Yvonne Bell

Everything was really good except for the cornbread dressing just did not taste like they had baked it. It tastes like they just mixed it and didn’t bake it but otherwise everything else was really good. Oh also the chicken didn’t seem like they drenched it in any flower they look flowerless..

+2

Lynne Anderson

The food was worth the long wait. We went on Sunday so it was full church people. Oh order on line if you don't want to wait. Pork chops 😋 ox tails yummy. I'll go back .

Diema “Chef Dee”

Decided to grab dinner to go. Clean. Didnt go to the restroom. No line. Greeted shortly after arriving. Ordered their daily special. They were out of short ribs so I got the oxtails with greens, macaroni and cheese, and beans and rice. Also purchased the red kool-aid (don't remember the flavor). Everything was good. Will return to try the short ribs.

Troff

I could say so much about this place, so I will try to get to the point. Got there around 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon and there were not too many people there. The lady at the counter gave me a menu with a few minutes to look. She came back and when I was ready to order se stated that the special was not available, along with a lot other items on the menu. I took it as a sign to just order something else. Everything I ordered was phenomenal. Seafood was seasoned and cooked perfectly. Mac and cheese was “cheesin”. Yams were soft and sweet. Blueberry lemonade was out of this world. I know this restaurant does not have an issue with cooking the food. Shout out to Yaya. Heard her name multiple time being yelled to the kitchen (I assume she was the one throwing down in the back). Sitting at my table, hearing multiple customers being told that their order could not be fulfilled because they ran out of supplies before the dinner rush even began, was a little disheartening. I felt bad for the customers, as well as the worker telling them. The server was doing her best to keep things afloat by herself until two more workers showed up to alleviate her. I truly do wish this restaurant can see the issues it has and correct them. There was a long line of people ready to order and pick up their food. Not one of them left the line to go elsewhere. That how I knew that they have a quality product. I’ll definitely be back. Wish y’all the best.

+6

Went here for lunch after running some errands last weekend. Finding parking was a somewhat difficult due to the area having no parking garages. I sat at the bar since it was just me to avoid taking up a table. Took a minute for the host/server to take my order but once my food order was in, it took about 20mins for the food to come out. Sides came out 1st then the fried chicken came about few minutes later. Collards were a little too salty, candied yams were great as well as the chicken. Only area of contention I had was I could tell there are "regulars" that get more focused service vs someone who is not, which is what leads to longer wait times, inadequate service to those just discovering the establishment.

Anita Jenkins

My 1st time here. I ordered greens, got cabbage but it was good. The Chicken was fried good. The fish was light and good. But the yams were watery. And the dressing was sweet and gravy was too thick. I also ordered the chicken to be a half of chicken. I'm thinking half white half dark it was all dark. That was so disappointing. There prices were decent. Very mixed thoughts.

Paradise Vision

I went to the Pittsburgh, CA location. I ordered smothered turkey wings, yams, mac and cheese, and greens. The turkey wings had a great texture but needed more flavor, as well as the yams and greens. The mac and cheese wasn’t too bad — I’d rate it 6.5 out of 10. Overall, the food was decent.

Turnipboys

I eat here a lot and really enjoy it but I do feel like the quality is very variable - when it's good it's REALLY good but I would pass on most of the menu. The chicken wings are really hit or miss, maybe it depends on the cook that day. The last few times they've been weirdly underseasoned and chewy. I'd stick to the smothered or grilled chicken. Catfish is also kind of mid. But the sides are amazing. Delicious mashed sweet potato, greens, potato salad, and the biscuit...yummm. Sometimes my order is messed up when I order inside 😅 they're pretty busy and I keep coming back but it's happened a few too many times for my preference. It's pretty decent soul food for CA but since I'm from the south I can't help but compare. The service is really attentive and nice. The vibes are really good and it feels like a cozy social spot for sure, so I feel the need to give it its props there.

