Mama Josephine’s

EDIT TO ADD: within a few moments of originally posting this review, I’ve gotten a couple notes alerting me to the fact that today (4−16−16) is actually this restaurants last day in business. I hate to hear of any small business closing and even though my personal experiences left me compelled to leave a 1-​star review, I know many people enjoyed Mama Josephine’s and I wish the owner and staff nothing but good luck and much success in their next endeavors.
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I feel sorta bad for doing this actually because I think the owner and staff are nice people but after several bad experiences I’m so disappointed. I’ve had food here 2 – 3 times in the year and ½ or so I’ve lived near by, and haven’t ever been upset with anything food-​wise, but actually being served food has become the issue.
One day last fall I walked over to order fried chicken and the restaurant was closed because their refrigerator went out and all their food had spoiled. Ok stuff happens… they were closed for a few weeks because of this though which seemed weird to me but ok. Next time I attempted to eat there for lunch with my mom. Again the place was closed for some weird reason (I seem to remember it being some water issue but not sure.) I tried again about a week later for «breakfast» which I guess is now non-​existent even though their website still lists morning hours and a breakfast menu. Okkkkk… next attempt I called to place a carry out order and the person who answered informed me that the sandwich I wanted was no longer on the menu (even though it was still on their website menu at that very moment: sigh:) I try to order another sandwich and nope we don’t have that anymore either. When I asked what they do then, I got some complicated explanation about partnering with some BBQ people and how they were still trying to figure out how to work together best and a lot of confusing details but no mention of actual food. Ok I decided to just go another day in person then and just look at the menu myself.
That trip to see the menu in person was likely my last trip to this place though. I walked the six blocks or so over there last night at 7:45ish to place a carry out order and the place was about half full and I asked to see a menu from the nice waitress I’ve always seen working there. While standing at the counter, the waitress turned in an order to the kitchen staff and I could hear the owner, definitely upset and angry, loudly ask «Are you kidding?!? Another order?!» This was not like «omg yes another order of paying customers» but rather a «I’m sick of this shit and frustrated» type of response. The poor waitress tried to calm her down and explain it wasn’t a hard order to make and gave her some other encouragement but I could just hear the frustration and anger coming right out of the kitchen and I just turned around and left.
From the few minutes I did look at menu though it looks like they’ve decided to cut was a nice, affordable, home-​style southern cooking menu in half and replace that missing half with smoked BBQ made by someone else. I certainly missed the old menu and wasn’t exactly excited to see another place in the area with BBQ ribs and the like.
Again, not bad people at all, and even though I’ve tried to eat there now 5 – 6 times without ever actually getting served a thing, I still have fond memories of the 2 – 3 times I actually did end up with food prior to the turmoil of the last 6 – 7 months of my missed attempts.
They definitely need to update and pay attention to their website, it’s so unprofessional to have outdated hours and menu info online in this modern, highly connected world of info sharing. Also, I hope they bring back their former menu in its entirety and maybe find a better outlet for blowing off steam on a busy night than talking loud enough your entire restaurant hears you.

Safe to say I was highly disappointed. The menu changed and seems like the cooking did too. To sum it, all my children had to use the bathroom afterwards. And I threw up in my mouth. To be honest, I had TV dinners that was better and I am a vegetarian. I don’t know what was more disturbing, my kids using the bathroom or the chefs eating in the back. And they didn’t have my Monkey Bread.
Reporting to you live at the street side parking. (After $ 60 in the restaurant, I am glad I didn’t have to pay for parking).

I absolutely love this place and it is definitely on par if not better than Sweetie Pies. Do yourself a favor and try the chicken and dumplings as well as one their fried Pies. You’ll absolutely love it. I have not been lucky enough to try the famous lasagna yet but I plan on it very soon. I will be returning.

All food made to order. Awesome chicken and dumplings, chicken fried steak and fried cabbage. The owner is always here and the wait staff is very friendly. Highly recommend!

I ate dinner here last night with 2 other people. The 2 other people were singing the praises of Mama Josephine’s. We ordered: Fried Green Tomatoes, Chicken & Dumplings, Rueben Sandwich, the Baked Fish and 2 fried pies.
Fried Green Tomatoes — Excellent Crispy and perfect.
Chicken & Dumplings — Very Salty, large portion of chicken, we felt the dumplings had been sitting in the broth for quite a while because they had expanded. Cornbread-​very crumbly and impossible to even eat.
Rueben Sandwich — Very Average
Baked Fish — The piece of fish was very tiny and overcooked. The side dishes were just OK.
Fried Pies — Light, Flaky, and delicious
The consensus was that there was no reason to rush back. I have been in a lot of restaurants and I have my own business and if I had to guess I would say this is a case of: No one ever takes care of your business the way you do.

