GROUPON EXPERIENCE First I'd like to say I think some of the reviews on here are rather unfair. Yes, I can understand being frustrated when most of the menu is not available, but if you were to actually see the restaurant for what it is its a ONE MAN SHOW with ONE GUY doing everything. It really is too bad you were not able to try the food because you would have thought it was great, as I did. One star seems a little harsh for that in my opinion, but than again its my opinion so who cares. So my dad buys Groupons like they are going extinct so we usually have multiples of the same place, which means multiple things will expire if we do not use them. On a particular Monday both my parents took me to this place to try and use two of our Groupons. Usually with Groupons you cannot sit together and at first we were stupidly sitting separately and not doing a good job of hiding. In all I just wanted something that was like $6 and the Groupon was for $24 worth. I ended up just sharing one Groupon with my parents. We got the wings, catfish, and pork chop sandwiches. Everything was hot, flavorful, and filling. We ate everything! The ONLY thing I would say about the food is I thought the bread choice for the pork chop sandwich (just 2 regular slices of wheat bread) was too soggy. Overall though I thought the food was great. The service was slow ONLY because one guy is doing everything. I thought he was very very nice though, and even when we said we didn't want the peach cobbler after ordering it (because we were going to eat dessert somewhere else) he gave it to us anyways. I think people should try this place out more, but I also think the owner should: 1. Change the sign that says breakfast on the outside to soul food or fried catfish or something that you actually sell. Breakfast is not your main thing and it shouldn't be because your fried stuff is YUM. 2. Promote the good stuff like your awesome food. 3. Read these reviews and address them because they DO matter. I pretty much base my choice in restaurant on Yelp and many do so keep that in mind. With that said, I am done ranting lol. read more

Great customer service, very clean, good food, specialty, flavored chicken wings. Each order has a free side of whatever you want, from a beverage, dessert, side order. read more

Yes, I did try it and the food was very good but he needs to update his hours when he's there and when he isn't there, Google always says he's open but he never is read more

Great fried chicken this evening on my first trip to Bootstrapper. Flavorful and lightly breaded chicken. Love this little low key neighborhood place. Very friendly and a good vibe from the owner. I will definitely be back! read more

I was so sad a disappointment. A neighbor of mine had recommended this restaurant. I finally made it down there to try it out. I was pretty excited to see they had snapper too. I ordered 6 pieces of snapper and 6 prawns. Which came out to $30 and some change. Look how they did me y'all. They should be ashamed of themselves. The snapper was brown and dry. He fried it too much. He knew he was wrong for this. He lost what would've been a regular customer. read more

Bootstrapper - Close up of dry snapper - Soul Food Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The food definitely makes up for the lack of appeal of the place and it being in the middle of the "Hood" of South Berkeley. My husband and I were craving some Soul Food and our favorite spot, Souls, in East Oakland was closed. We looked up this place and wanted to put what the reviews said about this place to the test. So we drove from Hayward to Berkeley to try it out. We arrived and to our dismay, they did not accept Visa, MC or ATM. In my Mr. Brown's voice, "Where they do that at?" So we had to drive to Shattack to the ATM. That and the location cost them a star. When we returned, I ordered the chicken wings, mac n cheese, yams, veggies and cornbread. My husband ordered the catfish with all of the same sides. With the first bite, I forgot all about the drive to the ATM and the place being in the middle of the "Hood". I was in pure Southern Comfort!!! All I needed was a little bit of sunshine, a porch with a sun umbrella and a glass of ice cold ice tea and lemonade! I am very loyal to my favorite places such as Souls. But in this case, I have to sneak back at least 10 more times. LOL!!! read more

There is definitely pros and cons to this spot, but overall it was decent food and reasonably priced. Pros: -reasonable priced. i got the wing special with fries ($5.99) and added 2 pieces of fish -although it was sketchy from the outside, it felt clean inside -the older man that worked the counter was friendly and made suggestions -the fried fish, chicken and fries were good and seasoned to a T! Cons: -the business hours fluctuate. I suggest calling before you go because they are closed at random times -sketchy area and sketchy customers! -at one point during my meal, there was a conversation taking place in the restarant with 4 older men that was super loud and inappropriate. It actually made me want to hurry and finish my food so that I can leave Overall, good food and decent price if you are in the mood for soul food. Next time i come here, I will definitely be taking my food to go. read more

