On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Mon. 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Tue-Wed. 11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Thu-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Loading...
It's been weeks since I ate here, and I am still recalling how excellent my meal was and how happy the service made me.
My friend and I ate at a table in the bar area, as the dining area was desolate and comparatively boring. The bar had a more lively crowd.I had the sirloin steak with yams, green beans, and complementary chili on the house, and each dish was so good I wanted to (literally!) weep for the abundance of flavor in each bite. I felt like I hadn't had food so savory or perfectly seasoned in my entire life. The chili had obviously been slow-cooked and could not have been better. Drinks were strong, flavorful, and cheap.
The service was a little slow (hence the complmentary chili, methinks) but our servers and hosts were exceedingly kind, and the food was well worth the wait.
My boyfriend and I just came back from eating here, and man, it was GOOOOOODD!! We love soul food (went to Farmer Brown's in SF just last week), so we knew we had to go check this place. Extra incentive was the http://www.restaurant.com gift certificate I bought, but I digress.
So we each ordered fish combos. I had the catfish and prawns while my bf had the snapper and prawns. When the plates first came out, I was a little surprised they didn't have a tartar or some other sauce to go with it. I found out that to add a sauce would've taken away from the great seasoned batter they use. SOOOOO GOOD with a little kick to it. The catfish was melt in your mouth delicious and the snapper was mighty tasty, and well, you really can't go wrong with prawns. They were out of oysters tonight, so we're gonna have to go back for that.
This brings me to the sides. Three sides per meal (crazy!). We had the collard greens, black eyed peas, green beans, mashed potatoes and two orders of yams. The immense amount of flavor from the veggie sides was just amazing. As for the mashed potatoes, I've never had gravy so yummy before. And the yams just brought the whole meal together. They had a sweet cinnamon taste which was the perfect balance to the spiciness of the food.
Minus one star for the dessert. Had the peach cobbler. It was not good. It wasn't really a cobbler. It was like peach sauce with overbaked dough mixed within it. It didn't even have the baked crunchy topping cobbler is supposed to have!
Summary - go for the food, get dessert somewhere else. Oh and sometimes they deliver (only if you live close and if they have extra staff to drive - call ahead of time to check). My bf and I will definitely come back.
Dorsey's Locker has a small dining area but a huge adjacent bar. The lighting was horrible. Track lights pointed at us. And whenever the server walked around, he'd blocked the light.
Seafood Platter (http://www.yelp.com/bi...): 2 pieces of catfish, snapper, prawns and oysters served either grilled or fried. I asked the server whether grilled or fried was better, and he suggested that I do half half for comparison. The frying was done beautifully and so was the seasoning for the grilled items. Of the platter, I really enjoyed the fried oyster, the prawns and the snappers. Both pieces of catfish were dry and tough. I think it was poor quality fish. And the grilled oyster had sand in it. Bleh.
Breaded Pork Chops (http://www.yelp.com/bi...): BF asked for a recommendation and the server said this is the most popular dish. Its looks were deceiving. Because it tasted really bad. Overly salty as if it was brined. It was too much even for a sodium-lover. Two bites and we had to ask for something else.
Both of our items came with 3 side dishes each. And we found ourselves enjoying these more. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
Rice & gravy: The gravy was delicious. Can tell that it was made from scratch.
Fries: I dipped them in gravy! =)
Green beans: A bit overcooked and soft for my liking.
Mashed potato & gravy: Yum! I love carbs.
Potato salad: Nice cold half mashed salad.
Sweet potato: Really sweet like eating the filling of a casserole.
Overall experience was okay. It was definitely a filling meal. Tastewise, not quite satisfying.
I saw this place on http://restaurant.com so I decided to try it. It's soul food, yumm. This was my very first experience using a http://restaurant.com coupon, even though I've bought SO MANY before (I'll use them later, since they don't have an expiration date, California RULE). Restrictions? Can only use it for dinner, mandatory 18% tip. I didn't mind.
Only 37 reviews?! Really? I found this place a couple months ago when I was looking for a restaurant for my cousin's bday. Today I went for my cousin's belated bday/BF's graduation...because that is a lot of $$$ to celebrate each event individually + this was only Part 1, we went to Fenton's for Part 2.
Friday had the best menu day on their website.
