I’m always curious about an unassuming food stop that starts as a simple lunch idea and ends with me already thinking about what I would order next, especially when fried chicken and macaroni and cheese are involved. Across New Jersey, soul food restaurants offer plenty of reasons to make room for a Sunday meal, from generous platters and familiar sides to seafood dishes that deserve their own place at the table.
The seven places here offer different ways to enjoy that meal, whether you want counter service, a longer sit-down outing, or takeout to bring home and share. With menu highlights, Sunday hours, and practical details for each stop, you can spend less time sorting out plans and more time deciding whether there is room for dessert.
1. Corinne’s Place, Camden, NJ
Sunday dinner gets plenty of room on the plate at this family-owned Camden mainstay. Corinne’s Place pairs generous servings with a down-home setting at 1254 Haddon Avenue.
Fried chicken is an easy starting point, but the menu also includes smothered chicken and Cajun turkey wings. Sides such as macaroni and cheese, collard greens, potato salad, and yams give you several ways to build a meal around your favorites.
I would keep this stop in mind for a group that wants a traditional sit-down spread rather than a quick snack. Dine-in and takeout are available, and the restaurant accepts reservations.
Sunday hours run from noon to 7:30 p.m., with afternoons and evenings generally the busiest stretch. Expect a listed price range of $20 to $30 per person, and check street-parking signs when you arrive.
Lemon cake offers a reason to leave a little space after that generous platter.
2. Cornbread Montclair, Montclair, NJ
Cornbread deserves more than an afterthought, and this Bloomfield Avenue restaurant puts it right in the name. Its signature bread shares the menu with fried chicken, chicken and waffles, and honey chicken with black-eyed peas.
The useful difference here is flexibility. Alongside those familiar mains, Cornbread Montclair offers full vegan and vegetarian menus, making it a practical choice when your group does not all eat the same way.
Counter service keeps the meal casual, while indoor seating, outdoor seating, and takeout give you options for how to spend your visit. Dogs are allowed outside, too.
Located at 372 Bloomfield Avenue, the restaurant opens daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., leaving a wider Sunday window than several other stops here. The listed price range is $10 to $20 per person.
Finish with peach cobbler if dessert is part of the plan, or keep the focus firmly on that namesake cornbread.
3. Kelsey’s Atlantic city, Atlantic City, NJ
Make a reservation before making this Sunday plan. Kelsey’s offers a more dressed-up take on familiar comfort food, with table service and live music adding another reason to linger over a meal.
Shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, and catfish nuggets give the menu a strong seafood-and-chicken focus. Smothered turkey chops, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and candied yams provide more traditional dinner choices.
At 1545 Pacific Avenue, the restaurant works for either a weekend brunch outing or a later dinner. Saturday and Sunday hours run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., so an early start is an option rather than a requirement.
Brunch and dinner reservations are recommended, and waits are possible. The listed spending range is broad, from $20 to $60 per person, so look over the menu before settling on your order.
Families also have a children’s menu and high chairs available, which helps with planning a shared outing.
4. Big Easy – Downtown Trenton, Trenton, NJ
Lobster mac and salmon nuggets give this downtown stop a different starting point from the usual chicken platter. Big Easy’s broad comfort-food menu also includes fried whiting, crab cakes, oxtails, and baked chicken.
That variety is the main reason to come hungry and browse before ordering. You can lean toward seafood, choose turkey wings, or build a more familiar meal around greens and macaroni and cheese.
Inside, the sit-down setting includes New Orleans jazz, giving lunch or dinner a musical backdrop. A children’s menu and vegetarian choices also help when a group brings different appetites to the table.
Find the restaurant at 111 South Warren Street, where Sunday service runs from noon to 6 p.m. The listed price range is $20 to $30 per person.
Parking can take some searching, so allow extra time rather than arriving at the last minute. Red velvet cake gives dessert fans something specific to consider, too.
5. Nettie’s, Rahway, NJ
Fried catfish makes a clear case for giving chicken the afternoon off. At Nettie’s, that specialty joins shrimp and grits and comforting sides in a casual Rahway setting.
The menu also includes vegan collard greens, along with full vegan and vegetarian menus. That range makes this a useful choice for a shared meal when some guests want seafood and others prefer plant-based dishes.
Planning matters here: reservations are listed as required, so contact the restaurant before heading over. Sunday service runs from noon to 6 p.m., and the afternoon is generally its busiest Sunday stretch.
At 2186 Elizabeth Avenue, Nettie’s offers indoor dining, outdoor seating, curbside pickup, and takeout. Free street parking is available, with spaces generally plentiful.
Expect a listed price range of $20 to $30 per person. I like the range of ways to enjoy this stop, from a reserved family meal to bringing a catfish dinner home to share.
6. Eileen’s Soul Food, Neptune City, NJ
Save a little appetite for banana pudding. Eileen’s pairs that familiar dessert with a menu built around fried chicken, oxtails, baked turkey wings, and other hearty soul food choices.
Smothered pork chops, macaroni and cheese, cabbage, and cornbread offer plenty of directions for a Sunday order. Generous portions are part of the draw, while the casual, quiet setting keeps the focus on the meal.
The practical advantage is parking: both a free lot and free street parking are available, with spaces generally plentiful. Dine-in, outdoor seating, delivery, and takeout give you several ways to work a visit into your day.
Head to 86 Hillside Avenue between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday. The restaurant is closed Monday through Wednesday, so this is not an early-week backup plan.
With a listed price range of $20 to $30 per person, it fits a planned lunch or early dinner, followed by that pudding.
7. Carolyn’s Soul Food, Jersey City, NJ
A small counter-service spot can make the side dishes just as tempting as the main course. Carolyn’s serves Southern staples at 76 Orient Avenue, with potato salad, cabbage, yams, and rice with gravy among the choices.
Pork chops, catfish, whiting, and meatloaf give you several starting points. Macaroni and cheese and collard greens help round out the kind of plate that suits an unhurried Sunday lunch.
Keep expectations simple: this is a down-to-earth restaurant without table service, not a formal dining outing. Dine-in and takeout are available, and a children’s menu gives younger eaters their own options.
Hours run from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, with Monday and Tuesday closed.
Free street parking is available, though a wait for food is possible. The listed price range is $20 to $30 per person.
For a Sunday tradition built around choosing your favorite main and sides, this is a straightforward place to start.
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