I am speechless. I cannot believe that this is the only option in Fuquay-Varina for soul food. Not one ounce of soul was found when I ordered takeout from here. I should have been prepared based on the physical condition of the building and lack of cars in the parking lot. Everything tasted bland and canned. 1 star because I now know where not to go. Just sad.

First time here and I’m struggling a bit with this one. I want to support local whenever I can so decided to take a trip here. I got the Hamburger steak which was decent but portions were extremely small for the price . When I went for pick up the order the staff wasn’t very receptive or friendly. Feeling of I didn’t belong. I also noticed they had still had mask mandate on the door as of 2023 which is wild but private business so there choice.

The food is as delicious as ever, but it's still primarily takeout. Today it looked like they had a few tables available to sit at, but there isn't wait staff like before the pandemic. I ate in my car. The staff is friendly. If it's your first time going here, it might be hard to understand what to do, but just ask and both the customers and people working there will help you. There is the buffet, but they still make about 4-5 cooked to order main dishes. And there is still dessert, but you have to remember to ask for yours, it's not self serve. The only drinks besides sweet tea and lemonade are some bottled drinks at the checkout. Still, the price can't be beat - $5.99/lb! This plate (cup of mac & cheese not pictured) was less than $11. It's the best fried chicken in the state!

My goodness, where do I start? After ALL the rave about this restaurant, I finally tried it after living here 3yrs now. I ordered the smoothred hamburger with mash, corn, potato salad. Then i ordered the smothered pork chops with rice, mac and collards. Well I didn't receive the rice, the pork chops were old as hell smothered in some thick old bottom of the pan gravy. (Gross) The Mac was some kraft from the store, the collards taste like they pulled them from the ground and didn't season or clean them, they were gritty. Potato salad was passable, corn was straight out the can and heated. Basically, I gave the chops to my dog. This entire meal was dog food. My take on this, is keep driving by. It's a ragged building that looks closed. I know the people might be nice but, I'd close this establishment ASAP! Sorry not sorry.

This place is the most I in inviting I ever been to. The workers are very rude to door dash drivers like we coming to get food for myself. I wanted to come to the restaurant and eat one day but after that experience I will not bring my family here. They need to get some new workers that’s courteous to customers. They are very sarcastic with customers. I’m a black woman that do support but the restaurant is unappreciative. Want eve door dash here for customers agin. That’s how bad the service is. The lady at the front with the glasses is so rude.!!!!!!!

The place is very rundown. But the food is AMAZING! If you're looking for cook ole southern cooking, this is your spot! Everything I have ever eaten here us delicious! Only gave 4 stars because the place needs some serious upgrading.

We finally tried Joyce and Family tonight for dinner…and they did not disappoint!! After driving by this place for years they finally popped back up on our radar after a viral Next Door thread where hundreds of locals recommended their Chicken Pastry to someone hunting for a good spot for this. Local folks are across-the-board RAVING about Joyce’s fried chicken and they are absolutely right. After placing a very large order on a Tuesday night, not only was everything ready before the promised time, it was hot, fresh, and REALLY delicious. We got at least a pint of every single side they make and not one disappointed. The fried chicken was flavorful and moist with a well seasoned and crispy skin. The fried okra was fresh and as good as any I’ve had. I was born and raised in NC and grew up on southern food scratch-made every visit to my Granny’s kitchen…and Mrs. Joyce’s food gives me Deja Vu in the best and nostalgic way. The mashed potatoes were perfect. The green beans and rolls are straight southern North Carolina, and I just can’t say enough good things. My only complaint is with myself for not trying this local treasure until now. The staff was friendly, prompt, and seemed on top of everything. Absolutely wonderful. We will be regulars.

I liked the food, and $$ for the weight per lb was decent, considering how much food you purchase. Was invited by a friend. The personnel were friendly and very down to earth. The only problem was that the flies were out in force, and I was not comfortable with that.

