Olean’s Café: Soul food for the soul

Food. Good homecooked meals. This is the answer you are likely to receive when asking a college student what they miss about home. 

Imagine finding a diner just minutes from campus that serves southern homestyle meals at a reasonable price. For more than 21 years, Olean’s has been providing great vibes, great food and even greater music at the café across the street from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s campus. 

As soon as you enter the restaurant, the bell and soft melodies of gospel music will be streaming through the stereo to greet you. 

Generations of FAMU’s history, family memorabilia and icons of the African American community line the Rattler green walls. 

One can come into Olean’s starving and leave full, especially satisfied within minutes.

Menu items include any and every of your favorite southern dishes styled as if your grandma made them herself. 

For breakfast, the ultimate fan favorite is the, “Obama Special,” which includes: 2 buttermilk pancakes, sausage or bacon, toast, and cheese grits- emphasis on the cheese. You can get these items steaming hot for just $6.50. 

Lunch and dinner also include: oxtails, smothered porkchop, smothered steak, barbecue chicken, fried chicken, catfish with sides to choose from like, macaroni and cheese, black- eyed peas, green beans… your favorite dishes your momma cooked growing up? Olean’s has them. 

Owner and operator of the restaurant, Olean McCaskill, has achieved great success with running this business.

Relocating to Tallahassee at age 12, McCaskill loved to help her family and concentrated deeply on her tasks in the kitchen as well as developing the recipes into her own. Through this she mastered soul food that truly touches your soul. 

Decades were spent honing her skills and in 1997, the most comfortable diner known to Tallahassee natives and nostalgic students opened. 

Everyone should try this cafe at least once. For the food, for the love, for the experience.