A Soul Food Bistro

This place was fantastic! Limited menu but loads of really good southern food served up with a smile. The mac n cheese must not be missed! We also had collard greens, fried okra and yams. All delicious. Huge portions. We could not eat it all and have enough for a whole meal left over.
They close at 7 pm by the way. If you go tell Shay that the people from Arizona say hello!

I really hate to do this, but the food is that bad. To start I have a deceptively large appetite and not a food snob. Came here recently and ordered fried chicken, yams and macaroni & cheese. Ok yes I grew up with the privilege of eating my mom’s macaroni & cheese made from scratch. You know, the kind that you pour the milk, egg, butter mixture over the tender elbows and then mix in the cheese and bake? Well not at this place, the mac and cheese was literally no boil elbow pasta with shredded cheese on top! I’ve had fried chicken from the local Chinese restaurant better then what I had. The yams were ok and cornbread was dry; but the food did not take too long to come out. This food was not made with love but I’m rooting for a change for the better.
So why two stars? I strongly believe in supporting local businesses and the service was excellent. Given those two factors I’m willing to give this place another chance.

I remember the old Dorothy and Leroy’s that occupied this space before A Soul Food Bistro did. The interior is about the same– a row of booths on the left wall and a counter with stools on the right wall. The furniture is new and the wall décor is new, so I definitely noticed a newer cheerier interior.
There are a few Soul Food Bistro menus floating around in cyberspace that aren’t current. I had lunch here today and was greeted by a pretty skimpy menu. I asked if there were any lunch specials and was told no –just what’s on the menu.
Here are the menu choices:
There are five dinners (chicken, Grilled Spare Ribs, Fish, and Turkey) listed on their menu, but two of them (ribs and turkey) are only offered Sundays. So since today is a Wednesday, I had a choice of three entrees.
I went with the chicken (smothered, not fried) with two included sides (mac and cheese and collard greens) and an included slice of cornbread for $ 12.99.
The chicken consisted of two huge drumsticks and a thigh. No complaints here– they were the biggest drumsticks I have ever seen, were moist and tender, and tasted great. The mac and cheese was (how do I say this?) too cheesy– almost overpoweringly so. The greens were just so-​so, made worse by the cold spot in the middle of the pile.
Service was fine, but just be aware that the menu is skimpy. If there were any dinner specials, I wasn’t told about them.

This place has the greatest home feeling. The catfish is absolutely mouth watering, all the food is just amazing everytime I go in I try something new just because.

I’ve been going here since they first opened a few months ago. They’ve been through a lot as first time business but still have maintain consistency in quality of food and service. The food is awesome and always fresh, the service is kind and friendly. I highly recommend!

The food sounds amazing but unfortunately, they don’t have reliable hours. I went last Sunday at 1:15pm and they were closed. There are no hours posted on the building and there was no sign indicating why they were closed. To have a successful restaurant, you have to keep regular hours so people can actually eat there.
Edit: Tried to go again and was even more disappointed. They didn’t have a menu so the server just told us what we could order (without giving us any prices). We ordered. Over 45 minutes later, we still didn’t have any food on our table. Not even my salad. We ended up having to leave because my son needed to get to his basketball game… hungry since we were never served any food. When I told the server we needed to leave because the food was taking so long, there was no apology or anything. We just got a snotty look from the «cook» from the kitchen.

This was our first time eating in. Previously we had take out (chicken wings and potato salad). First thing, the food is delicious. We ordered a chicken dinner and a catfish dinner. Sides of Mac and Cheese, potato salad and collards. The place is small but not too small. There is counter service and booths. I would recommend this to any soul food lover. There were items that had sold out and weren’t available. We came near the end of the day. Next time we will come earlier to try the ribs. The owner is very nice and friendly.

Being from the south I didn’t think I would find the best soul food I have ever had in the north. This place was amazing. The corn bread was so sweet it even made for a great dessert. The workers and owners where the nicest ppl ever.