Friday had BBQ ribs for only $6 and smothered steak for $9.25. I didn't know if I could eat it all. I also wanted the fried sampler platter? That seemed like a bit much for one person, so I had to make sure that whoever I went with would get some of these items so I could try. If I'm going all the way to Oakland for food, I better make the most of it.
I looked at the menu online beforehand and I wanted to try EVERYTHING. Smothered steak, bbq ribs, gumbo, fried oysters, fried chicken, even chitterlings, fried wings...anything & everything sounded good. Make sure you look at the menu before you go, they have specials everyday of the week, check http://dorseyslocker.c... to see what day you want to go. Just to let you know, the prices on the menu in-store cost a little bit more than the website prices, I guess the site needs to be updated.
It appears to be authentic to me, I wouldn't really know. When I went to the South, I didn't have any soul food, only Mexican & Chinese food...actually I did go to Waffle House, but that didn't have a Southern feel to it, very American diner like.
For 3 people, we ordered:
~large gumbo with rice
too spicy for me
~fried seafood platter (with 3 sides)
came with fish, shrimp, & oysters. the oysters were the BEST
~smothered steak (with 3 sides)
not bad, but not great
~breaded pork chop
pretty good
~BBQ ribs (3 sides)
THE MUST HAVE ITEM, meat falls right off the bone & tastes so good.
We didn't know all those items came with 3 sides each, so we got all of them...corn & okra, cabbage, collard greens (hint of spiciness), fries, potato salad (taste like the kind you can buy at Safeway), rice & gravy, macaroni & cheese, yams (hint of cinnamon), black-eyed peas..we had a duplicate of cabbage & fries...mashed potatoes are unavailable on Friday, which I kind of wanted.
There was so much food, it didn't really fit our table. I didn't expect so much. We brought a lot of it home.
I regret not getting an Arnold Palmer, I wanted to try it but only remembered at the end.
Even without a http://restaurant.com coupon, it's still worth it but I prefer to go with a coupon. Total was about $60 something including tax + tip +$25 coupon...would've been much more expensive without the coupon.
The waiter was really nice + there's a parking lot.
There's also a bar & restaurant, the bar was full but the restaurant side was empty, we sat in restaurant side.
Okay I'm Not to Hard to Please I Love Good Food ,Found this place on restaraunts .com looked at reviews on here,mixed some what Please I say Please save yourself time and Money Don't Go Here The Food was horrible I mean that My B day Weekend we tried many places and were dissapointed with most .We're from Los ANgeles so I relied on these views, In My party Red Snapper Chicken Turkey Wings Short Ribs were Ordered The Short Ribs were the Best The rest was just horrible Sides ordered yams tasted like can with alot of cinnimon ,cabbage horrible over taste of some greasy meat,dressing horrible,red beans horrible,corn bread okay,Even my son that is a human garabage disposol found it hard to eat his food ,The batter from the chicken and fish must have partied since 1999,sorry just telling it how it T H I IS LOL.
If you want some good delicious down home food, this is the place to go. Don't be scurred, just step right in.
OMG, the fried liver & onions is fantastic (that is until my late great husband Don E. V. had a liver transplant in 96', now I no longer eat liver, it grosses me out- - yuck!)
The fried pork chops...OMG delicious.
Cornbread with your meal uum uum uum!
Plate side servings are always generous.
This place get packed and when it does there isn't a lot of elbow room so to speak plus people are coming in to pick up their to go orders.
Building is kind of hole in the wall looking but don't judge a great plate by the building its cooked in.
Never been in the bar part of Dorsey's but what can be said about a bar has already been said. So now you know.
not that great...had the seafood platter with yams, french fries, and red beans...
I am from Louisiana so maybe I am a hard sell.
The fish tasted clean but not well seasoned. the shrimp really had no flavor at all and the fries were not crispy and had no salt.
oh and p.s.
i ordered take out so i cant rate the service
Alrighty y'all...to put it diplomatically, all races are welcome here, so stop being a nervous nancy and come on by!
More importantly:
DELICIOUS.
Red Snapper, grilled: decent, not too special
Braised beef ribs: AWESOME!!! This meat has been cooked so nicely that you don't even need a knife to cut it. Freaking delectable beef velvet in my mouth.
Buffalo Wings: neon red and just as good as leftovers
Mashed Potatoes: yummy and smoky
Collard Greens: I didn't care for them, but my Southern companion did, so I'll defer to his judgment
Corn: how does it get so sweet??? (A: Probably lots of butter and sugar...whatever)
Red beans: the perfect blend of sweet, savory, and smoky.
