The Best Soul Food in Los Angeles

Mr Taste Budz

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (8)

"I wanted to support black business but the chili cheese fries were very expensive. They were salty and nothing extravagant stood out for them to be $23."

Ceci's Gastronomia

★★★★★ 4.6 (127) • $$

"This is such a great little café! I absolutely love their focaccia, in a variety of flavors. They have great desserts, such as Italian donuts, and sandwiches as well. The owner is very friendly and welcoming, everything is made by hand fresh with high-quality ingredients. Prices are fair considering how much effort is put into their products and presented beautifully. They have a bit of outdoor seating and easy street parking. Wonderful local business supporting!"

Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles - Hollywood

★★★★☆ 3.7 • $$

"Now I see why everyone loves Roscoe's. The Chicken and Waffles here are definitely worth a visit. We came on a Thursday and there was no wait. With a simple decor of wood tables and chairs you will feel comfortable in casual clothes. The waitress came quickly to take the order and the food came back almost immediately. The deliciously seasoned chicken wings arrived piping hot just the way we like it. I added a little hot sauce and suddenly I thought I was in Florence, SC. and my auntie was in that kitchen. Nostalgic and legendary! This is a must visit place when in Cali."

Soul Food Shack - Inglewood

★★★★☆ 3.8 (242) • $$

"This was my first time here and I will be back. I have been meaning to come for a while. As a Inglewood resident, I try to support the local businesses.The food was great. Large portions... I couldn't finish my food. We came for breakfast. The catfish and grits were spot on. My husband and fried chicken and eggs with a side of pancakes. He loved the pancakes!!! The staff was nice and they were playing our favorite old school R&B music."

Dulan's Soul Food Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (361) • $$

"Went to SoFi stadium and Dulan's was nearby. Note Sunday there is a different menu. Lined up to order it moved quickly went into another line to pickup here's a pic of our family feast of oxtails (5 pieces) on bed of rice...i will return and try chicken next time. Food was solid! Cane with sweet tea, small dessert cup, two sides and two muffins."

E & J Seafood

★★★★☆ 4.2 (122) • $

"Delicious down home type souls good and fried fish. The food was ready quickly, served hot and fresh. I found them on Yelp and they did not disappoint. I will definitely be back."

Soul Food Shack

★★★☆☆ 3 (489) • $$

"We were just heading home from DTLA and decided to yelp restaurants. @this place on Tuesdays, they have a $5 meal 2 leg and 2 sides - I ordered that to try it out and boy it was good for a simple meal. Hubby ordered the pork chop dinner plate and it definitely satisfied his hunger . Enjoy their colorful Koolaid lemonade to make the experience even better. Service is simply 5 stars for us. SHANAE so sweet to serve us. This is the only place I have been where customers were chatty and happy and excited to pick up their orders . We have 3 boys at home waiting for their chicken cause we ordered for them to go !"

CJ's Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.6 (314) • $$

"Breakfast borrito was the good price also normal I'll come back service is also good clea"

Tev's kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.4 (112)

"Had been seeing the hype on IG...food always looked super tasty. We recently moved back to the area so my husband and I decided to check it out. Was NOT disappointed at all! We ordered the oxtail plate with white rice, extra gravy...wanted all white rice but still got rice and peas and cabbage...that was OK, though cause it tasted awesome. Also ordered the jerk chicken plate. Mouth still watering...mac and cheese was BOMB and the cabbage is sooooo goooood. Portions were on point, flavor was savory and delicious! Will DEF be going back again! Suggest to order ahead so that you can pick up when ready rather than stand in line cause it can be a wait."

Dulan's On Crenshaw

★★★★☆ 3.9 (935) • $$

"My friend took me to Dulan's for a late lunch a few weeks ago. There was a private event in the patio, so the staff were very occupied. As a result, the wait was longer than anticipated, but I just knew my food would be worth the wait.I chose the meatloaf with collard greens and macaroni & cheese as sides, plus sweet tea. Staff gave us fresh cornbread muffins, which were diviiiine. And my meal was SO delicious. I cleaned that plate!Staff were so nice and kind, and apologetic for the delay in service. The restaurant was full, so I knew I was going to eat good, and I was NOT disappointed. I can't wait to try their fried fish next."

