I had not been here in a while and decided to try it out. I got a whiting dinner with corn bread dressing and red beans and rice. I also had a side of greens and black eye peas. It is not as good as it use to be. Things were not really seasoned as soul food usually is. The fish was also over cooked. Maybe an off day. May try them again in the future. read more

Madea’s Kitchen - Front - Soul Food Near Me - Ypsilanti, Michigan

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This is a new restaurant in the Paint Creek shopping plaza(where Kroger's is located). It faces Whittaker Road. Parking is a little challenging during dinner time in this area, but I was there at 4:30, so I found a spot around the corner. Everything is pre-made, and you order at a cafeteria style counter. You can see all the options in front of you. There is fried chicken, fried catfish, ribs, meatloaf, smothered pork chops and I believe a few other entrees. I chose the fried chicken dinner, which comes with 2 sides and cornbread. For sides I ordered the greens and mac & cheese. There were also cabbage, green beans, yams, rice, dressing, and beans. There are no tables, so it is carry out only. The chicken had good flavor. Slightly greasy, but acceptable for fried chicken. It was not super crunchy, as some other fried chicken styles are. The greens were tasty, a little salty. The Mac and cheese was disappointing. Not much flavor. I was also not a big fan of the cornbread. It was a big piece, a little dry. So, this is the first week this place is open, so I am cutting them some slack. My bill was $13.75. It was 3 pieces of chicken (2 thighs and a drumstick). The portions of the sides were generous, and as mentioned earlier, the cornbread was big. I will give them another chance and update my review then. read more

I am going to preface this review by stating my ethnicity up front because it's going to be relevant momentarily. I'm Vietnamese. I walked into this restaurant tonight because I had a craving for fried catfish or some manner of fried pork chops. I was in luck as this establishment had both fried catfish and something called catfish nuggets. As I'm looking over the menu, the guy behind the counter says to me "the Chinese restaurant is next door". I honestly didn't know what to say other than Okay... Ordered my food. Waited a few minutes while he wandered into the back. He comes back out and asks me what I want for sides. I said the special on the menu says it comes with fries. He tells me that's only during the day, but nowhere on the menu does it say that it's a daily special. Fine. Whatever. Give me these two sides. He grumbles about giving me the special price anyway. Paid. Got home. Catfish nugget had a bone fragment in it, but it was a sizable portion. Red beans and rice were ok. Rice was over cooked, but beans were good. Mac and cheese was plenty creamy and cheesy with a crunchy topping. Food ok, but racism is so very, very bad. read more

The food was ok. As the other reviews said they are really slow! I placed an order and then was told that there was a 45 min wait on Mac and cheese and the bake chicken. I said ok I will wait. The lady took my cell number and I never called when it was ready. I went back to pick up food 1 hr later and was told it was another 10 mins. Smh I won't say I won't be back but I will definitely call the order in first. read more

Madea’s Kitchen - Greens, dressing and Baked Chicken Dinner - Soul Food Near Me - Ypsilanti, Michigan

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I am hoping that the owners are reading these reviews because I want this place to be successful. First, start by training the employees on good customer service. Greet people when they come in and explain how ordering works and where to order. The set up is a little confusing and there is a huge piece of glass in front of the food so it is difficult to hear the person putting your food in the styrofoam container. All the food is pre-made and is in pans (not covered) that result in the food cold. I got a 3 piece chicken with greens and Mac and cheese. Chicken was ok but greens were tasteless and mac and cheese was bland. I ordered banana pudding for dessert and it was basically pudding and cool whip mixed together - would never order again. Their prices are WAY too high for what you get and the quality of food. I always like to give a place two chances before I write them off but this place turned me off. If you want warm, tasty, cooked to order soul food go to Cuppy's Soul Food on Ecorse about a 10 minute drive from Madea's. I hate leaving a bad review for a new local business but it is warranted in this case. read more

The place was nice and clean. However, the wait for food is long considering many items are already cooked. The price was too high for the quality of food received. I received chicken wings drowned in seasoning salt making them inedible. The macaroni was bit mushy and flavorless. The cornbread was the best part of my meal and it was "meh" at best. This was too expensive for a second chance with me. read more

