Southern Cafe

Yes, to this place. I love it.
Came all the way from San Jose because we were feelin’ for some chicken and waffles but didn’t want to go to Home of Chicken and Waffles, as we have been there a couple of times after attending some Raider game.
We arrived on Sunday afternoon and didn’t know it was an all you can eat brunch. Its totally worth it. It came out to be $ 48 before taxes for 2 people. The food was really good. The chicken was perfect and juicy.
We had the sweet potatoes, greens, corn, cornbread, catfish, and mac and cheese also. But they didn’t have waffles this morning since it was all-​you-​can-​eat. And of course, we had some mimosas, which was included in our meal as well.
The staff was friendly and attentive. Planning on coming back again.
Only downside was that I couldn’t take home my leftovers which was a couple of pieces of catfish and cornbread although I did see to-​go containers near the buffet line.

My friend was insisting that we try this place and it didn’t disappoint! I was worried that their four chicken wings entrée wasn’t going to be enough food for two people, but they definitely were with the sides! Their breading is exactly how I like my fried chicken.
Staff consistently checked in on us and when it came to dessert, they offered samples of their banana pudding and cobbler – which were generous! If we weren’t so stuffed, trust me, we would’ve gone with the cobbler!
Will definitely revisit!

The food was ok. The short ribs were tender and well seasoned, the catfish was crispy and seasoned, chicken needed more seasoning, the sweet potatoes less cinnamon and nutmeg and more sugar. The greens and corn were on point. The Mac and cheese had been sitting for a while and reheated. It had good flavor but the noodles were over cooked. The corn bread was good. Rice and gravy was just ok. Service was very slow. We waited over 20 minutes and then went to the counter to ask for service. No one even noticed that we haven’t been served.

Great food great environment! Seriously try it out for yourself.

I haven’t been to southern café in years. Now under new management the service is great. The food is amazing, they had everything on the menu. I did not taste anything that I did not like. The best part of was the service, the server was so polite, happy, and attentive. I would go back again.

They have terrific soulfood but the prices are kinda high I got fried catfish and fries it was $ 16.42

The good– the sides were above average. The green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy were excellent.
The bad– the mac and cheese was a little dry. The catfish was juicy and well battered and breaded and fried, but the fillets were huge. I would have preferred smaller pieces. The fried chicken was a let down. It was greasy and not crisp– Louisiana’s Fried chicken in the Laurel does a way better job but has below average sides. Lastly the staff were very cordial but seemed lost about what to do in a restaurant.

Amazing Meals & Excellent Services.
#SocietyGirlsApproved: visit on a early Thursday evening. Dress in something simple but significant with a heel no higher then 4 inches. Be seated by a window so you may watch the sunset. Order the Cabernet Sauvignon to drink + oxtails, turkey wings, or prawn entrée w/​a side of Mac & Cheese & greens.
Also, the cornbread is life and Jonathan is a marvelous server, ask for him. #Societythings #DBSDiary

OMG!!! Southern Café is as good, as good gets.
My friend and I had lunch here today. Let me start at the beginning. I came in first, immediately greeted at the door and shown to a table, which was very considerately moved out a bit from the wall for easier access to me. Even before my friend joined me, I was ask and served my beverage and given menus.
The woman who served us (I am so sorry I didn’t get either person’s name) was so friendly and wonderful, as was all staff.
Once my friend was there, she was given her beverage and we ordered.. It was not an easy decision as the menu has a delectable assortment from which to choose. While we waited, they brought HOT cornbread and butter. However,
I had the breaded pork chops with sides of mac and cheese, and corn.
My friend had three pieces of fried chicken — we loved that they were fine with her requesting al thighs — cabbage and green beans
Both dishes automatically came with rice and gravy.
I can make this very simple. The food was AMAZING!!! Some of the BEST pork chops ever, the rice and gravy, and corn were delicious. The mac and cheese was OUTSTANDING! My friends assessment of her food equaled mine — she proclaimed her chicken as the best EVER! One thing on which we both commented was that, as neither of us cares for spicy food, everything was seasoned perfectly. While there was a bit of a bite, nothing was too much or made me uncomfortable to eat it.
And then… were that not enough… we split a serving of banana pudding for dessert. And the angels sang. Oh my!!!
The portions are more than generous – yes, it will be my lunch tomorrow, too. The prices are very reasonable, particularly considering the portions. The service was stellar; friendly and attentive, always there if you needed anything. The ambiance is attractive (love the local art) and comfortable. I love that there’s plenty of room between the tables to have a comfortable conversation. Even when a large group came in, we didn’t feel as though we needed to shout to one another in order to be heard.
Will I go back??? ABSOLUTELY!!! Will I recommend it to others? Definitely. I live right in this neighborhood and have so been wishing for a good, reasonable neighborhood restaurant to which I could go. Finally, I found it. Thank you, Southern Café!

