Jake's Soulfood Cafe Tuscaloosa

3615 McFarland Blvd E, Tuscaloosa
(205) 331-4168

Recent Reviews

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EJ Tcb Gray

Just finished eating here as of writing this, and it was 10/10. Had been wanting to try oxtail, and couldn't find them anywhere till I saw this place. Had the Kingston plate with it and the Jerk Chicken, rice, etc. Everything was flavorful, cooked right... loved it. Definitely should check it out if you want a little something different. And that jerk sauce... man! They were also SUPER friendly. It is a bit expensive, but it's worth it man! Get you some!!!

Justin L.

The food blew me away. Jake’s is now top of the list when I think of best restaurants in Tuscaloosa. It’s a staple if you live here, and a must-try if you’re passing through.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

B

I ordered the wing combo with 2 sides. Chicken wings were huge. I literally didn’t try it cause they were so big. The greens and Mac and cheese were delicious though.

Eric Griffin

Been eyeing Jake's for awhile now - it was a bummer to see Reggae Flava close downtown, so having another option for soul/Jamaican cuisine is great. *Ordered takeout, put everything on a plate when I got home* I got the Kingston combo so I could try a bit of everything, and also got some plantains and coco bread to try as well. The oxtails were great - fattier bits melted in your mouth, meat was easy to get off the bone, flavor was great. The curry chicken was also good - curry a bit on the sweeter side, but complimented the rest of the entrees really nicely. The jerk chicken was the star of the show - that jerk sauce is fantastic, and I love spice so the higher level of heat was perfect. Both the curry and jerk chickens were cooked perfectly. The corn bread that came with was good - sweeter, nicely buttered. Dry, but not any moreso than you should be getting with cornbread. My only complaint was the rice. Flavor was solid if not just a bit too salty, and needed to be cooked longer - still had a bit too much crunch. That said, when eaten with the rest of the dish and combining with the sauces, it softened up nicely and ultimately didn't become too much of a factor. Atmosphere inside was great - staff was super friendly and helpful as I navigated the menu and decided on what to order. My wife got the jerk chicken and loved it. Overall, definitely recommending this place. I hope to see it succeed, and it's just really nice to have somewhere in Tuscaloosa to eat that's not any of the same four categories of food all the time.

Eric Griffin

Been eyeing Jake's for awhile now - it was a bummer to see Reggae Flava close downtown, so having another option for soul/Jamaican cuisine is great.

*Ordered takeout, put everything on a plate when I got home*

I got the Kingston combo so I could try a bit of everything, and also got some plantains and coco bread to try as well. The oxtails were great - fattier bits melted in your mouth, meat was easy to get off the bone, flavor was great. The curry chicken was also good - curry a bit on the sweeter side, but complimented the rest of the entrees really nicely. The jerk chicken was the star of the show - that jerk sauce is fantastic, and I love spice so the higher level of heat was perfect. Both the curry and jerk chickens were cooked perfectly. The corn bread that came with was good - sweeter, nicely buttered. Dry, but not any moreso than you should be getting with cornbread.

My only complaint was the rice. Flavor was solid if not just a bit too salty, and needed to be cooked longer - still had a bit too much crunch. That said, when eaten with the rest of the dish and combining with the sauces, it softened up nicely and ultimately didn't become too much of a factor.

Atmosphere inside was great - staff was super friendly and helpful as I navigated the menu and decided on what to order. My wife got the jerk chicken and loved it.

Overall, definitely recommending this place. I hope to see it succeed, and it's just really nice to have somewhere in Tuscaloosa to eat that's not any of the same four categories of food all the time.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Kingston Combination, Tropical Rhythm, Fried Sweet Plantains, Coco Bread

Jimmy Hart

I drive past two other soul food places to get food from here. I'm not the expert on how authentic some of the recipes are but I can tell you they're delicious!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Tee Nicole

My first time going and everything was good!! 10/10

Yolanda Davis

I stopped by Jake's today and ordered off the lunch special the food was fresh and hot, I also met an employee named Greg and he really had a great demeanor and positive attitude.

Ree Ree

Tierra, Vic, and Tony were excellent! Great customer service and the food was perfect. We will visit here again.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Avie Bridges

Food was very good, especially the vegetable plate. The jerk chicken was so tender, it falls off the bone

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Cabbage and Mac \u0026 Cheese, Side of Cornbread, Jake's Jerk Wing Deluxe, Black Eyed Peas

Midlife Rebirth Project MRP

Food was delicious, a bit pricey for portion size, but it was definitely worth it. This place is only open on certain days. Has nice plantain!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Kingston Combination

Consuela Matthews

EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT! I’m a frequent visitor of an another location, so when I heard that they were coming to Tuscaloosa, I was absolutely ecstatic about it! From the time I walked in the door, and the cashier Jamontae greeted me with such a warm welcome and beautiful smile along with Takerya from the back through the window I felt the love and knew the food would be great. The atmosphere is very clean and very peaceful and there was food exactly how I knew it to be! If you’re ever in Tuscaloosa, stop by and check them at the corner of McFarland Blvd and James I Harrison Jr Pkwy, and tell them Connie sent you☺️

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Cabbage and Mac \u0026 Cheese, Coco Bread

Elias Hendricks

Jakes is the best food in Birmingham in Tuscaloosa. Waffle House for soul food and Caribbean lovers. I eat there five days a week every time I’m in Birmingham. The catering on my event last year exactly like it did in the store.

Theresa Mckinney

For the last couple days, I’ve been eating there due to not wanna cook pork chop perfect curry chicken need a lot of work on because that’s not curry chicken but overall they pretty Friendly just need work on the curry because that’s not curry

Janayer Hatchett

The jerk was fantastic, The hubby said his catfish was good also. The mac&cheese and cabbage was delicious as well.The young lady Akira was very nice and welcoming.will be back soon.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

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