Soul

I came here with my mother for Valentine’s Day because I read the rave reviews. It’s true about the wait time for the food — it’s super long. The food was great though.
SERVICE — Honestly, they need to hire new and enthusiastic servicers. There was one female and one male server. Both weren’t very attentive to customers or cleaning up the tables. Seriously, there were tables stacked with dirty plates for over 1 hour. It just looked bad. It took 15 minutes to get water and an additional 15 minutes for a pepsi.
FOOD — YOU NEED TO ORDER AN APPETIZER! Whether you come here a little hungry or starving, you’ll need to order an appetizer to hold you over until your meal arrives. We had the CRAB CAKES as an appetizer and they were absolutely delicious. My mother’s entrée was OXTAIL W/​WHITE RICE that was extremely tender and I ordered the FRIED CATFISH WITH A SIDE OF MAC AND SWEET POTATOES. Mmmm! It was divine!
If there was anything I could hope they’d add to the restaurant, it’d probably be a complimentary item while you’re waiting. Small pieces of cornbread or something. We were all starving.
Would I come here again? YES, BUT ONLY TAKE OUT since I don’t usually have time to wait 2 hours for food. I gave it 4 stars because I think the food was absolutely delicious and it overshadowed the crappy service.

I would give no stars. Slowest service I’ve ever had in my life. We were seated at 1:10 and left close to 3 without getting our food. At 2:40, honestly we turned it down as we were walking out because the waitress gave me an attitude. Waitress was rude and the kid they had working moved slower than a snail. We didn’t get water until after being there for a half hour. She kept saying «we cook to order and its valentines day» no you’re slow, understaffed and unprepared because MOST restaurants cook to order and it wasnt that «busy».

Read such great reviews about this place so my husband and I just had to try it. We went on a Friday for lunch. There was one person working. Not very busy but I suppose it was for one server/​hostess. She was either unpleasant bc she was working alone or she was just an all around unpleasant person. She wasn’t rude but just not someone that needs to be in hospitality.
We were on the fence about 2 appetizers. So I ask for her opinion. She basically just tells us what’s in them. Well I can read the menu. Maybe give your thoughts on the 2. Or which is more popular among the guests that come there. We ended up getting the pastelillos. Deep fried turnovers filled w pork and cheddar cheese. It was not bad although surprised to see orange cheddar cheese in it. My husband ordered the pernil and I got the carnitas. And a side order of the mofongo. The servings were huge! Half of our plates were piled with pork. I know us Americans like big portions! But w that being said… quantity is not quality. The pernil lacked seasoning. It was tender but just not tasty. My carnitas was okay. Just okay. But as I took more bites, it got to be too salty. The collared greens were a slightly overcooked. Any longer and it would have been mushy. I will say I used almost a third of the Louisiana hot sauce on everything. The rice for both dishes were probably the tastiest out of everything. The mofongo was sent back. It was extremely salty. We’ve had mofongo before and know what it’s supposed to look like and taste like. This was not it. This was saturated in their what seems like their «house sauce». I say that bc it was on our appetizer, the tostones, and the mofongo. It’s green and very salty. We were pretty disappointed as we were so excited to try this restaurant out. Glad we had a groupon and saved a few bucks. I really wanted to like it. Maybe we will come back and try their brunch menu. Maybe…

I found this place at some point last year. I had a delicious pulled pork sandwich for lunch. I absolutely loved it and it was the best I’ve had in Tacoma… fast forward a few days… I take my husband. As Southerners, we were super excited to have «Southern» food.
This second trip, I ordered the oyster poboy and my husband ordered the chicken fried steak. When our food came out and we tasted it, it was obvious the chicken fried steak had been fried in the same grease as the oysters, giving it an oyster taste. It was terrible. You never fry seafood in the same grease as ANYTHING else. NEVER. The fried oysters were way undercooked for my taste and my husband didn’t eat the chicken fried steak at all.
The sides were ok, though the mac and cheese needed more salt as it tasted like nothing. We have not and won’t be back.

Let’s just say I wanted to stay from brunch to dinner. Food was amazing, plenty of it and a great atmosphere.

Totally satisfied. Drove from Lakewood for some soul food. The baked Mac n cheese and collard greens were the best I’ve had in ages. The fried chicken was surprisingly good. I prefer white meat, but only wings and legs were available. The parsley added a nice twist.
Not used to hearing RnB from the 90s and early aughts, but it brought me back at this family owned joint.