Service was fantastic, although our server seems to hate the restaurant. That said, he was really nice to us, explained all of our dishes when we ordered them, and checked on us often enough to seem caring but not so often that I wanted to impale him with my gravy-covered fork for making me politely respond to him when I just wanted to eat my damn food.
The ambiance is perfect: outdated, fluorescent, blindingly-white, white paper doilies, and a couple of framed pictures, all complete with a bug-zapper.
The best part? With a http://restaurant.com $25 coupon, our grand out-of pocket total came to $13, plus tip! Definitely worth the bump to four stars.
service was good. He was very helpful with the menu.
Ordered:
Oxtail soup-flavors were well balanced, and texture was nice. It was more of a minestrone soup like the way the server described it, but had great flavor from the marrow.
Fried chicken-looked like it was re-fried or fried too long and was way too salty.
Fried pork chop-juicy, but too salty
sides-corn, mac n cheese, greens, and mash-they were OK.
The most enjoyable part of the meal was the oxtail soup. Everything else was so salty that I had a headache after my meal.
The service is very friendly and honest, but the food was just too salty for me to ever want to go back.
i hate to say this because this is my neighborhood...
they service is grade a... the food is decent but the management sucks! to see them yell at people while your picking up your order...
It's been a few years since I been here so I went today with a friend. Wrong choice. Service was superb but food was ok. Nothing special chicken wasn't seasoned, chitlins was ok, dressing was very spicy. I won't be returning I really wanted 2 go somewhere else that day but I learned my lesson.
No complaints about the food, but the service definitely needs to be stepped up. Granted we came on a Sunday, close to 1pm, but we shouldn't have had to wait an hour for a seafood platter and chicken wings, and I was not okay about the fact that some people who walked in after us were served their food first.
Clearly this place is not known for their service. If I ever eat here again, it will for sure be take-out... assuming the cook doesn't quit on them, considering the number of times he got into it with the staff.
But the catfish was great!
I think this a bit of a generous review and should be a 3.5 in reality.
The dining room is pretty bare bones and is not a nice place to go out to eat. I don't really care that much about looks as long as the food is good and the prices are decent. I just want to be helpful to others about the ambiance.
The food:
The food was great. The fish was FRESH and was excellent. The fried chicken was also good, but my chicken was a bit overdone and a little tough, the others in my party had excellent chicken.
The sides were excellent, decent portions and you get 3 included with most dinners. I had greens, yams, and french fries and I was happy with all of them.
The food took forever to come out, we waited over 30 minutes for our order. I have no idea what took so long, but when we ordered we were the only ones in the dining room and the kitchen did not seem busy at all. This was pretty annoying. Something really needs to be done about the wait time, if they were busy, I don't know how long we would have waited for our food.
I had the breaded pork chops smothered, with rice and gravy, greens, mac and cheese, and an additional fried chicken breast on the side. I am usually a light eater, takes for or five sittings to finish plates...but I finished most of my meal and was soooo disappointed that they were out of peach cobbler. I am a southern girl at heart who prefers home cooking over fast food and since I am single and its hard to cook for one and my mother lives out of state it is hard for me to get my weekely dose of food for the soul until now. Me and my older brother ate in complete silence, too busy to waste time talking. My mouth is watering as we speak because tuesdays dail special is Ox tails and when I saw that on the menu SUnday I made a reminder in my blackberry to go back and pick up ox tails for dinner, and hopefully luck up on some peach cobbler.
Very good. Picked up lunch on a weekday, and grabbed some desert for later: ribs, greens, mac & cheese, cornbread, red velvet cake, peach cobbler. The lady who took my order was super nice.
The food was a little pricey, but since there was so much I actually got two meals out of it. The ribs were wonderful--meat falling off the bone, good sauce. The mac & cheese was pretty good too. The greens were okay, and I really did not like the cornbread--it was dry & heavy, and not as sweet as I prefer. The peach cobbler and red velvet cake were delicious. So overall, the dishes weren't consistently good, but the ribs & desserts will definitely bring me back.
