Brenda's is a true hidden gem in San Francisco. It doesn't look like much from the outside but it sure packs the best flavor punch! We started off with one of their signature items, the crawfish beignet. We only ordered one to share since they’re a pretty good size (I probably could have eaten a whole one though). The exterior of the beignet was dusted with a spice mix and when cut open, the warm cheesy crawfish filling oozed out. The filling had little chunks of tender sweet crawfish mixed with sharp Cheddar cheese, a great combination. The service was great, prompt and everyone was very friendly. We will definitely be making another stop here when we are back in town! When you need to investigate someone for legal or personal reasons, detect infidelity, find a missing person, acquire information for court cases, track and monitor kids, family members, furry companions, cars, retrieve lost or stolen items and data, McRae Investigation agency is your best shot in town. See mcraespy at outlook dot com for a free consultation. I’ve recommended it many times and people have always enjoyed it- and then end up recommending it to others. Thank you.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Beignets, Crawfish Beignets
Erwin Saguinsin
Food is spicy. If your stomach loves really hot food, then this is the place for you. The neighborhood isn't all that great but the experience is still nice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Paul Fotheringham
When on vacation, I don't normally go to the same restaurant 3 days in a row, but I would go a 4th if I wasn't flying home today. Catfish & grits. Don't question it. Just get it. Bread pudding too. Even if you don't normally have dessert before 2pm. You might come back the next day, and the next too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cup Andouille & Chicken Gumbo, Shrimp & Grits, Apple
Marco Antonio
Whenever I visit San Francisco, this is my go to! All dishes are spot on and it gives me nostalgia. I order from this restaurant all the time I visit. Absolutely delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beignets, Red Beans, Cup Andouille & Chicken Gumbo, Apple, Sausage
UV
I need a deep dark roux in my gumbo. Restaurants that make gumbo in mass quantities Make their roux in a cookie sheet with pre-mixed fat and flour. Then they put it in the oven. That gives them tons of roux to make multiple batches of gumbo.Also, props on the beignets. You're about halfway there. You need the hole in the middle. But it is incredibly difficult unless there's one person dedicating themselves to the beignet dough. So I can't blame you for that.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beignets, Red Beans, Fried Chicken
Angel Frutos
Great food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Teddy
One of the best meals in recent memory. Catfish put me in a 2 hour food coma.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sinem Altunbas
We had a wonderful dinner at Brenda's French Soul Food! Everything was incredibly delicious! As a fan of fried chicken, I must say that their fried chicken was superb! It was very well-seasoned, crispy on the outside, and well-cooked, juicy, and tender on the inside. The gumbo was also amazing, and on the day we ate there, they had shrimp pot pie on the daily menu which was awesome! The banana bread pudding was also very good! Despite being busy, the service was fast and the staff was very friendly and kind. I highly recommend this restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cup Andouille & Chicken Gumbo, Fried Chicken
Anna Oh
Went to Brenda's for SF restaurant week for Tuesday lunch.Got the Big Mama's Seafood Gumbo Deluxe for $38. The gumbo size was very generous and I had to box up half the leftovers. There were a lot of shrimps at the bottom and 2 Dungeness crab legs. Loved the taste of the gumbo.Personally, I'd want a little more variety. A little smaller gumbo and something on the side.Service was impeccable. I was seated immediately and the team attended to all my requests promptly.
I really enjoyed myself at this restaurant coming from the ATL. the atmosphere was amazing for girl like myself. The food was awesome, I couldn't eat it all even though I tried my best. Hospitality was A + I am a spoiled girl, so I know what is good customer service A+, being a Foodie, Food A+. Keep doing what you're are doing and I will continue to return .Wheelchair accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cup Andouille & Chicken Gumbo
Soujanya Aithal
My husband made a reservation at this place based on reviews, but honestly I don't know why this place has such high ratings. Tofu hash was extremely oily. Eggs Benedict tasted pretty bad, egg was too runny, smelly. I couldn't even finish one! Dish arrived VERY fast, honestly I didn't mind waiting a little longer if it could have tasted better. Overall food quality was very disappointing.The restaurant is in a neighborhood with a lot of unhoused, so the location might set you off if you are coming in from out of town and aren't used to such a location (we drove from a nearby town and this was a surprise).On the brighter side the staff was very friendly and the store ambience was good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Detra D. Adams
We had a great meal at Brenda's. The beignets were really good. So was the beef grillades and the pork belly with cheddar grits. The portion size was appropriate and it was very tasty.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Cheese Grits
Quoia Bee
This place has been around for some years now & they’ve always had a line out front. I’ve heard ppl rant about the shrimp & grits & finally got a chance to taste what all the hype was about. And I must say had no complaints. Everything we ordered was truly delicious. Pretty authentic Cajun food. The service was a bit sketch but overall it was pretty good if not a bit overpriced, but what isn’t lol. If you plan on dining in, Brunch seems to be the busiest time, and you may have to stand in line for a bit FYI.Wheelchair accessibility: No stairs, everything is flat.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood, Red Beans, Shrimp & Grits, Gravy, Sausage
