Chat ‘N’ Chew

If you want some real southern cooking then this is the place to go! Be patient because it is all worth the wait. Large servings. Corn bread was yummy and soft. GREAT service as well. We will definitely try coming back. Food was very flavorful. We like Jays place but this go around Chat N Chew is getting this round!!!

Salty salty salty! Everything from the okra to the catfish was so salty I couldn’t eat it. I had hoped it would be good but it wasn’t, so unfortunate. I have nothing good to say about any of it, not even the corn bread. We won’t be back.

Such a good meal. Boyfriend and I tried it for dinner and we were not disappointed. Mac n cheese had a nice mild flavor, not too salty or overly cheesy, the coating on the fish was nice and light. Boyfriend’s mashed potatoes were slightly spicy and clearly mashed by hand. Ribs were extra saucy, so it you don’t like that ask for
sauce on the side, but very tasty. Overall we were so pleased with our meal. Excellent service too. All around great experience.

Great service! I had been craving fried oysters & finally found a spot here in Bakersfield that makes great fried oysters!!! I will definitely come back!

First time at chat n’ chew for lunch and I could not be more pleased! Great service, nice and cozy atmosphere and clean!
I was pretty hungry, so I order the BBQ special w/​2 sides for just under $ 20. I expect to wait for good BBQ, but I did not have to wait more than a half hour which was great! The special was three ribs, two pieces of chicken and a portion of sausage! I should have asked for the sauce on the side, but it really did not take away anything for the dish. The sides I got were mac’n cheese and chili beans and they were excellent!
I loved ‘fines on union ave and I do like j’s place out in rosedale, though chat n’ chew does it right and I had a great lunch today because of trying out this place on brundage!
Update: had lunch here about three days back and still had a wonderful lunch and the service was great. It only took a short time for our orders to arrive and everything tasted great! Keep up the good work!

Came in here about seven this evening. The place was almost empty, I ordered fried catfish with collards and fried okra. Sweet tea to drink. The catfish was the best I have had since my father passed away. And that was a long time ago. It was not a huge plate but I assure you it was very high quality, and just as important served by very nice people. The restaurant is clean, I went to the men’s restroom it was clean too. I will be back,

We just moved to town and are making our «food tour» of Bakersfield. This is, hands down, the best food in the city. Maybe the state. Everything we tried was the best there is of that thing. Mac n cheese? The best. Barbeque sauce? The best. Mashed potatoes? I think you see where I’m going with this.
But one more thing deserves mention. The fried okra was not just the best okra I’ve ever had (and we spent nearly a decade in Tennessee). It’s a flippin’ miracle. Do not deprive your mouth of this food any longer. Stop reading reviews and come eat here!

Food is really good the plates could’ve been bigger. However if your looking for the real deal this place is legitimate soul food.

Honestly I don’t know how I missed this place and I sure as hell dont know how this place isn’t packed full. Way better than J’s place but honestly I’m not that big of a fan of J’s. I have a flare for southern style cuisine and my all time favorite food is Gumbo. This place delivered 100%. The waitress was kind. Quiet but kind. I can see how it might take a while during busier hours because she didnt seem fast paced but that could be a staffing issue and I might have judged to quickly. The food took awhile but was well worth the wait and not so long that it took a star away. The place had an odd smell when you walked in that put me off a little. Kinda like pee… idk weird though. The fact that this is a southern style place that carries Gumbo in Bakersfield Chat n’ Chew was either going to get one star or five from me. Absolutely yummy and with kind staff how can you say no.

It was our first time there, but I’m sure we’ll go back again. I got the catfish and shrimp combination, with mashed potatoes and gravy, and potato salad. The cornbread is good enough that I ate it without butter, and that’s a rarity for me. Catfish was tasty, and the fried shrimp was really good too. If you can’t handle any heat, stay away from the shrimp, though. It’s light breading was spicy. I liked it, but you might not.
My lady had gumbo, which she had never in her life had before, being from the Northeast. She loved it. Big chunks of sausages, crab legs,…all very well seasoned in a rich sauce.
And the people are great. Very friendly, got to chat with the owner for a while, took a look at the banquet room, plenty of space for 40 to 60 people, and they’ll cook up a custom meal for everyone.
Overall, we liked it a lot!