I got 2 dinners.The 3 piece chicken dinners (3 piece legs and thighs) two sides and a piece of corn bread. (I got mashed potatoes/gravy and greens) $13.00 a dinner. They ran out of corn bread, I brought it to the woman's attention so the lady at the register out took a dollar off my total bill. She got a phone call as I walked up to pay, so I had to wait to get rung up. (I only mention this because I called and was put on hold because they were with a customer) I took a menu (this is all take out). I finished up, got in my car, looked at my receipt and she charged me 16.00 for one dinner and $15.00 for the other. I went back inside and showed her. She told me she thought I had bout the whole wing dinner. The wing dinner is 15.00, so I'm not sure why she was charging me $16.00. She voided my purchase, and rang me up again. She didn't take off the dollar for no corn bread. I told her and she went and got me a dollar from the back. I drove home, it's 4 miles away. My husband and sat down to eat, the portions were generous but the food was cold. Not luke warm, but cold. Our greens were over cooked. The chicken was good, but like I said it was cold. While we were heating our food back up, I called the restaurant and asked for the manager. The lady that answered the phone told me she was the manager, she was with a customer and put me on hold. After 2 and half min. I just hung up. Our first experience wasn't the best. The price is pretty high for a 3 piece chicken dinner. read more

It's just okay. Soul food implies seasoning and lots of flavor. I ordered the mac and cheese because I love the cheesy flavor. It was bland and I was so disappointed. I wanted banana pudding but they were out, so I tried the strawberry shortcake which tasted mostly like cool whip. I couldn't really taste the cake. The food doesnt taste bad it just needs a lot more soul. It would definitely help if there were some kind of sign telling the customers where the line ends and begins. read more

Ok, i had quite the post going and accidentally erased it, so now, its to the point. Idk if the owners tweaked the recipes, but the older reviews about bad service and flavorless food couldn't be farther from my experience. I am a soul food expert. Ive traveled not just Michigan, but this country, looking for the best soul food. Homemade, flavorful, from the soul type of food!! I found it today. HANDS DOWN BEST GREENS IVE EVER HAD! Plenty of flavor. Mac and cheese also baked, had good flavor. A bit unusual, i think its a jalapeno flavor. Just to add a disclaimer, this is homemade food. Its high quality, not prepackaged restaurant food. Soul food is typically family recipes, and all families are different. I will never give a bad review for food being different, if it still tasts good. So if you go expecting to taste something like your grandmother used to cook, you may get that, or not. Either way, it was good. Same for the yams. They were excellent. My son got the 4 peice chicken, hes 9yrs old, and ate all 4 pieces!!! He got mashed potatoes and gravy. The gravy was yummy as well. I highly recommend this resturant. They have added a few 2 person tables and chairs to sit and wait, so its mostly take out. If i needed an event catered, i would consider Meda's Kitchen for sure. Lastly, they had some hand pies. We tried the sweetpotato. Again, very different than im used to, they had coconut in them, but they were still delicious. Give this place a try if you are tired of the same old pizza, burgers and Mexican restaurants. Good, homemade food! read more

Madea’s Kitchen - Inside - Soul Food Near Me - Ypsilanti, Michigan

The food is good but the customer service is definitely lacking. I try to support local businesses but I can't support bad service. When you mess an order up (and you'd like the customer to return) you should offer something to show that you care. read more

I have visited this restaurant 3 times. However, today was my first purchase (other two occasions they did not have what I wanted). Today, I ordered the oxtails, cabbage, and cornbread dressing. Both of the side dishes were good. I was offered and accepted cranberry sauce. I am not sure if I paid extra for it. I certainly hope I was not charged extra for the cranberry sauce because it was literally only two tablespoons. The oxtails were WAY TOO SALTY. I want to believe the cook got distracted while putting the seasonings together and put in TWICE the amount of salt by mistake. Or perhaps while pouring the salt, the bottle accidently slipped out of the cook's hand, resulting in more salt going into the dish. Nevertheless, I will most likely give Madea's Kitchen a second try. I am rooting for its success. However, I came on Yelp to see if anyone had a similar experience with the oxtails being too salty. I certainly hope this was an isolated incident. read more

I wish I would have read the reviews first. Walked in and noticed I was stared at by three Individuals, no one directed me to the area where I would start my order or even offer me a menu. I didn't notice any menu until obviously a customer to likely walked in and requested a menu. Moving on... I ask where I should start my order... walked over to place to start and notice employees making orders but not for the customers present at the time. The display of food look dry as I waited and then I noticed there was no steam coming from the pans of food‍. Still waiting and assistance or greeting occurred, customer service WHERE‍! Finally able to order after watching employees do IDK what! Get my food and no offer of type of bread... didn't even know corn bread was available like I just read in some of the reviews. Eat the food and it was all cold. Food was good but can I get a hot plate!? White bread in bag and I don't eat that. EXPENSIVE for the whole meal especially for the small selection of sides. Yeah probably just take the drive to Detroit next time. read more

