The catfish was some of the best I've ever had! The Mac and cheese was also amazing, as well as the…read moreturkey. The service was fantastic and everyone was so friendly.

I will absolutely not patronize this establishment again ever. Very very inconsistent and serve…read moreyou up scraps. When they first opened they were good but for thae last year absolutely horrible. I try to support black owned but this is ridiculous. I ordered a catfish dinner and instead of 2 fillets they sent 1 fillet and 3 feathered wings. I ordered turkey wings and it was paralyzed . I tried eating the turkey wing but you couldn't. When you break into it the two bones were broken and pieces of the bone were in-between meat so if you try to chew small remnants of the bones get stuck in your teeth. The Macaroni lacked cheese. I cant tell you what the muffin tasted like cause i didnt eat it. Not sure if i was supposed to get a muffin with both meals but as you can see i only got a muffin with one of them. The sweet potatoes were decent. Last time I visited the first sunday of September 2025 i paid a total of $12 extra for 2 orders of greens and I received a hunk of meat and a few stems. Then $6 for their dressing i they only serve on Sundays and I received half frozen dressing in a container. Yep I said it right a container of half frozen dressing like with ice in it. I called the owner let him know my experience and told him im just providing feedback as I had ate there before and maybe it was staff that just needed to be retrained along with the fact they they are a business I dont want them to lose out money. Ohhhhhhh but This is it. I should've have read the recent reviews. I dont mind paying the price for good food but come on dont serve people anything. I didnt want to bring it here but no maybe this will serve as a lesson because the last time when I received the frozen dressing and greens with a piece of meat and a few stems it should have been taken seriously. I knew I should have stuck with Pearls place I just wanted to switch it up this week. Pearls place food is excellent only thing that made me upset once was because they were sold out of them good biscuits. Lol. But all jokes aside Pearls place is more expensive than bronzeville soul but they get it right the food is great and I have NEVER been sold anything especially dilapidated food.

Tried this restaurant through fooda. Maybe the restaurant experience is better, but with a name…read morelike cook it mama, i thought the food would look and taste more homemade. I considered the salmon pasta or jerk bowl and went with the jerk since the salmon pasta looked mostly pasta with some salmon pieces scattered about. The jerk bowl was disappointing. Before i ordered i saw that the ingredients looked prepackaged (canned beans, store pico & corn.) Even the sauce was poured directly from a bottle, but decided to support the business anyway since everything around the office is fast food or a sit down restaurant. I hate to report that the taste matched the look of the individual ingredients -- very bland. Not worth $16 at all

Cook It Mama Cafe is a welcome addition to Bridgeport. I stopped by on a weekend about a month ago…read moreand there was a good amount of people waiting for food. The staff is incredibly friendly but move quickly to serve. We ordered the Queen T's Submarine which was very good and a nice sub sandwich. We also split the That's Not Yo Cheese Jerk nachos which topped with jerk chicken - it stole the show and I would happily order this everyday if I could. The Red Pineapple Squirt is a refreshing drink that complimented all the flavors of the nachos and sandwich. Cook It Mama Cafe is an underrated restaurant that should not be overlooked. Check it out when in Bridgeport!

Pearl's Place is definitely worth a visit if you're looking for comforting Southern soul food. The…read moremac and cheese, yams, greens, and fried green tomatoes were all excellent and full of flavor. The only disappointment was the fried chicken. It wasn't bad, but it was just okay and didn't live up to the rest of the meal. If the chicken had been as good as the sides, this easily would have been a 5-star experience. The service was good overall. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive, but she never asked if we wanted anything to drink besides water or if we'd like dessert. Those small details would have made the experience even better. Overall, I'd definitely come back for the amazing sides, and hopefully the fried chicken is better next time.

Wow wow wow. My first time here and the full experience was great. We walked in and the host asked…read moreus what we wanted to eat. I asked for a menu and she asked again what do you want. I said fried chicken, mac n cheese and greens. She said ok we have that. My spouse said she wanted meat loaf, mac n cheese and string beans. While sitting I realized I wanted potato salad and bread pudding so I added it. I realized I enjoyed ordering not from what I saw on a menu but what I had a taste for and that was a great experience. Thank you Pearls. My food was amazing everything was seasoned well except my greens. Would I go back yes indeed. The bread pudding was the busy. Yummy for my tummy Sorry I finished all my food before writing this review believe me the seasoning and portion size was OUTSTANDING!!!!!

