Meet Your Next Soul Food Obsession, Niecy Takeouts

Soul food is one of many quintessential threads in the fabric of Southern cuisine, but often doesn't get its spot in the limelight like Tex-Mex and sports bars do.

Its footprint is easily assumed to be small with the many great brick-and-mortar soul food restaurants in Dallas, but a little digging reveals a second tier of soul food spots; weekend-only gems.

We found Niecy Takeouts by accident via TikTok. The video we watched had amassed over one million views and one commenter had mentioned they'd fly from Memphis, TN just to try this food. Nearly twelve thousand people agreed via upvote and some replied asking the original commenter to pick them up on her way.

The plate in the video had a generous helping of saucy lemon pepper honey hot deep fried wings, a fat and loaded baked potato and a mountain of macaroni and cheese. The rest of the video shows a step-by-step guide for how the plate is assembled and advertises how one can get their hands on one of these bad boys.

These are the facts: Every week on Monday, the menu is posted on the @niecytakeouts Instagram page. When you text the number on the post to place an order, a $15 deposit is required. Plates are preorder only by Friday and pick-up is on Saturdays only starting at 3 p.m.

Don't be fooled. On Niecy Samone's busiest weekends, she's cooking for almost 200 people, often selling out.
Obviously the appearance of the food captures the attention of most, but Niecy's spirit and passion about her food will make damn near anyone drive out of Dallas to try it.

The framework of Niecy Takeouts was created by her faith in God. In 2019, she was chasing fast money in LA as a sex worker during college. She thought that the fast lifestyle and fame were what would bring her joy, but the clothes, the shoes and the money never fulfilled her.

Three years later, she was lost and began praying to God for a purpose and for him to deliver her out of selling her body for money. After an encounter with Him, she says he gave her the idea to start selling plates.
When she started Niecy Takeouts, she left behind a life of drug overdoses and depression to fit in with Hollywood's elite.

Now, she's fully self-employed selling plates on the weekends, cooking for kids at a South Dallas elementary school during the day and catering for birthday and weddings. Soon, using the money she's earned over the years, she wants to open her restaurant and "take Dallas by storm", she told us.

Every week, she posts a new menu with a few tweaks. You pick a main and two sides for $35, and it comes with a drink and cornbread (or a roll depending on the menu).

First, we need to talk about the gravitational pull of the bag the food comes in. We got lemon pepper wings, greens, mac n' cheese, cornbread, banana pudding AND a drink. This could easily feed two people. For $35.

She told us most people are coming from inner city Dallas to pick-up, so when you get your food there's a buffer from when it's completely fresh. A few minutes in the air fryer will resurrect the wings and everything else just needs a little nuke in the microwave or reheating on the stove. No leftover vibes here.

She was right when she said it was gunna be "real good, real SMACK". Let's start with the wings.
We crisped ours back up in the air fryer and it was disbelief at first bite. They're unctuous and tender, very garlic and lemon forward with so much flavor. On the side is a mild ranch dressing, and it's perfect to dip the wings into because it breaks up the bold flavors to where you can get a good sense of all the seasonings.

Now, greens are a hot topic and everyone has their preferences, but these surprised us. They're made with onion, jalapeño possibly and a rich array of spices. There's no hint of a leafy vegetable anywhere because she transformed them completely.

Maybe a month or so ago, I talked about how I didn't like mac n' cheese because the overcooked noodles and bland cheese are not memorable for me. Okay, sue me. Now, I have to take my statement back because what she did with this combo was enough to convert me.

There are many different types of cheese and cheese blends put into the mac, so it's flavorful, but not trying to do too much. The noodles are a few minutes past al dente and you get an interesting little note of paprika in every bite. Am I ruined? Maybe, but only time will tell.
Best for last is the banana pudding for dessert. It doesn't come with the main order, but it's worth the extra $6.

There are sliced bananas in the bottom of the cup, topped with the banana pudding mixture, shortbread cookies and a caramel drizzle. Her version of banana pudding is a cross between pudding and whipped cream. It's very light but still packs in strong flavor and sweetness. Just when you don't think the plate could get any better, you have this for the grand finale.

Individually, every component of the plate has its personal roster of flavors working together, but it's not overbearing and it doesn't all blend together in combination with everything else. The greens complement the mac that complements the wings, and every time you go back in with your fork, you have to get a little bit of everything.

There are videos of food reviewers trying Niecy Takeouts, and the bulk of the videos are smacking sounds, head nods and shut eyes. And sometimes, that's all the testament you need for how good something is.

Niecy Takeout, order for address, Saturdays only.