10 Tacoma-area soul food restaurants as Uncle Thurms closes (vote for your favorite)
What separates soul food from Southern or comfort food depends on whom you ask, or maybe where you are.
Uncle Thurms, a Tacoma restaurant that operated in the Lincoln District for 16 years, closed its doors Sept. 15, though it might return in a new location. The full name varied from source to source: On Facebook, it was Uncle Thurms Finger Lickin Ribs & Chicken; on Google, it was Uncle Thurms Soul Food. But Linda Brokenbrough, who ran the business with her husband Thurmond Brokenbrough, described the menu as well-rounded comfort food.
“What’s unique,” she said this week, “we served across the board — comfort food, meatloafs and stuff like that. People love ribs, they don’t necessarily want to eat ribs every day.”
Another major factor, she added, is cooking from scratch. Whether you call it Southern or soul or just plain comfort, the cuisine is inextricably tied to African American history, and rooted in necessity — of keeping your own garden, of preserving, of making the most of what you have on hand.
So where to find that comfort and that soul in and around Tacoma now that the owners of Uncle Thurms have, at least for now, retired? Here are eight such restaurants, including one that’s proudly vegan and a couple with live music. Soon, we’ll have yet another when Martin Dowd opens his first brick-and-mortar of Dowd’s BBQ in Fern Hill.
Bleu Note Restaurant & Lounge
6008 Mt. Tacoma Dr. SW, Lakewood, 253-433-3974, bleunoterestaurantandlounge.com
This Lakewood lounge offers live music on the regular, but it’s also the headquarters for family recipes from chef-owner Quinton Gethers, starting with sweet tea. In addition to fried catfish and collards, the menu focuses on seafood: Gulf Coast crab cakes, shrimp and grits, a seafood platter and full-fledged boils with crab, prawns and hotlinks. End with peach cobbler or the decadent deep-fried pound cake and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Collard Greens And Other Things
308 E. 26th St., Tacoma, 253-625-5373, facebook.com/Collardgreensandotherthings
Near Freighthouse Square in the Dome District, chef “Pajama Mama” has been cooking classics like pork chops and whole butterflied catfish since 2018. The menu offers most everything à la carte, while platters are packed with two sides — red beans, collards, mac and cheese, seasoned fries — and a pineapple-coconut cornbread. Try the unique soul rolls, a Southern spin on an egg roll, and one of the house sweets such as 7-Up cake.
Essence Restaurant & Lounge
3829 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-503-0276, essenceloungetacoma.com
The South meets Latin America at Essence, opened in 2020 by friends Christina Hernandez, celebrating her Puerto Rican heritage, and Natural Allah, who cooked at the late Soul Restaurant in Proctor. Start with fried okra and hush puppies served with remoulade, then try the jumbo-sized southern-fried chicken wings, jambalaya and gumbo, or carnitas fritas and their take on mofongo, the quintessential Puerto Rican plantain dish. Sides include tostones and candied yams.
The Fish House Cafe
1814 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253-383-7144, instagram.com/thefishhousecafe
Cornmeal-crusted catfish and cod is the name of the game at this Hilltop stalwart, drawing lunchtime crowds for going on three decades. The edges of each long piece curl just so in the hot oil, and you can enjoy it on a bun or in a platter with comforting sides of hush puppies, okra, picnic-style potato salad or mac and cheese. Finish with banana pudding.
HamHock Jones Soul Shack
6101 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Lakewood, 253-888-7600, facebook.com/hamhockjonesbbq
Bobby Shorts puts the soul in both food and music at his Lakewood food truck, parked at a Shell gas station. From a $3 burger to the $7 Queen Labeefah, packed with three cheeses, griddled onions, bacon and an egg, you’re sure to leave full for a very fair price. Ribs, catfish, wings and more are also on the menu. Visit on Friday and Saturday, weather permitting, to catch HamHock Jones — Shorts’ alter ego — playing live music with his band, The Neckbones.
JJ’s Fish & Chicken
9815 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW, Lakewood, 253-584-1455, jjfishandchickenwa.com
More than the name and facade implies, this Lakewood spot opened in 2018 with everything from fried perch, shrimp, catfish, tilapia and cod to chicken wings, thighs, legs and gizzards. Sides include fried mushrooms, jalapenos and pickles; mac and cheese bites, veggies and rice. There’s also gumbo and combos if you can’t decide. Online ordering available, as well as a drive-thru.
Pacific Southern
3832 S. Pine St., Tacoma, 253-474-9898, pacsouthtacoma.com
Did someone say all-day breakfast? Perhaps best known for its chicken and waffle with four pieces of meat and essential honey butter, this Central Tacoma restaurant has made a name for itself since opening in 2015. Comfort food favorites include cinnamon roll French toast, biscuits and gravy and a breakfast ribeye for $24.99. Lunch and dinner bring po’boys and fried gizzards, spicy fish nuggets and pulled pork. Apps are discounted Monday-Thursday starting at 5 p.m.
Quickie Too
1324 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253-572-4549, quickietoo.com
The Howell family has been satisfying comfort food cravings in complete vegan fashion since 1991. It has all the trappings of its carnivorous counterparts but with protein from seitan, tempeh and tofu, yeast-derived cheese and dairy-free milkshakes. Try jerk tofu on the Crazy Jamaican Burger, fried tempeh on the fish burger with sweet and spicy coleslaw, or smoked tofu on a “burger” with house BBQ sauce. Takeout-only at the moment, with outdoor seating available during business hours.
Serious Soul@Cubby’s
805 Auburn Way S., Auburn, 253-833-9692, facebook.com
This Auburn restaurant resurfaced in 2014 under new ownership, after closing for a spell. Rod and Diona Brady built a menu of half-pound burgers, chicken by the piece, catfish or tilapia sandwiches and sides — potatoes two ways, red beans and rice, fried okra — available in either small or large portions. You can also order fish by the pound and family-sized fried chicken platters.
Southern Kitchen
1716 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-627-4282, southernkitchen-tacoma.com
Anchoring Sixth Avenue since 1981, this petite restaurant has garnered national attention for its homestyle food and true Southern hospitality. Portions are generous, and they start with a fluffy corn pancake. Dig into chef-owner Gloria Martin’s famous fried chicken or catfish, cornbread stuffing and of course an order of bread pudding to sweeten the experience. Takeout is always an option, but the amiable service is half the reason for your visit.
This story was originally published September 21, 2021 at 2:18 PM.