Erica Jones

I'm not a fan of writing bad food reviews for black owned restaurants, but this week my folks were in town and excited to try soul food in Oakland. So I took them here. Halfway through the meal, we realized they had my mom’s favorite meal, which was chitterlings. It was pricey, but I wanted to gift it to her as a to-go item so she could enjoy it later. I paid with a 5 dollar tip, so about $30 of my money in a time where $30 goes far.They came out 3 minutes later with chitterlings. I was surprised it came out so quickly but was happy for my mom. We DID NOT CHECK THE BAG BEFORE TAKING IT HOME BECAUSE THE BAGS THEY GAVE US FOR THE OTHER FOOD ALREADY TORE. So we had to keep the chitlins closed so it wouldn’t smell in my car. We went home, and the chitlings looked like, well…the photo below. Super, super brown with yellow juice. Thinking back, since it was the holiday and the chitlings came out rather quickly, I realize that maybe they were old and overcooked. We called to see if the restaurant could reimburse us. They offered more food. lol Why would I want more food after you disappointed me with overcooked and old chitlings? I'm okay. soulfood isn't that healthy anyways its def a once a month or once every two months thing so giving me a meal that cost $15 when I paid $30..nah.

Empress Love

Placed our order.. About 30 min wait. Came to pick up to go order and they were out of yams , replaced with red beans and rice. Had to remind them they left off dressing - it was slammed on the counter at the window from the kitchen . Greens tasted a little rank. The dressing was bland. The Mac and cheese was overly saturated with the juices from the sour greens. Was told cornbread came with the meal but it was left out. All and all the service was poor and the food was subpar!

Allison Crawford

I ordered from GrubHub and am so disappointed. The chicken has hair and feathers, not seasoned. The Mac n cheese and dressing is not tasty. The green beans look horrible but they were good. The fish and shrimp is so/so. I asked for hot sauce, they sent ketchup. I'll try them again in person, but my first impression is not a good one.

Leon Weathers

They ran out of food at 2pm on a Saturday. They let me order online and drive to the location just to find out they only had one of my dinners and I would be refunded for mh wifes dinner in 7-10 days of course. They only had ribs. No fried or smothered anything. The half chicken I received was 2 small drumsticks and thighs that tasted like they were fried in fish grease. The beans and rice was hard dry and unflavored

Rochelle

I ordered the smothered chicken meal with my sides as rice and gravy, green beans, and macaroni and cheese. I was hopeful that because this was a Black owned soul food place that the food would be good. I was wrong. Now first let me say the customer service was good. I was greeted with a smile and a “welcome in” and did not wait more than 3 minutes to get my order. However the food is nasty yall I can't even lie. The chicken was under seasoned and super soggy (I’ve made and had smothered chicken more times than i can count the skin should not be slimy either). I used the salt and pepper packets that come with the utensils and that brought it from a 2/10 to a 3/10. I’ve never had gravy so bland in my life. The macaroni was so dry it was actually crunchy (if i can post a video to show you i will) and that was the best thing at 3.5/10. The beans were by far the worst. They tasted like someone just grabbed a can from Safeway and warmed it up in the microwave but with A TON OF SALT. I think I downed 12-16oz of water just from trying to eat the beans alone. The rice was also unseasoned and was under the gravy from the Smothered Chicken. It was practically mush. I’m sad because I have yet to find halfway decent Soul food here in California (im from Detroit) and this was probably some of the worst food I've ever had. My stomach is actually growling as I write this review because of how much food idid not eat because i could not force myself to suffer through and eat it. The only upside is that I know to never recommend this place to friends and family when they come visit. I try to give Black owned businesses a lot of grace but I’m a grad student yall and I can’t believe I just wasted $20 on food that’s this bad 😭

Diane Lamar

I have to say I do not like posting negative reviews, (this is my first) but I have to leave my honest opinion. Having said that, 90% of my dinner did NOT taste good. It was my first time trying Taste of Soul and I ordered a 8 wing 4 prawns dinner with 1 side (Mac & cheese)but I added 2 additional sides (Greens) Dressing & Gravy with red velvet cake for dessert. Maybe it tasted so bad because I ordered right before closing I'm not sure. The Mac & Cheese noodles were overcooked and mushy and didn't have any flavor to them. I didn't taste cheese only the oil residue from the cheese is what I tasted. The greens had a good texture but had a very bitter taste to them. The Dressing disappointed me the most because it didn't taste like Dressing at all it had a sweet taste to it, I'm not sure if it was the Gravy or cornbread that was sweet but Dressing is suppose to be savory not sweet. My very small piece of cake was dry and tasted store bought. The 1 star was given because the only thing that I was able to eat and did taste good was the prawns and the lady that took my order was friendly. This is a pictures of what I could not eat and had to throw away, basically my whole dinner. I did not enjoy my meal at all Taste of Soul. Please try and do better next time. I may try you again before leaving Oakland.😖😩☹

+2