Bite Of The Day: Lunch Buffet From Manna’s Soul Food

In this kind of weather, we find that the absolute last thing we want to eat is a salad–and what better way to coddle ourselves through the sub-zero temperatures than with some good old fashioned comfort food? With the cold in mind (and on our face, and ears, and hands), we decided to pick up lunch today at Manna’s Soul Food (956 Flatbush Avenue between Albemarle Road and Snyder Avenue).

Manna’s is like a mini chain, with six other locations–but since most of them are in upper Manhattan, we feel lucky to have one pretty close by. They’ve got an enormous buffet with multiple kinds of rice and wings, black eyed peas, mashed potatoes, fish, cornbread, pasta salads (and regular salads), fresh fruit, and more. You pay by the pound ($5.49), so you can fill up your container with exactly the ratios you want. Oh, and they have cake and drinks too, and plenty of seating.

We picked and chose little bits of a lot of things–collard greens, yams, ribs, mac and cheese, oxtails, and stewed chicken. The chicken, which fell off the bone and had more of the Caribbean flavors you see praised in Yelp reviews of Manna’s, was our absolute favorite–which isn’t to disparage the amazing greens, sweetness of the yams, delicious sauce on the ribs, or any other part of the meal. All in all, a filling lunch for $8.97. Our only regret is not trying the cornbread.

Manna’s Soul Food (956 Flatbush Avenue between Albemarle Road and Snyder Avenue) is open Monday through Friday from 11am-9pm, and on weekends from 11am-8pm. Stop by and eat in or take out, and let us know if the cornbread is everything we’d hoped.