Alligator Soul

Would love to know the recipe to the corn salad here… can anyone help?

Closed… Sad :-(
This was the only place that this New Orleans native could find that was even close to the Southern Style food I grew up on. Sorry to hear that you are no more.
Any chance that you are starting a new resaurant???

I live just across the trestle and have eaten here many times. Sometimes just with the hubby, sometimes in a large group. Friday and Saturday night can be ROCKIN’, so be prepared. It can get very loud, especially if you are seated near the band. The music is fun though and the atmosphere can be really enjoyable. This is a good place for kids too, as its laid back, noisy, and staff and patrons are generally good-​natured.
When I started coming here years ago the food blew me away. We even got an amuse-​bouche the first couple times! I hate to say it, but there has been a decline in food since the move to the new location. There are still some real standouts, but its obvious that they are dealing with a lot more plates and cant be as careful as they once were. Our last trip there on 10÷15÷10 I noticed the menu was missing some items as well, which was a real bummer as my favorite thing (double cut pork chop with blue cheese and sweet potato fries) was gone. Perhaps the smaller menu will help them serve customers faster and better, but I was sad to see my go-​to dish missing.
The deep fried pickles are a MUST have. I’m not sure you can find them in any other restaurant! The house made and bottled Georgia Peach hot sauce is soooooo good. For dessert, the Bananas Foster beignets are delish and I get them every single time.
Lunch is NOT worth having here. We’ve never enjoyed it. Haven’t had the breakfast, but heard good things about it.
I do love how the chef comes out regularly and talks to every table.

This place just oozes character. It’s a feast for all four senses. I’ll review them in order:
Sound: The house band. Not the best I’ve seen but they love the music and their enthusiasm is contagious. One of the nights I came here the chef /​owner even came out and sang a couple of songs.
Smell/​taste: The smell of home cooking practically waifs from the front door and the food does not disappoint. Bottles of hot sauce sit at every table and each dish brings its own charms and flavor to the party. Fried food dominates but veggie and semi-​health conscience options are present on the menu. I’m not going to judge as I like my salad with a hefty portion of fried chicken…
Vision: Even here the Soul does not disappoint. While the décor isn’t upscale it clearly screams «the south» (to my northwest eyes) and it’s clear some work went into making it fun and inviting. People watching is were the real strength is however. You could spend hours here just watching the clientele. Every table seems to hold a story and most of them are right there to watch.
I’m giving the Soul a strong four stars. The only two issues I have is the location. (Its a bit of a drive), and the price of the food seems on the high side. The drinks however are very reasonable and don’t disappoint so I’ll forgive the $ 15 price of the deep fried po-​boy.

After reading the reviews we decided to try the place out. What a mistake!
We went on a Wednesday during lunch. To my surprise it was not busy at all. Here is a quick break down for the 1 star review:
1. Waiter reeked of cigarettes and his fingernails looked like he was doing some gardening before taking our order. Blech!
2. Despite being the only other table being served in the place, it took 15 mins til we were asked what drinks we wanted.
3. The ribs were way over cooked. And the seasoning was yuck! Falling off the bone?! More like stuck to the bone and crusty!
4. Overpriced for the quality of food being served.
Maybe we came at a bad time. Or maybe they’re going through a transition with new staff. Whatever the case, we’re definitely not coming back. Sorry but the food tasted like the restaurants name… Alligator Sole!

This place does it Gooood! They have just added a breakfast menu, a football menu, & has added the Football Season ticket. They can display up to five different games at one time.

I went here about 1 in the afternoon and was worried after hearing how crowded this place gets. It was practically empty, which was odd. Have you ever eaten in a restaurant with only one other table filled, it’s a rather strange feeling. I did however love the remake of «creation of adam» on the ceiling.
I ordered the alligator gumbo which was decent enough. For those who have never had Alligator, it tastes like a cross between chicken and fish. It takes a little getting used to but is actually pretty good. The gumbo itself was ok but nothing spectacular. The watermelon lemonade was very good and had me dreaming of what it would be like with a little vodka added.
Chicken gumbo was also ordered but it wasn’t as good as the alligator. The chicken was overcooked which took away from the whole dish.
The bottom line: It was interesting to go here for the novelty of eating alligator but I don’t think I would go out of my way to come back.

