If you have a minute, I'd like to share a story:…read more I've been meaning to try this place for years, ever since I read their opening in the LA Times. In the article, they mentioned that they had a sandwhich in homage to Pok Pok, a legendary Thai place in Portland that was famous for their fish sauce chicken wings. Unfortunately, this sandwhich was only offered on the weekday lunch menu, which stymied my efforts to try it. In my mind, what I was expecting was a piece of fried chicken coated in the same sauce that Pok Pok was known for, turned into sandwhich form. The "Bring back pok pok" is not that. Which was a disappointment for all of 10 seconds. While the sandwhich was not what I was expecting, it was still excellent on its own merits. It's a fried chicken sandwhich but instead of lettuce and tomatoes, they've used some sort of dried pepper spread, thai basil (I think) and jalopenos). It reminded me more of a bahn mi. It's a flavor profile that works well. I tried a piece of my friends fried catfish, and it was similarly good. The catish was flaky without being dry, and not only was the breading well seasoned, but it was still crispy at the end of the meal. The only thing a little underwhelming was the cornbread. It wasn't bad, but it didn't feel like it did anything noteworthy, and ours could have used a bit more butter (or maybe some more salt). Our server was great, though it was easy for him since we were the only customers for a long while! Still he was easy to talk to and I appreciated how he kept stopping by to fill up our water (they use tiny glasses). The inside has nice "upscale casual" vibes. If I worked in downtown, I could see myself coming here after work. Overall, a pleasant surprise.

Had me at Happy Hour @joyce_dtla…read more What a lovely place for happy hour! Really great southern food! Service was wonderful and loved that it was dog friendly with an outdoor patio. Crystal and Ricardo were both great with delicious recommendations and lovely personalities that enhanced our overall experience! Our dog even got a dog treat and a water bowl . Happy hour menu was satisfying! We loved everything we ordered except the fried hen was slightly salty that day, but it happens. The skin had good seasoning and loved that it was light! The broiled oysters came with toast and this satisfying gravy sauce that reminder me of French onion soup! They had the best hush puppies I have tried. The Mac and Cheese was solid. My drank was very well made! Would recommend!

Chicken and waffles was great. Will recommend this restaurant when you come out here out of town…read moreright next to crypto stadium if you close by stop by Black owned. Great music to vibe too while eating. Staff is excellent always with a smile.

Great food, atmosphere, and service all were amazing! We were celebrating a special birthday and…read morethe staff incorporated a dessert treat as well. Can't wait to go back.

Very nice hidden gem here, it's located off the beaten path, romantic and whimsical with a…read moregoth-like feel. I tried the beignets and they were really tasty, server was attentive and a good looking crowd showed up for "The Obscure" reserved seating for tasting and I was told mocktails if you're not into the spirits of that sort.

If you've ever wondered what would happen if a chill LA patio and a New Orleans street parade had a…read morebaby, The Rising Sun is exactly that child, and it's thriving. The outdoor patio feels like you accidentally wandered into a breezy corner of the French Quarter. Warm lights, casual seating, and that "kick back and stay awhile" energy. Ordering through the app and picking up at the window makes you feel like you're part of a secret club, the kind where the password is "extra napkins, please." * Chicken Po' Boy, WOW...This thing is stacked. Crispy chicken, tangy sauce, and bread that holds everything together like it's doing core workouts. It's messy in the best way, the kind of sandwich that demands respect and maybe a bib. * Fully Loaded Cajun Tots, These tots don't play around. They show up dressed to impress, cheese, toppings, flavor, the whole squad. It's basically a tiny potato block party, and you're invited. * Beignets, very delicious, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and dusted with enough powdered sugar to make you question your laundry choices. One bite and suddenly you're hearing jazz horns in the distance. Their coffee game....Dangerously good. My boogie coffee drink - latter came out smooth, sweet, and caffeinated enough to make me consider running around the block a few times. It's the kind of drink that makes you shimmy in your seat and say, "Yeah... life is good." This place nails the New Orleans vibe without trying too hard. Great food, fun energy, and a patio that makes you forget you're in LA traffic territory. Come hungry, come curious, and definitely come ready for powdered sugar on your shirt. Miguel C.

