Bertha’s Soul Food Cafe

Ummmm,… So… Does anyone know what happened to this place??? We always loved coming here. But we went today and there was a for sale sign in the window. Did they relocate? Go out of business? I can’t imagine why they would. But I need this place back in my life when I crave some good old soul food. Otherwise, now thanks to today, we found a new spot. But still… I’m just wondering!!! Can anyone help!!!

Caution! The is not the same as the Gumbo shack that was located on Market St. in Inglewood. I asked the current owner and they said the Gumbo Shack used to be there but did not do so good due to the change in location. Anywho, I was already here so I thought I’d give it a shot
First, I was looking for something like the Mucho gumbo with shrimp, chicken wings, crab legs… not. They either serve the crab, shrimp or chicken gumbo. The prices were much higher and the bowls smaller. Hmmm… for $ 11.38 I got a bowl the size of the baby bear in the Goldilocks and the 3 Bears! No jokes for real. Baby shrimp and lackluster taste. I felt. bamboozled! Will not be venturing this joint again.

Bertha’s Soul Food is a gem in South Los Angeles. This is one of the many establishments in the community that has stood the test of time. They have weekly lunch specials and food to die for with fair to generous portions. Also the pictures of celebrities and politicians that have visited the restaurant donned the walls. The gumbo was on point. Pork neckbones are only served on Thursdays and on Sundays they don’t serve sandwiches. The parking is not that plentiful but you can also park on the street if you can. Also around the Thanksgiving holiday they would fry turkeys. You can also call in your orders and pick them up. As time progressed along with the slipping economy the service and times changed. First they stopped accepting American Express. Then they stopped accepting credit cards altogether. And after that they started charging $ 1.00 for debit card use but started accepting EBT cards. Prices have went up due to the drought and wages and increased food costs. People have complained about declining service and occasional closures. I understand this is a family business but I feel the legacy of Bertha is going on a disastrous route unless things improve. Also the restaurant being closed due to a family issue with little or no info about the situation is hurting the efforts of this great establishment.

Does anybody know why Bertha’s has been closed for months, with a sign saying family emergency?

Been trying to reach Bertha’s by phone and no answer. Is this soul food café closed? I know the food quality had been going down.

I love the fried chicken here. It’s all I order, and whenever I bring someone along, it’s all I allow them to order – and no one is ever disappointed. I’ve tried various sides, and they were all delicious.
The service was super-​friendly. It’s only of those places where they treat you like family, even if it’s pretty obvious looking at me that I am not «family».
It’s not in the greatest neighborhood in LA, but I didn’t get any weird vibes inside or outside of the restaurant. This is the real deal soul food. If you want a sanitized version that makes you feel like you’re in a mall in Marina Del Rey, this ain’t it.

Food wasn’t that good, workers wasn’t friendly. I spent 22 dollars and I didn’t like my food

The food is not what it used to be. The food was salty and the place smelled like bleach mixed with nasty inside ;0(the star is for the option of being able to make a ½ order of food for ½ the price. Not to mention the hostess was outside talking to someone outside smh

This is another restaurant where I take my ESL students; they come from S Korea, Japan, France, Spain, etc. I take them here because they get a chance to taste some food that is not available for them back home. They seem to really like it. especially the Ox-​tail. And the corn-​bread is always a hit with the students. It’s very laid-​back place. not anything like Aunt Kizzie’s, but that’s what I like about it. Plus the prices are pretty reasonable. And they always treat my students w/​much love! Thanks.

Yes Lord. This place. I love the servers, everyone is so kind and helpful. The Mac n cheese, the Ox tails, the fried chicken, the black eyed peas, it’s ALL GOOD. There’s a reason it’s been around as long as it has. There’s a nice sized parking lot and finding a spot on the adjacent streets is just as easy. It can be crowded on Sundays after church, but it’s worth the wait! The décor inside is pretty humble, old school wood paneling (alla those old school garage-​dens of the 80s) but more importantly are all those headshots on the walls of the celebs who love to eat at this spot. Last time I went with friends we showed up as they were closing ( Unilocal listed them as closing an hr later) Even though the staff was sweeping and cleaning up, they made food for us and were really gracious. I love this place!

This place is terrible. As soon as I walked in, the cashier was chomping down on a bowl of cabbage. Right at the counter! The place does not look clean. I ordered the fried pork chops, rice, gravy, cabbage and Mac n cheese. The pork chops were not seasoned very well and very chewy. Rico was rice and the gravy tasted like flour and pan grease. I don’t even know what to say about the Mac n cheese other than Kraft tastes better. Cabbage seemed boiled in water with absolutely no seasoning.
Word to all. BEWARE!

Came in earlier today because I was in the mood for some catfish. I been here once before and everything was fine but this time was much different. We come up to see a bunch of people standing outside smoking (later we find out that these are the cooks). While waiting for our order I decided to add a peach cobbler to the meal. While waiting for our food were noticing all these people going in and out of the kitchen. They go outside and smoke and then go right into the kitchen (without washing their hands btw). The kitchen door was left open and the kitchen was disgusting. 35 minutes later we finally get our food. A couple of hours later after eating my food I decided to eat my peach cobbler but there is only one problem… there is no peaches in it! NOT ONE! All bread and it was disgusting
I decided to call them… the conversation went as follows:
Me: umm hi, I just ordered a peach cobbler a couple of hours ago and I got no peaches in it.
Her: well did you order it with no peaches?
Me: ummm no, if I ordered it with just crust I wouldn’t be calling you and complaining about it.
Her: well there’s nothing I could do for you, we do have a sign up that says you should check your bag before you leave.
Worst customer service ever, I won’t be back

