Brenda’s French Soul Food

Reviews

• Chelsey C.

  star star star star star 13 July 2026

  Definitely feels like you are in the French quarter! Great atmosphere and amazing service. We had 3-4 different folx help us and check in with us.
  
  The chicken Benedict was DELICIOUS but a little rich. My boyfriend got the shrimp and grits and added andouille sausage (equally amazing!) we shared some crawfish beignets and overall they were great- but they needed a bit more sauce/filling. Our first two barely had any filling the last one had a substantial amount. Really nice seasoning and even a bit of heat. Highly recommend trying them. We will for sure be back for lunch or dinner!

• Nathan L.

  star star star star star_border 1 July 2026

  Arrived shortly before 11 AM on a Thursday and we're seated fairly quickly. The atmosphere is bustling and busy but not distracting.
  1. Cappuccino - wonderful, with the chicory notes $3.25
  2. Crawfish beigniet - the crawfish stew was nice, but it made the dough too wet. Should have just got a regular beigniet $4
  3. Hangtown fry with grits - fried oysters and bacon and chives omelette. OMG the fried oysters are so good! The grits were deliciously creamy and corn-y. $17
  4. Eggs Benedict with fried chicken on a biscuit with creole hollandaise. Perfectly poached eggs. The fried chicken was welll seasoned, but overwhelmed by the egg and sauce. $14.50
  
  It was all good, but super-filling. The biscuits were huge, light, and fluffy. They were great alone with the house-made strawberry jam, but didn't stand up well in the eggs Benedict. Honestly, the best thing here was the grits. We would come back just for grits and fried oysters.

• Brittany T.

  star star star star star_border 25 June 2026

  The 10,000+ reviews and 4 stars don't lie.  I've been meaning to try this for years but finally got a chance yesterday night.
  
  PARKING: We ended up parking on Eddy since we were near Fillmore previously and just walked over.  I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find other free or metered street parking.
  
  ATMOSPHERE: It's very lively inside with two sides of the restaurant and a bar/counter type seating area that faces the other side.  There was a band playing live music on that Sunday night which added to the atmosphere.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time and the regulars were acknowledged by the servers.
  
  WAIT: Came on a Sunday night around 5:30 pm and waited about 15-20 minutes.  We got seated on the counter/bar stool area and if we wanted a table it would have been another 20 minutes so be prepared to wait even if you come super early.
  
  FOOD: For Sunday dinners they only offer a limited menu.  It's a mix between dinner items and brunch items so some of the items on the dinner menu are not available but their popular dishes are.
  
  BFC - 3 pieces of fried chicken (I forgot to specify dark meat but it all came with dark meat), 1 huge biscuit, collard greens and hot pepper jelly.  The fried chicken had a butter glaze that almost reminded me of hash browns when I ate a particularly crispy piece.  The skin is thick and has a good solid crunch.  It's not crumbly/flaky/crunchy like Popeyes for example.  The flavor was good, the chicken meat was moist, overall very good.  The biscuit was heavenly, super crispy and buttery on the outside with a soft pillowy inside where you can see the layers of biscuit.  My husband said the hot pepper jelly was very interesting and good.  Collard greens were a good solid side.
  
  CRAWFISH BEIGNET - we got the beignet flight where you get 4 beignets.  For people who can eat a good amount of food, 1 entree plus 1 beignet is enough.  The crawfish beignet is basically like a puff pastry dough with crawfish stew inside.  Kind of like a lobster bisque but with crawfish.  I loved the texture and consistency of the beignet and thought it was better than the regular beignet. The inside does have a bit of a "doughy" texture so be aware of that.
  
  Everyone else in my group loved their food.  If you are a fan of Louisiana food you will definitely enjoy this place.

• Elaysha J.

  star star star star star_border 22 June 2026

  This review is long overdue - in fact I was sure I had wrote and posted it. I digress... we Came here for Sissy's birthday sometime back and the food was delicious!
  
  My sister and I love chicken, so I figured Brenda's would be fitting for her 27th birthday dinner celebration. The food, drinks, and ambiance did not disappoint!
  
  We made reservations - thank goodness, and were seated fairly quickly (it was buzzing and, there was quite a wait outside).
  We ordered loads of the baked, spicy  oysters, fried chicken, biscuits, Mac & cheese, and sweet potatoes (both ways).
  
  Everything was of excellent quality and taste, served fresh and piping hot. Very reminiscent of food in New Orleans except its slightly better with CA fresh ingredients.
  
  I finally came around to writing this review because I am currently planning another occasional dinner at Brenda's new east bay location - and I cannot wait to try and compare more of these delectable delights!
  
  Do go to Brenda's for fancy Southern comfort foods and art (adorning the walls), with a cool candlelit ambiance.  For 3 people our tab was around $140 - this included multiple orders of oysters and drinks!

• Jennifer H.

  star star star star star 22 June 2026

  A perfect place to grab brunch! I'm so happy that Brenda's French Soul Food lives up to all the amped up reviews.
  
  We arrived probably at the most inopportune time - peak lunch rush hour during the weekend on Sunday. There was a mob plus a snaking line of folks waiting to be seated. Maybe about 20 or so parties ahead of us.
  
  We debated whether the long wait (ended up being close to an hour) was worth it... But after reading all the reviews and smelling the delicious kitchen scents wafting out, we decided to stick around. I'm sure glad we did!
  
  Once seated inside, service is prompt and friendly. Mostly table seating with one bar strip.
  
  Sweet Watermelon Iced Tea || $3.50
  Not too sweet - a perfectly refreshing watermelon basil juice plus sweet tea drink to compliment your meal. Free refills provided so drink to your heart's content :)
  
  Beignets Flight || $12
  Worth getting if you want to share/try all the 4 different beignets available. There's crawfish, apple, chocolate, and plain. The crawfish one comes topped with a Cajun seasoning that has the slightest tingle & is stuffed with the creamiest sauce coating tender crawfish. The apple, chocolate, and plain ones are great if you have a sweet tooth, but not quite as unique as the crawfish one. Definitely give the crawfish beignets a try!
  
  Eggs Benedict Fried Chicken || $14.50
  The fried chicken is oh so juicy and tender with the perfect crunchy exterior. Light seasoning of black pepper and salt - I noticed some other yelpers who thought the seasoning to be too bland, but I actually appreciated the simplicity of this good ole fried chicken. The cream biscuits are amazing - probably the lightest, fluffiest biscuits I've ever had with a flaky crumb and a rich taste of cream. Pairs perfectly with the chicken, poached eggs, and spiced Cajun hollandaise sauce with a sprinkle of green onions.
  
  Eggs Benedict Florentino || $13
  A classic eggs benedict dish with spinach, mushrooms, poached eggs, Cajun spiced hollandaise sauce with green onions. Yumm.
  
  The eggs benedict dishes come with a side of either grits or potato hash. The grits are creamy with a rich pool of butter on top. Pairs well if you like eating it with your biscuit, eggs, etc. The potatoes are also a classic - Cajun spiced.
  
  So happy I got to try the food here! Would recommend stopping by if you're in the area - but plan to come early or maybe at a less busy time if you don't want to wait long.