Everybody’s got a soul food restaurant favorite – mine is now Mississippi Belle.
Located off 54th and Keystone Ave in Indianapolis, this one-room restaurant has two things on the mind – good food, fast.
John and I went for an early dinner one Friday evening. The dinner menu is served family style – each person picks one meat dish and then both of you settle on 4 soul food-favorite side dishes. Hot water cornbread is on the house.
It may seem like a lot at first, but who cares. Wear your stretchy pants.
Minutes after ordering we received our meal. John and I both settled on pan-fried chicken (white meat for him, dark for me) because we really couldn’t NOT get it. The heaping plate of hot chicken was followed by bowls of creamy macaroni and cheese, seasoned green beans, fried corn and mashed potatoes with homemade gravy.
Talk about juicy, well-seasoned chicken. I like crispy chicken, so I was a little worried that this may not be as crispy without deep frying it, but Mississippi Belle somehow keeps this crispy skin intact. John’s white meat was moist, while mine wasn’t greasy and the legs had a lot of meat on them.
I had read a few reviews that said these green beans were “plain, nothing extraordinary,” but I disagree. There was a kick to these green beans with little red pepper flakes. Onions give extra flavor, making me think everything was cooked down in a big pot on the stove with a chicken broth or stock. We cleared the bowl.
Flecks of black pepper gave a kick to the macaroni and cheese, which had a great creamy consistency, not grainy. We cleared the bowl on this, too.
Neither of us have had fried corn before. I chose it on a whim. Fried corn sounds tasty! I’ll say it wasn’t what I was expecting, but I’m not really sure what came to mind anyway (corn on the cob, on a stick, deep fried or something???) but this was totally different. Slightly sweet, spicy, crunchy and soupy, this was my kind of corn. Diced red and green peppers add another layer to this new favorite of mine.
Hot water cornbread was also new to us. Served as small, warm discs with a solid, fried exterior and a soft, cornbread-like center. The mashed potatoes were topped with a homemade gravy, and the potatoes were smooth and creamy. Both of these sides were delicious.
All in all, Mississippi Belle is a must-stop on your soul food tour of Indianapolis. As with most new restaurant adventures, we looked up a few reviews to know what to expect. Shout out to Indianapolis Restaurant Scene for their positive review that ultimately led us to checking this place out!
Here’s a few things you’ll want to know before hand:
- It’s cash only! Dinner for two cost us $28 plus tip.
- There are unlimited refills on sides and chicken (and maybe more that we didn’t try), but whatever you don’t eat you can’t take it home. Bring your appetite.
- Sweet tea is sweeeeeeet. Get it half and half with unsweetened.
My name is Sara - welcome to my small blue kitchen and all of its creations. Here you'll find one-pot meals, my adventures in baking, canning and preserving methods, and a photo or two of my two pups and my loving boyfriend John. These recipes are about my life, and I can't wait to share it all with you!