Came here with a Groupon, didn't even get to use it. I bought this Groupon because I wanted to try their soul food items. It's one of those restaurants I would've never stepped foot in if it wasn't for Groupon. The first time I was here, it seemed like they had ran out of everything off their menu. Keep in mind it was only 4:00 in the afternoon and my bf and I were the only customers in the restaurant. I first asked for the fried fish, they said they were out of that. I asked for the Salisbury steak, they said they were out of again. I then asked for the chicken fried steak, they said they were out of that too. So what was left? Prawns? You guessed it, they were out of it. At this point, I thought maybe I should just skip the big dishes and order sides, so I asked for chicken tenders and mac n' cheese. Big surprise, they were out. I couldn't believe it at this point. When I asked what was left on the menu for me to order, I was told "We only have hamburgers, fries, macaroni salad, and potato salad." I decided against those items because I bought the Groupon to try their SOUL FOOD items, not hamburgers and fries. If I wanted burgers and fries I would have gone elsewhere. With nothing left on the menu for us to order, we left. I wasn't sure if they were really out of those items or if they just wanted to tell me that because I told them I had a Groupon. The only good thing was that the lady at the counter was nice. Other than that, I have no other reason to go back there again. **Update Groupon gave me a refund. If you guys ever see Bootstrapper show up on Groupon, don't even bother. IT'S ALL SHENANIGANS!! read more

As a lover of my Black American folk, I am happy to see a Black American business open in Berkeley once again. I grew up in Berkeley and in the 60's, 70's , 80's and 90's there were a nice number of Black American owned cafes, but now there are only 3 including (Bootstrapper, KC BBQ and Everett & Jone BBQ). Oh!!! The food especially the catfish is good! SUGGESTION: HAVE FRESH GARDEN SALADS WITH A VARIETY OF DRESSINGS. BOOTSTRAPPER KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!! read more

Got a Groupon, checked it out for lunch with a friend. You know the drill. As others have said, the area is a little sketchy. It's right next door to a liquor store that clearly has a variety of improvisational entrepreneurial activities occurring in front, even in the middle of the afternoon. We didn't let that put us off. The menu is rather narrow, with a different soul food plate served each day of the week, plus a breakfast menu that stops around 10 or so. I ordered the day's special, smothered pork chops, and it came with mashed potatoes (meh), yams (way too sweet, but nicely cinnamon spiced), and macaroni and cheese (dry and clumpy, just awful). The gravy was okay, and it covered the single pork chop and potatoes. It all had a warmed-over feel (cold in some parts, searing hot in others). The young woman behind the counter was on her own in the place, and she was warm to us, but she didn't come to our table, even to deliver the food. She just brought everything to the counter outside the kitchen and left it there. We found that a little odd, but somehow also folksy. Overall the food was salty and not prepared with much care. It's as if the food itself had taken on the depressive character of this part of Sacramento street. I wouldn't recommend it, even with a Groupon. There are simply way too many excellent soul food options in this town to settle for Bootstrapper. read more

I was covered in BBQ sauce after devouring a rack of BBQ Ribs. The guy who works here is wonderfully kind and generous. He works so hard all by himself to run this place. I came here on a yelp coupon, get one if you haven't yet! the BBQ ribs are $12 read more

Definitely looks sketch from the outside. But everyone knows that the best soul food comes from places like this! The prices are super reasonable. (Soul food can be quite expensive)The wing special was really good but the cat fish was absolutely divine! read more

I have been here previously based on my cousin's recommendation and it was decent. Today I was not happy at all. I ordered. In fact I used a coupon through Yelp. Paid more to get the 3 Catfish/ 3 Wing plate. Owner didn't ask if I wanted potato salad or fries but that wasn't the issue. When I got back to the house I discovered that he gave me four wings and only two pieces of catfish. I only paid for this plate in order to eat catfish and try the wings as I saw a recommendation. Very disappointed at the bait & switch. I will not return. read more

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Great experience and good food. The fried chicken and fried pork chops are delish. The owner is very friendly and provides excellent customer service. The prices are good as well. Refreshing. read more

Closed. Good for lunch, says Yelp. Only serves dinner, says sign in window. The place looks like it's closed for good. Can anyone confirm that? read more

Healthy amounts of unhealthy, yummy food. Pretty reasonably priced. A bit slow though, but worth the wait.

No vegetarian options :-( I know this is a southern comfort place, but a few vegetarian options besides a veggie omelet shouldn't be too hard. read more

I have eaten at the bootstrapper and the food is very very good, and the prices fit my budget, which allows me to eat out more often. It gives you the feel of being back to a time when things were so simple and you could eat good food without it costing you an arm and a leg. love it. read more

Best fried chicken in Berkeley. I don't know why you would go anywhere else! The 6 piece chicken combo (includes delicious seasoned fries) is only $8.50. I have gotten that 10 times and have never once been disappointed with the result. I do recommend calling in because it takes a bit of time to make and also you can tell if they are open or not by using your phone. read more

Food was great!!! Very tasty!!! We loved the catfish plate, bbque plate and dessert. We def will be returning to this hidden gem. I strongly recommend this place, friendly service, great food and mostly, it was very inexpensive. Loved it!!! read more

