Tori's Place

Wow sooo good and everything was on point! We order gumbo, riblets, catfish and prawns, Mac n cheese, string beans and black eyes pea!

Gumbo was soooooo bomb probably the best I ever had, not overly seasoned and everything melted in my mouth!

Riblets the meat fell off and sauced just right!

Catfish and prawns was gooood and the tartar sauce paired well! Soo good

Mac n cheese was so so I think it was old and had a little sweet note to it!

The black eyes peas was really flavorful! Highly recommend it! And so was the string bean stew!! I never had it like that and damn I could use the broth and pour it over rice!

The owner Mama is super sweet and she definitely puts her LOVE N SOUL into it!! The cashier was super sweet and really gave her all for Mama! Said she was like her mama as well! And I felt that.

We were driving by from Humboldt to orange county and randomly came through and don't regret it at all! Highly recommend it and I feel Anthony Bourdain would have too cause it's definitely a hole in a wall with so much flavor and love!

Thanks again Mama!

Never got the chance to try the food.

When my family and I first walked in this afternoon, we were surrounded by a dozen high school knuckle heads in the lobby. They were smoking weed, talking loud, cussing, and laughing loud.

Not a professional atmosphere. We were uncomfortable and left.

Ok so im from South Carolina so Ive pretty much have given up on getting real soul food out here.

I got the fried catfish, black eyed peas, rice and gravy, & sweet potatoes.

Fried catfish was alright. Black eyed peas were good! I didnt like the gravy on the rice. Sweet potatoes were good too.

Overall it's a good alternative to get a taste of back home. Ill be back for sure.

I had Tori's bookmarked for a while and we finally stopped by over the weekend. This is the type of spot that if you're not looking for it, you'll pass right by. The parking lot is gravel and doesn't really have spots mapped out (cars were parked a bit haphazardly when we stopped by).

They have the restaurant enclosed where there's a patio "outdoor" area with tables and chairs and furniture. It's blocked from the outside but would definitely still be considered outdoor seating, since it's not temperature regulated. In this area you'll find the window where you can place your order.

The women at the window are SOOOO nice. They welcomed us in and made small talk and insisted we try a sample of the gumbo. We already knew we were going to order it, but the sample solidified the decision. It is packed with ingredients and has the perfect spice level.

We ended up ordering the fried, two pieces of their buttered hot water corn bread, gumbo with rice, a tiki punch and arnold palmer. Between the two of us this ended up being lunch and dinner. Everything was flavorful, well seasoned and came out HOT HOT HOT. We were super excited when it first came out and we had to be patient because both the chicken and gumbo were piping hot. The corn bread is unique because it's like a pancake and was really flavorful, perfect for dipping in the gumbo.

As others have said, if you're short on time you'll want to call in your order. It is all cooked to order and this does mean you may wait 20+ minutes depending on your order and how many others are placing orders.

The seating worked great as well, but on our 90+ or 100+ degree days it will get hot in their patio area. It is well worth it for the delicious food and I can't wait to head back to try more from the menu.

First time here 6/19/24. I live in Oak Park and wanted to pick up my uncle David to go out to eat for Juneteenth. He lives in Rio Linda so I do a Google search for catfish platters nearby because that's what he wanted to eat. I find this gem of a place I drive there. At first I hesitated because of the outside and how it appeared but then I drive around and I see a line of people and a bunch of parked cars waiting to pick up food, we decide to go inside and dine in we go in and we are greeted by a sweet lady in the window. We place our order with her and wait about 15 minutes and it's ready. My uncle got the catfish plate and I got myself a small gumbo. I could tell it's all fresh because the celery and the gumbo was fresh and crunchy and a side of greens. We got tasted very fresh. My favorite thing has got to be the cornbread pancakes. They are juicy and buttery and delicious.


Just went by today 6/22/24 again for a lunch snack - $98 later and I am a happy foodie ! I got so much today including the pudding ! I called it in ahead of time and it was ready as stated in 20 minutes. Nothing missing and everything tastes fresh! The potato salad has a nice spicy kick to it ! Love it ! Everything is flavorful and cooked just right !