Went for lunch today and I am already liking this place. First thing that grabbed my attention was the Michelangelo’s «creation of Adams» painting on the ceiling, with alligators instead of human, I thought that was very cool!
Second, very friendly waitresses and supreme services.
I tried their unlimited Jambalaya, which was very good. It came with a good size bowl of rice with tomato, port, etc. Cornbread and corn salad on the side, which are all very good.
That’s the only thing I tried so I am giving a 4 for now.
I will go back again and try dishes, and probably will give it a five by then.
Right before we left, the chief (or probably the owner?) came out and checked on how’s everyone doing. That really shows that they care.

I still can’t believe we drove over a half hour to eat here but the trio consisted of avid Island Soul devotees and we wanted to scope out the other soul food in the area. Overall, the service was spot-​on in the beginning but a little bit harried as the restaurant filled up.
And then we devoured practically the entire menu:
— Shrimp Po’Boy on a gigantic hoagie (shrimp was good but didn’t like the generic bread)
— Catfish and Hush puppies (fish was flaky and succulent, hush puppies were underwhelming and tasted like dry, flavorless cornbread)
— Fried Chicken Gumbo (it’s fried, of course it’s good)
— Sides of hush puppies, collard greens and fried green tomatoes (in order: eh, a little sweet and spicy, tasty)
— Watermelon Lemonade (intriguing and you can get bottomless but could have used more lemony pow)
But the best part was definitely dessert that disappeared in about 2 minutes flat: banana foster beignets. Soft slices of banana enveloped in a rum sauce with fresh whipped cream and hot, fluffy bite-​sized beignet doughnuts. The prices are reasonable, all our entrees set us back about $ 10 but the namesake alligator is $ 20 which was on the pricey side. I might come back for the dessert alone!

Read good reviews on this place so took the 45 minute drive. Got there early enough for their happy hour from 3 to 6 pm daily. Glanced at the menu and saw Fried Catfish, Fried Chicken, Mussels, Hush Puppies, Red Beans and Rice on the HH menu and immediately ordered all of the above. The prices during HH are very reasonable at 3, 4, and 5 dollar prices.
Why the one star? The real question I asked myself was how my fellow Unilocalers gave rave reviews… The lowdown:
Fried Catfish = cold.
Fried Chicken = lukewarm.
Hushpuppies = colder.
Red Beans and Rice = mostly beans and slightly warm.
Mussels = actually hot!
After trying to wave down a waiter for 6 minutes, they came by and grabbed the chicken. It seemed like they came back with the same pieces refried instead of giving me some fresh ones. Overall on all these dishes there were no real cajun flavors that blew my mind or rocked my boat; in fact, my taste buds were put to sleep. Was comped the bread pudding, which was above average but still wasn’t HOT.
This visit definitely was not indicative of a «hot meal» and the cajun experience I know and love back in Texas and Louisiana. High expectations? Nah.

Matt and I spent the afternoon in the booming metropolis that is Everett, and about 3pm, we were starving. Lucky for us, Alligator Soul was there to provide much needed relief.
Our server was very friendly and checked on us often. We sat at the bar and got:
Caesar salads– good with a bit of a kick
soul fish plate with hush puppies– fish was cooked perfectly, hush puppies were OK.
frychos– waffle fries with pork, roasted garlic, cheese, etc… yum. lots of pork and garlic.
I will definitely come back to try some other stuff when I am up in Everett again.

I don’t know how to rate this place.
If you want to die, eat here. Or if you want to be in heaven, attempt to finish and die as your are trying, come here.
Parking on the street or closest parking suck. Underground parking around the block, but takes you under the restaurant is good.
The place is crowded, there is a live band, and there is a bar as well as dining areas. People dance right next to their tables. It’s a social place for groups, families, couples, anyone.
I ordered the Brie, Mushroom pie something for appetizer… shoot that could have been my whole meal. It had basil and nuts on it which reminded me of vietnamese food, but it was good and i ended up taking ¾ of it home. Cuz thats when the main course came out. Crawfish Et-​2-​fay… Not like what I’m used to in San Diego, but I’m no expert. It was good. Waiter asked as he is taking your order «on a spicy scale of 1 — 10 it comes out as a 4. How spicy do you want it?»
It was okay spicy. But also ended up eating about ¹⁄₃ of that before boxing all of it up. No room for desert, but wanted to sooo bad.
So that next day approx 12 hours later, i broke out, it must have some «love» cooked into that food. I had about 3 – 5 pimples. Anyway, not sure if i’ll go back. maybe to take friends, but i’m sticking with minimal amounts.
I always say, it may be bad for your health but its good for the soul… they should definitely park a ambulance right out side, especially for teh amount of people that pack this place in.