My mother & I stumbled upon this restaurant back in July of 2014 I believe. Hands down, best soul food in tacoma! I couldn’t wait to have my partner join us, as we have a newborn baby she had to wait. We go to this restaurant as often as we can.
We went last night around 7p.m. my life partner & mother had Texas chicken fried steak. I had the catfish (my 1^st time having the catfish) with greens, yams, & mac & cheese. Let me start by saying way too much food to eat! it was delicious!
We always have WONDERFUL service & the food is always GREAT… SLAPPPPPPPPIN I tell you! If for some strange reason you haven’t been here, YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO GO!
You can hit me up & we can go together. LOL
I haven’t been to the other, newly opened soul restaurant in university place, off 19^th & mildred, right across the street from TCC. But I will say I will be going sometime this week!
The only problem I have, is the restaurant closes at 8p.m. & I’m a night owl.
Other than that, this is an awesome place with a great atmosphere!
Love it!!!

I’ve eaten at this restaurant four times. Each time the food was excellent! My favorite dish is Arroz con Pollo. The chicken is perfectly cooked and well seasoned. I Initially thought the beans were a bit soupy until the waitress recommended I pour it over my rice. YUM. So flavorful! The dish also came with tostones. I have never had these before but thought they were delicious. I believe it’s an acquired taste though, I can see why some people might dislike them. It’s a truly cultured food (if that makes sense lol), unlike anything in the standard American diet.
I’ve also tried the greens and macaroni and cheese. Both are divine. I’ve actually ordered JUST a side of both for dinner.
The only complaint I have is that the friendliness of the staff is a hit or miss. The first couple of visits I was served by a female. She isn’t purposefully rude, but she’s not very personable either. She just seems to be a naturally reserved person. The last time I visited, I had a young male as a waiter who seemed a bit overwhelmed and wasn’t too knowledgeable about the menu. Though I should add my husband is gluten intolerant which caused us to ask many questions about the food and how it’s prepared; so it’s understandable. It caused the waiter to return back and forth from the kitchen. My husband and I appreciated that.
The wait time can be significant. But I didn’t have to wait over 45 minutes during any of my visits. I don’t really mind since the food is soooo worth it.
If you want really good food come here! Just don’t expect the welcoming and courteous mannerisms you might find elsewhere.
The owner takes these reviews pretty seriously. We had a discussion about this one! I admire that she cares about her customers and business.

Great as always I brought my aunt and cousins in for a birthday dinner everyone loved it! I’d recommend Soul anytime

I have eaten here a few times in the last 3 months and food was excelent. I have had The Collard Greens, Gumbo and Jambalaya and they were fantastic… Gumbo is only available I think on Sundays and Mondays and is the best dish I have had so far… the Greens were also amazing…

Hole-​in-​the-​wall place that feels so cozy right when you set foot inside. We came on a busy night, so it took a while to get a table but it was WELL worth the wait. My wife had the Chicken Fried Steak, and I had the… (Peruvian dish with steak and french fries). We loved the food so much, you’ll find us coming back again and again! Grab a glass of wine, sit back and wait for your food to arrive; you won’t be dissappointed. The music is awesome too!

Wings and yellow rice w/​pigeon peas… Yummmmmm!!! Great service too. Relaxing atmosphere. Owner came by to check on us — nice touch. Prices were very good, especially for the ample portions. Be sure to try the Soul Caesar salad — the dressing is amazing.

Had the chicken with yellow rice. Very bland no flavor. Plantains dry and overcooked.
Red beans as a side in bowl of liquid? Again no flavor. Can’t recommend this restaurant.

Second time here. Service is a tad slow (it’s just the owner and one other person) but the food is well worth the wait! Who knew one could get southern cooking in the PNW??? First time there, I had the okra appetizer, green beans, and mashed potatoes. All yummy and flavored just right. Boyfriend had a whopping filet of catfish cooked perfectly. We also treated ourselves to several of the best chocolate martinis we’ve found. On the second visit, I again had the okra appetizer and fried corn, which was not the typical fried white corn I, as Tennesse girl, expected, but it was delicious yellow corn with onion and some other spices. The Boyfriend had fish and grits and what he claims were awesome collard greens. Portions are more than adequate, and the prices aren’t over the top.

