I went in last week and purchased the smothered pork chops over rice with yams/mac&cheese and collards. Everything was well seasoned.aI have never been disappointed going to this restaurant. read more

Food here is so yummy, the fried chicken is seasoned great. The Mac n cheese is not my favorite but pretty good and collards are yummy. It is nice and easy to go place. No seating available and buffet style. Service is good and the restaurant is clean. 7/10 read more

For starters I had the smothered pork chops with rice and greens and Mac n cheese for the sides. The Mac n cheese was not good at all. It was very oily and no seasoning. However the collard greens were good and the smothered pork chops with rice were absolutely delicious. I also ordered a lemonade, it reminded me of my mom's lemonade when I was a young girl. You receive a large amount of food!!! read more

The food is some of the best in the city! However the customer service is awful! First the phone might as well be disconnected since no one answers so you can only order with DoorDash. There is no "greeting" when you go into the restaurant. They borderline ignore you! Recently, I ordered and when I got home realized that they had not put the hamburger steak in the plate. When I went back, the lady just stared at me, looked at the guy behind her, then just took the plate, added the meat and handed it back. Not a word..no sorry this happened, nothing. This is just one example of the horrible customer service. If the food wasn't great, I would never go there. After tonight I probably won't go back anyway. They honestly just need some front people if the others can't do both. read more

This review is overdue. I used Uber Eats for lunch on Saturday, 11-26-22. Work kept me from a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, so I figured I'd get some of what I was missing. I vegan lunch, 4 sides: candied yams, cabbage, fried okra, mac n cheese, an Arnold Palmer; collard greens, and banana pudding. It was a decent substitute. I also walked in during September 2023 just to get a side of mac n cheese. The cashier was surprised about that being the only thing I ordered. read more

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I'm so thankful a coworker brought me here for lunch. A true hidden gem located along central on the outskirts of plaza midwood this place may not look like much on the outside but don't let appearances fool you they serve up some excellent soul food. I got the fried chicken while my coworkers got the smothered pork chops and the meatloaf. All served with very generous portions and the chicken is fried to order so you get it fresh. For sides I got mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese both I enjoyed tremendously. There is no seating inside so you will need to take it to go, but if you are in the mood for some good old fashioned no frills southern food then come on in and pick up a to go plate. Also I meant to get a picture of my food but it smelled so good I had to dive in before I remembered to snap one. read more

Soul Central is located on Central Ave. There is a parking lot so no issues with parking. Inside the restaurant itself is small so it is meant for takeout only. The staff is really nice there are no issues with the service. The food is served buffet style. On my visit I got the baked chicken, green beans, mac & cheese and corn bread. Everything was very bland to me. The corn bread crumbled as soon as I unwrapped it. I am willing to give them another shot but my first experience with the quality of food was unpleasant. read more

Loved this place, it's clean and they have fast service. The fish is excellent, so were the yams , Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes . I would pass on the potato salad. The pork chops were okay, the chicken was good but cold. I don't like cold fried chicken. Prices are reasonable. We were visiting from Cali and went in back to back to eat , so we could get it in one last time before we went home. I would highly recommend. read more

Soul Central - Fish is bomb. - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Soul Central gets 5 stars for Covid-19 safe practices, friendliness, and just darn good food. We ordered over the phone and then I went to pick up. They had very clear signage about wearing a mask, and everyone working there was following safe mask wearing practices and keeping good distance. I got barbecue chicken with sides of collards and cabbage and my husband got meatloaf with sides of collards and pinto beans. Both of our meals came with delicious moist cornbread (impressive considering we had to bring it home with us, so it had plenty of time to dry out). The prices are very reasonable. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, and their smiles were so big that you could tell they were smiling even under their masks. This is definitely the kind of place we want to keep afloat during these tough times. read more

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You may think I'm stupid or mental Or that I need some work done (dental) It's my butt that gets floss And Barbie is my boss And she sent me to eat at Soul Central Not in Korea (Seoul Central) or Minnesota or Scandinavia (Skol Central), this is one of Charlotte's top rated soul food spots. But I'm not a massive fan. My Soul reason to come here was to try some Soul food, and it wasn't bad. Especially the people working, who were lovely. Barbie's Sole reason for coming here was to show off her high heels. Lovely little place with really nice employees. Their meatloaf is good if you like meatloaf - which I don't. Their mac and cheese is excellent and the collard greens are delicious. I'm looking forward to coming back to maybe try pot roast or ribs or Fried Chicken, all of which are highly rated. But I do think if you're a fan of Meatloaf you'll love this one. Prices are pretty decent for the large portions you get, much like when you hire me for the night. But that's not central to this review. read more

