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    Paula's Soul Cafe

    3.1 (214 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood, Soul Food
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Paula's Soul Cafe Takeout or Delivery

    Paula's Soul Cafe Photos

    PAULA'S SOUL CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Paula's Soul Cafe

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    Yams, macaroni and cheese, catfish (2 pieces)
    Candice S.

    Cute little spot. This definitely isn't a bring the family and sit down for dinner restaurant but it's a nice grab and go place. The macaroni and cheese wasn't my favorite but the yams and seafood were great. The seafood is cooked once you order it, so be prepared to wait.

    Me asking for mac and cheese and telling them if that wasn't doable cancel my order, but here it is still with these stale fries.
    Breanna S.

    Update: This place DOES NOT follow directions and needs to take fries "chips" off the menu if this is the quality they serve. First and foremost I saw that Mac and cheese and fries cost the same so idk what was wrong with me asking for them to be swapped out. I also wrote in a message through Doordash if they couldn't comply with the request simply cancel the order which is clear as day on the receipt they apparently received. My order was processed so I thought they had done the substitution, when I got it, still fries *eye roll* and just like I suspected and was trying to avoid, they're STALE. You cannot chew through these bland, rubbery things. It's unacceptable and inedible, this is not a matter of taste, it just shouldn't be served to a paying customer period!! Lost my business

    This was half the short rib meal for lunch the next day.. so good.
    Frankie M.

    I stopped coming here because of the attitude of the counter staff years ago. I'm glad I decided to try them again. The current ladies are nice and courteous, at least the 3 times I went in the past 2 weeks. I ordered the short ribs with yams & mac and cheese. I would like to try the seafood options, but saw the recent reviews state they take forever to answer the phone. Not all their menu items show up on GrubHub and it's better for a small business to get the business directly. I have only waited 5 min to get in and order from the food upfront. I will definitely visit again soon.

    Food
    Jill U.

    Small in and out restaurant located on e233 by the 2 train. The food is decent. I would return but only if they have a promotion. The staff seem to be underpaid as they have major RBF. Not welcoming at all. A male who seemed to be owner or manager was pretty much telling everyone what to do but they were all busy. Definitely something he could of done himself since all he was doing was talking. It's challenging running a business but always remember without your staff you can't do run it successfully .

    I really want to say good things about Paulas Soul Food because the folks there are do nice but it's so hard since one day the food is half decent and the next time you go it seems someone who can't cook made the food. Also they never have full size whitings as you can see they sell fish nuggets for full size prices.

    Omar Bailey has let this place dwindle excessively. During the pandemic as most places prices went up. If you want a turkey wing in addition to your $18 rib meal then you'll have to pay an additional $4. That's the flat piece with the non meat part attached just to be visually explicit. The corn bread is more flat than not. Maybe they trying to show no yeast or something but it doesn't rise. The worst disappointment must be the Mac n Cheese. There's a layer of cheese on top of noodles that no one knows how are stuck together. This is not a representation of Soul Food. We still support the business Mr. Omar Bailey, come down up from Hackensack to the Bronx a little more and check on the quality of the food, the product that you're giving to our neighborhood. If it's busy and the little southern lady is serving your food there's a good chance she'll mess up your food/order so you have to watch her and assist when necessary. I've seen her prep a whole order then give a completely different bag. Saw this twice myself. Additionally, she will definitely send an incorrect order to your house. Good luck on trying to get Paula's (now called Sade's) back on the phone. When the little southern lady finally pics up the phone and says Paula's please hold and puts the phone down.

    Cornbread, Candied Yams, Ribs, Oxtails Dinner, Rice and Beans, Collard Greens
    Joanna V.

    Shaniqua is amazing!! The food is delicious, like a Thanksgiving feast!! Oxtail, Yams and Cornbread are my faves :D

    Cornbread
    Karma B.

    This is my second time here, I'm not a fan of anyone else's turkey wings besides my grandmothers (may she Rest In Peace) but i decided to give it a try these actually weren't that bad.. the ribs i felt needed some more sauce i felt like i tasted salt and a hint of bbq sauce but i expect ribs to have sauceee lol the meat itself was very soft and easy to chew which i appreciate. The greens need more seasoning or something ..to me they were blandish. The candied yams were actually good.. the cornbread was good (they give you cornbread on the side.. i mean what's soul food with no cornbread right?) Mac and cheese was good, overall I'll be back next time but for some seafood. The place is rather small, i wish they had more seating available but overall i do recommend this place and I'll be back! It's very small and in between stores so don't squint too much or else you'll miss it.

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    4 years ago

    The fish is delicious; there has never been a time that it was off. I highly recommend the catfish. The portions are perfect.

