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The Bay Leaf Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Southern Southern [Edit]
2000 MacArthur Blvd(between Canon Ave & Excelsior Ave)
Oakland, CA 94602
Neighborhoods: Dimond District, Lower Hills
(510) 336-2295
- Hours:
Wed-Sat 3 pm - 9 pm
Sun 1 pm - 7 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
163 reviews for The Bay Leaf Restaurant
Review Highlights
"I loved the fried okra and corn bread."
(in 59 reviews)
"Don't forget the Lemon Ice-box pie and peach cobbler for..."
(in 13 reviews)
"Then, the collard greens: so delicious."
(in 30 reviews)
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163 reviews in English
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Review from Jasmin L.
San Francisco, CA
DINNER DATE: 12. 17. 11 @ 7 PM (After Holiday Shopping in the Burbs)
WHAT IS SOUL FOOD:
1. Soul Food has history.
2. It is generously portioned and affordable.
3. It nourishes the body with finger-lickin' artery clogging yet super-delicious food.
4. A good soul food will either make the soul burst into a gospel song a la Aretha Franklin and do the dance, or sometimes it makes the soul just sigh in quiet contentment.
Bay Leaf has all the above and more.
HISTORY/SERVICE:
Bay Leaf's recipes originate from the family's grandmother from Mississipi passed on to her daughter in Oakland who now cooks them at Bay Leaf. The grandchildren proudly serves these dishes. Bay Leaf is indeed a family-run business.
SERVICE:
We have always received polite and very efficient service at Bay Leaf. They always welcome us like family . That was how we found out about their history.
DECOR/AMBIANCE: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Bay Leaf's space is simple, humble but very clean. It is reminiscent of a warm community space. There is a fireplace that is never lit whenever we go there but add cozyness to the place. The tables and chairs are utilitarian but clean, crisp while linen cover the tables. A cafeteria style open kitchen is visible. The amazing colorful African-American inspired artworks adorn the brick walls.
BOTTOMLESS SWEET TEA:
They make sweet tea ($2) like how they make them in the South. Just touching the glass makes me gain 5 lbs but it is so sugary-good. They kept on filling our glass until our bladders said "enough!" They also serve wine and beer.
SOUL FOOD:
I just realized while writing this review that we have ordered the same dishes during the 3 times we have been to Bay Leaf. Bay Leaf had more items on their menu in early 2011. The menu is shorter now but nonetheless still offers great selections. Among the mouthwatering dishes being offered are:
1. Oxtail Stew
2. Gumbo
3. Fried Catfish
These are the tried and true and become our all time faves:
* FRIED OKRA ($4): http://www.yelp.com/bi...
These are nicely seasoned sliced okra that are crispy on the outside and still moist on the inside. Sometimes other restaurants' version of okra are tough and lacking in spices. *cough* Souley Vegan *cough*
All main dishes come with a choice of two sides and cornbread.
*SHRIMP AND CHEESY GRITS WITH YAMS AND COLLARD GREENS ($16): http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I order this every single time! Cheesy creamy grits with four big, plump prawns seasoned with creole/cajun spices over cheesy silky grits. Ultimate comfort food!
* FRIED CHICKEN WITH FRIED CABBAGE AND POTATO SALAD($16): http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Nice spices. Never greasy. Crispy batter but super-moist on the inside. Good frickin' chicken! I did not get to try the sides but my man enjoyed them.
*COLLARD GREENS AND YAM: Nicely seasoned tender collard greens. Others have complained of the sweetness of the yams but for me it was perfect. I love my yams sweet.
*CORNBREAD: Moist, dense, sweet and buttery! Love it!
*ICE BOX PIE ($5): Even if we could not find room in our bellies, we still push it for the Ice Box Pie. Sweet dense custard on sweet dense graham cracker crust. Pie in the sky! http://www.yelp.com/bi...
VERDICT:
Bay Leaf always surpasses my ultimate soul food test, "Did the food fill my tummy and touch my soul?" My soul gave out a peaceful contented sigh after our meal at Bay Leaf while I was rubbing my tummy at the same time. Unlike at other soul food places, there were no leftovers to take home and the portions are not humongous at Bay Leaf. However, one meal is still enough to induce food coma. Next time we will remember to try the oxtail and gumbo.
CHECK: $48 before tip including 1 glass of wine.
ADDICTIVE FACTOR: 6 Beyond Intervention! -
Review from kim-van t.
San Pablo, CA
I had a Living Social deal for The Bay Leaf so the bf and I decided to check it out on a Saturday.
The first thing I noticed was that the decor was lacking. The chairs and tables could go for an upgrade.
Unfortunately if you show up towards the end of the day the kitchen runs out of items. The bf wanted to try either the gumbo or oxtail dish but couldn't because it was all sold out! Poo.