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My favorite soul food place in Charlotte! I've been coming here for years and it only gets better! read more

Soul Central - 3pc fried chicken, Mac and cheese, with black eyed peas over rice and a piece of cornbread - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

The food is great. Everything's always fresh cooked to order. If it's soul food they got it. Thank you.

Very basic very bland . Not great portions . Food has very little seasoning . Went once won't be back .

Discovered this place on google when I looking for hood soul food places around Charlotte. The overall experience was really good from food to service. I got the fried chicken with mashed potatoes and Mac/cheese and it was all really damn good. Everything was fresh and seasoned to perfection, the place is kinda small and seating outside isn't too bad depending on weather but I would definitely recommend this place. read more

Soul Central - Fried chicken with mashed potatoes and Mac & cheese - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I hadn't been to Soul Central in several months so I decided to get some food from there. I ordered baked chicken, collard greens, rice and corn bread. Although my chicken was really dry, I enjoyed the rest of the meal. The corn bread was DELICIOUS!! I liked that the best. My collard greens were a little salty to me, but they were good. I'd return but I wouldn't order the baked chicken. My daughter had the fried fish and she really liked it. If I wasn't allergic to fish I would have had that. read more

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So this WAS my favorite place to visit for Soul Food! Not certain what has happen but is the second trip that I have been disappointed. The greens have been salty both trips. The Mac n Cheese was so so. The chicken was fresh and hot as usual but slightly over cooked. The candied yams lacked the candy, bland and not sweet. The worst thing ever was the peach cobbler purchased from the frozen section of the grocery store. No vanilla flavor no butter or sugar not one speck of cinnamon or nutmeg! The lemonade was good. $30+ later for 2 meals has left a bad taste in my mouth! read more

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I had every intention on finally giving this place a 5 star review now that I am in the business of writing reviews However I am disappointed in Soul. When I lived about 15 minutes down the street from here I frequented ALOT, especially during my pregnancy in 2020. My favorite part of the meal was the cornbread, but I don't know WHAT they did because the cornbread I had this time tasted store bought, and way too sweet. This is my first time back to Soul in about 2 years, and the food just did not hit the same. The flounder was delicious, but the greens were BLAND. Go back to the old recipes! read more

Updated review: So I see there's new staff and started to wonder about how the food would taste. I was disappointed. I ordered the fried flounder, candied yams, collard greens, and cornbread with half & half tea. The founder was decent but the breading had crumbs falling off like a Dutch apple crumb pie, candied yams were way too sweet even for me, the collard greens were HOT & Spicy (why are they hot and spicy with all these red pepper flakes) and the cornbread was over baked. Also, the sweet tea was bleh; didn't even taste lemon in it. Ate most but didn't enjoy it and am tossing the rest. It was an all Hispanic staff with Hispanic music playing on YouTube. I miss the old staff. I won't be coming back. read more

Soul Central - Cornbread, candied yams, collard greens, flounder, and half & half tea - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I really like the food, everything is delicious!!! The customer service is very good, I recommend this place read more

Went with my daughters and the food was amazing. Prompt service and food was fresh & hot. You get a nice size serving too ! I got Jerk Chicken, Candied Yams, cabbage, and Mac & cheese. Only paid $18. Cornbread was ok but my daughters loved it. No seating to eat inside only outside. Small restaurant. I would definitely recommend if you like southern comfort foods. read more

This was recommended to our team as "The BEST SOUL FOOD in town." We ordered Jerk Chicken, and got Chicken with BBQ sauce in stead (not to be confused with BBQ Chicken). The 2x2 inch Cornbread that comes with your meal is Jiffy Cornbread mix (as it has the same level of sweet). The potato Wedges were undercooked. The" baked" Mac n Cheese, while the least offensive, may not have been baked, rather, stove top cooked. The pork chops were smaller than the price would lead you to believe. We ordered from North Tryon, however, Central Ave location cooks the same. Overall, this food had no Soul, and would only be "okay" if it was catered to you. read more