I had the smothered pork chops, stuffing, and collard greens and it was well worth it. Its good to see a REAL soul food restaurant in Berkeley. read more

Found this place on a whim looking for someone who is open on a SUNDAY and was able to make a full order of peach cobbler. My bf had called in a day in advance ***STOP*** when he had called, he was put on hold for over 10 mins, while he was able to listen to ongoing conversations (meaning the phone was just layed on the counter or something). Then the lady whom answered his call FINALLY attended to his call to take his order. The funny part was that she even said "oh I forgo that you were on the phone. ----Strike #1!!! So came Sunday at 1p when we were told it was ready to pick up the order. I went into this establishment to pick up the order. Small place, they have a lot of plants around inside, seems that they also sell their plants and vases. Small printed menu tacked on the walls - nothing you can really hold. informed that i was there to pick up a full order of cobbler. Then the gentleman who was there (cooking & serving - clearly the only employee in the building at the time) stated that he was still making the cobbler. He stated that he wasn't told until that late morning that he was to make a full order of cobbler. At this time I already know I'm going to be LATE for the function I planned to bring the cobbler to. So I waited, he stated another 30 mins (should be ready by 130-145p)- OK fine. So I then asked if I could pay for the cobbler NOW. clearly they have a new system like those ipads where you can swipe a credit card and have a patron sign with their finger on the screen (white device) like most places currently have. So I informed the gentleman that I would be paying credit. He turns to the receipt machine for credit slips and states "our machine isn't functioning now, you have to pay cash." OK sure, he didn't even bother to try to use the main device to enter for payment of credit that they clearly have on the counter. Me not knowing that this would happen, for the order that I had, didn't have enough cash. So the gentleman stated, you can go to the liquor store on the corner and get cash. Really?!? good thing banks aren't too far of a drive in Berkeley ---STRIKE #2 OK Cobbler time!!!! ughhh... not really. So after making my little drive to the bank to withdraw CASH to pay for this LATE cobbler order, I then proceeded back to Bootstrapper. It was 2p, cobbler still isn't ready. At this point I ended up going back home (nearby). waited until about 245p, went back to Bootstrapper, and picked up the cobbler. So how was the cobbler??? RUNNY & too much cinnamon!!!! This wasn't cobbler, it was more like peaches in a cinnamon soup base and thin layer of crust. Was very disappointment in it all. I guess we should have known from the time of order to pick up and everything. So being said, we even waited a day for the cobbler to "sit & settle" in the tray. came the next evening, we cut into tit, and again still sooo runny. the taste isn't bad (that's if you don't mind a lot of cinnamon, I mean a lot of it), we even tried to scoop out the excess "juice". clearly the peaches were canned and weren't drained before prepping the cobbler. ---STRIKE #3 all in all, for the $46 spent on the cobbler, didn't seem worth it. I was kind of happy I had two small trays of peach cobbler from It's All Good Bakery on hand as well, it surely made up for this incident. I will try another order and maybe some of their food specialties to give the establishment the benefit of the doubt before fully writing this place off as a "no go!" read more

The catfish here is soooooo good! Whatever that awesome seasoning mix you folks use for the batter, please don't ever change it! Super friendly service and community conversationalists fill this small venue with smiles and heart. I'll surely be back! read more

The food here is really good. I love whole in the wall places. Definitely worth making the trip for the catfish or okra and peach cobbler. Great taste and staff read more

A lot of the reviewers seem to be dissatisfied from the Groupon promotion. I can understand how an overwhelming amount of customers at once can affect service especially for a small restaurant, so my wife and I decided to check it out for ourselves. We went around 2pm on a weekday, so there was no one else there at the time. Food took about 12-15 minutes, but conversation made the time fly by. The food was excellent! I'm only leaving off 1 star because they forgot the banana pudding, but it's not a major issue. The decor could use some updating, but with food this good, who's gonna be looking to see if the wall colors and floors go together!? read more

Really good soul food. Like actually one of the best chicken strips and fries. Also is really good is the fried shrimp.

went there on the last day of a groupon offer so they were swamped. only one lady behind the counter doing everything. took about 7 minutes to get the order taken. another 20 to get the order done. they were also out of a lot of stuff. looks like they've had this problem in the past. prices are fine. ambiance is scattered, but that's not why you go to a place like this. the food wasn't anything to write home about. bone in a chicken popper. chicken wings and shrimp were dry/overdone. fries were basic frozen fries. read more

Going with 4 stars because this review is based on one visit...I will be back. My Mom and I tried the chicken, ribs and catfish...all good. I'll try the meatloaf and baked beans next time. Owner is super friendly and allowed us to try a few things. The background music was a pleasant blend of classical and jazz. While we were dining in, unite a few customers rolled through...don't be put off by the neighborhood. read more