Annie's can take the crown for BEST Soul Food in LA…read more This restaurant is always extremely busy & now I can finally understand why. The level of authenticity can be felt the moment you walk in. Every patron of the restaurant can be seen expressively enjoying their food. When you order a main protein, it comes with your choice of three sides & ofc their famous cornbread muffins. All the food is insanely filling so prepare to take home leftovers. * Beef Links 10/10: A massive, spicy beef sausage on top of a soft & fresh slice of white bread. It can't get any better. It stayed hot throughout my meal & was appreciated so much. That is f***g good. * Cornbread muffins 10/10: DELICIOUSLY served as an appetizer before your meal comes out. Comes fresh & hot with a side of sweet/cinnamon butter. It's perfect. * 8 Pc Wings 10/10: Seriously the best wings I've ever had in my life. Soul food restaurants know exactly how to coat the wings so that they become insanely crispy when fried. That aside, the Hot Honey seasoning was especially flavorful & mouthwatering. *Mac n Cheese 9/10: This is my style Mac. Not too ooey-gooey wet but just a perfect amount of cheese & roux. One point off because it has a smokey taste which just isn't my preference. * Candied Yams 11/10: MY GAWWWD. I'm in heaven. If you like very sweet potato's paired with a perfect buttery cinnamon dressing, then step right up. These are insane. I'm obsessed with that type of thing. *Greens w Turkey 3/10: Was not the biggest fan of this side. The flavor of the turkey overpowered the whole dish. The greens clearly basked with the turkey rather than just being placed together. I couldn't taste the greens, just meat flavoring. * Cabbage 7/10: I love cabbage. This side isn't anything crazy, it's a very simple thing for you to pair with whatever you ordered. Every meal needs one side that rlly holds it down. *Fried Okra 12/10: Seriously, you cannot get soul food without trying fried okra. This is just amazing. Perfectly crispy & delicious.

Annie's Soul Delicious was delicious indeed. This was actually my first time really trying soul…read morefood, and I feel like this was a pretty good introduction because there were a lot of things I enjoyed. We got the fried catfish, which was nicely seasoned and crispy, with fried okra, collard greens with smoked turkey, and gravy over rice on the side. My friend got the oxtails with mac & cheese and was probably my favorite dish we tried. The oxtail was rich and tender, and that mac & cheese with the oxtail gravy together was good. We also tried the candied yams, and later got more food to take home because we were too full, like the cornbread. Their watermelon drink was really good too, and we got ours spiked. My friend told me he likes drinking it with Hennessy, so l we had to test that theory afterward. I can confirm it was a good combo. The restaurant itself had a nice, relaxed ambiance and I really enjoyed the food. My only issue was the wait, it was way longer than expected, and I'm still not really sure what caused it. Unfortunately, that was enough for me to knock off a star. Still, the food itself was worth trying, especially if you're craving some comforting soul food. I'd come back, hopefully with a shorter wait next time. 8/10

I love the food and the service was cool. Special shout out to Tommy and Ellie! They made it even…read morebetter!@

10000/10 brunch, absolutely blew me away. I ordered the Gravy Train biscuit sandwich and it was…read moreunreal. Every bite had so many flavors, perfectly balanced, and the biscuit itself was insanely buttery and soft easily one of the best I've had in LA in a long time. My husband got the steak & eggs with a side of hashbrowns, and it was just as impressive. The steak was cooked perfectly, everything was well-seasoned, and the whole dish felt really balanced. Definitely a spot worth coming back to.

Stopped in on a whim because the place looked interesting, and it turned out to be a solid choice…read more We arrived close to their afternoon closing, so things were pretty quiet. The food absolutely delivered. We tried the Op Boys Special sloppy joe and the Craw Mac Deluxe, and both were excellent. The jambalaya was another standout and easily something I'd order again. Service was on point, and they have a seriously impressive selection of drinks. There's plenty more on the menu I want to try, so I'll definitely be back.

Went today with beignets on my mind. Found out they only serve them on weekends. Heart.Broken…read more But other than that everything was amazing. Ordered a half Mufalotta and had to think, "did I order the whole thing?" Serving was huge and delicious. The biggest difference from ordering from Central Market in NOLA was it was served warm. But the olive spread hit! Ordered a side of bread pudding and banana pudding to take home. I've tasted to banana pudding and taste the way my grandma used to make it! The ambience of the restaurant definitely gives a French Quarter vibe. I will definitely be coming back on a weekend for some fresh beignets!!

Food was soooo good! I've never had fried chicken that was so crispy, flavorful and so juicy, too!…read more Shawna was amazing and took care of us! She even gave us samples of the pies to test. Our fave was the Chess and Pecan. Will def be back to try them when we aren't full from the delicious meal.

