Jackie M’s and Son’s Philly style a recognized Augusta favorite
Everyone loves a hidden gem, and it doesn’t get much more hidden than Jackie M’s and Son Café & Catering.
Located on Milledgeville Road at the very end of Wylds Road, it’s easy to miss the completely unassuming Jackie M’s and Son. If you’re not looking for it, you’ll miss it. Rest assured, you definitely don’t want to miss it.
Jackie McCalla started the restaurant back in 2001 with her husband, Clinton. Being from Philadelphia, they had the idea of offering authentic Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches in the heart of Augusta. At the time their son, Clinton, Jr. was a senior in high school.
For most of its existence, Jackie M’s had all the expected small business struggles. Introducing people to their sandwiches and Soul Rolls proved to be quite the challenge and the fact that they were located off the beaten path, next door to nowhere, didn’t help.
Still, Jackie and Clinton persevered, offering a delicious menu with a side of southern hospitality. Consistency, customer service and happy patrons continued to be their calling card and folks ate it up.
Then came Yelp.
In 2020, Yelp rated Jackie M’s and Son in the top 100 places to eat in the nation. That brought “the line.” Clint, Jr., who joined his mom and dad at the restaurant after a stint in culinary school, says that the rating brought so much attention to their little family restaurant that there was a line out the door and down the block. The orders doubled, even tripled and so did their wait times.
People didn’t seem to mind, and the crowds kept coming. As the word spread, more guests enjoyed their fresh baked Italian rolls and the heaping helping of funky soul that only Jackie M’s can offer.
The building itself is an homage to all things funk and soul with murals of some music legends including, of course, Augusta’s own Godfather of Soul James Brown. Music blankets the area like a velvet comforter as you take in the smell of their fresh cooked deliciousness. The person who greets you to take your order at the window will make you want to sit and have a front-porch Sunday conversation.
Jackie has since retired and left her son, Clint Jr., to run the business. Clint explained, while frying up their delicious, seasoned fries, that business has evened out and wait times are back to normal. But they’re still serving up their delicious Cheesesteaks, Wings and Soul Rolls to the delight of hungry customers. He loves every second of it and said that continuing his family’s legacy gives him a sense of pride he wouldn’t find anywhere else.
Yelp has since bestowed Jackie M’s & Son with another honor. It is now in Yelp’s Top Five Restaurants in Georgia.
If any restaurant has ever embodied the phrase “it’s a vibe,” it is absolutely Jackie M’s & Son.