Let's see...they've got greens, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, chickens, turkeys - YOU NAME IT! (sorry I had to...) Seriously though, this place actually delivers on providing delicious and affordable soul food. As mentioned in numerous other reviews, the place is tiny. It's right next door to the ever-popular Three Amigos and just like Three Amigos, the place can fill up quickly depending on the time of day. Because of aforementioned size, I wouldn't recommend dining in. They have about two tables indoors and two tables outside. However, there's no working A/C. At least there wasn't the day I visited. Take your food to-go and enjoy it all in the comfort of your own surroundings. I would say come prepared knowing what you'd like but due to the availability of some items, they may sell out early on in the day and not have them refilled as of yet. When I visited around 3/3:30 on a Saturday afternoon, I was told that they were already out of collards (I'm going to place blame on the lunch rush). I placed an order for a side of chicken wings (minimum order of 5 pieces) and flounder fish combo with green beans & mac & cheese as sides. To note, they bread and fry every piece of fish and chicken fresh to order. That's right, there are no pieces of fried chicken or fish laying around getting cold/hard, which is the norm at other establishments. So be prepared to wait around 10-15ish minutes or so if you didn't call in your order. The time they spend to do that is WELL WORTH IT. When I got home, the chicken was so crispy and juicy. They keep the other sides such as the green beans, mac & cheese, yams, mashed potatoes, pinto beans, etc in the cafeteria-style line up. They also now have macaroni salad. Again, the availability of all is subject to change depending on the time of day. Don't forget to check in to yelp for a free sweet tea with purchase! They also have lemonade and a soft drink machine. For dessert, there's apple/peach/cherry cobblers, sweet potato pie, and banana pudding - all $2.50/slice. My only advice? go to Soul Central and order as much food as possible. Enjoy. Repeat. read more

Soul Central - Side of fried chicken wings consists of 5 pieces - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I came here this afternoon after deciding I cant cook due to my abs still on fire from HSM Core! I was greeted and asked if I was ready to order. I never been here before and I was already eyeing the menu. I saw that some Saturday dishes were right up my alley. I asked the lady behind the counter if they had any curry goat today. Instead of saying no, she replied, "No, its chicken." I replied with saying that I see thats on the menu, I am asking about the Saturday special. She then follows up with saying its rarely offered anymore. Why have it on the menu??? Anyways...I order the oxtails (rice was complimentary), greens, and black eye peas. I show the cashier my yelp check to receive my drink. They let me get lemonade. Upon arriving home to eat my dinner, I found my meal to be just ok. The oxtails had a twinge of sweetness to them, which Im not used to with that dish. I thought my greens would be the same way but they were not. They were tender, but I cant tell if I taste grit from not washing the greens thoroughly or some type of seasoning. The lemonade didn't have any sweetness to it. It just tasted like lemon water. Glad it was free. And the black eye peas were very salty! I had to take a bite with the rice to mellow it out. I put the food in the fridge. And I wasnt offered or received any bread. I wanted to really like this place. Maybe I will try something else next time. Maybe... read more

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I used to love eating here but the service has changed drastically over the last few months. Not only that, but the food quality of food has been on the decline as well. I wish they would go back to the quality! Overall you get a good amount of food for a good price, less than $10 with a drink included. The points system is rigged though. It's supposed to be but 9 meals get the 10th one free. Last time I tried to cash in they told me it wasn't good for an actual meal. Just a choice of meat and a side. Update: The Mac n cheese has completely changed. It went from tasting and looking like baked mac n cheese to boxed mac n cheese with a little shredded cheese thrown in. read more

Soul Central - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Really wasn't impressed. Ordered meatloaf, Mac & cheese, and candied yams. The meatloaf was ok....it tasted a little weird. I was pleased with the amount of food, but not the taste. Mac & cheese was subpar, as were the yams. The cornbread, a dud. Cold, old, and over cooked. I gave it a try because I was looking for something different, but I won't be returning. read more

Soul Central - Meatloaf, Macaroni and Cheese, Sweet Candied Yams - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Can you sat Salt? The wedges are soft not crispy and rather bland. The okra and wings had more salt than Salt & Vinegar potato chips... I couldn't eat it - smh I hate to waste food. We went here because of the ratings - big mistake read more

