1st time dining at this location as we prefer their original spot on Polk…read more What we had here were delicious with great flavors! Service was excellent. This location has patio seating which is a plus on this pleasant spring day. The French toast, the fried chicken, shrimp po boy & fries were delicious. All soooooo good.

Brenda's Food in Oakland was a great experience overall! The fried chicken Benedict was the…read morehighlight crispy, flavorful, and really well done. The sides of potatoes were a bit soggy, and the beignet was slightly over-heated, which took away from the texture a little. Even with those small issues, the flavors were good enough that I would still come back. Friendly spot and definitely worth another visit.

We made a reservation for 7:45 p.m. but weren't seated until around 8:15, and we didn't place our…read moreorder until about 8:30. Unfortunately, it didn't feel like our reservation was prioritized much differently than a walk-in. Thankfully, the restaurant itself is incredibly charming, so we spent the extra time admiring the beautiful design and decor. The staff were welcoming and polite throughout the evening and suggested we wait at the bar. I ordered the Margaret cocktail, which came in a cute little mug. It was refreshing, well-balanced, and easy to drink. My only wish was that there had been a bit more of it--the mug was on the smaller side and filled with quite a bit of ice. To start, we ordered the chicken liver & waffle, which was rich, flavorful, and a great opening dish. My favorite of the night was the BBQ whole shrimp. You get four generously sized shrimp that were cooked perfectly, but it was the sauce that really stole the show. It was so good that I found myself dipping everything I could into it. For our main, we had the Jidori chicken, which arrived beautifully presented. Every slice of chicken was juicy and paired perfectly with the accompanying sauce. I also loved that the dish included 1 crispy fried chicken (less juicy but still tasty), giving you two different preparations in one entrée. The potato salad added a refreshing contrast that tied everything together nicely. Overall, despite the long wait after our reservation time, the food, cocktails, and warm hospitality made for a very enjoyable evening.

The Food Once in a while, it is good to explore the food…read morescene beyond San Francisco... the other side of...like in Oakland. It is where we found Burdell, a soul food restaurant. They focus on nostalgia, family recipes, and sourcing, as well as the forgotten impact of Black harvesting and culture on American cuisine and hospitality. We were a bit uncultured on soul food, so we tried to pick some unique items from the menu. - Salad of Annabelle's Gems - Chicken Liver & Waffle - BBQ Whole Shrimp - Line-Caught Swordfish - Cornbread - Greens The Salad, Chicken, and Shrimp were appetizers, the Swordfish was the main. The Cornbread and Greens were sides. I was debating between the Salad and their Crispy Summer Squash, and went with the Salad. But I think the Crispy Summer Squash might be a better choice. The Chicken Liver itself is an acquired taste and not for everyone, but the waffle was pretty good. The BBQ Whole Shrimp was the best of the 3 appetizers, and the sauce was delicious. The Swordfish was unique and not bad, but a bit too salty. Likewise with the Greens, though the Greens slight sourness gives it a bit more balance. The Cornbread came out on top, being soft and not too dry. Wife said it tasted almost like banana bread. It would be interesting to try out their other item next time, but shall see~ The Miscellaneous Burdell is in the Temescal neighborhood, off Telegraph. Easy to identify with the large lettering. The interior of the restaurant has quite a unique aesthetic and color. We went around golden hour, and the light hitting the restaurant was quite nice. The staff was very professional and sincere in their service. Burdell has a standard Dinner menu along with a Family Dinner menu. The Family Dinner menu also seemed unique. All in all, the food was not bad, and the service was good.

What are you waiting for?! Just book the reservation! 10/10!!!!…read more Stopped in to try Samara's Southern Creations while in town for the weekend visiting the Black Food and Wine Experience. Of course me and the bestie had to grab brunch before we headed home. Was a bit thrown off when booking via OpenTable as it comes up as Haus of Chefs, but when I got the concept of hosting local chefs and rotating menus all was smooth. We got a few shareables and entrees and everything was so good. S/o to tik tok for putting us on to some amazing food. We ordered the boudin balls, crab stuffed shrimp, peach cobbler waffle, and catfish/ grits. For drinks, we had the brown sugar mint julep and madame butterfly. My fav items had to be the boudin balls, catfish / grits, and brown sugar mint julep. Presentation was so cute. Add a flower or herb to my drink or plate and I'm yours. Everything was so flavorful, paired nicely together , and wasn't too much. Portion sizes were on point and no need for condiments because sis seasoned the hell out that food! The ambiance is definitely brunch vibes. You can tell it's a local favorite as people were so chill about coming in and just enjoying their meal. Seating includes table and bar seating but no matter your area the service was on point almost little to no waiting and everything was freshly served ! Did I mention they had the jams in rotation. Again, who was on the aux because I need the playlist?! Prices for menu items were reasonable and worth it. I had a little moment when I realized the chef herself served us our plates and checked into see how everything was going. Like come on how cool was that! Overall, great experience and yes I'll be back for a dozen boudin balls. Big S/o to our servers/ bartenders Ashlee and Kia for the hospitality and customer service. Keep up the good work! If you in the Oakland neighborhood stop by and try!

