Southern Café

2000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland - 94602
267 reviews
Soul Food Southern Sports Bar
(510) 336-2013

I will never come back to this place that made me wait a half hour for cold food! My child's grilled cheese was the only good thing that was warm when I got home and I live five minutes away! How can this place brags about being in the Food Network and serve me watery stone cold peach cobbler!!! Do better but don't worry I will never be back!

I only do reviews when I’ve had too many bad experiences. So let me say there food is good or at least what I get which is the southern fried chicken meal with dressing and macaroni. Now today 03/13/2022 I called to place an order at 6:18pm I was told they stop doing orders over the phone at 6:30 but I had until 6:30 to come to the window and order. I get in line at 6:25 and the young lady with pink rubber bands in her hair is taking an order and sees myself, my fiancé and 1 other person in line BEFORE 6:30, exactly at 6:30 we get to the window and the young lady tells me they not taking orders no more…I’m like you saw us in line before 6:30 and repeated what I was told over the phone and obviously she could care less!!! Customer service needs to definitely be addressed with management. This why some people don’t like to patronize black owned businesses because customer service lacks BIG TIME! And this is the 3rd occasion where I’ve received horrible customer service so I’m done patronizing this business. Lastly get a second phone cause half the time nobody answers.

There food is good. Except they must have different cooks. Because sometimes it’s so salty you can’t eat it.

Here in San Francisco from Mississippi.Very great customer service. Service was extremely quick and employees at window exceptionally kind. Was ecstatic about getting soul food finally to be let down. I ordered fish, “yams”, Mac and cheese and cornbread. Food extremely bland, yams not sweet at all but overall great customer service.

I came all the way from Anchorage, Alaska for a different reason but I learned about this establishment on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I was not disappointed. Some of the “BEST” Soul Food ever. I had Short Ribs with rice & gravy, collard greens, and yams. Delicious

I had someone pick up me a meal from here tonight 12/3/21 Oxtails Collard Greens & Canied Yams & Peach Cobbler with a sweet tea it was delicious the meal & the drink my first eating soul food from here ....

First time here had short ribs and mac. Walk up window fair customer service (young lady was dry) still tipped $5, good food.

Definitely surprised everything was delicious on my plate everything had flavor only thing was the yams needed to be a little sweeter and more butter. Mac n cheese was perfect enough salt n cheese greens and cornbread dressing were ? The peach cobbler dessert was my only issue it had way to much nutmeg. But I will definitely be back just will skip the peach cobbler next time worth my drive from the valley!

I still do not like giving one-star reviews, but I’m giving this restaurant one. When I try new restaurants, I spend money getting a lot of food just in case I luck out and do not like certain items. In this case, I disliked all of the items.I do not have pictures because this food was disposed of with quickness and without hesitation.It smells like soul food, it looks like soul food, but it doesn’t taste like soul food. The cornbread muffin was dry and flavorless. I don’t recall ever having to spit food out as I did with the fried pork chop. The fried chicken tasted like it was cooked in old oil. The cabbage was soaked in vinegar or something of the like. The greens were all right.The yams were not on point. The rice and gravy were not on point. This restaurant missed the point in getting it right when it comes to soul food. Hang it up because this just is not it.

When Southern had their opening a few years ago, I lived in Oakland not far from this location. My friend knew the owner very well. It's been about 7 years or so & for me, it is not the same. I don't understand why you only get one corn muffin & they're tiny. The food does'nt taste the same.