Soul Central - Potatoe wedges - wings - fried okra - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Service was quick. No line. The sides were good. The flounder was small and very tough. Like jerky. Chicken also tough and dry. May try again if it's before 5pm, not likely. read more

I noticed that Soul Central thus far as had pretty decent reviews, an clearly it's time for an update. So here's the good, the Great then the ugly.. The Good: Soul Central has maintained itself as a small community based eating establishment on the Eastside of Charlotte. I noticed it one of the workers head on a soul Central t-shirt and across the back was written "best soul food in Charlotte". The Great: the food that I had at Soul Central was good. BBQ chicken was moist, tender, hot, well seasoned (could have used a little more BBQ sauce) but very flavorful. My macaroni and cheese was superb. My unit of measure of course, is my own simply spectacular Mac and cheese .  The collard greens with simply out of this world. The Ugly: The staff of Soul Central is in dire need of training in the areas of customer service, or they might find themselves going the way of many, many other businesses. For the front end Personnel to take an order, and leave the restaurant without filling the customer's orders and leave customers waiting for nearly 15 minutes before they returned is unacceptable. Then it was quite noticeable that there were some personality issues occurring between front end personnel, most noticeably, that one Spanish speaking lady appeared not to be able to understand English when asked to perform certain tasks by her co-worker. Please note that my arrival at Soul Central was during the lunch hour, and one would suspect that this is their busiest time and I noticed customers that came in after me waiting for 30 to 45 minutes to get the orders filled. read more

Soul Central - BBQ chicken, Mac and cheese, collards - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Honestly the food is o the service is AWFUL. I called and kept calling over 30x because my order was supposed to come with a drink and I did not receive it. I call it's busy. I call again I'm put on hold. read more

*Only reason this is not rated one star was because of the temperature of my food* Ordered delivery from here recently. Never been before and I was craving fried chicken plus the photos looked appealing. Upon receiving my order the food was extremely hot which meant it was just prepared. I opened the bag to find that what I thought was going to be some part of the chicken (leg, thigh, breast, wing) with two pieces since I ordered a entree. Was the smallest pieces of drums and flats. Reading and looking at other post and reviews the chicken I got is sold as a side item of 5 wings. Though I was disappointed about the chicken, I tried the okra that I ordered which were delicious! Hungry I took a bite of chicken ... another disappointment. The breading taste of what you would use for fries liver, country steak, or pork chops not chicken! Tasting the macaroni and cheese it was poorly seasoned with white and black pepper. It's almost like it's boxed and they tried to doctor it up with seasonings. It also had a distinctive taste of being Caribbean or jerk-like maybe it was sour. The mashed potatoes were okay little chunky and had beef gravy, not bad but could be better for a southern restaurant. Reading other reviews about the food was one that I did not experience things like -- best fried chicken ... creamy mac and cheese. Overall the only things that were good are the okra, lemonade, and mashed potatoes. Needless to say I didn't finish my meal and I won't return read more

Soul Central - Chicken entree with Mashed Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Soul Central is my go to for sides. Sometimes I will marinate chicken and make Billy put it in the oven when I'm running late, so I will stop at Soul Central and get all the sides. Pinto Beans, Black Eye Peas, Macaroni and Cheese, Cabbage and Collards, Cornbread. I get it all! Billy always asks, "are you hungry?" Am I breathing? Oh and delicious fried chicken. read more

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Oooooooo-weeeeee! Now THATS a good mac n cheese. I haven't had the pleasure of tasting any of their proteins as I usually can't resist a southern veggie plate. A little mac n cheese (always a must) a little green ( cabbage or collards?! ) and a bean ( green, pinto or black eyed?!). Can't go wrong. Definitely the best mac n cheese I've had in Charlotte, the custard based kind as I don't have time for mere sauce variations. These are some of the best pintos I've had too, with a touch of spice just for something extra. Sometimes when I can't decide which bean I want the dude will let me go half n half. Great food, great counter/ take-out service, great price and really conveniently located. I'll be a regular. read more

