Mouthwatering Soul Food in Cleveland

Angie's Soul Cafe

★★★☆☆ 3 (105) • $$

"In the 1960s my father had an office in the small strip of stores across Carnegie from where Angie's is located, and I would stop at Hot Sauce William's from time to time, so I watched the slow progress of converting the building into Angie's, but it was worth the wait. Angie's tore the building down to the bare walls and rebuilt everything back to get what is essentially a new building with the same footprint. Walking in I was surprised by the stylish rustic decor, including hanging wood doors cand really cool looking ceiling fans create a casual, welcoming, but classy feel, not at all what I expected.The menu boards are on the wall and you order at the window to the right; note that this location of Angie's is cash free, so you have to have a credit card or an electronic payment method. I selected the Catfish Dinner with Candied Yams and Mac and Cheese as the sides to go. Since they cook the fish fresh it took about 7 minutes, and the fish smelled so good that I almost had to eat it right there.The Catfish were two large fillets, perfectly breaded and fried so that the fish was moist and tender inside with a crunchy crust perfectly seasoned. The baked Mac and Cheese was very good, tender noodles in a mild cheesy sauce. The Yams were incredibly tender and sweet, it could have been desert. The corn muffin was also good.Angie's serves incredibly delicious soul food at reasonable prices and they have a really nice dining room. Being located in Midtown on Carnegie means it is a great place to get outstanding food when heading to downtown or to the East Side."

Ed's Smokehouse Soul Food

★★★★☆ 4.4 (9)

"My boyfriend has been talking about the food here since we met and we finally made it (New Location- 2600 25th St. NE)! It was so worth it. I had ribs, mac and cheese and yams and everything was perfection. I can't wait to try more. Thanks, Ed."

Kyrie’s Kafe

★★★★☆ 4 (8)

"Trendy soul food in the heart of the hood. After passing this restaurant for the last few months I finally decided to stop in for a quick lunch. I loved the idea of the cute patio but never saw anyone sitting out there so I wanted to do so even if I was the only one. I parked in the lot behind it and found the closest door marked exit, it was locked. I entered from Kinsman and was surprised to see people inside, the dark windows prevented that. Kayla hostess, waitress, cashier was slow to warm but watching her engage with other customers I knew it would come. She was sweet but slightly awkward which I'm sure will change as she gains experience & confidence. There food was good. As you can see from the menu everything is about the same price point. I opted for a starter because everything seemed to be heavier than I wanted. The sauces which were offered after the food was delivered and Kayla had to go get were good and much better than the standards they are meant to replace. I met "Chef T" who gave me a sample of his lemon cake, he's been baking for 35 years and was deserved confident about their dessert selection that includes peach cobbler & several cakes. I'm not a sweets person but that cake is worthy of the confidence he showed. Whew! I also met Gifted, I'm not sure if he is the owner or manager but he has big ideas for the growth of this spot. There are TV's with remotes at every booth and a chess board area. I look forward to going back."

Comfort CLE

★★★★☆ 4 (1)

"food was on point wings was great mac & them green yea a must try no lie.. appericate you guys & the service was wonderful really good customer service Must try they ginger juice was lit .. very relax area very clean & up to par."

Sister's Soul Food

★★★★☆ 4.3 (3)

"Amazing customer services and great food. The food were nicely seasoned and delicious."

Open Pitt Barb-B-Que

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (73) • $

"I was told that you have to have the polish boy from this local establishment and they did not disappoint. Good service also"

Dreamz Cafe

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (18)

"I'm always a sucker for soul food, and my friend and I decided to stop into this new spot in Old Brooklyn to eat our feelings and try a little bit of everything.Since I can't find a menu online, I'm doing these menu items from memory. We ordered: potato hash, mac and cheese, chicken and shrimp hash, shrimp and grits and collard greens. My absolute favorite thing was the shrimp and grits. It's so hard to find buttery, creamy grits around CLE...and these were perfect. The big pieces of perfectly seasoned shrimp were the added bonus. I liked my chicken hash, but it was a lot of potato I was not prepared for.I thought it was a bit odd they don't offer soft drinks or water beyond buying individual water bottles or high-sugar juices. With this type of heavy, salty/seasoned, carby food, I need to drink a lot of water, and in short, you'll need to keep buying bottles (so, bring your own drink). I also totally get that businesses make economic decisions for the businesses, but when we were leaving, it made me so sad at the big amount of in-dining trash we had of styrofoam and non-recyclable materials...I sort've actively felt bad.Since they're new, I'm looking forward to stopping by again! Great food and fair prices in Old Brooklyn!"

