Powell’s Place

I haven’t eaten there in years and it’s very sad to learn they’ve closed. Sure the service was super slow, but so what ~ once you got the food it was well worth the wait. I live in Philadelphia and would have a copy of their menu with me so I could decide on the plane what I was going to order. Lots of fond memories!

Just when I was ready to go back and give Powell’s another go…
So I feel bad about giving them a below average review especially since they won’t have a chance to change my mind.
The fried chicken was okay. I will give them props for correct frying (a lot of times I think in order to cook the chicken faster they fry it at too high a temperature and the chicken comes out more towards the burnt side making the skin inedible in a lot of places). However, it wasn’t that tasty and it was kinda dry. The sides were all okay; not super tasty.
However, I will say that they were serving a really big lunch to some sort of civic organization so were probably busy in the kitchen. I was going to go back and try them again.
Too bad…

From
, 11/​14/​2007:
«Fillmore Center representatives say that their refusal to further negotiate the matter stems from the simple fact that owner Emmit Powell is behind eight months and $ 150,000 in rent.»
T’is a shame that Emmitt Powell has had to shut down his soul food eatery just as the Fillmore Jazz District is taking flight and this after relocating from Hayes Valley. No more fried chicken. No more complimentary cornbread muffins. Having just tried the lackluster fried chicken at the Front Porch, I have to tell you this place will be sorely missed. That pretty much leaves Miss Laura and her J’s Pots of Souls for the same kind of no-​frills Southern comfort food. I really hope Emmitt figures out a way to reopen.
FOOD — 4 stars… down home fried chicken reasonably priced at $ 6.50
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… comfy place
SERVICE — 4 stars… always friendly
TOTAL — 4 stars… it will be sadly missed

I have to give it up to them for accomdating a large and rowdy group that came in close to closing time with only one waitress on duty. She was a bit frazzled but kept a stiff upper lip and took care of us no matter how much grief she had to put up with.
My chicken and waffles were nice. I wasn’t too impressed by the mac n cheese side dish, but I’m always thinking there isn’t enough cheese.
A return trip with a more calm group of people to try other things on the menu is a must before they have to close up shop.

Holy crap, this is the best fried chicken I’ve had in the bay area. No lie. It’s even better than what I make at home, and that’s never happened.
Sure, it was sleepy when we came in at 7pm on Thursday night… sure, the service was enough to make a couple uptight clowns a couple tables over get all wasp-​tweaky. You know what though? You can’t rush art, and you can’t rush such badass fried chicken.
What can you do though? Order some amazing hush puppies. Oh god yeah, it was bliss in a bowl. Thirsty? The sweet tea is perfect for what you need.
So what do you pair with such perfect fried chicken? Greens, cornbread and mac and cheese… The greens and the cornbread are amazing examples of what those dishes SHOULD be, everywhere.
I’ll be back, especially now that they are offering two pieces of fried chicken and a waffle for $ 8.95!
OH
HELL
YEAH.

My Soul Food Limerick:
*ahem*
We once went to Powell’s Place for dinner;
Heard the Mac & Cheese was a winner!
But they gave us no waiter,
The hours grew later,
And my family got thinner and thinner.
When 4 people order dinner, and nearly an HOUR later, they come out with 2 and a half of your orders… those are not good odds! What we DID eat was delicious, but my overall experience was 2 stars. I added an extra star for the fried chicken. I have not been back in a year, even though the food was delicious and it’s the closest restaurant to my apartment! Too bad. :(

This place is like an upscale KFC, maybe even an upscale Roscoe’s.
I came here with my buddy to meet up with some fellow Unilocalers. We got there right before closing… I got a couple pieces of chicken, leg and thigh, and waffles. I had a couple drinks before we got here and hadn’t had a meal for a while so I was eagerly waiting once I ordered. Minus one star for having no gravy and having me change my sides to the mac and cheese. Tell me before I order, don’t come back and let me down after I’m already salivating for it. The chicken was good… quite greasy too… Mine came out before my friends, so I kept giving him all the fried skin… The waffles or waffle actually, could be a bit crispier but was huge. A good substitute for Roscoe’s…though I think I’m done with fried chicken for a while…

I’m not too sure how much more healthier Powell’s Place is over KFC, but if I remember correctly they taste almost exactly the same. Nice crisp, peppery flavored skin with fairly moist meat and just «Finger Licking Good!» Coming through with a larger than usual appetite due to alcohol consumption earlier in the evening, I went with the 3 pieces of chicken with waffles. $ 2.50 more for one more piece is well worth it when you’re running empty. Trust me, after about 1 and ½ pieces with eating the skin, you feel this guilt of bad oil intake and you’ll probably do what I did. That was pulling the skin off the last piece and eating only half of the waffle, hoping you’ll save yourself from any more calories because you consumed about 1200+ at that point.
Powell’s is good down home cookin for reasonable prices. Just come prepared by going on a week long diet beforehand! Your body will thank you!

