Houston's This Is It Soul Food

10/25/09

The rudest people I have ever seen

by jonita woolridge at Citysearch

I went to this is it . These people are so rude . I asked for the prices and they rolled their eye and laughed at me and my husband . I asked for the manager ,and she was much better . We received our order ,left and never to return .

Ps. We travel over 1000 miles to receive that kind of sevice .The rating is 0.

• Pros: none
• Cons: Bad sevice

08/17/09

SO NOT IT..

by CSMobileUser2 at Citysearch

Me and my father were very hungry and he knew of this place but hadn't remembered why. After we left he was reminded really quick. Bad service, luke warm almost cold food, they didn't even list prices on the menu!!! Adding tax to every lil thing and its only soul food? Where is almost 30 dollars for two people reasonable in a soul food place?!!! And how did the receipt not have the prices for what the person paid for? I'm sorry but we are never going again. Good day to you all.

01/01/09

Great soul food experience

by chaliween at Citysearch

I hear about soul food all the time from friends which set high expectations. The very first soul food experience i had was Sylvia's Soul Food in New York which had HIGH merits. . . I thought it was less than mediocre. Even my African-American friends that brag about soul food were embarrassed. Granted it was a very LARGE party and the service was more a catering job. But This Is It restored some confidence in Soul Food. The atmosphere was great, very clean and the decor was interesting enough to keep you some what busy in the hour wait ahead. An interesting note was how this place made a million in 1998. . . would be profitable to spend a fraction on that to upgrading service to speed up the line. Everyone seems to talk about how "cheap" the entrees are, which fooled me. For the price I paid, I expected MUCH more. I wanted the best, so I asked business owner Craig Joseph himself which was the best. He pointed out the Ox-Tail and the pork chops. So our party split, 2 Ox-tails and 2 pork chops. Sweet tea was flawless. Cornbread was heavenly, Ox-Tail was glorious, Pork Chops.... OK. I read a lot of reviews meriting the mac and cheese; I, however, thought it was mediocre. Steamed cabbage, green beans, collard greens, rice and gravy; all good but all could be better here or elsewhere.

• Pros: Good Soul Food Experience for the curious and first timers.
• Cons: For the time and the price paid... expectation was NOT met

04/25/08

Great ending to Houston tour

by houstonishome at Citysearch

I've lived in Houston all my life (little over 25yrs) and I had no idea this place existed until I took a tour of the 4th Ward (DiscoverHoustonTours). It was a perfect ending to a tour of one of the oldest historic areas in Houston. This is the perfect spot to catch a glimpse of what's left of the 4th Ward. It's good 'ol Southern, home-style soul food, so if you're into the "healthy fad" and counting calories, this is not the place for you. The portions are huge, so 10 bucks covered my lunch and dinner. I had the chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes with the most flavorful brown gravy, green beans, mac n cheese, and corn bread. It was all delicious and very filling. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Mr. Craig Joseph, the most down-to-earth and one of the few, if not the only minority business owner on that part of the strip on W.Gray. Also, if you notice the broken sidewalk, or lack of sidewalk, don?t blame Mr. Joseph, the City of Houston should be ashamed of itself for not fixing this problem. I find it a disturbing coincidence that this minority establishment is the only one on that strip without a nice sidewalk. Visit their website (thisisithouston) for the restaurant?s brief background before you go. It will definitely enrich the experience, because this shouldn't be your typical dining experience, it should be one about culture, history, and of course, lots of good food.

• Pros: good portions, flavorful food, affordable
• Cons: can't think of any

05/28/07

If you know what to expect...then This IS it.

by andre22333 at Citysearch

I've lived in Houston all my life(30 years). I grew up in Acres Homes(one of the poorer black neighborhoods for you tourists). I grew up on "Soul Food" ( mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, 2 aunts) and I am an award winning chef on the amateaur level. I know what good food tastes like....And I know what good soul food tastes like. I hear my friends and co-workers RAVE about this place, but I also tasted the food my freinds bring from home, its usually not very good. Now saying that, and after eating at This is It I can say this: If you NEVER had "Soul Food" before, or your family members were'nt very good at making it, then this place is a GREAT example of Soul Food cuisine. The sloppy service and crappy building is just part of the aptmosphere...Ghetto...so enjoy!!!

