Recently arriving from Texas and having a friend with Louisiana roots, we figured this was the place for us. Not only was the environment welcoming and friendly but the food was wonderful. Oxtails cooked perfectly. Crack and cheese on point. Hot chicken was great. Most impressive was that I left my card on accident and they held it for me and made it very easy to recover the next day. Thanks Smelly's, y'all did right by us.
Jessie Mills
Great food
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
martha
One waiter but he was still attentive the food was tasty, hot and plentiful. The bar was not open but that was ok. The music was a bit loud so no conversation. Very clean but flies due to open windows and doors.
Michelle Yankey
Fried lobster...treat yourself!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Robyn
The meal I had had great taste. 1/2 Dungeness crab, four blackened prawns and garlic noodles. That plate was $65 which is because it was in the Bay. In Sac you get s whole can for $65? The garlic noodles were really good even the next day. My crab was missing 2 legs but had good flavor and the prawns were good as well. The regular lemonade and apple lemonade were both đ„đ„đ„
Kathy Burgess
The food. Was simply delicious that red snapper.You guys gotta get that snapper and those jams awesome
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Clarice Hughes
No parking.
mackenzie majors
Have you ever eaten something and instantly regretted it like your body just knew it didnât belong there? Thatâs exactly how I felt after this meal swear to god Iâm writing this in my car on literally hurting right now lol. The photo attached is the salmon plate. And what youâre seeing isnât sauce⊠itâs oil. Straight-up oil.
Now, credit where itâs due, our server was AMAZING and handled everything with grace. But when I asked about the oil, his response was, âSalmon produces oil.â đ I had to laugh cause ainât no way, love.
But seriously, to the owners: How are we calling this fine dining when the plates come out with drips on the sides? How are we calling this fine dining when ketchup bottles are crusted over and the hot sauce bottles look like theyâve been there since opening day? How are we calling this fine dining when every side dish is swimming in oil? How are we calling this fine dining when not a single manager or owner stopped by to acknowledge the issue? One thing is consistent with the reviews both in here and on the street âoily and very expensiveâ.
Presentation matters. Standards matter. And if youâre going to charge fine-dining prices, the experience should match. Wishing nothing but success to a black owned business and I would have tried to say this to management but no one came by after returning the plate.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Centina Reed
Amazing I love it here so good
C
The food was ok, this is my second time going. I had the oxtails, Mac, and cheese. The oxtails came out almost Luke warm and a bit over salted but were tender to the bone. The yams were great and the Mac n cheese had way too much paprika in it. Overall the food is good, this time was a bit disappointing and they needed to check the temperature of the food before they serve it.
The Food Was Excellent We came for my Husband's Birthday. My daughter and I had crab and blackend shrimp with garlic noodles! Excellent so garlicky Husband had Oxtails, rice,greens,sweet potato's He said best he's ever had! Then sang Happy Birthday Steve Wonder style with Dj. Can't wait to comeback. Highly Recommendation
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
April Jean
I came up from Sacramento for a work meeting and really wanted to try the food here. Iâve been to Oakland many times and had heard a lot about this restaurant, so I was excited to finally check it outâbut honestly, I left disappointed.
The space is very small, and it was hard to maneuver in and out while people were seated. It took over 20 minutes just to get a menu and any attention after I sat at the bar table. I also found out that the bar and kitchen run separately, so you have to pay two different tabs, which was strange.
I ordered the oysters, lamb chops, garlic noodles, mac and cheese, and greens. The lamb chops and garlic noodles were deliciousâwell-cooked, flavorful, and exactly what I was hoping for. But the mac and cheese and greens were a letdown. Both tasted oddly sweet and lacked seasoning, which threw me off.
Overall, I was disappointed with the experience. I might give it another try someday, but considering all the hype, my expectations were definitely higher than what I got.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Carole
Everything was EXCELLENT. Cant wait to go again!! The oxtails and grilled lamb chops are DELICIOUS!!!!!
Robert
This just wasnât it for me unfortunately. I think they need to do a little bit more refining and or their prices need to match the service and quality of food theyâre delivering. Itâs the little things. Once I saw that scented candle on the table with the label on it, it told me immediately how the rest of the service was going to go. You donât want scented candles on the table while your guests are trying to each, especially with the label still on it. Itâs tacky. The wait staff were nice but I sort of sensed that there was an issue with the flow of things and how they operate. They sort of looked scrambled. It felt very amateur. Again thatâs fine, but if youâre charging people $40+ for a plate you expect something different. Now the food itself, was disappointing. I payed $43 for a plate of garlic noodles and shrimp, and an extra few dollars for two side dishes. They gave me a huge plate of pasta, cool, but it was literally swimming in half an inch of oil or grease. And everything else including the side dishes were covered in too much oil. It was too heavy. I had to hold a napkin in one hand wiping oil from my mouth the whole meal. Seasoning wise, I was also disappointed. This is is a Cajun place, so why was there no kick, why was it bland? Why were the noodles and the greens almost sweet? The Mac and cheese also didnât do it for me. Everything was either a 6 or 7 for me. Again this was a $50+ dollar meal, so I expected it to hit, but it did not. I will say some of their other items looked good so maybe a different item would be good, but at those prices, Iâm not sure. Their pricing is also very odd. $70+ fries? So in summary, I believe this place is highly overrated and overpriced. They have the vision though, they just need to execute it better.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Queenie
First time eating at Smellys & it was a good experience. The music & vibe upon entering set the tone for a relaxed evening, I had the fried snapper that was seasoned well (nothing too salty, which was a plus). The candied yams & collard greens were tasty too. I ordered a side of cornbread that took a while to come, but was hot, freshly made and delicious. My daughter ordered the catfish with garlicky green beans. We did not like the crack & cheese side. Other than that everything was good.