Whatever Maaaaarrrryyy F. wants… Maaaaaarrrrryyy F. gets! And chicken and waffles, little Maaaarrryyy wants you!
Mary F. came to town for a brief stopover between flights just for this waffles and fried chicken. She also missed her flight because we all had to join her in this endeavor, which made for a much more lengthy than originally anticipated shin-​dig. She says it was worth it and I agree.
I’m not only white trash, I’m also ghetto. As in, my Daddy came up on Ohio Street in Richmond. Not Richmond, W. Virginia, which is probably some quaint town in the South, but Richmond, California which is head to head with Compton for the rights to what the majority of Grand Theft Auto games have been based upon. Growing up in this environment one gets exposed to a LOT of soul food. At my house we swished, swirled, chewed and spat out soul food from various establishments like a sommelier does wine tasting. Basically this means that soul food is not merely a one night stand relationship for me. We are committed and will always have a special place together in the clogging of my heart.
Powell’s has got it goin’ ON in the soul food department. I had the standard 2 legs, 1 waffle, a side of mac n’ cheese, a corn muffin and a sweet tea. What did I leave on my plate? Two stripped to the bone chicken bones. The best fried chicken I have had in YEARS and they put just the tiniest bit of cinnamon in their waffle batter to give it that extra nudge of flavor but without truly being a «cinnamon waffle». The mac n’ cheese was perfect and I make a MEAN mac n’ cheese so I’m extra picky. The sweet tea was like a Southern explosion in my mouth. I was, in short, happier than a pig on garbage day. That’s pretty goddamn happy.
Extra kudos to our waitress who kept her cool despite many of our crew’s tardy arrivals and fed us past closing time. We also had some potty-​mouths amongst us (for once NOT ME!) and she overlooked that too.
Bottom Line: This is fried chicken and waffles worthy of making Mary F. miss her flight. That should say it all.

Soul food… what is it exactly? Why is fried chicken soul food but a lobster bisque isn’t? For me, soul food has to have 5 components.
1. Uncompromising taste. (none of that healthy substitution stuff)
2. Inexpensive (I don’t wanna go broke frequenting the place)
3. Quantity (no way am I leaving the table still hungry, and call it soul food)
4. Hospitality (good food has to come w/​good old southern hospitality)
5. Simple preparation (for me soul food should simply be good… I don’t want several layers of flavor)
Powells Place is my favorite soul food place in the city.
Me and a couple of fellow Unilocalers came here at lunch time on a Sunday. The experience was amazing. From the food to the service… even to the location (short 10 min walk from my TL apartment). Its the best, and I tell everyone about the place… as for my criteria:
I ordered the chicken lunch special w/​mac and cheese and 3 Caronas.
1. Uncompromised taste: I could feel the food sticking to my bones as I ate. +1
2. Inexpensive: 6 something! +1
3. Quantity: It came w/​3 pieces of chicken, 2 cornbread muffins, good portion of mac and cheese. +1
4. Hospitality: Our server was so sweet and took real good care of us the whole time. +1
5. Simple preparation: totally simple ingredients and preparation… no lemon herb fried chicken here… just good old fashioned fried chicken. +1
I don’t give out too many 5 star ratings but I gotta call a spade a spade. This place is great. I’ll definitely have to come back for the chicken and waffles.

i dig this place… no doubt!
LIKES:
the FRIED CHICKEN MEAL (breast, thigh and wing) with 2 corn bread and 2 sides.
i enjoyed the chicken that was perfectly breaded, the tasty COLLARD GREENS with good pieces of hammocks in it and the well-​prepared DIRTY RICE! the MAC AND CHEESE that was slightly peppered and baked was also flavorful.
when were seated, the music was almost half in cessation and i realized they have a JUKEBOX that serves as their «musical wallpaper». i was kind of thrilled about this, so i went and put a dollar bill and picked some al green, marvin gaye and usher songs. awesome SOUND SYSTEM! and agreeable selections of r&b music.
i also noticed that the DINING AREA was well-​maintained! clean carpet, nice wooden brown tables and chairs and the washroom was hygienic.
DISLIKES:
the tiny, leveled looking pieces, with a cake liked texture CORN BREAD.
the OVER PRICED plates.
collard greens are not serve on wednesday and short ribs are only serve on saturday and sunday.
and of course, mr. emmitt powell’s YELLOW JACKET that he was wearing in all the pictures brandishing the wall of this joint!
overall, it was a satisfying experience!

