I was struggling to find a place to get lunch in LA.

Yes, restaurant and  food bloggers can have a hard time finding something to eat—it happens, don’t judge me. Ok, go ahead and judge me.

I had just grabbed a almond butter protein smoothie from Open Source Organics in Hollywood, but that wasn’t a meal. I was hungry and I was unsure what I should eat. It took me a few minutes and then suddenly a voice whispered to me. It was the voice of my friend Ajay saying, “Dulan’s on Crenshaw. Dulan’s on Crenshaw.” I recalled him saying that as he suggested it to me a few weeks prior and now the reminder came at the perfect time! With my smoothie in one hand and car keys in the other, I hopped in my car and headed to the restaurant.

A 30-minute drive in traffic from Hollywood to Crenshaw led me to Dulan’s. It didn’t take long to find open street parking in the residential area which was great because my hunger was growing quickly. As I power-walked into the restaurant I was trying my best to quell my inner hunger monster. The minute I walked in the location I felt a bit underwhelmed. Still hungry, but underwhelmed by the design of the space. There were a few pictures displaying prominent African-American leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Obama, however that was it. A few chairs and tables were set throughout the location, the walls were a dying bright color, but that was about it. For a restaurant that serves soul food, I was hoping the interior would reflect that as well. That it would carry a sense of vibrancy and a strong energy to it, but it didn’t.Unfortunately it was lackluster. As slightly unmoved by the interior as I was, I turned my attention to the food. Served cafeteria style, Dulan’s has all the soul food a person could want. Fried chicken, baked fish, smothered pork chops, corn and okra, mac and cheese, and so much more! Even though I was still suppressing my hunger beast, I took a few minutes to figure out exactly what I wanted as there were so many great options. As I peered into the glass case, I knew exactly what to get.

I ordered the Fried Chicken Lunch ($8.99). The plate of two pieces of fried chicken included two sides and two pieces of cornbread. I liked how much food I received for the price! For my sides I chose collard greens and candied yams. Basically, I decided to have Thanksgiving dinner in December. As I sat outside I took a few photos before diving in. What I immediately noticed was just how much liquid was under the greens. I know this is can be considered common, however I’ve never been one for food that is soaked in juice. Granted there are certain exceptions like, soup, greens swimming in liquid is not my style. Because of this, I asked for a second box so I could transfer the food. Once that was done I was able to really enjoy it.

The pieces of fried chicken I had were big, thick, and juicy. Since they weren’t noticeably seasoned, it gave room for me to add hot sauce, a ton actually. I know I’ve mentioned in many posts before that I’m a wuss when it comes to spice, but on fried chicken it’s a bit of a standard to eating.

In between bites of the chicken, I dove into my sides. The greens (now dry) were cooked well and weren’t too salty. I’ve had some that made me feel like I’m eating nothing but iodized salt, but here it was pretty good. The cornbread was a tad on the dry side which meant the bread wasn’t moist and soft as I had hoped. If Dulan’s prefers to serve their cornbread this way, dense, then I think it should come with a complimentary side of honey butter. This way they could keep the bread served as they wish yet, myself as the customer who likes a softer bread, could spread it across the cornbread to soften it a bit. If Dulan’s normally doesn’t have cornbread this dense, then I can only assume I got pieces from a less than ideal batch.

While the greens had to be removed from all its juice to be delicious for me and the cornbread wasn’t as soft as I would like, the candied yams were absolutely perfect! I loved how soft and whipped they were and how well they held incredible sweetness in each bite! I combined the side with the hot sauce enhanced fried chicken, ate it on its own, and ultimately devoured them so fast. It was my favorite part to the entire plate!

As I cleared the Styrofoam to-go plate of all its food, I felt full. I loved the yams, enjoyed the chicken, and was satisfied by the greens. While the cornbread wasn’t to my liking and the interior lacked personality, I was able to get what I wanted from Dulan’s: good soul food. On my next visit, I’ll make sure to try a few other sides to find more favorites and will give the cornbread another shot and hope for the best. I’ll even try to leave my inner hunger monster in the car while I eat.

I can’t make any promises about the last part though.

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Address: 4859 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90043
Phone: (323) 296-3034
Hours: Sunday and Monday – 11:00am to 8:00pm, Tuesday to Saturday – 11:00am to 9:00pm
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