Soul food has returned to Tucson.

So says Pat Freeman, one of the owner/operators of Tucson’s new — and, to my knowledge, only — soul food restaurant, Auntie Dora’s Porch, which has set up shop at 903 E. Fort Lowell Road, in the old Molly G’s location.

Auntie Dora’s Porch is a family run eatery specializing in soul food, the gut-busting cousin of country cooking that takes its cue from the ancient culinary traditions of Africa and eventually, by way of the slave trade, the Deep South.

I think I gained about a pound and a half just looking at the menu. Fried catfish nuggets, liver and onions, fried chicken, smothered chicken, ham hocks. Corn muffins, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, beans and rice and greens round out the list of hefty offerings, which you can slosh down with an iced tea — sweet or plain.

Freeman also assured me that chicken and waffles, a popular Southern meal that has yet to make it onto a menu here in Tucson, will be served in the very near future. She calls it “waffles and wings,” and from the hearty laugh she let out when I asked her how her version tasted, I’m betting it'll be out of sight.

Hours are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday; and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

Also worthy of note, says Freeman, is the fish fry, which takes place every Friday at 4 p.m.

Call 888-2772 for more information.