Ma Dukes Serving Germantown with Home-cooked Goodness

If you are looking for a soul food restaurant in Germantown, then look no further. Local restaurant, Ma Dukes, is the first "soul food" restaurant located in Montgomery County and with food for all, a growing popularity. "We just wanted to have a place to go to without traveling to Washington DC to get soul food," owner and cook Shirley Drayton said. As a resident of Germantown since 1987, Drayton has searched all throughout the DC Metro area trying to find a place to satisfy her and knew once the opportunity to open up a location in Germantown with husband Charles Drayton and co-partner Ardenia Jordan arose, she had to jump on it. Opening on July 25, 2010, they were quite pleased with the turnout and growth since.

When asked about the name of the establishment, Shirley smiled. "Well my husband is from New York and there 'Ma Dukes' is just another way to say 'mom'. After a lot of thinking, we figured this would just be the perfect name. It represents your mom's cooking and that's what we aim to have here." Even though she has no formal cooking background, Shirley as well as the other cooks on staff have been inspired by their own mothers and families cooking and have come as as natural chefs. Ma Dukes is especially known for the fish, seafood, fried chicken wings, and flavored wings that come in four different spices, including Old Bay, as well as homemade sides and desserts.

Not only does Ma Dukes try to comfort you with the food that will take you back home but they also make sure to cook everything fresh to order and purchase only top quality, kosher meats for all to enjoy. As a family owned business, they aim to please families in the area as well as couples young and old, and people of all backgrounds. No matter what, everyone will be very pleased with the food as well as the price.

"The wings and the fries are definitely the best," says local and regular customer Diana Reyes.

When asked if the food compares to his mother's, another regular customer, Kevin Watson shook his head. "I can say it reminds me of my grandma's which is a huge compliment. And compared to other places, you get a good amount of food and good quality food the price."

With new renovations to the store being finished at the end of November, the Draytons are looking forward to attracting more business with a new look and an added menu. "A lot of people think we only have fried foods but we also have baked chicken and fish. Not only that, but we are adding a few entrees that are exclusive to winter such as stews and smothered chicken. We'll also be adding a breakfast menu sometime after the new year."

Ma Dukes is located at 13015 Wisteria Dr. Germantown, MD 20874. They are open Monday-Thursday from 11 am – 10 pm, Friday and Saturday from 11 am – 12 midnight, and Sunday from 11 am – 8 pm. They offer dine in services as well as takeout and has WiFi available. To place an order, call (301) 515-7715 or (301) 515-7533.