Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas in 1865 and recently, President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. This made June 19 a federal holiday and gives national recognition to this day. To celebrate this day, I visited Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen, a restaurant in Inglewood.
Over the years, I’ve frequented a number of soul food establishments and unfortunately, many of them are no longer in business. Some like Dulan’s are still in operation. In fact, Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen has been serving up traditional soul food in LA for 22 years. They presently have locations in Inglewood on Manchester Ave. and South LA on Century Blvd.
I ordered online because I knew it would be crazy that day. I arrived minutes after they opened and I could not believe my luck that there was a sole parking place right in front of the restaurant. There was a sizeable line waiting to order and no one waiting in front of the pickup window.
Their inside dining is quite limited and wasn’t available that day. Because I ordered in advance, I skipped the long line and walked up to the window. Naturally, I got a fair number of stares because I just parked in front of their restaurant.
Dulan’s Lunch specials include Chicken, Fried, Baked ($11.95), or Smothered with Gravy ($12.95). Fish is prepared as either Baked or Fried. Other lunch entrees include Meatloaf ($13.45), Oxtails ($18.45), and Smothered Pork Chops ($12.95). Each entree includes a choice of two sides.
The Fried Chicken has a crisp exterior and is moist and juicy inside. The nicely seasoned String Beans with Julienned Carrots and celery has a pleasant pepper and vinegar taste. Cornbread dressing nicely complemented the two dishes.
Pork chops are often overcooked and end up tough and dry. Their Smothered Pork Chops were tender by pork chop standards and surprisingly moist. The gravy was delicious and I mopped it up! I thoroughly enjoyed the red beans and rice and the collard greens. Both were well seasoned.
While I typically don’t eat desserts, I ordered their Peach cobbler. It has a pleasant amount of cinnamon and allspice which elevates this desert beyond the typical peach cobbler. I was quite pleased with this dessert.
Dulan’s Soul Food, 202 E Manchester Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90301; 310.671.3345; www.dulans-sfk.com
2nd location at 1714 Century Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90047; 323.418.8527
Hi Bryan,
All the food looks great in your photos, especially the chicken with the cornbread dressing.
Usually you have the address and phone number of the restaurant at the end of your review. This time you just said you went to the one in Inglewood. I don’t know if that was on purpose, so I thought I would mention it.
Take care………….Dean
P.S. The “Peach Cobbler” sounds yummy!!!!
Thank you Dean. I added their address and phone number. I appreciate the catch. – Bryan