Mary's Southern Cooking — Restaurant in Mobile

I was a bit shocked that my prior review had either been deleted or somewhere lost in the shuffle, as I went to this establishment with my cousin from Australia hoping to introduce her what "good old southern cooking and hospitality is all about". I mean, isn't that what y'all have been promoting in America for the past 50+ years? I'm personally from San Diego, and was on vacation to New Orleans in mid 2016 and decided to drive to Alabama to hook up with my son and grandkids. We found our way to Mobile looking for some good southern cooking. I wanted something small and to the point. I didn't need any bells and whistles, all I wanted was good cooking and the hospitality which seems to be the highlight of the South and that is exactly what I found at Mary's. I am revisiting this website because I plan on coming back and wanted to see if the more current reviews compared to mine. Of course, I loved the place. The people couldn't have been friendlier. There was a live band that played all the good oldies from back in my day. Let's get to the food though....... Like I mentioned, I live in California and rarely do I see good fried chicken. And when I say good, I mean, marinated in buttermilk all night, spiced correctly and definitely not sitting in the oil too long. This chicken was divine!!! I also had Black Eyed Peas, greens and cornbread. Not a single complaint about anything. Mary actually came to our table and introduced herself and made us feel so welcome and made a conscious effort to keep us happy. On our way out, a kind woman brought out 2 plates, one each with a piece of her homemade cake. Now this was not just a homemade cake, this was a cake that was obviously made with her heart and soul put into it. I haven't had anything that comes close to it since. I will be back in the area by the years end. I will definitely be stopping by. I can't wait to dig my teeth into one of those big fat juicy fried chicken thighs. I'm not usually a fan of greens but those there at Mary's were divine. The Black Eyed Peas were also done to perfection. Anyway if I keep going, y'all are going to think that they put me up to this, so I'm going to shut up and wait patiently for my turn. The only thing I'll do differently this time is take a doggy bag or two🙃...

TEN STARS!!! The undisputed culinary highlight of our 2,000-mile Southern road trip. The food and service are perfection (and it's ridiculously cheap). Do yourself a favor and stop by!

FOOD: It's no exaggeration to say this is some of the best food (period) I've ever eaten in my entire life. I never wanted it to end. King Solomon in all his glory never had a better meal than this. The fried chicken was shockingly delicious. We couldn't stop taking about it. The red beans were perfect--could've been their own standalone meal. Sweet potatoes like ambrosia. Mac and cheese: Mind-blowing; You've never had it like this before. I could eat a waterbed-full of their mashed potatoes and gravy. The corn--just a plain ol' side of corn--was like candy. I don't understand how food can be this good. It's magic. And the portions were huge!

SERVICE: At first the cafeteria setup was unfamiliar, but my trepidation was soon swept away by the warm embrace of all the folks at Mary's. I wanted to hang out with these people. They're SO nice. Not like put-on-a-good-show-for-the-customer nice; they're really, genuinely, uncommonly nice. It's super relaxing. Everybody in that place was happy. I felt like I was at my grandma's house for a special birthday meal, only my grandma was a world-class cook. The waitress held our baby for a good 10 minutes, and he's heavy. I left totally convinced that they loved me, and I...

Ya'll.....!!!!! Winner winner chicken dinner... literally! I review ALOT of places and this one right here.....this one, it's a hit!! Run...dont walk...dont crawl....dont skip... RUN to get your plate! We are staying in Fairhope and needed some food with flavor, and this place was suggested, so we made the trip over, and when I say I waddled out...I mean I could have used a wheel barrel! We were greeted by Felicia upon entering with a cheerful hello and approached by Missy in line to inquire what we wanted to drink. Everything smelled amazing, and there were lots of choices. Heres the low down on what we had:

Baked chicken : finger licking, fall off the bone, well seasoned and GONE....I ate every bite and my husband tried to steal mine as well as his.

Candied yams : super sweet and sticky, just the way grandma would make!

Mac and. Cheese: i believe it's baked and full of cheese. (Take a bite of mac and cheese and add a piece of yam to it and eat together in one bite. Thank me later)

Cornbread muffin: a little dry but overall tasted great

Cabbage: My favorite side!! This stuff is the truth!

If you're on the fence about visiting, please give them a try and get off that fence! (It's not very comfy up there anyhow!) 5 stars for Miss Mary!! My husband said this food was so good he wanted to write ya'll a ticket! 😅😅😅😋😋😋

Oh, and BTW, dont even flinch at the price...its worth every...