Gourmet Soul Restaurant and Catering — Restaurant in St. Louis

This was my first time dining at this restaurant, and overall, the experience had its highs and lows. When we arrived, we were told there would be a 45-minute to 1-hour wait but to our surprise, we were seated in by 15-20 minutes by Ms. T. That was a pleasant start, especially considering how busy it was. It looked like there was some kind of convention going on, and for it to be so packed early in the afternoon, I took that as a great sign that the food must be worth it!

However, as our visit went on, it became clear that customer service is an area that needs attention. The restaurant seemed short staffed, and I noticed several guests looking for assistance with no one immediately available. While the staff members who were present remained friendly, it was obvious they were stretched thin.

We ended up waiting about an hour for our food, and during that time, we were only given one update. That lack of communication made the wait feel even longer. I understand that we may have come during a rush, but regular check-ins would have made a big difference. For future guests definitely don’t come hungry, just in case you’re met with a similar delay. The food was good! I enjoyed the sides mostly!! Yams, Collards and Mac & Cheese was delicious. My fries and fish was not hot, however, I didn’t complain! In the end Makala replaced the fries. She was amazing.

That said, I want to shout out Steve, who was working incredibly hard, clearing tables, helping customers, and clearly doing everything he could to keep things moving. Also, Makala, our waitress, was kind and tried her best to keep us informed and comfortable while we waited.

Unfortunately, there was a moment that stood out for the wrong reason. A staff member named Nya (or Nia) was visibly rude to a customer picking up an order. As a paying guest myself, I found the tone and approach to be unprofessional and unnecessarily harsh, especially in front of other patrons. Regardless of stress levels, how staff communicates matters! Customer service is the foundation of any great business, and experiences like that can make or break a customer's impression. If she holds a leadership position, I hope this is addressed, as that kind of behavior sets the wrong tone for the entire team.

In summary, the food may well be worth the wait, but customer service should never take a back seat, especially in a busy environment. With a few more hands on deck and a stronger focus on communication and professionalism, this place has the potential to be a favorite. I would...

Gourmet Soul catered our wedding (10/16/2020) and we couldn't be happier with the experience. We weren't interested in paying per person for a normal wedding dinner experience, Gourmet Soul offers trays at very reasonable prices.

Way back in late 2019 we went to Gourmet Soul with some friends and ordered basically everything on the menu for our own little tasting; the food was amazing. After checking out the pricing and reviewing the menu again, we contacted Gourmet Soul and worked with Chef Lavinia (owner) to come up with the proper amounts of food to make sure our original 150 guests would be fed properly. We paid our deposit (half of the total cost) in person in November of 2019. Everything was looking good for our original April 10, 2020 date.

Fast forward and the world is on fire. We were absolutely DREADING talking to vendors about rescheduling, possible refunds, etc. Called Chef Lavinia to see what options we had and she instantly offered us a refund on the deposit. I was taken aback because some other vendors weren't so open with what they could/would do but mainly what they wouldn't or couldn't do. We had no intentions of canceling with Gourmet Soul but after speaking with Chef Lavinia I felt comfortable with them holding onto the deposit for an extended amount of time until we could figure this out.

Another fast forward, we cut our guest list down to about 60 people and Chef Lavinia helped come up with a menu to make sure everyone was fed. Even despite my bride and I not being able to eat at our wedding (too much fun was being had), the staff put up Bride/Groom plates which we later devoured.

Our guests and other vendors that we fed all had rave reviews about the food. We had fried swai catfish, chicken wings, yams, mac & cheese, greens, and salad for dinner (everything was fire). For appetizers we had deviled eggs, a fruit tray, and a veggie tray also ordered through Gourmet Soul.

I can't recommend Gourmet Soul enough whether you are just getting a bite to eat or having an event caterered. The staff was friendly, inviting, and most importantly, extremely professional.

Thanks for the excellent service, food, and experience! Hopefully we can work together...

(edit: the owner has responded, but the info they are providing is not correct..so I will clarify my experience.)

Gourmet Soul NEVER called me back about the duplicate charge in JULY, BUT they did have the time to provide a fake duplicate transaction to my bank!

I left an urgent email LAST month, and it was no mention on the voicemail about a personal family death. In fact, I called the exact day I ate at the restaurant July 2nd, and it went straight to voicemail because a private event was occurring.

I went to a restaurant called Gourmet Soul on July 2, 2023. The total was a fixed amount with a tip. I signed for ONE transaction as I have stated. I called my bank when I saw the duplicate charges, and they told me to wait till it got finalized. It did indeed get finalized of two charges (one without a tip and one with a tip), and my bank originally credited me for the extra charge. I even took a picture of my signed receipt at the restaurant of my ONE transaction I did, with the tip included. Gourmet Soul responded to my bank, and sent documents disputing to my bank that I did not have duplicate transactions, but two separate transactions of the same EXACT food, one without a tip and one with a tip. I ONLY signed for one receipt, and only ordered items from that one receipt. I have image documents of my original receipt of the food items, the merchant copy with my signature and total with tip and the documents they sent to my bank of a separate transaction I did NOT purchase.

(Original review) I would 100% not recommend this place. The food is trash, and I was double charged (one for the total including tip + one for subtotal without tip). I was kind enough to leave a voicemail so they could catch it, but no one called me back. I disputed with my bank, and now a month later they're saying I did separate transactions, when I indeed did ONE. I am very angry, because the food did NOT deserve a tip! But I tipped out of the decency of the...