Soul Food Shack — Restaurant in Gardena

Ok, so I've been trying to eat here since the pandemic and they never, eeever, ever, ever answered the phone for me to place an order. Then the times when I drove all the way there, they were always out of something, especially the oxtails. Finally, on 9/10/2022 my daughter got up early, like around 11am and was able to call in her order and pick up her food. I was like WHATTTT???!!! They actually picked up the phone and let you place an order...OK, BET! She had the baked chicken with yams and mac & cheese. YO, the baked chicken was DELICIOUS. 👍👏👏 and the yams as well. I don't usually eat mac and cheese so I can't comment on it other than it look cheesy, but I like my mac and cheese baked when I do eat it, also I didn't care for the cornbread as it tasted as if the cornbread batter is not thoroughly cooked and got pasty in my mouth. So the next day I wanted to call in my order. I called at 10am and the young lady that answer informed me that I couldn't place a dinner order until 11am, so I called back at 11am on the dot because I set an alarm to remind me😜. I had to call about 5 times back to back before someone answered, but they finally did. I was able to place my order and picked it up at like 11:40 am. I got the baked chicken, yams and the cabbage. Chiiiile, that ish was GOOD!!! The cabbage was perfect with no pork in it or smoke meat of any kind and was so flavorful and tender. The yams was like desert, just deeelicious and the chicken had me dancing in my seat as I ate it. The cornbread unfortunately had the same issue as the day before when my daughter had it. It taste under cooked. They need to work on that.😢 I looked on the wall where the menu is and I noticed signage that stated due to the high cost of food that they would only be selling oxtails on Saturdays and Sundays. Well, it was Sunday and I was early so I said I'm going to finally get my oxtails... yesss, but guess what...? NO DAMN OXTAILS AGAIN🙄🤦‍♀️. The guys that looked like the husband(owner) suggested I call in my order the day before. I said I would try but last time they won't take my order, so we'll see y'all. That's the reason for me rating them with 4 stars. I will be updating my experience here as I do everywhere I go eat, because I'm a true foody, and y'all.... IMMA KEEP IT REAL!!! AND YOU KNOW...

First time eating dinner here after years of wanting to try it. I wish I had a better review to give but I was totally disappointed with the macaroni and cheese, (over cooked and mushy) red beans and rice, (salty) and the muffins (cold, store bought), were the worse I’ve ever had from a soul food restaurant. In my opinion, the food didn’t taste authentically made by skin folk. The muffins had paper on each, which is how they come when store bought, not when made fresh onsite. They were wrapped in foil to give the impression that they were made onsite. They were not fresh, not hot and had no butter, nor was I given butter to put on them. But I do have some good news. The fried chicken was hot, fresh and perfectly made. It was seasoned to my delight. The fried chicken is definitely made onsite and served hot as expected. I recommend the fried chicken. The menu is extremely limited. The item you want to eat will more than likely not be available to order, so be prepared to order something different that you don’t want to eat. I wanted the meat loaf but they were out of meat loaf at 4pm. If this place could deliver fresh, hot food cooked by skin folk and seasoned like we like our food seasoned, this place would do a lot more business and get even more repeat customers. Please consider serving hot muffins with butter when patrons are paying $21 for a fried chicken dinner. Even fast food chicken joints serve hot biscuits with butter for much less than the cost of what I paid for my meal. Unfortunately, I’ll never return but I am rooting for this establishment to do well and succeed with lines out the door in the future with a few tweaks to improve the quality of general food expectations that your customers expect to make dinner an awesome experience. I recommend the fried chicken. Nice staff with a smile other than that. They give you enough food to spit with a second person, or you’ll definitely have enough food for leftovers to eat the next day. I hope this critique helps. I want to see this business succeed. Please put more love into those sides like you do that tasty...

Alright, it took me a second to gather my thoughts, but here it is.

I came to Soul Food Shack with my expectations set squarely on the food. I was only in Cali for a short while, and this spot happened to be about 15 min down the street from where I was staying. Perfect location, and I was curious to see how Cali does soul food.

From the first bite, it hit me Emotionally triggered as I was transported straight back to my childhood. It felt like I was sitting at the kitchen table in New Orleans, eating my nanny's candied yams, greens, macaroni, and fried chicken. The flavors had that deep, home-cooked love, that is not taken for granted or lost on me, so hats off to the cook! That kind of food doesn't just fill you up; it connects you,and to top it off, the drinks? Man, they serve that real deal kol-aid. The kind I used to drink as a kid.

As I was eating, I started thinking about how food ties us to previous & future generations. It's wild how dishes once considered scraps i.e: greens, yams, cornbread, oxtails, are now sought out in restaurants just like this one. These meals are more than just food; they're stories of survival, resilience, and community. But I digress, I know y'all didn't come here for a history lesson in Black culture, so I'll leave it at that.

Now, onto the standouts. The mac and cheese and yams? Easily the stars of the plate. I like my yams runny and solid, because I love mixing it with the cornbread. Sweet, savory, soft--that combo hits every time. The macaroni? Seasoned perfectly. Creamy, rich, and not bland like you sometimes get at other spots . That's rare, and I don't take it for granted.

Overall, Soul Food Shack gave me more than just a good meal, it gave me a taste of home, miles away from where I grew up. If you're ever in Inglewood and need some food that feeds more than just your stomach, pull up,...