Trash, Awful, Terrible, BAIT AND SWITCH. I saw the Instagram which made the food look good but this is far from good. The name "Soul Boat" definitely lured me in but instead I got canned greens and uncandid yams. I was beyond disappointed the moment I walked in but decided to give them a shot anyway because I was hungry. My wife and I ordered the following: Whiting Fish Platter, Shrimp Platter, along with fried Calamari. The platters come with two sides. The whiting platter I ordered I chose collard greens and candid yams. You can tell the greens came out the can. The amount of stems and blandness annoyed me from the first bit. The candid yams have nothing sweet about them. The fish was unseasoned can tasted like a filet that was just dumped in a deep fryer and pulled out. I threw most of this away outside of the fish. My wife ordered the shrimp platter with mac and cheese and greens. The shrimp are LARGE. Same problem with the greens. The Mac & Cheese just wasn't giving. I also ordered a side of Calamari. I took one bite and the trash that went as well. This didn't appear to be seasoned or cooked as well. The food here is awful. No clue how people eat here. Living off the soul name is ridiculous as mostly everything felt like it came out of a can. I'll never come back here and I'd advise you save your time and money. The only thing good about this place is the staff and the fancy bags your food comes in. I do not recommend. read more

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I'm glad they closed permanently. They need to be.I walked in on the guy sneezing on his hands and still putting the chicken in the batter like it didn't even matter. read more

Recently had first Door Dash order, which I found to be uneventful. The chicken was fine, as chicken goes. I felt the macaroni was definitely box macaroni without "any help" whatsoever, and the yams were barely passable for me. I gave the food away to my friend. Can you eat it? Sure, but don't expect to get visions of your elders cooking in the back like on Thanksgiving. That's not what the experience is at all. read more

Soul Boat - Fried Chicken Leg and Thigh Platter - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

The food is delicious and it's cheaper than Atlantic seafood it's worth the money! It's also nice and quiet and quick service read more

This is a great spot for your quick food fix! My homie grabbed the 3 piece whiting with 3 piece wings platter and I copped some Honey Lemon Pepper and Wings with Mumbo Sauce. Delicious! Fall through. read more

Soul Boat - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

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The best. I went last night with my friend and I got the salmon (which my friend recommended), the mac n cheese and collard greens. I also got the Oreo cake at the end. I go to a lot of high end restaurants and that was one of the best salmons I've had in a long time. It was high end taste and high end quality. I was blown away. Everything was perfect and the collard greens were the best I've had in a long time, maybe ever. This is my go to. read more

Soul Boat - Oreo cake. - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

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Great restaurant for a quick pick up fish meal. The food is pretty good and they offer a lot of great sides.

The fried fish at the Soul boat is always very good. Can't ever go wrong by getting it . however the fried shrimp is not good at all, but the service is always good and when I'm in the area. I love getting the fried fish. read more

Really good fish it was seasoned to perfection tastes light and non greasy. The onion rings were good too! Not mushy and a nice crunch. Service was fast. The corn bread was a hit with me. The ambiance wasn't bad for a carry out. I do recommend that you try the fish. read more

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Writing this review is hard! I watched as the restaurant went up, opened it doors, and survived the first wave of COVID-19. I kept thinking I hope this black owned business makes it and was happy to have it in my back yard. We decided to place an order and give it a try. I was a little suspicious when I saw the variety of items on the menu, but thought this place must know what they are doing. Offering fried fish, collard greens, gizzards, turkey wings, and more! Upon arrival, I learned the business is not a black owned business and I was instantly disappointed! There is someone trying to benefit off of the cultural title of Soul Food! Soul Food is a generational, it is relational, it is emotional, it speaks to your spirit and soul hints the name Soul Food! This was none of that! It was an imposter trying to take on the moniker and essence of something that cannot be replicated. Someone trying to take yet another thing from the rich culture of the lock community. The fish did not have flavor, onion rings were soggy and not breaded well. The sweet potato pie was blah and crust moist. The fries were okay, greens too disappointing to even try, and yellow cake was a no! The corn was off too, my two year old gave it a strong pass! Unfortunately, nothing was a homer to me! It does offer variety and quick service, but it misses all the marks of flavor and speaking to your soul! There are other places like MidAtlantic Seafood that I would prefer, because it seems more authentic and you know up front what you are getting versus a "branding" attempt gone wrong. read more

Soul Boat - Fish and fries - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

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I've been watching this space for a while, since I often visit the Aldi in the big shopping center across Route 1. Saw the lights on and gave it a try. Small spot in a small strip. All the tables are pushed back against the wall for carry out only, plastic partitions up to the ceiling and a bottle of hand sanitizer on the counter. Masks on all staff, gloves on the cooks. Refrigerated case in front full fresh filets, and a smaller one with deserts. Unexpectedly given the name, the staff all appear to be Asian. Obvious choice is fried fish. Very fresh, just enough batter to be crisp, unseasoned black eye peas a bit overcooked, cabbage substituted for sold out greens. Large serving size. Decent deal for $11 but not up to Mid-Atlantic quality. Wings, fried chicken, and a few meat dishes also available. Delivery by Über, Doordash, and Grubhub. read more

