the corn muffins, macaroni and cheese, fried okra, mashed potatoes and gravy, and of course, the candied yams. Each and every one was absolutely delicious! However, it is the greens that I will dream about! I have eaten a lot of collard greens in my lifetime, and I think these might be the best! I have no idea what magic she performs on this vegetable, but it was absolutely heavenly. To top it off, we had to have some dessert. We had both the peach cobbler and the banana pudding. The peach cobbler was very good, but very, very sweet. The banana pudding, however, was such a blast from my childhood. It had fresh bananas, whipped cream, and vanilla wafers. Both my husband and I were nearly in tears with a rush of very good memories of grandmothers making this same delicious dessert! Such nostalgic perfection! We both also had the sweet tea, which was way too sweet for both of us. It does seem to be a northern thing to make food and drink much sweeter than they do in the South. However, it was great once we were able to water it down a wee bit. For the record, the portions are a really nice size. We ordered enough food for dinner for four people - or dinner and breakfast for two. I am looking forward to our leftovers! read more

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A brand new place. Open less than 2 weeks, serving Southern Comfort Food. I ordered the Classic Meal, which comes with 1 Meats and 2 sides along with a cornbread muffin. I also got an extra meat. For my main meat I ordered Fried Pork Chops. For the extra meat I ordered Meatloaf. The 2 sides I got was Mac N Cheese and Mashed Potatoes. Everything was Very Good, almost Excellent. The sevice was very good and pleasant. Overall I give 4 Stars. It would be more if the meal wasn't so pricey. The meal was $14, the extra meat $3. The portion size is ok, not great. The extra meat size is smaller than I would have liked. Will I be Back? Oh Yes I will. Yummy. read more

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Delicious!! Shout out to them for being open on Thanksgiving and giving my boyfriend and I a delicious meal after our family get togethers were cancelled. We got the family meal with Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn bread dressing. It also came with cornbread muffins. Everything was great. The mashed potatoes were the best I have had in some time and my boyfriend was literally licking the bones of the chicken! I would say the family meal is a bit small if you have big eaters like I do and would comfortably feed 3, but 4 people might be a stretch. Overall the price is great though with the family meal only costing about $27. I will definitely be back. They also did a great job of packaging the food. read more

The Candied Yam - Family Meal - Southern Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Food is ok. Wish they had more selection. Employee used bathroom and didn't wash hands. I tried 41 Acres in East town and it was great. Look up the significance of 41 Acres. read more

I'm New in town and have been looking for a Soulfood place, since I don't really cook it's much easier to order takeout, someone recommended this place, when I tell you, it did " NOT DISAPPOINT" the food was cooked to perfection, seasoned well, crispy fried fish and the cheesiest Mac & cheese, I t's decently priced and nice portions , I felt like I was still in Ga. at my favorite soulfood spot. I highly recommend it!! I ate in my car ( strictly because of COVID restrictions , trust me it's very clean inside) and before leaving placed a second order to Go!! Please Support Small businesses. read more

Amazing food and even more amazing staff! Super attentive and quick, we went in for a quick lunch. I got chicken with mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and collard greens. I can easily say these are the best collard greens I've had. Looks like a fun place to go for one of their mic nights. I will definitely be returning!! read more

Good old fashioned soul food at a reasonable price. My mom loved the smothered pork chops! I tried collard greens for the first time & they were very tasty. I will definitely return. read more

Dinners was great. Chicken was just right. The dinners was great and chicken cooked prefect. Side dishes was good also. I will visit Candied Yams again. I was very satisfied with dinner Thank you for great dinner and also for sharing the Buy one get one free chicken here. read more

The Candied Yam - Southern Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Treated myself to a cheat meal this weekend- and I was not disappointed. My husband and I were out and about getting too hungry- so I found this place on Yelp. We walked in and there were two people in line before us, I do not recommend coming to this place if you are in a rush. But who is really in a rush these days! When it was our turn to order the woman behind the counter was very helpful in making sure we selected a good variety of food. We ended up with chicken, meatloaf, collard greens, green beans, mashed potatoes, and last but not least macaroni and cheese. Both my husband and mother-in-law said that their chicken was very moist and not too greasy. They loved their collard greens, and my husband said his mashed potatoes were very real. LOL. I had the meatloaf, and it was a little surprised by the sweetness. I typically do not eat a lot of sugar in general, but it was still very tasty, and The quality of the meat was great. I highly recommend the As the taste was great, it wasn't too creamy or too dry. Anyway- it was a little bit of a hike for us- but I would venture out there again if I have a craving for my southern soulful food! read more

I ordered from then through Uber Eats. The mac and cheese had very little cheese, the cat fish was way too salty. They gave me two heart shaped pieces of corn bread the size of a quarter. I will not be ordering from them again. read more

