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    Southern Cafe

    3.9 (648 reviews)

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    Recommended Reviews - Southern Cafe

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    Meatloaff Entree With Mac N Cheese & Rice and Gravy
    Linda R.

    Southern Cafe man oh man I wanted love you! Soul food is my absolute favorite. My fat girl self can eat it everyday. It's so comforting and filling. I drive down this place nearly weekly and everytime I look the line is crazy long or they're closed. So one day the boyfriend and me drove by, hadn't ate and seen no line. So we stopped. Big mistake! I ordered Breaded Pork Chops with red beans and rice and mac! The pork chop had so much breading..... so salty. My cholesterol went out the roof. Rice was hard still, mac was just okay! Now on to my poor boyfriends meal... he actually wanted what I ordered lol! We tend to always want the same meals ag places but since i'm so picky he's always thoughtful and lets me get it then he'll order something different. He went with the Meatloaf with mac and rice and gravy..... i'm sure you can tell just by the picture of that meatloaf he wasn't very happy! I forgot to take a pic of what it looked like when we cut it.. but it was RAW. The sauce they smothered it in was disgusting. The gravy on rice was beyond salty. The only item edible on our plates was our mac. I wouldn't be back nor do I recommend them. There prices are way too high for the quality of their food. Oakland has way more soul food places worth checking out!

    Oxtails, cabbage, black eye peas
    Sharee g.

    Wish they open the dining room back up. Togo orders are picked out on the side window, left of the front door. Better sinage explaining this would be great. But maybe I missed it while dodging the rain. In any event....I'll be back. Yummmm!

    Tutti S.

    Just okay. Very average. Disappointed the internet said live jazz band, but it was just soul music streaming. Buffet was eatable. Meatloaf was a little pink in the middle of thw slice. Catfish was bland. Food was served on the cool side. Not hot and not all that.

    Restaurant Name
    Kevin M.

    In my humble opinion, their food is some of the best I've ever had. I had the Short Rib dinner, with rice & gravy, collard greens, and yams. I got some catfish, and 3-chicken wings for later. Also two cornbread muffins. The Short Ribs were so tender, melt in your mouth. The collard greens were so flavorful. The yams perfect. I also ate one piece of catfish and one chicken wing. The entire meal was on point. Don't miss out on a fantastic opportunity of enjoying some real deal soul food if ever in Oakland, California Kevin D. McGee, President, NAACP, Anchorage, Alaska

    Receipt...
    Kimberly C.

    Small portions (oxtails) for the price and we were missing the catfish dinner and correct sides. The oxtails were very tender. The cabbage & cornbread were excellent. The rice & gravy side was not the gravy from the meat and was very bland-we had to add seasoning. So with all this you might wonder, Why Four stars? Four stars because when I called to tell them about the error, they admitted the mistake and apologized. Mrs Bell told me she was off the following day but she would let Janae know to replace the dinner. I did not know the Sunday hours closed earlier so when I called to order at 630, it was too late. I explained I was headed out of town so their Thurs-Sun hours meant I could not get my meal until after my trip. Janae said she would make a note of it and I could come when I got back! Customer service is EVERYTHING, hope things go smoothly, making good on their promise when I get back! Stay tuned...I will definitely update this review. P.S. The parking is horrible & damn near impossible, give yourself extra time to deal with it. Definitely CALL ahead, avoid walk up ordering.

    Fried chicken with collard greens, corn, and rice and gravy.
    Annie C.

    I'm glad I found this place on yelp! My bf and I came here after craving fried chicken and this place was bomb! We didn't have to wait for a table on a Friday night around 7:30. I ordered the fried chicken, all dark meat, with collard greens and corn, and my bf got the Mac and cheese and beans as his sides. The breading on the chicken was perfect and the meat was so tender! My sides were delicious too. I had a bite of the Mac and cheese and that was yummy too! Oh and the meal even comes with rice and gravy! So much food. Why only 4 stars? They didn't have a batch of corn muffins ready so we never got them even though I saw other tables get some later on. Our server never checked if we wanted any when they were ready even though I asked him about them earlier. My bf also ordered a regular Budweiser twice but he got bud lights both times, and not wanting to waste beer, my bf just drank them. That being said, I'd still come back. I really want to try the corn muffins!

    Trying to get some food!! Lol
    Olivia R.

    Don't come here is you're hungry!! No wait, no line and still going on 45 minutes waiting for our order. Even if the food is good, which I do hope they serve soon so I can try it, will it be worth this wait?? Crazy wait!!