Now If your Grandmother can put her foot in some black-eyed peas, if her Ox Tails make you want to shoot somebody, if her Bannana pudding will make you sell your sister, then This IS It will dissapoint you IN A MAJOR WAY. Its HIGHLY overrated to someone who knows what good soul food is. So just Go to Big Mamma's house if your in the mood for the good stuff.

• Pros: Might catch a local celebrity eating here
• Cons: Small Parking

02/11/07

This is NOT it, this is HORRIBLE!

by thing01andthing02 at Citysearch

Thing 02 and I ventured here for breakfast today this Sunday morning (10AM) with high expectations. We had heard much about the down home, southern cooking from "This is it". Unfortunately we were sorely disappointed. Let's start from the beginning...after sitting at two tables that were dirty we finally settled on one that was...passable. From there we must have waited at least 10 minutes before being greated and given menus (the waitress was on the phone, and of course we all know how difficult it is to wait tables with a phone to your ear). Once the menus were delivered the waitress proceeded to hover over us until we were ready to order. We ordered the basics, eggs, grits, bacon, ham, biscuits (store bought mind you, not homemade) and toast. With that out of the way we now had an opportunity to sit back and soak up the atmosphere - three employes hanging out talking on the phone or to each other, owner oblivious to all. While waiting on our food we noticed that the table next to us had begun to recieve their food, one plate at a time seperated by 3-5 minute intervals. Our order arrived one plate at a time (has any body ever heard of a tray?) sans biscuits. When I asked the waitress about the biscuit she assured me that I had ordered toast...oh well not wishing to make a stink, I sucked it up. The eggs and grits were o.k., greasy, no seasoning...bacon was fair, ham was inedible. I know how can something as simple as ham be inedible...if you want to find out then don't heed our warning...drop six bucks for yourself and find out. Overall, one of the worst dining experiences we've had in Houston. I've been here for 12 yrs and Thing 02 for two, we are not overly picky eaters but we do appreciate the simple things like cleanliness (I do observe the 5 second rule), courteousness, timeliness, ambiance and most importantly good value for your buck. In closing, I would not eat there with a goat, I would not eat there in a boat.... "This is NOT it".

• Pros: None
• Cons: To numerous to list here.

01/04/07

"This Is It" says it all

by freddh2 at Citysearch

This Is It - the name is highly appropriate. Each year, on our annual trek from Seattle, a visit or two to this restaurant is at the top of our list. First, the food is fantastic! Yes it is high in all the bad things you would expect from southern cooking. However, this is why we come here, to eat all those things that we deny ourselves during the year. The service is what you would expect at a cafeteria (self serve) style establishment. However they more than make up for it once you are seated with continual and very courteous table service. Impossible to try everything - we still need a few year's to sample ( maybe our daughter will continue on to grad school). This Is It! Gotta' have it!!

This downtown neighbor serves the kind of traditional African-American food that soothes and nourishes.

by Contributor at Citysearch

In Short
A move up the street to a larger and spiffier new location has not stifled the soul of this soul-food institution. Devotees of the home-cooked menu expect hearty meals, including meatloaf, yams, braised oxtails, chitlins, barbecue ribs and biscuits. It's also a handy spot for breakfast, and the TV is always on for customers looking for news programs or soaps.

09/21/06

Avoid this restaurant

by jcjcjcfoodie at Citysearch

My husband and I were in the mood for good homemade food-but to our surprise we ate food that was similar to dog food. After trying the food- we left! I now understand where our tax money goes to-medical care for customers that eat here. So fatting and unhealthy. The beans were not homemade-they tasted like ranch-style can beans! How hard is it to make beans? I am surprise the health inspection dept. allows this place to be in business. DO NOT EAT HERE! It is like eating slop-whatever that tastes like.

• Cons: Bad food-low quality

08/18/05

great home cooking

by clwill23 at Citysearch

I am from East Texas, so to me great soul food is a must. But I went off to college and i really didnt know of any places, my cousin who moved here 4 years ago told me about it but i never had the chance. So i did and i must tell you it does remind you of home and how good soul food should taste. IT is seasoned and cooked to perfection. i am usually very very picky on food and dont try anything but since i am away from home it is a great place to eat to remind you of back home. I would really recommend this place to any college student of anybody who wants a taste of home and good soul food cooking.

• Pros: great service, food, friendliness
• Cons: small parking