One of my favorite places to eat in downtown Sylacauaga, the best catfish in town my favorite…read moreincludes the butterbeans, fried squash, cornbread and a slice of tomato and onions, they also have really good desserts

Great food and the atmosphere are homely. Nice place to sit and break bread with family and friends.read more

Great food Great People. I ordered 1/2 Chicken with greens and beans. Perfectly cooked and…read moreseasoned. It's a little off the beaten path, but well worth it.

The Brown Bag Restaurant in Northport has been a staple for good eats for as long as I can…read moreremember. I can't tell you how many times people have recommended it for lunch, yet I never managed to stop in and experience it for myself until today. My work schedule and the Bag's hours always seemed to clash, and since it's a bit off the beaten path, it stayed in the "out of sight, out of mind" category. Now, as I'm approaching full retirement, I finally had the time to swing by and see what all the fuss was about. Upon arrival, the first sign you're in the right place is the parking lot. It's packed, about like a blue tick on a hound dog. Stepping inside, don't expect anything fancy. The interior is old school with faded paint and a no frills setup. Your food is served in Styrofoam containers with plastic utensils. But that's part of the charm. Who needs fine china when you're filling your gizzard with good soul food? The place was full and I managed to grab one of the last open tables under the roof. I then waited for the waitress who was running laps across the dining area, taking orders, refilling drinks, checking out customers, and handling everything in between. If you come anywhere near lunch hour, don't expect Jimmy John's Freaky Fast service. You're here to slow down and enjoy the experience. When I ordered, I went with a catfish fillet, turnip greens, field peas, fried green tomatoes, a side of cornbread, and tartar sauce for the fish. The fried green tomatoes did not make it out with the order, but the waitress was very apologetic and adjusted my bill to a meat and two instead of a meat and three, which I appreciated. Now to the important part, the food. The catfish was hot, crispy, and perfectly cooked, not greasy at all, just honest, well done Southern cooking. The turnip greens and field peas were flavorful and comforting, exactly what you hope for in a place like this. The tartar sauce had a slightly sweet twist that I was not expecting, different from the traditional version, but surprisingly excellent. I will need a few more visits before I can fully put that into words, but it worked. Overall, now I understand the buzz. The Brown Bag delivers exactly what it promises, simple, hearty, well prepared soul food served without pretense. I will definitely be back, and now that retirement is on the horizon, I have got all the time in the world to wait on a good meal, unlike you working folks still rushing through lunch.

I was in town visiting and was trying to determine where to go to eat for dinner. Every local that…read moreI spoke with recommended this place. This place feels like your traditional mom and pop restaurant where you can get a home cooked meal. When I got there, I was greeted by kind host who took me to my seat. There is plenty of seating to dine in as well as an area to wait with seating for carry out orders. The waitress was waiting on me was also very kind. My food came out quickly, and I also ordered carryout which also came out quickly. I ordered the catfish platter with a baked potato and macaroni and cheese. The fish was crispy and well seasoned. The macaroni and cheese was really good and the baked potato, was your standard baked potato. All of my food came out hot and fresh. The price point here is also something that you cannot beat. I also ordered a half-and-half to wash it all down. The next time I am in Marion, I will definitely be back to this restaurant to try some of their other offerings as well as their desserts.

Stopped by on a recent road trip after checking the area for a place to stop for lunch. Saw two…read moreplaces with good reviews and decided on Lotties. Very disappointing. Ordered ribs with corn on the cob and sweet potato fries. The only thing that wasn't refrigerator cold was the fries. The ribs and corn had warm spots but near the bone and cob were both cold, refrigerator cold. I don't send things back or complain as I believe food should come out right. The restaurant was not busy at all so maybe that had something to do with it? My friend riding with me had the same experience. Food may have been good had it been warm.

This place is a must!…read more We stopped on our way through Montgomery. We ordered pork chops and chicken. Both were cooked well and delicious. We also had stuffing, greens, yams, black eyed peas, and mac & cheese. Note that the cornbread muffin that came with one of the meals was dry, and the greens were on the salty side. That said, we enjoyed our stop. The staff were gracious even though they were fairly busy, and they checked on us while eating. We'd definitely stop again.

