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Paula's Soul Cafe

3.1 (216 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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Reviews With Photos - Paula's Soul Cafe

Menu
Kisha V.

I called 31 min before closing and place my order. I was 4 min away. Staff was friendly and helpful. Food is freshly made in the kitchen and kitchen is visible. It's a clean small location. It's best you order your food and take it to go. When I went Saturday I believed I was over charged on my meal. I had purchased a fish and shrimp meal and my total had came up to $20.12. I went Sunday afternoon and got a Tilapia meal with 2 sides which came with corn bread for $16.31. Im upset for the disloyal service I was provided by staff. But its my fault because I should of ask for my receipt on Saturday. Overall they food is delicious and season well. It could be a 10 to 20 min wait on your food buts it's definitely worth the visit.

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 .

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.

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.

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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10 years ago

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7 years ago

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6 years ago

Absolutely phenomenal. I can't recommend this spot enough. I'll go out of my way any day to return here.

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5 years ago

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6 years ago

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6 years ago

Its a small place but the food is amazing. The turkey wings are the best. Everything was fresh.

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9 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

Poor phone Service takes way to long to get a response unbelievable wenna say for the most part wouldn't do it

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10 years ago

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7 years ago

The food is excellent hands down. Real home cooked. Seasoned just right The service is a little slow, but it's worth the wait.

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7 years ago

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Ask the Community - Paula's Soul Cafe

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My daughter and I dropped in for brunch two Saturday's ago. She ordered the fried catfish sandwich…read moreand it is amazing!! I was so mad I didn't get it. She also had the Arnold Palmer, which was great. Comes with fries which were good. I had the oxtail, with a side of garlic mash and Mac n cheese. Yes! Lots of carbs, don't judge me! lol The oxtail were pretty fatty and fell short in flavor, I also wasn't impressed by the sides. My drink, sexy sangria was delicious, strong and the service was A1, Brian was great and so was the server. Sampled the hot sauce, very good. My one critique of the establishment, smelled a little like wet mop. But the playlist was bumping and overall great vibes, love the art on the walls.

I highly recommend making a reservation. The restaurant is small and very crowded, and we overheard…read morea walk-in wait time of about two and a half hours. The space and volume seemed to overwhelm the staff at times. Service was friendly and welcoming but also frazzled and disorganized. We never received our appetizer until we reminded them, and our drinks (sweet tea and lemonade) also had to be requested again after a very long wait. To their credit, they did pack up the crab cake appetizer to go and removed it from the bill, which we appreciated. The fried chicken, mac and cheese, and yams were all served on top of each other. If you dont like for your food to touch, this place will be a nightmare for you. I ordered fried catfish, collard greens and potato salad. The fried catfish was served swimming in collard green juice (there's a picture of it). It was also surprising that you only get one piece of catfish, which felt underwhelming for the price, especially since it was soggy. The potato salad was served in a small separate bowl, which is typical in many Southern restaurants for ALL side dishes. The mac and cheese had good flavor but the cheese wasn't fully melted. The yams were dry and not very sweet despite the menu description. The collard greens were on the sweeter side, which may work for some but wasn't my preference. The potato salad the only thing that was solid. Overall, it felt overpriced for the portion sizes and execution. The bartender seemed very skilled, and the drinks we saw being made looked great, though we didn't order any. After the long wait and missing appetizer, we skipped dessert and went elsewhere. The bathroom also needed attention and was not well maintained AT ALL! Ew The restaurant is very loud which didn't bother me at all but an FYI. It is also handicapped accessible and kid friendly. I really wanted to love the experience, but it fell below expectations in terms of service, cleanliness, and value. I might give them another try but no time soon.

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Melba's Special Delivery or PickUp Dinner Menu from Our Kitchen to the Comfort of Your Home.
Melba's Special Delivery or PickUp Dinner Menu from Our Kitchen to the Comfort of Your Home.
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Melba's Dinner Menu
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Yes!!!! The food is amazing and the sweet potato pies are top tier. I love that they are served…read moremini. I love their sweet potatoes and Mac n cheese. Why?! Because they literally go together. The Mac is cheesy and cooked exactly how I want it to taste. It sticks together and is never burnt on top. But I have tried the potato salad (a hit for sure), collard greens (seasoned to perfection), and the sweet potato fries (which I don't like, because I don't really care for a sweet potato fry. But they are steak cut and glazed with a sweet yet light glaze). As for the meats: I've had the fried catfish, catfish bites, beef ribs, fried chicken breast, baked chicken breast, fried chicken wings (BBQ & Jerk), and the salmon, crabcakes, and the ultimate feast. Oh and I've had their chicken strips. By far my favorite and frequently ordered are the catfish bites and chicken strips. Just know that this restaurant used to be a sit down intimate spot with a catering hall a few doors down. But since CoVid, it has become solely takeout and delivery by the apps. So, you won't get a full dining experience and will have to pay for a certain kind of packaging. For instance, if you don't want your food to touch or leak into other food the. Order separate packages and they will do it. This place has iced tea and lemonade that are divine. The customer service not be the absolute best if you walk in. Because they are always busy and inundated with orders which is a good sign. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the cornbread! My Lawd. It's thick and delicious.

Ordered the catfish meal it was salty and came with collard greens and potatoe salad. Which was…read morealso okay. The service was good ordered catfish strips with Mac and cheese.

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Inside
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Cornbread
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Jacob Soul Food

Jacob Soul Food

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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.

Jacob's is always a good idea! Fresh, buffet style, food by the pound made with love. On a nice…read moreday, we always grab our food and sit in the outdoor seating area. Staff is always pleasant and on the weekends, you can catch a live band playing reggae and Afro beats music for customers.

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Buffet line
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Lady’s Seafood & Soul Food

Lady’s Seafood & Soul Food

3.6
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But can we get into this food!???…read more I ordered the Double-Mac w/ Fried Shrimp . Not only did it taste AMAZING, but they have the A1 customer service to match!! #Support this #BLACKOWNED business! I know I'll definitely be coming back for more.

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)

Photos
Fried whiting fish, mac n cheese, and candied yams.
Fried whiting fish, mac n cheese, and candied yams.
BBQ Shrimp and Mac Salad
BBQ Shrimp and Mac Salad
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Stop by to try our bbq chicken with Mac and cheese.

Paula's Soul Cafe - seafood - Updated July 2026

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