I really wanted to champion Mama Josephines. As a food writer, I’d heard about it from many of my sources as a spot I should try, particularly since I’m a fan of pan-​fried chicken. They politely took a six-​person table reservation a 7 p.m. on a Saturday, when their restaurant only holds around 20 people. To be fair, we could have walked right in without a wait. The quaint atmosphere and menu seemed charming — and the reviews sold me. Usually, I don’t recommend a new spot when people ask where to eat, but I thought it couldn’t be bad based on everything else!
Now, to be transparent, I usually eat somewhere a few times before I write a review, and can forgive a little poor service; but this was literally the worst service I’d ever had in my life.
I will say that the service really tainted the food and the pleasant experience — I don’t think I have the courage to return. Our server interrupted taking our dinner order five times to help other patrons — something she continued to do throughout the evening. In fact, each person’s food came out at different times without any explanation and she let them sit in the window to help other patrons. We waited much longer than ten minutes between the first and last plate arriving on our table. When we asked about the missing plate, the server rolled her eyes at us. We had to ask for our waters to be refilled a handful of times — and we were one of three active tables in the restaurant. I would be able to excuse running out of chicken breasts, collards, beans, corn bread and fried cabbage by the nights’ end (even if it was prime business hour on a Saturday) — it was the server’s attitude that took away from the experience. We told her we needed separate checks at the beginning of the meal, and when we asked for them separate at the end of the meal she rolled her eyes again.
On the other hand, the onion rings, catfish, hush puppies and Mac N Cheese were prepared well. I had no complaints on the sweet potatoes, although they were my third choice of side dish (see note about what they were out of above). The texture of the fried chicken was great albeit lacked some flavor and came out a little dry (it only needed a touch of salt, or perhaps a little more paprika and pepper). Mary did come out to apologize for the belated last plate when she learned we were upset.
If you’re planning on going, I’d maybe try lunch or take-​out, or go with just one other person.

Mama Josephine’s Southern Surf n Turf is one of the best dishes you can get in St Louis for 10 bucks.
You get one piece of fried chicken, a healthy serving of fried catfish, 2 sides, and a BIG piece of cornbread.
The catfish was the surprise winner. I typically don’t think much of catfish, but I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this. It was sliced thin and lightly breaded, and tasted clean and delicious. Mama Josephine’s makes it a point to use farmed grain-​fed catfish from the gulf region of the US, rather than the cheaper Asian counterpart, and it makes a big difference. The tartar sauce was really flavorful as well, although not necessary to enjoy the fish.
The fried chicken was solid — juicy and not overly-​breaded. Don’t hesitate to ask for hot sauce if you like a kick. A generous slice of cornbread also hit the spot. It’s wasn’t too greasy or sweet, just right.
For my 2 sides, I went with the southern-​fried okra and green beans. The okra is a must, I’ve raved out it in my previous review. The green beans were pretty good, but I’ll probably choose something else next time.
Also, definitely order an iced tea. I ordered an unsweetened one and couldn’t believe flavorful it was — she must be using a high-​quality tea and her recipe is spot-​on. It was a great accompaniment to the meal.
Stop in at Mama Jo’s for a Southern Surf n Turf and glass of iced tea, you’ll be glad you did.

I have eaten at Mama Josephines for years. It is an authentic Southern cooking restaurant. You can’t get better food in Saint Louis. Mama Josphines catfish and fried chicken are the best I’ve ever eaten, but I would die for her red beans and rice. Lately the service has gotten much better due to a change in staff, too. Come eat Southern food at Mama Josephine’s! Food 5 stars, service 5 stars!

Just awful !
Bland fried chicken. Super salty fried cabbage. Sweet hush puppies cooked in same oil as the chicken. The catfish tasted like mud. Gross.
The, pictures below show how much we were able to eat…

This will be an ongoing stop for me and all the parental units. Great southern standards beautifully prepared. Really nice folks to serve it. Fried dishes are crispy but never greasy. Gumbo and chicken and dumplings are perfect for cool or rainy days.

