Mama Dip's Kitchen

I had heard that this was the place to go for great soul food in Chapel Hill. After 3.5 years of living here, my mom and I finally found our way over there, filled with anticipation and excitement at what we thought would be a culinary and cultural experience. The menu looked interesting and we decided to order different foods so we could share. We put in our order and we sat, and sat, and sat...and, well, you get the idea. We tried to get the waiter's attention but to no avail. When he FINALLY came over, he was dismayed that we were questioning why we didn't have our food after 4-5 tables who had arrived after us were gleefully chomping down theirs. He barely even stayed long enough for me to finish my sentence. He didn't go straight to the kitchen. He just stood and had a good, long chat with some customers. After he finally went to the kitchen, he came out as quickly as he had gone in. Had we offended him in asking for our food 45 minutes after ordering? Had our tone not been sweet enough? We finallly spotted him pulling something out of his pocket and sending it back to the kitchen. I was positive it was our order. After another 15 minutes and my mom and I were going to soon need an ambulance because our sugar had dropped to dangerous levels, a couple of plates of food were thrown in front of us without so much as an attempt at an apology. Okay, it was FINALLY here. We started in and both just didn't want to say anything to the other...eventually, we could no longer keep it in. The food was HORRIBLE! My mother's chicken and dumplings were gluey and had that raw poultry taste. My barbecued beef was positively disgusting. Good thing there were some tolerable side dishes on the table. We pushed them down and waited forever for our check. When I went to the cash register to pay, I let the woman know that the service had been very poor and the waiter quite rude. She just looked at me. Go if you insist, but don't say I didn't warn you! Pros: There are none. Cons: Actually going there. more

We had heard and read about Mama Dip's, so we were very excited to finally try it out. What a disappointment. The service was bad, the employees were not friendly (borderline rude), the food was very average and overpriced, and the portions were small. We will not recommend nor go back to Mama Dip's. more

Although I love Mama Dip's food, I will never go back. The service at Mama Dip's is attrocious and the food is overpriced. more

I've eaten here on two separate occasions... both of which I experienced good service, but pretty mediocre to poor food. I have absolutely no idea how the citysearch reviewer calls the biscuits light and fluffy, when on both occasions they were extremely dense and dry - kinda like hockey pucks. The fried chicken was pretty dry... the side dishes not very flavorful. Other menu items like barbeque are much better had elsewhere. The pecan pie was decent. I have absolutely no desire to come here again - not out of a bad experience, but really, there are other, better options. Pros: service, prices Cons: food more

I had a terrible dining experience when I went to Mama Dips for breakfast. I ordered eggs over-easy and dry toast. They served bread that was not toasted and the egg yokes were hard. The service was bad. The food was bad. This was the worst breakfast I have been served in the nine years I have lived in Chapel Hill. I will not go back to Mama Dips. Cons: bad food, bad service more

You can't find better friend chicken anywhere in Chapel Hill - or beyond, for that matter. I absolutely love this place. The decor is simple and, when they're busy, the service can be lacking. But everything is forgiven when I dive into a plate of homemade fried chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans! Their desserts are awesome, too - especially the homemade cobblers and pies. Pros: best fried chicken, great desserts, good location Cons: a little pricey, iffy service more

Visited Mama Dip's on Tuesday, Dec 20, for dinner. The food was delicious! I had the chicken dinner with fried okra and yams and a steeaming mug of apple cider! YUM! My friend had liver and onions (she said that it was so tender she didn't even need a knife), potato salad, and zucchini casserole....and a mug of steaming pineapple cider! She said that it was all delicious!! The service was promt and friendly. The atmosphere is country and VERY clean. We almost didn't go because of the bad reviews here, but since I have ALWAYS wanted to go there we decided to give it a chance and we were SO GLAD that we had!!! more

I moved to Chapel Hill having heard about Mama Dip's on the Food Network. I assumed that someone/some place so ""famous"" would at least have to be decent so I decided to take my parents when they visited not long after my move. Big mistake. Everything we had was bad except for the cornbread. I'll never go back. The place seems to be overrated. more

I grew up on soul food and will just about try anything. I went to this restaurant after seeing mama dips on Oprah so I assumed that it had a certain level of credibility. After getting to the restaurant, I waited in line and browsed the cookbook. Check out the recipe for fried chicken. Flour, salt, pepper, and grease. Wow. The chitterlings were clean as hell, but had no taste. Glory collard greens...if you know anything about soul food, you know that glory collards (canned) are a quick, last minute food hack...or something you get at a college cafeteria with the baked ham that sits for hours in the salty, fat water. I believe that we should support small businesses, but isn't it amazing what Oprah can do for a business? Pros: clean chitterlings Cons: food with no soul, crowded, esp on sun more