My first two times eating here were great. My last couple of times were poor. The mac n cheese was runny. The lady said they keep adding milk to it so it won't dry out. I liked the mac n cheese when it had the chunky cheese in it. It was authentic. This was like it was cooked on a stove top. My meatloaf was dry and they started giving less portions for the sides. They really need to lower the prices. After these last two trips and paying 16 dollars for one dinner I'll be taking my business elsewhere. The lady with the braids is pretty rude too. I told her the lines were off when I called to place an order and she told me to call them now but I was already there placing my order. When I went to ask her a question she completely ignored me. She has a bad attitude and needs to smile more. read more

This is the worst ever soul food iv even eaten. The greens tasted like sweaty socks not even salt and pepper could fix. The dressing was tasted so spoiled I threw the rest of the container away. Service was so slow and there was only one cook and one lady to take the orders. The seats in the waiting area were solid wood and as long as they took to get my order VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. I do not recommend this place they are way too pricey. Over $30.00 for a family meal. When I finished I immediately became sick to the stomach. With all being said don't come here for your safety. read more

Very disappointing. Customer service and hospitality is lacking. If you are going to have a family business where children help out you should train them. I was never asked how I was, or to have a nice day. The kid who helped me seemed annoyed and assumed I knew the menu; even tho the side options are posted no where. The kid ringing me held the line up while talking a friend who walked in. My food container was opened by 3 different workers saying what is this? I was not given my cornbread that was offered with the meal. For $15 I am very disappointed in the food. A high school cafeteria set up inside made for what I thought would be a fast process.... but I was in there for 30 minutes and only two people in front of me. This being a soul place I had higher hopes. This is just like grabbing a quick meal from Kroger and being charged double. Will not return. read more

If you want real, love-filled soul food, you HAVE to check our Madea's Kitchen! My mom and I just came here for the first time today and all of the food we had was so fresh, flavorful, and unlike anything else. Their ribs and rib tips are super flavorful with a great BBQ sauce, their catfish nuggets are fresh and greatly flavored, their sides are fantastic and their desserts are phenomenal! I can't sing praises highly enough. Not to mention the family working here are so sweet and helpful. Do your taste buds a favor and check this sweet gem out! read more

Going in to this new establishment, I went in with an open mind. Walking in the door there was no signage in how the line flows or where you should stand to be helped/served. A gentleman directed me (that was waiting for food to be cooked) where to go. Bottom line: food was cold, and over priced for the serving amount. They were "out" of several sides in addition. It was roughly 3:30 in the afternoon. I purchased the chicken breast dinner that came with two sides. The black eyes were seasoned well but cold, the dressing was not tasty to me. I'm from the south and love real southern dressing ( not seasoned with cream of chicken soup) . There was no chicken gravy, she put brown gravy over the dressing. Also no cranberry( who serves dressing without a cranberry option?) The fried chicken was edible, but again was cold. Did I mention there were no chafing dishes to keep food warm? What was excellent and HOT? was the peach cobbler that had recently brought out of the back(kitchen?) The buffet line moved quicker than I anticipated, but there was a wait. I will try again in the next 30-45 days to see if this new establishment has improved.... read more

Overpriced food that you can cook at home cuppies is si much cheaper these people where being greedy when they opened obviously in my opinion they need to lower they prices like all the others i dont know who came up with those dumb prices is obviously wasnt a person who ever had a business and i had a business now for 14 years. My husband and i went else where instead unless u have money to blow and dont have a big family read more

I had the whiting dinner with collards and yams. The fish was fresh and everything was seasoned to perfection!! This place is on point!

I got the smothered pork chops, black eye peas and yams. It was all good!!! Kind of on the pricey side but i got enough food to feed myself and my husband. Will definitely go back. read more

A little let down 1st visit 3/4 cut pork chop nice juicy. 2nd visit 1/4 cut a little over cooked still had that taste. will return

Just would like to say I gave one star for the lady that waited on me, another star for the Kool-Aid was on point!!! But the food not so much. I received cold fried chicken how is that possible? And it was dry like it's been sitting under a lamp all day and it taste like it was from the night before. That was the worst Mac cheese in life! It was like they scraped the pan from Friday night too! It was burnt and cold too I promise you it was scraps,no noodles,no flavor or cheeses and they threw a clump of shredded cheese that wasn't even melted completely! Dressing was white and it taste like a onion hush puppy mush. No celery bell per or sage poultry seasoning. Greens was cooked in some peppery chicken broth no turkey meat in it just bland. Let me give y'all a Tip, you need to run your business right, make the chicken to order make sure you not microwave food that you didn't sell the night before food. I'm sorry but I will not be back. read more

Today was our first time ordering from here. Friendly staff, decent prices, good food with minimal wait. Definitely recommend! Desserts are priced a bit high for the portion size. read more