I always see it as a good sign of a restaurant has a limited menu aka we got a little bit of stuff but it's the best stuff. We had the veggie plate, meatloaf and fried chicken for the three of us during social distancing. Highlight of the service was the lady at the counter showing me each of the take out containers before I left the restaurant. I was told it would be about 15/20 minutes and it couldn't have been more than 5. The Mac n cheese had good flavor, dressing was great as were the mashed potatoes. Everything was seasoned well and glad the potatoes were chunky, super smooth mashed tots are odd. I added a little extra gravy on the potatoes but they still were great! read more

The Candied Yam - Southern Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

I walk in today to get the $5 dinner deal for the first time ..and a lady greets me and ask me if I'm here for pick -up .. I said "no Iam here for the $5 special I saw online " (end of the day leftover food).. she tells me what they have left for the day and I put my order in and she starts boxing it up.. I start to order my second dinner and thats when the chaos started . ..a lady from the back comes and starts trying to ring me up before I can finish my second order with the lady serving me .. then she rings it up for $20 something .. i then said" I don't think that's adding up right I ordered the $5 meals" .. she then gets flustered/angry and says" what time is it ??"(deal starts at 630 it was 640ish) to the serving lady.. serving lady then tells her the time ...she then looks at me and says "you need to speak up and say something we ain't going to give you that deal unless you say something " .. I then look at the serving lady that just boxed my first meal up and she knew about the deal special bc we just spoke ..i then say to the lady serving "can I please get Mac and cheese with that second one" .. lady from the back continues to ring me up .. very unprofessional experience .. Anyways me and other family members spend money here and I'll tell them about this... i use to really enjoy the food ..honestly even for how cheap the leftover food was today it truly effected the way it tasted because of the experience .. not made and served with love ... Me and my whole family will take our business to southern smoke .. read more

One of best (if not the best) fried chicken places in GR. It's located in a strip mall in a pretty unassuming part of town, but don't let the exterior fool you. Ample parking is available in the mall parking lot. It does have somewhat odd hours (closes at 7), but they do offer carryout and delivery via 3rd party services. We came in on a Friday at lunch and it was basically empty which was surprising given how good the food is. Anyway we ordered chicken meals with a variety of sides. I had man and cheese and candied yams - both ate great. The mac and cheese isn't very saucy (literally just like my mom used to make) , but very cheesy and just delicious. The yams are amazing - sweet and delicate, they are so good. The fried chicken is... Just great. Juicy with a great fried coating, you can make it even better by adding some hot sauce that they provide. I really enjoy fried chicken, and this is the best I've found on GR. They've got a limited drink menu (Kool aid, lemonade, sweet tea) and it's very sugary - I like that, but be warned! This place is an amazing source of southern comfort food here in GR - highly recommended! read more

I was in town visiting family and i google soul food and The candid Yam pop up cause i was in Kentwood. The pictures online look good so i went and tried them out. I ordered 3 plates. I ordered a fried chicken plate, Pork chop plate and a rib plate. Everything was good except the Rib plate which was the nastiness ribs i ever tasted. The sauce was good but the rib tasted like rubber. I ask the lady where the rib smoked and she said yes but no smoke flavor at all. I would visit this establishment again when visiting, they had pretty good food but i had to throw it out there about the Ribs. read more

We were visiting our daughter at college and found this gem. The meat on the BBQ ribs was falling off the bone and the perch was out of this world. The peach cobbler was perfect. The service was so excellent. The dining room was beautiful and all for a very reasonable price. We will be back again read more

Yum! I had dined in at the Candied Yam and had it delivered and every time it was great. This is a real mom and pop style place, so I think the consistency of the food is commendable . I usually get fried chicken, greens and candied yams. The candied yams are super sweet but I am here for it. I enjoy their little corn muffins as well, and they have good mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese. I'm not crazy about the peach cobbler- it's the type of cobbler with more of a soft topping- but I love the banana pudding. I could swim in a vat of it! I highly recommend checking this place out. It's like good old fashioned home cooking- nothing fancy but you can taste the LOVE! read more

It's a bit hard to find due to some of the construction going on in the area but once you do, you're good to go. The Candied Yam is a place that you can taste the love in the food. From the fried chicken, to the catfish to the cabbage...this place tastes like home for me. Pick anything. You won't regret it. read more

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Service was great and the food was amazing! I'd been at a few events that Candied Yam had catered and am so glad I went to the restaurant for lunch. My wife has the fried chicken and I had the catfish - absolutely fabulous! Don't forget the side dishes - they made the meal even better. Highly recommended!! read more

This is my second visit and I've been disappointed both times. The food has no flavor. I wanted it to be accidental mishap the first time but nope. My suggestion is, just a little seasoning or the offer of some would be great. It was very very bland.... read more

The Candied Yam - Mashed potatoes and Corn Bread Dressing - Southern Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan