Ugh DO NOT GO HERE. Everything about this place was frustrating. It looks super cute from the outside and my friends and I were super excited about trying it out, but the experience was terrible. First, the service is meh. Our server was kind of moody and did not engage with us in conversation... I get that people have bad days, but your job is service... you can't not do your job. Second, they cook your food to order, which is a nice concept, but in reality doesn't work because then you have people waiting for over an HOUR for their food. Also, people who arrived after us were served before us... what's with that? Third, after waiting for over an hour (we were starving at this point), we finally get our food and... there's not much. For the price and time waiting for the food, it was extremely disappointing. I definitely was not full after one dish and we ended up going to the grocery store across the street to grab a snack. The service was bad, the food wasn't exceptional in any way - it wasn't filling or tasty, I definitely recommend NOT going here. P.S. I double check that this was the right restaurant by looking across multiple platforms (google, their website, etc.) read more

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Staying on a sixties and seventies note, Soul Cafe is a fab independent cafe that's clearly in thrall to the great voices of soul. There's old record sleeves, photos and soul memorabilia plastered all over the walls and you can expect to hear everyone from Aretha Franklin, Al Green and Bettye LaVette to Dusty Springfield flowing from the stereo. The sweet soul vibes extends to the staff - who couldn't be friendlier and more accommodating if they tried. I knocked a glass of fresh orange juice over on my last visit and they simply laughed, mopped it up and replaced it - for free. To top it off, the food and drink at Soul Cafe is cheap and cheerful and includes everything from great all day breakfasts to burgers, sandwiches, salads and fish and chips. Of course, I'd prefer the menu to include southern fried chicken, collard greens and cornbread - but this is Liverpool not Memphis! read more

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Soul Café is a café with a twist, they have a modern take on the traditional café. The Soul Café adds a little bit of Liverpool's famous music heritage to eating out. Soul music plays in the background as you eat one of the daily specials. The walls are decorated with Warhol type pictures on the walls, and the stand-up tables make it the perfect place to people watch. It has the perfect location on Bold Street which is the funky side of Liverpool city centre. Shoppers create hustle and bustle down the street, so the Soul Café is the perfect place to stop and grab something to eat. It can get really busy and attracts many students due the deals they have. The portions are huge for the price, I strongly recommend the chilli or the fish and chips. read more

Soul Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Liverpool, XMS

It's well established that soul and food go together, Smokey bacon Robinson? Booker Teabag and the PG tips? Ah? Uh? No? OK not really making a good case for this plcae but unlike my jokes, The Soul Cafe has got something going for it. Decent tunes with a good menu at low prices, tick. tick. tick. Full breakfast selection a wide choice of sandwiches, salads and bages plus more hearty meals like scouse and pastas - of course the only thing the place could benefit from is to serve actual soul food, some fried chicken and dumplings would be a real draw to this part of town, in fact are there any black restaurants left in town? Quinny's seems to have finally given up the ghost, could be a good opening for any authentic West Indian/Soul food joints. There is also a very small terrace but this is mainly commandeered by smokers but there is little reason why anybody else would want to sit on the corner of Bold St. read more

Soul Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Liverpool, XMS

There seems to be a decidedly odd bunch of people who come here, but I like the food so I don't mind. There is one reason alone why this place is worth going to, and that is Thanksgiving. For some reason, (perhaps because it is a retro American Motown cafe) they have a Thanksgiving menu every year, and it had become a tradition for me and my mum to go. No, we are not American. But it's a great rehearsal for Christmas Dinner! Thanksgiving dinner is pretty much the same as your standard Christmas roast, but tastes so much better because its not on Christmas and you've not had to slave in an overheated kitchen to feed the family. Thanksgiving food aside, it is a genuinely funky daytime venue. One word of advice though: if you are going for food, either sit at a proper table or at the bar stools around the edges, because once you get on those sofas or comfy seats you a) can't get up again and b) can't reach your food!!! read more

Soul Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Liverpool, XMS

Soul Cafe sits on a corner of Bold Street, making it ideal for a student stop by and quick breakfast or lunch. Putting the atmosphere of the soul theme behind and concentrating on the food (which is more important from my point of view), I would say that it's mediocre and with prices little above average, you can get a cheaper and decent traditional breakfast elsewhere (for example at Wetherspoons). I don't want to take anything away from this lovely designed cafe because it is definitely something different and serves up some delightful food. However, I do think that this cafe is concerned more about its own status and attracting the wide range of students/tourists for business. As Anthony has suggested, this cafe could actually do with some genuine soul food (like southern fried chicken, rice and cornbread). read more

Soul Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Liverpool, XMS

I had 30 minutes to spare this morning to grab a light breakfast and cuppa so when I saw that Soul Cafe was empty, bar a table of 2 who already had drinks, I went in. Shortly after I ordered, a table of 15 people came in. 20 minutes later I still hadn't had my cup of tea, but the table of 15 and another man who had come in had already been served theirs. I was then told that I had been forgotten. 5 minutes later I had to ask for my breakfast to take out as I had to leave and had to eat it on the go. Not the ideal start to my Saturday! read more

Not worth a visit: There are much other spots in the area with similar prices and better offerings. I spent a good 10 mins waiting for chicken panini only to be disappointed with its utter lack of chicken. We're talking absolutely miserable amounts of the stuff. I bring it back & the replacement (another 10 mins later) isn't a whole lot better. Side salad was poor, coffee was fine. Overall, give a skip. read more

Did you ever see the advert for Ronseal? " does what is says on the tin", well that description springs to mind here. The Soul Cafe will nourish your soul. I am about to satisfy that hyperbole on the basis your soul is like mine and need sweet soul music. This will immerse from the moment you jump in Soul FM being the radio station of choice. Also that your soul like mine need fresh and tasty food to keep it attached ( for the time being at least ) to your body. The range of meals and snacks here can be as healthy and wholesome as you can imagine, although the chips are pretty good too. If your soul needs a relaxing environment in the company of likeminded souls eating inside or out on the streetscape then you are on to winner. Finally if your soul and your bank manager think you should have all of this at a reasonable cost you are in the right place. I especially like the offer of a free hot drink with my buttie of choice. So keep your cool and keep the faith and come nourish your soul on Bold Street. read more

I would love to be giving you a very in-depth review that truly appraises all aspects of the customer service and the food that is served here. Alas, my friends and I who stopped by here on a recent Saturday morning were left very disappointed. After walking around and checking out many of the local restaurants that serve breakfast in the area, we decided that Soul Cafe would be the one to go for. After taking a seat and perusing the menu, we went to the counter to order our food and pay (yes, that is the old-fashioned English Cafe set up here). Two of us chose to have a full English breakfast. Now, you would think that in a busy cafe, it is not that difficult to turn out fully with breakfast, one after another without too much difficulty, wouldn't you? Well, not at the Soul Cafe. We were told in a rather offhand manner that we would need to wait a minimum of 35 minutes to have a full English breakfast. And there ended our experience here. I might add that we ventured over to another local restaurant for breakfast and were absolutely knocked out with the decor, quality of food and the service that we received there. I guess things do happen for a reason! read more

After a night of hard drugs and debauchery (i.e. girly cocktails and dancing like a preying mantis with restless leg syndrome), there's few places in town I'd tolerate being awake in the next day. Soul Cafe is one of the few, a bright and airy, yet comfortingly mellow cafe where you can sit and scoop delicious food into your mouth and try to calm your frazzled anatomy. On a sunny day you can sit out on the corner, watching the roll of oddballs shuffling down Bold Street as the cool Motown soundtrack fills the air. An ideal nostalgia-generator. read more

Absolutely awful experience. Rude staff. Rubbery food. Both mine and my partners food had hair in. BOTH PLATES. HOW?! Dont waste your time and money. Wish i could give minus stars. Dont often leave reviews but i had to this time. The food was not edible and I wouldn't feed it to an animal. It appears the fat sweaty owner sits on tripadvisor all day calling out their customers for leaving negative reviews. Maybe if you improved your service and food you wouldn't receive negative reviews. Put some time into fixing your "cafe" instead of insulting people who give you their hard earned money. Just a thought. read more

I got Soul but I'm not a Soldier! (Damn The Killers catchy tunes.) True, I'm not a soldier, not that I know what that has to do with soul, but if you want to inject a bit of soul into your eating experience, Soul Cafe is the place to do it! They do a wicked greasy spoon full breakfast, perfect for that post-lash hangover, and have a great selection of mains, I know it's been said, but it's true- the Fish and Chips is a hit here. With the huge glass front, you can sit (I'd say the couches are a must if they've not already been snagged- comfy!) and watch the world go by while you enjoy the music and the good quality food. A seriously good choice whether you want a quick bite or a proper sit down. read more

Soul Café is a true student haunt with daily specials and special student deals buy a baguette and get a free tea or coffee. People-watch from the huge windows or take in the sounds of the in-house radio station (Soul FM UK). This is definitely a cool place to kick back and relax. sould cafe has the perfect location though for shoppers and sutdents or anyone really as bold street couldnt really be more central. It has a fast array of food everything from stew and chilli to fish and chips. And the portions are massive !!! The Godfather of Soul may be the self-appointed James Brown, but soul in Liverpool is this popular café, where you can eat soul food accompanied by soul music. That's enough uses of the S word for one sentence, so let's concentrate on other things, such as the cool Warhol-esque pictures on the wall, or the stand-up tables where you can watch the ever-fascinating Bold Street, or perhaps the food, which tries to be different, but ultimately are familiar dishes with titles that reflect their remit. read more

After a late night in Liverpool, I fancied a nice big greasy cooked breakfast the following morning, a quick yelp, brought Soul Cafe up which has a 'mega' breakfast on the menu. 'Sounds good!' I thought... 8 quid is quite a lot to pay for a fry up, I was expecting a mountain of food....and was sadly disappointed... A couple of undercooked rashers of bacon, a couple of AWFUL tasting sausages, 2 eggs (which to be fair were decent), stale tasting toast, beans, black pudding & what appeared to be a a couple of small mushrooms cut up small & spread out to make it look like there were more.....for 8 pounds?! Won't be back...... read more

I love a cafe that can serve up a latte and a bottle of corona on one bill. Upsides: music (Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, all the usual suspects), alcohol + caffeine combo. Downsides: HOT as all hell inside, even with the windows open, scone tasted like it came from a grocery shop. Also the WIFI was dodgy (where I was sitting, at least). read more

Soul music and great food, what more do you need? Extensive food menu and monster breakfast portions, all for very reasonable prices, it's a perfect place to stop and recharge if you're out shopping/suffering with a hangover! read more

Stopped in for lunch with my bf; we wanted to get a quick pint and lunch. The entire experience was terrible. First off; we were the only ones in there; when they had a problem with the keg, the least they could have done was told us. But nope... 20 minutes later when we asked where the beers were, they said they couldn't give us keg beer and they didn't offer an alternative. I literally had to ask for another option - which happened to be a bottled beer. Another 20 minutes later our deep friend gross food arrived. We were starving at this point and were trying to see the silver lining, but gave up. We ended up leaving our barely eaten meals and went to a chippy. We won't be back. Sorry Soul Cafe - I had three star dreams for you - but you barely hit it with one. read more

bold street offers many great places to eat and have coffee, but this is one of my favourites. Its soul warming food and chiiled out music make this a excellent retreat after uni or shopping. The menu is extensive and you can go there for a light bite or a full on meal. Overall a fantastic cafe, one of the best in Liverpool. read more

This is a welcoming place with a relaxed atmosphere and a good menu (everything from panini to scouse). It's a good place to sit and read the paper on a Sunday as well. read more

Well, after slogging around Liverpool on a shopping expedition, fighting off the urge to buy a burger or a bag of doughnuts I always find it worth while making my way up Bold street towards the ruined church and there just on the right after you go past the entrance to FACT cinema is a small unobtrusive cafe called The Soul Food Cafe. They cater well for the Vegetarian as well as us carnivors. Even though they have a very tasty menu with things like banana and peanut butter sandwiches, very tasty selection of soups of the day, a very fine bowl of tradtional scouse, even just a bowl of chips if you wish (Very reasonably priced) my ultimate recommendation is to try the Mephis Soul Stew which comes in a large bowl with a big hunk of bread (vegetarian or with meat), it completely destroys hunger like no other foodstuff known to mankind, leaving you fit for many more hours shopping indeed. read more