Brenda's is a true hidden gem in San Francisco. It doesn't look like much from the outside but it sure packs the best flavor punch! We started off with one of their signature items, the crawfish beignet. We only ordered one to share since they’re a pretty good size (I probably could have eaten a whole one though). The exterior of the beignet was dusted with a spice mix and when cut open, the warm cheesy crawfish filling oozed out. The filling had little chunks of tender sweet crawfish mixed with sharp Cheddar cheese, a great combination. The service was great, prompt and everyone was very friendly. We will definitely be making another stop here when we are back in town! When you need to investigate someone for legal or personal reasons, detect infidelity, find a missing person, acquire information for court cases, track and monitor kids, family members, furry companions, cars, retrieve lost or stolen items and data, McRae Investigation agency is your best shot in town. See mcraespy at outlook dot com for a free consultation. I’ve recommended it many times and people have always enjoyed it- and then end up recommending it to others. Thank you.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Beignets, Crawfish Beignets
Food is spicy. If your stomach loves really hot food, then this is the place for you. The neighborhood isn't all that great but the experience is still nice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
When on vacation, I don't normally go to the same restaurant 3 days in a row, but I would go a 4th if I wasn't flying home today. Catfish & grits. Don't question it. Just get it. Bread pudding too. Even if you don't normally have dessert before 2pm. You might come back the next day, and the next too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cup Andouille & Chicken Gumbo, Shrimp & Grits, Apple
Whenever I visit San Francisco, this is my go to! All dishes are spot on and it gives me nostalgia. I order from this restaurant all the time I visit. Absolutely delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beignets, Red Beans, Cup Andouille & Chicken Gumbo, Apple, Sausage
I need a deep dark roux in my gumbo. Restaurants that make gumbo in mass quantities Make their roux in a cookie sheet with pre-mixed fat and flour. Then they put it in the oven. That gives them tons of roux to make multiple batches of gumbo.Also, props on the beignets. You're about halfway there. You need the hole in the middle. But it is incredibly difficult unless there's one person dedicating themselves to the beignet dough. So I can't blame you for that.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beignets, Red Beans, Fried Chicken
Great food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the best meals in recent memory. Catfish put me in a 2 hour food coma.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a wonderful dinner at Brenda's French Soul Food! Everything was incredibly delicious! As a fan of fried chicken, I must say that their fried chicken was superb! It was very well-seasoned, crispy on the outside, and well-cooked, juicy, and tender on the inside. The gumbo was also amazing, and on the day we ate there, they had shrimp pot pie on the daily menu which was awesome! The banana bread pudding was also very good! Despite being busy, the service was fast and the staff was very friendly and kind. I highly recommend this restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cup Andouille & Chicken Gumbo, Fried Chicken
Went to Brenda's for SF restaurant week for Tuesday lunch.Got the Big Mama's Seafood Gumbo Deluxe for $38. The gumbo size was very generous and I had to box up half the leftovers. There were a lot of shrimps at the bottom and 2 Dungeness crab legs. Loved the taste of the gumbo.Personally, I'd want a little more variety. A little smaller gumbo and something on the side.Service was impeccable. I was seated immediately and the team attended to all my requests promptly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Delicious nola Style soul food!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
DELICIOUS!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beignets
I really enjoyed myself at this restaurant coming from the ATL. the atmosphere was amazing for girl like myself. The food was awesome, I couldn't eat it all even though I tried my best. Hospitality was A + I am a spoiled girl, so I know what is good customer service A+, being a Foodie, Food A+. Keep doing what you're are doing and I will continue to return .Wheelchair accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cup Andouille & Chicken Gumbo
My husband made a reservation at this place based on reviews, but honestly I don't know why this place has such high ratings. Tofu hash was extremely oily. Eggs Benedict tasted pretty bad, egg was too runny, smelly. I couldn't even finish one! Dish arrived VERY fast, honestly I didn't mind waiting a little longer if it could have tasted better. Overall food quality was very disappointing.The restaurant is in a neighborhood with a lot of unhoused, so the location might set you off if you are coming in from out of town and aren't used to such a location (we drove from a nearby town and this was a surprise).On the brighter side the staff was very friendly and the store ambience was good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
We had a great meal at Brenda's. The beignets were really good. So was the beef grillades and the pork belly with cheddar grits. The portion size was appropriate and it was very tasty.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Cheese Grits
This place has been around for some years now & they’ve always had a line out front. I’ve heard ppl rant about the shrimp & grits & finally got a chance to taste what all the hype was about. And I must say had no complaints. Everything we ordered was truly delicious. Pretty authentic Cajun food. The service was a bit sketch but overall it was pretty good if not a bit overpriced, but what isn’t lol. If you plan on dining in, Brunch seems to be the busiest time, and you may have to stand in line for a bit FYI.Wheelchair accessibility: No stairs, everything is flat.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood, Red Beans, Shrimp & Grits, Gravy, Sausage