Hands down, the bourbon-​soaked bread pudding and chicory coffee are my favorite things to order here. It is the most delicious way to end a meal. Be sure to bring someone to share it with (the serving is huge!). And stay for the music, since the bourbon will leave you warm & toasty inside. It’s that good!

This was on my list of Need-​To-​Try-​Before-​I-​Die places. I had been teasing myself by reading Unilocal reviews and their online menu for almost a year now and finally got up the drive (and extra cash) to go. I met 3 other friends there tonight around 6:30 on a somewhat busy Wednesday night.
My heart’s desire was the turtle soup, but we all needed a good amount of time with the menus to order a few things to share to get a good sampling of what they had. I wanted a drink, but at $ 8 – 10 apiece for the specialty cocktails, i begrudgingly ordered a boring $ 4.50 well drink instead to save money for food. I only wish I wasn’t a broke-​ass student with a part-​time job that could afford to pick off more than I did from Alligator Soul’s menu.
The service was a little slow because of the dinner rush, which I was grateful for… it took the pressure off of us having to decide. And our server (a polite, kind of shy guy in his 30’s) was a good host anyway.
We ordered a bunch of stuff: 2 turtle soups (one for me), crawfish sweet corn & sausage grits to share, alligator bites and yam fries (we subbed the reg. for the yam ones upon request) to share, a deep fried pork po’ boy, and a pulled pork sandwich.
While we waited for our food to come out, I tried to plan out in my mind which hot sauces I would use. They have a nice little assortment of their own on the table (and you can purchase them at the front of the restaurant).
The turtle soup tastes kind of like sherry-​infused dark brown gravy. It’s really good. I wish it had been hotter temp wise, though. Nice chunks of turtle float around in it. Why didn’t I get any crackers or bread, though? Nothing to mop up my turtle goop? I should have asked, but I was too overstimulated by other things (such as the brown hot sauce on the table… it’s great on EVERYTHING!). For $ 4.95, it’s a decent sized cup, too.
Good thing there were only 4 of us… because that’s the number of gator bites that came out. For $ 12.95! Yikes. I got stuck with the dinky one :(Oh, well! They were way juicier than the alligator bites I’ve had other places. And they were amazing in that brown hot sauce. The fries were too, and we got a more sharable amount of those.
Those grits were probably the best grits I have ever had. It was like a warm, buttery corn pudding. Between four of us there wasn’t much, but it’s so rich that it’s best used as kind of a dip anyway. I’m glad I experienced grits this way.
I tried a bite of my friend’s deep-​fried po boy. Good GOD, that thing was ridiculous. At first, I didn’t know what he’d ordered… I thought it was a ham hock or the roasted leg of of some kind of beast. It was delicious, to be sure, but more like a novelty. If you can slam that thing down, you better not complain to me later about it.
My other friends split that pulled pork sandwich, but I didn’t try it. They loved it. It came with a bunch of sides, though, from which I made my own little lettuce wrap (they let me use their GIANT super-​crispy-​and-​thick lettuce garnish as a taco shell to make one) from their leftovers. I made a whole extra meal out of it!
Our server offered to split our checks up before we even mentioned it, and split them up even further when we needed the apps dissected. He didn’t get pissy at all. The chef even came out at the end and made us feel good for getting all excited to try this place out after so long. It’s a nice, low-​pressure atmosphere.
Thank god, because my pants feel completely the opposite.
*joy

I will not be coming back. I was raised in New Orleans, so when I finally moved to Seattle, of course, I missed some good cajun/​creole cookin’. I was hoping Alligator Soul would have what I was looking for looking at the Chef’s bio, but unfortunately, I was left disappointed and hungry. We dared order the jambalaya, and it was a HUGE mistake. They basically sauté their rice in tomato sauce and it even tasted like rice covered in tomato sauce topped with sausage. I can assure you, jambalaya is not supposed to taste like that. It was extremely wet and heavy. I only ate a few bites. Needless to say, I took it home so I could try to salvage it.
But to give them credit, the hush puppies were ok and the po-​boys were ok, but they are definitely overpriced.