The place is nice and prices are reasonable so we had nachos, a panini, a breakfast and a sandwich. Unfortunately all of these fell down of our expectations. They were merely an assemblage of low quality industrial products. Go there to have a tea or coffee but not to eat. read more

Good food and a refreshing take on the traditional cafe, Soul cafe adds a bit of Liverpool's music heritage to eating out during the day. Great prices and student influenced, the cafe boasts a comprehensive menu which caters for pretty much all tastes. This is good for light, cheap bites though it can get busy at times. read more

Reasonable prices but not extremely tasty. Ordered a latte but tastes like filter coffee. Had to pay £1 for a small tumbler of maple syrup for my eggs and bacon and pancakes. Cozy atmosphere. Very slow service read more

Love going soul cafe . Saturday night best. live soul music sung by the brill Carl. Really love the food and the staff are so friendly. read more

Highly recommend Soul Cafe if you want to 'boogie' on a Saturday night. Resident musician /singer Carl is superb. Enjoyed a really good night out here with work friends. read more

Soul Cafe is smartly placed on Bold Street, part of the broad range of cafés dotting the entire length of the road. With such a variety of places to eat, it's interesting to see how each establishment distinguishes itself. From what I gather, Soul Café likes to determine itself as an eatery infused with the vibes of the 1960s and 70s soul and blues scene in America. Except Soul Café doesn't really stick to its "soul" theme, other than posters on the wall and the music playing all throughout the visit. The only things on the menu that references this theme is a jerky curry and a jerk chicken sandwich. The rest of it is pretty standard British greasy spoon café fare, which is fine (who doesn't like a good fry up), but as a previous commentator mentioned, it would be good to see some actual "soul food" here. Cornbread, fried chicken, gumbo, maybe even some grits. That, however, is the café owner's prerogative, and not the main source of my criticism. Yes, the atmosphere is rather vague, but nebulous concepts of how a place "feels" are ultimately very subjective. So onto the more important points about the actual mettle of the food and service. First thing to say, before I go into what left me feeling very "meh" after my visit, is that the food is actually pretty nice. My companion and I both ordered the beef baguette with chips,and the quality was high, though the chip portions were a little measly. The food came fairly quickly, and neither of us had any real complaints (except that we wanted more chips - they come in a little soap dish thing, so you really don't get that many.) However, the prices are more expensive than what you expect for a simple baguette, especially in Liverpool. Sadly, I also have to report, the coffee was utterly disgusting. The other thing that needs mentioning is the number of passive-aggressive signs and notices that a customer of Soul Café encounter throughout their visit. First thing to note is that in the menu, underneath the description of the café's fry-up, is a little note "No substitutions, sorry!" I get that you may get chancers trying to get extra bacon, but it's pretty cheeky to pre-empt orderers with such a blunt and insincere "sorry, but we're not helping you find something to eat." When you line up to order your food at the counter, there are a few more signs that establish to the customer that they are absolutely at the whim of the café. There's one about how to queue, another about why we can't pay by card. The one I remember most is a sign that said "we don't serve fast food, we serve good food as fast as we can." I appreciate the sentiment, but putting the notice right as the customer is paying feels like they're pre-empting any accusations of food taking too long, as well as getting preachy and restrictive in what we can actually expect (remember, this sign is along with several others instructing the customer how to order, what they can order and various other little nit-picky things...doesn't exactly make for an experience where we can order food at our own ease.) Overall, the food was nice (though the menu was a little uninspired), the coffee was the worst I've ever paid money for, the prices were above average for the area and the general experience is weakened by the proliferation of bossy signs and an incomplete investment into the "Soul" theme. I wouldn't veto ever going here again, but I would recommend many other places above it. read more

Really Relaxed Atmosphere. Staff Incredibly Helpful. Wide Selection of Choices on the Food menu from light snacks to big meals. Music playing in the background. Reasonably priced and well worth a visit. Lovely and warm inside for those cold days and outside seating area if the weather gets warmer. read more

The food is very good. The atmosphere is pleasant too. The mix of good food and soul music just works. Staff were a bit miserable but not massively so. Some of the signs and the notes in the menu are borderline agressive! A good experience all in all though. read more

i love this place, really good food and lovely relaxed atmosphere. Breakfasts are amazing and very accommodating of kids. a must, especially for breakfast read more