Best soul food in town (and this is in a city that's known for good soul food). The mac & cheese,…read moreturkey wings, fried chicken, fried fish and pound cake were the best!

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.

Such a great out of the way spot. The fried chicken was crazy good as were the sides: black eyed…read morepeas and Mac n cheese! All the service staff were super friendly and asked us twice while eating if all was ok, which it was. The place was definitely old but the food and service overshadowed it. Would definitely eat there again!

Food was really good and the portions were generous enough for me to have lunch and still take food…read morehome for dinner. The restaurant could definitely use a good cleaning, and the staff could be a little more friendly and helpful. Overall, though, the food made up for it. I'd eat here again.

After a slight address navigation issue I ended up at the correct location. I have not been to the…read moreold spot but just from the building differences alone, I could see the new location was much bigger. I'm an out of state visitor so forgive me in advance.... but that fried chicken... gawd dang! Super flavorful, crispy, juicy. I'm not particularly a fan of the surprise menu aspect because I'm greedy and I wanted oxtail and catfish... and fried chicken. The staff were friendly and the service was quick. Plenty of seating. The surprise for me was the cornbread that was more corn-bready and less cakey. Remember my disclosure above about being from another state..but when sopped up with that yam juice... flavor bomb! Honestly can't wait to go back and try their other offerings.

Excellent food! Best southern cuisine in the area, possibly the state. Generous portions.read more

Great food and service Corn bread and banana pudding were…read moregreat! I can't wait to come back again

My wife and I were passing through Montgomery, when we decided we were hungry. My wife did two…read moredifferent AI restaurant searches and Martha's Place came up on both searches, as highly recommended and one of the best-known country cooking / soul food spots in Montgomery. Martha's Place it is... Upon arrival, Martha's place looked very upscale. Very nice building and many Mercedes and Cadillacs were parked out front. We started to wonder if we'd wandered into some rich neighborhood where the prices would be sky high! We walked in and a young lady greeted us and told us that lunch was $14 including a drink. GREAT! Everyone in the restaurant was amiable and helpful. (Staff and customers). We went to the buffet and loaded our plates with beautifully fried chicken and meatloaf for our proteins. For our sides we had collards, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas a couple of pieces of cornbread and some banana pudding for dessert. Then, the first weird thing happened. As we took our seats, the waiter that helped us get seated, told us that they only had one fork and one knife. We assumed he meant he would go back to the kitchen (or the dishwasher, or wherever) and get us another set. Meanwhile, the food looked SO GOOD, we immediately began sharing the fork and taking turns. MAN! THIS FOOD WAS GREAT! After a couple of minutes, we noticed the second weird thing... we were the only two white folks in the entire, crowded restaurant. And there were LOTS OF PEOPLE. They also do a huge to go business, so, the buffet station stays pretty busy with people coming and going. But, during the entire time we were there, there was not a single non-black customer in the house, except us. Not an employee. Not a customer. Not even a to go customer, just passing through - NOBODY. After about 5 or 6 minutes of taking turns with the fork, we decided our server must've forgotten about us. So, my wife went and asked and was informed they still didn't have any forks. (No. We were not being singled out, as my wife heard them tell another customer the same thing.) My wife asked if they had some plastic utensils, used for to go orders. They were able to oblige. Back to the food... The fried chicken was as good as any I've ever had and much better than any I've had in recent memory. The vegetables were also seasoned and prepared as good as any I've ever had - in a restaurant OR at home. The cornbread didn't have real corn in it, (like I prefer) but it was still some KILLER CORNBREAD. And the nanner puddin' was off the charts. I REALLY WANT some more of that nanner puddin'!! The staff were friendly and helpful and I have no idea why we were the only white folks in attendance. Maybe it was just a weird coincidence. But, I'll tell you this. The nice people at this restaurant KNOW HOW TO COOK. And I highly recommend this restaurant to ANYBODY -- No matter what color you are! My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience and we look forward to dining there again, the next time we pass through Montgomery. Go here. You won't get a better country meal - anywhere. P.S. You might want to bring a fork.

My husband has been in town for several weeks and recommended I stop by for a meal even if I didn't…read morehave time to go to the museum. Service was okay. The lady working the register was very friendly and helpful! The food was pretty good! I was impressed with it considering it's a museum cafe. The chicken was moist and flavorful. The cornbread muffin was dry. All of the sides, lime beans, black eyed peas and okra were great! It was about $20 for the plate + 1 extra side - pretty good value for all the food I got. I was able to split the meal with my toddler. I wish I had time to hit the museum but we came here after we did the sculpture garden. Would definitely return!

Entering the Legacy Museum with tickets to enter between 1:30-2pm, our group ate at the museum's…read morecafe. For a Saturday, the line wasn't super long to get food at 1:10pm, but it did move very slowly. Factor that in your time. To eat, they have a buffet line of meats and veggies. For $12, I got a veggie plate of broccoli casserole, cabbage, and creamed corn. For museum food, it tasted good. The plate came with a cup for the fountain drinks (Coca-Cola products). There's plenty of seating in one large dining room. There are outlets for charging along the walls.

