I'm here visiting the Louisville area and was recommended by a local. We traveled to the hood and I was sure that the food was going to be LIT! I ordered the Chitterlings with Yams and Mac & Cheese. The Chitterlings had No Seasoning, Mac and cheese tasted like it was out the box and the Yams was so so. I was disappointed with this experience especially being recommended by a Louisville local.

Been going here for many years. Anytime I’m anywhere near Louisville I plan to stop at the café. Great food, good people, Great price for what you get.

This is my favorite spot for bone-in chicken to be honest. The sides are also incredible. You get a great amount of food for the price and the service is absolutely a 10/10. This place is just another level of great. I had the coleslaw and mac and that was just right where it needed to be. The fried chicken was buttery good. The banana pudding is delicious. I also had the sweet tea. If you want sweet tea with the extra sweet this will also satisfy.

This was the best I've ever tasted since my grandmother cooking I loved it everything was flavorful and seasoned to perfection my cousin bought 6 orders of chitlings and we came back the next day and bought six more she was in love with them he had a good time we was out there chatting with the staff they were very accommodating I wish you was in my home state I would visit often cornbread is the best hot water cornbread I've ever had I loved it I wish I could get her recipe we were visiting from Chicago for the Rick Ross concert

I'm giving my review a one 🌟 because I've been eating here for quite some time now. I love their chitterlings. I get the same meal all the time. This time my chitterlings were higher (price went up) and all I got was 3 forks full wow. So, I paid $16 for 3 fork full of chitterlings, pinto beans and greens. Wow

This was my 1st time trying this restaurant. I was surprised that they only offered a small outdoor area for seating on the sidewalk next to the building where ppl order their food. The guy taking orders was professional, nice, and friendly. Their prices are reasonable but the food left a lot to be desired in my opinion. I ordered a smothered pork chop which was lacking flavor, it tasted more like flour than a gravy flovor and that "gravy" was very, very thick. The sides I ordered were cabbage, sweet potatoes, and mac and cheese. The cabbage had good flavor to it but it was a very small portion that was full of the hard stalk part at the bottom of the head of cabbage (the portion most folks toss in the garbage). The mac and cheese was cheesy but that's about it, it had no seasoning at all. The sweet water cornbread was just ok. The sweet potatoes were the best part of my meal. The pork chop was $6, the sides were $3 each and the hot water cornbread was 2 for $1. I try to support BOB so I'll give them another chance and order some different items.

The spare ribs were fall off the bone finger lickin good. Had the Mac and cheese and green beans as my sides which tasted just as good as my memaw used to make! Very good and prices can't be beat. Cash only so keep this in mind if you're planning on dining here.

While traveling through Louisville to Atlanta decided to stop in and try the local cuisine. Used Google and found excellent reviews about Shirley Mae’s. WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED!!! OMG! The food was awesome! The sweet tea is the stuff legends are made of. 5 stars easily. The guy at the counter was the best! Thank you Shirley Mae!!!!

When you go you must get the Cabbage!!!! Oh my it melts in you're mouth. I wanted more. We ordered mac cheese, cabbage,mashed potatoes, chicken wings and meat loaf. Everything was delicious!!! You will have to wait a bit however it is worth it!

This was such an amazing experience. We met the famous, great, Mrs.Shirley Mae, and her sons. Learned about the culture of Louisville ,Kentucky, Smoketown, and the authenticity of this great tasting food. The fried chicken, smothered pork chops, greens, mac& cheese, pinto beans, and hot sauce was sssooo good. Thank you'll for the amazing experience and many blessings to come 🙌🏾

Best fried chicken ever. My lady loves the water cornbread. Chess pie is delicious. It is just good food. They only have chicken wings on the weekends, but 3 of them per order was plenty. They are large. We also had the meatloaf and it would melt in your mouth. Mmmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it. This was my second time to Loiusville and my second time to eat at Shirley Mae's Cafe. If my travels take me back to Loiusville I will eat there again. It is an interesting experience. You walk up to a door in the side of a brick building. The menu is on the wall. Order your food and they will cook it and bring it out to you, in your vehicle if you like. It may seem strange to some, but believe me, it is some of best southern cooking I have ever had.

This was my first time here. We are visiting from out of town and searched up best soul food place and this popped up at a top 5. We had the meatloaf (delicious ) wings and I don’t even like wings but they were perfect. We had mashed potatoes, Mac and cheese, sweet potato, greens, and banana pudding. Everything was delicious and I will definitely stop by when I’m town again.