Soul Boat - Front with Grand Opening banner - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

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First time visiting as I was in the area great customer service, very helpful restaurant has a tv which is a plus. A few tables if you wanna dine in. Could use a bit of a make over but overall good experience. Food was fresh hot and flavorful I didn't really like the sausage too much tho or the crab sticks. I might visit again if I'm in the area. read more

My first time and well decent for a quick take out. I will say the black eye peas were delish. However they need to clean a bit more. Its well lol makes me not want to look around just pick up and go. Because of that.. this place will be my last grab and go choice. read more

Hadn't eaten all day and decided to take a second chance on Soul Boat for Sunday dinner. I ordered the oxtail with yams and Mac and cheese. Nothing on my plate had any flavor to say the least. Cooked well however, very bland. Yams literally had no sugar, vanilla, no flavor what so ever. The Mac and cheese taste worse then box Mac and cheese. I'm very disappointed with my meal and will not visit this restaurant to eat ever again. I will mention that their customer service is up to par, the lady at the front is very nice and has no issues explaining anything. I just wish they'd season their food. Would make the difference. Best of luck Soul Boat! read more

Soul Boat - Oxtail Platter Dinner - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

Following yelp ratings, we were lured in by huge menu. Was expecting southern soul food, not Seoul food. No customers in restaurant when we arrived. We placed our order only to be told the two items we requested were not available. We ordered alternative items, wings (very small) and fried shrimp (very large and heavily breaded). Greens and Peas were the best items we ate! Might try again if in the area, but we live quite far away. read more

There appears to be "soul food "restaurants popping up all over the area. Some of them are sketchy, and we normally stick to what we know. Mid-Atlantic seafood is normally our go to, but this day we did not feel like waiting. I looked at the menu, and my grandmother definitely wanted to try some of the traditional southern cuisine items she grew up. This little carry-out, definitely exceeded my expectations. Not only did they expedite my meal in less than 15 minutes, due to me sending the order to the wrong location. But they did not skip on flavor. We are always looking for places that sell fish cooked to order due to us not wanting the smell in the home. We definitely will return. read more

I had high hopes for this place, after seeing some mixed reviews on Facebook. Unfortunately, I ended up being very disappointed. This is a small takeout style shop, with plexiglass all across the counter and a little door for handing out food. Everyone had on masks and they had 6 ft markers on the floor. Wasn't worried about COVID safety, but still walked to my car to wait after I ordered. The best things we had were the onion rings, which were on point and super crispy, and the cornbread which was super tasty. I would rate the Mac & Cheese at like a 7/10, not the best but respectable. As for the fish, it was fried well and perfectly cooked, but lacked any semblance of seasoning. It was super disappointing, I couldn't even fix it by adding hot sauce, it was that bland. And as far as the "sandwich" on white bread goes... well you can see for yourself. I figured a catfish sandwich would come assembled, with some kind of sauce, maybe some tomato or lettuce, but they literally put a piece of catfish and two slices of bread in the box. I thought it was some kind of joke at first. This place isn't *bad* but it isn't something worth going back to regularly. I'm most likely to pass if I want soul food, or drive further to get something more legit. read more

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The ox tail was delicious. The gravy sauce complimented the ox tail so well. The white rice with the gravy sauce on top was amazing. The mac n cheese was pretty good as well. A little dry but it did have flavor. The wings were good as well. Flavorful. French fries were descent. French fries that you would expect for any carry out type spot. Overall the food was good. I would def come back for that ox tail. So darn good! read more

Soul Boat - Ox tail with gravy sauce on top of white rice w side of Mac n cheese. - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

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So...I was very hesitant to try this place out based on previous reviews, but I thought...what the heck, let me see for myself what this place is about! My "friend" mentioned having fried fish for dinner and that idea sounded good!! But due to playing nurse to the kid, I didn't want to venture to my favorite places to get fried fish! Soul Boat is located in a tiny strip mall along Route 1! The parking lot was extra small just as a heads up! Prior to heading there, I located their menu and placed a call to order ahead! I hate waiting on food orders! The young lady who answered the phone was very pleasant and said right away if she could place me on hold to finish taking another order! My first thought was that this was a good sign, they're busy busy! So I placed my order of the 2 piece catfish dinner with french fries and coleslaw! I also ordered 6 honey lemon pepper wings! The young lady gave me the order number which so happened to be the last 4 digits of my phone number! LoL When I arrived my order was ready to go! Clean transaction with no incidents! However, the food is just blah!! The catfish was not very tender and lacked flavor!! The French fries were your standard dry tail crinkle cut fries! I should have asked for the condiment, saltpepperketchup! However I didn't realize it would lack at least salt! So this was a bust!! I also checked out my honey lemon pepper wings! These things were dripping in honey and where was the lemon pepper! I didn't eat much of this food! Such a disappointing order! I will not come back! I will go further for better food!! read more