I’m sorry! I REALLY REALLY wanted to like this place… but it just didn’t perform :(I’m all about local small business and I’m all about homestyle cooking but this place just disappointed.
I came here on a Sunday for lunch and it wasn’t very busy when I arrived (just one other table). The waiter was a very pleasant guy and was personable. My companion and I ordered fried fish (tilapia and catfish, respectively) and a couple of sides.
My issues:
(1) Disorganized — this place wasn’t that busy and it was crazy disorganized. I’m pretty sure they forgot about my order a few times (despite the fact there was only one other table)
(2) Time — it took FOREVER to get the food (partially because I think they forgot about us). The problem wasn’t the time necessarily but the fact that my fried fish came out soggy (whereas my companion’s fish was crispy and delicious).
(3) Sides — This is probably my biggest complaint… the green beans were ATROCIOUS. They were obviously straight out of a can, into a pot to heat up and onto my plate. They were soggier than anything I’ve had before and they tasted like the can. Awful. Don’t even offer green beans as a side if this is what you’re going to serve.
So sad — I really wanted to like this place. I’m hoping it was just a fluke (since other people seemed to really like this place), but I probably won’t be coming back

I just happened to be in the area while driving from New Hampshire to New Jersey so I tried it out with two other people. We were really impressed by the tastiness and quality of the food and by the helpfulness and friendliness of the staff. Now we plan to eat here any time we are on Route 91 going through Connecticut. I had tasty whiting, collard greens, cole slaw, and amazing melt-​in-​your mouth Mac and cheese. The lemonade was fresh and refreshing too. The only complaint is that they need a bigger sign so you won’t drive past as we did the first time.

My friends ordered the fried chicken with sides of mac and cheese and fried okra. As a vegan, my options were pretty limited but I ordered fries (the Cajun seasoning was delicious) and had some of the okra. Unfortunately they didn’t have any of the daily dessert offerings even though it was early afternoon.
The employee taking orders was friendly and helpful, casually singing along to the radio and making us laugh. I think he could have been a little more proactive in filling our water glasses but otherwise he was great.
Food was delicious and definitely would recommend if you’re interested in some hearty, Southern-​style soul food! They also cater!

Just left the establishment looking for a bite to eat on the way to the Jazz Festival and was disappointed to find that there wasn’t a lot left to be desired. A couple had traveled from Storrs to find that there were no desserts. Hopefully this is a one time incident. Maybe there’ll be more items next time.

Heard about this new restaurant on Facebook and wanted to support new business. The staff is very welcoming and friendly. We ordered the smothered pork chops with cabbage and mac and cheese and smothered chicken with collards and mac and cheese. I have to say one thing that did bother me was all of the sides sit there in the open without any tops. I did want to order candied yams but did see some mac and cheese had fallen in. Also the fried chicken is kept in a huge pan with no coverings also under a light.
To the food: the collard greens are fresh and were flavorful to say they are cooked without any meat. The cabbage however was highly overseasoned which can not be good for some people. The macaroni and cheese I could not eat. One it was way too cheesy and second it tasted like garlic powder was added. The cornbread was perfection. You do receive two good sized pork chops but they need to be cooked a little longer ours was very tough. The smothered chicken was good, but the gravy was just on the chicken not on the rice that comes with the meal.
As I said it is a new establishment and hopefully they will work out their kinks because they have a great menu with items I look forward to trying that I cant find at other soul food spots. As a suggestion I would say to stop by some of the other soul food spots in the area to look at their portions and quality if you havent already. There is a great soul food spot on Main Street in Hartford you can check out (no affiliation) just for some pointers. But like I said I will be back to try more and have spread the word you are open.

