Gator’s Neo Soul Cafe

4 stars I guess I was one of the few that got to try Gator’s food before it closed.
when I went the service was pleasant Gator was very inviting our waitress was really informative and offered us suggestions on what we should try. ordered the gator meat for appitizer, oxtail for entrée, wife got the chicken I believe everything was really good, pricey but really good
when we went there, they were still in process of renovating and extending the restaurant to next door, if it was still open I would visit only for special occasions literally the food was pricey. have nothing bad to say about this place, they had excellent service, really nice ambiance, and excellent food, just the price was not to my liking
food ***** oxtails, gator meat a must
price $$$
ambiance ****
service ***** our waitress was on point and very informative

Gator’s is CLOSED. I spoke to Gator (Glen) last Friday night and he said he and his wife would be opening a new restaurant in San Mateo on El Camino Real. I forget the name of the new restaurant.
According to the local paper-Gator’s might reopen at the old Left Bank (near Whole Foods) at Saratoga/​Hillsdale in San Mateo! Let’s hope he does!

Gators has gotten too big for their britches. I really did like this place until we made a reservation for 6 people for my mothers birthday. We made the reservation on Wednesday, just for them to call back Saturday, day of, actually afternoon of her birthday to tell us they had no room for our party in three hours, that they overbooked. When I called to inquire about this, they responded with sorry, they overbooked. When I asked if they had taken our reservation on Wednesday, and just decided to keep booking smaller parties, (aka faster turnover) and bumped us, they really had no answer for that one. I feel that it was the most shady thing they could have done, and thanks gators for leaving us with no place to go on my Mom’s birthday. Ill make sure to tell all my friends how accommodating you were.
UPDATE: they called us back after I called and complained and the chick hung up on me, and oddly enough after I posted this, and said there must have been a miscommunication, ahem, (yeah right), and that they could squeeze us in. Well, I don’t feel like being «squeezed in» after all that planning, and then to have to scramble to find another place to take six three hours from now… so no thanks, too little too late. Unfortunate though, how i love the coleslaw and mashed potatoes.

I remember when Neo-​Soul first opened up in San Mateo. My husband and I were curious and looked at the menu. Our mouths were drooling already. We made a reservation once we got back to our place. When we got there we weren’t disappointed. The hostess was extremely nice and very elegant. We sat near the window but the sun was setting and getting into my eyes so they let us move.
Our food was excellent! Gator even came by our table to see how we were doing. He told us a little about himself and then asked us what we ordered. He then told us how the entrees were prepared and how he used only the freshest ingredients. I like having that personal touch.
We tried to take our friends there but never remember to make reservations. This place is usually very busy when we do remember. They’ve since opened up a bar/​lounge next door. We’ve been to the bar and enjoyed some live jazz. I’ll have to make it back here again… soon.

FOOD, SERVICE, & AMBIANCE were FIRST RATE!
Since it was our first time here, we wanted to sample everything ordered so we ate family style. As appetizers, we ordered the crab cakes and catfish sliders. Although the crab cakes were delicious, I think the catfish sliders beat out the crab cakes in terms of ingenuity and portion size. The crab cakes had plenty of crab and came out hot/​juicy but honestly, the size of the two crab cakes was pretty disappointing. They certainly left us wanting more! The catfish sliders was a more appropriate portion size for an appetizer. There were four of them and I seriously could have just ordered that as an entrée (except I had to share this time). Maybe next time…
For entrees, we had the fried chicken (YUM) and the petit filet with a side of the mac and cheese. I loved the fried chicken (no bones!) — the chicken was crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. The petit filet was also good but I know my husband was disappointed because the meat was more undercooked than what we had ordered. We had asked for «medium» but the meat was definitely bloody (I’m okay with medium rare but he’s not). The mashed potatoes that accompanied the beef was yummy — full of bacon and cheese (it tasted like a glorious mouthful of the perfect baked potato). The mac and cheese was super cheesy but had no crispy crust on top (not a must but it’s nice to have a crunch).
For dessert, we had the bananas foster. I was expecting something a bit more, especially for $ 12. There were four halved slices of banana and a small scoop of ice cream. The dessert was good but not so impressively amazing as to justify the heavy dessert price tag.
Aside from the food, service was excellent. Our server, Rachel, did a perfect job. Our waters were regularly refilled by the other staff and we had no problems getting seconds, and then thirds of the delicious cornbread. There was lovely live jazz being played in the other room but it wasn’t too loud as to interfere with our conversation since we sitting in another room. One of the highlights, beside the delicious food, was talking to Chef Gator. He personally stopped by our table and asked how our food was. Now that’s classy…
I’m glad to see that Gator’s is doing so well — it deserves it — because previous tenants have not fared the same. It’s an awesome addition to the downtown San Mateo scene. I’d be back in a heartbeat!

