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Martha Lou’s Kitchen

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SC Picture Project / Charleston County / Martha Lou’s Kitchen

Update: Martha Lou’s Kitchen served its last meal on September 1, 2020. Ms. Gadsden was 90 years old. The property she rented for nearly four decades was sold to developers by its new owner, Craig Bennett, Jr. His father, Craig Bennett, Sr., had been Ms. Gadsden’s landlord for 37 years. He passed away earlier in the year. Ms. Gadsden said at the time, “I’m too old to get started again.”

Martha Lou’s Kitchen in the outskirts of Charleston is the perfect place to grab a plate of Lowcountry soul food. Owner Martha Lou Gadsden opened her business in 1981, and since then it has been featured on the Food Network and in the New York Times. But none of the attention has gone to Gadsden’s head. Prices remain reasonable – especially for a “foodie” town – ensuring that locals and visitors keep the parking lot full.

Martha Lou's Kitchen

Pam Morris of Mount Pleasant, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Gadsden grew up busing tables at a Spring Street restaurant where her mother was a cook. Now she has her own lunch spot, and it is no longer one of Charleston’s best-kept secrets. The colorful building featuring a mural by the late South Carolina artist Charles DeSaussure draws people in as quickly as the smell of fried chicken seeping from the pink walls. The word about her restaurant is out.

Reflections on Martha Lou’s Kitchen


Contributor Pam Morris, who created the website www.us17coastalhighway.com, shares her Martha Lou’s Kitchen experience: “In a southern city known for its wonderful restaurants and award-winning chefs, Martha Lou’s Kitchen – just a short detour off a stretch of Highway 17 called the Septima Clark Parkway – stands with the very best. The menus features to-die-for fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, collards and sweet tea – southern delicacies at their best. Martha Lou Gadsden is the chef and proprietor and a Charleston treasure. The mural painted on the exterior of the building is by South Carolina Artist Charles DeSaussure.”

Add your own reflections here.

Plan Your Trip: Martha Lou’s Kitchen

Where is Martha Lou’s Kitchen located?
Address: 1068 Morrison Drive, Charleston, SC 29403
GPS Coordinates: 32.809455,-79.945523
What else should I see?
Bethany Cemetery 0.7 mile
Magnolia Cemetery 0.7 mile
St. Barnabas Lutheran Church 1.2 miles
Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity 1.3 miles
Show me more like this!
  • Charleston Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina Restaurants
  • See other South Carolina SC Artists
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    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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