Mommadede’s Southern Cooking Soulfood & BBQ Cafe — Restaurant in Lovejoy

Momma Dede’s Southern Cooking is a newly established gem that deserves the highest praise. This place sets the gold standard for all BBQ and soul food restaurants. When it comes to a place that shares love through food, one should never settle for shortcuts, and Momma Dede’s lives up to this principle in every way. Among the various BBQ joints in the area, I'm delighted that I chose Momma Dede’s.

The atmosphere inside is cozy, complete with two TVs where you can enjoy a movie. The dining area is spotless, tastefully decorated, and the lady who took our order was incredibly warm and welcoming. As I took pictures of the menu, I noticed her meticulously portioning out potato salad for orders. The packaging was both practical and thoughtful. Each side came in its own container, preventing any spills during transport and serving as great leftover containers. The meats were neatly packed in a styrofoam container, with BBQ sauce provided in small containers for those who prefer it.

I ordered the three-meat combo (sausage, rib tips, and chicken wings) with two sides (potato salad and black-eyed peas), and the veggie plate (mac and cheese, collard greens, yams, and BBQ beans). Everything was absolutely mouthwatering, and you could taste the homemade goodness.

The rib tips, chicken, and sausage were so juicy and flavorful that I didn't even need to use the BBQ sauce that came with them. The smoky essence in the meats was a sure sign they were cooked on a real BBQ grill. As for the veggies, you could tell they were homemade, not the generic stuff. The mac and cheese was rich and creamy, the collard greens had a delightful texture and were perfectly seasoned, the BBQ beans were packed with flavor, and the black-eyed peas were cooked to perfection. The yams had a great texture and struck a perfect balance between sweet and savory. Each meal also included a hefty slice of cornbread, which was moist and packed with flavor.

Now, let's talk about Momma Dede’s potato salad. It deserves its own paragraph! I’ve tried potato salad at numerous restaurants, often disappointed by its store-bought taste. Momma Dede’s potato salad, on the other hand, is in a league of its own. It doesn’t have even a hint of store-bought. It features chunks of red potatoes, hand-cut pickles, and a blend of ingredients that harmonize beautifully. It strikes the perfect balance between creamy and textured, every bite reminding me of my mother's potato salad and filling me with joy.

To sum it up, Momma Dede’s Southern Cooking is the kind of place I could visit several times a month. I wholeheartedly recommend it for a homestyle BBQ experience, and I'm definitely coming...

First I am one of the originals. Before web orders and before the daughter was a constant fixture. Me and my family used to patronize at least 4x a month. Customer service is and should always be the forefront of Your business. Her attitude brings this family restaurant all the way down and she makes no apologies for it. My money spends anywhere I prefer my neighborhood. I tried to place an order online since this started first time web was having issues I called in and explained that and I was met with well I ain’t taking no phone orders and you can come on and that day I passed them by. The second and final time was today and items were missing off order menu but on Uber eats it can be seen. I called again o ain’t taking no call in orders. I had time to go up today and asked were they aware that certain things don’t appear on the web. “Yea I know”. I’m Trying to order rib tips.”Tips are no longer on the menu we sold out. If it appears on Ubereats you have a problem. This will definitely be my last time patronizing your business. You said you didn’t want this business to kill your parents so I guess you say I’ll just run the business in the ground. Shame on you. Go take a page or two from Chic Fil A university for customer service. 2/28/2025 So follow up on this reply to my review of your establishment that has fallen since the daught came on the scene. Because I tried to give the benefit of the doubt by ordering once again through Seamless which is an option on your pickup order you cancel my order and say you don't take Grubhub which isn't even how I ordered but never honest about the reason you cancelled the order. To be honest the mom is great she is the sweetest. To be one of the only black owned places in the neighborhood you should be ashamed of yourself. And to say I was cursing sweetie that means you been getting it from different places cause I'm not gonna curse over no food I just won't patronize but this time promise you I will NOT be back since this is how y'all are running things NOW. I wish you luck not to shut down in the...

This is my SPOT! It's the only amazing soul food spot south of the airport. It's tiny so don't think your whole group is dining there but the food is AMAZING. Smothered Turkey wings with gravy, collard greens and candy yams? WHOAAAHHH!

Update 8/4/2024 - it pains me to say this but today was my last straw. I drove 45 minutes here to get my food, got here at 5pm, (there supposed to be open till 6 today (it’s Sunday) Someone tried to walk in and almost walked away when the owners daughter comes to unlock the door and tells us, “we close at 5 today”, the guy says, “I ordered it on the phone” then she gets his order and brings it to him. When she comes back, I tell her, “I drove 45 minutes to get here, why didn’t anyone change it on the website or at least the phone message?” She casually replies, “it’s not easy to change it on the website” and closes and locks the door. The worst part is; they still have the floor sign outside like their open! In the 15 minutes it took me to write this; I’ve seen 6 cars pull up, try the door and leave. This is so NOT cool and I can’t even remember how many times this has happened before. It’s not professional and it shows how they feel about is. If a business can’t even take the time to change something as simple as voice mail to help their customers? They REALLY have become to comfortable. We the people who’ve supported this business over the years deserve better🙁.

Update: 12/1/2024 - I always like to give credit where credit is due. With that said, they have DEFINITELY stepped up their customer service. They are a LOT more consistently attentive now. They’ve also updated the aesthetic/look of the place and opened up the curtains enabling more folks from outside to see into the restaurant. They’ve rearranged the tables for more in room dining and they are much more communicative about days/times that they’ll be closed/leaving early. WONDERFUL! And of course the food has ALWAYS...