After a 30+ minute wait, we drove home to eat our takeout and I must say the food was underwhelming. The side dishes were terrible. I had burnt macaroni and cheese, yams that I couldn’t eat because they were extremely dry and overcooked, and decent oxtails. My family said the collard greens were salty and the fried chicken was uneventful. I am so disappointed in my meal and the food wasn’t worth the long wait. We will not be revisiting this establishment.

The best soul food in Jacksonville! I had the fried chicken dinner which comes with cornbread and two sides, of which I picked macaroni and cheese and collard greens. Great flavor and texture on everything I ate and a plus is that the collard greens aren't cooked with pork (as a non-pork eater, making me very happy). The service is also always outstanding with their warmth and thorough care. Can't beat the prices as well for the quality of food. Looking forward to my next time back.

We visit our son who attends college in the area. Why didn't we find this place earlier!!! Please do yourself a favor and head here for the BEST soul food around! We tried others in the area and this restaurant has A+ customer service and deliciousness! The yams are NOT canned but have the perfect blend of spices! The bbq chicken is moist, juicy and finger lickin good! The meatloaf was tender and sliced perfectly. The collard greens are cooked with turkey and so delectable. The machine n cheese was tasty! The vintage pie and peach cobbler are amazing. The staff is helpful and patient and polite!!

Well it was about time I tried the delicious food at Shut 'Em Down, right?! So close to where I live and such rave reviews from my Yelp peers... This was my first experience.... The Friday lunch special was Fried Tilapia and Grits for $4.99. The fish was fresh and perfectly seasoned and lightly fried. Coupled with their cheese grits, this was a tasty meal. OK. You know I couldn't come here without trying their famous fried chicken. I ordered the dark meat special a la carte and I was pretty impressed with the flavor. Just fried chicken as it ought to be! Crispy, flavorful and juicy on the inside. Definitely worth the short wait. If you go, I highly recommend the collards, mac n' cheese, or yams as a side. At least that's what I tried and loved them. The collard greens were great, had a slightly sweet flavor which I didn't mind and actually enjoyed. The yams were thick cut, perfectly candied and robust with cinnamon. And the mac n' cheese was absolutely divine! Cheesy, rich, savory and so very satisfying. Delish! Oh course I cannot forget the desserts offered here. Yes. Please leave room for their desserts or at the very least, opt to take a few home. Everything is made in-house. Haiyaaa! Brownies, cookies, cakes, cobblers, banana pudding and pies!!! Oh My! I had both the Strawberry Cake and Carrot Cake. Each of them were decadent, delectable and well worth the calories. Definitely eat their cakes. Also noteworthy was their Sweet Potato Pie. Their version was one of the BEST (if not THE BEST) Sweet Potato Pie I have ever tasted. Yes. It was that good. And I probably could have eaten another slice of it if I were not so full from my meal. Of course you can order a whole pie, but they do need 24-hour advanced notice to make this happen. Next time... Overall, I will definitely be back. The service was fast and friendly from the moment I walked in with my family to the time we sat down in the restaurant to eat and to the very last second we left with our extra take-home orders. I highly recommend trying everything on their menu including the amazing desserts. Just YUM! Great southern comfort food is worth the wait here at Shut'Em Down.

Very good food. Cooked fresh daily veggies. I got fried chicken ( white ), cabbage, mashed potatoes, cornbread. All fresh & very good. I will return & recommend to all that loves good home cooking

Great place. Good prices, good eats, and friendly staff. Wish I could say more, but I’m already ordering another plate. No regrets. This place will shut the others down!

Update! Still amazing! Had the pot roast this time. I honestly don't think anything they make can be bad. Fan-f*#$ing-tastic chicken! Best green beans I've ever had, Mac n cheese to die for! Can't wait to go back and try the rest of the food they serve.

Was looking for someplace that had soul food. This place didn't disappoint me. Food was great when you can't get your mom's soul food cooking. Get there early on in the day of you can if you like sweet desserts as they tend to go fast.

Food is always great! Staff can be abrupt once in a while but generally friendly & accommodating. A regular for me when craving fried chicken and/or smothered pork chops 👍🏽👍🏽

The meatloaf was really good. The gravy and mashed potatoes were good. My macaroni and cheese and yams were really good. Cornbread was nice and sweet. Will definitely be back!