V's Gourmet Chicken

★★★★☆ 4.1 (82) • $

"I finally found great fried chicken that isn't salty! I kept hearing good things about V's and finally decided to make the drive over to the east side. It took about 25-30 mins to get there and it's carry-out so be prepared to make some holes in the containers so your hot crispy chicken doesn't steam up and turn into soggy fried chicken on the way home. I suggest calling in your order in advance - you will probably still have a wait time when you get there as they come across as being understaffed. A one piece breast dinner is only $6 and includes two sides and a cornbread muffin. You can chose the breading with six different options. I've tried the breast dinner with the honey crunch breading, coleslaw, stuffing with gravy, and paid 45¢ more to upgrade to a biscuit. I've also tried the breast dinner with cajun breading, mac & cheese, greens with rice, and the muffin. I love that neither of the breadings I tried were salty like I have been experiencing with other restaurants. I did not think the cajun was hot at all and actually could barely taste the seasoning. The honey crunch was the best. Both times the chicken was huge with crunchy skin and moist meat. I did not care for the biscuit nor the muffin, I thought both were a bit plain and dry. You don't really need them anyways with all of the crunchy breading from the chicken. As for the sides I thought the mac & cheese was pretty good, coleslaw was slightly sweet and helped offset all of the heavy/fried food. I know a lot of reviews have raved about the greens and rice, but I thought it was just okay, a bit dry. The stuffing with gravy was just okay as well, a bit plain. While the sides I've tried so far aren't anything to rave about, there are still seven more for me to pick from on my third try of V's. I once tried a slice of oreo cake $6, would not get this again. It tasted like refrigerator. They offer other cakes to try like German chocolate, carrot cake, and a chocolate mousse cake. I am going to give them 4 stars because the fried chicken is the star of the show and it really is tasty. However the sides and desserts are lackluster and I really don't like the "5% convenience fee" that they charge if you don't pay with cash. I think they might need to reread their terms and conditions with Visa and Mastercard. I'd rather they raised their prices than pay a fee."

Cafe Echelon

★★★☆☆ 3 (4)

"W-O-W!Met the owner, Art - he's great. Super friendly, and you could tell that he loves making great food!I had the meatloaf, mashed and mac 'n'cheese, and everything was absolutely delicious! And the Banana Pudding is crazy good.Only advice to the owner: you need some nice lights for your storefront. On these dark, wintry nights, it's tough to see that you're open.Looking forward to my next trip to Cleveland - I know where I'll be having breakfast AND dinner!"

Angie's Soul Cafe

★★☆☆☆ 2.1 (16)

"I've tried all three locations. I have had great experiences at all of them.The food is great, the personal service Tawana provides is unparalleled. This trip I purchased cake and the peach mango koolaid. I will do another review when I get a dinner. The Kool-Aid is served in reusable Mason jars. I love it!They do catering also. Come back often as there are daily specials that change from time to time."

Angie's Soul Cafe

★★★☆☆ 3 (38) • $

"Went to the Harvard Ave location. They really need order here. How is it that people with similar orders to mines get their food before me when they ordered after I did. I saw my food set there on the counter for at least 20 minutes. And I told the person I was with I bet you that is our food and it was. Shame on you guys. Get your act together. I had smothered chicken and they had plenty of it so what was the hold up. The people who ordered after me had smothered chicken as well. First order in should be first order out not give people their food when you feel like it. Just think they were not organized well todayThe food was very delicious. Everything was seasoned well. The greens were very good and not spicy like they have been before. Once they get the front end running like a well organized machine they will be great."

