Ms. White’s Golden Rule Cafe Is the Original Soul Food Champ
Ms. White’s Golden Rule Cafe
The first time I had chicken and waffles was at Lolo’s, back in the early 2000’s—back when it was a single-location labor of love. Soul food wasn’t a new concept to me or anything, but this seemed different. It was incredible. At some point I found out that Lolo was the grandson of Ms. White, whose restaurant had been a downtown staple for decades. And that was that. I went, found the perfectly cooked chicken fried steak I was hoping for, and was a forever fan. No, it doesn’t have anything trendy like chicken and waffles, but if you like soul food classics, this is the spot.
Website: mrswhitescafe.com
Reservations: Nope
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What to Get • Awards + Accolades • Found On
What to Get
The venerated fried chicken is perfectly seasoned and crispy, and the pork chops are tender and juicy. We could write odes to the ooey-gooey mac and cheese, and Mrs. White's is pretty much the only place where we order a glass of Kool-Aid to accompany our meal.
- Phoenix New Times
Phoenix locals don't have to travel far for some of the best fried chicken this side of the Mississippi. As Beau MacMillan recounts on The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Mrs. White has a fried chicken that can even beat old Southern standbys. Live by the golden rule and tell your friends, as Beau told you.
- Food Network
A lot of promising soul-food restaurants have opened in recent memory. A lot of Southern-style chefs are sizzling impressive takes on everybody's favorite battered bird to come out of Dixie. A lot of professional cooks are gussying up the tried-and-true basics of fried chicken: frying only strips of dark meat, serving chicken drowned in honey. A lot of chefs who channel the magic of poultry, buttermilk, and spitting oil are making fried chicken's trendy cousin out of Nashville: hot chicken. And none are as good as Mrs. White's shatter-jacketed, juicy classic, the best fried chicken in town.
- Phoenix New Times
Southern tradition says it’s good luck to eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day (it’s thought to bring prosperity in the year to come). It’s one superstition we’re happy to believe in, especially if the black-eyed peas in question come from Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe.
- Phoenix New Times