We were in LA for a quick weekend. We were looking for a good food spot on the way back to the…read morehotel in Burbank, not realizing Gus had a location in Burbank (or nearby). Anyways Shawna and the team took great care of us. She made solid recommendations and we loved everything! No leftovers. The Fried Chicken (dark) was moist and crispy. So freaking good!! One of the best fried chicken we've had in a while. Batter wasn't too heavy and was seasoned to perfection. There's a slight kick but my fam likes spicy so it wasn't a big deal. We sampled most of the sides - greens, Mac & cheese, Cole slaw baked beans and fries. All solid but my favs were the Cole slaw and the fries. If you're looking for bomb fried chicken, check out Gus and let Shawna and the team take care of you.

What went well? What didn't? Lol. This was my first…read moreexperience at the original restaurant. What a treat indeed! Everything went well, and as a review suggests I would highly highly highly recommend this spot! And while the one on La Brea is also great and I've certainly reviewed it a lot of times, I dare say the ambiance and interior of this one has it beat!

I grew in the Crenshaw district, and remember the old "O.G" Stevie's on the strip. Although, I…read morelived near I never dined there. I didn't notice if they have their own parking lot, but they do have plenty of metered parking. They have dining outside, but with the heat we chose to dine inside. We came during the week, and thankfully it was not crowded. Delighted, that we were seated right away. I can just imagine on the weekends, and it being packed with patrons. We started off with the Garlic shrimp as our appetizer. It came with bread plus was shareable, and phenomenal. We highly recommend it. For our main course we ordered the lunch special with the fried shrimp. My husband selected the banana cornbread, and shrimp with grits as a side. The banana cornbread and the shrimp with grits were fire. We also ordered the soft shell crab po-boy. Everything was delicious, and my only suggestion is to change the oil. The fries had not only the taste of old, but the appearance of old oil. The service was great, and all in all a great experience.

One of my favorite foods as a child was fried chicken...not chicken nuggets, not ice cream, not…read morepb&j...it was fried chicken, lol. Although it's no longer my FAVORITE food and I only indulge sparingly, I still have an affinity for it, and can quickly separate the good from the bad. Willie Mae's can confidently go into the good pile. The perfect texture of the batter is the standout. It's light and crisp. Head to head, I think I prefer the flavors and juiciness of Gus's fried chicken. I'll have to give Willie Mae's another go to confirm that this is indeed the case. But Willie Mae's is situated in a better area, it's got civilized sit down table service, cuter decor, and it has way better sides. Knowing myself, I predict that one day, I will decide to remove poultry as well from my diet (I've long excluded mammals from my diet). Hopefully more visits to Willie Mae's will happen before that day organically comes upon us.

The only time I had been to Willie Mae's was in New Orleans. It blew our minds and tastebuds…read more Absolutely divine. When they opened in the westside, I believe it was a take out only situation. Since I do not live in the area, it was not a convenient situation. During this recent DineLA restaurant week, I met a friend there for lunch. Now they have a fairly large sit down dining room that was quite busy and it seems like there was a steady stream of takeout. Our server, Desiree was fantastic. She told me this branch was started by the same folks of the original in New Orleans. Due to a an issue with the freeway closure and horrible traffic, we were very late and she kindly honored our reservation. The food was fantastic. Great crunchy and spice on the chicken (it is on the spicy side so be careful if you cannot handle the heat). The little corn breads were just the right amount. We tried the yams, which is a must, but also shared some of the other sides. The cabbage is cooked kind of like collard greens. The butter beans and rice is very tasty. We also tried the mashed potatoes and gravy. All sides are vegan, which I thought was done for the local L.A. crowd, but we were told the sides are vegan in the original recipes. Next time I'd like to try the gumbo and other dishes on the menu.

The service was great food came out quick taste delicious manager Joseph came around greeting…read moreeveryone and made sure we were all taken care of first time going to another bbq place besides the basic restaurant that franchise this is more home cook I feel like and more authentic bbq and they have spicy bbq if fire!!!!

I grew up in Hollywood, but I had no idea that some of the best barbecue has been happening a few…read moreblocks down in Fairfax for the last 15 years. Luckily, my younger brother turned me on to Bludso's recently and we just finished a family lunch there. Since they only serve their sandwiches on weekdays, we opted for Fried Okra, "2 Meats 2 Sides"(chicken and brisket), two sandwich buns. At the suggestion of our server, Beto, we added an extra quarter pound of sliced brisket. Beto really knows what he's doing... and because of him it was a perfectly satisfying amount of food for the three of us. He definitely went above and beyond. We're looking forward to heading there on one of the next weekdays our teenager has off to try their sandwiches.