Saints Paradise Cafeteria — Restaurant in Washington

The best soul food in DC literally 100 yards from the convention center / Mount Vernon metro on M, right off of 7th. It's in a huge dining room in the base level of a church you enter at the awning leading downstairs on the driveway side. This hidden gem has been hiding in plain sight for decades. CASH ONLY. They have one of those little ATMs that charges a fee on site if you don't byo.

Here, you can get a full dinner with a large slice of cake, pie, peach cobbler, or banana pudding, and drink for under $20...and more like 14/15 if you get a daily blue plate special entree. Everything is good.

Yes, the food is made and served by church ladies that remind you of your own grandma...what could be better.

I was considering fancy Ramen etc, a deli sandwich, but wasn't liking my options, then thought of this place I hadn't been to in a minute...3 minutes drive from Judiciary square/Gallery Place. Food.

Everything fried is fried nicely. There are non fried options, but if you're getting soul food, fried is usually what you want. The sides are good. 3 kinds of gravy. Pork chops are smothered or not...I like to add gravy, vs smothered so the light breading has its crispiness. The black eyed peas, greens, mac and cheese are perfection. There are other places this good farther out...For example Grannies in Owings Mills, but you'll pay 2X as much. Nearer Brightwood Oohs and Ahs approaches, with nicer ambience, but also at 2X the price. U Street Oohs and Aahs is decent, but the food is not...

The first time that I moved to Washington, a few of the guys I knew answered almost in unison that Saint's Paradise was the absolute best place to get DC's best soul food. The greens, string beans, mac and cheese, bake beans, smothered, barbecue, baked and fried chicken, the baked and fried fish, the cabbage, sweet potatoes, liver and onions, mashed potatoes, the gravy and the shrimp....even the sweet potato pies, chocolate cakes....ALL GOOD! I was introduced to that spot back in 1995 and they referred to it then as Daddy Grace's church cafeteria. I have since left the area (in 1998), but when I drive that way, I purposely come up I-395 to where it ends on New York Ave and make every turn legally possible for 5 minutes until get there. Parking is terrible, but I don't mind because the food and staff are always worth the wait. The line may be long, but I defy anyone to find one person complaining about it. I bet THAT'S because of the magnificent aroma in the air. I have seen firefighters, police, college students, business folks as well as college/h.s. age students there, along with those from the immediate neighborhood; I spoke to them. Btw, I make sure that I have an empty stomach on the way so I can indulge in one of life's finest pleasures...breaking bread with my brothers and sisters, taking time enjoying each bite. When I'm done, I leave generous cash on the table and take some back to the cashier's donation bucket. Year's later, I have to admit that Saint's. Paradise lives up...

This gold dome church is ideally located across the street from the Washington Convention Center, the Mt. Vernon Square metro stop and near the corner of 7th and M St. NW. Your landmark will be a driveway with steps leading down into the dining hall. Locally known as Daddy Grayson's Church for over 40 years. The church dinning hall is known for home cooked meals like your grandmother prepared. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, cash only. Lines start at 7am, with cars double parked or fighting for nearby spaces. Their deserts consists of pound cakes of various types, and the same for pies which are offered at 7a. Breakfast options are varied from fried chicken, fish, sausages, crab cakes, awesome meaty bacon, buttered grits, home fries, baked apples, egg varieties, biscuits, toast, juices, etc. Servings are large, you can dine in or take out. The original cooks were grandmas. Today there are still a few grandmas and men cooking too. Breakfast with 4 strips of bacon, buttered grits, scrambled eggs with cheese, 2 slices of toast and a bottled drink was under 8.00. Prices have risen over the years, but it's worth a trip. Just ask church members, city workers, locals, policemen, firemen, businessmen, tourists and convention center attendees who discover this hidden delight by accident. Remember there is only street parking, the subway or the bus on 7th street. What a way to offset...