I had their jerk chicken with yellow rice at the Evanston Folk Festival. The chicken was moist and…read morethe portion was ample. The flavoring was outstanding.The staff were really friendly and grateful. I hope to visit their restaurant!

From the owner: Food that feeds the soul read more

Food was DELICIOUS!!!! First time here, and I'm so glad my brother made reservations since it was…read moregetting busy. Upon arrival, we were greeted by two friendly greeters. We arrived 20 minutes before our scheduled reservation, but we were seated within five minutes of arriving. The server, David, greeted us promptly when we were seated. He mentioned that if you're ordering appetizers, they should be ordered with the main meal. While we looked over the menu, water was offered. I ordered Blackened Catfish over brown rice and carrots. The catfish was tender and perfectly seasoned. My brother had grilled flounder with creamed corn. Like the catfish, the trout was tender and well-seasoned. The corn had a slight sweetness. Roger had Short ribs and mashed potatoes. The ribs were tender and did not need any sauce because they were seasoned well. We also ordered a side dish of Macaroni and Cheese. It was delicious! A mixture of Gouda cheese and other cheeses. Very creamy! The top layer cheese was baked perfectly! If you know, you know, it's all about the top layer of cheese The APPETIZERS: The Gumbo was spicy but delicious! You only taste the spice at the end . It's not overly spicy; it's just right. The fried chicken gizzards were tender but could have used a bit more seasoning. It was served over brown rice and gravy. If I'm not mistaken, there were maybe 8 or 9 gizzards. The fried green tomatoes were perfect! From the seasoning to the grilled shrimp on top. Oh yes, grilled shrimp with this delicious sauce drizzled over the tomatoes. 3 or 4 shrimp. They were delicious! I've never had fried green tomatoes served w/grilled shrimp--definitely a must-try if you've never had it. For dessert, pineapple upside-down cake with coconut cream on the side. It was soooo good! They could have removed the coconut cream, as it was not needed. And it was a shareable portion for 2-3 ppl. There were other desserts, such as Blueberry Cobbler, Key Lime Pie, and Vanilla Ice Cream. If you're in the Hyde Park area, give these folks a try Oh yeah, the Manager, Louis, was walking the floor. I spoke with him briefly From what I observed, it's a very casual dress code--jeans, shorts, blazers, etc. And I loved the quotes on the outside window of those who were killed, like George Floyd and Sandra Bland. This place was nice! The dining area was clean and decorated nicely. The choice of decor fit the overall scheme I look forward to visiting again, possibly next Spring.

Another awesome visit. This time, my friends and I decided to order several entrées and extra…read moresides so we could have a little tasting experience and try a variety of dishes. One person in our group has dairy restrictions, and the restaurant did a great job accommodating her. All of the dishes that included dairy was served deconstructed so she could enjoy the components that worked for her dietary needs without compromising the rest of the dishes. For our mains, we ordered the beef short ribs with creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, and gravy, along with the half chicken with baby squash and green beans. For our additional sides, we had the cornbread with honey butter, collard greens with smoked turkey, and creamy mac and cheese. Everything was good, and everyone enjoyed their meals. You can really taste that home-cooking influence in the food. The flavors are comforting and familiar, but you're still getting that elevated restaurant experience. The half chicken was the standout dish of the night. It was tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. Everyone at the table agreed that it was our favorite. Our least favorite was the short rib. It was tender and cooked well, but we all felt like it was missing something. We couldn't quite put our finger on what it needed. After looking at photos from other diners, I noticed the gravy was incorporated in the rib. That may have been the missing element that brought the short rib together and given it that extra layer of flavor we were looking for. Overall, another good experience. I look forward to returning to try a few more things from the menu.

Live the food very polite folks the service is great! The menu is wide so you can enjoy several…read moredishes and feel the love in every bite.

