Sometimes a restaurant can't help but be haunted by its past life, and Fat Daddies, which took up residence in the former Nifty Fifty's on Passyunk Avenue last year, is such a place. The new restaurant still has the tiles, decorative signage and now-unused soda counter of its predecessor, which amounts to a fair amount of wasted space and a Pavlovian urge to order a mint milkshake that is no longer on the menu.

Still, it's a friendly atmosphere, and while most people come for takeout or call in for delivery orders, you're rewarded for staying with free drink refills and made-for-cable movies on the giant-screen TV. Fat Daddies still feels tentative and new, as though it's still trying to figure out how to parlay good cooking into a bona fide business, which is part of its charm.

Unlike Nifty Fifty's, which specialized in edible nostalgia, Fat Daddies serves a more timeless "comfort food for the soul," enormous, overflowing platters that come with two sides and a choice of bread, cornbread or a slightly withered biscuit wrapped in aluminum foil. The fried chicken—available in a quarter-, third- or half-bird portion—is authentically golden, crisp and salty-good. Pork ribs, boiled until the meat falls off in chunks, derive their flavor from a thick, sweet sauce but might also benefit from some deeper seasoning closer to the bone. Brisket advertised as "barbecued" looks and tastes closer to braised in a savory brown gravy. It's tender, though, and surprisingly lean. Fried seafood, meatloaf, chicken breast sandwiches and burgers (a treat, perhaps, for Nifty Fifty's fans) round out the menu.

The sides are both generously portioned and respectably prepared. A better-than-average macaroni and cheese is baked into a thick loaf with a nutty cheddar crust. Collard greens thrum with the faint tang of vinegar but could use a little more smoke. Mashed sweet potatoes are tawny colored, fragrant and just barely sweet. You can also get hush puppies, and corn on the cob when it's in season. Dessert right now is limited to ice cream—not as exciting as, say, homemade banana pudding, but then again, you're not likely to go hungry.

Fat Daddies

Takeout and delivery available.