The food was Amazing no complaints there.. it came out hot and well seasoned!! 9/10 easy.. service…read morewas great.. however they do share the restaurant with another restaurant I guess the other restaurant is in charge of the drinks.. the you lady could use more training easy.. attitude was not pleasant.. everything was just lightly tossed in front of you.. your straw? And napkins they provided.. she didn't even comeback to check on us to see if we needed any more to drink.. hopefully soon Samara will have drink service to go along with her great food!

Updated review: I was hype when I seen Momma Lynch's…read moreSpecial back on the menu at Rob Ben's Restaurant. I'm not going to lie, I been checking the site waiting for them to bring it back lol. Soon as I saw it, I had to order through DoorDash, and it did NOT disappoint. This plate is a whole feast for real. You get 3 party wings, 3 pieces of fish, 2 pork chops, plus green beans and mac & cheese. Everything came hot, fresh, and smelling good as soon as I opened it. The fish was crispy and seasoned right, not greasy at all. The wings were juicy and full of flavor, and them pork chops? Tender, seasoned all the way through, and cooked just right. Now the sides? Just as fire. The green beans had flavor, not bland like some places be doing, and that mac & cheese was creamy, cheesy, and hitting for real. You can tell they put love into this food. Portions is solid too. They not being stingy at all. Definitely worth the money. I'm glad they brought this back because yeah... I'm running this order back again real soon.

I hadn't eaten here in a few years and I must say the food was . I ordered the Momma Lynch which…read morecame with 3 pieces of fried fish, 3 whole fried chicken wings, 2 fried pork chops, 2 sides (greens and red beans and rice) and corn bread. My favorites were the fried fish, greens, and red beans and rice. Everything was fried to perfection. I also had the Skittles cocktail and it was very good. We went when they opened for the day so the restaurant was quiet. Service was fast and our server was friendly and knowledgeable. *Side note - The women's bathroom was spotless.

We stopped by touch of soul to try their food on our way to San Francisco . Touch of soul is…read morelocated within an area where parking is much like downtown street parking but it is plentiful. The location is on a cute little corner and had patio seating . The service is so kind that it makes up for the next part of the review which gives the food a 3/5. The fried shrimp didn't have much seasoning but was crispy. The red beans and rice was a little mushy and had more beans than rice. The potato salad was lacking in flavor. These sides 3/5 I did enjoy the collard greens, cabbage, and the Mac and cheese. My partner said the cabbage should have had some meat in it to make the flavors more robust. I like it without the bacon and meat personally. It caters to a more vegetarian clean eating crowd. If it was in the stock I'm not sure... these sides were a 4/5 The oxtails we ordered was DELICIOUS. Probably some of the best most tender oxtail I could buy from a restaurant . 5/5!!

My experience with this restaurant has been inconsistent, but my most recent catering order was…read moreextremely disappointing. The first time I visited, it was late in the evening and they had already sold out of several items. The food I did try was average at best--about a 2.5/5. The second time, I went with someone who knew the owner, and the experience was completely different. Everything was excellent--easily a 5/5. Based on that visit, I felt confident enough to place a large catering order for a Black History Month event at my job. I ordered yams, dressing with gravy, greens, mac & cheese, fried catfish, fried chicken, cornbread, peach cobbler, and German chocolate cake. The total came to $590, which I paid immediately after confirming via text. I requested that the food be ready by 2 PM since the event started at 3 PM. When I arrived, nothing was ready. There was also confusion about my order--they initially only prepared one dessert, even though I was charged for both cobbler and cake. I had to show proof of my order to resolve that. As the food slowly became available, I was handed trays one at a time with no assistance, meaning I had to carry everything to my car by myself. On top of that, the cornbread I ordered was never provided. The food wasn't fully ready until around 3 PM, which caused delays for my event. Unfortunately, the quality didn't match my previous experience either. The fried catfish pieces were extremely small--more like nuggets than full portions. The dressing was undercooked and even had large turkey bones in it, which was unacceptable. The greens had excessive liquid, which I had to drain before transporting them. Overall, this was a frustrating and disappointing experience. Order accuracy was a 1/5, timeliness and service (including lack of assistance) was a 1/5, and food quality was about a 2.5/5. Based on this experience, I will not be returning. For catering orders or anything from a local soul food restaurant I'd highly recommend Ys Choice.

