This Is the Best Buffet in Alabama, Known for Its Southern Food

When you visit Martha’s Place Buffet in Montgomery, Alabama, you’ll “experience delicious comfort food prepared from scratch and made with love.” This is the essence of southern cooking: slow-cooked meals with bold flavors, seasoned with love, that cure your very soul. One bite, and you’ll taste the care that's been cooked into each item on your plate. Eating soul food feels like a warm hug from grandma - literally. 

That’s exactly what you’ll find at Martha’s Place, arguably the best buffet for southern food in Alabama. This award-winning Alabama restaurant is a place where folks gather to share stories, break bread, and continue traditions. Come hungry to eat delicious soul food, but stay for the comfort of knowing each bite feels like sweet home.  

Welcome to Martha’s Place

Tucked inside a small shopping center off Atlanta Highway, you’ll find Martha’s Place, a beloved soul food buffet in Montgomery. The restaurant is a lifelong dream of Martha Hawkins, who grew up in a large family with very little money. As a child, she watched her mother feed her family of 12 children with just a few items from the garden. Her warm dinnertime memories became the foundation for Hawkins’ dream of making folks feel at home with soul-curing food. 

The most rewarding thing for Hawkins is the opportunity to “meet and develop relationships with people.” She continues, “helping people in my community is a blessing,” and it’s obvious that Hawkins has remained true to this. Naturally, as with running any small business, there were some challenges along the way. However, Hawkins feels fortunate that she was able to learn and was surrounded by folks willing to teach her the ropes. 

Today, after 35 years in business and gaining national recognition, the restaurant continues to thrive. It attracts locals, visitors, politicians, athletes, artists, and musicians. I love that Martha hires folks in need of a helping hand, and this strategy has been part of the success of her business. Of course, the mouthwatering down-home food is what keeps folks coming back for more.   

Dive Into Good Food and Good Vibes

Every day, the southern food at Martha’s Place is slow-cooked and prepared from scratch. So, folks can expect high-quality meals full of flavor, prepared with the main ingredient – love, and of course, served with a side of southern hospitality. The buffet spread changes daily, but fried chicken is always on the menu. Some of the other items include Southern favorites like baked chicken, fried fish, pork chops, liver and onions, meatloaf, and turkey and dressing, just to name a few.

My favorite part of eating soul food is the sides, and Martha’s Place delivers on that. Expect collard greens, fried okra, green beans, yams, and I can’t forget the mac and cheese - yum! If you’re a vegetarian, this beloved gem has you covered. In addition to the sides, you’ll find lots of options on the salad bar like fresh veggies, seasonal fruit, pasta salad, and potato salad. No soul food feast is complete without cornbread and dessert, so be sure to leave room for that. If you walk out of this neighborhood gem hungry, sorry to say, but I think you did something wrong. 

The atmosphere of the restaurant is warm and inviting, sprinkled with a bit of style, but folks can’t stop raving about the food. One satisfied customer said, “To say that the food was incredible is the understatement of the century. If you're looking for down-home soul food, this place is it.” It sounds to me that Hawkins is doing something right, and she is known for greeting her customers while spreading good vibes and warmth throughout the restaurant.

Visit This Southern Buffet and Leave Full and Happy

Beyond the buffet, folks can also order heaping plates of food to go with many of the same buffet items. And the restaurant also provides catering services, so if you have a special event or large group, consider Martha’s Place. 

I can go on and on about this beloved restaurant, and you might even question whether it’s really the best buffet for southern food in Alabama. Well, visit this all-you-can-eat buffet and you too might “walk in hungry and leave happy” like many of the other patrons. 

Be sure to visit Martha’s Place website to check out the full menu and to plan which day you want to visit. And don’t forget to follow Martha’s Place on Facebook to keep up to date on what’s happening in the restaurant.   

Have you ever been to Martha’s Place? If so, what did you think of the Southern food here? Tell us on our nomination page. And while you’re there, share your favorite neighborhood restaurant with us. Inspired to discover more hidden gems in Alabama? Use Only In Your State’s itinerary planner, and with just a few clicks, you’ll find more places to explore.