Rita was great, very friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and super nice! Would eat here again…read morejust for her.

I'll ride for Rita, she was a great server and was professional and courteous throughout our dinner…read moreexperience. The food was also delicious. Thank you Rita for making our first time at this restaurant an unforgettable experience.

First time at Jays Southern Café and wow... what an experience! Vi was a whole vibe--super sweet,…read morefriendly, and really helped my hubby and me decide on what to order since it was our first visit. She made us feel right at home. Now let's talk food... the brisket was out of this world! Tender, flavorful, and just the right amount of smokiness. Paired with the coleslaw (so fresh and delicious) and their BBQ sauce that was sweet but not overpowering, the whole combo was dynamite. I even had to snap a "before" pic of the plate--and let's just say the "after" pic didn't survive because it was THAT good! They were out of dessert during our visit, but I'll definitely be back to try that cinnamon and lemon pound cake that customers around us were raving about. Big shoutout to Vi and to Penelope (I believe she was the cook that day) for serving up not just a meal, but an experience. The layout was super cool and very clean. I never knew this place was in Alpine but I found my new barbecue spot. Definitely come and support as they are a hidden gem We'll 100% be back soon--thanks again for the warm hospitality and amazing food!

Hey, Yelp Community! If you're looking for the BEST BBQ and Soul Food restaurant in East County,…read moreJay's Southern Cafe is the go-to spot. My brisket sandwich with a special BBQ sauce was hands down the most amazing brisket sandwich I've had. OMG, that BBQ sauce was an added yummy flavorful touch along with the fresh creamy coleslaw...the combo sooo finger-lickin' good. The young man's customer service was top notch with a smile. I didn't have to wait. Thank you!! Whenever you're in the area, you have to stop by to eat some delicious authentic Southern food and support a local family-owned business. It's Alpine BEST kept foodie secret.

I used Grub Hub to have my food delivered so I didn't visit the restaurant. But what was delivered…read morewas excellent. Everything was flavorful and for take out size it was plentiful. I will definitely dine at the restaurant even if that means driving from South San Diego to Carlsbad just to get delicious soul food.

The BBQ here is the real deal, and don't miss the sides and cornbread. The Carlsbad location is…read morewhere we've primarily done takeout from.

Riding my bicycle from Huntington Beach to San Diego, with a night in Oceanside halfway in between…read more Looking for something solid for sustenance, because my health app. told me I burned 2,600 calories today. Hence, my menu readout: Appetizer: Mac 'n Cheese Main: Porkchop Dessert: Banana Pudding Service was outstanding, food was great, and the vibe was very O'side. Five outta Five, would recommend!

Second vist and just as great! This time we ordered the…read morebruschetta...it is not your normal bruschetta...it is an amazing combination of marscapone, peaches, honey, and a balsamic glaze on top of toasted ciabatta bread. For dinner I ordered the tri-tip sando. It was excellent but the chimichurri was a bit too strong so I wasn't able to taste much of anything else...the hubs liked it more than I did. The hubs ordered the Pig burger. Two patties...one beef and one pork with bacon jam, white cheddar and bread/butter pickles. The patties were cooked perfectly and the sweet bacon jam was a perfect addition (I'll be ordering this next visit) Both sandwiches came with thin sliced fries. We sat at the bar and Sean was again our server...very attentive and friendly!

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!

Superior Soul Food truly lives up to its name! I said that delicious food -- The menu is packed…read morewith bangs like: * Mac & Cheese * Yams * Greens * Red Beans & Rice * Catfish * Fried Chicken * Chicken Tenders * Steak * Cornbread Everything is seasoned just right and tastes like real home-cooked soul food and you can taste the love in every bite. If you're craving comfort food done right -- this is the spot! Highly recommend!

Ok, who's mama is in that kitchen cooking up a storm?! Within seconds after shutting the car door…read morewith the prized goods inside, the mouth-watering smells filled the entire car. I could not wait to get home! It brought back such wonderful childhood memories.... To start, we followed the ordering instructions on the website - online ahead of arrival. This is SUPER important since only street parking is available. The communication from the business is great - email receipt, email order confirmation, and a text message also with order confirmation, pickup timeframe, and, as noted, we texted them when we arrived and they delivered curbside (or, at the fence/sidewalk) with a smile (we saw it in their eyes!). The Buffalo Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders was a new twist to an old standard. My husband is somewhat of a chile-head and he liked them. He said he felt a bit of a kick and he noticed the lemon too. We both had the greens.. ooh wee! Smoky, tender, and with a little kick in the pants - just like I remember from childhood at congregation get-togethers. I had the Signature Tenders, which were so well seasoned and perfectly cooked, like I'm sitting at their kitchen table. Don't forget the mac and cheese! Well, there are no words; try it for yourself. We absolutely LOVED our food and can't wait to order again. If you want or need a comfy, home-cooked meal, look no further! You will feel cozy soon enough after eating dinner from here!

