EJ's Soul Food and Vegan Restaurant
Restaurant in Gastonia, NC
- Address
- 501 Cox Rd, Gastonia, NC, 28054
- Phone
- (704) 671-4177
- Website
- ejsoulfood.com
About EJ's Soul Food and Vegan Restaurant
EJ's Soul Food and Vegan Restaurant serves classic soul food and a full vegan menu side by side in Gastonia. The kitchen keeps separate fryers, cooking surfaces and prep spaces so vegan dishes stay vegan. Entrees include oxtails, fried chicken, beef tips and gravy, pork chops, fried fish and salmon croquettes. Vegan options run from BBQ jackfruit sandwiches and Beyond burgers to hearts of palm and chickpea krabby cakes, chik'n tenders and creole red beans. Sides come vegan or not: collards from a Bess family recipe, yams, mac and cheese, purple cabbage slaw, potato salad, fried okra and cornbread. Several vegan recipes were developed with plant-based chef and cookbook author Dawn Hilton-Williams. Sunday brunch with Chef Ronnie Mills brings chicken and waffles, shrimp or vegan shrymp and grits, fish and grits and breakfast platters. Desserts include banana pudding, cobblers, pound cake and cheesecake. There is a kids menu. The 150-plus-seat space also hosts private and semi-private parties, patio line dancing and offsite catering.
Founder Dara J. Bess, an experienced soul food restaurateur and caterer, wanted to pair crave-worthy soul food with a wide variety of vegan options. She found a vacant former 150-plus-seat restaurant at 501 Cox Road off I-85 exit 21 and rebuilt it with contractors, family and friends. With her soul food menu ready, she engaged plant-based, nutrition-certified chef and vegan cookbook author Dawn Hilton-Williams to develop vegan recipes, plating, costing and back-of-house training. The restaurant is named after Dara's son, Eli Jace.
Services
- Coca Cola Products — $3
- Dinner — $3
- Dinner Portion — $3
- Sun Drop — $3
Photos
