Dorsey’s Locker

This location is CLOSED. :(
The end.

Tonight is the last jam under the name Dorsey’s Locker. Next Monday, August 3, 2015, the jam will continue under a new name… Blue Bay Bar and Grill. I’m looking forward to some Brazilian dinner! I can’t wait.

This is a neighbor hood bar with so much spirit! Each time I have gone here, for laughs or just a drink, I have met interesting people. I’ve also enjoyed myself to the full!
The atmosphere, for a bar, is quite relaxing.
They also serve really good food at reasonable prices; taco Tuesday is awesome!

Pretty good place.
Food took a bit but if it’s made to order then I totally get it!
Sat in the bar, overall pretty cool and divy, can for sure shoot the shit with some drinking seniors in here!

The food was terrible! The breaded pork chops were bland and had no flavor, mac and cheese was disgusting and watery, greens tasted like they were from a can and the black eyed peas were gross! Even the corn bread muffin was nasty… how do you mess up on that? It was my first and LAST time there!!!

I ment to write this after it happened but have been busy with work and school. First let me say I have ate at dorseys a few times and absolutely loved the food. But about 2 months ago myself and my husband stopped here for a chicken dinner. I walked in and had a unfriendly guy take my order and a young woman who would initially cook my order. I noticed her saying she could not wait to get off work and go home, so my thought was ok please do not rush my order! My order was up and the guy handed it to me while smacking down some cornbread and letting crumbs fall in my bag I was thinking to myself ok he is super unprofessional but what ever.
I got my food and we drove off, as we were on the highway I noticed first the quality of the food was nothing how it used to be, second i see that my mac and cheese was watery UGH UGH UGH watery mac n cheese? ok what ever is what i thought to myself again. But what got me fuming and disgusted was, I was given a SPOILED chicken breast and wings that where under cooked and BLOODY!
Now I am a trained professional chef, and I also cook with my family as a hobby. I do not understand how someone cooking can not smell chicken that is SPOILED and the texture is Sticky! the moment you touch the chicken and or season it you know it is old. Now if you do not know when your meat is old and or spoiled you have no business in a kitchen! and you clearly was not trained properly on food safety! I really was disappointed and will never eat here again, not to mention there are new places to eat soul food in Oakland who do not charge $ 6 bucks for one chicken breast as a a le carte!

Doesn’t look like much from the outside. Inside either. However the atmosphere was just right! My first time here & I came for the Holiday Party. Neecey was amazing & kept us entertained all night! The band was on point! As crowded as it was the waiters & staff were attentive! I will be back ;)

Went to this place as Scends has now been closed down permanently and I wanted some fried fish and chicken as well as to play pool and watch the game. Was told by a friend to go check out Dorsey’s. Its in a residential section of Oakland and is a locals spot. When we arrived we found out it was Karaōke night with Blues music. The bar tender Smokey aka Barbara was so down to earth. She made us feel right at home.
We ordered Fried chicken, Shrimp and fish. Which was just ok. It just needed more seasoning, but other than that it was pretty good. We ended up watching Monday night football and listening to the band as well as karaōke singers and had a ball. This place I would return too.

My agency just had this catered and it was the best darn restaurant soulfood I have had in a while! Fried chicken was good, mac and chees-​ok, greens– better then most, and blackeyed peas were delicious. I even liked the corn muffins and I dont usually like them.
Worth a try*

HORRIBLE DINING EXPERIENCE! It took forever to get our food after we ordered. When we did get our food, we were informed they ran out of our sides & we had to order different ones (there was also no silverware). We did not get water until AFTER our meal (& after asking 2 different waiters).

This place is THE BEST. There is a respect and nostalgia here that can really be appreciated. Decent prices and very good food! Also, the bar serves stiff, legitimate drinks! The only reason I didn’t finish my food is because the portions were so large, I was too full Thanks again Dorsey’s!

One of my local favorite hang outs in part because it’s close to where I live and because it is generally a pretty chill place to hang. I have not eaten here I usually come for a couple of drinks and whatever music is happening. They have a good pour on the mixed drinks and all of the bartenders are friendly and check on you if your glass looks low. On Monday nights they have an open mic where you can bring your instrument or voice and sign up to sit in. Better have some chops though as the talent is usually pretty good.

