Bobby Q's Jus Like Mama's — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

TL;DR: Not quite like how mama used to make it. This food could use a bit more soul.

Every time that I’ve passed Bobby Q’s throughout the year I’ve thought to myself, “I need to try their food.” Well, as I drove past a few hours ago I turned around and decided that today would be the day.

The parking situation is a bit sketchy in front of the restaurant. I don’t know if there’s a dedicated lot elsewhere, but you may want to research the parking situation before you come if you’re not a fan of pulling over to the side of a busy road. The interior layout of the restaurant is unique. There’s a dining area with tables to the right and a counter for takeout and pickup orders on the left. If you look straight ahead there appears to be a space for private events or storage… honestly I couldn’t tell.

ORDERING: The employee behind the counter patiently answered my questions and offered suggestions. I ordered two fried chicken dinners and a 6-piece (fried) wingettes. My sides were mac & cheese, collards, fried okra, and French fries. With tax, those items came to $52. I was told that everything should take 15-20 minutes, but we ended up waiting half an hour. After the first twenty minutes the employee behind the counter repeatedly asked the kitchen to hurry up with our order. I appreciate his efforts to speed up the process. I still wonder why it took so long since all three mains were fried chicken and the sides were likely pre made.

THE FOOD: When we got in the car, my companion opened her takeout container and was greeted with four sizable pieces of fried chicken and crinkle cut fries. I was told that the fries were good and had the right amount of salt, but they were soggy due to sitting in the hot container for an extended period of time. I was able to bring the fries back to life with the help of an air fryer, which I also used on my extremely soggy fried okra.

The chicken looked great and had a nice crunch, but there wasn’t much flavor. There was a hint of seasoning on the exterior, but it didn’t taste like the chicken had been brined or marinated. After the initial sensation of the bite, there wasn’t much follow through. My companion compensated for the weak flavor by drizzling the included barbecue sauce. I didn’t try the mac & cheese, so I can’t comment on it.

Based on the lengthy wait time and soggy sides, I would not order takeout from Bobby Q’s again, but I would dine in for one of their daily lunch specials… if I happen to be...

The food is good. However, my family and I dined at the restaurant tonight for my birthday. The chair that my father was sitting in, spontaneously broke. My father, a senior, had fallen on the floor. The manager, Anthony, watched the incident and did NOTHING! A family member and I helped my father up. I brought him a new chair. All the manager, Anthony, did was walk over. Stare at my dad in annoyance. Anthony then takes the chair and walks in the back, without a word. My mother, brother and I went to speak with Anthony. He was beyond non chalant, repeatedly saying he can’t do anything. The waitress was very lovely and apologetic. We asked if anything can be done with the bill. Anthony NEVER walked over to our table to apologize for it he inconvenience, nor ask if my father was ok. Other patrons saw this incident, and left after seeing this lack of professionalism. Those patrons didn’t even get their food yet. My mother then walks to the register to discuss the bill with Anthony the manager. Anthony is then flailing his arms and posturing as if wanting to hit my mom. I walk over, Anthony then stops. I’m voicing my frustrations outside, wanting to not disturb the other patrons dining at the restaurant. I turn around and Anthony is staring at my family and I as if we were the prey to be caught in Nightmare on Elm Street. The manager acted like he didn’t care at all, saying I can’t do anything. The waitress took an additional discount off, that Anthony originally said couldn’t be done. My family, friends and I will NEVER return to this restaurant UNLESS they get new management. Why you may ask, ANTHONY IS THE OPPOSITE OF GOOD...

I hate to write anything negative but I will share my honest review. My fiancé and I ordered short ribs. He got the cabbage and Mac n cheese as his side. I got the string beans and the yellow rice. We both thought that the string beans, cabbage and Mac n cheese were good. He enjoyed the ribs, I thought they were bland no seasoning. Now my biggest complaint comes down to the yellow rice, I was hesitant because it smelled soar. I wasn’t sure if it was some type of seasoning, I had my fiancé taste it and he said no the rice is not right, doesn’t taste good. Now when our waiter came back around I told him about the rice he responds “The rice was just made”, shortly after we get ready to leave and the waiter tells us that they have tasted the rice and I was right that something was off with the rice and hands us a small refund as we ordered Mac n cheese to go, so I guess that was to make up for the sour rice. I’m glad that I didn’t eat much of it and pray I don’t get sick. On the drive home I had so many questions that I wished I had asked before leaving, like did the chef taste the rice before serving it, is the rice just sitting out all day not at the correct temperature, or are we serving left over rice from the day before. I have eaten at the restaurant before when it use to be located in Freeport and never had these kind of issues. I think I will give them a second chance because maybe it was just an off day but...