What is This Is It Soul Food?
This Is It Soul Food is a family-owned soul food restaurant from Houston. It began in 1959 in Freedman’s Town in the Fourth Ward. Its last Houston location, at 2712 Blodgett Street in the Third Ward, closed on October 12, 2025.
A location in the Humble area remains open at 9441 FM 1960 Bypass Road West. The owners said they would focus the business there after the Third Ward closing.
Who founded This Is It Soul Food?
Frank and Mattie Jones founded the restaurant. Frank Jones’s mother ran a Fourth Ward boarding house in the 1920s and early 1930s. She served soul food to boarders, including Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway. Her cooking inspired his.
The restaurant began in a vacant house at Andrews Street in Freedman’s Town. The name came from the founders’ search for a site. When they stopped at the corner, the founder’s wife said, “This is it.”
Where has the restaurant been located?
- Andrews Street, Fourth Ward, from 1959 to 1982.
- West Gray Street, at two addresses.
- 2712 Blodgett Street, Third Ward, until October 2025.
Who runs This Is It Soul Food?
The founders’ grandson, Craig Joseph Sr., took over in 1994. His children, Craig Joseph Jr. and Janelle Williams, run Mikki’s Soul Food Cafe. Mikki’s took over the Blodgett Street space, with a grand opening set for October 26, 2025. Mikki’s began about 25 years earlier as the restaurant of Craig Joseph Sr.’s first wife.
The family said it would focus on growth and rebranding at the Humble location.
What is This Is It Soul Food known for?
This Is It serves soul food from steam tables. Its customers have included working-class and professional diners, politicians, entertainers and neighborhood residents. Members of Destiny’s Child ate there. A dish was named for Kelly Rowland. In 2024 she returned to the restaurant for a promotional campaign. Other reported customers include Beyoncé and former First Lady Jill Biden.
The restaurant appeared in the film Jason’s Lyric.