Recently arriving from Texas and having a friend with Louisiana roots, we figured this was the place for us. Not only was the environment welcoming and friendly but the food was wonderful. Oxtails cooked perfectly. Crack and cheese on point. Hot chicken was great. Most impressive was that I left my card on accident and they held it for me and made it very easy to recover the next day. Thanks Smelly's, y'all did right by us.
Great food
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
One waiter but he was still attentive the food was tasty, hot and plentiful. The bar was not open but that was ok. The music was a bit loud so no conversation. Very clean but flies due to open windows and doors.
Fried lobster...treat yourself!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The meal I had had great taste. 1/2 Dungeness crab, four blackened prawns and garlic noodles. That plate was $65 which is because it was in the Bay. In Sac you get s whole can for $65? The garlic noodles were really good even the next day. My crab was missing 2 legs but had good flavor and the prawns were good as well. The regular lemonade and apple lemonade were both đ„đ„đ„
The food.
Was simply delicious that red snapper.You guys gotta get that snapper and those jams awesome
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
No parking.
Have you ever eaten something and instantly regretted it like your body just knew it didnât belong there? Thatâs exactly how I felt after this meal swear to god Iâm writing this in my car on literally hurting right now lol. The photo attached is the salmon plate. And what youâre seeing isnât sauce⊠itâs oil. Straight-up oil.
Now, credit where itâs due, our server was AMAZING and handled everything with grace. But when I asked about the oil, his response was, âSalmon produces oil.â đ I had to laugh cause ainât no way, love.
But seriously, to the owners:
How are we calling this fine dining when the plates come out with drips on the sides?
How are we calling this fine dining when ketchup bottles are crusted over and the hot sauce bottles look like theyâve been there since opening day?
How are we calling this fine dining when every side dish is swimming in oil? How are we calling this fine dining when not a single manager or owner stopped by to acknowledge the issue? One thing is consistent with the reviews both in here and on the street âoily and very expensiveâ.
Presentation matters. Standards matter. And if youâre going to charge fine-dining prices, the experience should match. Wishing nothing but success to a black owned business and I would have tried to say this to management but no one came by after returning the plate.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Amazing I love it here so good
The food was ok, this is my second time going. I had the oxtails, Mac, and cheese. The oxtails came out almost Luke warm and a bit over salted but were tender to the bone. The yams were great and the Mac n cheese had way too much paprika in it. Overall the food is good, this time was a bit disappointing and they needed to check the temperature of the food before they serve it.
Restaurantji Recommends
The Food Was Excellent We came for my Husband's Birthday. My daughter and I had crab and blackend shrimp with garlic noodles! Excellent so garlicky
Husband had Oxtails, rice,greens,sweet potato's
He said best he's ever had! Then sang Happy Birthday Steve Wonder style with Dj. Can't wait to comeback. Highly Recommendation
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I came up from Sacramento for a work meeting and really wanted to try the food here. Iâve been to Oakland many times and had heard a lot about this restaurant, so I was excited to finally check it outâbut honestly, I left disappointed.
The space is very small, and it was hard to maneuver in and out while people were seated. It took over 20 minutes just to get a menu and any attention after I sat at the bar table. I also found out that the bar and kitchen run separately, so you have to pay two different tabs, which was strange.
I ordered the oysters, lamb chops, garlic noodles, mac and cheese, and greens. The lamb chops and garlic noodles were deliciousâwell-cooked, flavorful, and exactly what I was hoping for. But the mac and cheese and greens were a letdown. Both tasted oddly sweet and lacked seasoning, which threw me off.
Overall, I was disappointed with the experience. I might give it another try someday, but considering all the hype, my expectations were definitely higher than what I got.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Everything was EXCELLENT. Cant wait to go again!! The oxtails and grilled lamb chops are DELICIOUS!!!!!
This just wasnât it for me unfortunately. I think they need to do a little bit more refining and or their prices need to match the service and quality of food theyâre delivering. Itâs the little things. Once I saw that scented candle on the table with the label on it, it told me immediately how the rest of the service was going to go. You donât want scented candles on the table while your guests are trying to each, especially with the label still on it. Itâs tacky. The wait staff were nice but I sort of sensed that there was an issue with the flow of things and how they operate. They sort of looked scrambled. It felt very amateur. Again thatâs fine, but if youâre charging people $40+ for a plate you expect something different. Now the food itself, was disappointing. I payed $43 for a plate of garlic noodles and shrimp, and an extra few dollars for two side dishes. They gave me a huge plate of pasta, cool, but it was literally swimming in half an inch of oil or grease. And everything else including the side dishes were covered in too much oil. It was too heavy. I had to hold a napkin in one hand wiping oil from my mouth the whole meal. Seasoning wise, I was also disappointed. This is is a Cajun place, so why was there no kick, why was it bland? Why were the noodles and the greens almost sweet? The Mac and cheese also didnât do it for me. Everything was either a 6 or 7 for me. Again this was a $50+ dollar meal, so I expected it to hit, but it did not. I will say some of their other items looked good so maybe a different item would be good, but at those prices, Iâm not sure. Their pricing is also very odd. $70+ fries? So in summary, I believe this place is highly overrated and overpriced. They have the vision though, they just need to execute it better.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
First time eating at Smellys & it was a good experience. The music & vibe upon entering set the tone for a relaxed evening, I had the fried snapper that was seasoned well (nothing too salty, which was a plus). The candied yams & collard greens were tasty too. I ordered a side of cornbread that took a while to come, but was hot, freshly made and delicious. My daughter ordered the catfish with garlicky green beans. We did not like the crack & cheese side. Other than that everything was good.
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