Granny's Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.8 (469) • $$

"Not one thing is bad here, people, vibes or food. I can't even show you my plate because unfortunately it didn't make it home. I got the red snapper dinner that comes with 3 sides, in which I chose collard greens, yams, and mac n cheese (my favorite in that order) and 2 cornbread muffins. Fish is crispy and made fresh to order, collards greens are sweet n tangy, yams are sweet with cinnamon and nutmeg on point, and mac n cheese is cheesy. And thank you lord the cornbread isn't dry! Behind the counter were 2 of the sweetest ladies! Tip them when you go because that food is made with love! Scheming now to figure out when I'm coming back!"

Soul Bowls

★★★★☆ 3.7 (3)

"So freaken good! Came here with my husband and we both loved it. The service was great, Annalisa gave us great suggestions and the food was out fairly quickly. I will definitely be coming back soon!"

La Louisanne

★★★☆☆ 2.5 (475) • $$

"Been in LA/Ladera most of my life and had never been here. This is an old school lounge that has been around forever. Like The Townhouse and Pips on La Brea, you can get food and drinks while listening to a nice selection of music or a live band on some nights. I loved the little nooks and high tables so you can see the performances. It felt private but not secluded. There is plexiglass partitions in between some of the tables that I liked a lot. I'm going to be honest and say it's in need of refurbishing. It smelled of mold when we walked in. I'm actually ok with the age of the place because I love old lounges but this place has just seen better days. The windows and blinds were very dirty. 5/5: Music/atmosphere: the music was a blend of 70's and 80's R&B. I loved the music. (No live music when I went on a Tuesday night).5/5: Service: Our waitress was so nice. She had sugar dripping off her! She suggested drinks and was so sweet. 3/5: Food: honestly the food was on the salty side. Some of the menu items may need a revamp. The creole chicken had no garlic or cream, it was more of a sweet glaze. 4/5: Drinks - Strong and got the job done All in all the vibe was nice even though it was a very quiet night. People seemed welcoming and friendly."

Legend’s Soul Food and Pasta

★★★☆☆ 2.5 (17)

"I am immensely satisfied with the quality of the food, hands down the best fried chicken I've had, the ambiance is great along with playing some awesome music, TJ was very welcoming and provided me with the best service and the wait time was reasonable. I 100% highly recommend this to my friends and family."

M'Dear's Bakery & Bistro

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (474) • $$

"I Recently been back to M'Dear's & I Must say their service has Improved & their Food is ALWAYS Flavored Well & Cooked with (what seems to be) Love.If You are looking for Good, Flavorful, Food... Come here. Don't let the line (if there is one) detour you... It's Moves Fast & It will Definitely be worth the wait."

Jazzy's Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 3 (60)

"This is the best soul food in town and the best Mac n cheese.I truly love your customer service and hospitality. You should be extremely proud of yourself for creating a dope menu and actually knowing how to cook!!Pleaasssssse bring back the sweet potato pie."

Gotta Have it Grill

★★★★☆ 3.7 (94) • $$

"over the weekend I had the pleasure of visiting gotta have it grill and when I say not only was the food amazing the customer service was great. I am a chef myself and this food was perfectly prepared not overly seasoned or salty but seasoned to perfection with flavors through and through. I had the fried salmon and honey hot wings mac&cheese and greens we also had the fried shrimp and lemon hot wings. I can't wait to come back and try the spaghetti and catfish We drove all the way from Palm Springs to try this place out and it gets 10/10 from this Chef fyi: dine in and relax or call ahead ...because this is not fast food great food takes time thanks"

R & R Soul Food Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (771) • $$

"5 stars for food but 2 on service/attention to detail. A family member brought me here for lunch. It was late morning and the place was quite busy. We almost had to wait for a table but then squeezed into some seats in between 2 groups. The ambiance wasn't much, pretty bare bones - the basic look that have you expecting the food to be delicious. Once seated, the Server came out with menus and ice waters. I ordered the oxtails with no sides and no gravy. I later added 2 eggs over easy. While we were waiting for our food, a table opened up and we began to move to that table. The Server told us that we couldn't have it as a couple had been waiting for that table. However, that couple had arrived before us and had placed to go orders. The gentleman had to correct the Server and then we were allowed to take the table.The food came out quickly. My order was was correct and my family's just had too many biscuits. The oxtails were well seasoned and delicious. I was definitely quite pleased.Later the bill arrived and was given to my family member. They quickly noted that we were charged for more meals than we had ordered. They pointed this out to the Server who took the ticket back to correct it and brought it back with a "my bad". When my family went to pay, they said that it still wasn't right and the cashier had to correct the bill again. Hopefully, the Server was just having a one-off bad day but otherwise my oxtails were good and I would order them again."