Our first time.
At noon there was only one customer besides us. They are very friendly but the food is just average with small plates to make the small portions look larger than they are.
There was nothing memorable so I doubt we will return.

Everything here was great! from the food to the customer service! Would Most definitely come back!

The worst food ever-​their black eyed peas and greens were way to salty and I couldn’t eat them and their BBQ ribs were baked. I spent over 50.00 and would rather have eaten at Taco Bell-​I will never go back the food was so bad my dog wouldn’t eat it either.

Wanting some good fried catfish? This is the place. Perfectly seasoned and cooked. I’ve been dying for a good catfish for years and FINALLY found a place that knows how it’s done! Mac & Cheese was meh, but the fried okra was delish.
Definitely returning to try everything on the menu.

First time in and the service and food was great. Manny introduced himself and informed us of the FREE banquet room for any event and gave us a brochure. The restaurant was clean and staff was professional. I gave a 4 star bc the food preparation was slow. My favorite was the yams. I would recommend this restaurant for soul food cuisines.

Excellent food!!! Went in for a late lunch with my uncle, we had the catfish it was fresh not frozen or put under heat lamps cooked to order. The price was very decent. Highly recommend this place

Wow! I don’t know why this place doesn’t have a line out the door and down the street! Shrimp and Catfish are bomb. Oxtail is LEGIT! I hate collard greens and yet I tried to eat all of my husbands! Black eye peas are THE BEST! Gumbo is out of this world! Ive tried gumbo before and didnt like it but this gumbo was the best I have ever had! It had crab, chicken, sausage, and everything else in it and it was absolutely perfect.
Now for the service… 5 stars!!! 10 stars if I could! Wow. The owner came out and greeted us and told of his plans to expand and about his HUGE banquet room… the waitress was very sweet and she was very polite. After the meal we had to say thank you to the cook because we were so impressed and wanted to let him know we appreciated his work and that it was well worth the wait!

This place is listed as BBQ but it’s really more Southern or Soul Food. They have a couple of BBQ offerings but it’s not what I would call a BBQ joint.
Food was good. I had the chicken sausage burger because it sounded interesting. It was a little salty but had a different flavor than the norm and I mean that in a good way.
Good service and a nice place to stop for lunch.

Possibly the worst eating out experience that I’ve had here in Bakersfield! From the moment I walked in the staff just looked like they couldn’t for my wife and I to leave. Mixed up our drinks to start with (I don’t know how you mistake sweet tea for Coke !!!) then we ask the waitress about the Gumbo and she admits to us that they make a batch of Gumbo as needed then freeze the rest and that is what we would get (NO THANKS) I got the smothered pork chops (they were cold and tasted like they just got microwaved) my wife got ribs (to much sauce; couldn’t even taste the meat) everything was over seasoned or over salted. We ate half of our meal and left. Poor customer service! Poor quality food!
My wife and I will never be going back. Waste of almost $ 40
Only reason they deserve even one star is that the sweet tea was good

We love Chat N Chew! It was previously located on Ming in the plaza by the Zaika Indian buffet but they closed up a few months ago and moved over to Brundage lane, east of the 99.
The new restaurant is smaller in size but seems more appropriate. Instead of a white room, the main dining room has red floor tile so the atmosphere feels warmer. There are two TV sets playing different channels. The women’s restroom was basic with 2 stalls but clean.
The menu has been pared down a little (for example, they no longer serve banana pudding) but the food is still great. I had fried red snapper with sides of collard greens and green beans. The collards were nice and smoky. My husband had the ribs with fried okra and potato salad. Our son had the kids meal of one piece of smoked BBQ chicken and yams. All of it was tasty. We’ve tried the fried chicken and the grilled catfish and truly all of it was well cooked and made fresh. At the new location, we noticed on our last visit that the sides were served in ramekins instead.
Service is always friendly. We live closer to J’s Place but prefer the food (particularly all the sides) at Chat N Chew. Knowing that our little guy is often hungry, they were great about accommodating him last time. It is not a fast place though, so take your time when you are there to really chat and then get ready to chew!