They need to close their online ordering if they are not open ( at a time in which they say open). I placed an order money out my account. Now order canceled 5 minutes later while in route and I won't see my money for a few days. I'm hungry. It's been a long day. I say maybe they were just out of that, let me go by. Not a car in site at 6pm on a Friday night.
Really!

Bruh, when you pull up to Tori's. Keep driving.

This was a Sunday so maybe I should try a different day of the week?

I learned about Tori's from a YouTuber called Darius Cooks. He told the owner that she had the best food in Sac.. so needless to say I was hella juiced to try it out! They recommend that you call in your pick up order and it should be ready in 20. I can agree that the call to order was brief and straight to the point and my order was ready as predicted.

I ordered the fried chicken combo w dressing as my side. It also comes with hot water cornbread. Food is still warm when I get it home, great. I crack into the chicken which is seasoned lightly (I prefer more salt and other seasoning) with salt or perhaps a brine. It has a touch of spice and is crispy. Thighs are my fave and I was hella excited to eat it, I saved it for last. Dry. Absent of liquid. Dusty. Felt old in the mouth and not as fresh as the wing and drum. All in all, mid.

I grew up on hot water cornbread that my grandmother would make at family meals so this may be a tad biased. The hot h2o cornbread at Tori's was more like a pancake to me. Very sweet and not textured like the version I'm used to but I would come to learn that it was the best thing on the plate.

Which brings me to the dressing. For those that don't know, dressing is made from cornbread and in this case made from the same cornbread as the hot water cornbread. As I mentioned earlier the hot water cornbread is pretty sweet tasting so the dressing was also sweet and that's weird friends. Dressing should be savory AF. I can tell that the recipe used was going in that direction but as soon as the sugar hit, it was not working for me.

Look, this is all personal preference and I am not judge and jury on all things food. I just like what I like. Tori's is doing just fine on Yelp. I love that it's a Black owned woman owned business.

I have not been here since before the pandemic. This was a favorite place for myself and my husband before he died. I am very happy that they survived the pandemic and that they are still supported by the community. If I lived closer, i'd come more often.

There is a nice mellow mix of old school soul and mellow jazz as a very calming background. Since I was last here, the place has become more "enclosed" - though still not a proper "restaurant", it does offer better respite from weather than before. I am reminded of a Caribbean/Central American Beach/Southeast Asian/African beach village vibe. The only thing missing is the BEACH! Food is great, cooked to order and at a reasonable price.

The neighborhood may be depressed but the food is delicious and the service is TOP NOTCH!
I got my order to go and will share with my neighbor who is sick. There is more than enough food for two sick Seniors.

I couldn't resist: I had to taste the corn cake! OMG - just as good as the first time.

If you like EXCELLENT food and enjoy the cuisines of this country, please support Tori's and places like it that may be out of your way. YOU - and each of YOU - will make the difference on the continuing survival of magnificent food establishments like this.

So my husband's family are Grant High legends, and they recommended that we check out Tori's on a trip to Sacramento last year. (We live in LA) Man oh man, Tori's did not disappoint!!!! The customer service is awesome, the gumbo is amazing, and the hot water cornbread is slap yo mama goodt!!! (IYKYK) Tori's Place will always hold a special place in my thicky thick girl heart!!! If you want great soul food, check them out. 10/10 recommend! I tell my friends who have to go to Sacramento for work trips about Tori's, and we try to go whenever we are in town.

CHECK YOUR FOOD BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!!

I live in the city of Lathrop which is 1 hour and 8 minute drive (ONE WAY), to visit Tori's Place. This was my second visit. The first visit came after I seen Darius Cooks review her restaurant. First experience, excellent so of course I'm going to support my people. What I experienced today - I can no longer support.

I ordered several items, one being the fried chicken. When I got home and opened the food, I was met with day old chicken that was dropped back in the fryer or chicken cooked in old grease. I think my first thought is on point. I call Tori and am told I have 24 hours to return the food for another order. I DONT LIVE DOWN THE STREET. I explained this several times. I asked for a refund to my credit card of only the chicken and was told no. That's not an option. It baffles me that there was zero consideration for my time, money, and gas especially since she knows damn well this chicken was old. People... look at the pics .