Dulan's Soul Food Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.7 • $$

"OH MY GAD!!! Is all I have to say.... The food is BOMB! You can either order to go at the walk up window or dine in!! Nothing negative to say about Dulan's!!! Portions are more than enough you will not go home hungry and we will definitely have take home food!! I highly suggest you order the lunch special it comes with the main dishes, 2 sides and 2 cornbreads!! We ordered: Fried fish, rice and greens beans/carrots. Words do don't express the flavors throughout the dish. Oxtail, rice/gravy & collard greens. My bf said it definitely didn't disappoint.Smothered chicken, mac & cheese, candy yams. Another satisfied customer!!! Seriously you cannot go wrong with anything you order!!! 1000% must try while your in the Los Angeles area!! Enjoy your experience!!"

Alta West Adams

★★★★☆ 3.7 (884) • $$$

"*** A solid spot for hearty food & drinks. ***Alta does a fine job of making everything imo.It's my favorite spot to stop in the Adams area.*** Plenty of street prkg, or valet for $10. ***"

Sky's Gourmet Tacos

★★★★☆ 3.7 • $$

"I must say, I had a really good friend that found this place. He asked me if I was interested in going, and I said sure why not! I live by Beach and I never go inland and I thought why not try something new. Prior to my experience here my friend sent me a YouTube of the owner on the news, talking about her business and her spices, and that really enticed me and impressed me .Being that, I've never been here before. I wasn't sure the Ordering process or seating arrangements. .I was a little bit taken back by the fact that we did not get greeted when we entered the restaurant area where the cooks are . No hello no welcome. No I'll be right with you. Nothing that was a little bit disappointing I said hello either way . When I first walked in and nobody responded. They just looked at me like they were ghosts. Lol. I kept looking at the register, thinking that somebody was going to come out from another area to help us, but nobody came, and after around 10 minutes of standing there, looking at each other, finally one of the cooks walked over to finally take our order. Was this a good first impression absolutely not was this a warm welcoming definitely not.With that said, I'm pretty sure the Restaurant owner is not aware of the way her staff is treating customers so I think it is a good point for me to bring this up so that she can address it . Everyone that walks in that Restaurant should have some sort of hello or greeting and also to let the customer know that they'll be right with you.Now, for the good part! The ambience the seating, the view, the architecture, all the articles and write ups. The music was popping and pretty incredible if you ask me. The food was absolutely incredible. I really enjoyed my chicken taco and my shrimp taco although the shrimp taco was a little too oily. In my opinion, maybe next time I'll tell the cook no oil. The seasoned chips were outrageously good the seasoning was so delicious. We ended up ordering two bags of chips, guacamole My friend ordered the steak nachos and it was presented beautifully with very fresh ingredients. Lots of tomatoes, cilantro, black beans. My friend was just moaning the entire time he was eating them. It was hilarious. We also ordered the pineapple cheesecake and it was so good .I really enjoyed the food here. It definitely was soulful and the music and the lights in the evening were really beautiful. Plenty of parking although I think they should take away the parking and make it just all seating and people can park in the street but if you do decide to dine in here, you can park in the lot or on the streetI am ultimately basing my review on the DELICIOUS food, quality presentation location, music ambience . Unfortunately the service was not great and definitely needs improvement."

Jincook

★★★★★ 4.7 (135)

"First time trying but definitely not my last. I live on the Westside and sometimes it's a mission to make it out to Ktown for some good Korean food. Jincook had an excellent selection of items and everything we ordered was delicious. I am excited to go back to try other items. Between the 3 of us, we ordered spicy tofu stew (soup), marinated dumplings, BBQ beef rib (galbi) and the hotteok for dessert and it was the perfect amount of food. Everything was so yummy that I can't even pick a favorite."

Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken

★★★★☆ 3.5 • $$

"Been awhile since I have been to Honey's. But out with my boss and he wanted to try a new place he had never been, so brought him here. I have been trying to eat healthier and avoid fried foods as much as possible. But of course I had to get down when I was here and eat their delicious fried chicken!I got the 3 piece meal, that comes with 3 pieces (your choice) of their honey fried chicken, fries, their famous buttermilk biscuits and pickles. OMG I am in heaven.Their chicken has a very light crust on it and super crispy, flavor is amazing! Their Buttermilk biscuits are huge, buttery with honey, could eat a few if they weren't such big. Fries had nice seasoning and perfectly cooked. They give you a few pickles in the side as well. Needless to say, I ate it all and wished I had more. Did not need to eat it all, but it was too good to stop.Service is quick, you walk up tot he counter and order and then listen for them to call you to pick it up, easy and quick.The decor inside is down home, warm and welcoming. Some old signs on the wall, a giant kettle in a brick fireplace and plenary of spots to sit inside and outside.Enjoy."

