Cuppy’s Best Soulful Cafe

This is THE BEST authentic soul food restaurant in Washtenaw county. I have had several meals from the menu and have been extremely satisfied every time. The beef short ribs is my favorite. They are so tender and seasoned just right slathered with flavorful gravy that pairs perfectly with the mashed potatoes and collard greens. The Collards are real hand picked Big Mama style greens. The only complaint I have is the cornbread is a little sweet thankfully not as sweet as Jiffy but I’m old school and prefer hotwater cornbread with my greens.

Hands down the best soul food I’ve ever had — and I’m from the south!!! My favorite meal is their smothered pork chop dinner with Mac-​n-​cheese and greens, but you can’t go wrong with their fried chicken wings or fried catfish either. You really can’t go wrong with anything. I tried their meatloaf yesterday and that was amazing too. To top it all off the staff is always so delightful. I went to Cuppy’s for one of my graduation meals and they were so proud of me. Such a great family vibe.
I’ve taken my parents, best friend, and girlfriend here and they all agree that this place has the best soul food ever. I’m sad I have to leave Michigan but anytime I’m back in the Ann Arbor/​Ypsi area I’m definitely making my way to Cuppy’s.

My best meal in Michigan goes to this rough and rugged Soul Food restaurant in Ypsilanti. I was in the area and was craving Gumbo. This place looked pretty legit.
Food:
I wasn’t too hungry but it was a late lunch. They have $ 5 early bird specials which I did. I ordered the fried pork chop which comes with a side (I picked fried Okra) and cornbread. I also ordered a bowl of gumbo.
Fried fish — Kitchen made fish instead of porkchop and the waitress asked if I would like to try the fish instead. I was actually debating between the fish and porkchop so I said ok. Very well battered. Fish was not amazingly fresh but it wasn’t bad in quality either. I guess it makes sense because it’d be a huge waste to deep fry super fresh fish like that.
Fried Okra — Crunchy and tasty.
Gumbo — Very well seasoned. The base taste very very good. Probably the best restaurant gumbo base I’ve had. What I didn’t like was the shrimp. While stewed chicken taste good in gumbo, it is odd for them to stew the shrimp. I’ve never had shrimp taste like mush before… probably best if they put a few shrimps in separately every time an order is placed.
Service:
Very attentive waitress.
Environment:
Old seats, old interior, odd parking. Feels just like a soul food restaurant.
Price:
$ 11 for the food pre tax/​tip. $ 11! That is pretty damn cheap!
Food: 5
Service: 4
Environment: 4
Price: 5

I’d say you can’t mess up fried food but you know that is a lie. Had a pretty good spread here (meatloaf, mac n’ cheese, greens, catfish, hush puppies, deviled eggs, fried green tomatoes) and enjoyed everything.
— Deviled eggs were to die for, you must try.
— Meatloaf is nice an dense, good flavor and great sauce.
— Greens are vegetarian and lacked that ham /​pork richness to the broth.
— Catfish was super flaky inside, perfectly crunchy creole style outside. Nice tartar too

Amazing food. The macaroni is perfect and the fried chicken is so tasty. It’s not real fancy inside but I don’t mind that because the food is great.

Good, soulfood cooking. Waitress was nice and the food was hot, fresh, and very filling. Will definitely keep going

This place was amazing! The staff was wonderful!!! Everything we had was cooked perfectly! Get the banana pudding it was fabulous!!!

Authentic homemade southern cooking is exactly what you get at cuppys. The décor is okay, the bathrooms are spotless, but the food is amazing. My husband is a southern boy from Georgia and he said that the fried chicken, mashed potatoes, fried okra and banana pudding took him back home and reminded him of mamas cooking. I had the fried chicken as well and was impressed when she asked me what pieces of chicken I wanted instead of a lot of places that give out wings and legs that have very little meat. I also had the mashed potatoes and green beans, which had a kick to them. The server was very attentive and we had a wonderful experience. We will definitely be back. This restaurant is highly recommended!

Cuppy’s is absolutely to die for. We try a new restaurant in the area every Friday, so we rarely return to restaurants in an effort to reduce eating out. Cuppy’s is the exception. We’ve been three times now and the food and service is consistently out of this world.

Second time here and food is fantastic. Service is excellent and carry out is steady.

Food used to be better. Now its very inconsistant. One day my mac n cheese is better than my moms but the next day it looks 3 weeks old, burnt cheese and taste all rubbery. I couldve kept my $ 12.47 for that mess.

Even though it was pitch black at nearly 9 pm on Friday night, we were literally blown into Cuppy’s by some gale-​force winds (thank you for opening the door!). Welcomed into a simultaneously chill and warm restaurant, we settled into a booth and got down to business.
Fried pickles and deviled eggs to start, followed by a couple dinner plates: fried chicken, baked chicken, and the ribs. A sampling of sides: collard greens, green beans, fried okra, mac and cheese, baked beans, and corn muffins. Sweet tea and lemonade.
Everything was delicious — some of the tastiest soul food I’ve had in recent memory. Meats were tender, everything was fried to a perfect crisp, veg dishes had good flavor, addictive mac and cheese… Our wonderful server looked after us attentively and let me continue to nibble at all the remaining bits of goodness long after everyone else had eaten their fill.
Had to get some dessert — took it to go, because there is only so much room in a stomach. But later that night, the red velvet cake and peach cobbler hit the sweet spot, and the lemon pound cake made for an awesome breakfast the next day.
Thanks, Cuppy’s! Will definitely stop by again next time we’re in town.

