Soul Food Renaissance

Nothing can stop, Soul Food Renaissance!This hidden gem is located on the corner of Artesia and Cherry off the 91 freeway. It's a small yet charming establishment full of kindness, love and great food. This isn't your traditional place, this is like visiting your Big Mama and feeling at home. You seat yourself and there is only one menu that hangs on the wall. I decided to visit on a Sunday at 2:30pm with my sister and it wasn't packed at all. However, that didn't stop people from ordering ahead and coming in to pick up. This place stays cooking, and after tasting the food...I see why. The restaurant is clean, organized and welcoming. The staff is very friendly, kind and generous.Be advised, the menu has so many amazing combos and options which makes it hard to decide. Also, Sundays are dinner portions only, so don't come looking for lunchtime specials. After staring at the menu for 10min or more I finally decided to get the fried chicken dinner with Mac and cheese and fries as my side. My sister ordered the turkey chops with cabbage and yams as her side. My fried chicken was heaven sent. The crunch, the flavor and juiciness of the chicken had me dancing in my seat. You also get rice and gravy and the gravy had me going crazy(in a good way) I legit wanted to ask for a side of gravy just to dip my chicken in. Be aware, the gravy can be addictive. The macaroni and cheese were creamy, seasoned, and baked with love. My sis loved her turkey chops and her sides as well.This is a place where you know fromOne meal, that everything they cook is A1.If you're missing your grandmas cooking or need food for the soul, stop by Soul Food Renaissance for a taste that makes you whole.

The smothered pork chop was probably my favorite in terms of flavor, but everything else was delicious as well. The pork chop and fried chicken are savory, the collard greens are salty, macaroni cheesey, the rice with gravy has a mild spicy heat and the cornbread is sweet - so the combination of it all works well together because of the variety of flavors. The staff working there were also friendly and nice.The main reason the review got 4 stars instead of 5 is because it is a little pricey for the portion of food, the parking lot is also small and there wasn't air conditioning. They did, however, have a large fan blowing and provided us a pitcher of ice water... which helped out alot. There is plenty of seating in the restaurant, but I would imagine people probably take food to-go partially due to those reasons. If you are extra hungry, I might recommend maybe going for the hungry man portions. Our mini dinners, however, were sufficiently filling without any leftovers.

This food is so delicious every single time I go. They make the best dressing ever. The food is always fresh and served with a smile. Very well seasoned and made with SOUL.

I wish Yelp will start having an option for 1/2 stars!This place was recommended my my MIL to my husband for us to try. So we indulged.When I searched Yelp, I see it has 3 1/2 stars, so that was a concern for me; but I stayed open.We ordered 3 meals: Smothered Turkey Chops, Shrimp, Beef Links. Our sides included greens, yams, string beans; plus the peach cobbler.My husband enjoyed his Turkey chops, rice n gravy/string beans. My son said he links were "aiight" not sure why he was given potato salad (he doesn't like it); but the gravy spilled on to the potato salad, he ate the greens. I had shrimp w/yams/greens. The shrimp was decent, I liked that it was 12 pieces. Unfortunately, I really didn't eat anything else. I wasn't a fan of the yams. They weren't nasty; but something was off. The greens were way too leafy and maybe needed to be cut up more.My husband said the lady was really nice and since they were almost out of the peach cobbler, she gave him a larger portion from what he ordered. My biggest issue was the packaging of the food. I would recommend putting the sides in a small container. As I said the gravy ran over in the potato salad. My yams ran over into my greens. The shrimp was on top of foil that sat on top of the sides...it was odd. It was in the evening so idk if this is the norm or if they ran out of containers. The cornbread was wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, so much so the cornbread tastes like the plastic wrap...It's located next to a gas station so you have to pay attention and he recommended going through the gas station.I would probably return b/c my husband really enjoyed his. It's not horrible as som of the reviews said; but definitely mid level soul food.