Roscoe’s House Of Chicken & Waffles - La Brea

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (180) • $$

"First time trying this Roscoe location off of La Brea location. Years I ago I went to the one with famous people framed signed pictures. This was a pretty large location with a decent parking lot. Traffic getting out of the parking lot was another story. Upon walking in you will be asked the number of people in your party and be seated. It has a family restaurant and fast food dine in atmosphere. The is a wait staff that takes your order and brings you your food. On the tables there are jams, sugars, and hot sauce to ready your meal. The food here is pretty pricey. A plate of chicken and waffles already start at over $20. However it's pretty big portions. The chicken here is decent pretty moist for being fried. The waffles are big with hints of cinnamon and not really sweet, so pour that syrup and spread that creamy butter. I made the mistake thinking that smothered potatoes was mashed potatoes but it was not. It's like boiled potato chunks slathered in a ton of gravy. The interesting thing is that you pay when you leave. The waiter will give you the bill, but won't take your payment. You pay at the entrance. It's strange because people can just dine and dash out the door. Overall decent place, good late night eatery. It's on the pricey end though."

CJ’s Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (715) • $

"This place is amazing. The restroom and restaurant is always clean. You're always greeted with a big smile and it seems like the employees are genuinely happy to work here. The food on the other hand is next level. Cooked with love and fresh ingredients. I always leave with a full tummy and a smile on my face."

Gloria’s Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (71) • $$

"Seafood Gumbo. Try the seafood gumbo. That's it, that's the review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

R & J's Southern Home Cooking

★★★☆☆ 2.7 (140) • $$

"This restaurant needs to close it's door's. I have never had a restaurant identify as SOUL FOOD, but serve you horrible food out of a can. If you've never been, I suggest you don't waste your time. I ordered a catfish meal and paid for a few extra sides and it was a complete waste of my money. The potato salad tasted horrible, like a 3 year old made it. The yams were undercooked and looked like it was right out of a can. My fish was not fried crispy like a requested, instead it was falling apart and soft. I was beyond annoyed. I called back and explained that my food was not cooked properly and the preparation was horrible, and I was told I should have checked my order and looked at the fish before I left. Then said thank you and slammed the phone down. Never offered to refund me my money or even a portion of it. Or at the very least could have offered to discount my next visit (although I'm never going back there again) as a kind gesture. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. You'll be highly disappointed."

D's Original Take Out Grill

★★★★☆ 3.9 (301) • $$

"Delicious homemade food in an efficient takeout storefront. Had the greens, red beans and rice as side. Super yummy. Such a nice owner, too."

Dare U To Care Grill

★★★★☆ 3.9 (111) • $$

"Very good southern food including fried chicken here at Dare U To Care Grill/Golden Bird. It's a combination of a southern food restaurant and a Golden Bird fried chicken franchise, located on Western Ave and 149th in Gardena.The oxtails are my favorite. They have delicious smothered pork chops, meatloaf and turkey. Their gravy is tasty! I also had the turkey chops, which I should have ordered with that gravy. The fried chicken is very good, and you can occasionally get it on special -- I've been there twice on Sundays when they've had a 2-piece special with fries for $2.99. I've also seen a bbq special on weekends. The turkey dinner I had was also a Sunday special, it included a big wing on top of a bed of stuffing, two sides and a bit of cranberry sauce. The sides are fine, I liked the mac n cheese, string beans & potatoes, potato salad, red beans, black eyed peas, corn and collard greens.During these Covid times the small dining room is closed, everything is to go. Social distancing and masks are enforced, and there's hand sanitizer if you need it. You can wait outside for your order, it usually around 15-20 minutes, but a lot of folks call their orders in advance for pick-up. Parking is easy, non-metered street parking readily available plus there's a small parking lot behind the business.Dare U To Care Grill is owned by the same folks who operate the Dare U To Care substance abuse facilities around LA. The restaurant helps support the work of the care centers. You can eat well and support a good cause while you're at it. Ok"

Kingbop

★★★★★ 4.9 (55)

"This was an excellent find. The flavors of the food engaged all of my taste buds with perfection. These will be flavors I crave as the days go on and we will have to return sooner than later. The owners are so kind and humble. We also had some fries with a special homemade sauce that can't be found anywhere else in LA. They were AMAZING! We grabbed a couple of Spam Musubi to go for later. Seriously- check this place out. It's only been open for a few months but I'm hoping this is only the first of many locations to come! Fantastic!!"