Greedy's

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (12)

"I suppose that if you're interested in the image of your food, As Ashley said in her review, that this place would be quite bad. It's not in a hip part of town. I don't think there's table service. The decor does not have artsy metals and hand blown glass accents.By the same way of thinking, every food truck and street food joint would be bad. Big Al's in Larchmere would be avoided and the Sokolowskis would have been closed decades ago. "Ashley" said nothing about the food, man! She had problems with containers and condiments! Restaurants are about the food!My experience with this place starts at work: a coworker was eating a mammoth sized portion of fettuccine Alfredo-looking stuff and I asked her where she got it. She said "Greedys" and pointed in the direction of the place. "I call ahead like 15 minutes and walk over to get it. This is like $10 and I can eat it for dinner too, there's so much You should try it. I go there twice a week, at least."Being a vegan on the east side is rough, and I'm the worst vegan ever, so when I cheat, I don't hold back. The next day I was craving chicken like crazy, and I gave Greedy's a shot:Holy $#*¥! Greedys chicken was DOPE. Haha. Honest to god, it's the best chicken I've ever eaten. It's got something in the breading that puts it over the top. Some voodoo salty spicy goodness that makes me never want to stop eating it. I took an order of chicken strips back to work and shared with a few coworkers - the general consensus was that, indeed, that was the best chicken strips they had ever had. I probably made a lot of customers for Greedys that day. We all commented on the special magic coating...it is something special. And now I'm out a few days, and keep thinking about that chicken...those hand-cut fries....just wow. And the order of 5 strips was a laughable $6. It was more food than anyone but a glutton vegan on a protein bender could eat.So now every day I'm faced with the decision of my bland vegetables from home for lunch, or walking those few steps to Greedys. It's right next door to a church- and the chicken is like a religious experience."

Pyramid Soul Food & Grill

★★☆☆☆ 2.4 (7)

"Super disappointed. I had high hopes for this place. The pictures of the food looked amazing. I ordered from door dash. I ordered two chicken over rice bowls. (Chicken rice mushrooms peppers onions with gravy) We added our specifics and waited for our food to arrive. When we got our food it had ingredients that they did not mentioned on the menu. The menu says it came with gravy but when we got our food it was cheese and ranch. And the menu failed to mention the collard greens that would be in it. The food would have been great but it was slopped together all wrong."

Zanzibar Soul Fusion

★★★★☆ 3.7 (486) • $$

"I attended an event hosted by Playhouse Square at this Zanzibar location and really enjoyed the staff was so nice, helpful and friendly. The ambiance is perfect for a chill evening and social events. The restaurant was clean. The food was delicious my fave was the catfish fingers they were fried and seasoned perfectly. I also had the blue lagoon drink which was a little too sweet for my liking but still tasty. I loved they gave me a to go mason jar. The parking was a little bit of a hassle due to being downtown but they provided you with a parking validation for $6 in the nearby garage. Unfortunately my ticket was not working and I had to go back in to get another one. Overall 8/10 experience I recommend checking them out!"

Copley Road Wings

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (5)

"The food was really great! I ordered it for pickup, everyone was super friendly! The service was really quick too! Would definitely recommend to anyone!"

Oinky's Pork Chop Heaven

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (14) • $

"This place is a cool joint that doesn't look down on me when I walk in wearing my flashy pimp suit, but I couldn't help but notice that there were little kids footprints on the counter where they place your food. What's that about?"

John John Seafood W / Soul - Cleveland Heights

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (16)

"I eat here once a week, at least! You can not beat his daily specials. The price point is exceptional. I really enjoy the catfish, and whiting plates as well. The pills chicken wrap is my favorite. I also love the sweet potato fries. But can not go wrong with exploring the menu because Everything taste great. The regular fries are my jam as well he has a special seasoning he puts on them that is killer! The staff here are very friendly and provide consistent clean and timely service. I find that every time I order I am pleased with the timing, they are fast! As well as always keeping things consistent as far as the flavor of the food, quantity, and quality I like that..when I order I know what I am getting."

Heightssoulfoodand Grille

★★★★☆ 4.3 (3)

"Food was fantastic I had catfish seasoning was great yams and greens wife had chicken (not a lot of meat) green beans with mac and cheese both good. Service was friendly and fast as could be. Worth the trip not many good soul food places around lake county."