I stumbled upon this place on my way to Angeline's on Shattuck. I had a craving for soul food and was willing to try some place new. While looking at the menu posted out front, an older couple were leaving. We asked how the food was and because of their high recommendations, we decided to check it out. The main dining area was packed, so we were directed to the bar area. It was real loud and kind of a hole in the wall. We were the only non-African Americans in there, so we stuck out like sore thumbs. But never once did we feel unwelcomed. We ordered and the drinks took forever. The food even longer. But when our food arrived, we realized that it was worth the wait. The slow cooked ribs fell right off the bone and the huge sides tasted like they were just cooked. As we finished up, full but still with doggie bags, it looked like a live band was setting up.
I went back with the BF, this time sitting in the dining area. Same great food. Same good service. Would definitely recommend.
The locker is cool, but gets kind of ghetto at night. I have had the food which was ok, but I hear it depends on what and when you get the food. It became my "cheers" for a while then I just quit going. They have a dj on some nights and a juke box which people don't mind playing or the mgr will play. (they may still have an open mike nite, jazz sunday, or some other even. Call them.)
They have a band on some days which is always good. Not much of a dance floor at all, but basically a bar which has a side area to sit down and eat your food or you can eat it at the bar. I have had some good times there. They close early sometimes if its slow so don't go late unless it's a weekend. I hate place that close when they feel like it instead of sticking to same time everyday. It's not professional. the mgmt could really use some help on improving this place and could make way more money, but you can't tell them anything. The Bartenders are nice too. The Jazz Band is kickin on Sundays!!!
They have security on some days. I heard they use to have a bad reputation and apparently the place has been their 20 or more years.
I like it but I don't like to go too late. The crowd gets young and hyphe at times. Have a few drinks, eat some soul food, chat with strangers and move on to your next spot! 2 to 3 stars....Unless you get drunk and forget the time like I have done a few times....lol
We found this place while we were lost :) Somehow we managed to get there a few times and then we forgot how to get there. TODAY we found it again.
I have never had a bad experience there. The food is like food is supposed to taste like. YUMMMMMMMMIIIIIIIIII!
The okra is great, the black eyed peas are yummi, the cabbage is wonderful, the collard greens are very tasty. I did not like the yams, but mostly cause I expected them to be like mashed potatoes, just yams instead, they turned out to be candied yams. My husband liked them. The rice was not the best, but not bad.
The main dishes have been great. Try the spareribs, wow oh so tender and soft. You don't even need a knife to cut through it. The prawns were ok, but not seasoned. The pork chops were very tasty. And the chicken is also real good.
It is a small place, but the food is just great. I am a huge fan.
Eyes wide, stomach growling, I watched as everyone around the long and crowded table was getting their food. Big, over-stuffed plates filled with crispy fried chicken, melt-in-your-mouth short ribs, golden fried catfish, cinnamon-spiced yams, creamy mac 'n' cheese, cornbread muffins. Early on, there was even a bowl of gumbo, crab legs dangling out, bowl of rice on the side. Damn!
I was beyond hungry. I was ravenous and all I could manage was to sip on my big glass of lemonade in silence. In fact, it was almost a silent but deadly moment, as I thought I was gonna lose it and mug the guy next to me for his food (lucky for him I had some self-control. plus, he gave me a bite of his ribs! smart move. very smart move!)
Then, a miracle happened: our nice server dropped half 'a clam shell stuffed with corn meal-crusted seafood! Shrimp! Oysters! Catfish! Snapper!! We drizzled a little of the hot sauce (big plastic container!) and it was good to go! Though, once it cooled, in true corn meal crust fashion, it wasn't nearly as tasty. But not to worry as the clam shell also arrived with all the fixin's & goodies: candied yams, mac 'n cheese, green beans, and a corn bread muffin!
Once the edge was taken off, plate #2 arrived: The Fried Chicken. Crispy-skinned with succulent meat that was tender and juicy... though, the coating was a little lacking in flavor for my taste. Whatever! The chicken beneath was flavorful and perfectly seasoned.
Ahhh. Life was good. And fortunately all those around me with food, potential for brunch-time brawling was eliminated -- all with the help of some ridiculously yummy soul food!
In addition to the food, the staff was friendly, funny, helpful, and completely accommodating! Especially since we had such a large and loud group of hungry yelpers... and you know how we roll!
I used to say, "I don't do Oakland"...but I will admit I have a lot of love for the 510 this year. Though I live in San Francisco and love this city, thanks to my acquisition of a car, I've been spending a significant amount of time in the East Bay. (There's a lot of shit to do on that side of the Bay Bridge, in case you didn't already know.)