Excellent soul food! We went there for brunch on Sunday. I had the fried catfish and grits combo and it was yummy. The place has a great ambiance and vibe with live R&B music. This is a fun place for a large Group. I have to come back for dinner soon!!!

3.5 stars
$ 10.99 Cajun lunch buffet. Served up: brown rice, potato salad, macaroni salad, jambalaya, cornbread, baked mac cheese, green beans, cheesy grits, alligator and tomato macaroni casserole, fried catfish, and fried chicken.
I’m kinda picky with southern food, since I grew up in Northern VA, but the food was good considering it was a buffet. Definitely worth the price and you can’t beat the variety. Plates are huge, so we didn’t have seconds. Service was outstanding.
Several big groups were there yesterday. Just call ahead and the tables will be set up to accommodate. Don’t be scared of the number of patrons. Food is replenished all afternoon with a smile.

Today’s Buffet Menu: Sausage jambalaya, cornbread, macaroni salad, potato salad, mac ‘n cheese, green beans, grits, beef chili, rice, brisket stew, sweetened ham & pineapples, fried chicken, fried catfish, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, white cake topped with shredded coconut.
For $ 11, I would say it’s worth it. First of all, where can you find a Cajun buffet? Nowhere. Secondly, it’s always a joy to try a bunch of little items without burning a hole in your pocket and feeling weighed down from ordering too much. Overall, the food was okay but I think if a buffet can be decent, then the food on their regular menu must be even better. I have high hopes!
I LOVED THE SERVICE. From the minute we walked in until the minute we left, it was wonderful from everyone: the hostess, our waiter, the cook, everyone. While we were in line for the food, the cook told us what each and every dish was. Even though some of our guys weren’t listening, she just joked about that. Everyone just has a really good and lighthearted spirit.

Went to their lunch buffet today. At $ 10.99 per person… it was great!
Pros: Strawberry Mint Lemonade was deeeelish! The wait staff is very friendly with smiles all around, southern hospitality all the way.
What was served: Jambalaya, cornbread, mac-​n-​cheese, cajun macaroni, red beans, seasoned rice, brisket stew, collard greens, green beans, fried catfish and fried chicken.
Cons: Potato salad and regular macaroni salad tasted store bought — totally skip it so you can save the valuable tummy real estate for the real stuff. It gets busy during the regular lunch hr so go a few minutes before noon to avoid the long lines at the buffet.
This is a great lunch spot… I just can’t go every week as there isn’t really anything light or healthy here… just really good comfort food.

I’ve been lucky enough in life to experience New Orleans «pre-​Katrina.» One of the best things in NOLA, besides boobs everywhere, is their delicious food. Since then, I have struggled mightily to find somewhere that even remotely compares. Thanks to a co-​workers suggestion — I’ve found that place.
I’ve been to Gator’s Neo Soul Café three times now, and have yet to be disappointed. Everything from their Aunt Gerdie Bea’s Fried Chicken to their New Orleans BBQ Shrimp & Grits have been excellent. Their Uncle Bud’s Mac-​And-​Cheese and Big Momma’s Collard Greens are off the charts good. The Catfish Sliders are to die for. Their Gumbo is authentic as you can find.
Last time I was there, Dennis Haysbert (of 24, Major League and Allstate fame) was in the house. If you are craving some bomb Cajun food — don’t waste your time with Roux or Kingfish… they don’t hold a candle to Gator’s.