We decided to share the wing sampler which came with three different types of wings. The dry spiced wing was my favorite - super flavorful! The buffalo sauce wing was your average buffalo wing but waaaay too salty. The jerk flavored wing looked the least appetizing of the three but it was the bf's favorite because it was super spicy!
For entrees I had the fried catfish with mac n cheese, green beans with bacon, and a cornbread muffin. The real standout was the actual catfish and all the sides were meh. The catfish was cooked perfectly and had a really light but crispy coating. The cornbread was slightly dry, the mac n cheese slightly bland, and the green beans were not memorable.
The bf ended up with the jerk chicken with mac n cheese and yams which he enjoyed.
Shared a slice of lemon ice box pie to finish. Refreshing!
Super friendly service and easy parking. -
Review from Cynthia C.
Alameda, CA
1/26/2012
What I ate was pretty light fare for Southern, but I had to try really hard, as much of the entrees were fried. I didn't order an entree.
Instead I went with apps and sides:
-Fried cabbage with bacon, not sure where the bacon was, but maybe that's why it was bland, it was more like stir fried
-Chicken soup, it was okay, a little salty, cubed chicken a bit rubbery
-Yams, WAY, way too many spices
-Salad w/house vinaigrette, I liked the medley of ingredients: carrots, feta, tomatoes, cucumbers and house pickled beets, probably my favorite thing
-Collard greens, bland and I wasn't expecting the greens to be sitting in a broth
Hospitable and warm service. Comfort food and very much homestyle. I would recommend to those who want to try something outside of their normal food parameters.Listed in: The Biggity, biggity O!!!
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Review from Michelle V.
Oakland, CA
1/19/2012
Atmosphere is a little too brightly lit, but clean and with good service.
Waitress was friendly and attentive. We had a groupon, and I'm glad we checked it out.
The fried okra, the battered catfish, the yams, and the oxtail were all excellent. The peach cobbler and the mac and cheese were pretty good. All in all, a good experience and nice to know there's good southern food amidst an oasis of mostly taco trucks. -
Review from Vita H.
Oakland, CA
2/6/2012
There are fantastic! Everything! Lovely service, great food, and super kids friendly place for family to enjoy food and time. Highly recommend.
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Review from Arian E.
San Jose, CA
1/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
There are fantastic items here to be had. I like southern food. Part of my family is from Dothan, and friends in NOLA and ATL. I've been on a hunt to find good places around the bay area. This is one of them. We met the owner, Lydia, on arrival just before she headed back into the kitchen for the night. She was very friendly and suggested things to try. We'll be back to try the Fish Po'Boy soon I hope!
The gumbo here is really good. It is one of the best, if not the best, chicken gumbo I've had. The problem is I prefer seafood gumbo. I like dark, heavy, seafood gumbo, and spicier sausage. This was pretty damn good though. I would highly recommend it.
Lydia said her roux is more traditional french/creole flour and butter. I like heavier, fattier rouxs, preferably with duckfat, but even bacon fat will do.
4.5 - Icebox Lemon Pie. This is 5-star pie, it's just that - the piece needs to be twice as big, because it's too damn good and goes away too quickly!
4.5 - Chicken Gumbo
4 - Cornbread
4 - Collard Greens & Turkey
4 - Mac & Cheese
4 - Fried cabbage. Some mentioned it bland. I haven't had fried cabbage in a while, but with some added pepper I though it was great here.
3.5 - Fried chicken. Not bad, not great, and only 3 pieces (I could have eaten six)
2 - mashed potatoes. Just really bland.
I brought along a much younger woman of the type I prefer to date, and we found we pretty much agreed on the above across the board. Except for the Mac and Cheese, but she's asian, so she doesn't know shit about cheese.
I'm still on the search for a good crawfish etouffee in CA. Even a nice shrimp one will do. Any suggestions or directions welcome! -
Review from Robin J.
Oakland, CA
Updated - 2/3/2012
Second time here , the service is so friendly and good.
They were out of two of there two main entrees by 7pm which was disappointing.
The food was very good catfish and sides of yams, Mac and cheese and colloid greens
We ate there with a groupon which was a bonus.
But if you are paying full price of entrees $15 to $17 the lights need to be dimmed a little and the chairs and tables need to be upgraded. It is cheap lunch time decor at Mid to upper end eastbay dinner prices.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/11/2010
A great local place.
We had the crawfish and the fried chicken. It was delicious .
The side of green… Read more »
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Review from Sunny K.
Berkeley, CA
Food: Fried Okra, Oxtails w/ fried cabbage and yam, Award-winning Gumbo w/ fried cabbage. Very good.
Service: the best!!! Seriously #1 on my list. Really nice, friendly, and helpful. The chef came out to talk to us too. Overall, atmosphere here made the whole dining experience very pleasant.