bless us, o lord… and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through christ our lord… amen…
our fellow congregation… communion of saints… member contributes to the good of all… breakin’ bread, fresh cornbread… ritual of open communion… cornbread ‘n’ coronas… a lengthy mass… sermon long and past the norm… awaiting end…
sunday afternoon lunch… feast amongst brethren… a feast to arrive… meaty tender ribs… lathered in sauce… deep ‘n’ heavy… grainy mac ‘n’ cheese the side… fried chicken dense… crispy fried skin light… standard good meal… excellent, sweet ‘n’ friendly the service…

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you
In Birmingham they love the governor
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth
Sweet home Alabama…
My ex, as I explained to our table, is from Alabama. She has family members that are still in the Klan. That didn’t stop me from traveling to a one stoplight town in the middle of BFE. I even made friends with the owner of the only Chinese restaurant within 150 miles of BFE… or B’ham, you choose. A 7 year old Klan-​kiddie described me as such, «Momma, he looks just like a China Doll !!!»
I shopped at a Piggly Wiggly. I bought gas for $ 0.99 when CA was $ 1.56. I got bit by fire ants. Nonetheless I failed to meet any real Klansmen. I did like the South tho. I was so inspired, I nearly bought a Seersucker Suit.
However, I did experience true Southern Hospitality and food. Chicken fried steak. Collard greens. Grits. Chicken fried chicken. Okra. Buttermilk biscuits. Cornbread. Bread Pudding. Black eyed peas.
If nothing else, people in the South know how to entertain and eat. That’s how I felt at Powell’s Place. From the credenza with the doilies and knick-​knacks to the karaōke machine to the chantilly lace.
You can read Euge or Basi’s reviews for the pertinent details. BUT, the bottom line is the food was good. The service lacked, but you could see they really made the effort considering they were short-​handed and dealing with a large somewhat unruly crowd of hungry and thirsty people.
The chicken was as Steph P described. Southern style — light on the batter. But still pretty good. I make my chicken the same way, but add secret seasonings. Yes, I was taught by my ex how to *properly* make fried chicken.
Some of you have had my fried chicken. Some of you liked it. I’m going to have two entries in the chicken fry-​off. One Southern style! (The other will be an AZN surprise.) Keep your eyes here…
So please vote for me.
Thank you!
~ kevo

3.5 stars
Do you like your greens with your chicken? If so, don’t come to Powell’s on a Wednesday b/​c apparently that’s the only day of the week they don’t serve greens.
When two of us got there, we were waiting for another person to arrive. I was effing starving… So when the guy comes around asking if we were going to order a dinner, because if so then he’ll leave some cornbread on our table for us… I am like huh? Of course we’re ordering dinner, not breakfast. And like I said, I was effing hungry. The cornbread muffins were alright, but not gritty enough and lacking buttery goodness.
When we opened the menu, we realized that there is an actual «Dinner» section where you get some kind of meat (fried chicken, fish, etc), two sides and two pieces of (the aforementioned) cornbread. I have to admit, I ordered the $ 13 Fried Chicken Dinner out of guilt. We had accepted the corn muffins, and I felt obligated to now get one of the Dinners, otherwise we shouldn’t have eaten those cornbread muffins. Did they sense my overdeveloped superego? My Catholic guilt? At any rate, I felt played. Especially since they didn’t even have freakin’ greens! So instead I ordered mac ‘n cheese and corn as my sides to go with my 3 pieces of chicken (thigh, thigh, and leg); the mac was not bad. I am afraid that I’ll never be a big fan of traditional American-​Southern style mac ‘n cheese. I much prefer it to be prepared with a (admittedly, pretentious) bechamel.
But you probably want to hear about the CHICKEN! It is battered and fried Southern-​style, meaning that there is not much batter. The skin is just lightly coated, resulting in less crunchiness. The meat of the chicken, while it is juicy enough, didn’t have very much flavor to me. The other two peeps got the $ 8.95 special for two pieces of chicken and a belgian-​style waffle. The waffle is a huge improvement over the Eggo-​like waffles at Home of Chicken and Waffles in Oakland; however, Powell’s waffle could use a bit more crunch to it. It tasted too chewy, as if it were stale.
I can imagine this place bustling on a Sunday morning, but during this weekday visit it was almost dead. The music they played was kind of erratic, as was the service… if either of these were in tip-​top working order, I’d gladly bump up the rating to 4 stars. As far as my fried chicken preferences, I am more a proponent of crrrrrrrunchy, but this was not bad for Southern-​style. A notch below Farmerbrown and a notch above Home of Chicken and Waffles.