Delicious. Nothing less or short thereof.
Honestly not a fan of the fried chicken, and neither was my fiancé nor a friend f mine. But the fried catfish is to die for. So are the hush puppies, fried cabbage, sweet potatoes, yeast rolls, CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS, and meatloaf. Very good sweet tea but no refills.

By far the best soul food in St. Louis. Everything is always made to order and fresh unlike many soul food spots in STL.
To be honest I was really surprised at how good the food was.
Mama always told me to never judge a book by its cover!
Keep up the good work!!!

REALLY TASTY FOOD. Small place and reasonable prices. I believe a fried chicken plate with the choice of 2 (breast, leg, thigh) plus two sides and hot rolls was $ 8.95 on a Saturday for dinner.
We did not have the best experience on the service side… at all. But, we were told there were some recent changes in staff which could explain all of the confusion. I will also mention they were out of quite a few sides as well as some entrees by 6:30PM on a Saturday evening. I would also like to point out there were only two other couples in the entire restaurant and the service was still pretty horrendous… The only reason I am giving 4 stars is because the food we were actually able to order and consume was delicious. I hope a second trip will fix any service or supply issues they have been experiencing.

Oh yes… 5 stars for this nice place…
Not a lot of tables, but I read they are tops in the «take-​out» department.
I had Mama’s Meatloaf with sweet potatoes and hush puppies.
Meatloaf: Moist and FLAVORFUL
Sweet potatoes: cinnamony and caramel goodness
The hush puppies were so very good and fresh.
I did save room for the peach cobbler. One of my dinning partners put it this way: «That’s as good, if not better than my grandmas»!
We were supposed to go to another place in St. Louis that «everybody» talks about… I am so very glad we picked Mama Josephine’s!
I bet you’ll say the same.

I have been here twice and based off of the second time, I can’t give it more stars.
The first time I went was a Friday where they have a catfish special. That was pretty good. The fish was well seasoned, the Mac n Cheese was pretty good, although I have yet to try any other Mac n Cheese better than the family recipe. All around a good meal with a friendly staff.
I went back on Valentine’s Day for lunch with my boyfriend and his mom. The service was ok that day, not nearly as friendly as the last time. But the food just gave me mixed emotions. I decided not to try the same thing again and got the Chicken and Dumplings… Worst chicken and dumplings I’ve personally ever had. I did not complain to them because I felt bad if they comp’d it and it’s such a small business… So I just ordered the catfish again. Unfortunately I couldn’t try anything new as far as sides because they were out of half of everything. Very frustrating when your server names four to five things that are on the menu and not available.
Also, somebody had their son taking food to the table which made me very nervous because he was a child and 1) he probably does not have the correct shots to be serving food. 2) he was not big enough or comfortable enough to take extremely hot and full plates to tables.
I don’t see myself going back.

I’ve never actually been to Mama Josephine’s in person. I’ve ordered from them twice using The Bike Waiter. My review is based strictly on the food I received.
Based on reviews, I was really excited to order from them. I don’t quite understand what has been happening to my food versus everyone else’s reviews, but I just cannot recommend this place.
My first order was a BLT with onion rings. The BLT arrived on barely toasted Wonder Bread. I won’t blame them for the reassembly I had to do, but a toothpick wouldn’t be entirely out of line here. The onion rings were good. Nothing special.
A few months later, I gave them a second try ordering my favourite food on earth — meatloaf. The sides were fine, but unremarkable. The meatloaf though… that was what made me cry. While it was indeed a loaf of meat, whatever seasoning blend they use on this doesn’t work. At. All. And what was worse, I was «tasting» this meatloaf for the rest of the day. It haunted my tasted buds. Nothing got rid of it. It was simply awful. The pecan pie filling was good, the crust was super dry and tasted burnt.
I live in the neighbourhood and could walk there if I wanted, but their hours are another issue. By the time I’m ready for dinner, they are closed or just about to. (Dinner hours are only 5 — 7!) This is why both my orders have been ordered using the Bike Waiter for lunch to eat while I’m working. I guess if the food had been better, I’d adjust my schedule once in a while and eat early, but based on these, I can’t recommend them to anyone.

