Masada Cafe at the United House of Prayer

This is a pretty cool place. When you think of the south, you think of a church, check, and you also think of finger licking good down home country cooking, double check. The eatery is located inside a church. Definitely a cool experience, though I did feel like I had to watch my potty mouth and colorful storytelling. I was afraid we were going to be the only people there because the parking lot was empty, but there were other tourists inside. We went on a Monday, so they were open, they are not open on Tuesday and Wednesday, so check their schedule!
The lady who served us is a sweet and warm middle aged woman. She wanted to serve me two huge pieces of thigh meat. She saw my reaction to what would be my impending heart attack and asked if she should switch it out for a smaller wing. I did not object. I kept pointing at different sides for her to scoop on to my tray. I got mac and cheese, red rice, lima beans, green beans, corn, and corn bread. I listed some of the sides which were my friend’s for effect and volume. Both of our meals were $ 7 each. One of our cheapest meals in Savannah.
Wish I could have tried some of their other sides or entrees. If I could go back, I would. The sweet and warm middle aged woman spoke to us as we were departing. She told us about Chippawea Park where Forest Gump was filmed. She was a nice welcome to the south!

Let the band play Chopin’s Nocturne; my favorite.
I had turkey wing, dressing, macaroni and cheese, green beans and cornbread. My Husband had meatloaf, sweet potatoes, dressing and a roll.
The food here taste like home. The turkey was moist and seasoned to perfection. The mac and cheese was cheesy and moist. Plus when I stuck my fork in the cheese pulled. However, it wasn’t overly cheesy. The dressing was flavorful and not dry. The green beans delicious. My husband said the food was great. In fact we couldn’t eat all our meals and brought them home.
I won’t have to ask to go back my husband has already said we will be going back this coming Friday.

4 stars for service, 3 stars for food. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the food and thoroughly enjoyed the meal, but I think the Unilocal reviews set the bar too high. The fried chicken was good but definitely not in the «best I’ve ever had» category. They didn’t make collards that day, which was slightly heartbreaking, and were out of oxtails (another bummer). The turkey leg was UH-​MAZING though. I would go back just for a plate of those. Carrot cake was nothing to write home about.

Wonderful! BBQ ribs, macaroni and cheese, green beans, corn bread, sweet potatoes. All of these not to be missed. Meat is enough to split, but we did not split. Wonderful people serving up true home cooking. Makes me look forward to heading out to the airport from the islands. Two rib meals with two sides each and a large iced tea, $ 11 each.

food was alright. it costs a lot but they give you enough food for the buck.
try the roasted turkey. the sides were mehh
they serve desserts as well but did not try them.
they only accept cash and you definitely need a car for this place. it’s inside the church cafeteria.

Visiting Masada Café was a very unique opportunity for my partner and I to experience southern soul food. Cookery here is simple and satisfying as it gets, like being invited into someone’s home. In fact, this is the best church catering I’ve ever had, and will likely ever have!
We chose the fried chicken and pork chop, with collard greens, beans, sweet potato, and red rice. The corn bread was excellent. (Given the holy context, no beer or wine is served here, heaven help me…) The all lady volunteer church members running the café were very sweet to us — they made us feel right at home.
I’d recommend driving out to this place for lunch. Make sure you know their hours of operation before setting out. We didn’t bother renting a car during our week-​long sojourn in Savannah, so, we hired a taxi along West Bay Street (in front of the Hyatt) to take us to West Savannah, where this non-​profit organization is located.
When we finished our meal, we experienced some trouble getting a taxi to come back and pick us up, so, the pastor’s wife and one of the faithful volunteers, Bonita Jackson, took action and drove us back to central Savannah in her own vehicle. We were ever so thankful. Needless to say, I gave her a big hug when we departed, as she did not have to do this for us. If you are looking for a heartwarming southern food and soul experience in Savannah, this place is it.