I ordered a Turkey wing dinner and I have this big, dry drumstick!! I thought a wing was a wing? How is it a turkey wing dinner with no wings?? The. I called at 1pm and was told 20 minutes. I show up at 1:25 and my order was not even placed. Why did I leave at 2:12pm? Meanwhile people were coming in ordering and getting their food before me and the orders were larger! They weren't call in orders either. They didn't offer NOTHING for my inconvenience and long wait not even water. So I finally said something playfully and I was offered grape koolaid basically. Ok. Good to know I'm not valued as a Customer. The collars greens were way too salty and whoever cleaned them did not do a good job... smh This used to be THE SPOT.

Over Priced and Over Cooked!I paid $50 for Oxtails and a slice of Sweet potato pie. The Oxtails were indistinguishable and had no flavor. I've been eating Oxtails all my life, and what they served me was NOT Oxtails. It was more like Oxtail gravy on top of rice. The Oxtails had to have been simmering in water for at least two days. Some places show you your food before you leave, but they securely wrap it up and send you on your way. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say they wrap it like that for sanitary deliveries. I haven't had any of their other overpriced dishes, so maybe they can redeem themselves with those. Next time I crave Oxtails, I will not be going there! Anyone who gives a good review on their Oxtails is someone who has never had REAL Oxtails, homemade or Jamaican, in their life!

Went in with my family on 7/26/24 and let me tell you the food is so Damn good! So good you'll wanna smack your Mama, your Daddy and your baldheaded, Granny. Order chicken ,Mac n cheese, French fries , Ox tail, fried catfish n shrimp, rice chili beans, green beans and corn bread. I'll tell you what Bobby Hill if you don't bring your ass here at least once in your life , you'll die with never Experiencing the true joy of life . We went up to the counter and was greeted by a friendly cashier sweetheart truly. Above and beyond service. You'll have to be a lil patient because food is freshly made and worth the wait. Can't wait till I return... I dream about the food since I ate it . Only thing is no AC other then that place was very clean. P.s if your a cheap ass and don't want to pay for Quality food keep your ass at home Teeee Heee ;)

We really wanted to like this place. My family and I with some friends stopped here after arriving in L.A. for a bit of a vacation. We came here looking for some real soul food as we've had some of the best in the nation. Unfortunately, it was not. The fried shrimp, Mac n cheese, rice and gravy, and even the fries all had one taste over it all- black pepper. EVERYTHING tasted of black pepper. There was no full bodied flavor and there wasn't anything really harkening back to the south or soul food. Just a disappointment. Especially considering the service was impeccable. The ladies working the place were so kind and so giving. The restaurant was also super clean. Just wish the food matched the impeccable service.

I mean, pic says it all! I had smothered chicken and rice with Mac n cheese and collard greens! First timer and they did not disappoint!! Had lunch with family and friends and we enjoyed it thoroughly. The kool aid and sweet tea are really good! Not watery and it tastes like I remember it from childhood. The lady in the front is really sweet! We came on a Friday afternoon and found parking, and plenty of tables to sit at. I love that they didn't fill up our cups with ice

The quality for the quantity and price Lost me. The food is highly over priced and and skimpy .. there are no rice under the oxtails they give you one corner portion of rice .. skimpy and over priced sides .. 7$ for a microscopic size small is a rip off .. it was almost a 100$ for 2 ppl for a taste of experience. Taste of the oxtails is Okay but far from real soul food I'm used too. Mac & cheese don't require pepper but somehow they pepper Mac n cheese I believe a customer should have the option to add pepper too they're Mac n cheese .. u can see the size of Mac n cheese in the picture I uploaded below and tell me if 7$ is right. I could went to hibachi grill cheese cake factory and tipped the chef for less then what I paid and got here.. I feel ripped off that's unbelievable... only thing I'm satisfied in is there customer service. For all that money spent I asked for ice water to go they gave me dr office water cups no lid wit 3 ice cubes Money spent.. this place is ripping people off.. but I guess they price has a lot to deal with keeping poor riff rafs out .. will not be returning. Not to mention they gave to pill size corn muffins that was priced 90 cents each...