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I ordered delivery via Postmates from Soul Central. The lunch special is $9.99 and comes with your choice of an entree (meat) and two sides. Trying to be quasi-healthy, I selected the baked chicken with collard greens and green beans. I was surprised to find a scoop of dressing and a piece of cornbread included when I opened the box. I'm happy to report it was worth every extra calorie though! The collard greens were out of this world. Sweet and savory. Perfectly cooked. The baked chicken was moist and flavorful. I don't even like dark meat chicken (I got a thigh) and ate every single bite. The corn bread was fluffy and cake-like. Someone help me out here... They must put yellow cake mix in that batter, right?! The stuffing was a perfect compliment to the chicken. And, the green beans, while paling in comparison to the other items, were still drool-worthy. Delivery via Postmates was only $3.99 and it arrived quickly (about 30 minutes after I placed the order) and piping hot! This one is going to be a regular lunch-time staple for sure. read more

Soul Central - Baked chicken with collards and green beans. The corn bread and stuffing were surprises. (And delicious!!) - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Fasle Advertisement and pricing. They have pricing clearly posted that they won't honor. I came in asking for the Saturday special priced on the board for $9.75. It was BBQ Ribs and 2 sides today. The system charged me $13.25. $3.50 isn't a lot of money, but morally I don't believe its right to bait and switch on customers. The person there that claimed it be the manager had such a bad attitude with me for questioning the pricing and aggressively swung around the POS screen to me to show me that the system is what it is, and put up a major fuss. I told her that I'm not trying to argue and I'm talking to her as a person, but she continued to yell at me. Of course, i can't find Soul Central on BBB and the owner was MIA, so here I am. I used to get food here often, but I'm over it. I can't eat at a place where the workers are so nasty. read more

Soul Central - They charged $13.25 for BBQ Ribs on Saturday instead of $9.75 as advertised. - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Portions has gone down, not worth it for $7. They are using small trays instead of large as they have for the past 3 months. read more

Soul Central - Hamburger steak.Was disappointed in portion size.$7 for this. Pitiful..Use to go every 2wks,they would use large tray.Last visit for me.. - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

After reading the reviews decided to stop by since I was close. Walked right in and ordered the daily special of smothered pork chops, with pintos, and mashed potatoes. Includes cornbread and drink. $9.75 plus tax. The pork chops are covered in gravy and onions on a bed of rice plus the other 2 sides. No complaints here the pork chops and mashed potatoes were spot on. The pintos could have been better but not bad. I am giving the place 5 stars because the food is damn good. 2 tables outside to eat on which I did on this cloudy and cooler day. It is toasty inside to the point I would not want to eat in there. Small tables big enough for 2 people to eat comfortably. I would not recommend for a large group or more than three for 1 table. I definitely recommend to stop by for damn good food but unless there are 2 or less I would do the take out option. Will be back soon. read more

Soul Central - Covered pork chops special. $9.75 worth it!! - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Good food, friendly staff. Tried the fried chicken and lots of sides to get a wide variety of dishes. Everything was good. Definitely worth a try. read more

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The food was very well prepared and good size portions. Service was very pleasant and courteous. The ambiance was average, but the food was good. I highly recommend this spot if you're in Charlotte! read more

After a much needed massage, Soul Central was on my radar, as it was just a few minutes from where I was and also had great reviews. Not sure if I caught them on an off day but the food wasn't what I was expecting. Staff was great and prompt. The place was packed (good sign right?). I ordered the wings (per some reviews), mac and cheese and cabbage. For my drink, an Arnold Palmer...TASTY! I'm not a fan of "super sugary" drinks and this Arnold Palmer was spot on, perfect. You can dine in, if you'd like. The place is pretty small, with 3 tables available. I opted to go home, which wasn't too far. The chicken, super crispy (win) but lacked flavor. I ended up dousing it with Louisiana hot sauce. The mac and cheese was good and the cabbage was terrible (I hate to type this). It was spicy, from some type of orange pepper that was added to it but it had NO flavor. No salt, no nothing. It ended up in the garbage unfortunately. I should've gotten the greens. It was a toss up when I got to the register and I went with the cabbage. I really wanted to like this place, based off of the reviews. Will I give it another shot, absolutely! But I won't be driving out of my way to try it again. I hope next time is better. read more

Soul Central - The BEST Arnold Palmer - Soul Food Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Well priced. Very tasty. Recommend the jerk chicken and Mac & Cheese. The jerk chicken isn't quite Caribbean but the sauce was still good. read more