Chef Keith Hicks hits a high note with his Sunday-supper menu and smooth ’70s vibe with live music, the combination of which draws decked-out jazz lovers seven nights a week. Thanks to a winning formula of soul meets sustenance, Buttons’ dishes, like its signature chicken and waffles (fried chicken and a full waffle topped with fresh strawberries and served with collard greens and deep-fried sweet potato shavings), overflow with big-hearted generosity. Alternately, the shrimp and fish with grits—a pyramid of deep-fried shrimp and catfish perched on an island of grits, topped with a fried egg amid a sea of red-eye gravy—is a soul food-lover’s fever dream. Don’t miss out on Hicks’ namesake gumbo, a dish rich with traditional andouille sausage and pushed over the edge by the addition of crawfish, shrimp, gator, and catfish. Happy hours here are packed and so is the dance floor, especially on the weekend when the music plays until 12:30 am.
