Pick your plate. Eat like Sunday dinner.
Simply Southern Cafe is a Montgomery soul-food room that works the cafeteria line: you see the day’s meats and sides before you commit. The menu rotates, which is why regulars check what is on the steam table instead of memorizing a printed list.
The house cooks the Southern canon—fried chicken, oxtail stew, pork chops, ribs, turkey and dressing—then backs it with mac and cheese, collards, cabbage, yams, and cornbread. Closed Mondays. Open for lunch-into-afternoon service the rest of the week.
Ask around Montgomery for a real soul food spot and Simply Southern Cafe comes up fast. Owned and operated by LaMonica Ponder-Williams, the restaurant on Troy Highway runs on a model that's become rarer by the year: cafeteria-style service with set meals and set prices, where the menu board at the entrance tells you exactly what's cooking that day rather than offering the same laminated list every visit.
That daily-rotation format is the whole personality of the place. Walk in on the right day and you'll find oxtail stew ladled over rice. Show up another day and it's pork chops with a dry rub coating that carries a clear garlic-and-onion edge, or Salisbury steak, or a full seafood sampler with fried shrimp and catfish. Saturdays lean into the seafood side of the menu especially hard, with fried oyster and catfish meals showing up alongside meatloaf and ribs. The point isn't variety for its own sake—it's the kind of home cooking where the dish changes because that's just what's being made fresh that day.
Fried chicken is a constant across the rotation and gets consistent praise for crispy skin and moist meat underneath. Reviewers single out the squash casserole as one of the best versions they've had anywhere, and the ribs come up again and again as tender enough to fall off the bone. Every plate comes with a choice of sides, and the sides carry as much weight as the entrees: cabbage seasoned with real depth, mac and cheese described as properly cheesy rather than dry, corn pudding packed with actual corn, candied yams cooked down in brown sugar until they read more like dessert than a vegetable, and green beans that get called out specifically as done right. Cornbread or a dinner roll rounds out the plate, and sweet tea is the drink of choice for most tables.
The dining room itself is no-frills—a straightforward cafeteria setup built for getting a hot plate in front of you quickly rather than a long, lingering meal. Staff greet people at the door, walk them through whatever's on the board that day, and move the line along efficiently even when it's busy. It works equally well for a quick lunch alone or a family stopping in on the way through town, and takeout is a regular part of how people order here.
Prices stay in the affordable range for the portion sizes involved, generally running in the $10 to $20 range per person depending on what's ordered and how many sides come with it. Catering is also available for anyone wanting the same menu for a larger event.
When is it open?
The cafe is closed Mondays. Tuesday through Friday and Sunday it runs 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with a shorter Saturday schedule from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Will I get the same food if I come back?
Not necessarily. The cafeteria-style setup means the menu board reflects a different daily special, so oxtail stew, pork chops, fried chicken, and other dishes rotate through the week rather than all being available every day.
What do people recommend?
Fried chicken and oxtail stew come up most often in reviews, along with the squash casserole and candied yams as standout sides.
Does Simply Southern Cafe do takeout?
Yes, takeaway is a normal part of service here, and the restaurant also offers catering for larger groups and events by calling (334) 523-1784 ahead of time.
Can guests with mobility needs dine here?
Yes, the space is wheelchair accessible, and the cafeteria-style ordering makes it straightforward to navigate for guests with a variety of accessibility needs.