With all the critical acclaim I was expecting a lot but cautioned myself to think that Mama Dip probably wasn't doing the cooking so that it might not be perfect. The first time I had breakfast. The sweet potatoe waffle was very delicious and the smothered pork chop was decent. The fried green tomatoes were very bland and my partner grabbed the salt shaker and he never does that. It was pretty expensive though we spent $30 on breakfast and that is a lot for homestyle cooking. For lunch we went back and had brunswick stew, pork ckops. and catfish. The brunswick stew was flavorless and the very small portion of macaroni and cheese had no cheese. It was just coated in butter. As someone with southern roots it is sad that all my northern classmates think this is what good southern food should taste like. Pros: Breakfast Cons: Bland Food, Price more

Mama Dip's was highly recommended by several locals, so me and my friend were really looking forward to having a nice home cooked meal; however, I sincerely believe the folks who recommended this restaurant must of been overcome by the warm beer being served and couldn't clearly remember their meals. I ordered the 'House Specialty' of Chicken and Dumplings and it was awful. My friend commented that the Fried Chicken and Bar-BQ Ribs were equally bad--Bar-BQ sauce was more tomato paste and lacked any spice and the chicken was greasy. Service is non-existent, unless you consider having a beer dropped on you as being attentive. Save your money as well as your time... this place is terrible! Cons: Food, Service more

The food here was always good but the service is and always has been TERRIBLE! However we must keep in mind that most of the staff here seem to be family members of the owner so what can she do, fire them??!! All in all, the portions have gotten smaller and the prices have gotten higher thus making this restaurant one to avoid. Pros: Taste of Food Cons: Attitude of Staff, Small portions more

Just returned, Dips was most certaily on the agenda. It was still great. Fried chicken was the best with sides to match. Just to sit on the porch and enjoying a great southern meal was the reason we went. more

I enjoy the place for dinner, fried chicken with gravy is a good bet and the pickles on the table rock. But it is a little pricey considering this should be a bargain place. Now it is like a tourist trap. And don't bother for breakfast. It is nothing special and very expensive. And they don't have biscuits and gravy. Pros: dinner, pickles Cons: breakfast, price more

We read the bad recent reviews and were scared but chanced it anyway. Glad we did! Dip's has not changed much in the last couple years, in our view. Fried chicken, Brunswick stew, bbq, and catfish still awesome. (Not a full bbq joint, however.) It's not the cheapest (9.95 for a 3-piece great chicken dinner) but it's worth it and we were filled. Sides of turnip greens, black-eyed peas, okra and tomatoes, and cornbread all excellent. Clean floors and tables are always a nice plus too. more

My recent visit to Dip's was everything that I expected and more. The fried chicken was crisp and moist with an ample portion. The collards were good and the fried okra was better than any I have ever had. My wife's chicken and pastry was also very good but I still suggest the fried chicken!! The pecan pie was warm and delicious. All in all a wonderful experience. PS I found the service to be very efficient and our waitress was very attenetive. Pros: Fairly priced, Delicious chicken, Great veggies more

We'll never visit this establishment again. The portions are small and the wait staff is rude. They need to remember how good they used to be. Don't believe the hype. more

they've gone downhill after they've become famous. Smaller portions. Lakadaisical service. Food is still good but not worth it anymore. Pros: veggies, iced tea Cons: price, service more

My friends and I decided to take out another friend for his birthday to Mama Dips. We waited for an outrageous amount of time for our tables, but we excused it because we were a group of 10. However, our service reflected our wait. We waited for menus, we waited for drinks and we waited for our food. After all of the waiting and anticipating, our food came out, and we were decidedly let down! The portions were small and the food wasn't exciting. Finally, to top it all off, they REFUSED to allow us to eat the birthday cake we had brought with us. We all gave a big thumbs down!! Pros: atmosphere Cons: expensive, bad service, slow kitchen more

Dip's used to be one of my favorite places to eat. But last time, I had much less than a positive experience. A couple of weeks ago, my husband, myself, and our baby waited for 30 minutes to be seated. We were placed in a TINY booth barely big enough for two adults, much less two adults plus a curious baby in a high chair! We asked to be moved somewhere else so that the baby wouldn't pull our hot food into his lap. We mentioned we were willing to wait longer for a bigger table. We were told told that we could NOT have a bigger table... that the big tables were needed for larger groups (even though there was another couple at a large booth with a baby at that very moment). She was very rude and didn't care... so we left! It was a horrible experience. Pros: Tasty southern food, Tasty desserts Cons: Expensive, Slow service, Rude staff more