MA Harper's Creole Kitchen Reviews

I started craving gumbo and looked around San Antonio to see what I could find close to my house. Ma Harper's Creole kitchen popped up. Really nice, helpful people work there and the Gumbo is great.

Slow slow slow. People were sweet but in slow motion. No alcohol drinks and were pushing a political agenda. One hour for food

As close to real Cajun as your going to find anywhere West of Nawlins. Ma and Bill were busy st it as we walked into Ma Harpers on New Braunfels Ave. in San Antonio. Ma and Bill happily married for 57 years.... Ma back in the kitchen and Bil waiting tables. The smell of red beans and rice greeted us on our entry and the Nawlins music on in the background made for the perfect setting. Check out the Food you won’t go wrong. Heard about this place on TV and utube and they were right great Cajun food! After Church their granddaughter walked in and helped waiting tables as the place was a buzz of activity. At one point Ma came out and greeted the customers saying she was sorry about the delays but several staff had called in and that left her short. She was just as gracious as the story told on TV and her husband and gran daughter were so nice to our guests. Looking forward to our next plate of red beans and rice....

One of the reviews that I read when I was researching this place was title, "I love Ma Harper". We agree. We love Ma Harper too. She makes this restaurant more than just a restaurant. We had lunch there last week. We both ordered catfish. One of us had the salad and fries. The other had the red beans and rice. We also split a bowl of the gumbo. The gumbo was solid. It looked really good in the bowl. It was rich and it had a good flavor with generous amounts of shrimp. The catfish was fresh and tasty as well. It had a good crunch, as did the fries. The red beans and rice were not my favorite. They were not like the red beans and rice I have eaten at other southern restaurants. Ma Harper and her staff set this restaurant apart. Ma was talking to some other customers. We talked to her as we were leaving. She was a real blessing to all the people in the restaurant that morning. One other thing that others have noted that we observed is that the place i clean. It was just a good place to relax and enjoy a good lunch.

Accommodated our party of 13 during my son's Air Force graduation and the food was excellent! Ma Harper actually sat and fellowshipped with us while we had dinner and the wisdom she imparted into us and our teenage girls was awesome. She and her staff are such beautiful people to be around. We had a blast, got our bellies full and learned somethings from her! - The gumbo, pork chops cornbread, etc--delicious!

A delicious lunch was enjoyed by the four of us. Everything is made from scratch. Po-boy's, red beans & rice with sausage and all served with cornbread are the items we ordered. Everything was so good. They don't have a huge selection of menu items listed, but every item should e considered if you like New Orleans type food? Everything we ordered was delicious. You won't go away hungry. Seating can fill up fast as it's also close to Ft. Sam. It's a restaurant we'll be going back to often for authentic NO food. Great music playing in the background to help make you feel you are in Cajun country. Ma and family are great people. Enjoy their restaurant. You won't be disappointed.

Ma Harper’s is legit!!! My friend and I had the fish plate and the shrimp plates with rice and beans. Shrimp was large and flavorful and the rice and beans were just right. Cornbread served as an appetizer was perfect, washed it down with swamp water (lemonade and tea). Very short wait for food and the staff was very friendly. Ma Harper was even there and she is now 95!!! Total bill with tip was $38. Definitely a must visit!!!!

Right on the money !!! Walked in & saw the famous lady herself ma Harper !! The restaurant is very very clean . My friend & I got our temperature checked & hands sanitized upon arrival . The young man that was our waiter was very nice . I ordered the fish & shrimp with red beans & rice . My friend ordered the pork chop with red beans & rice . When my food arrived it was right out of the fire . My shrimp & fish were seasoned to perfection . As was my red beans & rice . I was instantly reminded of my 86 year old grandmothers cooking . We always had cornbread. It tasted like heaven & crumbled in my mouth . My friend raved about his pork chop . I will definitely be back ! This is a San Antonio staple

If you like red beans and rice, DO NOT MISS THIS PLACE. Down home cajun/creole cuisine at its finest. Same goes for GUMBO...

Food is great, service is great. Highly recommend everything. GUmbo and fried pork chop are the bomb. Corn bread is sweet but delectable. Red beans and rice are authentic Louisiana style. Owner is 95 years old. Don't miss this place. Open Thur through Sun.

Due to covid I had to get my order to go. Ma was there and was being very nice (from a safe distance) My pork chop dinner and red beans and rice were delicious. I can't wait to go back.

We were headed somewhere else but our Lyft driver recommended this spot instead. Good choice. Not a huge menu but all was simple, tasty and flavorful. Peach cobbler was the bomb.

Quaint little place. Very clean and the food is great. They calmed down the spice level for my wife and she really enjoyed the shrimp and yellow rice. Very friendly and easy going. We will be going back there when we come back to San Antonio.

I have been looking for good creole food and a friend suggested Ma Harper's. The red beans, rice and sausage was spot on! So delicious. Waitresses were very friendly, too. We'll be back.

Southern cooking at it’s very best. The gumbo is out of this world, corn bread is heavenly! This is the place for Cajun!

Attention goes into each dish. The flavors are impeccable and the presentation tells me that someone in the kitchen cares how the food is prepared and served. The gumbo is tasty and the shrimp po-boy is simply wonderful. Nothing fancy here and you are likely to be waited on by a family member...but that just means you will be taken care of. Come soon, come often!