I went here about a month ago with my niece who likes the place. We were able to get parking but it was a tight space. We ordered a to-​go order and waited it didn’t take long 25 minutes or so. I had fried fish with collard greens, yams and cornbread. The fish was smelling fishy but I ate it and didn’t get sick, the collard greens were spicy but good and the cornbread was bland so I didn’t eat it, the Yams were sweet and not sweet. Meaning they tasted fresh and from a can?
My husband had the pork chop sandwich which he enjoyed.
I like soul food but I’ve been to several in this area and I don’t think they believe in serving FRESH food or tasty food. I told my husband I’m pretty done with trying Soul Food and they can’t cook.

Pros: Great parking, Fried chicken and yams were good and so were the fries.
Cons: The greens were tender and taste like they came from a can, the fish tasked too buttery and like it was cooked in old grease.

For what this place offers it is just pure fun! Came here on Sunday morning for their FREE soul comforting brunch and to watch some NFL ball (tough to do in Berkeley).
Smokey the bartender took awesome care of our party during our visit and I wish I could wrap her up and take her home with me instead. Smokey might be the kindest mother of all peoples in the world no doubt.
Unfortunately, I left SFO later that day to come home to Chicago and there was no Smokey at my place to cater all my needs with a smile… :(

Fried chicken, fried catfish, greens, potato salad, corn/​okra and corn muffins were GREAT. The service on the phone and delivery was EXCELLENT!
They deliver ya’ll!!!
SUPPORT OUR PEOPLE!!!

The food at Dorsey’s Locker is not very consistent, though there are some gems on the menu.
Gems: The cornbread muffin was delicious — chewy on the outside, delicious and flaky on the inside. The oxtail vegetable soup was excellent and very hearty. $ 7.50 is quite expensive for a small bowl of soup though, so I recommend sharing the large bowl for $ 9 instead. The bbq sauce and black eyed peas are quite good as well. The shrimp were very plump and fresh, and tasty grilled or fried.
Decent items: The corn & okra, collard greens, cabbage and fries. The catfish, snapper and oysters were also fresh, but nothing special.
Not so good items: Green beans, mashed potatoes and mac & cheese.
The restaurant is clean, but old fashioned. The service is pretty mediocre and slow, but not rude at all. Not a great environment for a romantic date, but it’ll do if you know what to order and want to get some decent soul food in your belly. Given the choice though, I would much rather go to Lois the Pie Queen or Home of Chicken & Waffles for consistently better food and much friendlier service.

Restaurant area is an odd T shape with a small side room with four 3-​tops and a handful of 2-​tops parallel to a small bar with 3 stools that’s in front of the kitchen.
Similar menu to Nellie’s (
) with standards like fried fish and chicken and sandwiches every day and a rotating list of daily specials, though prices are a couple bucks cheaper here for similar items.
Went with the Chicken /​Catfish combo for $ 12.50. You can choose Breast/​Wing or Thigh/​Leg + 3 sides. I went with Thigh/​Leg plus collard greens, yams, and red beans. I must have missed the mac & cheese I see in other folks pictures. Everything is fried to order and the gentleman who took my order let me know it would be ~20 minutes for the chicken.
Definitely a wait, but not the full 20 minutes. Big plate of food arrived with 2 extra bowls for the greens & beans (see pics linked below). The meal comes with a cornmeal muffin which was nice and warm and not as sweet as you find at a lot of places.
The chicken pieces were huge (
)! The leg was probably twice the size of the one I got at Nellies (
). The breading was nicely seasoned and the meat juicy and tasty. A couple of spots had small chunks of extra breading that got burned, but otherwise finger licking good!
The catfish was less successful. The two pieces were nicely cooked and moist, but the cornmeal breading was very bland. Luckily they provide a bottle of hot sauce which was more of a necessity to kick up the flavor vs. an option for a different taste.
The sides were good. The greens were tender and tasty with no bitterness; I found a bonus chunk of meat in the bowl. Yams were sweet and cinnamony. The red beans also had good flavor, but were my least favorite of the three; sub the mac & cheese next time.
Couldn’t finish all the food and ended up with a nice box of leftovers for some midnight snacking!
Fried Chicken: 4.5 stars
Catfish: 3 stars
Sides: 4 stars