Okay, first and foremost the energy of everyone in the restaurant was very sluggish. Which is okay, no one is expected to be on point all the time. Plus the owner admitted to being very tired. And maybe this all somehow transfered over to the cooking.
I got the fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, pinto beans, cornbread and sweet tea. The fried chicken wasn’t seasoned at all. The Mac & cheese was very basic no real flavor. The Pinto beans were good and the sweet tea was on point. I’m from the six of South Carolina and I know soul food. This food was missing the soul. On another note, my wife had this catfish and she said it was fried perfectly. I will try this place again, because I believe in bad days.

Loved it!
Went here after an exhausting day at the zoo with my sister and her family. We all had something different and no one was disappointed. My nephew first said he didn’t want his Mac n’ Cheese but after we talked him into trying it he gobbled it down and said it was the best he’s ever had!
Super friendly, patient when we were having trouble deciding (too many good things to pick from!), and clean. We all left happy with stuffed tummy’s. Very impressed!!!

WARNING: If you spend more than 60 seconds chatting with Mary you WILL walk out of her restaurant with a southern accent.
This place had been on my list for quite a while but I finally found myself in the neighborhood around lunch time and stopped by. She had the much-​loved lasagna available but I was really in the mood for either catfish or chicken but not sure which I would order. Fortunately, Mary solved that conundrum when she pointed out their Southern surf & turf… one piece of catfish, one piece of chicken, hush puppies and two sides. Perfect!
I chose Southern-​style okra and mashed potatoes with gravy but asked for just a little portion of the taters because I knew I wouldn’t make it through all of them without taking a nap, possibly before leaving the restaurant.
Lunch takes a little while because everything is made to order.
The catfish was absolutely perfect. The cornmeal breading was lightly seasoned and the fillet was cooked exactly right — not in the least bit mushy or chewy. Mild flavor too. The okra was also perfect. Cornmeal breading again and smaller okra were used so that the bitterness which can rear its ugly head with the more mature okra was nowhere in sight. Also, there was a slight smokiness which made this a really enjoyable side dish. The next thing I tried was the chicken. Sadly, I have to call it good, not great. The mashed potatoes and gravy more than made up for any shortcomings experience with the chicken. Maybe they should have been eaten together? Loved the occasional lumps which reassured me that they were made in-​house from real potatoes. The gravy had that smooth stick-​to-​your-​ribs quality that made me realize how dangerous it could be in large quantities. Finally, the hush puppies. I must admit that I am not a hush puppy authority but these were probably the best I’ve ever had.
Phenominal hospitality plus great food in a place that feels like home… I will be back many, many times!

Mama Josephine’s is your typical 5 Star restaurant. It isn’t prissy white linen service, it is simple down-​home southern country comfort food. I recently attended a UYE here for dinner and it was so good, I got carry out for the other half who stayed at home. Then the next morning we both returned to Mama Josephine’s for breakfast. So within twelve hours, I had two comfort meals that put a smile on my face and had my heart questioning what the hell I was doing. To make the heart happy, I did seven miles when I got home.
Dinner — Fried Chicken, all white meat. I enjoyed one breast and a wing with a side of Mac-​n-​Cheese and Green Beans. The chicken reminded me of the chicken my mom would fry up on the farm in the cast iron skillet. So many places over cheese their Mac-​n-​Cheese, but not Mama Josephine. She coats the macaroni with just the right amount of cheese. The green beans, tasted as if they were picked that morning and made fresh for dinner.
Carryout — Fried Chicken, dark meat. I requested two thighs and they were very accommodating. I changed things up for this order and did Fried Okra and Cooked Cabbage. OMG! The cabbage had me changing my opinion of cooked cabbage, their seasoning had me wanting a second serving. If you’ve had true Southern Fried Okra, you know down south they do not coat the okra in breading. They just dust in lightly allowing the flavor of the okra to come through and that is how MJ serves her okra.
The morning after having a fried chicken dinner, we headed back to MJ to enjoy two big huge country breakfast.
Southern Delight — 2 fried eggs, a piece of country ham and potatoes. I am not sure if they use a grill to fry their eggs, but again they reminded me of those in a cast iron skillet. The ham was a nice size serving, to accompany the eggs and potatoes. Their potatoes were what I grew up with on the farm, sliced potatoes fried. No fancy hash browns.
Three Egg Breakfast — 3 fried eggs, sausage and potatoes.
Being the farm boy and a fan of biscuits and gravy, we shared an order.
These were true farmer biscuits and gravy. Flaky made from scratch biscuits and a milk gravy filled with chunks of pork sausage.
The service is always over the top friendly. If you do not feel the love, something is wrong with you.