My husband and I were looking for somewhere different and unique to eat, and I happened to see the reviews here on Unilocal for the Soul Food Bistro-​Windsor in Windsor. I’m originally from Atlanta, but I’ve lived in CT for the last 20 years, and I’ve really missed great southern food. I am so glad I found this restaurant! I had the fried catfish, which is the best I’ve ever eaten (see pic under photos), fried okra, collard greens, cornbread, and of course, sweet iced tea. The catfish had a light crispy coating on it and was perfectly seasoned. .not greasy at all. The collard green were delicious and not overly salted like they sometimes are at other restaurants. The cornbread was buttery and not at all dry or gritty, but rather had a melt in your mouth quality to it. My husband had ½ rack of ribs, mac and cheese, and fries. The only reason I did not rate this place 5 stars was because the service was lacking. We were given our menus right away, but it took awhile for the waiter to come back over to take our order. In fact, he walked right past us a few times without stopping. There was only one other table with 4 other customers at the time, and 3 employees working, so there was no excuse for them to hang out behind the counter and not wait on us. We had to give the «can you please come over and take our order» stare. After we got our food, no one ever came back over to ask if they could refill our drinks. By that point, we were the only customers there, so again, no excuses for the poor service. We finally waved, and the wait staff came over and we finally got a drink refill. After we finished our meals, no one ever came over to clear our dishes off the table, and no one brought the bill to us. My husband and I sat and talked for about 15 minutes with the dirty dishes in front of us. My husband realized that no employee was going to come bring us the bill, so he went up to the cash register and paid it. He also told one of the owners how disappointed we were with the service, and he nicely explained details. The owner did say that she was sorry, but told my husband that the next time we come in, that he should alert her again about the service and she’ll see that we get better service. Huh? I would think that she’d work to improve the service starting with their very next customer. Maybe she just «didn’t get it», because she was part of the poor service problem and she knew that. I don’t mean to be mean or overly critical, it’s just that the service was lacking not just during part of the time we were there, but the entire time. The food was so incredibly good, that I would hate to see this restaurant fail due to poor customer service. That being said, I will go back again. Hopefully by then the service will have improved. I hope so, because I really loved the atmosphere and the food.

Heard about it from a facebook group and decided to try it. Everything was amazing. Best catfish I’ve had since being out in Oklahoma and the oxtail was great. Lots of food so there was plenty left over for lunch today. I’m probably going to wind up coming here more often than I should.

Oh my goodness! The food here is amazing the Mac and cheese was by far the best I’ve ever had. No exaggeration! The fried catfish was perfect and then there’s the cornbread! I could honestly go on and on! The food is only outdone by the warm hospitality shown by Dee and her delight of a daughter, Elle. My husband and I love this place!

Stopped in here because I was looking for the BBQ place across the street, but it had moved or closed. Place was very clean, and when you entered, you felt welcomed. I live in Texas, and enjoy good soul food, it is like what Mom used to cook. The baked chicken was great, and cornbread not too sweet. I left it at 4 stars, they have a few little things to work out, and I’m sure after a few months it will be, food does not need anything, it is 5 stars.

FOOD WAS AMAZING! Its been a while since Ive had good soul food in CT and Soul Food Bistro is it! Food was fresh, not over seasoned and just comforting. Fantastic service.

Stopped by today, had oxtail collard greens, Mac and cheese and yams. My mother had fried wings, potato salad and greens. Food was ok, oxtail taste a little burned. Portion for 10.99 fried chicken meal was small came with three wings. Oxtail 15.99 so not worth the price. Prices very high for soul food spot in small town. Staff was extremely friendly I think once they make a little more business they might want to come down on their prices in general.

Yesterday my husband and I stopped in to A Soul Food Bistro in Windsor. It just opened and is on the corner of Broad Street and a small side street. There is plenty of parking in front, and it’s easy to get to. We were greeted by the owners; two sisters who own the business. The menu has many different offerings from soul food to barbecue and the food is prepared fresh every day. We chose the ribs (though next time I’m diving into their freshly fried chicken!) with sides of greens, rice, candied yams and mac and cheese. My husband said their mac and cheese tastes like his mother’s (only theirs is better!). The portions are filling, and the service is wonderful and attentive. The décor is sweet country, cozy décor and it’s extremely neat and clean in every respect. The food was AMAZING! But what made the experience ever better, was that the staff made us feel like we were family. We felt very much at home conversing with the owners while we ate. The also offer homemade butter pound cake and homemade peach cobbler — which I will be sure to make room for next time! We loved it there and will be back again soon!