The best soul food in San Diego!! We've attended their Low Tide Market popups twice now and every…read moretime we've been blown away. We've had their lobster mac and cheese, peach cobbler, shrimp and grits, and banana pudding. My favorites have been the shrimp and grits and peach cobbler, so rich and full of flavor in every bite! They're trying to open up a restaurant and I'm excited to try them when they do.

I was so excited to see that Mama Green's was going to be popping up at the Low Tide market in…read morePacific Beach. I was afraid they would sell out before I got there but I was able to get their shrimp and grits and the strawberry pound cake slice. The shrimp and grits were so flavorful! Perfect. And the pound cake was delicious as well. Highly recommend that you stop by their next pop up or when the restaurant reopens!

I decided to place an order for the first time with Clara's kitchen. I was craving mac and greens…read more I came across her on Yelp. OMG , 10/10 !!! Im tearing it up as I type this . So happy I found her on Yelp . As a SD native soul food is hard to find especially ones open later or even on Sundays ! Can't wait to try more of her food ! Thank you !!

OMG I tried Clara's for the first time and it was AMAZING. Flavorful and delicious, generous…read moreportions, and incredibly kind service. Forgot to get a pic of the greens and beans but they were also delicious!

How have I walked by this place dozens of times and never tried it out? We went last night and we…read morewere blown away. Even though it was 6:15 on a Saturday night, we were able to be sat right away. As soon as we walked in, someone greeted us and showed us to our table. Our server immediately got us waters and asked if we wanted anything else to drink (wife and I both got some delicious beers that they had on tap). We had our little one in tow with us and they were so accommodating to him! As soon as we were ready, our server took our order. We got: Chowder "frots" (fries and tots mixed in with some New England clam chowder, bacon, onions, cheese, and other goodies) 10/10, would definitely order again. My wife got the lobster roll with a side of clam chowder. Loaded with lobster, but you do pay the price. Labeled as market price, this was almost $40. Delicious, but not worth it in our opinion. 6.5/10. Pan roast (house specialty which came with shredded crab, shrimp, clams, and muscles). This, topped with rice, was heavenly. Better than any pan roast I've had. Came out ripping hot as it should. My wife was envious of my dish. 10/10 From the kids menu we also ordered the chicken Alfredo. My kid loved it, but my wife and I both had a bite and wow, we would've ordered that for ourselves it was so good. 10/10. We can't wait to come back just for the food. On top of that, however, service was above and beyond. The servers and everyone in the restaurant were so accommodating to us and our child and made us feel so, so welcome. We would come back even if the food was bad, solely for the service we received. Vibes we great, decoration on the walls look like they hired an artist to paint it. They had two TV's behind the bar / prep area that was showing NBA and PGA which I'll never complain about. All around 10/10 experience.

Weekend dinner, pretty open seating, nice decor…read more Menu is various seafood item ranging from po boys to pan roasts. Ordered the shrimp po boy,pan roast, and kids macaroni and cheese. Po boy had nice crispy shrimp on a fresh roll. Comes with a side of fries. Pan roast was a nice creamy broth with shrimp mussels and crab. Comes with a side of rice. Mac and cheese was a pretty big portion for a kid, really cheesy and rich. Overall pretty good meal and surprisingly pretty affordable considering the cost of seafood. Service was attentive. Would recommend.

Ok first of all, I don't believe the negative reviews. Sounds like petty complaints…read more I've lived in Menifee for 25 years, and am so happy there is finally some culture and great soul food in this town! This place is amazing! We had the filet of sole, fried shrimp, corn bread, red beans and rice, gumbo, which all were so fresh and amazing flavor! Great atmosphere. The food did take a while to prepare which tells me it's fresh and made to order. The manager Miss Ann is a very nice lady and knows the business. We highly recommend and will definitely be back very soon! A must try!

We were really disappointed with our recent visit to Fishbone in Menifee. We ordered the fish and…read moreshrimp dinner, and unfortunately neither tasted freshly fried. The shrimp and fish both tasted old, and the fish had a very unpleasant consistency. We also ordered the red beans and rice, which was another letdown. The rice was undercooked and crunchy, while the beans were extremely salty. For the price, it was frustrating to end up throwing most of the food away. What makes this even more disappointing is that we've been here before and had a great experience, so we know they can do better. Sadly, after this visit, we will not be returning.