Spurred on by a suggestion from our waiter at PF Chang's in Emeryville a few months ago, I invited a bunch of Yelpers to partake in a Sunday lunch at Dorsey's Locker, a soul food joint in Oakland. The timing was auspicious, as Powell's Place (Fillmore District, SF) had closed for good and we were searching for a suitable substitute for their famed fried chicken. You see - the Dorsey's have been doing soul food in Oakland since 1941 - their current location since 1996 - so I was confident Dorsey's would do it, and do it well.
This tiny restaurant (part of a bar) managed our 18-person party with a lot of grace and hospitality...we occupied a long, corridor-like nook near the kitchen. The servers have a wonderful sense of humor and a ton of patience (a must-have when dealing with a rambunctious party like ours). Our party was a little larger than they normally handle, so we actually had one long table and one smaller table pushed to the side (jokingly, the kiddie table).
The food came out as quickly as it could, and looked AMAZING. Remember the cooking scenes from the movie SOUL FOOD? Yeah, like that. Plate after plate of fried chicken, catfish, pork chops, short ribs, gumbo, collard greens, black eyed peas, potatoes, yams, fries, rice, cornbread, gravy....our table was completely covered in food. My chicken and catfish were picture-perfect. (I don't eat chicken skin, so I can't tell you how that tasted, but the chicken itself was great.) I thought the greens could use a touch more seasoning, but the mac and cheese was really good (especially with a touch of hot sauce), and my mashed potatoes and gravy was a perfect accompaniment to the chicken and catfish. It took a lot of self-restraint to not stick my fork in everyone else's food. I did get a sample of the pork chop (nicely done!) and the short ribs (deliciously tender).
I couldn't finish my food - I ended up with a take home container of catfish, mash, greens, and mac & cheese, enough for another complete meal. Prices weren't bad, considering it was like two substantial meals in one! The verdict? Though it's 20 minutes further than Powell's was...it surpasses Powell's place in quality, quantity, and presentation. Their menu has slight changes depending on the day of the week, so make sure to check out their menu online if you're craving something specific.
Thanks to little hole-in-the-wall gems like Dorsey's - as my friend Elin F. said to me - pretty soon, I will hella heart Oakland too.
D ang this place is small
O kra, corn, tomatoes is a winner!
R ockridge!
S ervice with a smile
E njoyable staff
Y ummy baked chicken!
S mall beer selection
L ove the fried chicken
O h heck yeah, there's parking!
C ornbread is a little bland
K inda far from SF
E ven rice with gravy! You know the way to my heart!
R eally, it's better than Powells...
Sunday's are a good day to eat at Dorsey's. Short ribs are one of the daily specials and they're positively divine. Meat was delicate and beefy and smothered in its own gravy. I really wish that I had ordered the rice and gravy as a side because it would have been the perfect combination. I paired the short ribs with fried chicken - a perfectly fried, crispy and juicy thigh.
The mac and cheese is also a Sunday special and was pretty good. Red beans and BEP weren't bad, but the yams and aforementioned rice and gravy others around me ordered gave me "side order envy."
Prices are reasonable and you get A LOT of food...enough for leftovers in most cases. Service was good and friendly, and they did a great job accommodating 18 loud and hungry Yelpers. We got in an out of there right before the church crowd started rolling in so we pretty much had their undivided attention, and they made us feel like guests in their home.
food review only:
only 12 small tables in the dining areas. melodic soul music comes from the adjoining bar. outside pricing menu is erroneous. the inside menu is a few $$ higher. there are different daily specials.
enrtree:short ribs of beef (13.0) w/ choice of 3 sides, iced sweet tea(1.75)
-3 pieces of deboned tender beef, almost melts in your mouth
- okra, pretty sweet tasting
-mac & cheese: really creamy with a cheese taste.
-candied yams sweet globs of heavenly goo.
-sweet ice tea: nice and sweet
.
the inside of dorsey lloks a little better than a typical locker room but the food is fiine here.
Edited to specify after last night's fabulous meal there.
I've never seen a single bloody person eating in the restaurant section of Dorsey's Locker, but then I haven't run into any screaming stumbling patrons of this long(long!) time Oakland bar either, as mentioned in a previous review. So, take this or leave it when it comes to evaluating food versus your O-Town Street Cred.
