Potter’s House Soul Food Bistro in Jacksonville, FL

Potter’s House Soul Food Bistro

5310 Lenox Avenue Suite 1 (in the Kingdom Plaza)

Jacksonville, Florida 32205

(904)394-0860

Soul Food Bistro

A few years ago I was a member of a national program to help me lose weight. It was one of those programs that you would go to in a large meeting once a week, weigh in, share recipes, and make friends with others that were looking to lose weight. What I found most comical about the group was the topic of discussion with many in the group. Sure we shared recipes and talked about places to go, but usually these were not foods that were on our ‘plan’. We would compare the stories of which restaurant had the best fried chicken and how to make the best pecan pie. It was here that a friend of mine told me about The Soul Food Bistro. The actual name is The Potter’s House Soul Food Bistro, but since that name is so long I will refer to it as The Bistro for the rest of this review.

Located on Jacksonville’s Westside in what once was the Normandy Mall, The Bistro is a part of one of the largest churches in the city. You don’t have to be a member of the church or even a member of any church to visit. As a matter of fact you should know that other than the ownership on the sign, you would have no idea that they have a church affiliation. I only mention this for those who may shy away thinking that they are gonna be preached to while there. You won’t. But, the food is so good; I might even still go there if they did. After my first visit to The Bistro a few years ago I knew this was a place I would come back to. Ironically The Bistro is located literally feet away from a very busy gym. Both the gym and The Bistro have large windows that almost seem to have a stare off with each other on a daily basis.

When we walked in and went towards the cafeteria style line, there was a large sign telling us that the special of the day was the meatloaf. Having sampled the shrimp, chicken, and the smothered pork chops here in the past I decided to try the special. First in the line I bypassed the salads (I know I should have got something, but oh well). Next in the line were the ox tails, pork chops, tilapia, and shrimp. But there was that meatloaf that I now was wanting so badly. Ok, sorry to sound so dramatic, BUT I love meatloaf! And the fact that it was made at The Bistro would have to be a plus. With the ladies behind the counter serving the other customers in line, I waited patiently. Now it was my turn, I had it all planned out, meatloaf, yellow rice, broccoli and some of their cornbread. Almost to the end of the line I see the desserts and decided on the lemon cake as well.

Meatloaf Special

We get to the table to set everything down when a young man asks if there is anything he can get for us, we decline. We now stand in line for our drinks, of which they serve Coke products (which makes me happy). This is one area that The Bistro could improve, is to either get another machine or to add a second station for more ice and (or) tea. This area was rather congested. The dining room is split up into two separate rooms. There is one as soon as you walk in that is in plain view of the food line. Then there is another that is a little bit more secluded, that one is only open during the busiest of hours. At the time that we came to The Bistro we sat very close to the drink machines. As we sat there to eat you could see the other families there enjoying their meals as well.

As I dig in on my meatloaf, I needed to add a little bit of ketchup to suit my taste. This is not to say that the meatloaf was not good, or dry, just not enough ketchup to my liking. When it comes to my meal the only complaint that I really have is that the yellow rice was rather bland. Usually yellow rice has either a spice or saffron in it and this particular dish did not. My broccoli was steamed and perfect and the cornbread was good. The cornbread that they serve at The Bistro is moist and a little sweet. The serving size is very, very good. In a time where some restaurants are cutting back on portions The Bistro does not. The meal that I had just enjoyed was so much food that I took my lemon cake home, and oh was that good as a midnight snack.

The Bistro is a pure soul food kitchen and even offer t-shirts for sale that state “GOT SOUL?”. The staff is always kind and very helpful. For the both of us we spent just over $15. That is a deal for any family looking for a great meal at a great price. My understanding (and I might be incorrect here) is that the origin of The Bistro came from The Potter’s House offering catering at first. If they did or didn’t does not really matter to me, BUT, so you know they do offer catering now. They have chicken, pork chops, and the major sides that are on the hot bar daily, Such as collard greens, candied yams, yellow rice, mac and cheese and actually about 5 more veggies. They also offer the cakes and pies, even peach cobbler. The catering is offered at various pricing and you can call them for the details.

If you have any difficulty finding The Bistro, you should know that if you see the Winn-Dixie on Normandy near Cassat and The Kingdom Plaza is right behind that. If you see me there one afternoon be sure and say hi. Hey if you wanna go (and you have my number) then give me a call, I am always up for The Bistro. Give them a try if you haven’t already and enjoy.

Review by Pie, email: pie@piesplate.com