Oh, how I miss the Green Lake branch of Alligator Soul. That was kind of a shabby-​chic white linen tablecloth version of what the Everett place is. So let me just say that I could be favorably predisposed to AS, or disappointed by the differences. But I think I am pretty right on.
AS is essentially a gigantic pub with a kitchen that completely embraces Louisiana cooking traditions. That doesn’t mean they do them all, that doesn’t mean they necessarily rock the house every time – it just means that that’s what they do all the time, and you notice it in virtually every dish they serve. They proudly point out, at least in conversation, that they themselves invented some of the dishes, and «they» aren’t all LA natives. Most of the staff in back and in front is from here. But they still seemed to me to keep the spirit of the dishes alive.
I was there for lunch on a weekday. First one in the door. Cooks were still getting set up. Wait staff was awesomely friendly, cooks eventually finished setting up and even they came out and were awesomely friendly. I ordered a bunch of different things (beignets, turtle soup, po’ boy), and was completely stuffed.
All the presentation felt pubby – lots of crockery, heavy utensils, ingredients that were fairly simple for the most part. But it’s all made enthusiastically and to a nice level of power and balance in the flavors. It’s pretty much poor people food with history behind it.
I have to say I walked around and the way the place is set up hardly screams that high-​quality food would be served there. Lots of pre-​fab touches in the railings, bars, etc. – nothing wrong with it, and I totally get that it costs six figures, minimum, to make a place look truly unique, warm, and inviting. Add to that the fact that there’s a souvenir stand by the host station and you might start feeling tourist trap vibes. But once you talk to the staff and get your hands on the food, there’s a better than even chance that those vibes will stop. They certainly did for me.
What really leapt out at me was the insanely well-​selected beer list. TONS of good stuff. I have talked to distributors who laugh about how often the owner of the place calls around looking for kegs – he really gets some goodies in his cooler, especially for Everett. And as a result, he has built a reputation as a man possessed to serve good beer.
Whichever season it ends up being that I finally buy a pack of Silvertips tickets, I am sure this will turn into a home away from home for me.

My husband and I have a particular love for New Orleans, it stems with the people, having some of our best friends from there and spending ample time exploring their city in their company. Thus we may have been a «leetle» spoiled. Meaning we have been subject to the best music and food N’Awlins has to offer. This is why after reading about Alligator Soul on Unilocal,we made a special trip to Everett in hopes of finding half the heart we did in our beloved city.
We arrived to a brightly colored, Mardigras style restaurant complete with a fresco ceiling spin off of Michelangelo’s, The creation of Adam. However in this version the people were Alligators! There was a blues band, Star Drums and Lady Keys, playing in the back that infiltrated the whole restaurant and set a scene that began to transport me to N.O. and I could hardly contain myself for the much anticipated food!
That’s where things started to go South, and not New Orleans South. I loved that they had beer in a bucket on the menu but it was a late dinner and momma needed a cocktail, so I went with the watermelon lemon drop, this was very delicious, Not too sweet lemon base with a slight melon tang. I ended up ordering 2 so you’d think that my have only increased my reception of the food. Sadly I don’t think 4 would have done the trick.
Unfortunately the Hush Puppies didn’t have the moist light texture I’m used to, instead were dense, hard, dry and grainy. The baby back ribs I ordered were overdone and extremely salty. However the Dr. Pepper/​Mustard BBQ sauce was tasty. So much so that my husband kept dipping his Tour De Pork in it because the tomato sauce for that was lacking. The best part of the meal was the salad trio, potato, corn/​black bean and cole slaw. These were excellent and the flavors complimented each other well. The beans were just okay. However throughout the meal, all we could think about was that we were missing some buttered Wonderbread. That would have almost remedied this meal!
Lastly, because since we first looked at the menu, I noticed peach bread pudding with Bourbon sauce and thought surely this would make things end on a good note! They were also serving a special peach and pecan cobbler. We were having a hard time deciding and as I tried to ask our server for more details on each she pointed to a table displaying a bowl topped with a huge scoop of ice cream. This was the owner having himself some cobbler. To me, I hate having that much ice cream on my desert, if I want a sundae, I’ll get it!
That was when a very generous offer was made by the owner and he treated us to some bread pudding if we would try the cobbler on his word. I have to say the bread pudding is all it should be, dappled with peaches, raisins and nuts while swimming in a delectable spiked sauce. However the cobbler, although the fruit center was tart and delicious, the phyllo crust turned me off. Phyllo is NOT a cobbler pastry! I’m a truist and wanted that dense doughy yummy crust that indicates a true cobbler and this was sacriledge to such a pastry.
Alligator Soul surrounds you with the New Orleans likeness via music, warm service and an owner’s touch however the food for the most part to me lacked the heart found in it’s inspiration. Maybe it was a result of arriving later in the dinner service or not ordering the right dishes. Whatever the case, the food was a 2 for me but the service and atmosphere a 4 thus the 3 stars.