    Lori N.

    I was just at the famous Amy Ruth's in Harlem, which I enjoyed, but I can tell you straight up that this place is even better! Better in food, better in service and better in ambiance. To top it off, unlike Amy Ruth's, the Southern Cafe is located right here in the Bay Area. Came on Sunday for their buffet lunch, when it is a popular place for the after church going folks. Steady continuous flow of business during the entire time of our almost two hour stay inside this casual, but cozy place. Food - this is where they excel! Think all the classics: deep fried chicken and catfish, collards, red beans and rice, black eyed peas, yams, mac and cheese, iced cake, etc. Add to that an obligatory huge salad. However, who really comes here for a huge healthy salad? Not. Sodas were included, and I even treated myself to fruit punch. My faves were the fried chicken, fried catfish and mac and cheese. Wow! I can't say enough about that oh so cheesy mac and cheese. Servers were plentiful, always offering soda refills and checking to make sure all was okay. Owner was on the premises today, and he is always nice and friendly. You won't be needing dinner after lunch here. We got here at 1pm, it's midnight now, and I'm still not hungry.

    Lily T.

    DEE-LISH-CIOUS!!! I feel like I've been living under a rock because I am only now trying it out. I drive by all the time and tell myself that I have to try it, but somehow I always forget. Went in on a Wednesday afternoon for lunch. The place is a decent size and had a good amount of people for mid weekday. We had to wait a bit before being seated. Service was all right. You get what you need, they check up on you once in awhile, you eat, and you leave. Simple We ordered the fried chicken (dark meat) a la carte and the oxtail as an entree because it comes with 2 sides. We picked the collard greens and mac & cheese. Food took quite some time, but IT WAS DEFINITELY WORTH THE WAIT! The fried chicken was not over breaded like most places. Skin had a good little crunch to it and the meat was so incredibly juicy and tasty. All I did was add some hot sauce to it, AMAZING! The oxtail was cooked to perfection. So flavorful and tender. It was bcasically fall off the bone. The gravy went so well with it, and it was perfectly flavored without being too salty. I LOVED the collard greens as well, but the mac & cheese was just okay to me. Small gem in Oakland with the best fried chicken and oxtail by far! I want to go back to try the fried fish already.

    NEW MENU AND HOURS FOR SOUTHERN CAFE REOPENING  FRIDAY 12-7PM SATURDAY 12-7PM SUNDAY 1-7PM  TAKEOUT AND DELIVERY ONLY!!

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    1 year ago

    This restaurant does not live up to its long standing reputation anymore (LadyEsther 's). Let's get back to world class service and food.

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    9 months ago

    This place is closed!! Has been closed for a long time! Do not come here as they haven't been serving for at least 8 months

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    Greatest soul food you could want. It's like some down home cookin in that there place. Loved it and would recommend

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    1 year ago

    i love their food i use to go every friday to get their chitterlings omg finger licking goooood

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    Page 1 of 17

    Ask the Community - Southern Cafe

    Hi all - does anyone know if this location in Oakland is back open again? And do they still do Sunday Buffet or no? Been trying to get back here for a few years but they're never open 😔

    What's the price for the buffet? what are the timings? I couldn't find details on your website.?

    Hello Gerald, we are presently closed for remodeling. Hope to be back open in about 45 days

    Are they black owned?

    Yes they are.

    Are you serving chitterlings again?

    Not yet, they said may resume in 2022...lol I want them too! Hard to find them

    Are you open for in-house dinning today?

    No they are not

    Do they use MSG?

    Glutamates naturally occur in all sorts of tasty foods. Soy sauce, Parmesan cheese, etc. There are so many natural, flavor-packed sources of glutamates that using MSG in home-cooking only makes sense when you're in a rush or lack key ingredients.… Read more

    Are they open on Thanksgiving?

    I don't think so

    Do they take reservations?

    No reservations

    What are the hours for the Sunday buffet?

    I believe it's all day they have jazz in the evening

    How do they make those prawns? They are the best.

    With lots of love

    What is the cost of the Sunday buffet and does it include all of the items that are on the regular menu?

    30 bucks on Sunday's. Not including the tax and no, everything is not included on the menu. You cannot get all you can eat shrimp, oysters, ribs liver or oxtails. But everything else is all you can eat. Including beer, wine, and Mamosas to drink.

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    Southern Cafe - soulfood - Updated May 2026

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