Went to Gator’s for lunch this week to try out their lunch buffet.
Location: Downtown San Mateo. Your best bet for parking is the multi-​level lot directly behind it.
Look and feel: You enter through their newly added lounge area. It looks really nice. Classy. In the dining room, the seats are comfortable and the décor is understated.
Menu: I was there for the lunch buffet, so I never even saw a menu.
The food:
Mac ‘n cheese — Really freaking good mac ‘n cheese. Sweet and cheesy, with the cheese a little thick, not runny.
Meatloaf stew — Chunks of meatloaf in a sauce. Good, but not special.
Fried chicken — Small pieces of juicy fried chicken with a nice crisp skin.
Fried catfish — Breaded catfish nuggets. Good, but a little heavy on the breading: fish ratio.
Mashed potatoes — Whipped to an incredibly light and fluffy texture. Oh, and did I mention buttery?
Collard greens — Very tender greens, in what I believe is a slightly pickled sauce. Quite nice.
Corn bread — Moist and tasty.
Cole slaw — Meh, not really worth bothering with.
Potato salad — Nice, full flavor.
Dirty rice, Red beans — I lump these together because, really, who eats them separately? Nice flavor, but I’ve never found the southern version of rice & beans to be all that interesting. It’s good, just not my favorite.
Chicken jambalaya — Pretty good, but nothing outstanding.
Overall, I found the food to be good, but not stellar. For a lunch buffet it was well above the norm.
One thing to note is that this is a lot of starch, between the rices and the pastas. This is not a place for a diet.
Service: It’s a buffet, so there’s not much to report. My water never emptied and my empty plate was bussed before I got back from getting my second plate of food, so the servers did their job.
Value: $ 11 for a lunch buffet of this quality seems perfectly reasonable.
Will I go back? Almost certainly, but not too often. It’s local to my office, so I expect to come back every once in a while when I’m looking for a heavy southern meal.

4.5 stars
I went there for brunch with the girls. I haven’t been in a while, was aware of the renovations and it looks like they’re done with them. The new room was large, had a bar and comfy couches with an area for the jazz duo/​trio.
The brunch was delish. They have chicken and waffle, people!!!
The peach cobbler butter was TO.DIE.FOR. I’m normally not a fan of butter but damn. I smothered it on the waffle along with the various pastries they give at the beginning of the meal.
The biscuits and gravy (gravy had bits of sausage) was so good I wanted to drink a bowl of the gravy…
Everything I had was delicious, I will definitely starve myself and finish the whole plate of fried chicken and waffle next time! Oh and make room for the bowl of gravy.

Let me start by saying that I thought Gator’s was a ghetto hole-​in-​the-​wall soul food spot, so I was pleasantly surprised the minute I walked in to see that it was actually charming and upscale. Other than the food (which I’ll get to in a sec), I was impressed by the ambiance right away. Everything from the lighting to smiling waitstaff to the great live jazz just brought the whole experience through the roof for me.
So, the food. You know how you can just tell when someone puts a lot of love into something? I got that feeling from my alligator biscuits and gravy and Ed C.‘s shrimp and grits. I don’t really know a better way to describe it, and needless to say, both were absolutely delicious.
This was one of only a few dining experiences I’ve had where everything — the ambiance, the service and the food — really came together to make it a very memorable experience.

Took my bro out to din din…
Tried to call for reservation, no one answered the phone. Went, hostess couldn’t seat us, and couldn’t give us an approximate time for a table. When I asked if we should leave, she sat us immediately.
Me and my bro both ordered the friend chicken. I also ordered a side of sweet potato grits, but unfortunately, the waitress didn’t remember that part, so even though it sounded good, I never got to try it.
The fried chicken was good, but not $ 20 good. The fried chicken at hard knox is much much better, and more authentic. This was too foo-​foo while trying to be southern Louisiana. They didn’t even have sweet tea or okra, two negatives in my book, as far as southern/​creole cuisine go.
So for $ 70 w/​o an app… I’d rather go elsewhere, sadly. Good premise, just needs work.

If i’m paying $ 8 for a tiny cup of gumbo, why do I have to get my hands dirty to pick the meat out of the crab shell? Also, why is most of my gumbo crab shell and rice instead of meat, vegetables, and liquid?
Gumbo gripe aside, the shrimp and grits were yummy and buttery. I was excited to see Abita beer on the beverages list. The entrees were cooked just right with the fried chicken having a nice outer crust and juice on the inside. However, from having lived in Cajun country Louisiana and soul food laden Texas, I’m used to this type of food having a little more flavor and kick.
I hestitate to recommend this to most people because it feels wrong to pay three digit figures (before tax and tip) for two on soul food without even having had any dessert.

