Saint’s Paradise Cafeteria

Went in for lunch with coworkers. Bought fish, smothered pork chops, rice, and mac and cheese. Had to take the rest of the day off because a serious food coma was rapidly setting in afterwards. It was so delicious that I almost hurt myself trying to finish it all! Later on, I was happy to have some leftover to snack on. Great cafeteria style soul food served by folks who make you feel at home.

I love eating here for so many reasons. The legit soul food at bargain prices and generous portions is one thing, but what really keeps me coming back is the atmosphere. Living in the neighborhood, I’m surrounded by hipsters and trendy eateries. Where can a guy eat when he doesn’t feel like cooking, eating Chipotle, or changing out of sweat pants? This place.
It’s in a church basement and it really is cafeteria style — grab your tray, go down the line & tell them what you want. Did I mention you can eat chicken wings for breakfast? They have daily meal specials or you can order a la carte. Easy to escape with a satisfied palate, a full belly, and minimum damage to your wallet (easy to get a good meal for (

Saint’s Paradise is one of the hidden jewels in DC. I love visiting this restaurant whenever I am near by at the Convention Center. My favorites are the Chocolate Cake, Whiting, Macaroni and Cheese, Candied Yams, and the sweet tea. The prices are reasonable and you get enough helpings to take home leftovers. Bring cash or your ATM card for the machine. They do not accept credit or debit card payments.

Breakfast is standard stuff served in large portion s by friendly people in a hot and clean way.
Great place to fuel up cheap.
Lunch shines brighter with classic soul, and comfort food. It’s all papper and plastic and college café ambiance, but the food is spot on and lots of it cheap.
No bullshit, no frills. And alot of love.

This is my favorite lunch spot when I’m at work. I just wished they accepted credit cards. I I’ve their Mac and cheese, cabbage and catfish. I’ve tried everything once and can say not bad!

Overrated.
Lol
I’ve heard great things about this place from my witty girlfriend and my son’s godfather.
I was expecting something magical, but all I got was some average food. Nothing stood out about my plate.
My salmon cake was ok. Not bad, not great either.
My eggs and cheese were cold.
My hash browns were cold as well.
The toast? Cold.
They were out of the homemade sweet tea too.
The service was great. The lady that gave me my toast noticed that my salmon cake was overdone, so she took it upon herself to get me a fresh one. I thought that was so sweet. I wish I got her name.
I enjoyed people watching at the church. All ages were represented and everyone seemed to have a good time.
I wouldn’t return unless others in my party demanded it.

Rarely review on Unilocal but some places are worth raving about. The art of good grandma’s soul food is becoming a thing of the past & at that chains are an even harder thing to champion. But Daddy Grace is not your everyday chain. Granted there are about 30 spread out across the USA but each one I’ve been to has its own individual unique vibe to it. I only wish the hours were late. But granted you are eating in a church basement which in itself is part of the experience. This place deserves 3 Michelin stars. Trust me. Neckbones Candid Yams, Turnips, Smothered Steak, Grits & Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Cornbread, Cranberry Sauce, Chitterlins, Stuffing, Green Beans, Black Eyes Peas, Cabbage and all those good thangs on point!

The soul food is authentic and as real as it gets. It’s a humble cafeteria in the middle of a church. You have to love this place.
High points on the food and the desserts. It’s a love letter to the world of mac and cheese comfort food.
Only downside: Long lines and a cash-​only register. If they added credit cards and an extra cash register, I am certain they would double or triple their business.

This place is a total mess. If you are at any function at the convention center or just visiting Washington DC. The food is amazing. The selection is terrific and the prices are extremely reasonable. A must do in DC

Dear Lord this place was so good. I cannot believe that a Church basement can offer the best soul food this side of the Mississippi. All of my work friends and I sat down to a delicious fare and inexpensive too! All fresh food plus really sweet people all the while a wake was going on in the Church while we were there. Awesome! You have to try this wonderful place. Yum.

This place is awesome! It’s in the basement of a church and I guess it’s also called Daddy Grace’s. It almost kinda looks like a soup kitchen, I was expecting homeless to show up, but it’s just awesome home cooking soul food! Fantastic breakfasts. The bacon, grits, and scrapple are great. Convenient location if you are at the convention center too. I love this place!

Great food and value. Went there for lunch with a group and it was fantastic. Smothered pork chops, white fish, fried chicken, shrimp, ribs, greens, potatoes, and more on the menu and everything was excellent. Serving size is enough for two people. Would go back!

For those exploring this place in the name of «cultural tourism», know that this cafeteria is legit. Reminds me of the typical after-​service Baptist church basement meals of my youth. The cooking is surprisingly light on seasoning and salt (a good thing), the portions reasonable (another good thing) and the recipes are not-​fussy. I steer clear of what is likely canned veggies and opt for the cabbage, yams or mac and cheese, which is the real custardy Southern kind, not just noodles with cheese sauce. The lines are long and AC never seems to work too well, but the customers and workers are always friendly. Oh, and did I mention you will be hard pressed to spend more that $ 10 dollars on a meal?