I visited J.W. Beverette's Soul Food in Montgomery, Alabama [1172 S Decatur] on Saturday, 06/06/26…read morearound 12:00 PM. For lunch, I ordered the Oxtails plate (served with white rice + cornbread) with a choice of three sides. I opted for the Baked Mac & Cheese, Steamed Cabbage, and Luscious Collard Greens. The taste of the food was fantastic. The savory oxtails smothered in gravy were tender. All of the sides were flavorful and met expectations. For everything, it was priced at $29.99, which was quite reasonable considering the portion size. The inside of the restaurant was cozy with a family-friendly diner feel. The music playing was very entertaining. Each table had a great variety of condiments available, including hot sauces, ketchup, mustard, etc. Overall, J.W. Beverette's Soul Food was a solid choice for experiencing comforting, delicious soul food. If I weren't visiting from California and resided in Alabama, I'd totally be a regular customer at this restaurant. I will be sure to visit here should I travel to Alabama again.

excellent staffing up front. most helpful…read more most importantly our meal arrived fast and hot. not to mention good. don't miss the beef tart with jerk sauce or the gravy smothered pork chop.

My wife and I were in Birmingham for a couple of days. We read about Jake's Soul Food Cafe in…read moreHoover on Google and decided to give it a try. We're glad we did. My wife had Port of Spain's Curry Chicken and I had the Jamaican Jerk Chicken. Both were good and flavorful. The chicken was meaty, tender, and juicy. We both had "cabbage with soul" and fried sweet plantains for our sides. Both dishes came with sweet cornbread. The chicken was good, but the cabbage with soul and cornbread were the stars of the plate. Oh, man, that cabbage was mighty fine. We talked with the GM afterward and she said we have to try the Pork Chops with gravy and collards. When we make it back there one day we will do that. If you're in Hoover, give them a try.

Update: 10/15/25... owner immediately responded and apologized for my experience. They had a new…read moreemployee and he addressed the concern with her. I really appreciate owner response and made things right. Back to supporting my favorite restaurant in Helena! Original post: 10/12/25... It's Sunday 10/12/25 4:33pm and they close at 5pm. I called to place an order and it was too late. What??? I have placed orders several times and never had a problem. I literally live 5 minutes down the road and it's too late?

We love having Refined to Go in our community! The food is always exceptional and the owner is so…read morekind and talented. We enjoyed the wedge salad and fish tacos today. Everything was seasoned or sauced immaculately. We did request fries as a substitute when we placed our order but still received the cumin chips alongside our fish tacos, so make sure you check your order before leaving the restaurant!

After church, our group of about 16-18 people decided to give Mama Nem a try, and it definitely…read morelived up to the hype. The food was outstanding! I had the baked chicken with collard greens, cabbage, and a roll, and everything was seasoned perfectly. The service handled our large group well, and everyone enjoyed their meal. If I'm back on this side of town, I'll definitely be coming back. Highly recommend!

I love a good Southern spot with classic meat-and-three options((in this case two)), and this…read morerestaurant delivered that same homey, comforting vibe -- plus a bar, which was a nice touch! The line was long, but they kept things moving with someone taking orders, which made the process efficient. We didn't get a chance to actually see the food line until we got closer to the front but if we had, we would've chosen something different. Still, our meal overall was good. The greens and the rice with gravy could've used a bit more flavor.The red velvet cake, unfortunately, was a 0/5 for me. For the price -- about $40 -- I'm not sure it was fully worth it, but I WOULD go back to try other menu items.

We got the fried fish and fried chicken wings, both were good. our sides were collard greens and…read morefried corn, great taste. The service was top notch, served with a smile. I love these places, take you back to a sweeter time. This restaurant has a feeling of home, with the expectation of a good meal, and did not disappoint...

They were very welcoming and the serving sizes were insane! We don't live nearby but we were at UAB…read morefor an event for our son and we all thought that some real soul food sounded incredible! It was about a 10 minute drive from UAB on a weekend. If they were closer to us, we'd definitely be back sooner!

Located in Sylacauga, AL in an old Pizza Hut. Nice and clean inside. Cashier is friendly. There is…read moreplenty on the menu from wings, to sandwiches to seafood. I had a 10pc honey mustard and wet lemon pepper wings and whiting fish combo. Wings were fresh and hot, cooked to order. Fish was also fresh. My husband got a 20pc wings with lemon pepper dry and honey lemon pepper.

It took 20 minutes to get overcooked wings and chicken fingers. Fries were 1" long rejects. Will…read morestrike this one off the list for sure.