Paula's Soul Food Cafe — Restaurant in Hackensack

This food establishment is not worth going to. The food is reasonably good but is not worth the time and effort it takes to receive what you have ordered. The wait time can be anywhere from 20 minutes to as much as 30 minutes or more from the time they take your order to the time that you possibly receive your food. I have been kept waiting only to ask is that my food on the counter for the last 10 minutes (very unorganized)! I have witnessed many customers come back and complain that they either did not receive what they ordered or received the wrong order. Sometimes it is something as simple as some cornbread and other times it has been almost an entire meal missing. I know that these things happen because it has happened to me. They are unapologetic for their short comings. Most of the time you have gone home by the time you realize that your food is missing. When you have to go back all you receive is a sorry, I can’t promise that it won’t happened again because it probably will and what you should have received in the first place. Your gas and time has been wasted and there is no getting that back. Also at times they will run out of certain foods on a regular basis. I have waited on line only to find out that they don't have anything that I originally came to purchase. I have waited in line and been the only one there only to have call after call come in for Uber Eats in which you are made to wait because you have decided to visit the establishment. Sometimes the greens are rushed and are not as tender as they could be. I know of several people who because of having to wait so long and because they might only notice that the food that they received is wrong that they will not be patronizing this establishment again. I stuck it out for a while hoping that they would care enough about their customers that they would do something about their short coming but will not be joining the others as I can no longer wait for things to improve. Don’t take my word for it give them a try. You will most likely most of the time like the food but will soon come to realize that this place will make your blood boil so don’t take it from me check it out yourself. They have lost my business and they will lose other customers. The best way to get you message across is to no longer patronize such...

Located in the city in which I was born, I was really excited to try this Soul food restaurant and see what Chicago has brought to Hackensack on Main St. One thing that I'd recommend is that they provide service with a smile and welcome the customers. This goes a long way for any business but I specifically patronized this business because it is a Black owned business. A couple of things that drew me to their menu is their use of meat that I actually eat (I don't eat red meat or pork). They use turkey and not beef on the catering menu for lasagna, for instance. They have a lot of choices to choose from on the menu and the food is visually appealing!

I got a whiting dinner and a chicken wing dinner. For sides I had collard greens, which don't include pork and candied yams. The dinners came with cornbread. My mom had the catfish dinner. I also had a slice of strawberry cake.

The food came out quickly and was fresh. My whiting was decently seasoned but my sides were not. My chicken wasn't seasoned enough nor was my mom's catfish. I didn't see any turkey in the greens but they weren't flavored very well. Although I prefer ACV in my greens, I will eat them without it but they have to be seasoned well and I didn't care for these. I tasted a wing and left that whole meal in the fridge, in NJ cuz my brother was sure to find it and eat it regardless. Overall, the food is bland...and that may be good for some but keep your hot sauce nearby!

That dessert tho...ooo wee...was good! I'll go back and get another piece of cake for sure! They had several different types of cake and banana pudding. They had so much pudding pre-made but no one was buying it while I was there so that may usually be a big seller!

Prices are reasonable as well as...

Yesterday, my baby and I ate dinner at Paula's Soul Food. We rate it a 4 star instead of 5 for the following reasons.

1st off I'll start with the ambiance. This place reminds me of the late 70's, early 80's luncheonettes. The food is already cooked, placed in a row.

2nd, they play superb Classic R&B music from Music Choice.

3rd, customer service is favorable. The folks here are friendly and greeted us with smiles. The food must be ordered up front then you sit down and wait. When we ordered our meal we assumed that it would be brought to our table, so we added a 15% tip into the total. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, this is a true cafeteria, luncheonette type of dining, I had to get up and pick up our food, so keep this in mind if you decide to tip.

4th, our food was first rate taste-wise. My wife ordered the Crab cakes, it comes with 2 sides string beans and collard greens. I got me Oxtail, mine comes with Rice & Peas with extra 2 sides.

Her 2 Crab cakes were small for the $20.00 price, but oh, they were so scrumptiously delicious. Made with real crab meat, not much of flour, all crab. Her sides were exquisite.

My Oxtail was so soft and tasty, that I could not help lick my fingers everytime I picked up an Oxtail. My sides were gloriously great! The potato salad had the right amount of seasoning, my rice & peas cooked to perfection and my Mac & Cheese not to cheesy. But, again the downside is the meat's quantity. Unfortunately not much Oxtail for the $15.00 price.

Would we come back? Yes, most likely. My wife said she wouldn't order the Crab cakes again, due to being so small and so few for the price; I would try the Catfish though.

If it wasn't for the small portions, this would have been a solid 5...