Harold’s Kitchen Soul Food Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (3)

"We tried to call seven times before arriving and didn't get an answer. So we Uber to the location which costed us $18 bucks. We ordered whiting dinner with coleslaw, fries and a side of yams. The whiting was freshly fried but needed more seasoning, the coleslaw was bland. The yams and fries were good. Catfish dinner with Mac and cheese and greens. The fish was fried fresh and it had great flavor. The greens and Mac were a different story. Greens had NO flavor and the Mac was reheated and barely WARM. The cornbread was sweet and fluffy. Chicken wing snack (3)- were never received to give recommendations Rice bowl with chicken. This was the best item we ordered. It was flavorful and will definitely get again. We were told it was a 35 minute wait which we didn't mind. Fresh food we don't mind. $47 dollars thank god we had a Groupon voucher. We didn't get a receipt. Thank god we checked the order because we didn't get our wing snack. The gentleman gave us our money back, from his pocket . Actually gave us $2.50 more than we should've received and he told us to keep it. They are getting two stars because of the service we received the the rice. There are better places to try then this location."

KJ's Caribbean & Soul Food

★★★★★ 4.6 (5)

"Was skeptical about ordering soul food from a spot I've never been to. But this place didn't disappoint. I ordered the Jerk Chicken, wasn't like the BBQ'd jerk like the Jamaican spot but a saucy jerk. Was really good. A healthy portion of Rice and Peace and succulent cabbage 10/10 will be ordering again (didn't mean for that to rhyme). I'm a fireman at Randell so others will be ordering too"

MoMo's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.1 (20)

"Read about Momo's on Yelp and was very pleased with the outstanding, bubbly service of Tasha! What a gem! She explained the menu, and was a great host, frequently checking the status of our food which didn't take long considering they'd just fired up the stoves! FOOD: I ordered the stuffed salmon, with Mac and cheese, greens and yams. Also got the seafood loaded mash and OMGGGGG!! The loaded mash was savory, thick, creamy and just perfect! Will be back! 10/10 would recommend!"

CMB Soul Food

★★★★☆ 3.5 (26) • $$

"Great food, but they never answer their phone. The area of town they're located in is a tad sketchy, so I'd much rather place my order and pick it up when it's ready; get in and out! Please do better with having someone available to answer the phone and take phone orders because the wait is always ridiculously long."

Flavor Restaurant & Lounge

★★★★☆ 3.7 (9)

"The service was fantastic! We were greeted when we walked in and even though it was fairly close to closing, our experience was great. The bartender was super personable and knowledgeable. The food was well made and delicious. We'll be going back. The vibe was just too good not to return."

Carbrys BBQ & Soul Food

★★☆☆☆ 2 (4)

"Very clean!!Nice people. Food a Lil too salty and fried WAY to hard. Could not eat chicken. But sides pretty cool. But overall ok."

Muncheez

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (22)

"Pretty good hood spot for some takeout. I recommend ordering ahead because everything is cooked to order and may take some time. I will say it is a bit weird inside. there is thick glass and an intercom that you have to speak through. I assume they had safety issues in the past. the food is good though. i've had the fish on a cheat day and it was delicious."

Carbrys Restaurant

★★★★★ 5 (1)

"I am always happy to see a new restaurant open in the neighborhood. Carbry's Restaurant has just opened in Eastlake. In the Vineyard's Shopping Center. My first impression was a very positive one. We were greeted promptly. The dining room was small but very clean. I ordered a Rib dinner with Mac and Cheese and baked beans. The ribs were amazing... fall of the bone moist. I enjoyed the sauce. I also enjoyed the Baked Beans, which much to my surprise, had beef in them. I am definitely impressed and will be coming back for sure."

Mama Joyce's Soul Food

★★★★★ 5 (8)

"Just moved into the neighborhood and this is my second time ordering. Food is very well season! Had to get more of it. Customer Service has been amazing both times."

Deon's Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (29) • $$

"drove about an hour we live in the suburbs but love good soul food. It was 100% worth the drive! Catfish was plentiful, crispy, and well seasoned. Love the hot sauce it came with, and Mac n cheese is my favorite the best I've had and the yams were amazing! My husband enjoyed his Alfredo and I loved the lemon pound cake!! We will definitely be back and my husband said the service was great!"

Zanzibar Soul Fusion

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (327) • $$

"Good restaurant in Shaker Square-- beautiful interior, friendly service. Cuisine is southern food --gumbo, fried fish, wings, bread pudding and sweet potato pie.Free parking around back."