Rae's Catering Authentic Puerto Rican and Soul Food — Restaurant in Boulder

A for effort. D+ for execution. Let me start by saying the mother daughter running this business are beyond sweet and friendly however the Puerto Rican menu needs lots of help. I ordered the fried chicken dinner with white rice and beans, tostones and Side order of pastelitos. The tostones were skimpy, soggy and caked in oil. They should be larger and crips. My white rice was skimpy too.looked like it was served with a ice cream scoop.im Puerto Rican and those beans were nothing reminiscent of pr beans. My chicken was so over cooked and dry .it was like eating jerky. The absolute worse was my pastelitos. They were so burnt I was in complete shock they sent em out that way . I didn't complain About the meal but I let rea know I wanted a new order of pastelitos. She comes out with the new order of pastelitos and says she refunded me. I tipped her again $5 as a thank you. I understand mistakes happen but omg , it was just as bad as the first order. There was a giant unmistakable gaping hole In one of them where all the contents burned from the exposure of oil. The dough they use is obviously homemade but it crumblesabd breaks as soon as you bite in. Pastelitos should remain whole till the last bite. Maybe I'm being a Karen for this given all the good reviews. Maybe when I went it was a off day but I felt very disrespected by how she put out the food knowing it wasn't good. Then I give her a 2nd opportunity to make it right and I tip her and she gives me another order of burnt dilapidated pastelitos. I love supporting local businesses but I don't go out to spend my hard money on burnt, soggy, dry food. I wish these ladies the best and hope they improve the quality . FYI the ribs and Mac my husband had was really good .he tasted my food and agreed it was not good. My daughter didn't want to eat her chicken either cause it was to dry for her to chew but she loved the Mac and cheese

Update So you could make the choice to try and make it right but instead you give a passive and ...

Absolutely fantastic and truly authentic. I promise you that you won’t regret picking up from here. Food made with CARE, and I’m so excited to return and have more. It’s difficult to find truly authentic southern style food outside of The South, and I give Rae’s and Kay’s a full recommendation. The Puerto Rican menu items are also spectacular. It’s all spectacular! Choose this place!!!

Isha greeted us outside as we drove up after a day of hiking, and we immediately could sense that we were in for a treat given how warm and kind Isha is. I asked her for some insight on the menu options, and she was incredibly helpful.

I ended up getting the Pastelillos with sides of mac and cheese, collard greens, and beans/rice. I also chose to get an additional side of cornbread.

The pastelillos were fantastic. Awesome texture and savory taste. I put the hot sauce they supplied on them and it was heavenly. That hot sauce is tasty and hot, and they should consider selling it as it’s own product. I am a big hot sauce fan and it was very satisfying. The mac and cheese was exactly the kind that you think so fondly of when you remember the soul food from your southern childhood. I could eat an entire plate of that deliciousness. The COLLARD GREENS were so tasty. I added a little salt to my own liking and could absolutely eat a whole plate of them, as well. No joke. I feel like when you eat at a place that is less authentic than Rae’s and Kay’s, the collard greens are usually disappointing. Not here! They freakin’ ROCK and I will totally order them again when I come back. The beans and rice were very satisfying. The cornbread was delicious and crumbly as it should be.

Next time, I’ll get either the fried chicken or the ribs, because both of them look delicious. This place deserves more business. Well f——ng done. Thank you and please don’t...

Their food is delicious. Soul food and Puerto Rican food works really well together and they do both phenomenally. I’m super happy that they chose to open up shop.

I also appreciate their back story and I think they are handling opening a restaurant during covid super gracefully. Personally, I’m not a fan of sit down restaurant experience. To me, a take-out-only place means that they focus only on making delicious food with little overhead. In line with that, they have just a few menu items that they do really, really well. They aren’t spreading themselves thin by making a big menu of mediocre things. I really appreciate that. It’s not to say that they have a limited menu. Not at all. It’s just that their menu isn’t a chapter book and that’s a very good thing

So all that is to say, I love their business model. It works great for me, it works great during covid times. I’m not sure what their plans are moving forward but I wish them the best success with whatever route they take. So as long as they keep rolling out those delicious pastelillos, I’ll keep coming by

Finally, they have vegetarian and vegan options. And if you don’t know, vegan soul food is definitely a thing and definitely delicious. I eat meat but if I see a vegan soul food place, I’m stopping by. As a former veggie, I realize that other veggies might be apprehensive about a cuisine that's not traditionally veggie friendly, but give this a try because it will...