Island Soul is AWESOME! Island Soul bought/replaced Arleana's in downtown Kirkland. I have always wanted to dine at the Island Soul in Columbia City, but it was always crowded requiring some planning. We made a reservation the day before easily. The interior is superb. This place would be great for date-night or get a drink or have a family meal. Our server was attentive and helpful, making a change for us last minute with a 'I gotcha ya' attitude - LOVE! Thank you! The food is so, so good! The Seattle area doesn't have enough 'soul', southern, creole, 'island' type of foods. This place fills the perfect niche. I have the urge to say 'hmmm, hmmm' dining here! Yum! Parking is free under the building, and nearby street parking tends to be available, too. The Food: Blackened Salmon, $33 - 5 Stars Menu: Salmon, corn soubise, fried plantains, fried okra We both wanted this as our main dish, so this is a 2X. The salmon is perfectly seasoned and grilled. You can SEE the seasoning on the fish. So glad they included pieces of okra. The frying/searing gives it the perfect chew. Fried Green Tomatoes, $15 - 5 Stars Menu: Green tomatoes, panko, egg, onion, Buddha's belly seasoning This dish is known as their must order. I have no clue what Buddha's belly seasoning is, but I can tell you it is tasty. Fried green tomatoes is a perfect southern dish (and I will always think about the movie). Wings, Jerk seasoning, $18 - 5 Stars Like many, we're suckers for wings. Even better if the seasoning is different. Jerk wings is rightfully popular, here. The sauce is generously applied, and every bit is delicious. The flavorful foods will have me returning for sure!

Much needed a restaurant on the East Side. It's a combination of Soul Food, Caribbean, and American. It's one of the few Black-owned businesses in the entire area, and its right in downtown Kirkland. On the weekends for lunch time they only have their brunch menu, so I was not able to try the dinner menu dishes. The French Toast was incredible and the Shrimp and Grits were very flavorful and packed some spice. Lovely establishment and they were so friendly and welcoming. Great for groups as well. I hope they continue to keep seeing more business. The food is delicious!

Lovely and inviting space. Great food. Wonderful service. Comfort New Orleans food elevated to superb levels. Flavor galore and so many choices. A wonderful addition to Kirkland.

We stopped in for brunch today and were seated right away by a very pleasant, albeit new on the job hostess/waitress in training. Carla (owner?) greeted us at the table and ask if it was our first visit. She made us feel right at home while asking if we had any questions about the menu and letting us know about the special. We decided to start with a salad (can't remember the name) which included apples and beets(?). Very tasty. My husband had a Bloody Mary which was also very good. For the entree, we both had the shrimp and grits plate. Normally we would have each tried a different dish but we both had a strong desire for the shrimp and grits. We enjoyed that dish as well. The only suggestion I have would be to cut the tails off the shrimp. I know some people like to pick them up but I find it a bit off-putting to deal with when they are in a bowl with grits and an egg with soft yolk. However, the flavors in the shrimp and grits dish were outstanding! Just the right amount of heat. All in all we had a great experience. The service and the atmosphere were well worth the trip. We look forward to going again and sampling our way through the menu.

This place ROCKS! Some of the best food I've had on the East Side! I tried the delicious shakshuka with a southern / Caribbean twist. It was so amazing. My buddy had a chicken biscuit sammy with onion jam and home fries that all was to die for. Do not sleep on this place! Chef was out & about and chatting with customers. I always love it when that happens! Check it out if you are on the East Side. Plus, it's black-owned!

Beautiful space we particularly loved the mural, wall paper and how the live plants were hung. Food came out quickly as we were the first ones seated for the day our reservation was at 10am. Generous portions. Loved my Callaloo and they let me switch out the sour dough toast for a biscuit. One of the others in our group had the chef's breakfast sandwich and ate hers so fast. Another had the French toast with strawberry jam that she said was fresh almost more of a compote. My sister had the Benedict hollandaise sauce on the side think the only thing about it was that the sauce it wasn't hot. it was a little too cold and made for a thicker texture. but the flavor was good and the eggs were cooked well. Staff was friendly and helpful. Parking was free for two hours which was nice.