Decor: a lot of southern paintings on walls and cool jazz music in the background. However, chairs and tables look like they are from old churches. But whatever :)
Since most Yelpers were raving about fried okra, I ordered it and my friend and I weren't disappointed. It's a very simple dish that has addicting texture and flavor. Our server, Flo, said it's spicy but we found ourselves chucking spicy sauce to our plates (we are asians).
Oxtails were ... Really ... Good ... Just get it and you wont be disappointed!! Comes with 5 oxtails, gravy, rice, and two sides. Gumbo was a bit salty but surely good too. Came w/ a chicken wing and a big ass king crab claw. Also I noticed the place gives A LOT of hams, sausages, etc. inside the gumbo. Award-winning fosho.
Fried cabbage w/ bacon was great! Definitely get it. It was neither salty nor bland and had a lot of bacon and that's always a plus! It's not greasy either. A++
On the other hand, yam was a little too sweet for me. For dessert, we got louisiana chess pie. That was pretty decent too.
Overall. This place is one of my top restaurants in my list now. I loved almost everything about it! If you are reading this, do not hesitate and just go! This place deserves more customers. Seriously. -
Review from Jen R.
12/6/2011
Overall this is a really good southern restaurant. And know that I'm saying that not just as a white person but as a yankee. But my qualifications get less suspect after that: I do live in New Orleans half the year and, for anyone who ever had the pleasure, I was once a regular of the fabled Princess Pamela's in New York City.
But the four stars doesn't mean that this place is in a league with my favorite southern-style restaurants in the world. I'm just sayin' this place does that food really good for where it is. Really good.
The Entrees:
Catfish: cornmeal coating, fresh and thick
Oysters: also cornmeal coated, plump and tasty
Fried chicken wings: sadly not cornmeal coating and maybe my least favorite entree
The Sides:
Greens: sweet but not overly
Fried cabbage: a little bland
Fried Okra: again the cornmeal and again the yes
Yams: very good, not over the top but definitely sweetened
Cornbread comes with every entree and it's good. One muffin per plate, sweet but not overly so and still warm.
Dessert:
Lemon icebox pie: oh yes
That covers about 2/3rd of the entrees, half the sides, and 1/4 of the desserts. Nothing a total fail and most things pretty awesomely prepared. Didn't need to reach for the salt or the Crystal sauce once - not because stuff was already spicey but because I didn't feel like I had to give it some other flavor to appreciate it.
And I hear that when they can get them fresh, they also do crawfish.
Don't be shy about checking this place out. It deserves to be busier than it is. -
Review from Jamar M.
Oakland, CA
1/22/2012
Dinner at the Bay Leaf was great! I will definitely be going back. I am looking forward to trying more dishes. The staff was great and even better treat to have the owner/chef come talk with us about our meal . I hope this place stays around for years to come.
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Review from Joyce C.
Vacaville, CA
12/31/2011
Our monthly dinner date with friends on 12/29/11. They chose Bay Leaf because they go there often and it was a new place for us. I love soul food and this place is a gem that hasn't quite been discovered yet. I almost don't want to write a review because as people discover this place it will be harder to get a seat. We arrived at 6:00 p.m. on a Thursday night and were the only people there. Not a good sign but our friends assured us we wouldn't be disappointed and that they had rented the entire restaurant just for us. LOL Needless to say we had the best food, best service, quiet conversation and I don't think people really started to filter in until 8:00p.m. We left at 9:00 and never felt that we needed to leave.
We totally enjoyed our dining experience, but I never give 5 stars unless I have eaten at a restaurant more than once. Absolutely must try the friend Okra for an appetizer. I am not a fan of Okra but love it, love it, love it here. I can personally recommend the Oxtails, Fried Catfish, Mac & Cheese, green beans and fried cabbage. The sausage links were not enjoyed. The dessert favorite was definitely the Lemon Ice-Box Pie. Order it and you won't be disappointed. Enjoy!!! -
Review from Deborah L.
Oakland, CA
12/11/2011
I had heard good things about this restaurant but had a hard time getting there during open hours. I finally made it last night with my husband and another couple. Everything we ordered was very tasty and satisfying:
Crab cakes w/ homemade tartar sauce
Oyster po'boy
Jerk chicken
Meatloaf
Yams
String beans w/ bacon was amazing
Cornbread
Red beans and rice
Potato salad
Mac and cheese
Lemon ice box pie (crust was delicious)
Pound cake w/ ice cream
Peach cobbler
I love that they don't have a microwave. Everything was obviously homemade and the portion sizes were just right. Service was friendly with a smile. The atmosphere was not as intimate or cozy as I would have liked it. The lighting was a little too bright for me.
I will go back and will try the fried okra, oxtail and gumbo next time. -
Review from Dwayne P.