I love soul food. This was awesome. I had the fried catfish dinner, my sister had fried chicken so juicy and crispy Im in Love!!! We both had baked mac and cheese and greens. OMG!!! Amazing flavors. Service was very good. Also had a slice of cake it was sooo moist and juicy and my sister had peach cobbler I wanted to eat all of it lots of flaky crust and tender peaches.
The Best! I’m from California and have had Roscoes, M&M’s you name it. .so I know good soul food. But Cuppys is my new go to. I will definitely be back.

Well I made the drive this afternoon and I was not disappointed. I had the meatloaf with the Mac n cheese, greens, and yams. I requested an extra corn muffin today. I was beyond full. Truly a wonderful place to dine.

Ms. KIM Is waiting on the customer by herself today and throwing down!!! Ms. KIM has great hostility, attitude, friendly, welcoming, and very helpful!!! Remember she is serving by herself :-)
WOW now let me talk about the food we had the Cuppy’s Supreme Combo Platter OMG my stomach bigger than it was coming in LOL!!! The food is best!!!
This is REAL SOULFUL FOOD!!!

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to write a review about Cuppy’s Best. If there was was a place that epitomizes the All-​American soul food experience, Cuppy’s would be it. IMHO the American Heritage Dictionary should have a photograph of this place under «Soul Food» as it’s the dictionary definition of this great American cuisine.
Cuppy’s, has some of the best fried and oven baked chicken I’ve ever had. Moreover, the recipes they use are fantastic. Just the right blend of seasoning, and spices to make it just right.
One item I love from Cuppy’s, are the Pulled Pork sandwiches. I always order them with coleslaw mixed in. Likewise, two of my favorite side dishes are cornbread and fried okra. Both of which are made fresh daily, and they go great with any meal.
Cuppy’s, also has a wide selection of fish and spareribs. First off, if you’re like I’am, and enjoy seafood, then you’ll love their fried catfish and tilapia. I’ve never been disappointed with either one. However, if you don’t like food hot and spicy, or what is known as Cajun style, you can always order it on the «mild» side with no problems.
Secondly, I love their spareribs! Cuppy’s knows how to do ribs like no other in the Ypsilanti area. I order them with sweet and mild honey BBQ sauce, which is fantastic! Conversely, you can order your ribs with really hot BBQ sauce that will set your fire alarm off.
Finally, if you enjoy Southern Style cooking and soul food like I do, then stop by Cuppy’s Best, and treat yourself to some great cuisine from heaven. Most of all, you’ll leave feeling full, with a big smile on your face like I do.

Amazing food! And even more amazing service! We went on a Sunday afternoon and I got the 3 pieces of fried chicken, mac and cheese and corn. The mac and cheese was out of this world. The corn was delicious with some great seasoning and peppers. The chicken was phenomenal.
We also had a variety of starters, fried okra and deviled eggs were my favorites.

Great Service
Great Soulfood Classics
Decent ?Location
Loved the Macaroni & Cheese! (Super Cheesy and Flavorful)
BBQ Chicken was smoky, tender and tasty!
Good to know there are good soulfood options in the area…

Yes yes yes! Was searching for close soul food since moving here from Kansas City where I had my standard places to go. I had visited another local establishment several times but since they were no longer an available option I had no idea what I would do… Then Cuppy’s came to the rescue. I enjoyed my Cuppy’s take out experience. I looked the menu up online or Unilocal.I drove over and only waited about 5 additional minutes. The young lady at the window offered dessert and listed the extensive list of sweet treats and just made my mouth water hahaha. I went with the yellow cake which was always a no go at many Midwestern soul food restaurants, so I knew I was officially «back east». A key test of good take out is if the food is still hot when you get home and they get a check in that box. I will definitely be back! I posted pictures of my plate and cake. I had 5-​piece fried chicken wing dinner with yams, Mac and cheese, and cornbread.

I have long been a fan of Cuppy’s primarily take out joint on Michigan Ave. They make the best fried pork chops, shrimp, catfish and grilled barbecue chicken served up with scratch made sides of deliciousness. What is not to like? I discovered what I was missing here. A place to sit and relax! Appetizers! Yep, just more things to love.
I was thrilled to arrive at their new business. A month plus without Cuppy’s was a hard wait. We found a table for ourselves and were quickly given a friendly greeting. I knew I wanted the catfish and shrimp combo. Two pieces of perfectly cooked catfish and five jumbo shrimp. My husband was jealous, he wanted the shrimp but was torn because he wanted fried pork chops too. No problem, they created a combo for him with two pork chops and five shrimp. Yep. Without a blink. We told them they need to call it the James West or the Wild Wild West ;).
For sides it was a no brainer. There is no losing out here but we have our pet faves. James gets yams with extra juice. Yes, I know. He loves the sweet. He also must always have mac and cheese. It is damn good. My standard side picks in the summer are the fabu pasta salad (with or without shrimp added works) and potato salad. I like these two so much I have come in just to get containers of these to go. I also love the greens, the mashed potatoes and the cabbage (as well as the husband’s faves).
The barbecue items here are always stellar, anything coming off that grill rocks. The fried meats are never a bit greasy, a rare feat. I am always happy. They serve up big portions and everything is made with love. It is hands down the best soul food I have ever had. Hey they were even recently featured on G Garvin’s show. I am not alone in my love.
The desserts here are incredible but I think they will have to be to go for me still. I eat far too much meal wise. Anything else would bust me out of my pants I am sure. I have had cakes, banana pudding, pies (including bean) and everything has been worth the calorie splurge.
The owners here, Cuppy and Joseph are just such wonderful people. Friendly, talented and just awesome. They make everyone feel so welcomed and at home. I am thrilled to see them making the leap up. You can still get take out here of course but I think I prefer sitting down and enjoying the place myself. I cannot recommend them highly enough.