Wright Kind of Soul (A Soul Food Cafe) — Restaurant in Hillside

LONG STORYTIME: I love supporting black businesses and I extend grace when I need to but this establishment fumbled the ball almost every step of the way and this was first time as a customer. I wanted to place a catering order for mother day. The website has no information so I send an email. (First red flag)I get a response with a pdf of the catering menu followed by another email that says oh the prices changed, some went up. Basically they will let me know what the real cost is when I place the order since what they just sent me is wrong (2nd red flag because I’m like ok they just need to update the menu, hopefully they do so soon) I email back the weekend before Mother’s Day to place my order and no one reply’s for 3 days so I call. Turns out the owner is on vacation now and that’s why I havnt recieved a response (3rd red flag but I’m giving the benefit of the doubt, everyone deserves a vacation but still someone should be left in charge of the email since that’s a form of communication on the website that lacks the information I need)

So like I said called, everyone is confused about the email I’m talking about. They have no clue about it. I say “Nevermind I’m good” because this is the 4th red flag. The manager calls me back and says that she got in contact with the owner and now knows about the email and can place the order. This woman is completely nice, the best thing they got up in there. She was so kind that I said ok I’ll place my order even after all the run around.

I place the order over the phone, bcz again no information is online, you can’t place a catering order online.. NOTHING! I ask how do I pay and she says they don’t take cards over the phone I would have to come in to place this order because they need half the payment. It’s already been a journey to place a order now I have to come there…IM ANNOYED at this point. Now I have to find time to get there before they close. (I stop counting the red flags at this point) I also tried to find another restaurant at this point because this process was ridiculous but it’s too late to find another one. The ones I wanted are closed on Sundays.

Soooo, I got there in person the next day to pay and everybody seems pleasant and cool and boooyyyy the staff hyped this food up. I kept saying this experience has been trash but if this food is good I’ll be back. I loved the warm energy, great people but chilllleeeeee when I picked up my Mother’s Day order that was supposed to be ready at 4:30… it wasn’t ready until 5:10. I stood in that establishment for 40mins waiting for food that should have been done all while being told “a few more mins” “we didn’t know it would be this busy” I looked at the guy and said “wait I’m confused yall didn’t know a black owned soul food restaurant would possibly get busy on Mother’s Day” INTERESTING because that’s crazy to not forecast that but ok!

My event was at 5pm so now I’m late with the food and again remember they hyped this food up when I placed my order, especially the cornbread.

Babbbbyyyyyyy half the cornbread was burnt, I could throw it at a wall and hear it! NOW, The yams was swimming in water, not brown sugar syrup… WATEERRRR! The Mac was this rich yellow color or Nickelodeon orange color…never seen Mac like this (hated it) but you could only eat the center of the pan because the boarder was burnt, couldn’t even get a utencil through, that potato salad, GOODNIGHT! I wish I took pictures but I was definetly over the day and didn’t think about it.

Postives: Shrimp scampi, Sticky wings and turkey wings were really good! AMAZING JOB on that!! The green beans were ok, they weren’t soul food string beans but they weren’t nasty. The other half of the cornbread that wasn’t burnt was ok.

Needless to say, I most likely will never go back, hate to say that but it’s true. My experience there was definitely...

⭐ 1 Star — The Wright Kind of Soul Food is the WRONG Kind of Place We were excited to support The Wright Kind of Soul Food after reading some great reviews, especially on Easter Sunday. We made a reservation for four people at 12:30 PM and were surprised that it required a $25 deposit—something we’ve never encountered, even at 5-star restaurants. Still, we gave them the benefit of the doubt, assuming it was due to the holiday. Unfortunately, that was a big mistake. When we arrived after church, the gates were down and the restaurant appeared closed. We tried calling multiple times, but no one answered—and to make matters worse, the voicemail wasn’t even set up. We circled the block several times hoping they might just be running behind, but no luck. We were left scrambling to find a backup plan. Thankfully, Cornbread in Newark came through with no deposit required, amazing service, and delicious food—shout out to them for saving our Easter! Two days later, I called The Wright Kind of Soul Food to ask about our deposit. The manager told me "too many days had passed" and that their policy meant I couldn’t get a refund. No apology. No accountability. No attempt to make things right. Sadly, this experience left a really bad taste in our mouths—and we never even got to eat there. A business that takes your money and doesn’t even open its doors on your reservation day, then refuses to refund your deposit, is not one we’ll ever support again. Buyer beware: They might take your money and leave you with nothing but frustration and attitude. Two wrongs definitely don’t...

When you crave soul food, like the Soulful Sunday kind, find your way over to the WRIGHT KIND OF SOUL.😎. The outdoor string lights spotlight its dine alfresco curb appeal. Its Hillside, NJ dwelling place has plenty of seating for a good time. The black/gold tables and bench decor accentuate deep Banker’s green walls. Luther Vandross music to relax to would be the cherry on top.😅

I found fresh made to order authentic soul food lunch & dinner ie. chicken whiting, ribs, potato salad, Mac and cheese, candied yams and collard greens; even appetizers like salmon bites — over fresh mixed greens! The cornbread is so fluffy, you can share a square like the one I tried for the first time (Chef’s treat - thanks!) I shared with another nice customer along with friendly conversation.

The staff is busy, friendly and on top of things. They handle business. But if you want to grab and go, I would call ahead. You can sit on a bench with strawberry lemonade, an appetizer or a slice of cake (Lemon cake🌟). There is a positive vibe.

My husband enjoyed the fried whiting, chicken sandwiches, I go for the grilled salmon. The collards were not mean greens bitter! The salmon bites were fried but not greasy at all or bready. Great because I have cut out fried food & avoid cooking salt so I have to remember to ask for a less seasoning. I’m happy to see young people doing things right and I wish them all the...