Oakland, CA
11/18/2011
I've never wrote a review on any establishment before, I've always been a member of the silent many (one's who says little, who just don't return). But this one, of all the restaurants I've visited who welcomed us the minute we walked in the door, by their beautiful Art-Work on the walls, quickly serviced with a warm smile and soft laughter.
I ordered the Snapper fish, Red Beans & Rice and Mac/Cheese. That fish swim from my plate going down stream, only to meet up with an explosion of flavors exciting each and every taste-bud, I was speechless of words in every bite. Their food served confirms the secrets of a successful plate to eat what excites your taste-buds and let the food fight it out inside.
Thank you to "The Bay Leaf Restaurant" Oakland CA
Dwayne E. Pulliam -
Review from vicki s.
San Francisco, CA
12/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Broken down by category:
Baby/kid-friendly: Yes! We brought our 9 month old for dinner around 5:30-ish and they were very welcoming, high-chair friendly, all of that.
Staff: Very friendly to us, excellent service, no complaints
Food: We got the fried okra appetizer (yes, we were another living social deal) and it was excellent, the hubby ordered oxtails for his dinner and was happy with them. I got the fried oysters. Not really good. Hubby made fun of me while eating-- "Did you think you were going to get fresh oysters? You got canned fried oysters!". The texture was gross. It was sad.
Dessert was good, the sweet teas were good. I'm just sad the oysters left such a bad taste in my mouth.
That said, everyone was so friendly and the other food was good and affordable enough, so we will most likely be back to this neighborhood joint at some point. -
Review from John M.
11/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
In the ongoing quest to use up all of the far-too-many voucher deals we stopped buying months ago before they expire, the girlfriend & I found ourselves at the Bay Leaf Restaurant on a Wednesday night courtesy of Living Social. The Living Social voucher was for a full meal including: appetizer + 2 entrees + dessert + 2 non-alcohol beverages.
Arriving around 7:00pm, the place was about 2/3 full. We were greeted, seated & given menus in short order. With green-painted walls & Southern-inspired wall art on display, decor is clean & simple but felt like it was lacking something.
Service was very friendly & attentive, but a tad slow at times. The girlfriend & I decided to split & share our dishes so we could both try more. We ordered Spicy Fried Okra, Braised Beef Short Ribs & Smothered Chicken with the 50/50 for beverage & Lemon Ice Box Pie for dessert.
1st, we got our glasses of 50/50 which is basically an Arnold Palmer using sweet tea, then the Spicy Fried Okra followed without much waiting. The 50/50 was nice, but would probably be much more refreshing on a hot day rather than a cold November night. The Spicy Fried Okra was excellent, though I didn't find it to be spicy without adding hot sauce.
Our entrees took a long time. Our server came by a couple times to give us progress updates on our food. When we got our dishes, the girlfriend & I agreed that 1 was clearly better than the other. The Smothered Chicken was just A-OK. The chicken was cooked properly & the gravy was decent, but altogether it wasn't anything special. The Braised Beef Short Ribs, however, were melt-in-your-mouth tender deliciousness, definitely the MVP of the meal.
Each entree includes a side. We picked Beans & Rice for the Smothered Chicken & Fried Cabbage with Bacon for the Braised Beef Short Ribs. Like the entrees, 1 side was clearly better than the other. After visiting New Orleans last NYE, we had high expectations for the Beans & Rice. While the Beans & Rice were A-OK, we felt let down. The Fried Cabbage with Bacon, on the other hand, was a surprise winner, absolutely delicious.
With everything else eaten, only 1 thing remained. Our server brought us our dessert selection soon after our empty plates were cleared. The Lemon Ice Box Pie was rich, creamy & the perfect balance of sweet & tart. This was, perhaps, the co-MVP of the meal.
Our dinner at the the Bay Leaf Restaurant was 1/2 just A-OK dishes, 1/2 wonderful dishes, sometimes slow service & a long wait for our entrees. 3 stars. More consistent & faster food service could easily bring it up to 4 stars. -
Review from Uland W.
My recent quick tip explains the overall experience of the joint. But a quick recap for those not fortunate to see tip. This place is not Groupon ready!!
Never have I been to a restaurant that is literally self service - minus a buffet joint. This place holds roughly 21 tables; the night in Bay Leaf. After standing for 5 minutes at the door making eye contact with the waitress I had to seat myself, another 15 minutes has passed and I had to flag down the waitress to hand me menus and take my order, another 45-50 minutes of waiting I saw other table finish their meal before another table gets served, and paying the bill was just as long as waiting for the food. Now, I wasn't the only customers that had to take charge and seat themselves. It was almost a running joke. Every other table told on-coming customers to seat themselves after noticing that they stood there for over 5-10 minutes.
