Simply Soul

I’ve eaten there a few times with my sister. I loved this place. Except the salmon patties, I didn’t like those.

Known for their catering capers before opening Simply Soul, the Waddell dynamic duo’s savory home cooking will make you think you never left your own kitchen (except you don’t have to do the dishes!). Their «Simply» Chicken is simply satisfying comfort food you’ll want to take to a church supper. Pull off the golden brown crust to enjoy first, and then tear apart the lightly seasoned chicken with your hands. You will see juices like Niagara Falls. Don’t miss out on the mountain of baked Macaroni-​n-​Cheese; ours was buried under cheese topping on the north side and you get a peek at the creamy sauced noodles on the south side of the slope.

This place is definitely filling! It was a bad idea going there for lunch. I had food coma back at work. So plan ahead of you’re coming here. Nice little cafeteria style home cooking. I ordered the special of the day turkey leg. It was a little over cooked on one section of the leg because it was chewy but the other side was good. The flavor was decent too but I wouldn’t order that dish again. I just wasn’t a fan of that dish. The side dishes are really good too, not too oily. the green beans was moist on the inside and the mashed potatoes were REAL mashed potatoes, not the box kind. The gravy however didn’t taste homemade.
this is decently priced and the server had a southern hospitality mentality and attentive. I’ll go back again and try the other dishes though.

Went in to do a take out order and they were very friendly. While I was waiting they were kind enough to ask if I wanted to drink. I got two orders of the Simply Special Livers one with mashed potatoes, collards and a roll. The other with fried okra, collards, and corn bread. I was going to take a picture but it smelled so good I couldn’t wait! My husband I loved the food! I especially loved the collards. Next time I am going to try the mac-​n-​cheese! They gave us a menu so that next time we can just call it in instead of waiting. Going back on a Tuesday when they have the turkey necks! Great job Simply Soul you have made me a regular customer!

You’re in for a little bit of a ride to get to this small, soul food restaurant, but when you leave, you’ll have no doubt that it was simply worth it. It is housed in a small, stand alone building in an area well out South Main that is primarily residential in nature. It is simple and functional, inside and out — not strictly bare bones, but there are no frills either.
The restaurant has been open since March 2012, though the owners, Steve & Sonya Waddell, had been involved fairly heavily in catering for about 13 years prior to opening this site.
The menu is not especially broad, but offers enough choices for almost anyone to pick out a dish to try. There are about 10 everyday plates, and close to the same number of sandwiches. The plates include Fried Chicken & Waffles, Chicken Fried Steak, BBQ Pork (cooked in house), Pork Chops, Hot Dogs, Burgers, Chicken Wings, a Veggie Plate, and Salmon Patties. The sandwiches included Burgers, Hot Dogs, Chopped BBQ, Pork Chops, Grilled Cheese, Chicken Breast, and Smoked Sausage.
These are augmented with several daily specials that range from Turkey Legs or Necks on Tuesday, through Meat Loaf, Chicken & Dumplings, Chicken Pot Pie, Ribs, Liver, Beef Stew, and Fried Fish.
We tried the Chicken & Waffles (of course) and the Chicken Fried Steak, with 2 sides and bread, each $ 8.50. The Fried Chicken was excellent — 2 perfectly fried legs, great light crust, though lightly seasoned. The waffle was large, and also well cooked. The Mac & Cheese was a huge serving, and was more like a casserole than traditional version — a large amount of cheese on top, not so much down into the pasta. The Fried Okra was very, very good. Both the sides were also lightly seasoned — meaning little salt and pepper.
The Chicken Fried Steak was very nice, though a little different than most. The outside crust was fairly thick, but tasty, and the meat was tender, with a lot of flavor. The gravy was a brown one, rather than the normal white, milk gravy — anyway, it all worked well together. The Cabbage was excellent, but the Pintos were very sweet, added sugar I guess. We tried a roll and a piece of cornbread, both fairly ordinary.
The folks here are very friendly, rather laid back, so patience is needed as to time out of the kitchen — someone on a work lunch time schedule will do better to call in an order, and plan on 30 minutes or better.
Had a chance to talk to Mr. Waddell for a few minutes, a nice, friendly man. He slow cooks his pork barbecue (shoulders are used) and ribs in house. Can’t wait to give both a try, and that Fried Pork Chop Sandwich, and of course the Hot Dog, so we’ll be back.

Great home cooked meals at reasonable prices. Just need them to have longer operating hours.