CJ's Soul Food

I would say this place is overall pretty good! A little hole in the wall restaurant that wasn't very busy at lunch time. The food took a while to come out (they didn't have fries so it took almost the whole meal to get some) but my friend and I were able to get in and out in an hour and a half. We both had a pulled sandwich (they were out of what we originally ordered) and everything tasted great once it came. I also had the black eye peas and they were delicious. I think this place is worth checking out, and definitely had some unique to soul food dishes that you won't find at many restaurants. Just make sure to wear your stretchy pants!

Good evening, fellow Yelpers!It's me again with an updated review of a popular restaurant in Columbus. Today, I'm highlighting CJ Soul Food, located in the Westerville area off East Powell Road, tucked away in a small strip mall. This area boasts multiple bars and restaurants within a square mile.I recommend stopping by CJ Soul Food for an R&B playlist or even live music, depending on the hours. We ordered a variety of dishes, including smoked collard greens, fried MJ's Catfish, green beans, Elvis Chops, mac & cheese, and a strong Long Island iced tea to wash it down. For dessert, we tried the red velvet molten cake, which came with vanilla ice cream, and hit the spot.Of all the entrees we ordered, the Elvis Chops made the biggest impression, so much so that we are coming back for round two on a cool laid-back Saturday. The wait for the food was a bit long, but there was a large group celebrating a birthday, so I completely understood. We kept sipping our Long Island iced teas and enjoying the old-school R&B playlist.If you're looking for a restaurant with a bar vibe, this is your place. Tap in!Total: $100.43 + $15 tip = $115.43

Felt like I was transported to the South during the meal! If you're looking for quality comfort food, CJ's is the place for you. I would come here repeatedly just for their fried chicken. The batter is so thin, yet so crispy and the meat is tender and juicy. I got the CJ's platter this time, which came with both fish and chicken. You could choose from a variety of different fish so I chose the roughie, which was a white meat that was super soft. It came with a side so I chose the collard greens, which was savory and drenched in meat juice. I was also really excited to try the Étouffée. It came with shrimp, chicken, crawfish, and sausage in a savory and spicy stew. It also has a scoop of rice on top of it so you could mix it in or eat it separately. The portion is on the smaller side but it was very flavorful. The CJ's soul rolls were delightful and unique, since they are fried egg rolls filled with collard greens, mac and cheese, and candied yams. The sauce it came with was very sweet so I made sure to only dip it in a little, but the rolls themselves were delicious. My favorite side is definitely the corn bread. They are small muffin shaped breads that are slightly sweet and grainy. The mashed potatoes are solid as well. They have plenty of seating indoors and a fully stocked bar. I believe they also have live music on some nights. The service was on the slower side when I went, but it's probably because there was a huge group that was there and it was very busy that night. The servers are friendly as well.

Oh my, the food was outstanding! Chicken & Fried Fish were fresh & crispy, greens, mac and cornbread were delicious as well!Service was great, very friendly and knowledgeable. We will definitely dine at CJ's soon.

This was a nice place to just eat and vibe. I like that the ambiance is not "Bary" so to speak~ based on it not having a dark decor. There is hand drawn art and the music is just enough. The waitress was very attentive and pleasant. The food ordered was good.

If I could give this 0 stars I would so disappointing the food was trash saurus Rex here I was so excited to see a soul Food restaurant to take my mother to, but now after the experience, I will not be coming back and I will not be recommending this place to any family members so disappointing

I'm giving this a 1 star just because I think the food is good and have been here before and have left a positive review previously. This time we ordered takeout and my boyfriend went to pick it up. Upon him picking up the food there was some confusion under the name of our order because we put it in under his shortened name versus his full name. When he went to pick it up they had it in their system as the full name but during the time they are trying to figure this out the cook in the back came out and got an attitude with him and told him "we didn't process your order because you hung up before we could confirm payment" which was false because the person I spoke to on the phone when I placed the order confirmed and we said bye, etc. which when that happens you would assume the order was placed. Long story short the order indeed did go through and was ready the cook in the back was just being very rude for no reason. My bf double checked the order and they forgot to give us our soul rolls which is fine, mistakes happen... the cook again came out from the back to give him more attitude for no reason when the person he was initially talking to was figuring everything out. Ultimately it's not our fault you guys were understaffed that day, so there was no need to get an attitude or be rude to him in the first place.l, especially if the error was on the part of the restaurant.

Oh CJ's how you fill my heart with joy. The soul roll is Probably one of the best things I've put in my mouth this year (pause). nah fr tho they do a lot of things really really well here, the soul rolls are elite just rich and delicious stuffed with Mac and cheese, greens, yam & smoked turkey with a sweet little drizzle! The Fried chicken/wigs goodgawd seasoned to the bone, crispy crunchy juicy. The catfish is legitimately the best catfish I've ever eaten. Period. Cornbread is buttery and moist. The Mac and cheese is top tier also has a Cajun vibe to it, it's a creamy Mac not a cheese pull Mac if you catch my drift. All the dang food is good. Ambiance is a personal choice they do live bands and DJ's and whatnot I personally was vibing and was pretty much bobbing my head the entire time while eating my food but the wifey thought it was too load, probably because she wanted to talk the entire time but ya know, god is good. lol. The have amazing murals of some African American legends all over the walls Kobe, prince, Aretha, Bernie, Aliyah and many other greats that have passed. Service was aight, drink ran out never got refilled but whatever, was a little slow on food coming out but we did order like $140+ worth of food. Now for a controversial topic, automatic 18% gratuity and $5 per person for the DJ and or band that's preforming. I'm on the I really don't care side of things but I can see it running people the wrong way. It's also not my first time being here so I already knew what it was. All in all tho I love this place. 8.9 out of 10

The food is amazing! The atmosphere is pretty casual. Love the music from the 90's. It took a bit long to get acknowledged & be seated & we had reservations, which I don't think is necessary because they don't check. The Mac n cheese, fried catfish, sweet potato casserole, CJ's soul rolls, chicken wings, Aaliyah's angel egg, and peach cobbler with ice cream were DELICIOUS ! I highly recommend and will return!

Great atmosphere and friendly staff... unfortunately food was bland and lacked flavor. Rib tips were tough! Enjoyed the live music while having a drink.