Either this place is understaff or they need a better system. Throughout the night I noticed people walking out or just plain frustrated with the lack of service OR food. Literally it took 45+ minutes from once you put your order in until you get food on your table. Even the appretizers took as long as the entree.
FOOD:
Spicy Fried Okra, the menu said spicy but there is nothing spicy about it. Jut picture a mouthful of bread okra and you have experience the hype! If you want it spicy grab a bottle of hot sauce and dip away!
Jambalaya with mac & cheese and collard greens: Decent entree something I could probably make in my crock pot, mac and cheese was dumped with cheese masking anything special of the dish.
Sauteed Prawns with grits, side of yams and string beans: One of the better dishes, a heavy dish within itself. The yams was zested with orange zest but brought a bitter taste overall. The way they describe the string beans sounded yummy, BUT it was bad. Soy sauce string beans!!
For the dessert:
Ice Box Lemon crust was good, but the dessert itself was too tart.
This meal turned out to be 1.5 hour wait-a-thon!!! With no trophy to show for the torture!! -
Review from K C.
Oakland, CA
10/28/2011
One star for the incredibly friendly and charming "Southern Hospitality" of the waitress (the owner's daughter).
One star for the first bite of fried cabbage: "OMG, this is real food!"
One star for the mouthwatering mac & cheese (thank you for the small portion, any more could stop my heart)
One star for a $2 beans and rice meal for kids on the menu
One star for the bottomless sweet tea
One star for the gigantic lobster claw in my award-winning gumbo
One star for that first bite of lemon ice box pie, mellow jazz for my mouth
One star for the calm, pretty green paint
What, I can only give five stars?
Okay, take away a star for the lot-auction diner tables and chairs; this wonderful neighborhood spot needs to hold a "chair drive" to get some fun, eclectic antiques in here.
Minus another star for the chintzy silverware - it's not good enough to hold this food! (How about a silverware drive? Bring in a nice heavy fork and get a free glass of tea?)
Still, I'm over my star limit. I look forward to seeing this restaurant settle in and find its stride - it's good enough to get my Bayou-loving midwest family to come visit! -
Review from Victoria T.
San Leandro, CA
12/19/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Several reviews refer the service being slow.but people need to know that the difference is that the food is fresh and cooked from scratch. They don't have a microwave, and I say Amen to that! Give me slow, healthy and delicious any day over greasy, poorly seasoned and zapped in a microwave. If you like real food, don't miss this east bay gem.
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Review from Su K.
Oakland, CA
9/23/2011
Best Fried Okra and Shrimp and Grits on this side of the Mississippi! A big ole southern boy approved! I want to eat hear every Friday to chill out and finish my hard working week off. I think I even dare say that it is now among my all time favorite restaurants. Menu changes but fried okra and shrimp and grits seem to be a standard fare. Lemon ice box cake is also amazing!!! (and I don't even like lemon dessert!)
The decor is meh, but the food is out of this world. Service can be inconsistent.
Thanks to Leah for recommending this place. -
Review from Paul Q.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is just amazing! Down right home cooking! I highly recommend the fried catfish, potato flats, deviled eggs, mac & cheese, corn bread... Heck, try it all! You won't be disappointed.
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Review from Catherine B.
Alameda, CA
11/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Bay leaf, my first southern food experience! I got the shrimp with grits and it's actually good ...... together. The grits by itself taste a little weird same thing if you eat the shrimp by itself . My order came with two sides of my choice, I got the rice w beans and potato salad which were both ok. Portions are big. For desert, I got the peach cobbler which was amazing! There's peaches in every bite. The bread was moist. And the cinnamon on top just made it perfect!
Now the downside, we waited long for our food. No one was there when we got there hence the wait was still long. the server was very nice though and actually very attentive. The entree that my friend originally ordered wasn't also "ready as of the moment" so that was kind of disappointing. They also have a weird hours, only open 3p-9p.
All in all it was an ok experience. -
Review from emma c.
San Diego, CA
11/4/2011
They had me at fried okra!
I had the Smothered Chicken. It was delicious. I was expecting a chicken breast covered in gravy. but instead got a huge drumstick, still delicious. The gravy was yummy. I had mac and cheese and collard greens for my sides. Both delicious. I am a lover of mac and cheese and this really hit the spot. My sister had the Jambalaya, which she loved. I snuck in a bite, it was really good! My friend had the fried chicken wings. They were large and delectible. The portions are big, we boxed almost half our meal. I was sad that I didn't leave room for dessert, but was drooling over the menu when I read Peach Cobbler. Next time, I'll be eating dessert first!
The sweet tea and lemonade were both very good. Drool.
If you are in the area and looking for a nice, sit down restuarant, and are looking for something to fill you up.. park your car and come on in. The workers are super friendly and the food is yummy! -
Review from Nat R.