We felt like we had been magically transported back to the mid-​west. We walked in and there it was… an oily formica-​topped paradise in every direction. From the back bar area that yearned to be smoky to the clientele that proved that tatoos were completely acceptable replacements for teeth, we were home. Also the high average girth of the crowd and the guy at the next table with Cards team wear from head to toe helped.
Anyhow, the food! For the prices, I’d just as soon go to Kingfish Café or the newish place in Leschi/​Madrona, but it was really really good. Really! Great service and warm, yummy, cajin goodness goes a long ways.
Also, the alligator mural is what Devinci really MEANT to do. He just didn’t know it.
It isn’t worth the drive to Everett with it being so close to Canada and all, but since I was lost anyways… Totally worth stopping. Also, being next to Cowgirls Coffee was a delightful bonus.

I can’t believe I just ate a deep fried sandwich for dinner. Yep, you heard me right, the Good Ol’ Boy Brisket Deep Fried Po’ Boy is exactly as it sounds. It’s a sourdough roll stuffed with thin sliced brisket and then deep fried and topped with a delicious gravy and served with some awesome pickles. It was the first thing I read on the menu and despite knowing better and maybe wanting something a little more traditional, it stuck in my brain and I had to order it. And it was awesome — kind of like a brisket donut with gravy — though at $ 15.95, it was perhaps a little bit steep. But the novelty factor is so off the charts, it’s definitely something to have once.
The wife had catfish and hush puppies that were quite good and the salad trio served with them was tasty. The sweet potato fries are very good, almost desert-​y — they are coated with cinnamon and sugar. Not as good were the fried green tomatoes. They were too thick and too firm and the remoulade was way too sweet. The breading was good though. Perhaps it’s just a bad time for tomatoes? And we both drank lots and lots of sweet tea. God I love sweet tea. How has sweet tea not caught on in more restaurants?
Plus, we were treated to some good, old fashioned Southern music by Slim Pickens, which our one year old girl absolutely loved. I’ve never seen her dance so much in her seat as she did tonight. And anything that helps keep her happy while we enjoy a meal is very welcome and the music + sweet potato fries + catfish + potato salad really did the job.
Though the prices are a little bit prohibitive, I’m looking forward to my next visit to Alligator Soul so I can try some other, more traditional dishes. It won’t be for a while though, that deep fried brisket sandwich might stay with me for a few months.

GREAT Cajun Food. GREAT bartender. I don’t even know what else to say. I am continually surprised at just how many Beers you guys have up here. I had the Agate Pass Amber and was again delighted with the choice.
I never knew that I would find wicked tasty Cajun right off of the highway in Everett, WA! But boy howdy did I ever find it!
Great, authentic gumbo and some of the best tasting Garlic Pepper Shrimp that I have ever had… I have to say, this food and restaurant ranks up there with the best restaurants that I have been to on my journey across this country. Love this place! I could go on for a long time, heralding the reasons why Cajun is great and so is this place, but I will just let you find out for your own self.