I bought the jerk catfish and jerk chicken plates…read more The jerk fish was old and hard. Told me I had a 15 min wait for old fish? Made no sense why we waited for any food and all of it was food that had been sitting. The only jerk chicken they had that night was white meat and it was super dry. The greens for both dishes are canned greens so they were barely seasoned and super salty. The only good thing was the yams. Spent 50$ on old ass food. The lady who took my order was cool , but don't waste ya money or time on Dirty Tiffs. I shoulda knew when I saw the mop bucket in the kitchen while they were cooking. Dirty Tiffs is RIGHT!!! && This is a honest review.

The food here is AMAZING!!!! Everything was delicious and made fresh to order. The food came out…read morehott!! We did the great tasting experience where you get 3 entrees, drinks, wine and dessert. It was definitely worth the money. But if you share the meal experience you have to also buy an entree (fyi). The waitress was nice and patient. Even though we had a reservation it took a while to be seated when there were open tables but there were only two waitress for the restaurant. The food takes a minute to come out after being ordered (45 mins) but it was piping hot and fresh. The ambiance was nice. They were playing old school Luther so it was vibe. Bc this food was so good , I'll give it a 5 but if you go be patient. It'll be worth the wait

I would say I enjoyed myself here. I got the truffle lobster mac. It was great, I really liked the…read moresauce and the odd noodles they used. I was very disappointed in the taste of the center piece lobster, though. My date got something else. I don't know how, but this place made Brussels sprouts taste good for a bit. Service was great. I like to be left alone for the most part, and they did just that. My waiter would pop in and out at the perfect moment. I would give the ambiance a 9/10. I loved the hints gold and the dark teal(?) wallpaper

Food 9/10; Jerk chicken, & wings, cabbage, plantains, rice &…read morebeans. All hot, fresh, on point. This was much first time visiting this place and I would highly recommend it. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Easy parking outside. The restaurant was clean and I came right before closing.

Is this place still open? I ordered on Saturday about 2pm. I get to the restaurant and the door is…read morelocked. An online order took money and no food. Had to let GrubHub know and they gave me a refund. Have anyone else gone thru this?

Me and my mom love this place food is so good has alot of soul in it !!! Staff is friendly and they…read moreremember they loyal customers..

1st visit impressive. Great service. Promptly handed off…read more Plate was heavy but I can't recommend the jerk eggroll. Best to order via UberEats as to avoid a wait until my 2nd visit Went during lunch and my pickup wasnt ready. They said 10 more minutes. They started fighting in the kitchen. Wholly in Spanish. 2nd visit - rice too buttery and watery. Smothered pork chop wasnt center cut like 1st visit. Mac N Cheese was given for both sides on the wing plate when spaghetti and macNcheese was ordered. Either way, it was salty. Peach cobbler too sweet. Blue koolaid was a win 1st visit but this time... Too sweet. Sugar and Salt has to have balance. Maybe another time in the Spring I'll swing back by but there is a parking lot.

This was honestly some of the BEST food I've ever had. Period. My sister and I pulled up here…read morebefore heading to a concert & we dang near were in a sleep coma after lol I got the Shanikky & the crab was soooo fresh, the catfish was perfectly cooked & seasoned & the chicken the same. I had the pineapple sweet potatoes & Mac & cheese for sides & yummmmm. The cornbread was also very good! It's not really a dine in restaurant although you can sit inside & eat. It was chill. The service was cool, they were working hard but still friendly. It's a little pricey but the amount of food makes up for it. I had enough to eat the next day & share lol.

The food is well seasoned, the delivery takes a while, so don't order when you're hungry. The…read moredelivery order took about an hour. The fish is fried well and the hot honey sauce was a good addition, but not amazing. Just regular hot sauce is good for the fish. The green beans are seasoned well and not spicy in my opinion. The mac and cheese was decent. Not award winning, but good. The pineapple sweet potatoes were fantastic! We ordered an extra side, but they forgot to include it. The initial delivery took so long that we didn't bother to ask for them to send it. The corn muffin was also really good! If you're visiting Chicago, I wouldn't say that this is a must-visit place. Check it out, if you have time!