Old Soul Co. — Restaurant in Sacramento

Old Soul holds a special place in my heart and has been a staple weekend spot for me since I moved to Sacramento in 2019. I've frequented all their locations, but I always gravitate towards the alley for its great space and pleasant hum of activity—a true ‘third space’. I’ve brought many friends and family here just to share the wonderful atmosphere. My critiques come from the perspective of a long-time local patron and foodie, hoping to help improve the experience.

The Order: Iced Vanilla Latte w/ Oat milk, Iced Matcha Latte w/ Oat milk & Vanilla, Herbivore Breakfast Burrito & Tuna Melt w/ Potatoes.

Potatoes: I can appreciate that Old Soul’s potatoes are a lighter, healthier version than the typical heavy, diner-style ones you find elsewhere. I’ve never had complaints about their quality or taste until today. While the flavor was good, they were significantly undercooked, which unfortunately detracts from any dish. A little 'bite' might be acceptable to some, but this was just short of raw and unpleasant.

Burrito & Salsa: I've come to expect the burritos to be served neatly cut in half. This time, however, it was almost completely unraveled when it arrived, making it a mess to re-wrap and eat. The accompanying green salsa, which I usually find approachable, also missed the mark today. It had a slightly metallic or bitter taste and was more acidic than usual. For a reference on an outstanding tomatillo salsa, I'd suggest Taqueria Guadalajara in Davis—their recipe has been consistently excellent for years. On a positive note, I always enjoy that Old Soul offers Pepperplant hot sauce, as it's one of my favorites.

A Note on Sandwiches: The breakfast sandwiches here used to be my absolute favorite menu item. I switched to the burritos because I noticed a trend of the bread being over-toasted. Excessively crispy bread often causes the contents of the sandwich to spill out with the first bite. After this happened a few times, I sadly accepted that this might be the new standard and it just wasn't for me anymore, even though I originally fell in love with the soft, slightly crispy texture.

It's always a bummer to have a disappointing food experience here. I recognize this is just one meal out of the thousands served weekly, especially on a quiet Tuesday. However, every customer's experience is singular and deserves care, as feedback often arises when things go wrong, not right. I truly love this place and hope to continue enjoying Old Soul for many...

We love Old Soul, but have noticed some drastic changes to the food as of late.

First off, I do want to point out that the people of Old Soul remain great. We always are greeted by the same employees who are super nice and genuinely funny. They provide consistently great service and it has kept us coming back for years. The coffee is also quite good. I do not rank it as highly as some speciality coffee places like Milka, but it is still nice. Lastly, I want to commend the overall ambience/vibe of this location. There’s lots of seating with plenty of variety. Regular height tables, bar height, and even some couch spots. The music is consistently great. Whoever makes the playlist is doing it right!!

Unfortunately, our main issue comes from the food. The quality of the food coming out of the kitchen has fallen, drastically. Prices are somewhat the same but portions have decreased. I understand production cost has risen, but I’d rather pay a bit more for the same portions than get much less at the same price. On my recent visit, I got the chicken pesto sandwich. A couple years ago this sandwich was amazing. Good amount of pesto and enough chicken to make me think “wow this is a big bite.” Today, there was noticeably less pesto and barely any chicken. The chicken was much thinner and because of that was very dry. That, plus less pesto made for a very crunchy and bland sandwich, as it was also under-seasoned. There was even far less tomato included, which would have been a much needed source of moisture. My wife got the standard breakfast sandwich, which arrived cold, and the bacon was only partially cooked and thus inedible. It is really too bad because we love this place but the food was a total miss today. From stories from those I know who have gone recently, the indication is that this was not an off day, but the new standard for their food. It really pains me because we have been semi-regular customers for a number of years now and hate to see it go backwards. Like I said, I would rather pay more for the same great food than pay the same for smaller portions that do not taste nearly as good. Whatever has changed recently, here is hoping they take note and take steps to work on it. We will continue to come for the friendly faces and good coffee, but cannot recommend the food anymore.

Overall Ratings-

People/service- 5/5 Ambiance- 5/5 Coffee-...

Almost got badly injured yesterday!!!! I was almost run down by a vehicle while riding my bike the other day. in fact, stuck on my right side at which time I grab ahold of his car to not be sucked under his vehicle. Over a dozen people seen and watched in horror what was unfolding in front of them. This was a 65 something year old man. John Boyer owner of Edible Pedal called the cops and they came to take a report. They were actually cool guys. One 48-55 year old veteran officer and the other was 23 years old. I know this because we chatted up a conversation. Anyways, we were right in the alley way of "Old Soul Coffee Shop" here in downtown Sacramento next to "Edible Pedal Bike Shop" So since I'm very observant of my surroundings and my Psychology degree puts me in a certain mindset, I noticed that a female worker or manager came outside the shop and said to the officers "Are you guys okay! Are you sure! Do you need anything!" The veteran officer stated "Thanks, we're good" I was kind of taken back because lately we've been hearing all through the media about businesses across the country DENYING COPS SERVICE. Only to find out the officer goes on social media and rant about being denied service do these businesses back down and say sorry and giving the officers free meals and a free pass. I bring this up to make a point that I just experience what I read daily in the media or news. What bothers me is that everyone in the alley came to my rescue when they saw this crazy car trying to run me down, EVERYBODY! Yet the lady from the coffee shop never asked was I okay, did I need a drink of water, or maybe sir here's a chair so you can sit down and let me know if you needed anything. I was blown away. The veteran officer eventually went inside the shop , I don't know what transpired, but I do know that when he returned he stated to me that he thanked her and told her I was just assaulted. "Her response, her concern was for the officers and not me" The officer said that he was blown away and told her I'm okay and a little shaken up. He than told me with his eyes open really wide, I can't believe this lady just said this. He than states that Thanks but no thanks lady. I don't have a liking towards police, because of my own experiences, but I will say this veteran made even me feel relaxed and showed an utter disbelief towards this...