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    Ask the Community - Paula's Soul Cafe

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    @sylvias is a nice classic spot for some good soul food! It's been around since the 1960s. I got…read morethe mac and cheese, rice, and catfish which were all delicious! Everything was tasty and flavorful. Their corn bread was divine as well as their peach cobbler! Service was quick and efficient, we were seated quickly and our food also came out quickly. The server also suggested certain things and gave good suggestions. They said to get the cat fish instead of the other fish dish, since the other fish would have bones. This place is busy, but there is plenty of seating available and this place is huge. It was kind of hard to track down the waiter for the check, since it gets busier later in the evening. Sylvia also has her own sauce which they served, and that you can also find in supermarkets. Price: $30-40 Rating: 8.5/10

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    7.3 mi•Harlem
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    We were hungry after going back to school shopping on 125th Jacob's is on a corner on Lenox and…read more129th st. I cannot believe k have never encountered this place!! They have outdoor seating where you can take your food after you pay and eat. It's per pound and cheaper if you pay in cash 10.99 if you use credit or debit. It's a great deal considering most places are $14 per lb and up. they have a large selection of soul food, and salads and fresh fruit. They have a fridge with desserts like sweet potato pie etc. they are always replenishing so the food is fresh. There is also indoor seating and there was an old school three piece band playing r and b hits from the golden age. They were amazing and added to the ambiance. Service was good and to the point the place seemed very popular I'll be back again soon. Hopefully the band is there! Don't forget to tip them!

    We were very excited to go to sisters but it was closed. We almost settled for this other spot…read morearound the corner, but we arrived and I hesitated. It looked a little too sterile and new, so we stood in the rain while i maintained my stubborn ways, in pursuit of whatever it was that I wanted that I could not exactly put into words. Everything was looking too expensive, too clean and fake, or there were no options for dine in, and we needed to sit our wet butts down and take cover from the rain. My phone was ready to give out from the rain, I'm tilting it up towards the sky, trying to keep raindrops from landing on the screen when I finally scroll to Jacob restaurant. My heart starts to flutter upon realizing we've found a soul food hot bar buffet, only half a mile away. We are overly excited and pack our platters so high that we actually have to tell ourselves to calm down. I'm reminded of when I was a child and my dad would take me to the Wegmans hot bar where I'd run up a tab for $15 worth of steamed white rice. But not today, today there is salmon, curry goat, collard greens, mac and cheese, black eyed peas, candied yams, and green beans. It was exactly the kind of snake meal we needed to end a long weekend of biking all over New York. Everything was hot, well seasoned and made with love. We watched the world cup as it poured rain, we left happy and ready to go home, but I feel grateful knowing I have a spot I would love to return to whenever I'm in New York again. We took banana pudding to go and ate it on our bus ride home while debriefing all the fun we had.

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    Arrived at 1:15 PM, they allegedly open at 1pm, and falsely advertise lunch specials from 1-4pm on…read moretheir menu. I thought they were closed, as the lights were off and it looked empty. The door was unlocked and when I got inside, it was dark and there was one employee present, with his head down. He then asked me if it was 1pm several times like he's not even tracking the time/ no device or watch near him, then I'm like it's 1:15pm. He is the only employee present (basically cashier, cook & anything else). I asked him about the lunch specials and to clarify which meals the deal applied to, he pointed to a chalk board with a bunch of options, I chose one from the list. Claimed order would take about 5 mins, took 15 extra minutes, made me late to work. Then when the food came out, it was $30 and the 2nd employee who had come in (late) claimed they didn't have the lunch deal anymore. I clarified that I asked the person cooking in the back (only other person there) when I arrived SPECIFICALLY about which meals the deal applied to and he gave me the choices on the board. She then looked around with a dumb look like she was confused, despite him just having given me that misinformation and he stayed quiet in the back. She basically just said well this is how much it is, expecting me to pay $30 for a meal they falsely advertised as a lunch deal. Kindly left the whole order there and said I'll talk to Yelp. Don't advertise a deal from 1-4pm and have it in writing and have employees confirming it exists and then once the food is made, expect someone to be SCAMMED and pressured into paying full price. Very disorganized, unprofessional and dishonest. What kind of business has employees forgetting to open, sleeping in the dark, other employee showing up even more late and then falsely advertises a lunch deal and the employees aren't even on the same page on whether or not it exists. Feel like they were trying to take advantage and exploit me for my $, despite it being their mistake and expecting me to just pay like a clown. Ridiculous I was late back to work, despite it being a 2 min walk from my job and me being the first customer there, 15 mins after opening. Just to not even get any food and starve all day because they advertise a lunch deal to pull people in and then charge them full price like SCAMMERS. STAY AWAY AND SAVE YOURSELF THE WASTED TIME AND EMPTY STOMACH. Love supporting my Black businesses but the few that operate like they're doing somebody a favor, or serving a free plate, need to learn what being a business looks like. (& that's for all businesses not just Black ones but still)

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    Paula's Soul Cafe - seafood - Updated September 2026

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