I eat here every summer when I come to town. I have yet to have a bad dish. John Paul and the…read moreentire staff are amazing.

This is the true definition of "hole in the wall". A neighborhood restaurant that everyone knows…read moreabout. They have THE BEST DESSERTS My friend got a lunch plate. I only wanted the German Chocolate Cake. It is just like my mom's homemade cake. There were lots of food choices if you love comfort food. The staff was very nice and attentive. The owner came out to speak to us. Don't let the outside fool you. Stop by and try it. This may be the best meal you've ever eaten.

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.

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!

Awesome food and great customer service 3/13/26 I'll eat…read morethere every chance I can. You can not ask for any place better. All there food is delicious. Carol Sipes

Just exactly what can one say about a perfect meal?…read more First off, I'm ashamed I can't remember the name of this drink. It's a variation of an Old Fashioned. Bunny's "God of Fire." Sorry, had stop right there and look it up. It's double smoked Ironroot Prometheus bourbon, angostura & walnut bitters, and a toasted marshmallow. I don't know who thought this up, but I want to kiss them. It's a little smoky and a little sweet, but subtle. And the longer it sits, it gets almost a little creamy. Especially nibbling on the toasted marshmallow before and after. I tried both. Sublime, a little surreal. I feel like I need a long night drinking just these in slow deliberation. That might be a good hot summer night activity. The deviled eggs? Honestly, and maybe I should be ashamed of this, I can't remember if I've ever had deviled eggs with ham in the mix. Or for that matter, with Texas caviar. Like, what even have I been doing with my life? The Wagyu Tartare came with house okra relish on the corner of the plate, drops of fried egg mayo, these little tiny blue flowers called Borage blossoms, that I, a grown ass man, somehow much closer to 50 than I ever planned on, just got fucking giddy about. But, I tell you what, don't you dare scoop some of that Rosewood Ranch beef tartare onto one of those in house made sumac dusted kettle chips with a dab of that okra relish, take a bite, nibble that toasted marshmallow, and then sipped the Bunny's God Of Fire, and then tell me you didn't step thru a motherfuckin' looking glass of some kind. Softly surreal. Comforting. Sublime. Also, just FYI, you don't really appreciate the okra relish until you try it by itself. There is a crispness to it that is almost etheral. And then you feel like you understand the sensory play of texture and taste a little better. My entree was the 14oz Texas Akausi strip, with the hand cut fries, and horseradish mayo. Seasoned with high quality fine French sea salt and black pepper, pan seared in Wagyu tallow and basted with thyme, smashed garlic clove, and butter, before finishing in the oven and sitting in a container of melted Waygu tallow before resting on the cutting board and being sliced. Read that again, slowly. It sounds like a night in bed with Jane Mansfield. I don't know how else to describe. Why yes, the fries are amazing. Of course they are. Everything is amazing here. I feel silly, like I'm just on here hyping one of my favorite people and food spots, but Oh My God, have you even been here? Everything is great. But if I'm being honest. For true true. That softly medium rare Akausi with a dab of that horseradish mayo, another sip of Bunny's Fire Of God. It's a sensuous experience. For dessert, I got the chocolate mousse, and the homie got the First Amendment Lemon Pound Cake, which Lance McWhorter came up with in honor of Afroman winning his case against "The Man." As if I needed anymore reason to love him. The chocolate mousse, I'm afraid I could eat this by the tub. Like, I brought home half my steak and fries I was so full. Wouldn't have even thought about dessert had I been anywhere else. I damn near licked the bowl clean at the table like a dog. Just embarrassing. That glob of white stuff, are super cheesy grits. I'll post some pics of food we got to see as it was prepared later, but, I will say, yes, it was delicious. Especially on the fries. Honestly, I think I can make a meal of the eggs and tartare alone. And Bunny's Fire Of God. Absolutely stellar meal. But more than that. It's an experience. One I highly recommend. I'd give it a scale rating, but there's no scale for this. Not in these parts. This place is in a class all it's own. It's another beautiful day, East Texas. I hope you're enjoying it. #ztfu #sabaileyproject #iloveyouetx #writerfoodiegunguy #foodiesofetx #hippiebarbarian #foodiesofdallas #foodiesofig #easttexas #tylertx

We are planning to move to Tyler in a month and came this weekend to get a feel of the…read morecity/potential favorite restaurants. This has been one of our favorites so far! It is in a corner lot with a humble interior and exterior. Despite being humble I can tell they spent a great deal on the details to make this place shine. The host and serve were kind and informative. I have a bias for open concept kitchen and it was nice to see the team work on our meal. The porter house was amazing! Nice and crispy with just the right amount of fat. The hush puppies were light and flavorful. We are excited to come back!

First time here and I have to say I'm VERY impressed. The staff is so friendly and the food is…read moreamazing! First, the service: I am allergic to shelled fish and let the server know. The manager personally came over to ask about my allergy and to assure me they had gone as far as making a new breading mixture for my entree to avoid cross-contamination. Talk about going the extra mile!! Very impressed with the quality of service and our server Kevin did a fantastic job of taking care of us! Now - the food. We had the chips, salsa and queso to start. The queso is thick, creamy and has just the right touch of spiciness. So good! The salsa is finely chopped and very flavorful. 10/10 on all of the above! Everything fried was delicious!! The seasoning in the breading was good and the sides were a good quantity and also very good. But - the desserts...YUM!! We got the chocolate cake which was so fluffy and coated in chocolate that melted in our mouths. The key lime pie was equally high on the yum factor! Don't skip dessert here!! Can't wait to go back and try more menu items. I'm quite sure everything they make will be worth the trip! Thank you for an amazing experience!!

'Twas the night before Thanksgiving and were at our relatives in Tyler and they suggested Clear…read moreSprings for dinner. Decor is Old West and lots of room. I ordered grilled salmon and my wife ordered fried catfish. Service was prompt and food was plentiful. My salmon had a cilantro cream sauce that was lightly seasoned and complemented my generous portion of salmon. It was accompanied by some nicely cooked rice and green beans and two hush puppies. My wife enjoyed her generous portion of fried catfish and coleslaw and ate a little of her fries and pinto beans. She said the fries and beans were fine but she was full from all of the catfish. Overall, it was a tasty meal but y'all better be hungry because you're gonna get plenty of eat here. Come check em out!

Derived was extremely slow. Only 2 other tables and they…read morealready had their food. My wife and I ordered and more than 30 minutes later, we finally received our food. Shrimp were bland...no seasoning not even salt! The burger was okay and the fries catfish were okay. The Mac and cheese was below par. The banana pudding was good but was $5.20 for a small styrofoam cup probably 1/2 cup. Definitely overpriced.

I have never in my life had soul food that didn't have any flavor whatsoever! If I ever visit…read moreLongview again I'm pretty sure it would drive by and throw rocks at the business. Total waste of money!!!

I traveled from California and found this place on tik tok and the food was amazing! The oxtail…read moreplate and the yams was so good. I came back two days in a row for the same plate. The customer service was also amazing as well! The atmosphere was beautiful and welcoming. I will definitely be back when I visit Texas.

This was my first visit here. What a great experience. The staff are just the best…read more The food? Everything I had was delicious. But, you must try the greens! I think these may be the best I've ever had. Great job guys. I can't wait to visit again.

Friendly service and lots of variety. They are very accomodating for those of us with particular…read morehealth needs. Lots of veggies.

Great food and service ! Highly recommend the fried chicken! Mac n cheese was real cheesy!read more