Nana Morrison's Soul Food — Restaurant in Charlotte

My visit to Nana Morrison’s Soul Food on Oak Lake Blvd., was a hosted meal, and I quickly saw why this spot is a local favorite for soul food. The moment I walked in, the staff was friendly and welcoming guiding me through the ordering experience.

This is a cafeteria-style restaurant, where you move down the line to select your meats, toppings, and sides before heading to your table. The portions are very generous, so either come hungry or be prepared to take leftovers home. When dining in, food is served on a plastic tray with disposable plates and containers. It’s not the most eco-friendly setup, but it works.

I visited on a Thursday night, and the daily special was Chicken Alfredo, which I was told is one of the most popular items. I ordered it along with stuffing with gravy, mashed potatoes with gravy, a fried chicken thigh, a roll, and a slice of sweet potato pie.

The Chicken Alfredo was pure comfort. Creamy, cheesy, and packed with chicken, it was the kind of dish you need to physically stop yourself from eating before you regret how full you are. The stuffing was incredibly flavorful, packed with herbs and chunks of roasted turkey. It reminded me of my StoveTop turkey-flavored stuffing, but better. I added brown gravy, but it wasn’t really necessary because the stuffing was already moist and well-seasoned. The mashed potatoes were smooth, but they could have used a little more salt. The brown gravy helped balance that out.

I may not be an expert on soul food or fried chicken, but the fried chicken thigh was fantastic. The breading was crispy, the meat inside was juicy and tender, and it wasn’t overly greasy.

For a drink, I went with a bottle of fruit punch Kool-Aid, because soul food and Kool-Aid just go together. It was incredibly sweet and refreshing. If you like sugary drinks, this one is for you.

To finish off the meal, I had their sweet potato pie, which is made in-house like all their desserts. The filling was smooth and well-balanced, not overly sweet, but it was missing one thing. A fresh dollop of whipped cream would have made it perfect.

If you’re looking for a solid soul food spot and don’t mind a casual cafeteria-style setup, Nana Morrison’s Soul Food is a great choice. Just come hungry and be ready for some serious...

I was excited about visiting the restaurant; I was glad to learn they have a location even closer to my area. The facility is clean, spacious, and resembles a cafeteria. The staff’s demeanor was ok. I was surprised to learn that, like a cafeteria, you have to go down an assembly line. Customers cannot order to individual specifications. We ordered catfish, collards, mac and cheese, and yams, which came with a cornbread muffin. Since I am a very good cook, I can be a bit of a "Soul Food Snob." Besides, we have a Black-owned Soul Food restaurant minutes from where we live, where they "throw down. Nana Morrison’s Soul Food is not that good. There was no happy medium. Everything sweet was too sweet, like the tea and yams (which were soupy). The collards had too much vinegar and gave a hint of "Glory" canned collards. I prefer greens seasoned with ham, ham hocks, turkey, or pork salt, but I enjoy them without meat as well. However, you can't saturate them with vinegar--if they're seasoned right, a splash of vinegar/hot sauce will do. The catfish had the right texture (crispy coating, softer inside), but it was miserably bland. I could've doctored up a box of Jiffy and it would've been tastier than the muffin they served (yikes). The biggest disappointment was the baked mac and cheese. I only ate a spoonful and couldn't stomach the rest. It was a step up from Kraft in a box with a ton of Velveeta. Anybody who uses Velveeta in their mac knows it will overwhelm the dish if you use too much of it. By the way, the bill was over $80. bucks which is not bad if the food is good, but it wasn’t. Finally, I may give the location in Cary, NC, a try, but we will not return to the Charlotte location. They need Nana back in the kitchen because the chef...

I made my way to Nana's on Friday, August 12 2022. I was in town for a conference. I had looked for Black-owned restaurants prior to going to Charlotte. Nana's came up in my search.

I went late afternoon/early evening on that Friday just as the line was starting to build. I decided to order the large meal with my choices of fried chicken, bbq ribs, collard greens and mashed potatoes and gravy. This was accompanied by a corn muffin. I ordered peach cobbler for dessert. The meal was not inexpensive at $32.

I am from Kansas City and I love barbecue and grilled meats. I know that the Carolinas have their own style of grilled and barbecued meats. I had been in Raleigh just a few days before. The ribs were decently flavored with a heavy sauce and not very smoky tasting. They were tender. The greens were also pretty good, well seasoned with a bit more sugar added than I prefer. (for those who don't know, sometimes a bit of sugar is added to lessen the bitterness that greens, collards and mustard, sometimes have) The spiciness, usually from dried red chili peppers, black pepper and garlic, countered the sweetness somewhat but not quite enough for me. The mashed potatoes were just all right. The cornbread and fried chicken were very good though, the redeeming part of the meal. I was not at all impressed with the peach cobbler though.

Nana's is setup cafeteria style. The servers were patient and accommodating. The restaurant was clean and pleasant but I had gotten my order to go so I did not sit to eat. Overall, I would give them 3.5 stars and I would eat there again. Like I said it was not inexpensive but that is probably partially due to the recent pandemic and changes to the...