Best Louisiana food I have had in a long time. I will be a regular. The gumbo reminded me of home.
–Louisiana Approved– On the gumbo

I was so surprised when pulling up to «soul» it wasn’t at all what I expected but it was a very pleasant surprise, I fell in love with the ambiance! The style is so beautiful and the feeling is so comfortable.
I ordered the fried catfish with a side of collard greens and red beans and rice, it was good. The portions are very hearty and I love that there is a bottle of hot sauce on the table, seals the deal for me.
My other half ordered the fried chicken with a side of collard greens and macaroni and cheese. She felt she needed to add salt and pepper to boost the flavor.
All in all the meal was good, filling and satisfying. We would go again.

This was my first time coming here with my hubby. Our server was Jennifer. At first she wasn’t really welcoming, but she got our order perfect and the food was GREAT! I got the chicken and waffles and OMG. It was delicious. She offered us some dessert and we tried the lemon cake. Best cake I’ve ever had! We really loved the food and Jennifer was a great server. The longer the we stayed the better the server got.
We will be coming back soon.

This was my first visit. I had heard others going with varying likes
and Mary gave it a try. first it’s in an old house. Drawback 2 sets of stairs. I have bad arthritic knees but I made it. the décor was awesome.
I ordered the strawberry lemonade. So good. We shared an appetizer of wings. Half naked for me. Buffalo for
was so good. super hot.
My m a in dish. I had pulled pork with red beans rice. Mary had chicken with Mac cheese and mashed potatoes and gravy. the cook his name was natural. Did the damn thing. we ate off each other’s plates. everything was so yummy
For desert we had sweet potato pie. My eyes rolled back. better than Nana’s pie!
We chatted with the waitress Jennifer. she was the best.
We loved it and will go back.

I recently revisited Soul to see if there was a change from my January 2014 visit.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the recommendations that I had made were executed. In order to compare apples to apples I ordered the exact same meal I had in January 2014.
The fried chicken dinner was excellent. The chicken was seasoned upon arrival. The sweet potatoes were perfectly balanced and the mac and cheese was PERFECT.
The food was great. Even with these improvements, I am maintaining the 3-​Star rating from January 2014.
My visit today was afflicted by a considerable wait time for service. To her credit, my waitress did advise it would be 45 minutes for dinner to arrive. There were three tables awaiting food when I arrived. I decided to try the Crab-​cake appetizer hoping it would arrive prior to 45 minutes.
My appetizer arrived 45 minutes or so after ordering. The two good sized cakes were delicious; though I thought the could use a bit of acid. It wasn’t until I was examining the dried parsley dusting on the plate, that I noticed there was a sauce under crab-​cakes. The sauce was a lemony aioli. The cakes would have been better served with the sauce on top and maybe a sprinkling of green onion rather than the dried parsley that didn’t add the meal.
My main course arrived 20 minutes after my appetizer, which was annoying especially given that a table that was seated after me received their meal before I did.
Forty-​five minutes gives one a bit of time to observe somethings
Crab cakes were served on a chipped plate.
The salt on salt and pepper were empty and crystallized.
I ordered during «Happy Hour» but wasn’t given happy hour pricing.
In conclusion, the food was good. I found the long and inconsistent service a problem if you want to pop in and out for a quick meal. If you have time to kill and a good company, I recommend Soul as a destination.

Interesting Unilocal considers 2 check ins as being a regular, the first time I arrived they were closed at 8pm on a Saturday night… doesn’t really count.
But that day I had purchased the $ 20 for $ 15 deal and had to come back (was looking forward to coming back even) to use it.
3 of is arrived at 4:50pm on the anniversary of Soul being open for 1 year.
Not very busy. Almost 5:30 by the time the server took our order (she may have been drunk) .
Keep in mind we had tickets for the Rainier’s game at 7:05. 6:15pm our all bit my order arrived. 6:40 my order arrived.
Many have posted service is slow… to be specific it took almost 2 hours to get my food.
The potato salad was definitely not homemade. The tostones that every one raves about have zero flavor… I’ve never had them until tonight, but how can your rave about something without a flavor?
I had so hoped for the pernil, I’ve heard great things… they weren’t serving it… pulled pork instead (might good). The appetizer of jalapeño hush puppies was also good. The sweet potatoes were down right epic.
I had to put my food right into a doggie box, yep swiped the fork and napkin too… ate my dinner at the ball game.
I’ll never be back,
I don’t understand how this place stays in business. The food is good, the décor interesting but who has that kind of time to eat? I was there 2 hours and had to take my to go.
If your still reading, and still decide to stop in, don’t engage the server… she gets distracted easily… thought the table next to us was never gonna see their drink order lol.