Charlie's Fish & Chips

★★★★☆ 4.1 (174) • $$

"Was in the neighborhood and decided on fried fish for lunch. Thank you, Yelp family, for steering us to this hole in the wall gem. We ordered the Red Snapper 9-piece special and 8 oysters to go. It did take a while for us to get our food, but we didn't mind because we knew they were making our food fresh.As soon as we got into the car, we sampled the oysters and fries. The oysters, although small was quite flavorful. The oysters weren't too ocean-y tasting, just a hint. Definitely fresh oysters. Also, you can tell the oil they were using to cook the food wasn't old. When we got home, the Red Snapper was still warm. They were good thick pieces of fish and the batter wasn't thick. You can definitely taste the fish. Tartar sauce was included with our meal, but we favored the malt vinegar which we had at home.The inside of the eatery was very clean. The tables and chairs are dated, but since we were taking our food to go, we didn't care.All in all, a positive experience. No frills spot, just a good ole fish fry. If we're in the neighborhood again, we'd definitely come back."

Annie's Soul Delicious

★★★★☆ 4.2 (846) • $$

"There exisits in Los Angeles a severe lacking of truly good soul food. There exists a very few in fact, and there is actually just two of them, Harold and Belles, Stevies on Pico and CW chris and fish, and what Moms BBQ used to be before they closed :( as well as the only other way to get truly flavorful soul food , is to a family who happens to be black, or Caribbean and you are invited to their home. The equivilent of the latter is Annies Soul delicious. This place is like all those mixed together. Annies, is the starting point where, if you have a Carlton, or a Uncle Ruckas in your family and you NEED to get the Black slapped back into them, you start here. I partook in the smothered chicken platter. One bite and the whole place slowed down. As Barry White massaged me with his smoooth vocals, two gorgeous beautiful nude women caressed me and cradled me. Then Prince himself slapped me in the face and said UHHHH and bought me back to reality It was a more vidid and beautiful expereince akin to what Anton Ego expereiened when eating the Ratatoullie in the film. Truly an epitomy of the song, You dropped a bomb on me. I came back a second time for the chicken and cannot wait to finally try the Gumbo, and red beans, because if their sides (especially their greens) make you have a spirtual orgy with Barry White, Prince and Rick Jame's girls, then I cannot imagine nor wait for the spirttual journey that will encounter when I have their gumbo and red beans beacause I know for a FACT little Richard and Randy Rhoads will be there as well. !!! Because as Rick James says, if cocaine is a hell of a drug then Annies is the PREMEIR brand of cocaine!!!"

Simply Wholesome

★★★★☆ 3.9 • $$

"It's been pre-covid since I last walked in here. Proceeded to order the jerk chicken patty & a small nl#47 detox with no Ginger or added sugar. And while the wait was a little over 15 to 20 minutes, it was well worth it. To me the bottom line here is you're coming here to have an enjoyable meal or drink, and good things take time. Congratulations to simply wholesome obesity and celebrated their 40th anniversary. I remember back in the day this spot used to be called The Witch Stand. Colonial solid experience."

Southern Soul LA

★★★★★ 4.6 (16)

"Food was amazing! We ordered take out for a party of 12. Not a single complaint. Fish, chicken, sides, everything was in point."

Soulo’s Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (54)

"Everything was great, solid 4.5/5. Ordered the oxtail plate w/ Mac n cheese and collared greens + the 6 wings and fries. The food is cooked well and well-seasoned, and I perhaps can see how some folks find it too salty but not me. The oxtails were tender pretty close to fall off the bone, and the chicken and fries were crispy. I liked the batter w the chicken which was tender too. The Cajun seasoning is excellent.I liked the large shells w the Mac and cheese, I think it provides great texture and allows for the cheese to be picked up and adhered to the noodles. Greens had that nice sour bite to them w/ good consistency. I thought these portions were good and enough for two adults. Definitely coming back, they've been here for year and more I hope!"