Find food for your soul at this hidden gem in a Warner Robins convenience store
Mika Jones always has had a passion for cooking.
She’s the one that family and friends always ask to bring food to gatherings.
Jones, a native of Detroit, received culinary training right after high school at the nonprofit Focus: HOPE where she grew up.
But life happened, and she didn’t use her culinary training until years later.
Jones went on to college, got married and started working first as a reservationist for an airline and then an auto club, next working in accounting at auto dealerships, followed by serving as an office manager and in sales for insurance companies.
Fast forward to 2024 when Jones started selling meals informally from her Warner Robins home based on word of mouth.
With that success, Jones, who does business as Tamika Watkins, said she “stepped out on faith” and left her full-time job to pursue her passion for cooking.
April 1, 2025, she opened Soulful Eats inside an ExtraMile convenience store at the Chevron gas station at 2062 Watson Blvd., Suite A.
What to expect at Soulful Eats
Just driving by without knowing about the spot, foodies will miss out. Nothing on the outside of the convenience store is telling that Soulful Eats is inside. The same convenience store anchors Kitty Corner Spa & Boarding, Middle Georgia’s only cat-exclusive spa and boarding facility.
At the Soulful Eats takeout-only spot, Jones serves up a variety of classic soul food dishes and sides, along with themed food days of Taco Tuesday, WholeWing Wednesday, Pasta Thursday, Fish Fry Friday, Sandwich Saturday and Soul Food Sunday.
On a recent Taco Tuesday, the menu offered three chicken tacos with flavor choices of bourbon, jerk hot, jerk mild, hot honey, sweet chili or teriyaki.
Entrées for that day included soulful beef patties, smothered pork chops, baked chicken and smothered chicken — all served over rice with choice of two sides, according to the menu. Specials for the day were salmon croquettes and chitterlings over rice.
Sides included mac and cheese, rice and gravy, green beans, potato salad, broccoli, lima beans, collards, yams, fried okra and coleslaw.
Jones operates Soulful Eats with two employees, her sister, Sharon Terrell, and David McClinton.
On Sundays, Soulful Eats offers a wide array of soul food options.
A recent Sunday menu included entrées of rich brown gravy oxtails, turkey wings, chitterlings, smothered pork chops, baked chicken, soulful beef patties, fried pork chops, fried chicken and salmon over yellow or white rice. Sides included collards, squash, macaroni and cheese, dressing, potato salad, green beans, okra, sweet yams, rice and gravy, blackeyed peas, a rasta pasta side salad and bread.
Entrées come with two sides plus cornbread and a slice of cake. All entrées with gravy are served over rice, or mashed potatoes when available.
Jones often posts the daily menu on her Soulful Eats Facebook page, which has more than 1,100 followers.
She also does catering.
What people are saying on social media about Soulful Eats
“If you haven’t tried Soulful Eats on Watson Boulevard, you’ll find the food is delicious,” DrResa Freez posted on Facebook.
Johnny Lee Gayton of Warner Robins posted on Facebook, “I have been traveling and have not been able to visit my friend Mika at Soulful Eats. I finished early today, so I was able to get her delicious salmon patties and cheese grits. Yum, yum!”
Tammy Humphreys of Warner Robins posted a video on Facebook encouraging people to try Soulful Eats.
“For ya’ll that don’t know ... this gas station on Watson, go inside and get you some good soul food,” Humphreys said in the video.
Yami Crab Seafood and Bar, a popular seafood restaurant in Warner Robins, posted a shoutout on Facebook to Jones after she fed the restaurant crew.
“Every bite felt like somebody Big Mama was in the back humming gospel and stirring love into the pot,” the post read in part. “If you’re looking for food that makes you close your eyes and say, ‘Lord, I need this,’ go ahead and treat yourself.
“Head over there and grab you a plate or three. Tell her The Yami Crew sent you. Support local. Support flavor. Support soul.”
For Jones, hearing comments like that brings her joy.
“It’s food for your soul,” Jones said. “I want it to go past the tongue. I want you to feel the food, the love from the soul, that I put into your food. I put so much love and care into my food.”
Hence, the name of her takeout spot, Soulful Eats.
Soulful Eats is open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is 478-236-2715.