We visited O'Dessa's Blessings for lunch on Jan 7, 2026 as part of Road Scholar's "The Civil Rights…read moreMovement - Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham" program. It is run by a husband-and-wife team from catering, food preparation to being the entire waiting staff - just the two of them doing everything. The food - southern cuisine - was already laid out buffet style in the main hall. At the far end of the hall were desserts. Drinks of water, orange juice and sweet tea were in the dining room to the left of the hall. Now the dining room is large enough area to accommodate a party of 40 (there were 28 of us). I don't care for southern cuisine, unless it's seafood. But I did like both fried and baked chickens, spinach and cabbages; had multiple helping of them. I wished rice was included. The abundance of spaces between the tables helped in reducing the noise level. I sat at one of the smaller tables so that helped a lot. The overall decor evokes a pre-1980s feel, and apparently so is the upkeep of the building. The service was good enough that I would have given it at least four stars. Then I went to the men's restroom. When I finished my business, I turned the doorknob to unlock and it came loose. I though: was the door unlocked the entire time? This was shocking. Anyone could have entered. For that, one star is removed. (Had someone entered while I was *ahem* busy, I would have deducted two stars.) The restroom doorknob issue is enough reason for me to not recommend O'Dessa's Blessings. I hope the owners have done something about that.

Our group had a great dinner evening that top off the trip from Lexington, Kentucky. home cooking…read moresoul food to the max, from black eye peas to corn bread and peach cobbler old school Mama's home cooking HEAVY D. Lexington, Kentucky see you again at the dinner table. God Bless You and Your Family.

Yelp sent me here! After several failed attempts at finding some good soul food in Montgomery, we…read moredecided to give Double Down Bistro a try, and I'm glad we did. We stopped in during lunch, and I ordered the catfish with yams and greens. It also comes with cornbread. Everything was SO good! But that cornbread?! Ooh whew! It was the bomb, almost like dessert. I could've eaten another piece by itself! The only thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the yams. They were a little too sweet for my liking. The inside has a cool, laid-back vibe, and the service was great. After struggling to find some good food during our visit, Double Down Bistro definitely came through!

Visited Double Down Bistro based on the reviews and overall, it was just OK. I was seated and my…read moreserver Shanti got me a water while I looked over the menu. I told her it was my first visit but honestly, she didn't seem to care much. I ordered the Grilled Chicken Thighs with potatoes and Mac & Cheese for the sides. When she dropped off the food, she left me with a plastic knife and fork. I could not get her attention, and another waitress was kind enough to get me some metal utensils to eat with.  The chicken is very good, nicely seasoned, tender, and the BBQ side sauce is very tasty with this chicken. The potatoes are very good but the Mac & Cheese was more cheese and few noodles. Overall a decent meal but the service was not very friendly or helpful.

Came to Alabama to visit my friend for the weekend. On the way back went to the Legacy Museum…read more Which was a heart wrenching experience. Could had ate at the soul food place that was there. But decide to google a place nearby that the locals enjoyed. That's when I came across Sally T's cafe with the delicious moist cupcakes. When you walk in you are greeted by friendly faces. The man with dreads who served me made me feel open to ask questions. Was respectful, nice, and welcoming. The Lady who was on the cash register was just as equally nice. The building was not fancy at all but you can smell the love that was placed into every order. The food was affordable which was good to my pockets. Then they give you large portions which is always a plus. When I tell you the food was so delicious. You literally have to have it to understand my love for this place. Trust me you won't be disappointed when coming across this place. Just thank me later

Sally Ts was referred by hotel reception staff of SleepInn & Suites…read moreThe Soulfood is excellent Delicious Tasty & Fresh The Staff are welcoming and helpful Clean,Quaint & Cute in a shopping strip Well worth the visit I want to go back for their Good Homecooked SOULFOOD

Had some takeout Chicken and Waffles and they were great. It held up well while traveling back…read morehome. Three big wings and a sweet hearty waffle. Mac and cheese a little overdone and bland but all in all a great brunch.

People have said that it's not as good as it used to be but that's just a lie. Martins is…read morefantastic! I had their fried chicken and it was perfect. I'd recommend the dark meat as it was better. I had the greens, mashed potatoes, and black eyed peas. The greens could use some salt but everything else was 10/10. It's not super nice in there but it's clean and the servers are very kind. Theres a very small town feel to it. Will come back!

I had really high hopes for Martin's just because I know that sometimes the best food places are…read moreunsuspecting. The place is not the cleanest-- floors needed vacuuming, chairs were held together with duck tape.. but I pressed on hoping the food would redeem the space. Service was friendly. However, it was awkward listening to the waiter/waitresses/hostess/ kitchen staff have a conversation with each other across the entire restaurant. This was especially true after a patron sent something back and the kitchen came out loudly exclaiming that they wanted to see the food that "wasn't good enough." I had the fried chicken, greens, okra, and mashed potatoes. The chicken was fantastic. Perfectly cooked, juicy, and the tastiest fried skin/breading. That's where the goodness stops. The turnip greens were flavorless and complete mush, as though they had been sitting on the heat all day. Mashed potatoes were clearly from a box based on the consistency, color and flavor. Gravy had no flavor as well. There wasn't enough salt on the table to make it all better. The okra came out about 15min after we got our plates. It was fresh, but again, flavorless. My husband had the fried pork chop. It was just okay -- cooked well, zero flavor. Butter beans were good flavor wise, but definitely seemed to have been sitting for a while. It was odd to us that the only things you could get to drink were water, tea, lemonade, milk, and coffee. The second star is only for the chicken. I doubt we'll go back because the above experience for $50 is not worth it.