Went here last night with my friend– her treat because she got a large tax refund– lucky me!
This place was excellent. Cute atmosphere– copper-​ish alligator hide looking seats– leather placemats– cotton plants on the tables, and the food was to die for. I had a very hard time deciding what to get– I had fried chicken, and sweet potato grits. We split the ceasar salad, and that was tasty– the corn bread was yummy too. My friend got the lamb shank, and it was bigger than my dog’s leg! (she is a 75 lb chow/​husky mix) We did not have room for dessert. The strawberry mint lemonade was good as well!
I will go back here again! yum yum yum!!!
**********************************************************
so I actually went back 2 days later– and had the catfish! yum!

Alligator On My Plate.
exactly.
Corn bread madness served with honey spread stuff. Mmm… scrumdiliocious.
Creative menu. Semi-​high prices for the quantity you get on your plate.
A lot of organic products used.
Ambiance was pretty good. Loved the stuff on the walls.
Alligator wasn’t on my plate, but it was on my bro’s. I ordered the lamb, it was just okay.
Our server had a really good personality.
Probably won’t be back. Hmm… that cornbread and spread may be just the reason to come back.

Gator’s Neo Soul
Nice Décor
Nice Owner
Nice Staff
Nice Bathroom
The food? It was okay.
(see photos)
Would I eat here again? Yeah, but not high-​up on my repeat list.

Food here is 3 stars, service on Wed 7÷18÷07 was 5 stars! I made reservation on
and when I told them I was going to be late she said it was ok. Well, I didn’t have to worry cuz the place was not busy which was great. I don’t like loud places so I didn’t want to go when they have live jazz.
I knew exactly what I wanted because the menu and prices are online.
Free cornbread w/​chipotle butter. Two small cornbread w/​butter given. Had to ask for refills a couple more times.
Hubby got an Abita beer –Amber. He wanted what the waitress describe, she said it was the wrong one after he drank it & described it. She took it off the bill-​very nice.
Savanna’s corn chowder– a cup $ 6. I thought it was ok.
Gumbo — cup $ 8. some mildly spicy sausage, 2 shrimp, other stuff. Ok.
fried chicken dinner $ 16-​really good though I only had a bite. slightly crispy on the outside (like oven-​fried), juicy & moist breast inside. nice mashed potatoes, some greens were good.
oxtails w/​black eye peas & onion custard gravy $ 20 – 6 oxtails w/​gravy over wild rice. I don’t like wild rice-​not tender like white rice. Also comes w/​a small amount of spinach. I enjoyed the oxtails & spinach.
peach cobbler a la mode $ 10.50-it’s not very good, though I ate it. It’s not what I expected. This cobbler didn’t have a crust like oats & butter. It was just some sugary stuff, goopy sauce, peaches w/​cinnamon & nutmeg & whatever. Ice-​cream was very sweet, supposedly homemade.
You must go to the restrooms — separate men & women. Each has FREE Toothbrushes! Very cool.
Our total before tip was $ 65.82. So it’s pricey, but I’ll still recommend it. Credit cards taken.
Homemade pralines individual wrapped given w/​the bill.
Adress: 129 South B St (between 1^st & 2^nd Ave), San Mateo

We walked by this place a few weekends ago. Heard the live music, perused the menu and made plans to come back. Our expectations were pretty high. The brunch items sounded great as did the jazz music.
So let’s start with five stars of expectations. Nice décor, good looking menu, and great jazz music.
When we arrived we were seated almost as far away from the band as you could be. The staff told us that those were for the reserved tables for people who call ahead. During the entire course of our meal, none of those tables ever came in. In fact, there were four tables between us and the next table. Lose a star for that. Four stars.
Our food came and it looked terrific. The presentation was really well done. We had crab cakes, biscuits and gravy, and the mud pie french toast. I had the french toast. It’s not really a good breakfast. It’s basically chocolate poured over sugar and coated with cocoa powder. In no way is it healthy nor nutricious. It was so over the top, it stopped being enjoyable after two bites. Next time, I’d get something savory. The other two dishes were not at the correct temperature. More like luke warm. Tastey, but not right. Lost a star. Three stars.
The staff was on par with what we expected. Not too bad, not great either. Nobody came by to shower us with affection. No stars gained. Three stars.
The bathrooms had toothbrushes which was great considering our meal of chocolate and sugar. It almost deserves a star by itself, but I think we’ll leave it at three.
So there you go. Five stars of expectations and three stars of reality. I’m not sure if I would come back again. Maybe I will now that my expectations aren’t so high anymore.