The Linden Cafe has been serving up soul food to the near northeast side of Columbus for just over a year. On Saturday, April 12, 2008, the Buckeye Soul food review team dropped in for our first visit. The resturant is open from 7 AM to 3 PM, so we timed our visit around the noon rush. Walking in the place was packed. Not a seat was available. So after letting the hostess know we wanted to dine in, we sat back and waited. The wait wasn’t too long, about 15 minutes. But in the end, it was well worth it.

Chicken, Fish, & Sides - Oh my!

The Linden Cafe is a breakfast and lunch dinner joint. Breakfast is served all day, so for those with a taste for fish and grits in the early afternoon, this is your spot. We had already eaten breakfast that morning, so we went straight to the lunch options. We chose the fried fish and the chicken wing dinners. Both entrees were fairly priced at $7.95 and included two sides. We chose the candied yams & potato salad for the fish and the mac-n-cheese & collard greens for the chicken.

Now we’ve been to a few good soul food places in our time. Some of the best during visits to Dallas, Texas. But the team has unanimously agreed. The Linden Cafe is serving up something fierce in the soul food arena. Can you say cleaned the plate?! The chicken and fish were both fried perfectly and none too greasy. The sides were fresh & hot and complemented the main dishes very nicely. Our props go to the cooks (who you can see from the dining room), who churned out a meal that some only get a big mamma’s during holidays.


We did not have the stomach to dig into any of the deserts, but the cakes and pie choices that were available appeared tempting enough. It is safe to say that the Linden Cafe should be on the list of “regulars” when planning an Eat Out Day. For more photos of our visit, check out the gallery.

The Particulars

View Larger Map