Oakland, CA
Updated - 9/19/2011
When I ate here last time, I was bit disappointed. For one, all of their meals, including their specials cost $15.00 and up. The last time I ate here, their meals were priced between $12-$14. They have since raised their prices. I would not mind paying this if their portions were not so small.
It took about 30 minutes to get our food. I ordered Crab Cakes with a side of Mac and Cheese and Fried Cabbage. My boyfriend ordered the Shrimp and Grits with a side of Yams and Mac and Cheese. All meals come with a cornbread muffin and no butter. I do not care for their cornbread. A bit dry and lacking flavor. We both enjoyed our meals but ate it up quick because the portions were so small. I never had fried cabbage before but it was okay. It had too much ham bits in it and not enough cabbage.
All of their deserts start at $4.00. I got the peach cobbler to go for $4.50. The size of my desert was small too. Felt like a rip off. For the portion, my cobbler should have been priced at no more than $2.00. The cobbler was good but I did not care for the style. It was made with a bread topping instead of the usual flaky crust that I am use to.
They have a nice looking website but their online menu does not match the menu inside the restaurant. So don't get set on having a particular meal listed on their website because it may not be offered when you dine-in. Another weird thing about their online menu is how it has sides already picked out for each meal and says at the bottom that you cannot substitute your sides. However, when you dine-in, they let you pick your sides. This is how it should be. No one should be forced to have sides that they do not want.
I did not like having to ask for more water. A good waiter or waitress makes sure to keep the cups refilled. I would like to come back to try their gumbo that other reviewers have raved about but only when I do not mind spending $15 and up.
They have weird hours of operation. They are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and only open for dinner hours. It would be great if they were open for lunch too. I like the decor inside and the soft music playing in the background. Their bathrooms are clean, which is a big plus in my book.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/4/2010
I used to go to Southern Cafe before they shut down and was replaced by The Bay Leaf Restaurant. Bay… Read more »
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Review from Stephanie W.
Oakland, CA
11/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
All the livingsocial haters get out the building...
Now that I've gotten that out of my system...
Came here with two other friends and a http://restaurant.com coupon. I was pleasantly surprised with the dining experience and hope that they start getting more business.
Modifiable issues: Food takes a while to come out. If you're in a hurry, you should probably save this restaurant for another time. The smothered chicken and fried catfish could have used a bit more flavor. If the dishes were a bit spicier this place would be perfect.
Things that were great: Even if we didn't have our coupon I would go back here again. Portion size is just right. I love that sides came with the meal. I got the shrimp and grits with mac and cheese, beans and rice and a mini cornbread cupcake. I was satisfied with all of my dishes and really appreciated the fact that I didn't leave the restaurant feeling gross and weighed down. The food was not greasy or heavy. My friends got the catfish (superb) and the smothered chicken (mediocre). I really wish I could have tried the ice box pie but all of us were quite full. Our server was very attentive and friendly. -
Review from Scott S.
Oakland, CA
9/17/2011 2 photos
Awesome southern food, everything was great.
Fried okra
Grilled game hen
Greens
Fried chicken
Fried cabbage
Jerk chicken
Fried snapper
Baked yams
Mac n' Cheese
Corn bread
Pecan pie
Pound cake with strawberries and ice cream
Lemon ice box cake
Beer and wine
It was serious. Don't let the location put you off, clean spacious place with super friend staff and great southern food. -
Review from Xica D.
Oakland, CA
12/7/2011
the food arrived and the table went silent save for yum's and mmmms
great, friendly service. nice ambiance.
I had the catfish, roasted veggies and sweet potatoes
white wine and salad were served nicely chilled. -
Review from Peter W.
San Francisco, CA
1/17/2012
great food, the braised beef, yum! the fried chicken wings, yum! and the free refills!
the Lemon Ice Box Pie that other ppl are raving about was too sweet for us.
the service was great as well -
Review from Patrick M.
Oakland, CA
10/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
What a wonderful restaurant. After 6 visits I can comfortably recommend The Bay Leaf.
The food is clearly made with the proverbial "love". High quality ingredients and flavor, flavor, flavor. I've introduced more than a few friends to The Bay Leaf and they are also now fans.
Unlike at least one other poster, I do not find the restaurant expensive. Unless the reference restaurant is McDonald's, which is apparently the case for some posters.
One quibble: the white tablecloths make for a dreary atmosphere. And please light up your exterior sign - The Bay Leaf is too good to miss - and the sign is very "missable". It's not even apparent that you're a restaurant. -
Review from Cyn C.
Santa Clara, CA
9/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Pricey for the portions. Cute atmosphere and the service is good. I grew up in Florida and so southern cooking always brings me back to my childhood, but honestly, I've never seen southern cooking with such small portions.
The appetizer of just fried okra for about a "cup" is $5.
Honestly, if you like Southern Cooking in the Bay, I've had better, but if you're looking for a more "classy" setting, this place isn't half bad. -
Review from Egan B.