I Enjoy this place every time I go there, they have some of the best catfish. Highly recommend it. They've always done well by me every time I've had to house parties or sports parties we've always taken care of the catfish for me and it's one of the most favorite items at any of my parties love this place have recommended it to many people. read more

I was one of the people to live right next door to this place. My daughter, my husband and I always felt comfortable there and the owner always made us feel special. I suggest : Seafood Special, Catfish, or the hamburger. Omfg! Sooo good! I moved away so its a little inconvenient for me to stop by as often but the taste of his delicious food will stay with me where ever I go!!!! read more

Coupons are coming soon for our true customers check us out on facebook https://www.facebook.com/syl.lollis?ref=tn_tnmn

Definitely a hole in a wall but I recommend this spot. I enjoyed the turkey wing special on Sundays. Forgot to take a picture but it is alot of food. You will get full quick. Get the peach cobbler. It's really good. read more

Had the popcorn chicken and fries. Very good portions and fresh well seasoned. Wish they had longer hours but good service. Best for take out. Good food for watching a game at home or for lunch. read more

I would have given this place 5 stars because the price, portions, and flavor of the food were all great. The thing that brought this rating down so low is my experience using an instant groupon on 10/23/2012. They had a groupon posted which said "$12 for $25". I presented the groupon, placed my order, and waited on my food. After finishing my meal, I went to the counter to order something else so I could leave a tip (assuming that my $25 groupon had covered everything since the cashier hadn't said anything else). The cashier then told me that my groupon was only covered $12. I looked at the ad and the groupon and they both had been edited to say "12 for". I asked "Why would anyone buy a groupon where they pay $12 to receive $12? That defeats the whole purpose of groupon." After some minutes of discussion and the bill not being adjusted, I payed and left because I didn't have anymore time to waste arguing. During our discussion the cashier told me I wasn't the first person to come in that day with a $12 groupon expecting it to be $25; from the time I presented the groupon when I first walked in there were so many opportunities to say something to the tune of "This groupon is $12 were you expecting it to be more?". I was extremely satisfied with the food and the service up until that point, but their groupon practices are just too shady not to leave a bad taste in my mouth. read more

My favorites include the fried chicken, fried snapper and catfish. Tasty deserts include peach cobbler and on occasion pecan pie. While a small, homely place, what the Bootstrapper lacks in fancy ambiance, it makes up in delicious food. You can get simple meals like salads or popcorn chicken and fries (my daughter's favorite) and chicken cheese steaks. On other occasions you can order entire dinners such as mac and cheese, greens, sweet potatoes, turkey legs, potato salad and more. read more

First of all I don't know who these people are giving this place 3, 4 and 5 stars...I suspect it got to be family and friends. Because this place is everything but good...and I mean this...I found this place on "Groupon" and boy or boy!...When I say I am glad I only paid $12 dollars for what they say was $28 worth of food...Maaaaan!!!!..I am glad we bought two orders of the fryed prawns...or...what they say was Prawns!...when got around to the Berkeley Marina...and opened up my food I was highly pissed off..but then had to think I only paid $12 dollars...the prawn were very hard I tell you..if prawn jerky is what you seek...then..."Bootstrapper's" of Berkeley is 5 star!...lol...I also ordered the Potato salad instead of fries...O my goodness!!...the potato salad look like some'm they bought out the store and tryed to water it down...This is rediculous..I am writing chef Ramsey!...O how I miss "Emma's"!!!!!!!!! read more

First time here I had the popcorn chicken and fries. The chicken was good, just the right crispness. The fries had tasty seasoning. The owner/cook is a friendly guy too! read more

This is one of only 2 "restaurants" in this neighborhood. Neither one of them appears to be a restaurant from the outside and only after living here a year did I figure out it was ever open. But open is a rather generous term for this restaurant. It keeps odd hours and when it is open, while the item is decent, there's never anything to choose from. All they ever have is one thing. Which I guess can be cool, if you knew in advance what that one thing was. read more

Incredible food and service. Bootstrapper catered my daughter's graduation celebration. Everything was delicious and abundant. Our guests were extremely impressed with the peach cobbler. I recommend the fried catfish. Thanks for making our event successful! read more

Bought a Groupon voucher and was so looking forward to Soul Food. When I saw the "Hole in the Wall", door wide open (this was a chilly evening) limited seating, next to liquor store but I wanted to use my voucher,. We bought take-out for obvious reasons, and drove home grumbling all the way. To our amazement one taste of the fish, shrimp, okra but most of all the peach cobbler!!!!!! My grandson bought a hamburger and bragged on that. I can't wait to go back. The potato salad was superb too! read more