Between the O’Reilly’s Elite Event and the Smashing Pumpkins show at the Fillmore, my friend and I had to cram in some food, since the appetizers didn’t hold us over. It was past 9:30pm and we were looking for something quick when I remembered someone mentioned there was good soul food near the venue. So we were off to find us some good eats.
As we got there the place was completely empty. We inquired if they were open and the waiter was more than happy to seat us even though he said usually at that hour it’s take out only. The place is pretty nice. I wasn’t expecting a full sit down restaurant and in the back of my mind the best soul food places were total hole in the walls. However the menu looked like they had all the good things one would expect and we opted for the fried chicken wings with mac & cheese/​mashed potatoes and the turkey wing dinner with mac & cheese/​dressing. The food came out in no time flat and it was indeed super tasty and supper filling. I originally wanted cabbage as one of my sides also but they ran out and my bargaining for extra coke was happily met.
Since there were no other patrons, I couldn’t tell you what the normal ambiance was but the waiter was supper friendly and accommodating. I’ll definitely come back the next time I catch a show at the Fillmore and hope to see what it’s like during prime hours.

From the moment we walked in the door we knew we were in for a treat at Powell’s Place… everyone was friendly and the smell of fried chicken filled the room. Wait, two of my favorite things — fried food and nice people. Score!
The menu had many options but for me it was an easy decision to make: fried chicken, mac & cheese and corn. The chicken was perfectly crispy yet still moist. The mac & cheese was fine, not the best I’ve ever had and the corn was a little bland. We split a banana crème pie for dessert and while it looked fantastic it didn’t taste as good as it appeared.
If you’re in the mood for some good comfort food served in a pleasant atmosphere by an outstanding staff, you can do a lot worse than Powell’s Place. I can’t wait to come back to work my way through more of the menu.

I am an easy woman to please. (OK, maybe not if you happen to be a man) but, overall I am an easy woman to please.
All I want—
are a pair of Sexxy black strappy heels that are so comfortable that I can walk the length of Market Street in them… wait, did I type that?
All I want in a breakfast—
is bacon, eggs, and grits.
Which is what I got at Powell’s.
Here is my problem with Powell’s though. YOU SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BOUNCE A FORK ON YOUR GRITS.
I’m only half black and I still know that grits should be soft and mushy they should not be served as a solid. Ditto on the scrambled eggs. SCRAMBLED EGGS SHOULD NOT BE SERVED IN A LUMP.
Powell’s is slacking off in the quality department and sliding by on reputation. The ‘soul food’ is not my grandma’s however, the sides and the pie are good. But, in terms of breakfast I’ll be sticking to the Chicken and Waffles which earn them three stars on their own.

The place for fried chicken in SF. Anyone who prefers fast food chicken just plain didn’t grow up eating the real thing, that is Southern style.
Plus, your gracious host Emmit Powell is a legend in the world of Gospel Music.
Now I’ll be honest. Back when they were on Hayes, I would give Powell’s five stars. Now they charge a little bit more and give you one fewer piece on an order. But guess what, the new place is much nicer — upscale even and they gotta pay the rent. The portion is plenty for me, and I’m 200+ lbs. I’ve only had better fried chicken three places, Chez Panisse Café, Atlanta and my mom’s. The rest of y’all better do some homework before you start talkin’ chicken!

I don’t know why I am obsessed with fried chicken but if a restaurant has it, I must order it. I went to Powell’s Place specifically for the chicken and it was excellent.
I think they may have been about to close when we got there and they could’ve turned us away but a waiter/​host guy was great and seated us. He was not the quickest waiter in the world but he tried hard and he was pleasant so I liked him. They gave me a lot of chicken that was hot and crispy. I also enjoyed the dirty rice and greens. I am not a big cornbread person but that was good too.
The restaurant itself is pretty spacious and I remember the décor seeming appropriate for the food. Nothing fancy but clean and comfortable.
I think they do some kind of gospel Sunday brunch which intrigues me but I have yet to check that out.

Service was slow but the waiter acknowledged it and gave us complimentary items. The food was not exceptional but definitely worth what you paid for. Actually, the portions were pretty generous. I kinda wish the portions weren’t so huge — Then I would have had room for dessert. That sweet potato pie was calling out my name but all that meat I ate made it impossible to stuff myself even more. After dinner, I had a heard time breathing. *Sigh* But I feel better now.
I liked that fatty beef brisket. JONASAPPROVED!

I miss the old Powell’s Place.
But you should know that while the décor is different and the new spot is bigger and brighter the food, thankfully, has not changed a bit.
Fried chicken is still as good as ever. Service is still very friendly.