This has to be some of the best soul food I’ve had. There is a lot of flavor and not too much salt in the dishes.
At first the dishes may seem pricey but you get a lot for your money’s worth. The experience that I’ve had with the staff has been positive. I would definitely recommend this place if you’re in the area.

Come for Sunday brunch (ish) buffet 5 – 8! [$ 22]
Live jazz music, delicious down home cookin’ & friendly service with a smile. Bottomless mimosas & music I could listen to all day :)

If you love REAL soul food and you love jazz music on Sundays, this is the place to go.
My father is from the south and truly knows what it is to have good Southern Food. There was a large selection of food buffet style and my dad was impressed, he loved it. I had a bite of almost everything. We arrived with a family of seven and were quickly seated. The atmosphere was relaxing and soothing as you listen to music and eat. The servers were very alert and constantly had a smile. I was happy with the food, service and price! Definitely recommend this restaurant as one of the best soul food places in Oakland.

Stopped by for live jazz tonight. My friend, Robert Stewart, who is a Bay Area native and regularly plays Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis, played drums and sax with the house band and they rocked the place! In addition to the yummy food that rocks there! Live jazz and blues every Sunday from 5−8pm!!!
There is a buffet on Sundays from 1−8pm for $ 24, which is a great deal, considering it is all delicious food (unlike the crap they serve at Hometown Buffet, where I made the mistake to eat twice before, the second time to give them another chance). This is a family owned and run small business, and you can tell they care about their customers. I tried the exquisite fried chicken (light, not greasy), the yams that seemed to be infused with honey, the cornbread stuffing with turkey, and the delectable carrot cake. In fact, I had initially intended to only get a side of mac-​n-​cheese, but when it ran out before I was able to get some, I was offered instead whatever I wanted from the entire buffet!
Friendly, neighborhood place! Great music! Quality, delicious food!

I can’t believe I’ve been living up the street for years without knowing this place!
After reading all of the great reviews, I had to check it out since I am a big soul food fan. I’ve been to many places and this is the BEST so far. The oxtails, fried chicken and sides were amazing! Everything was fresh and piping hot. Left the restaurant satisfied. will be one of my regular spots from now on. Oh and customer service was great!

I almost feel disrespected not knowing this place existed, I live in Fresno CA but always in the bay area visiting family and know one told me about this place, i came on a Sunday because I heard its all you can eat on Sundays
The food was incredible! It felt like thanksgiving, I had dressing, mac & cheese, beans & rice, cream corn, spaghetti, fried fish, yams, cornbread, meatloaf, cabbage & for dessert a cup of banana pudding i know i know greedy right? Lol
I was so full when I left I staggered to my car trust me it was a long trip back home to fresno after that king like meal, kinda pricey though adults were $ 21 and I paid for me, my wife and my brother in law and his wife it came to $ 96 with tax but trust me it was worth every cent!
The drinks are free kool-​aid, coke products, mimosas (champagne & orange juice) etc. Which is really good, the staff was very friendly but the wait time was long because we had a large party and the establishment is kind of small inside, going forward this might just be my favorite spot to eat in the bay area on a Sunday

I had just finished Washing and Waxing my Whip Black Beauty and had built up a Mean Appetite.
I started thinking about Comfort Food and Southern Café came to mind.
So I jumped into my Whip and Rolled to the Diamond District and Southern Café .
I parked my Whip on the Street and Rolled in. No Parking lot option .
I was Greeted and Seated by my Server Jonathan .
He presented me with a Menu and a Glass of Water.
I Originally was going to order Oxtails but I was informed they were out for the day.
So I ordered Fried Catfish, Mac and Cheese, Yams and Gravy and Rice .
They were extremely busy the night I stopped in, so it took about 20 minutes for my meal to reach me .
The Catfish was Moist and Flavorful ‚
Yams were Rich in Flavor and So Yummy ‚
Mac and Cheese were Packed full of Flavor ‚
The Gravy and Rice was Tasty but it was Cold when delivered .
Not a Bad Meal just wished the Rice was Hot.
The Décor and Ambiance is nice.
3 LCD TVs for Entertainment .
I also ordered the Peach Cobbler Ala Mode .
This was very Delicious .
It was a great was to Cap a Meal .
I paid by Credit Card and Rolled Out.