But! as for the Fried Chicken, the Meat Loaf or the Pork Chops and a variety of other delicious treats including Yellow cake, Banana Pudding, solid Mac N Cheese (Friday and Sunday only), find it completely delicious, down home, and reliable . I've been meaning to have the Ox Tails but haven't made it too far past the fried chicken because it's so damned good. They have mixed seafood, sandwiches, and even Liver and Onions I've yet to try.
The restaurant portion of Dorsey's is separate from the bar and you'll find a small but comfortable seating area where you can enjoy your vittles or wait for your to go order. It's tidy, smells delicious and yes, it has windows, along with daily specials and even lunch and daytime options.
If you've been avoiding the experience for fear of sticking out like the white bread thumb you likely are have no fear and check it out! (and I mean this in the bleached flour Wonder Bread sense of the expression, not the racial profiling cracker sense but you can take it either way I suppose)
You don't even have to step foot in the bar, although it's a nice little joint with some great spoken word if you're into that sort of thing and I love to snag a drink there early on a weeknight before I head home to pig out on food I can pretend I made at home.
A delicious, satisfying, and well priced plate of solid American eats. If you're a fan of Nellie's then you should know she started out here, at the Locker, and that much of this food is on par and in some cases better.
Early on weeknights is a good bet for a quieter meal and smaller crowd. Take out is easy, which is what I usually do.
Edited additions: The Full Five Stars
Last night, I realized how cute the interior of the restaurant really is. I was thinking about Yelpers when I was there so I wanted to mention that the waitresses are extremely friendly.
I don't know what was up last night but it was the best fried chicken meal I've had! The yams were *perfect* I mean REALLY perfect.
As we were leaving and concentrating on not jaywalking in front of the officer there picking up his meal, I was hollered at by the fully gold grilled guy and friend in front. He hollers "That's a mighty big feast you've got there" and I holler back "Hell yes it is, Sunday dinner and tomorrow's lunch too" and he laughs and we peace sign each other when I drive off.
You really should try this place out. I noticed that Chowhound has reviews too.
Joshua and I stumbled into this place drunkenly one night on a quest for cigarettes. We were hoping for a cigarette machine, though I am pretty sure they're illegal in California. Once we realized there was no cigarette machine we decided to stay for a drink. Joshua is from the South. He loves Southern food and culture and music and whatnot. I do too, though not as intensely as Joshua.
Joshua and I were the only white people in the bar. We were also the only people under 30. We were also probably the most boring people there. We had A BLAST. We became friends with Darlene the bartender, who hooked us up with some strooooooooooong beverages and gave us coupons and stories. We chatted with the owner, a Texas expat with killer suits. We got wasted.
Joshua and I returned to Dorsey's a few more times. A couple of those times with the multi-culti Zachary's crew. Once with CIA Bobby. We had dinner the time we went with CIA Bobby. It was delish! Bobby and Joshua are both from Alabama and they agreed.
I haven't been there for a long while. I here Darlene doesn't work there anymore and Joshua moved to New Orleans so i'm sans my Dorsey's date. I would still go, though and I think you should too.
This is a review about a local neighborhood bar that also happens to serve excellent Southern food. Or maybe it's a review about a great Sunday afternoon bar where you can enjoy a bloody mary, an excellent house band, and watch whatever game is in season.
Full disclosure: I have eaten here once. It was one of the best bowls of gumbo I've ever had. Perhaps it's been too long since I've been back to New Orleans and I'm overlooking any shortcomings, but that's probably because Dorsey's Locker is a five minute walk from my house. (I'm not the kind of person to criticize my Mom's lasagna. I miss it.) I made a serious mess with the six crab legs that were in the bowl of gumbo. And the sides as authentic as anything I had growing up.
More full disclosure: I'm a white dude. Not that it matters. Not that anyone cared. If anything, I was more concerned that I was one of the few people not dressed to the nines. I didn't know that you get dressed up to nurse a hangover and watch football. But I also didn't know that Sunday afternoon is really about the house band, not the NFL. They play every Sunday from 5 to 9, and from their non-verbal communication and seamless transitions, I'd guess they've been playing together for at least ten years. Specialists in all styles: classic Blues, Jazz, Soul, Dusties, even some 80's pop. The place would benefit from a sound person -- it's hard to balance a sax, keyboard, bass, guitar and drums in a room of about 800 square feet.
