Martha Lou’s Kitchen

Delicious southern cooking. We’ enjoyed the fried chicken, baked macaroni, and cabbage. The Lima beans were also good. The ladies are very sweet and friendly. Don’t be in a rush– allow yourself time to sit back while they cook your meat. It is worth the wait.

Oh my gosh! This place is legit! The fried chicken was simply amazing and probably the best chicken I have or will ever eat. They make it to order and chicken is extra extra extra crispy. I believe a double fry which should be the new norm. The place is very small so good luck finding a table. Staff is extremely friendly and a joy to be around. Every time I come into Charleston I will most definitely stop by to have another piece of that delicious fried chicken.

Where do I begin??? I mean I can’t because omg was this so good!!! My god the damn best ever yardbird that has ever hit my lips. Delicious! Very simple small trailer looks like you wouldn’t want to eat there but you do! I can’t wait to get back down to chuck town and have some for a dinner a couple of nights maybe for breakfast too! Check it out worth the time.

Delicious fried fish and probably THE best sweet tea I’ve ever had. Awesome service and Martha Lou’s daughter sat and talked to us for a bit. After learning my Georgia-​native boyfriend is a huge sweet potato pie fan, she brought out a slice she had saved special, it wasn’t even on the menu. Now THAT’S some real Charleston charm.

EXCELLENT FABULOUS SCRUMPTIOUS
My family and I just finished cruising and decided prior to cruising we would stop at Martha Lou’s Kitchen.
Let me see everything about Martha Lou’s Kitchen was fantastic!
It started when we pulled up to the restaurant a few minutes before they opened and saw that we were sitting and waiting for them to open. when we saw them open the door and turned over then opened sign. My family and I felt welcomed. The daughters of Ms. Martha greeted us with smiles and laughter.
Now lwt e tell you all about the food… IT WAS EXCELLENT!
Between my family and I we had the chicken, pork chops and fried whiting. When I say every thing was good I mean everything was good! The food was so good we had a debate at the table on which entrée was the best,.then started sampling odd.of.each others plates. The food is cooked to order so everything is piping hot when it comes to your table. The food is seasoned very well so there is no need for salt and pepper.
The restaurant is nice and cozy and fills up quickly with us out-​of-​towners.
So as.you.all know I just finished eating at Martha Lou’s Kitchen, so I need a.nap. I hope whoever reads this review will stop by and check these ladies out.

Great food and great staff. Had never been til a friend took me. A lil hike from Mt. Pleasant just to eat lunch but well worth it. Reasonably priced and good laid back atmosphere.

Having traveled quite and bit and living in New York I can say I have eaten at my fair share of restaurants and have never in my life had fried chicken as good as this. The place is as authentic and perfect place for the food that they serve. Some people complain about the price but for the amount of food you get the price is most definitely FAIR! Martha sure knows what she is doing.
For a meat, 3 sides and a tea with unlimited refills my meal came out to about 15. It was perfect.
My arteries may be suffering but I left overly full and very pleased with my experience. Definitely worth the trip if you are in Charleston. The chicken is so juicy and perfectly fried and made to order so barely any grease.

I had the privilege of eating at Martha Lou’s today. From the moment you walk into the front door, you feel like you are in someone’s house. And, this family has graciously invited all into theirs. In a rush? Naturally unfriendly? Do the respectful thing and keep driving by.
Yes, the chicken is awesome. And the comments about only one piece on the plate. Uh, yes, one large piece. The size of the chicken and sides is completely appropriate. We even took home some of the chicken we couldn’t finish. Is it super sized? No. But, honestly, nothing should be.
For as good as the chicken is: fried to order, crispy skin, juicy meat, I have to admit that no one saw the party crashes coming. My life has been changed by the collard greens. Sounds dramatic, I know, but I am convinced that these are the best greens anywhere. Simply amazing. Also found out it’s not the preparation that’s unique, it’s where they source the greens from that makes the difference. So it is likely impossible to replicate these greens anywhere.
The entire experience was relaxing, friendly and delicious. We left feeling like we had just spent the afternoon with friends.

VERY sweet people and lovely … But a bit of a tourist trap and not a great value. One piece of chicken and a couple of small sides were not worth it. They were adequate. But not outrageous — as others have written — to me. (Just my opinion!)
Fried chicken was good. Not as amazing as told on DDD… (Sorry Guy).
Being from NYC, I’m spoiled with food, but this wasn’t a high light, just OK.

Forget your diet while here, just enjoy. This is a fried chicken soul food place, and was definitely good for my soul. They do offer fish and pork chops, but I went for the main event, yet have to say the whole styrofoam tray was the main event. Rutabagas? Who knew they could be so delicious. Collards? Best yet — I didn’t care for their red rice (Food for the Southern Soul still has my heart in this dept.) but of course you need a side of mac and cheese.

Holy salt! We were looking for good Southern fried chicken and selected this place based on the reviews. When we got there, the tiny restaurant was packed. It took about 10 – 15 minutes for someone to take our order (we were the fourth table). Despite the lag, the staff was very friendly. We ordered fried chicken with red rice, lima beans and cabbage. The side portions were small and very salty, as was the chicken. For a piece of chicken, three small sides (served on styrofoam plates) and a non refillable drink, the price was $ 14 per person. By 4:30 they were also out of a few sides and cornbread was a 20 – 30 minute wait. I think this place is overrated. I wouldn’t come back based on taste, portion and price.

Went today for lunch. We had the chicken and pork chop which were very good. My husband was not happy with the sides as they were room temp or cold. You get one piece of meat and three sides and cornbread is considered a side. The price is $ 14 and includes tea or lemonade. We thought that was very expensive for I piece of chicken.
We saw this chicken on Food Network as the best fried chicken in the U.S., we beg to differ, we’ve had better chicken for less money at several places around the country.

