Norma Jean’s Soul Cuisine 4636 Northeast 42nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97218

"This restaurant is the bomb dot com! Such delicious soul food and a great staple for NE 42nd Avenue. I highly recommend everyone eats here! They have the best collard greens I have ever had and I have enjoyed every dish I've tried from them. Rockfish, steak, chicken, Mac and cheese, cheesy grits, oxtails, the list goes on. They do brunch on Sundays, don't sleep on it! I don't have any photos of the food as I forgot to take one and devoured it. Oh they also have drink specials. Be sure to go here again and again so you can try different dishes."

"If you are craving soul food, definitely stop by this place. Everything I tasted was delicious, including the shrimp, collard greens, corn bread, and the hennessy cocktail. The owner was very kind and born and raised in the neighborhood. The restaurant is spacious and you can see into the kitchen, which I always think is a good sign for a spot making fresh food."

"The atmosphere was welcoming. Staff was helpful and very friendly. The owner came and introduced herself at the end of our meal. Wanted our honest opinion on our visit there. I informed her that everything was delicious and I definitely would be returning the next time I'm in Portland. So if you want some good food that won't break your bank account, go check Norma Jean's out⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"

"This restaurant opens up at 4:00 p.m. myself and my coworker wanted to give it a try. We read the reviews and decided to call before we came to make sure that they were open. And they were so we went. Parking is on the street and they have picnic tables outside and a dining room area inside. They also have a lounge that they are working on opening up soon. We ordered these smothered oxtails which comes with two sides we got collard greens and mac and cheese and ordered the jambalaya Mac to go. We also ordered a couple of drinks to go with our meal. I appreciate it the fact that the cook delivered the food to the tables himself and chatted with his customers. Not all places would do something like that and I appreciate it. Can I just say those oxtails were Finger Licking Good! The greens were seasoned well and the mac and cheese was pretty good. And the drinks were stiff! I would highly recommend coming out to try this place before it gets too packed and too busy because the way this man is cooking it will surely draw crowds. He also has a food truck that has moved from its MLK location to the north side of Portland off of Lombard I believe."

"I read about Norma Jean’s on Eater, which is my go-to site for finding new & exciting places to eat around Portland. This place does NOT disappoint!! The restaurant was clean and easy to navigate, the service was SUPER friendly and welcoming. The food… spectacular! Having moved to the PNW from the south less than a year ago, I’ve been missing some good southern-style soul food like crazy. This is THE SPOT. The sides (we tried Mac & cheese, collards, and the fruit bowl) were on point- the collards are cooked with smoked turkey rather than ham hocks for those who don’t partake in pork products- but the absolute stand out were the smothered oxtails. I can’t recommend them highly enough- fall off the bone tender, seasoned perfectly, and covered in DELICIOUS gravy. Large portions, too! They’ve only been open for about a month and I can just say that I hope lots of folks come by and give them a try so they can succeed in doing exactly what they set out to do!"