It makes me wonder what other places I have biked by hundreds of times that are gems waiting to be discovered.
One day a friend and me had this insane craving for fried chicken. For days I've avoided his recommendation of this place and kept eating at the usual chains like Church's or Popeye's. Then one day we were in the neighborhood and stopped by Dorsey's. I ordered the fried chicken breast with fried prawns and got hooked.
The portions were huge and crispy, and they offered a lot of sides. There are different specials every day. I think Friday was the BBQ ribs and Chicken. The atmosphere in the dining area changes from extremely dull to loud and lively. And the bar is usually packed after 6pm. Definitely a place for fried chicken lovers. If not for the recent politically incorrect comments and actions that one of the store owners made to a friend of mine while we were there, I'd have given this place 5 Stars. But otherwise, check it out.
Update: Went last night again. BAAAADDD!!!
The waitress wouldn't even get off her cell phone to take the order. We were a little early, I guess. 5 pm? But SAID open from noon til 8.
10 min after taking order announced from across the counter that they were out of the special (I'm pretty sure it actually went to the people who came in after us, but whatever).
No ribs for YOU!
No greens for YOU!
No lemonade for YOU!
No dessert for YOU!
No! What you'll get is some chicken fried in week-old grease and a boot out the door by means of early presentation of the bill, a to-go box. and an attempt to clear away plates and silverware away before you're done eating!
Whoa.
Ok. Got the message. Not coming back.
************************************************** **************
Good fried chicken! Good collard greens! Good lemonade! Good beans!
Boring mashed potatoes. Didn't care for the gravy so much, either. And the cornbread was just so-so.
The servers were really friendly and helpful. I'd been putting off going there because all I could see was the bar. I thought it was like Bobby's Backdoor BBQ, where I'd have to hang out at the bar looking like I'm waiting to get picked up on. Also, I'm a white girl. I have to admit that was a factor- I never ever see white people there.
Well- there's an actual sitdown restaurant in the back. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and the food was good. It was about $14 for the meal, which included chicken, mashed potatoes, cornbread and a choice of sides.
You can bet I'll be back.
Good...not great. Overrated. The yams were delicious, and you could taste the sugary goodness. The fried chicken was...fried and it was chicken. The rice and beans were bland...as if they were taken from a senior citizen's home.
Probably won't go again, but it's not bad.
UPDATE: 12/02/07 Had the Snapper & Catfish dinners TO-GO, the fish was amazing. Unfortuantely the greens were without sufficient seasoning and the cornbread muffin lacked any taste. If I had my eyes close I wouldn't have know what it was except for the grains from the corn meal. The most dissapointing, the mac n' cheese. This pains me to say but I've been making mac n' cheese since I was 12 years old. I know what it's supposed to look & taste like. Much to my dissapointment yelpers, the cheese used in tonight's batch was spoiled. Yeah I said it, and it hurts my heart to type this, but the cheese stunk! Only b/c my kids eat what I eat, I probably won't eat their again. Two kids and two adults w/mud butt all night is NOT my idea of fun.....so sorry. As for the lure of the peach cobbler, I'm over it. I got off my lazy butt and made my own- and it was KILLA!!! uuummmm
PREVIOUS POST 10/08/2007:
I had the snapper & oysters with yams, greens and mac N cheese and everything was "Da Bomb" except for the snapper. I wanted some peach cobbler, but alas they were out. (A GOOD sign!)
The outside made me feel like I was about to enter a speakeasy, security gaurd and everything. The restaurant part is classy, clean and almost elegant. The bar was bumping the 90's R&B jams aka Jodeci / SWV / Hi-Five. The element coming in an out varied from hoochie to housewife, preppy to pimp. It was 9pm on a Friday night, so there was alot of foot traffic, fancy cars and loud music.
Will I go back? Oh heck ya! If only for the entertainment value and the peach cobbler!
Its many months later since my previous review and I haven't changed my mind about the food. Last night I had the best fried chicken breast I have ever eaten! MMMM my mouth is still watering....however the Open mic was lackluster and not up to the usual Spoken Word standard set for the Blue Candle......maybe cause the host is movin g out of town soon and his heart isn't in it anymore........Oh well hope the next one has a watch...so things start on time......
