O' Taste & See Update: Heavy Plates Still Delivering…read more I previously called this the "Home of the Heavy Plates," and after another visit, that title still fits. This time we came back because O' Taste & See now has a dining area and we wanted to eat inside. One surprise was that they were open today because they are usually closed on Saturdays. This happened to be the Saturday before Memorial Day weekend. Walking in, it was immediately obvious they were busy. There was a steady flow of carryout and DoorDash orders moving through, and several people were waiting. One suggestion that would help future customers is clearer communication on where the ordering line begins. Customers waiting for food and customers ordering blended together a little. A simple standing sign would probably help. Despite the crowd, from placing our order until checkout took about 17 minutes, which was efficient considering the traffic they were handling. I ordered the ribs with potato salad and baked beans. The ribs were smoked well with good tenderness and a sauce that had the right amount of sweetness without overpowering the meat. The potato salad needed a little salt and pepper for my taste, but after that it landed much better. The homemade baked beans had good flavor. My wife ordered the oxtails with collard greens and mac and cheese. The oxtails were tender and had a unique seasoning profile that she described as having an almost Indian-like flavor profile. The mac and cheese was creamy and good, and the greens paired well with the cornbread. My wife even mixed the greens and cornbread together. The Country Punch was good and refreshing with the meal. My wife originally wanted the red velvet cake without nuts, but they were sold out. I stepped in and handled dessert responsibilities myself . One observation my wife made was interesting. The dining area gives off more of a fine dining vibe than expected for a soul food spot. The space feels more elevated and polished. However, we were still served in to-go containers and our punch came out in a half-gallon style container. The atmosphere and presentation felt a little disconnected. Not necessarily bad, just somewhat inconsistent. The food says one thing and the dining presentation says another. One thing worth mentioning is value. Two meat-and-three plates, two drinks, and one dessert came to $73.79. That definitely puts O' Taste & See toward the higher end of soul food pricing. However, the portions are heavy, the meats are quality, and the homemade sides help justify much of that price. Not necessarily an everyday stop for many families, but the food quality delivered. Food was on point.

OMG!!! This food was cooked with love. I went to pick up my dad a meal for Father's Day. I waited…read moreabout an hour but it was nice and cool inside. The place had a sitting area the hostess and the staff was nice. The food was so good and you have an enough for at least two days. Well worth the trip to Crestwood.

My first time at Gabriella's was recently. This place gets really busy..... fast! When I arrived,…read more there were about 2 ppl already present and ordering at the hot bar. It's kind of hard to tell what all the food options are, so I had to ask what some stuff was. I managed to get a meat and 2 instead of a meat and 5! There were quite a few veggie options that looked amazingly delicious! I do not recommend coming here hungry or hangry. Ok, sooo I love meat loaf so naturally that's what I got. I also got collards and cornbread dressing & yes they had cranberry sauce. Everything was good tasting. The meatloaf was a little sweet to my taste so I probably wouldn't order it again. The veggies were not over seasoned or overcooked. I will definitely comeback here bc there is still just so much I wanna try. The staff is nice and took care of the crowd. I even witnessed them give a person in need food, as they were about to dig in the restaurant's garbage can outside for scraps. Made me count my blessings.. all of them! There is street parking only. I didn't have any issues parking on a Sunday afternoon. The inside of this restaurant is not big but I was comfortable dining in.

Good southern food on a Sunday afternoon while visiting. Couldn't tell from the Yelp pictures but…read moreit's a really small restaurant with food displayed buffet style behind the clear partition that they serve you in a container. Only about 3 people at a time can hold inside before it's starts getting crowded. It stay pretty busy. Options are 1 meat with two sides or 2 meats with three sides combination. A la cart is available as well. They have ice tea or lemonade drinks in a cup that they also serve you. Lemonade was good. There's a very small counter to pay after you order. Fry chicken is tasty with perfect crisp. Collard greens were seasoned well and perfect texture. Yams (my favorite) was perfect - flavorful, not too sweet and firm but not hard. Both of us thought the Black eyed peas looked really good but taste bland. I would have preferred it without the Okra. I didn't see that when I ordered. One in our group commented the meat loaf was good. The dressing was really good too - well seasoned and tasty. After paying there's a dining area for self seating. It serves the purpose to sit and eat but definitely could use sprucing up along with the restrooms. Please seriously consider! It would make the experience much more pleasant to enjoy their delicious food. I took off two stars for that reason and yes it's that unpleasant as the tables/chairs are also too clustered together. The chairs don't fit around the table properly. Overall good southern food at a reasonable price and recommended. Skip dining in if you don't have too. Just my two cents.

