Tease Southern Kitchen in Emeryville offers comfort food with attitude, focusing on bold flavors and tight technique. It is located within the vibrant Emeryville Public Market, providing a casual dining experience. The restaurant also offers online ordering for convenience.
Customer Perception
Customers frequently praise the Cajun crispy fish for being expertly fried and flaky, and the garlic noodles for their outstanding, perfectly seasoned, and balanced flavor. The lemon pepper wings are also noted for being fantastic and not dry. Service is often described as fast and very friendly, with staff going above and beyond. However, some reviews mention that the mac & cheese can be inconsistent (sometimes lacking a baked top cheese), and the lobster add-on was considered overpriced for the small portion size. Portions for some dishes, like the honey chicken, were also perceived as small for the cost.
Additional Details
Tease Southern Kitchen has previously operated in other locations, including Antioch and an Oakland spot that is now closed. They offer a variety of 'fierce' frozen lemonades with mix-in options like strawberry, watermelon, mango, and passionfruit. The ordering process often involves a kiosk with pictures, which customers find helpful for making choices.
No explicit vegan optionsNo explicit gluten-free options
Best Times to Visit
The restaurant is open daily from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm, making it suitable for lunch and dinner visits. As it's located in a public market, it's likely to be busy during standard meal times.
I have been to Tease in Antioch, and the one in Oakland that was on MLK that is now closed. While this one has a pretty good shrimp Poboy(you can ask for shrimp instead of fish), the mac & cheese was just OK. It did not have any top cheese and it was very creamy more so like an Alfredo sauce type of pasta. At the other locations, the mac & cheese came in a foil pan and had been baked fresh with top cheese.
I had the most excellent experience here with both the food and the staff. I got to try their garlic noodles & Cajun crispy fish and my *goodness* was it killer. The fish was expertly fried, beautifully flaky, and easily the best I've ever tasted. The noodles had plenty of garlic, but the savory flavor was balanced out by a touch of sweet that really made the whole dish sing. The food may seem a little pricey, but the quality and the portion size are more than worth the cost. Also, their frozen lemonade is fierce! They have a bunch of syrups you can mix in (strawberry, watermelon, mango..), and I really enjoyed their passionfruit flavor.
I'll be going back for the food, no doubt, but the service was what made my whole week. I have some trouble with my hearing, so I often make the mistake of checking in at food counters before my order is ready. It's usually a little awkward, but the woman at the counter was more than warm while she was helping me out. She truly went above and beyond to make sure I had a good experience, and I'm serious when I say I've never felt more welcome by an establishment. I wish I caught her name, I just know she's got some lovely bronze earrings.
Very glad to have happened upon this place while I was in the Bay. If you happen to be hungry Emeryville, you should give this place a try
P.S. Please pardon the scuffed image, I was a little too excited to dig in, haha
5
Shocked and amazed. Garlic noodles were outstanding. Lemon pepper wings also fantastic. They were not at all dry like so many lemon pepper wings. But back to the garlic noodles: I absolutely love them. Season perfectly, thick tasty noodles, exactly what I was looking for.
Service fast and very friendly. I love that they have pictures on the kiosk. Really helps with choice.
Emeryville public Market is always a great place to eat.
4
Nestled in the vibrant food Public Market of Emeryville, Tease Southern Kitchen offers a tantalizing dive into Southern comfort cuisine with a modern twist. On my first visit, I was immediately drawn to their fish plate, which turned out to be a standout dish that truly blew me away. The fish was super fresh, perfectly seasoned, and fried to a golden crisp that retained its flaky tenderness inside. Accompanying it were equally impressive cajun fries – hot, crispy, and well-seasoned, proving that even the sides here are treated with care.
Curious about portion sizes, I asked the cashier how many pieces the plate comes with, and he explained it features one whole fish cut into three generous portions. This transparency was appreciated, and the execution was exceptional, making it a highlight of the meal.
That said, not everything was flawless. I opted for the lobster add-on, priced at $10, but was disappointed to receive pieces no larger than the size of M&Ms. For that cost, I expected more substantial bites that matched the quality and presentation of the fish plate. If I were presenting the lobster to customers, I'd elevate it similarly – perhaps with larger, more prominent portions to justify the premium.
Overall, the experience was pretty tasty and left me eager to return. I've heard rave reviews about their turkey leg, which is apparently "fire," so that's next on my list. Tease Southern Kitchen delivers authentic Southern flavors with room for refinement – a solid 4 out of 5 stars for its freshness and heart. If you're in Emeryville craving soul food, it's worth a stop.
1
I ordered the garlic noodles and the honey chicken for $26.18. The portions are very small. The Chicken was overcooked and dried out the garlic noodles are OK but for $26 the portions could be a lot bigger