Ok, so would I go again? Yes, if I wanted southern comfort food. It was quite good, although I would absolutely love it if they went back to unlimited buffet style instead of the current price per pound. It would become a regular spot to hit when going out for dinner. Pros: 10/10 People - Friendly. Willing to help you figure out how to go about getting food and stuff. It's cafeteria style, so nobody waiting on your table or anything. 10/10 BBQ ribs - delicious and cooked great. The meat practically fell off the bone and although one small piece was a bit dry, the rest of what I got was not. 7/10 Fried chicken - not bad, but honestly I was expecting more flavoring with reading the other reviews. 10/10 Smothered pork chops - I've never had smothered pork chops before, but these were great. (Part of the reason I wished it was one where you could go back and grab more) The gravy was subtle, but wonderfully flavored, while the pork chop was cooked very nicely. 10/10 Mac and Cheese - I'm super picky about the home style Mac and cheese, but I didn't have any complaints other than the crust on the top (they are baked) was a bit too salty. But what was underneath it was delicious. Very cheddary. Would even consider just ordering it to add to a meal at home. 7/10 Boiled cabbage - nothing to write home about, but it tasted very good none the less. Would probably add that to any future order as the light pepper flavor was pleasant. 8/10 Hushpuppies - Just tasted like small corn bread... But that is how I like hushpuppies. 7/10 Pickled beets - Normal, what I expect. Nothing amazing about them, nothing bad about them. 10/10 Key lime pie - Yummy! Cons: 1/10 The floor - Maybe they had just freshly cleaned the carpet... I'm hopeful that was the case... Otherwise the carpeting is disgusting. My flip flops stuck with every step. Apparently you couldn't feel the stickiness of it if you had normal shoes on though. (Which is what makes me optimistic about it only feeling sticky due to it being wet from a freshly washed carpet. 5/10 Interior - Could definitely use a freshening up. Kind of a bleak depressing, falling apart feel to the space. A new paint job with a brighter appearance would improve the feel of the place. I definitely understood why the front desk person seemed to be surprised we were eating at the restaurant. Honestly wouldn't take others to the place, but would be open to buying the food there and going to the park to eat it. 5/10 Exterior - Looks old and needs repair. If I wasn't so adventurous with food, I probably wouldn't have gone there. 3/10 Dinnerware - Styrofoam to-go boxes and plastic utensils... Yeah, they really seem to be a to-go place that happens to have a restaurant sitting area. Doesn't help the atmosphere. Overall: The appearance of the place probably keeps a lot of potential customers from trying it out, which is sad because it has good southern comfort food. Like add some grits to the menu and it would have everything that really comes to mind when thinking southern comfort food. I just can't recommend eating at the location, as the appearance would be off putting to some people. Otherwise, they do good with making the food and are friendly, those are the most important things. That's why I give a 5/5, because the food is great, the price is good, and employees are nice. Heck, you could buy enough for a family and serve it as your own homemade meal without anyone being the wiser if you were ever in a pinch and needed to impress some guests. I'm sure you would get lots of compliments. 😆

We eat there frequently. The food is good old Southern cooking. The chicken and ribs are delicious. They have all the sides and very good deserts. Everything is wonderful. Great prices too.

I arrived at about 12:30pm and... didn't get to try anything. It wasn't even busy, it was like a ghost town. The only person I saw who appeared to be an employee was on their cell phone and didn't even look my way before going through a door to an employee only area. There was no signage with any instructions, no menus in sight, and nobody to provide any information. The buffet seemed limited compared to some other buffet places, but I can't make an assessment on quality because service was non-existent.

Good food at a cheap price. Mostly a take out place, sort of hectic inside if you’ve never been. All buffett food is weighed even if you’re dining in.

Decent food, great service. My main problem is cleanliness. This place is very filthy and needs to be remodeled. The fact they have not remodeled is crazy. The bathroom to me shows how the kitchen is. Can only give one star cause of how nasty the place is.