Fantastic. We started with a bowl of gumbo. I could bathe in it. The roux was so dark, it was five seconds from being burned. But is wasn't burned. It was perfect. My wife had shrimp and I had Ma Harper's Famous (Cat)Fish so we could trade. Both were absurdly good. Sorry, dogs, no scraps today. You have a choice of two sides, salad and fries or red beans and rice. I opted the rb&r and it was delicious. Good cornbread but with rice I didn't eat much of it. Quite humble and simple joint, with a tremendous wait staff. A thoroughly enjoyable meal.

Shrimp Po boy - off the chain! Fried fish is fried crispy to perfection. Boudin melts in your mouth. Cornbread is like a dessert - so good! Best lemonade and swamp water - so refreshing. The food is delicious, but the best thing about Ma Harper's is being greeted by friendly people when you walk through the door! We ordered our food to go, but they still seated us a table and were very hospitable to us while we waited. We've eaten there twice and the food and service we received were great!

One of the best Cajun places in town. Something to sit back,relax, and enjoy. Talk with family or do business. Great service and food

Great place to eat for some down to earth Creole cooking. To us it was just like mama's cooking.We enjoyed red beans & rice,fried fish,gumbo & boudain. The restaurant was very clean along with a kind and loving staff. Will definitely visit again when in San A.

If you want to have a true Louisiana creole style Cajun meal, Ma Harper's is the place to visit! A restaurant rich in history and a world famous award-winning Gumbo await you, served by none other than the great lady Ma Harper herself!

We stopped based on Diners Drive inns and Dives recommendations. The fried fish, fried pork chops, red beans and rice, were all delicious Batters were very crisp. The side salad had crisp fresh cucumbers. The casual dining and friendly atmosphere was welcoming. Maw Harper, I assume, walked through the dining room and visited with each table. Even mentioned that she told Guy Ferrari that it takes time to fry pork chops! We finished by sharing a delicious bread pudding.

They have great food and very authentic, they are closed on some weird days during week so look at their hrs but fried catfish and gumbo is great.

After seeing Ma Harper featured on the TV show Pay It Forward and hearing about how amazing Ma Harper and this little local restaurant is, I decided I just had to stop there on my recent trip to San Antonio! The food was fantastic! The gumbo and corn bread were amazing, the fried shrimp had Judy the right amount of spiciness to it and the fish portion was huge! It was busy and bustling but we never felt ignored. After being seated, getting drinks we just sat back, relaxed and enjoyed watching people, seeing Ma talk with customers and chatted. Since they make each meal to order, just like at home it does take a little while for food so just be patient and enjoy the experience! Ma Harper even came out and talked with patrons in the restaurant, thanked everyone for coming and it was so great to meet this amazing woman. Next time I’m in San Antonio I will most definitely return!

In the land of bbq and beef, stopping by to grab a shrimp po-boy, bowl of gumbo, and red beans ‘n rice with sweet corn bread is a reassurance that’s hard to describe unless you’re homesick for the Big Easy’s cuisine. The restaurant is comfortable and welcoming. Ma Harper still makes the rounds of checking on her customers. Go in late for lunch so you can chat with her about growing up on the Westbank.

Me & the old lady had lunch here. Very authentic Cajun food, best I have had since visiting Louisiana. Everything is good here & staff is friendly. It does take a little time because it's made to order.

If you want good gumbo, this is the place to get it! Ma Harper makes it from scratch and it tastes like you are sitting in the French Quarter in New Orleans. The red beans and rice is also a treat. The bread pudding is worth having a show down for. The fried catfish is awesome. I have eaten there a number of times and never been disappointed. Can't wait to go back for more gumbo and hope there is bread pudding or peach cobbler left.

Went for lunch with a friend. Very friendly staff, mostly family I’m guessing, in a simple no-frills setting. I had the fried fish and shrimp plate with red beans and rice and corn bread. My friend had gumbo and red beans and rice with sausage. We both had swamp water (half tea, half lemonade), and we also shared a boudin sausage, which was very good. The fried fish and shrimp was good, but it tasted a little off, like the oil was old. And many times I fault a place for over seasoning their food, but the dredge lacked seasoning, like there was none at all. So I recommend they add some spices to the dredge to give the food a little flavor. The red beans and rice was very good. A large bowl of that would make a fine meal. The cord bread was sweet, light, and fluffy. My friend enjoyed his food. Bill came to about $40, so not an everyday lunch place but good for when you want to creole cooking. We’ll be back.

Having lived in Louisiana for 6 years, it was great to finally find a place that makes good old Creole cooking. You can tell that everyone puts in the time and love into the food. This place surely brings back the great memories of living in Cajun Country!

Really great food with pleasant service and at reasonable prices is what we experienced at this award winning eatery. Chose this place based upon how close it was located to our hotel plus TA reviews. Amid trophies, newspaper clippings, accolades and fun people we ate a delicious meal. Our party ate fried catfish with salad and fries, red beans and rice with sausage, fried shrimp with salad and fries, and best of all the award winning seafood gumbo. Wished the bread pudding had finished cooking before our departure but since everything is made from scratch that dessert just wasn’t ready yet.

A group of 4 had a business lunch there and it was great. I had gumbo,others had po boys. Very reasonable and delicious.