Great food feeds the stomach, but Soul Food feeds the soul. Located on 502 N Citrus Ave, West Covina, BB’s Cafe isn’t just another restaurant serving delicious food, but one built upon the foundations of family traditions and love.
Cooking with her grandmother as a child, BB’s Cafe’s owner, Monica Sletcher, knew she wanted to open her own restaurant when she was 19 years old. Growing up, she would go deep sea and canal fishing every summer, learning how to filet, wash and cook the fish she caught. Now, many of the items on her restaurant’s menu stem from the family recipes and cherished moments from her childhood.
As a recommendation from Sletcher, I ordered the Fried Catfish, which came with a choice of two sides for $17.95. I chose the collard greens and mac & cheese. The dish also came with a slice of buttered bread, a variety of sauces and four hush puppies, which is a deep-fried ball with a cornmeal-based batter. The portions were generous, with six pieces of catfish and decent-sized bowls of mac & cheese and collard greens. The catfish had a crispy, golden brown outside and a tender, not too flaky inside. Pairing the catfish with hot sauce created an unbeatable combination as it truly brought the strong flavor out of the catfish with a small kick.
The mac & cheese at BB’s Cafe is definitely one of my favorite mac & cheeses of all time. With just the right amount of cheese, it had the perfect creaminess and texture along with a hint of pepper. The collard greens were advertised on the menu to have smoked turkey in it, but I failed to find any turkey bits in it. However, the greens were soft and seasoned enough to pair well with its slightly bitter taste. Lastly, the hush puppies were sweet and pillowy with a moist cornbread filling and created a good ending to the catfish dish.
I also ordered the Chicken & Waffles, which is a famous Soul Food meal priced at $14.95. The dish consists of four pieces of fried chicken and four pieces of waffle. The waffle was the star of the show. The waffle was fluffy and was both sweet and salty with butter and sugar sprinkled on top. The fried chicken was fresh and juicy with a crispy batter like the catfish. With fried chicken on top of the soft waffle with a drizzle of maple syrup on top, it created the perfect bite.
The atmosphere of BB’s Cafe is top-notch. The server was friendly to every customer who came in by explaining menu items and engaging in small-talk, which created a strong restaurant-customer family environment. The soothing music and bookshelves with pictures of Sletcher with friends and family further enhance that family environment. However, the restaurant may get busy and have a long wait as there are only three tables for sit-down dining.
I will definitely be coming back to try more of the items that were recommended to me by Sletcher, such as the breakfast burritos and lunch specials. I give BB’s Cafe a 4.5/5 as I was impressed with the flavorful food and friendly ambience. I believe that Soul Food really is special in a certain way: it brings everyone together.
“Soul Food has sustained the Black community. [To me personally], it is just food cooked with love. So, it doesn’t matter if it’s Latin American or Asian food because you’re just cooking and preparing the food you love,” Sletcher said.