I originally came to Dorsey's for the Blue Candle Cometri open mic......and found my "Naughty White Granny" poetry and me welcomed with applause, big smiles and inclusivity. The delicious, finger-licking good fried chicken, fish and soul food fixins' were an unexpected bonus. ..not to mention the powerful cocktails! The manager, Brian, is always a good host; welcoming, debonair and dressed to the nines!
Since thenI have been back for Sunday night Blues jams, Monday Night football, an Aids awareness party and more open mics. I have always had a great time. Every other Tuesday the open mic is raucous, entertaining and always fun.....come see for yourself !
the food wasnt bad. i liked the okra and corn. the chicken wasnt bad, but plainly put, there are better fried chicken joints out there so unless i was around the neighborhood, i probably wouldnt make this a goto spot.
my basic run down....
the sweet tea was good, its a bit more tart than the sweet tea im used to getting. i liked that.
the chicken was flavorful but a bit on the dry side.
the okra and corn was the highlight for me.
Im giving 3 stars because it is a TINY club. but then I used to go there for lunch. Their peach cobbler was "OUTSTANDING...make you wanna shout! If I want to have a drink I can do that in my dining room okay??!!
3 stars flat!!!!
the chicken was tasty, very crispy and juicy.
the dish came with 3 sides. my sides were, corn and okra, collard greens, and mac & cheese. i loved the corn and okra, very flavorful and sweet (not sugar sweet, natural veggie sweet). the mac and cheese was kinda bland but with some HOT SAUCE it was great. didn't have enough crunch topping for me though. the collard greens i was dissappointed with. it was plain, bitter and not so good. i must say i have had better. its not bad but not good.
of course they served corn bread variety with the meal, ours was a corn muffin and it was tasty. it was crunchy and crusty on the outside but soft on the inside.
their ice tea was from what i was told a traditional southern ice tea which is suppose to be sweet. i prefer my unsweeten ice tea but it wasn't bad.
friend's dish had beans and rice and tried that, i did think that was tasty.
they have a lot of pick up orders so if you plan to eat there be patient and don't go starving. the servers were very nice and made sure we were happy.
i'll give then this i was definitely full when i left.
The BF and I had never had soul food before and decided to stop by on a whim. The friend seafood I got was decent but I REALLY liked my bf's giant turkey leg. Our server was super nice and offered us a sample of the chitlins (because we'd never had them before and weren't sure what to order) but they ran out (apparently very popular). Thinking about going back to try the chitlins or another of their daily specials.
I went there about 2 years ago one morning with an extreme hang over with some friends. We all ordered something different and was completely unsatisfied. We were constantly sending our plates back. And guess who was in the kitchen cooking the soul food? Juan and them-how about that! I ordered a plate that came with macaroni and cheese. The mac and cheese tasted awful and burned! That was some of the worst food ever. I had the food wrapped up to go and my friend took it home to his dog and he said he wouldn't even eat it. Don't order soul food here. Maybe try another item on the menu.
Stopped by again this weekend....and the experience was just "eh." Fried chicken is more bland than I remember it, and the iced tea is still sweeter than most, but not as good as McD's. It's still an okay place if you want some soul food, but now I know there are better places to go.
Good fried chicken; orgasmic iced tea! I was seriously so excited about the lemon iced tea, I asked… Read more »
Every time I pass by, someone stumbles out in a gaggle of others with his face bleeding, screaming. The place has no windows. I hear they serve soul food. My friend has a coupon! Consider this a bookmark for a future review.
we were eating at the brick pig's house up the street, but went here to pee, as those owners suggested. i felt bad just using them for their b-room so i ordered a drink and the friends followed suit. that bartender made some STRONG drinks, whoa. i'd come back to try the food.
Short Ribs, Meat Loaf, Iced Tea, Pork Chops.....everything is so very good here. Unlike many other soul food restaurants you actually get your food in a timely manner and they don't run out of stuff.
Neighborhood: West Oakland
Category: Bars
Oakland, CA
Category: Soul Food
Neighborhood: West Oakland
Category: Soul Food
Neighborhood: East Oakland
Category: Soul Food
Neighborhood: Jack London Square
Category: American (Traditional)
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
I called the Far East Bay my home for a while. You…
If you don't feel like cooking but you don't feel…
Well, the top place I fear getting shot due to my…
You like me! You really like me! You voted these…
some bbq's, fried seafood, chicken & soul food…
Oh the pleasant surprise of seeing your name in…