*Went to Shut Em Down for my first time. My whole order was: Oxtails with Mac and cheese and greens, fried fish with Mac and cheese and yams, a two piece chicken strip kids meal with Mac and cheese, a three piece tender with mashed potatoes, chocolate cake, peach cobbler, a side of potato salad, and side of mashed potatoes and gravy. The total came up to around $63. For the Oxtails, they are served on white rice with a little gravy. Do not expect "Caribbean style" Oxtails. They were ok but tough. I had a few little bones. Their gravy is good. The Mac and cheese was great. The greens have more of a vinegar taste. They are good too but were tough and seems like they were cooked fast. The fried fish have their own unique taste unlike other places and there is no complaints for that. You get two pieces on the dinner. The yams.... very disappointing. They were lacking flavor. The kids ate their food so I know it was good to them. They chocolate cake was good but the peach cobbler I loved the most! Potato salad. It's a no for me. It missed all the marks. It had a taste of "something's missing". The mashed potatoes and gravy were good as well. The cornbread was ok. Not too bland, not too sweet. You have plenty of tables to sit at if you wish. All in all....I would definitely return. I'm not sure if it was a couple of misses this one time or if it's constant, but definitely will return for the Mac and cheese and peach cobbler alone.

Best fried chicken I've had in years. Top 3 ever! Chicken so hot and fresh I had to eat the sides first as it was too hot to eat

Took us back to our childhood!!! Baked beans - the bomb.com. Mac and cheese- ridiculous!! It was so good and cheesy. Loved it. The cornbread was just like Big Momma's. I can't say enough about this place.

Make this one your 1st stop... Students in the area and across the country told me that this place was the place that made them feel as if they were back home at Grandma's house... Budget friendly Not frozen pre-packaged food Kind and Caring staff Home feel Great food and menu options Dessert options Food reheats properly the next day Catering trays available Students are going to keep it real 💯 and so we flew in to see what all the HYPE was about. We tried 3 Southern eateries and was so impressed by this one simply because the people around us became like family... Truly we could of sat and enjoyed ourselves for hours because that is how peaceful the atmosphere was... SUPPORT THEM and post your reviews Tag us if you dined here and we will support your business or brand in return.

Had an incredibly disappointing experience at Shut em down restaurant. From the moment I walked in, the poor customer service was evident. The staff seemed disinterested and barely acknowledged my presence. When I had a concern and asked to speak to the manager, I was told that no one was available, or worse, they didn't even have a protocol for handling customer dissatisfaction. To make matters worse, the food was a disaster. My order came out burnt and practically inedible. I couldn't believe the lack of care put into preparing the dishes. When I brought up the issue with a server named Thomas, he just shrugged his shoulders as if my complaint meant nothing to him. It was as if my feedback didn't matter, and they had no intention of rectifying the situation. The lack of accountability and indifference from the staff made me feel like my experience was insignificant to them. As a paying customer, I expected at least a basic level of respect and acknowledgment, which was sorely lacking at Shut em down restaurant. I left feeling frustrated and let down by the whole experience. I will definitely not be returning to Shut em down restaurant, and I strongly advise others to avoid it as well. With so many other dining options available, there's no reason to subject yourself to such a disappointing and unpleasant dining experience. Shut em down permanently.

This is it. Look no further for soul food or that southern fried chicken you’ve been searching for…the chicken is seasoned beyond measure and juicy with a crisp coating. The greens and mac are divine. We felt like we were at someone’s house. Great hospitality the place is clean. This is the food you’ll keep coming back too.

Great food! Friendly, personable staff and it's clean. I'm from VA and to find a place that reminds me of home fills me with joy. This is one of my favorite restaurants in Jacksonville ❤❤

Got the smothered pork chops with rice, mac and cheese and yams and the fried chicken with rice and collard greens. Everything was prepared with love and was delicious. I will definitely be eating here again.

I drug my husband out to eat some where that we haven't been before. There wasn't a long wait. The young lady at the counter was not only helpful but had an upbeat personality which also assists when ordering at an unfamiliar place. The fried chicken is a winner!! We'll be back for sure.

Authentic Southern Cooking! They’ve got the Fried Chicken, the Ox Tail, the Meatloaf, the Pork Chops & ALLLLLL the Fixin’s! Seasoned PERFECTLY! The Flavors are just right… like Sunday Dinner on the Grounds after a good Preachin’ Service! Check ‘Em out!😊

The staff was very pleasant. I tried to order as many sides as possible. I do so that I know what to order the next time around. Surprisingly the rice was cooked perfectly and the gravy set it off ( my hubby words). The potato salad tasted like potatoes and I received 3 yams 2 of which sat at the bottom of the pan too long. They were burnt/overcooked. I even messaged them on Facebook and was told it was from them being caramelized, not even. I'm in the business and have scorched a thing or two. There is a difference and telling me that annoyed me more than anything. Hubby enjoyed smothered Pork chops and my daughter ate the chicken. The Cabbage was great but the collards need some love. Yes, I will give them a second try.

Consistently good tasting fried chicken. Oxtail are good. I need to try the other stuff om menu but I always get the fried chicken.

