Mama Hamil’s

Southern cookin at it's finest

Gravel crunched under the tires as we pulled into the parking lot among a sea of cars. People were weaving their way to the front door of the building at a steady pace. The sizable crowd could have easily been mistaken for a Sunday night tent revival gathering.

Instead, we were at Mama Hamil’s.

And just as Jesus attracted the curious from all walks of life, Mama Hamil’s Southern food buffet beckons the hungry masses. Likes bees to honey people, bees to honey.

I’ve been waiting to pay Mama’s a visit, after hearing about it from two of my friends at work (one of their favorite spots). Wednesday the time was right and we were on our way north to Madison.

Let me tell you – everything about Mama’s is large; the parking lot, the restaurant building, the number of cars, two main tables and benches in the dining room, the dining room, the buffet, the drink cups, the rolls, and even some of the patrons…Thankfully the line to pay wasn’t.

Upon entering, you wait in line to pay before stepping into the dining room. For only $8.31 + tax = a total of $8.95 (not including tip), the lunch buffet is one of the best deals in town.

This buys you a drink and everything on the buffet which includes: vegetables, salad, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, a variety of peas, potato salad, broccoli salad, chicken and dumplings, meats of the day (fried chicken, smoked chicken, ribs!, gizzards), yeast rolls, cornbread, and dessert (banana pudding, cakes of many colors, peach cobbler, bread pudding, and soft serve ice cream). The featured meat dishes vary from day to day, and luckily for us it was ribs and fried chicken day. I’m sure I missed something, check out the menu here.

After paying, you’re on your own to find an open table or seat. It was packed even for our late lunch at 1 p.m. We corned an open booth, sat down, a waitress took our drink order, and then we were let loose to conquer the buffet.

I tried to exercise constraint, but also wanted to try as much as possible. To reconcile these two factors I took small amounts of everything that tempted me.

The vegetables were well seasoned (most with bacon or ham hock), the mashed potatoes were creamy and buttery, the ribs were tender, and the chicken juicy. I saved room for dessert and skipped over most of the mayo-based salads and the salad bar. Soft serve ice cream, creamy banana pudding, and peach cobbler were in sight – priorities! I could have eaten the entire pan of peach cobbler. Most people felt that way about the ribs, evident by a constant handful of loiterers waiting for the pan to be refilled.

The only criticism I can come up with is that the yeast roll was a bit dry, which could be a symptom of buffet life. It’s not much of a loss since there are also two types of corn bread offered.

Our waitresses checked for drink refills two or three times. The buffet dishes were quickly replenished. Everything I put in my mouth was good. The sheer quality of food for the quantity of options is incredible. It’s a church pot-luck on steroids, times ten.

Before reading the story about Mama Hamil’s on the website, I had pictured Mama Hamil to be an elderly, but strong and fiery African American lady, cookin’ up her family’s secret soul food recipes. Imagine my surprise to find out only half that assumption is true, and the current manager is a middle-aged, bearded Caucasian man named Bob. Mama Hamil is actually his grandma.

I mentioned my preconceived notion to a friend (who happens to be African American) while we were eating; she laughed and said “Well, with how good this Southern cookin is, you’d think so!”

And that’s Mama Hamil’s for you – fabulous Southern eats at a bargain price that nearly anyone can enjoy.

Mama Hamil’s
480 Magnolia Street
Madison, Mississippi 39110
Phone 601-856-4407
www.hamils.com