So glad there is a DoorDash pickup option to enjoy this restaurant when I don't have "cash only"…read moredining as an option. I had to try the Fried Chicken and I got the breast meat. It was flavorful, delicious and tender. It came with a couple eggs, a couple biscuits and I did the hash browns as my side. I love sweet potato pie and cheesecake so I had to order the sweet potato cheesecake and it was amazing. The food was ready in about 15 minutes and the lady helping me was friendly and provided good customer service. I love the decor with all the photos of all the folks that have enjoyed Lois' food. Looking forward to returning:)

I hate leaving negative reviews, but unfortunately I have to be honest about my experience…read more I ordered the macaroni and cheese, short ribs, yams, and rice with gravy on Father's Day and spent about $57. Out of everything I ordered, only the fish trom the second plate was decent. The rice was extremely hard, as if it wasn't cooked properly. The gravy had an unpleasant taste and ended up being poured over everything, including the macaroni and cheese, which made it difficult to enjoy. The yams were cut into huge chunks with little care or presentation. The biggest disappointment was the short ribs. The meat quality was very poor, with an unpleasant taste and texture that made it nearly impossible to eat. I was genuinely shocked by how bad it was. For the amount of money I spent, I expected much better quality, preparation, and presentation. Nothing was separated properly, and the meal felt rushed and carelessly put together. I am very disappointed, especially since this was supposed to be a Father's Day meal. I wanted to support this business, but based on this experience, I cannot justify spending $57 for food of this quality. I hope this feedback is taken seriously so improvements can be made in the future

I can't speak to the ambiance of the establishment as I had take out…read more There was a wait, but not extremely long. The brisket was delicious albeit a little fatty. The BBQ sauce was phenomenal. The baked beans were fine. The Mac and cheese was OK. I would go back and try something different like links and collards. Overall good.

Food is EXCELLENT however, trying to order from them is a nightmare. They always have to close…read moreordering because they get so busy. I tried ordering yesterday and the ordering was closed at about 11:30 a.m. Because of this I ordered a day early (through Uber Eats). I keep getting updates but wanted to call the store to confirm. Glad I did because they didn't have the order and now at noon the ordering is closed for two hours. They should hire a couple of people just for take out orders for an order for four. After this it will be a while before I order again if at all. Update: at 1:00 they cancelled the order I placed at approximately 11:30 am. Second day in a row- you can't pay me to order from here again. Bad services ruins good food. Update two: I called them to express my frustration and sheer disappointment she listen said she would check on it - took my number and said she would call me back within 10 minutes. If I got a call the person reading this got one as well!!! If I wasn't done with them I definitely am now.

Homeroom is a popular Mac and Cheese spot. It was indeed, yummy as anticipated. They have a few…read moreoptions on the menu that elevate the classic food. It was filling. Thank you to our server, Anthony.

TLDR: 50 minute wait between sitting down to getting your food. Don't visit thinking this is a…read morequick drop by kind of place. While this visit was in between the lunch and dinner rush, unfortunately I think they are understaffed because at the time we sat down there was only 1 person who was busing tables and taking orders. As a result, it took a while for them to be able to stop by our table and provide water, take our order, etc. There was quite a long wait between sitting down to ordering to actually receiving our food. By the time we had actually received our food, almost an hour had passed. While we were waiting, a few other servers eventually joined, but service was still pretty bare for us and we never received refills on water or plates to eat off of when we received our food. I understand that staffing and a backup in the kitchen are out of the staff's control, but it would've definitely helped for us to know in advance how long to expect to wait to align our expectations and arrange our plans for the day. Would advise giving customers a quick heads up/warning because that on its own would've made a big difference. As for the actual food, we ordered the mac trio with elote mac, chicken pot pie mac, and kogi short rib mac (for an extra fee). The elote mac was the best and most flavorful, the short rib mac was okay but not amazing or worth the extra money, and the chicken pot pie mac was very bland/flavorless and didn't have much chicken in it. The food didn't feel like it warranted the wait time and because of that I would not return.