Bay Leaf has been on my radar ever since I found out it was the replacement for the Southern Cafe (oh how I miss you) but like most soul food places, peculiar hours have kept me away. It seems as though they've extended their dinner hours from 7 PM to 9 PM and 7 PM on the weekends as well, so opted for Sunday dinner here.
It's never great to see a soul food restaurant empty on Sunday night, and as we walked in there was only one other table eating. The menu looks good on paper. Lots of options from crawfish bisque, to barbecue links, fried catfish, oxtails and gravy, and tons of other options. There is some weird stuff going on though. Each dinner item comes with two SPECIFIC sides. For example, you can get the Roosevelt combo with links and wings, that comes with yams and fried cabbage. Oh what's that you say? You don't like fried cabbage and you want collard greens? Too bad, no substitutions...ever. You gotta pony up an extra $4.50 if you want to try those greens. And while we're on the topic sides, the mac n cheese is terrible. Really, really terrible.
Prices are typical of a soul food place (~$15 per dinner) but the portions are not. They are small! The chicken wings just look like standard chicken wings. It's also kind of annoying that they only serve wings and don't have other chicken pieces like the breasts, thighs and legs.
On a positive note the service was good. Overall Bay Leaf was just okay. I have some other soul food options I want to explore before I come back here. -
Review from Brian M.
Oakland, CA
7/14/2011
I really, really liked this place. Went on a Wednesday evening to enjoy some Southern food that wasn't put in a fryer. A lot of places around Oakland that specialize in Southern fare seem to put everything in a fryer, and that is not what I was looking for. I checked their menu online and got pretty stoked for the Cajun Bisque that was listed as an entree... my wife was equally stoked for the Oxtail. Unfortunately, when we arrived to the restaurant, we found a completely different menu than what was advertised online! I hate when this happens.
But, we still weren't disappointed. I ordered the special of the Gumbo and the wife ordered the Jambalaya over rice. We ordered a pricey Sierra Nevada from their minute beer list. Both were served with a corn bread muffin, string beans and coleslaw. Service was very friendly and prompt.
Once the food arrived (took about 15 mins in a 3/4 empty dining room), it was presented very well. When my Gumbo was placed in front of me, I was amazed when I saw all the goodness damn near spilling from the bowl. Two solid crab legs, at least 4 large shrimp, many bay shrimp, sausage, veggies and rice. The string beans were amazing with a bacon, bean, chili hash-like mixure on top. The coleslaw was near perfect. The corn bread muffin was excellent. Everything tasted fresh and created flavor explosions in the mouth. I tried my wife's Jambalaya, which had amazing flavors... she enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed mine.
This was a 5 star meal, but the only downside would be the prices. It isn't cheap, but the food is quality. The beer could be a couple bucks cheaper and they could have more variety. The website needs to be updated. I would also like to see a seafood dish that isn't fried (they had catfish and snapper on the menu, but both options came fried).
I will definitely be back! -
Review from Sarah T.
Oakland, CA
6/3/2011
I've been to the Bay Leaf twice now, and was really impressed both times!! SO much so that it prompted my first ever yelp review!!
Bay Leaf is real gem in East Oakland.
The service: wonderful. the woman who served us both times was really helpful, and gave great advice on what to order and what was best that night! the staff are really warm and treat you like family -- our server even recognized us on our second visit (about a month after our first visit), and remembered some of what we'd ordered and liked!
FOOD: phenomenal. i'm no expert on southern comfort food, but this stuff is great. The crawfish bisque over grits left me craving the dish for weeks after (and is why i went back for my birthday dinner the second time around), and the prawns over cheesy grits on my second visit were almost as wonderful :) The peach cobbler (heated in the oven, since they don't have a microwave, which makes it slow but so much better) is super yummmm.
Location: The decor is REALLY basic in their large dining room -- this was slightly offputting at first, but I've come to appreciate it: They put their energy into the food, where it belongs!! The location itself is a little weird -- it's not near much else, off the main dimond drag and on the edge of a residential area -- but that makes parking a cinch! -
Review from Kevin L.
Berkeley, CA
11/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very poor service, average food, average portions. I like the "southern" style idea, but bay leaf just does it the totally wrong way. Skip out on bay leaf and save your money for some place that's actually worth it.
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Review from Chase S.
5/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
I used to live in the Dimond and my ass is lucky this place didn't open until after I moved or it would be 3x the size it is now. This is down home cooking like I haven't tasted in the Bay - so good.
Two of us went hella gluttonous and had the following:
Deviled eggs - Fuck yes. I grew up in the Midwest and deviled eggs were always present at any gathering, these did not disappoint.
Fried Okra - Best I've ever had with a spicy cornmeal batter. Amazing.