Dorsey’s Locker has a small dining area but a huge adjacent bar. The lighting was horrible. Track lights pointed at us. And whenever the server walked around, he’d blocked the light.
Seafood Platter (
): 2 pieces of catfish, snapper, prawns and oysters served either grilled or fried. I asked the server whether grilled or fried was better, and he suggested that I do half half for comparison. The frying was done beautifully and so was the seasoning for the grilled items. Of the platter, I really enjoyed the fried oyster, the prawns and the snappers. Both pieces of catfish were dry and tough. I think it was poor quality fish. And the grilled oyster had sand in it. Bleh.
Breaded Pork Chops (
): BF asked for a recommendation and the server said this is the most popular dish. Its looks were deceiving. Because it tasted really bad. Overly salty as if it was brined. It was too much even for a sodium-​lover. Two bites and we had to ask for something else.
Both of our items came with 3 side dishes each. And we found ourselves enjoying these more. (
)
Rice & gravy: The gravy was delicious. Can tell that it was made from scratch.
Fries: I dipped them in gravy! =)
Green beans: A bit overcooked and soft for my liking.
Mashed potato & gravy: Yum! I love carbs.
Potato salad: Nice cold half mashed salad.
Sweet potato: Really sweet like eating the filling of a casserole.
Overall experience was okay. It was definitely a filling meal. Tastewise, not quite satisfying.

I saw this place on
so I decided to try it. It’s soul food, yumm. This was my very first experience using a
coupon, even though I’ve bought SO MANY before (I’ll use them later, since they don’t have an expiration date, California RULE). Restrictions? Can only use it for dinner, mandatory 18% tip. I didn’t mind.
Only 37 reviews?! Really? I found this place a couple months ago when I was looking for a restaurant for my cousin’s bday. Today I went for my cousin’s belated bday/BF’s graduation… because that is a lot of $$$ to celebrate each event individually + this was only Part 1, we went to Fenton’s for Part 2.
Friday had the best menu day on their website.
Friday had BBQ ribs for only $ 6 and smothered steak for $ 9.25. I didn’t know if I could eat it all. I also wanted the fried sampler platter? That seemed like a bit much for one person, so I had to make sure that whoever I went with would get some of these items so I could try. If I’m going all the way to Oakland for food, I better make the most of it.
I looked at the menu online beforehand and I wanted to try EVERYTHING. Smothered steak, bbq ribs, gumbo, fried oysters, fried chicken, even chitterlings, fried wings… anything & everything sounded good. Make sure you look at the menu before you go, they have specials everyday of the week, check
to see what day you want to go. Just to let you know, the prices on the menu in-​store cost a little bit more than the website prices, I guess the site needs to be updated.
It appears to be authentic to me, I wouldn’t really know. When I went to the South, I didn’t have any soul food, only Mexican & Chinese food… actually I did go to Waffle House, but that didn’t have a Southern feel to it, very American diner like.
For 3 people, we ordered:
~large gumbo with rice
too spicy for me
~fried seafood platter (with 3 sides)
came with fish, shrimp, & oysters. the oysters were the BEST
~smothered steak (with 3 sides)
not bad, but not great
~breaded pork chop
pretty good
~BBQ ribs (3 sides)
THE MUST HAVE ITEM, meat falls right off the bone & tastes so good.
We didn’t know all those items came with 3 sides each, so we got all of them… corn & okra, cabbage, collard greens (hint of spiciness), fries, potato salad (taste like the kind you can buy at Safeway), rice & gravy, macaroni & cheese, yams (hint of cinnamon), black-​eyed peas. we had a duplicate of cabbage & fries… mashed potatoes are unavailable on Friday, which I kind of wanted.
There was so much food, it didn’t really fit our table. I didn’t expect so much. We brought a lot of it home.
I regret not getting an Arnold Palmer, I wanted to try it but only remembered at the end.
Even without a
coupon, it’s still worth it but I prefer to go with a coupon. Total was about $ 60 something including tax + tip +$ 25 coupon… would’ve been much more expensive without the coupon.
The waiter was really nice + there’s a parking lot.
There’s also a bar & restaurant, the bar was full but the restaurant side was empty, we sat in restaurant side.