Southern Living Magazine recently named a Roanoke institution to its list of the best locally owned restaurants in the South.
“We asked our audience to share their favorite local restaurants, and they delivered with an eclectic list reflecting the wonderful melting pot that is the South,” the magazine said. “They are the reliable restaurants Southerners turn to again and again for everyday meals and special occasions. Some are new, and some have been around for generations. The one thing they all have in common, other than great food, is that they are beloved in their communities, which is perhaps the highest praise a restaurant can receive.”
The list is comprised of one restaurant for each of 14 southern states. Texas’ representative? Babe’s Chicken Dinner House, the original of which calls downtown Roanoke’s historic Oak Street home.
“The fried chicken at Babe’s Chicken Dinner House recently brought a guest to tears — of joy,” Southern Living said. “Just like her grandmother’s, she said. The same goes for the mashed potatoes, the gravy, the biscuits with sorghum, and all the recipes from owner Paul Vinyard’s wife Mary Beth and his mother JoJean.”
.jpg)
.jpg)