Looking for a great hole in the wall/dive? Do yourself a favor and get off the exit and come here!…read moreGreat home-cooked food! We loved it!

I was on my way to the airport and I was hungry and I searched soul food. Several places came up…read more All I can say is the food and the service was amazing. I had the beef tips and rice with a side of collard greens yams and macaroni and cheese.. I don't care how hungry you are. You will not be able to eat in one sitting. They feed you like mama used to.

Ken's is awesome! The quality of food to price ratio is pretty wild, everything's so affordable…read more Highly recommend!

Ken's moved down the road from their longtime location. Very large dining hall and parking lot…read more Great hamburger and onions plate, generous sides; rib plate was okay but it seems the meat had been boiled to tenderize the meat. Great selection of meat sauces and the service was quick and friendly.

I've eaten here for 30 years. Every time I go back home I eat here. The meat is so flavorful and…read morethe burgers are fresh and awesome!! The sauce at this place is really good. I have never had a bad meal here. Delicious!

Service- visit through the drive-thru. Cannot comment on table service. Drive-thru service was…read morefriendly and expedient. Ambiance- Drive-thru only this visit. Food- I ordered the pulled pork sandwich sauce on side, and onion rings. The pork was rather dry and plain in flavor. The barbecue sauce lacked viscosity and tasted like warm ketchup and vinegar. The onion rings were bland , and saturated with grease; but did come with a sauce that complimented them. Price- considering that onions are a cheap vegetable and pork is less than $2.00 per pound wholesale. I cannot justify almost $16.00 for this lunch. Breakdown a pound of onion rings cost $1.00 6-8 ounces of pork maybe $1.00 Bread .50. No mystery here why folks are tired of overpriced food in 2026. It is not inflation. It is the overhead that a business owner must absorb.

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!

I live an hour away and always stop by when I'm close by. I love the bbq sandwich and fries. I…read morefound this place in 2010 and have been eating there ever since . Service is good

I have never been to this part of downtown which would explain why I had never eaten at the Pit Bbq…read morebefore. It's not a very big "place". The front is barely big enough for an entrance. When I drove by at 10am on a weekday and saw a line of at least 7 cars snaking through their drive-thru, I knew this place had to be worth a look! The Pit has been at this location for about 38 years! There's no seating inside, but you can enter and place and pickup orders. If you call in an order, you must come inside and cannot pick it up through the drive-thru. Their menu is nailed to the wall where you speak into a speaker to place your order. Then you drive around to the pickup/pay window. There's always 2 lines for prices. Cash and Card. So there's a discount if you pay with cash. They are only open for breakfast and lunch until 2pm. The have a standard breakfast which includes plates and omelettes cooked with every combination of egg, cheese, sausage, bologna, sausage or ham. Their lunch menu includes sandwiches and plates. They have two desserts: pecan pie and fried apple pie. Sides are crinkle fries, slaw and baked beans. So not an extensive menu, but comprehensive. Honestly I had wanted to try a breakfast item, but it was past 10am so I opted for the two meat combo of smoked sausage and bbq pork with slaw and baked beans. I also two toasted and buttered sides of a hamburger bun. I got 2 links of sausage with the link being about 4 inches long. Each link was sliced right down the middle so it looked like I had 4 pieces of sausage. The sausage were delicious. When they say their bbq pork is shredded, they mean it. I really liked how all the pork is shredded and there's no random large chunks. That's just me. Others probably prefer chunks. The shredded pork was tender, but the kicker is of course the sauce. I'm not a bbq connoisseur, but I liked their sauce. It was thick, dark, had a wonderful smoky, sweet and tart! Yom Yom Yom Yom. The baked beans was on point and I can easily tell their slaw was made that yesterday if not that morning. They make a mayo based slaw which I prefer and it was outstanding! Chilled just right! Yom Yom Yom Yom. The 2 toasted sides of hamburger buns were kinda corny but acceptable. I would've preferred 2 regular slices of white bread. The Pit is a typical hole in the wall that knows how to serve good ole southern comfort food. In 38 years they have figured out what works for them and their fans (who probably eat there at least once a week) and they stick to it. I may find myself going back to this corner of downtown to go through their drive-thru sooner than I think.

The food is very good and service is very good. I think the inside could use some updates. Some…read morepaint, some new floors, updated furniture.

I've eaten here on several visits, and I can say I prefer breakfast over the hot bar. The food is…read morecooked to order and comes out hot and fresh. In a recent visit I ordered a western omelette with cheese grits. I enjoyed my food but it wasn't anything special. It's a good choice if you want something other than a sandwich or the typical fast food. On this visit, it wasn't crowded but since the food is cooked to order, there's a short wait. Check them out!