Soul Boat - Honey lemon pepper wings - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

Will not return to this establishment, if you looking for a soul food experience pass this place not soul food Own and operated by Asian, no issue with Asian but they need a big come up to get this food on the soul food level, don't let the name fool you read more

Soul Boat - Nothing worse the Badly fried fish - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

I dropped in earlier this year for the first time as I had heard good things about this place. As I was in my car putting on my mask, I saw a couple go in and return to their car empty handed; then they pulled off. (Obviously, they weren't waiting for their order. I wondered what turned them off) Well, I went in and only observed Asians behind the counter including the cook, I was turned off too. The business name seems to indicate it is Black owned. It even comes up on a search for African American (AA) restaurants. I highly doubt it is AA owned. The lady at the front window asked if I wanted a free sample. Of course, I said yes. I was sold. The fish is delicious. So was the other food, including greens and potato salad.So, even if it is not AA owned, the food tastes great, and I patronize many non AA businesses, so I would return & recommend this business. read more

Very disappointed this isn't a black owned establishment with the name " Soul Boat" that can definitely be misleading. This is the only reason I came here. Food was just okay. Won't be returning. read more

I got the whitening fish, mac and cheese, green beans, and potato salad. The only thing I didn't like was the mac and cheese, too salty and tasted like flour. The potato salad was almost as good as mine lol. I would go back again if I pass by. read more

Soul Boat - Whiting Fish Macaroni Green Beans Potato Salad - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

Quality soul food for the Laurel area. I appreciate the excellent service and menu variety.

Got carry out here for lunch. I got the lunch special and ordered chicken breast and wing with two sides with sweet tea/lemonade. Everything was delicious and service was friendly. The prices are very reasonable. read more

Soul Boat - Fried chicken wing (already eaten) and chicken breast, Mac and cheese and candy yams . - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

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The fried chicken and Mac and cheese is very good. The catfish nuggets is a miss though. The flounder was decent. The chicken tenders were pretty tasty. read more

Omg, the food is super yummy! I've had their tilapia, Mac and cheese and candied yams and corn bread! Great service too and reasonable prices. My mom got tilapia and Lima beans and candied yam and she said " They put their foot in it." I can't wait to go Back! read more

We got the fried whiting . Also they offered a sample of fish or a side order . The fish was in wonderful , freshly fried and piping hot. The woman behind the counter was cordial and pleasant. I do recommend if you're looking for some decent fried fish. read more

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Great food, ambiance, and service. Really just excellent. Great value!!! I will be coming here again.

This place is good, the chicken wings are dynamite! Super crispy and tender. The Mac and cheese is too salty though, they need to tone it down on the salt I was chugging water like there's no tomorrow after eating that. Otherwise, pretty good. read more

The fried chicken legs were good. The yams and macaroni and cheese were below average.

This place is legit! Reminds me of sitting at Grandma's table on Sunday! We have been yearning for a soul food place for a hot minute and this place definitely lives up to the hype, we will definitely be back! read more

Soul Boat - Oxtail Platter Dinner with Mac'n Cheese and Collards from heaven! - Southern Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

Very impressive! I highly recommend this restaurant! Try the Turkey wIngs w/ gravy; the sides are delicious.

had the flounder lunch special with collard greens and mac and cheese. the collard greens were cooked to the right tenderness. they tasted a little sweet but overall they were ok. the mac and cheese was good. the flounder was very flavorful. the amount of food for the price paid was perfect and i would eat here again. read more

Some of the best lake trout I have had. Wide selection and great taste. Hood service. I will return.

Food has always been good Everything from gizzards to the turkey wings. I really would love to try everything. The mac and yams are definitely worth trying read more

I wanted to like this so much, but the food was terrible. Definitely not seasoned properly, and not black owned. Would not ever eat here again. Had stomach problems after this meal, so I'm guessing something wasn't properly cleaned. I had the fried fish and it was super soggy and lacked seasoning. read more

Tried this spot as I was craving soul food. I ordered online and was surprised that it was run by Asians. The food made my stomach hurt, I couldn't even eat it all and I lost my appetite for a few days. I 100% prefer Mid-Atlantic down the street. There food is always tasty and they don't claim to be serving soul food. read more

Great meals from this place. All around good. Just love the sides the Mac and Chris the bomb. I lover the gravy also.

The drumstick was absolutely phenomenal. It was massive, and cooked to perfection, with juicy white meat and extra crispy skin. Fantastic value for the family meal and the sides were massive! Cornbread was already included. You didn't have to pick it as a side (like no shit we want that CB!) and everything was bomb. read more