Fried chicken wings - eh OK, chicken was of a lesser quality than I would have liked.
BBQ sausage - this had a weird consistency. Nice flavor but it just didn't have that casing snap and seemed softer than it should have been.
Mac and Cheese - made with penne, loaded with cheese. Yes.
Braised cabbage with bacon - the cabbage totally counteracts the bacon right? Again, ridiculously good.
Cornbread - you could taste the bacon fat (this is good).
Poundcake with strawberries - I gained a pound eating it.
Lots of alcohol - yes they serve beer and wine even though its not listed on the website.
I was moaning a la Meg Ryan during the meal so much my friend actually texted me and asked if I was having an orgasm - yes, its that good.
Our service was fine but I observed one couple sit and after about 10 minutes of waiting (there were only about 4 tables) get up and leave because no one had greeted them. The table adjacent from us were also experiencing issues and were complaining loudly. The food is awesome but they don't have the dining thing down yet.
peace, love, and good booze ~ chase
http://goodbooze.tumbl...Listed in: Stuff close to home..Dimond.…
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Review from Christine L.
Berkeley, CA
7/27/2011
Love how this place is family run- there were 3 generations working the restaurant that night! I had the crawfish bisque which was really rich and flavorful, if a little on the salty side, and the okra and corn bread are great. I wish the fried chicken wasn't just wings- the thighs are clearly the best part. I had really wanted to try the oxtail as well but it was sold-out by the time we got there.
Service was a bit slow when we went, but they made up for it with free dessert! -
Review from Louisa L.
Fremont, CA
11/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
i like bay leaf~
got a living social deal - it was a very good price ($26 for two) for an appetizer, 2 entrees, 2 non-alcoholic drinks and 1 dessert!
came one Saturday but they were booked by a private party, so we had to come again and this time, surprisingly, not that many people (may be due to the heavy rain!)
we got fried okra for appetizer - this is sooo addicting! i think anyone can keep snacking it all night long~
as for entree we got fried snapper and crawfish bisque (on grits). fried snapper is nice, snapper is fresh and not dried; crawfish bisque is my favorite of the night! it's just so yummiee~
sides are delicious too! especially the yam - so creamy that it melts in your mouth!
we had peach cobbler to end our dinner~ not a big fan of it but it's not bad~
overall, the food is good, service is good, price is good, everything is good =P -
Review from Sara O.
Oakland, CA
10/21/2011
I really liked this place. Their corn muffins almost killed me with their deliciousness, and our waitress was SO, SO nice. I'm not sure I've ever had a nicer server.
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Review from Kona E.
Berkeley, CA
11/4/2011
Very disappointing meal! Almost made me question if we went to the right restaurant after reading 4-star Yelp reviews. Maybe it was their "off" night. Collard greens was overly salted, as well as the mac and cheese, and the fried chicken wings were flavorless. My husband had meatloaf and was suffering stomach ache on our way home. It wasn't a busy night when we were there, yet the waitress was gone most of the time, didn't get the water we asked for until the end of the meal. This meal really made us craving for Angeline's in Berkeley which is way better with quality of the food, the service, and the ambience. We will not go back to The Bay Leaf.
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Review from cj d.
San Francisco, CA
10/7/2011
One star for a clean bathroom. Had the following:
(1) appetizer-fried okra $4, tasteless.
(2) ox tail, fried cabbage, mashed potato $16. Only 3 pieces of ox tail, dry. Good mashed potatoes (hard to screw that up).
(3) Jambalaya, yam, collard greens $16. Small portion size, bland. Yam was decent.. Corn bread was awfully dry!
There were small flies flying around. Service was inconsistent. Pay close attention to the bill, they tend to overcharge as mine did not reflect the prices as listed on the menu. It was eventually resolved. They also refused my http://restaurant.com certificate that was purchased only 30 minutes prior to dinner. -
Review from Mitty C.
Fremont, CA
Went in here with a couple of friends since the reviews were just raving about this place, and we wanted to try it for ourselves. We were beginning a long night of food adventures, so we ended up only ordering the fried orkas and scallops wrapped with fried potato skins.
First, I want to state that the service was pleasant and we had no problems with that at all. In fact, it was still very early for dinner when we came (around 6:45 PM on a Saturday), so the place was fairly empty.
With that said, I have been to the southern states before--in particular New Orleans, LA, and I've tried a variety of different cajun and creole foods. The fried orkas were not bad but also not great---they were lacking in flavoring. The scallops were just a waste since it was $8. The dish came with four tiny scallops wrapped in essentially potato chips. I was incredibly disappointed in this dish. The scallops tasted good but it was literally like eating a nicely cooked scallop with a potato chip.
We didn't get any further from those two starters. I might go back to this place and give their gumbo and bbq a whirl, but for now I'm really just not impressed at all with the quality of the food.
