Bonnie Jean's Soul Food Cafe

Went here for a graduation celebration. Made reservations for 8 people and we were the first people in the establishment. It took over an hour to get our food and we watched as smaller parties arrived, ate and left. When we eventually got the food, the graduate didn’t get their meal till another 30 minutes after everyone else in our party. So everyone felt bad at the table and it threw the whole vibe off. Waitress knew who was the graduate too. Then when the check came, that ended up being another issue. We understood the 20% surcharge for parties greater than 7. No issue with that at all. But then they charged us another 3% + 5% + 15%. Spoke with two separate waiters, and the bartender and neither couldn’t explain it. The had to keep going to the kitchen to ask the “chef” what the extra charges were. And it was a different story each time someone tried to explain it. I got so upset and caught such a bad headache (which could have been from the salty food) I just paid and left. All around terrible experience that left the whole party feeling cheated and made the staff seem shady. Never again. And I’ll ensure to spread the word so no one else is “suckered” at “suckerfree”. The food was way too salty and very forgettable. *edit since the owner commented on my review. I see your math being explained now. 1. You also added another 3% surcharge on top of the “20%”. Still I have no clue what that’s for. I’ve never seen such confusion on a check in my 38 years. 2. 3 of YOUR employees couldn’t explain the receipt to me. And they continually apologized to me, and said they were gonna figure it out. Then took the receipt to the kitchen twice to get a better answer. One of the waiters said it was because of inflation and the rising cost of food. So there must be a lack of training at your establishment. 3. You never addressed the poor and slow service at your establishment. Which was one of my concerns. And based off the other reviews, I don’t think you could care any less about your place being a hit or miss.

Great options of food to choose from and good strong drinks. The service was very slow and the vibe was pretty dull. The only seasoned things were the Mac which was pretty good and the spicy greens. The fried chicken, okra, and green tomatoes were so unseasoned which was a major disappointment. All of the plates come with mashed potatoes and veggies with no option to sub them out or choose your own sides. If you want Mac or greens or any other popular southern side you have to just pay extra for it.

Was walking in Gaslamp district and came upon this restaurant. The staff was friendly. Especially the bartenders. The food came out slowly. The overall experience was good. I got the chicken and waffles and fried gizzards. My friends got fried green 🍅 tomatoes, pulled pork, collard greens, mash potatoes, catfish nuggets, and chicken. The gizzards were fried to hard. Everyone enjoyed the food. The atmosphere and decor was really night. Recommend visiting if you are in the area

I so wanted to love it. As others mentioned the slowest service- but ok it’s Covid world so we all try to deal. After waiting a hour for our food everything is unseasoned, bland and the chicken was literally fried dry. It was like shoe leather with the coating falling off. This is not a matter of taste- inedible. My $45 meal amounted to eating a undercooked biscuit.

The sampler is all Mac and cheese with minimal variety, it's not much of a sample because it's practically the same three dishes. You get three different Mac and cheeses and the only difference is the topping. One had one 2 inch piece of meat, one had one shrimp, and the other I barely remember. Do not get this meal if you are hungry or want to try what they offer, you will be disappointed. You would be better off getting the chicken sandwich with Mac and cheese on the side. I will never order the sampler again. It needs to be removed from the menu, it is uninspiring. All it is is Mac and cheese packaged in three separate containers. A waste of money. And they need more staffing. I am so disappointed in tonight's meal I don't know if I'm going to order from them again, and that's after knowing that the chicken sandwich is really good and the peach cobbler too.