This is a sleeper of a good restaurant. We went there and the outside looked not very good at all. It's cash only, and takeout only. The food was really good though. The portions were more than adequate, the prices were reasonable and the people were super friendly. We had two different dishes and different sides and everything was good, even the peach cobbler dessert. Our plates were wrapped in plastic wrap so nothing would spill. Overall an excellent experience and one of the best meals we had in Louisville including trying a couple of highly rated restaurants from the web. Highly recommend as a to go style restaurant.

We were in town for a few days and were leaving that day. We wanted to try something local before we flew out later in the afternoon. We drive over to “Smoke Town” a Black neighborhood in Louisville. The cafe is walk up with a few tables in front. It seems most people do take away. The staff of the restaurant were awesome. The younger of the two men had an almost freakish ability to manage names of all the customers …I was sorta jealous. He was cool and busted my chops for not ordering any green vegetables with my lunch special (I'm not sorry though). The other patrons were very cool and we met some of the locals who go there regularly, including an older couple clad in their Sunday church duds. The only downside, the food took forever, We waited an hour or more. The wait got more pleasant when the younger man walked across the street and put on some great music at the bottle shop. We had planned to eat there. The weather was amazing! But, we weren’t anticipating the long wait, so we had to take it to the airport and eat there. Now, for the best part….the food was totally worth the wait. I got the meatloaf with Mac and cheese and sweet potatoes. My wife got the chicken wings with Mac and fried corn. The portions were generous and everything was outstanding. The chicken wings are really fried chicken. They’re huge and some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever tasted. The sides were solid and the two fried biscuits were almost like a dessert! The regulars told us the long wait that day was really unusual, so I wouldn’t get too hung up on that. Other than that, it was a cool lunch spot. I’d totally go back or recommend them to friends. Definitely fits the role of what I like to call “a local gem.”

Shirley Mae's delivered! Cornbread, smothered pork chop, Mac and Cheese, with some turnip greens.

Delicious soul food that is well worth the wait. If you plan to eat there, definitely plan on it taking 30+ minutes for food as they cook meals to order. Sides do sell out so make sure to get in early!

Good soul food. Plenty of food for the money. Ribs were meaty with plenty of sauce. Mac and cheese was decent and cabbage just melted in your mouth. Take out only and cash only

Someone suggested this place said it was the best for good food. The person should have described the area also. Lady that waited on us had a sassy attitude. Her attitude was the best part, besides the mac and cheese. Food needed seasoning.

Shirley Mae is soul food royalty! I got the fried pork chop, seasoned just right, moist not greasy. The fresh greens, sublime with a touch of tomatoes and onions. Mac and cheese creamy, cheesy just right. The sweet potato seasoned with butter and just enough sweetness. I have never tasted cornbread that was so light and so delicious. Bravo! Thank you and I am very hard to please. Your customer. Marilyn

Shirley Mae knows what she's doing! I had the fried chicken wings, cabbage, sweet potatoes andhotwatercornbread. It was terrific. I arrived too late for the fried corn, they were sold out. Sister Shirley was fun to interact with and we enjoyed the food. We had a wait but they say, good things come to those that wait. I'm a witness.

The food the really good, but prepare to wait at least an hour before you go pickup. Fresh food, good people, and friendly conversation. The locals love this place. Order and pickup only, cash, and Cashapp. Should work on speeding up their kitchen. I would recommend if you aren't starving.

NOT WORTH THE WAIT!!!!!!!!! Im a HUGE Supporter of Black own business… But Mrs. Shirley Mae I ordered my food an hour prior to picking it up… Still had to wait 30 minutes. It would have been nice to have been told it was cash only. Also when I ordered my food they had the items I wanted but when I pull up and still have to wait they ran out of the items… not very nice experience. Definitely not coming back here.

No seasoning on any of the food. The Cabbage had no shank or bacon. The yams tasted like a raw sweet potato. The ribs were decent but the sauce was running like water and the potato salad was runny and I feel like it was a wet pasta salad. It was my first and last time going.

The food is delicious and well cooked. I appreciate the care and hospitality in which my family and I were treated when we arrived. The ribs are awesome and the chicken is just like your grandma made that you remember. If I ever come back this way, I'll definitely be stopping in for round two.