Haven’t been there in a while! BUT, standard soul food joint, but very clean. Love it! Times are funny, so be careful. They used two have two locations, but the main one is my favorite. Desserts? Just like homemade from someone’s grandma’s kitchen. The portions were great too. I may have go this weekend just thinking about it!

Simple no-​frills cafeteria layout with a couple smaller tables and ceiling fans. Pay cash at the end of the line like you did in school, the friendly staff buses for you. Blue plate portioning on sides are just as conservative as advertised compared to a regular combo– barely enough gravy to douse the plain mashed potatoes alone, and a sad lump of mac and cheese. We picked the wrong day of the week to crave pigs feet, oxtails, or jerk chicken! Buttery bricks of crumbly cornbread. We weren’t craving smothered pork chops, so we opted for the crispy fried chicken over the fried pork chops. Beautifully curling skin over moist meat. Sweet tea welcomes liberal icing; would probably go for lemonade next time. Collards had been cooked down with some pork and vinegar, but were a little gritty. Mashed sweet potatoes were generously laced with dessert-​levels of brown sugar and cinnamon and won favorite side at the table by default.

Finally! A place in DC that has real soul food. I have been to many so called soul food spots from Baltimore to DC and hands down this is the best food I have tasted and believe I will taste. The atmosphere is great as not only did the food bring back memories of cooking I had down south but those Sunday dinners after church. Yes this place is in a church basement and reminded me of when I was a kid when church would always be crowded when food is around. The food is served in a cafeteria but I opted for take out. If you eat there I hope you live close because the overwhelming force of needing to take a nap after eating will be a powerful compulsion to try to resist. I got the rib dinner with collard greens and the homemade Mac n cheese. Yes real homemade Mac n cheese. I also got it with a jumbo sweet tea that was more on the gigantic side. The portions were more than enough to fill you until you are satisfied and there is so much of a selection it was hard for me to narrow down what I wanted from all the goodness that was behind the glass. There are different specials everyday but just from what I saw it does not matter as no matter what you choose it is cooked the way comfort food from the south is supposed to be cooked and spouse to taste. I am looking forward to going back and bring friends with me because there is no way that words can describe how good this food is. Stop denying yourself and go check it out for yourself.

Got recommended to go to this cafeteria during a work conference nearby. Otherwise, I don’t think we would have ever found this place since it is in the bottom of a church! I love that they have comfort food, especially since it was rainy and cold the days I visited.
I tried their catfish, mac and cheese, and collard greens the first day of the conference. The catfish was delicious! Perfectly crispy and flaky on the inside. The mac and cheese was a bit mushy but I still enjoyed it. Collard greens were good and flavorful.
The second day I got the whiting fish but I did not like it as much as the catfish. They were very generous with the portion though. The mash potatoes and cabbage were both yummy both could be better.
Not sure when I’ll be able to come back since I rarely eat in DC but will stop by if I’m in that area again!

Seriously good soul food. This place is legit. It’s a cafeteria, so grab a tray and work your way down the line. Everything is delicious and cooked from the heart. The smothered pork chops are amazing, and so are the collards. Cornbread comes with every plate. A word of warning: the sweet tea is about 90% sugar, 10% tea. Portions are heaping. Cash only.

«Wait, I thought you said we’re getting soul food for lunch. Why are we going into a church?»
Thanks to Unilocal — who knew such amazing cafeteria serving beyond delicious, ginormous, affordable, home-​cooked soulFUL meal exists in the basement of a church!
It’s a true cafeteria — enter one side, pile your tray, pay and exit on the other. There were so many choices to choose from — ultimately, I went with their blue plate special — 2 baked wings, 2 sides — candied yam + stewed cabbage, corn bread, and a drink, while my husband went with their baked whiting fish dinner platter, 2 sides — collard green, mashed potato, corn bread.
My blue plate special was just perfect — pulled off the bone, juicy, succulent wings, perfectly seasoned stewed cabbage, and drool inducing candied yam. My husband’s fish platter — let’s say was a bit ridiculous (in the best possible way) — 3 whole fish filet, each the size of my husband’s arm, overstuffed collard green, and gravy spilling mashed potato — it was a struggle to close this box let alone to finish this meal in one sitting. Did I mention the fish was moist + perfectly battered — (forget tartar sauce!)? The collard green convinced my husband to LOVE greens? And the mashed potato was spoonful, after spoonful of yummy goodness?
The staffs were beyond the nicest, sweetest — not your every day jaded cafeteria lunch ladies. They really put their pride and joy in making and serving food to every customer. Everyone was extremely welcoming. 5 stars all around — My husband and I can’t wait to return to try the rest of the menu (crabcake, shrimp basket — we are coming for you!).

WHO KNEW this place was in my neighborhood.
A clean, friendly, and delicious church basement fixing cheap breakfast and a bit more expensive lunch/​dinner.
Had the blue plate whiting special for $ 6.99. Included 2 sides, some wonderful boiled cabbage and mac and cheese. Also included an iced tea or lemonade.
Also had the ribs. Fall OFF the bone good.
Breakfast is either $ 5 or $ 6. Tried the friend pork chop which was good. Salmon cakes were a bit dry.
Also got stuff to go but its a big open cafeteria. Very nice for groups.