I appreciate fine dining but I’m always in search of the origin of that dish… Charleston has progressively «introduced» food concepts that are directly derived from the Africans that were enslaved in this region. We visited one of the original restaurants of Charleston, met the matriarch of this establishment and her daughter and shared life lessons with a local. These amazing people feed our souls and our bellies. we had a seat at grandmother’s table. Go to Charleston, drop your restricted diet for a day, open your heart and celebrate food made with love at Martha Lou’s. My children were blessed with positive words and belly laughs as we devoured fish, macaroni, rice, cabbage, chicken, cornbread, and peach cobbler!
Go, relax, sip your tea, chat with others and enjoy!

Great Southern food! That was some of the best fried chicken and company I’ve experienced in a while!

I saw Martha on the Travel channel today and I can’t wait to get back for another great meal.
She is a great cook and a sweet lady.
She has raised her daughter to carry on a legend.
Love you Martha!

Chicken, Mac, greens, oh my. Wow, what an experience. If you want TRUE southern style cooked food, this is it. The ladies that run the place are no nonsense, take a seat, here’s your plastic cutlery, paper tools, kind of folks. The place is no bigger that half a box car. Way off the beaten path in an industrial area off Meeting. When you drive up, you will say what am I doing here. BUT, go in and eat. Just damn good food, chicken like you never tasted in your life. There’s no service, you can see them cooking in the kitchen, taking their sweet a_​_​time without a care in the world. They know that they serve the best with no frills. Get over it, and enjoy. Oh yea, extremely friendly people.
Frank G

This place has EXCELLENT fried chicken. Best I had in Charleston for sure. The best I’ve EVER had belongs to a place in Florida though. Here’s the quick rundown of what to expect:
The place itself is just what it looks like, but definitely worth the trip.
Be prepared to eat off of elementary school-​style lunch trays.
Understand that their sweet iced tea tastes like sweet iced tea x 20 cups of sugar added– go for ½ sweet, ½ unsweet – or just go to town on the sugar.
You only get one piece of fried chicken (you’ll probably want more) and THREE sides.
The bread pudding served is sweet not savory.
Being inside this place will take you to another world– a very nice 30 minute escape with some excelled fried chicken– sounds like heaven.

Martha Lou, a true Southern woman who knows how to cook a mean Southern meal. This restaurant is a true dive located off the beaten path near the freeway outside of the heart of Charleston. It is a no frills kind of place where you dine in a small shack, order off a menu handwritten on paper, and order from a southern woman who might sing to you while you order. The restaurant is full of laughs and camaraderie, which adds to this charm of this restaurant that is no more than a small building with simple furnishings and a few tables.
To eat — you get 1 meat item and 3 sides. The fried chicken was the best I have ever had and could easily be featured on the best thing I ever ate. For $ 10, you will have a ton of food that will surely leave you with leftovers. The only thing I didn’t like here was the sweet tea– it tasted like it was from a package, but I guess this is more the place you order cool-​aid.
Martha Lou, I salute you. The New York Times said it right when it mentioned that this is a must-​do while in Charleston.

I’d heard about this place from a co-worker’s spouse. He says, «You have got to check out Martha Lou’s when you get there!» So automatically I was a little iffy. My palate seems to be completely different that most, but I wanted to give it a try. I grew up in a southern black kitchen so I was all in. We got there and there was a line, expected as most people told me there would be one. It was quick though given there are only about 7 tables total in the interior. We had a 4 party and after sitting down and taking the first sip of the tea, I was DONE. No, DONE as in total fangirl!
The food menu was choice of pork chop, fish (fresh or from the freezer as she put it), or fried chicken, Our table got one of each so I was able to try all the food. The fried chicken portions are GINORMOUS and good! The fish, which is what I ordered was amazingly good, and to have been deep fried, it was nothing like that tacky fish camp type greasy mess. It was huge seasoned and yumtastic. The pork chop was good to and a large portion, but I don’t eat those a lot anyway. The sides were all perfectly flavored. I have seen reviews about the seasonings and things, but I think a lot of people are not used to real southern seasoned food. Its bold and strong and just freaking good. BEST CABBAGE EVER!
The only thing that surprised me was the price. Now I heard that it was a bit pricey and I was prepared. We had cash and all but when she said $ 54 for four plates (bout $ 13.50 per plate) I was a little shocked. My honey was all about it and almost threw the money at her (safe to say he loved it).
In the end though, it was worth it to meet the woman herself. As we were eating Ms. Martha came in waving and smiling and loving on perfect strangers. As a side note, I think the Canadian group that was there eating next to us was not prepared to be hugged like a southerner, it was kinda funny.
We will def go back the next time we come, because holy schnikes the food was good. Just be prepared, the prices are a little high, they only take cash, be ready to wait, and just go with the flow.

This is the «anti-​tourist» tourist place. Martha Lou’s oozes «old southern roadside shack» feel that is definitely not on the beaten tourist path.
Here are a few key details…
1. Fried chicken is freshly prepared and excellent. It is usually always on the limited menu. Go later in the week for chitterlings (chitlins).
2. The space seats about 25 people. There may or may not be a wait at peak times. Go early for lunch to avoid a big wait.
3. The wait for service can be long. I waited 35 minutes for lunch when there were only 9 other people in the place.
4. The beans are very salty.
5. The cornbread is small-​ish and sweet.
6. The macaroni is delicious.
7. The sweet tea comes with an artificial lemon flavour and is extremely sweet.
8. Service is sparse. Yes, there are the white-​not-​from-​here-​tourist-​pleasing «honey chiles» thrown out at key moments, but not much else.
It may be worth visiting here once for the chicken, but I would not, in spite of the rave reviews, be upset if I missed this.