Here’s a church that feeds you both spiritually and physically!!! You can’t beat that!
THE SCENE
I was surprised to find a church cafeteria listed on Unilocal,but hey, maybe it was divine intervention. We were looking for a new experience and with a 5 star average rating after 18 reviewers from around the country, we just had to come give them a shot.
The church is an old school brick and mortar building with well kept grounds. Out front is a lawn sign that say «kitchen open» and around back is parking and a nice outdoor eating area. As you walk through the church doors, the sanctuary is to the right and the cafeteria is to your left. We were greeted warmly by two mild-​natured ladies. I was impressed when one of them recognized my voice as «the gentleman from Atlanta who called to see if we were open.» What was impressive was that call was 4.5 hours earlier that day.
It was about 20 minutes before closing, but the pastor (who also happened to be the chef) and his wonderful wife insisted on making fresh gravy for my oxtails. While we waited a lively conversation erupted that allowed us to get to know them and vice versa. Before you know it, we were discussing plans to return sometime in the future for service as long as we are invited to their home for dinner afterwards :-) LOL
THE VERDICT
All in all we truly enjoyed the food here. I would surely be overweight if I attended this church. The turkey and dressing with gravy is exceptional. I won’t stop thinking about it for a very long time to come. Since it was near closing, the pastor and his wife allowed us to sample a large variety of the foods (nearly every item) while we waited and everything, I mean eh-​ver-​ee-​thing was excellent. I’m still more partial to the oxtails and gravy @ Sister’s of the New South, but you won’t be disappointed coming here! Pastor kinda got into preaching mode over a particular topic we were discussing and I had to promptly dodge and weave… because one thing I know about a preacher is not to get into any debates about theology if you plan on leaving any time soon! Amen! LOL
Recommended

I went by today’s and it was closed. No one answered the phone and I had to get the hours open from another site. Anyone know what’s going on? Didn’t want to slam them so gave it 5 stars.

Good ol’ home cooking with genuinely nice people! When in Savannah, This is the place to stop in. No frills, no thrills… Just GOOD SOUL FOOD for you heart! You can’t even imagine what comes out of the kitchen… ALL LOVE! It is located inside a church and the only reason I found this spot is because of all the others that have enjoyed their food had posted a review here on Unilocal.
I had to have a little bit of everything. Every side dish they had, the freshly prepared meats and I HAD to order several pieces of fried chicken, just because it was so highly rated. I don’t have anything negative to say about this joint.
The staff is wonderful and extremely inviting, also accommodating. They will chat you up and learn as much about you in the least amount of time possible. They are truly humble and genuine.
Love ‘em!
Must go when in Savannah area!

every good thing others have said about this place are true — the food is great, the people are lovely and its a clean and inviting atmosphere.
$ 9.50 got me two big pieces of delicious fried chicken, a heaping side of candied yams (SO GOOD), a heaping side of mac n’ cheese (also SO GOOD) and a slice of sweet potato pie.
definitely worth leaving downtown savannah — and it’s not even that far, just a couple miles west on bay st.
skip the long lines and overpriced food at Lady & Sons and the other buffet places in savannah — you’ll be happy you went to Masada instead.

Delicious food from the wonderful people at the church. Like everyone else has mentioned the ladies are ridiculously nice.
The fried chicken was juicy and not greasy at all. The mac n cheese was absolutely phenomenal it had a bit of a kick to hit (maybe paprika in the sauce). The sweet potatoes were just a little sweet but had heavy notes of cinnamon and nutmeg — so delicious.
The cost for three chicken wings, sweet potatoes, mac n cheese, dressing, green beans and corn bread was 7.50.

Homemade food from the heart. The restaurant is attached to a church, as other reviewers already mentioned, and it’s across the bridge from historic Savannah, so you really do need a car to get there as it’s a bit of a hike to get there by food (and I highly suspect that you will have the energy to walk after eating here, because you WILL stuff yourself, hehe).
For $ 7.50 per person we ate lunch there on a Monday. The price covers one meat (fried chicken, really very good, or fried fish, which was awesome), three sides, and a slice of corn bread. The sides were terrific — I got caramelized yams that were SOOO sensational (the highlight of the meal for me), and everyone loved the mac-​and-​cheese (I didn’t try, not a big fan of mac-​and-​cheese). The cornbread stuffing was also very good, and we left super full and super happy. The two people working in the kitchen that day were the pastor and his wife, and they were so nice and friendly that we felt that we were eating at the house of long-​time friends. It was a really nice experience and I’m sure we’ll go there again next time we visit Savannah. Go, you won’t regret it. :-)

Great freshly cooked soul food. Very friendly people. They will not try to push religion on you, just food.

Just reopened, this place delivers delicious, cafeteria style southern food on the cheap. Their fried chicken is their biggest claim to fame (and it’s remarkable), but really, everything on their menu is great. Our table had (and loved) the ribs, oxtail, red rice, mac and cheese, cabbage, corn, baked beans… Basically you can only go right. Not one of the 9 of us was disappointed. Staff is friendly and hilarious too!