A friend recommended this place for our annual holiday get together. Parking was fairly easy to find. We came on a Saturday and it wasn’t crowded. They were really patient with us as our friend was really running late.
The place was clean and service was great. Their cornbread was good. I got the oxtails with greens and yams. Oxtail was flavorful and tender. Greens was oh so good and yams was just sweetened right. Their food here was better than 1300 Fillmore in SF which I had the next day. Definitely worth coming back to.

The food is definitely terrific. One of the best soul food restaurants in the Bay Area. The staff is friendly and they’re really knowledgeable of their menu
Today my wife and I came in for a Sunday dinner. Me looking at these reviews you have to understand with any business there are going to be good days and bad days especially in the food industry. I’ve had an issue or two before but when I brought it to their attention they made sure it was taken care of.
Listened to some nice jazz while we were eating. Even though the place was getting packed and we were done eating we weren’t rushed out. All I have to say is keep up the good work.

To enjoy my meal by café
I can bite around you even eat a tray
A three dish threat #meatsweats best believe
Chew it out or sip away iced tea
Food time!
Oooooooo whacha wanna eat?
Whacha gonna eat I’m on yo street dang!
Oooooooo whacha wanna eat?
Oxtails collard greens you know the rules
Crossover cornbreads frying you to school
Like that next time remember who you’re eating
You chews no mercy know what I’m saying
If you eat I’ma teach two for the plateup
Catch you on the rebound meal over stay up
*Chitlins only on Fri /​Sat*
*Cornbread stuffing only on Sun*
Shoutout to my servers #ludacrisjr x #mzspacejam

When the Southern Café closed back in 2008, you could have tied me up like a hog and made me shout «Soooo-​ey!» if it meant bringing it back. OK, you couldn’t really, and please put that rope away. You’re making me nervous. Somebody randomly messaged me that it was coming back to life a couple of years ago. It wasn’t until I saw the new Unilocal entry that I actually believed it was true, so I made a point of going there last Saturday when they opened at 11AM. The door was shut, and I didn’t see anyone through the windows. One of the frustrations with the previous operation was how the staff sometimes didn’t keep their regular business hours, and I was worried that history was repeating itself.
Alas, I called, and a woman confirmed that indeed they were open. Imagine her surprise when I showed up thirty seconds later since I called her from the sidewalk outside. I don’t think it’s changed that much inside except the red checkerboard tablecloths have been replaced by white ones. All the condiments were present and accounted for. Now you’ll probably be shocked that I didn’t order their fried chicken since I proclaimed it was the best in the Bay Area before. No, I actually showed restraint on my return visit and ordered the $ 17.95 plate of Oxtails, four big ones slow-​cooked and smothered in brown gravy. Delicious, falling-​off-​the-​bone meat just the way I like them.
It came with three sides, so choosing among them was a challenge. I finally decided on the Mac & Cheese (baked the way I like it), Green Beans (tasted like they came out of a can recently) and Collard Greens (ah, the mother lode finally with definitely the deep-​river flavor of ham hocks). That was one full plate of food (photo:
), but she came by as I was in the middle of my vittles and handed me a freshly baked Cornbread Muffin (photo:
). It was so moist it didn’t need any butter… but hey, since it’s here… Actually I could have eaten the oxtails a la carte, but what’s the fun in that? It wasn’t quite five stars for me, but I’ll definitely come back to try the fried chicken. Maybe Jamie W. could get a free pass from our forks-​over-​knives mantra to order it. Just don’t tell my conscience.
FOOD — 4 stars… solid, down home cookin’, not quite what I remembered but still most worthwhile
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… fairly big dining room, dim lighting
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… friendly enough but mostly business as usual
TOTAL — 4 stars… the Southern Café returns to my rotation list… at least until I’m too obese to rotate