I ordered take-out from here on a whim and loved everything. The fried chicken is easily the best I've had in while. The collard greens were perfectly cooked, not too salty and not too bland. The portions were generous and the price was extremely reasonable. Definitely added this restaurant to our regular rotation.

OMG! A friend told me about this little gem and we finally got to go there. If you are looking for elegance and ambiance, this is not your choice. BUT if you are looking for some of the best (and I say some because I have not tried EVERY fried chicken place but this is the best I ever had) fried chicken you ever tasted, get there quick! Beautifully fried, per order, chicken with tasty sides. You absolutely will not leave hungry and your wallet will thank you. The seasoning is fantastic, the crisp on the chicken is great and it arrives piping hot to the table. You can tell they are proud of what they do because the first thing you smell when you go in is NOT grease, it is the spices which means they keep their frying grease fresh and it shows. The real testament is that I had a piece left over and ate it cold...it was almost as good cold as it was hot. If you like fried chicken you have to go.

I heard about this place from a co-worker so I finally decided to try them out. I drove 40 minutes hoping for some good food. Ordered 2 oxtail lunch plates with rice, yams, mac n cheese, baked beans. The portion is ok for the price…oxtails were seasoned and were just ok, nothing special, the gravy did not add any flavor. The YAMS were horrible waaaaaaay too much cinnamon I couldn’t eat them, mac n cheese is blah. I think the baked beans may have cinnamon in them as well, not good at all, super sweet. I also ordered the ribs…I don’t like the taste just not good at all! I would not drive 40 mins for this food. If I’m in the area I might would stop in and try something different. The prices are reasonable and the customer service was good. They also need a to-go order pickup area, I ordered and paid over the phone and still had to wait in line.

Oxtails were literally cooked perfectly. Gravy/ white rice was good, Mac & cheese was good. The only thing I didn’t care for was the mashed potatoes & gravy. The sweet tea was really good and the prices were awesome. I would definitely eat here again. As far as the inside: It was a nice, clean full service restaurant.

A very clean facility. The fried chicken is about the Best and so fresh..Two pieces will fill you up with two sides. Everyone is so pleasant and courteous! I drive from the other side of the town for their Fried Chicken! It's a well kept secret of how good they are..!!

Great food!! Flavorful as can be!! Staff was okay. Probably tired from a well deserved hard days work. Very minimal table settings. No condiments or paper towels on hand. Have to ask for it. Drinks were rather small but did the trick. We will be back try more!

Food was great and very reasonable.. food was fresh … I had ribs my son had fried chicken. MAC AND CHEESE WAS SO GOOD .. my son said who ever COOKING NEED A RAISE 😂

I just had to get the fried chicken. It's always a great starting place for any country-cooking restaurant. Add to that a bowl of black-eyed peas and collard greens, and it was heaven. It was served piping hot. The chicken spices were superb. And the taste of the vegetables was mouth-watering. Complimentary corn bread with all meals -- nice! My guest had the vegetable plate with candied yams and string beans. I got to taste the candied yams, and they were like dessert. So good. The string beans was excellent as well. I took home a serving of peach cobbler and split it with my guest. If there's cobbler on a menu, I'm getting it. It was delicious.

The food was good. I ordered the ribs, collard greens, and Mac and cheese. I also ordered peach cobbler, which wasn't good to me. The ice tea was good. It was my first time visiting. I would definitely go back and try other items on the menu. It has a great atmosphere.

Great family run business. Amazing fried chicken, collard greens and mac & cheese! Cannot beat the price-Family meal for under $30!!!

Really great authentic southern food, friendly staff. The smothered pork chops were so good. My husband had the oxtails and loved them!! Took one bite of the potato salad and knew that the food would be great.

The BEST collard greens around! The mac and cheese and ox tails and cornbread and sweet potato pie were all good too. Nice staff and good prices. DEFINITELY will return!

Wonderful food! You WILL NOT be disappointed! Gr8 service! Decent prices! Love that Sr. discount! Those girls Marcia & LaDonna and Marisa at the counter are way so nice! The others I don't know names. But, service is always good. I've been going at least two times a week or more; since, I found this unique restaurant (originally, Famous Amos I use to work at) I love they way they have it set up for mostly "to go" fast fresh cooked service; yet, give you the choice to sit there and eat inside, if desired. When I come I sometimes order our next days meal! Although, I've tried several meals, the Fish Lunch or Dinner is my favorite and ALL side items are the bomb! Very flavorful without flavoring them with ham or pork! Favorite are the collard greens! Although, I'm not big on FFries... The fries here are specially good; and, I do like them. Would love to see you open up a few hours earlier and serve Fish n Grits + Scrambled Fluffy Eggs for a special breakfast meal! I think it may be a great idea! Yet, I'm sure you all are doing well with the line of people always there when I come... I do think a breakfast deal will broaden you at your greatest potential!