Went here with a small group of friends last night, none of us experts on soul food, but between us we have been to Aunt Kizzie’s, Harold & Belle’s and Roscoe’s (if that qualifies), and have had home cooked soul food.
I ordered the baked chicken special. It came stuffing and two sides. I got the mac & cheese and the collard greens. My boyfriend and our friend ordered the smothered fried chicken, which came with rice and two sides. And my brother got the ribs.
Our food came out fast. Everything was delicious, with big portions. The stuffing was sweet-​ish, which I liked. And the mac and cheese was cheesy but not overly so. The collard greens were yummy, if a tad salty. The cornbread was amazing. My chicken (wing and breast) were juicy, fully cooked and flavorful. It was a steal for $ 8.50. We shared a peach cobbler, and it was the best I had ever had.
Everyone was really nice and helpful. There’s plenty of parking. And there’s nothing «gross» about it inside. It’s not fancy, but it’s not gross. I think people who make these kinds of remarks should get out and experience life beyond their bubble.

First, soul food is deeply personal and quite diverse regionally. Diners need to take it with a grain of salt when people complain about something not tasting right. That said, if you like fried chicken, you’ll probably like Bertha’s. It’s seasoned, it’s crunchy, it’s juicy. What else would you like from fried chicken? Truffles? The candied yams are sweet. Again, what would you expect from candied yams? a caviar twist? The macaroni and cheese is cheesy… you get the picture. I’ve never had anything «spicy» here, but if that is what you like, tell them so when you order.
4 stars because most of the food is good. 5 stars if they’d reinvented the wheel, but don’t hold your breath for that to happen in a soul food restaurant west of the Mississippi…

The Worst Soul Food Experience Ever
The cornbread was the best thing they had going. After that, it was down-​hill: Cardboard tasting catfish that was frozen then thawed before frying. I expected fresh and well-​seasoned for $ 15.
Salty gumbo (Hey, my family is from New Orleans – This was a poor excuse for California Gumbo).
Burnt sweet yams-​Bad service.
In the middle of the day, after walking in, the lady gave us really-​bad, hard-​to-​read photocopies of a menu that probably hasn’t changed since the 70’s. We wound up seating ourselves because the staff was DEEPLY ensconced in a conversaton about something WAAY more important than hungry customers on a short time schedule. After going to the front counter TWICE to rouse the waitress, she took our order. watched reruns of «It Takes a Thief» on their TV.
Although she was otherwise pleasant, her management was completely insensitive about how bad the fish was – and still charged us full price for it.
We had to leave for our event and took the uneaten food with us. After thinking about dreading this food as leftovers, we stopped and gave the food to a homeless guy at a bus stop.
If you have ever had GREAT Soul food, don’t spend your time or money here.

Bertha’s probably has the BEST candied yams I’ve ever had in my life! The fried chicken is so good, and don’t get me started on the warm corn bread!
Greens I wouldn’t recommend because they’re so salty but the Mac n cheese is a must! Rice & gravy is ehhh! I live 28 miles from it, but if I want soul food I’ll drive to Berthas! I always say I’m going to have peach cobbler for dessert but I usually end up in a food coma after I eat here! Next time, FOR SURE!

I have two words for you. Never again. We ordered two turkey dinners and the turkey was not cooked. It grosses me out to think about it. Im not sure how they stay in business.

Well, I really don’t know how the food is in this joint, because we never got to eat it. Went in with a group of friend’s while in LA. 5pm or so, and it was said to be an hour wait for any meat because they were changing the grease. Now I’m just wondering WHY you would change your grease, in the middle of DINNER time!?!
We were told we could get any sides or dessert. We declined. The place is pretty gross looking inside, which isn’t really a deciding factor for me because a lot of hole in the walls have amazing food. But these people have odd business practices and I would never go back.

For the price that was paid for this meal, I am sorely disappointed.
I ordered the chicken wing dinner, 4 wings, rice and gravy, and for the sides, mac & cheese and collard greens.
Everything was very blah. The rice was mushy, the gravy had very little seasoning in it. It kind of looks like that gravy in a jar they sell at stores. The greens… just tasted weird. I don’t even know how to describe it. The chicken wings were small, fried hard, which was ok, but had very little meat on them. The mac & cheese… very little flavor. The portions were small.
The employees are, for lack of a better word, a bit on the ghetto side. A guy came in and went into the back and hollered at another guy working that his baby mama was outside and she wanted money. There’s a difference between a warm/​down home environment and then just plain olé hood.
My dad had a ham hock meal, which was 14.50. Everything on the menu seemed to be overpriced. 4.00 for a grilled cheese sandwich with no fries? Burgers starting around 5.00 and up.
I can believe that once upon a time, the food and environment may have been much better. But for now, I’ll stick to Carolyn’s Kitchen.

We decided to come here for dinner on the way to the Forum for a concert. It’s not located in the greatest neighborhood and from the outside does not look like much either. Then you walk inside and there is a take out counter then on the side is a dining area. This place opened in 1965 and I believe the inside with the wood panels, is all original.
They start you off with cornbread, which is fabulous. Some of the best cornbread I’ve ever had. It was baked to perfection with the edges nice and crispy.
I ordered the Fried Chicken and my wife ordered the Fried Catfish. It comes with rice and gravy and choice of two sides. We had green beans, mac and cheese and green collards. The rice and gravy were a bit bland. The green beans obviously came out of a can, but the seasoning made up for it.
The Fried Chicken and Catfish were the stars of the show. The Fried Chicken was better than you’d get at any fast food place and the batter had the southern flavor to it. The same with the Catfish. And be ready to eat, they give you a lot large portions.
Only downer is they do not serve beer.