PoFolks Restaurant — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

We went for nostalgia. My wife and I had been talking about how great the food was when we were young adults, so we decided to take the kids there one night. It was over an hour drive from Spring Hill where we live. Per my wife, "It wasn't worth it, not even a little." The service was excellent, and the atmosphere was pretty much the same. However, it felt a lot more cramped than I remembered, and the food was mediocre at best. My wife ordered a veggie platter that she didn't like. My teenage son ordered a fried chicken dinner that he said was "alright" but ate less than half. He thought the chicken looked "a little too pink still." My oldest son liked his meal of fried liver and onions but said mine is better. My country fried steak dinner was decent, the side of mac and cheese tasted like Stouffer's, and the cornbread tasted close to Jiffy cornbread mix. All of which I like and enjoy, but definitely not worth the time and effort of our trip. I also ordered fried green tomatoes, but the breading was too thick, and the tomatoes too firm for my taste. Our biggest disappointment was that they were out of Mississippi Mud Pie. We both had hyped it up for our boys, and my teenager was looking forward to it as much as I was. Neither of us was interested in anything else on the dessert menu. Although, my oldest son did enjoy his apple Cobbler. All in all, it's not bad. The service was excellent. The food wss okay, but nothing I couldn't cook better at home for less. If you're close by, looking for casual family food, and a night off from cooking dinner for the family, it may be a decent option for you. It's just wasn't...

1st time there and Highly disappointing. Like a super scaled down version of a Cracker Barrel. Smelled sour when we sat down but we were hungry and it was pouring outside. Lemons for water were falling apart they were that old. Waitress brought us other and they were better but still not as fresh as could be. I should have walked out then. Everything, both persons orders, were too salty, but again we were there it was torrential out and we were very hungry. I ordered Kuntry Fried Steak, first time ever eating that, and not impressed as it was salty and pressed greasy hamburger with soggy batter covering. Broccoli side was overcooked and only redeemed somewhat by the salty cheese topping. I was still hungry after my $13 platter though I'm not usually a big eater so I ordered a mozzarella stick appetizer and got 6 sticks for $8. My friend's cod platter came with small pieces of heavily battered fish instead of a fillet (the waitress explained that the cod was so thick it was cut up in chunks to better cook through??), and the platter was mostly French fries. Waitress, Ms. Mickie was very attentive and a good server. We tipped her generously though our experience was unsatisfactory, and we both got sick with intestinal distress later from the lemons as it was the only thing...

When I was 16, (now 46) my first job was as a busboy at the only (or one of the few )Po Folks north of the Mason-Dixon line in Western Pennsylvania. Not only was it my first job, but it also provided a taste of southern cooking that I wouldn't have had otherwise. Greens, red beans and rice, fried okra, black eyed peas, I loved it all then on top of the fried chicken and other items. That restaurant closed over 20 years ago now and the chain has dwindled to a few locations in northern FL.

Simply, if you like Cracker Barrel, you will like Pofolks. Lots of the same options (except breakfast isn't served beyond breakfast hours) and lots of the same food options you'll find at any other southern style "Meat and 3" restaurant. The food all tastes the same as it did and the fried chicken is always good. I happened to eat at another PoFolks in Pensacola a few years ago and had the same experience there. Even the dishware is the same that I remember washing all those years ago.

My wife had never experienced PoFolks and she enjoyed it. And the prices are still a good value with generous portion sizes. If you want a simple, southern style meal in St. Pete or Tampa, PoFolks is a...