Review Paula's Soul Food Cafe - Hackensack

Entering the store the workers were nice and very professional. The restaurant was clean and nicely done. Most of the food was visible and looked very appetizing. Most food was kept warm in a warmer which I usually am not a fan of. The fish seemed to be cooked to order. We had several different platters. Turkey Wings, Salmon and Fried Whiting. Turkey Wings - Cooked very well. The meat wasn't dry or overcooked. They didn't have a lot of flavor. Not salty which was good for me. Fried Whiting - was cooked nice and crispy. Not salty which was good to me. It was seasoned okay. The portion was great. Salmon - cooked well and seasoned well. The portion was okay. The sides were roasted potatoes, collards, string beans and Mac& cheese plus plantains. Loved all the sides except the Mac & cheese which was okay to me. Collards were not cut up much which usually bothers me but didn't. Recommend

The food was very good, fresh, nice portions and a good variety with reasonable prices. The chicken wings were excellent and the red velvet cake was just ok. My only gripe is I wish they would chop up the greens and cabbage instead of serving such large pieces which I ended up cutting myself. But they were very flavorful though. I will repeat and would recommend.

My first and last time ordering from here . I ordered the oxtails with macaroni & cheese and yams. And everything is absolutely disgusting. Oxtails have NO seasoning. They’re greasy and just cooked in some gravy. Corn bread is dry and flavorless. Save your money and go somewhere else.

Used to love Paula’s and order on a regular basis. But in the past year, their food quality has gone downhill. We ordered from Uber eats last night and it took over an hour for us to get our food. When we did, everything was covered in so much grease, even the cornbread. The food was unappetizing and cold. My smothered turkey wings had not a drop of gravy and were flavorless and dry. Mashed potatoes were also just ok and string beans were inconsistently cooked. After months of putting Paula’s on hiatus we tried again and regret it. Don’t waste your money.

If I could give 4.5 stars I would and I'm only giving 4.5 because of a minor customer service issue. BUT, the food was awesome!!!! I will definitely return to try different items from the menu! So far, they have proven to me to really have good soul food!!!

Places an order via Uber eats. I’ve had this place many of times. However today I felt disgusted by the food I received. This is supposed to be oxtails. Nothing but bones and fat and less than 4 pieces. Disgusting.

The food itself is really good and the restaurant is very clean. But If I have to be honest, it might be best to make least amount of contact with the counter person.

I haven’t been here since I graduated from the school around the corner (give or take 3 years ago), so today I went to get some good food again. let me start by saying the store looks closed. Dim lighting, no tv menus like before, floors looked greasy & slippery… server was rude about mask policy when he himself was wearing his mask IMPROPERLY. The quality definitely has changed for the worse, which is funny because there is a sign that basically says “prices went up but quality remains the same”… I beg to differ. There were no menus (i had someone with me who was trying Paulas for the first time), we had to find photos of their menu online. I had a “fried” chicken meal that tasted like reheated wings… no crunch at all. The mac and cheese tasted like it was spoiled. It had a very strong taste to it that made it hard to even finish.. Fries seemed to be fried in old oil. Super super soggy, tasted like cardboard. I don’t know what else could’ve went wrong with the meal. Very very disappointing.