Down home good eats. Three generations in the kitchen.
Recipes from her mother. Cooked from scratch. Served by family.
Evelyn's has been Wharton's home for soul food since 2019 — fried chicken that earns the line out the door, mac and cheese the kids ask about for weeks, and oxtails that take a whole day to do right.
As featured by
Cooked from scratch
Every plate, every day. The fried chicken is brined overnight. The oxtails simmer for hours. The cornbread comes out the oven warm.
Three generations of family
Evelyn cooks alongside her children and grandchildren. The recipes came from her mother. The legacy keeps cooking.
Worth the drive
Featured on ABC7 Los Angeles and ABC13 Houston. 5.0 on Tripadvisor. Folks come in from Houston, Bay City, and Sugar Land just for the chicken.
Menu Preview
A taste of what's on the board.
Famous Plates
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Evelyn's Famous Fried Chicken
$14.00Brined overnight, dredged twice, fried golden. Crispy outside, juicy inside. The reason most folks come in.
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Oxtails
$22.00Slow-braised all day with onions, garlic, and broth until the meat falls off the bone. Served over rice.
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Smothered Pork Chops
$16.00Bone-in chops smothered in onion gravy, served the way Evelyn's mama made them on Sunday afternoons.
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Fried Catfish
$15.00Cornmeal-dredged Gulf catfish, fried crisp. Lemon and hot sauce on the side.
Sides — From-Scratch
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Mac & Cheese
$5.00Three cheeses, baked golden on top. The one the kids ask about for a week after.
vegetarian -
Mustard Greens
$5.00Slow-cooked with smoked turkey neck and a little vinegar. Tender, not bitter.
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Candied Yams
$5.00Brown sugar, butter, cinnamon. Caramelized in the oven until the edges crisp up.
vegetarian -
Black-Eyed Peas
$5.00Stewed with smoked ham hock, onion, and herbs. Soulful and rich.
What people say
The reviews speak for themselves.
"Best soul food in Wharton, hands down. Evelyn's fried chicken is what dreams are made of — crispy outside, juicy inside, and the seasoning is unmatched."
"I drive in from Houston just for the oxtails. Three generations cooking together — you can taste the love in every plate."
"It's like Sunday dinner at grandma's house. The mac and cheese is the closest I've found to my own grandmother's recipe."
"Sweet potato pie that'll make you call your mama. Peach cobbler worth fighting your siblings over."
Our story
How Evelyn's came to be.
It started with a daughter telling her mother: "Mama, you've got to share this food with people."
Evelyn Lidell spent a lifetime in her mother's kitchen, learning the soul food recipes that had been passed down for generations. When her own daughter pushed her to open a restaurant, Evelyn finally said yes — and in 2019, the doors of Evelyn's Soul Food opened in Wharton, Texas.
Gallery
What's on the plates, what's on the walls.
Got plans tonight?
Tables fill up on weekends. Reserve below and we'll save you a seat.