Being a true southern girl, I wanted to take my parents who are from the north for a authentic southern meal. We were not disappointed! The fried chicken, rice with ox tail gravy, collard greens, mac and cheese, corn bread, and pond cake was incredible. The food had so much flavor and the ladies were the sweetest. The church setting was so neat and you felt that your money was going to a good cause. Whenever I am in the Savannah area, I plan to return. Thanks for a wonderful and memory full experience.

Some of the best soul food around.
Masada Café is a small cafeteria that’s set up shop inside a small annex to the United House of Prayer for All People in Savannah. Don’t worry; it’s open to everyone, and the workers there are friendly and welcoming as can be.
All the usuals are there: fried and roasted chicken, among other entrees; sides such as red rice, mac and cheese, cornbread stuffing, and the like; sweet tea and lemonade; and your choice of cake for dessert. Of note, as previous reviewers have mentioned, is the fried chicken. The skin is a perfect balance of flavor and crispness without being too oily. The meat inside is flavorful and juicy. It’s, without a doubt, some of the best fried chicken I’ve had.
The sides are generally solid, if not spectacular. But I found my slice of cake dry and crumbly, with a sort of overwhelmingly one-​dimensional sweetness. I’ll just fill up on more fried chicken next time.
It’s relatively cheap, too. Don’t bother paying some exorbitant for the mediocre buffet at Lady and Sons. Here, a plate of fried chicken, a few sides, a serving of cornbread, a sweet tea, and a slice of cake will run you just a bit over $ 10. (Note that it’s cash only, I believe.)
You can’t miss the church on the Georgia 25 Connector. Just pull onto Graham Avenue to access the parking lot in the back. Walk in through the gate and the double doors into the foyer, and make a left into the cafeteria. This place is worth a stop.

Not bad local soul food. A bit pricy for what you get but still cheaper and better than the alternative downtown offerings (eat it up, Paula Deen).

Stopped there today on the way to Jax. Great southern food at a reasonable price. I never much order fried chicken because most restaurants mess it up… this fried chicken is wonderful. Big serving of red rice, crowder peas, cornbread, mac and cheese, sweet tea, and pound cake for me. Fish, cabbage, field peas cornbread for my wife. She liked the fish but wasn’t wild about it. She very much liked the c-​bread and cabbage and rice. I very much enjoyed everything.
The restaurant is around the back side of the church so you might think you’re in the wrong place even if you GPS it. Drive to the parking lot off Graham (church front is on W. Bay). And be sure to say grace.
If you’re passing through, you’ll be the only tourists there… unless you run into us when we go there again.

Ok, this is a gem of a find… no. it is not a fancy froo froo restaurant but an extension of a congregation that raises funds through its cooking! Yes, these beautiful people have a restaurant that serves soul food, home cooking for the masses and the food is fresh, delicious and filled with love! The pastor’s wife is the cashier, the cornbread was warm and fresh out of the oven, the deep fried trout was scrumptious, the fried chicken was light and crispy without any of the heavy grease, the collard greens and beans were outstanding and the red rice was divine. Did I tell you about the Blood Cake? Divine!

SOUL FOOD IN A CHURCH
We arrived before noon and made sure not to park in the Pastor’s parking spot. We warmly welcomed as soon as we entered. This was our first visit here and they were more than happy to explain to us the various dishes on the cafeteria-​style buffet. I saw trays of crispy fried chicken, baked chicken, smothered chicken, Savannah Red Rice, macaroni and cheese, dressing, corn bread, green beans, and more Southern classics.
I selected the fried chicken, dressing, Savannah Red Rice, green beans, corn bread, carrot cake, and sweet tea. The cashier rang up my tab and it was only twelve dollars! As I was eating my meal, it reminded me of food my mom and grandmother use to make. You can tell a lot of care went into the dishes. The Savannah Red Rice looks deceptively plain but wait until you taste it, you won’t be able to stop. Also, the dressing tasted just like my Aunt Ruby’s dressing; she is from the South.
As we were enjoying our food, the cashier came over with some complimentary lemon pound cake for us to try. Let me tell you, it was out of this world. We chatted with the cashier and she suggested some sights to see in Savannah. I am so happy we stopped here on our trip.
If you want real Southern food and hospitality, Masada Café is the place to stop.